After saying goodbye to Xiang Mantang, Mu Jinyu left with a gloomy expression on his face alongside Gu Xiyan.
Once they got home, Mu Jinyu still didn't utter a word and silently went into his room, slamming the door shut with a bang.
Gu Xiyan, who had been worried all the way home, grew even more concerned for Mu Jinyu when she saw this but couldn't help feeling a tad resentful as well.
What on earth had happened, and why wouldn't he talk to her about it?
Anxious, Gu Xiyan simply couldn't focus on going back to work, so she took out her phone to briefly inform Xu Qingya. Then, she ran to Mu Jinyu's room door and knocked lightly, asking, "What would you like for dinner? I will go get it ready in a bit."
The room was very quiet; Mu Jinyu didn't respond.
"Sigh," Gu Xiyan let out a light sigh, her pretty face crumpling into a frown.
It was too bad that she didn't have Liu Mei's or Xiang Mantang's contact details, otherwise, she could have asked them what exactly had happened just now.
Shaking her head slightly, Gu Xiyan decided not to disturb Mu Jinyu any further.
She thought to herself, let him have some quiet time alone; perhaps he'll feel better by the evening.
Today should be the day to show off her culinary skills and make a delicious meal for Mu Jinyu!
Gu Xiyan encouraged herself and headed out to the supermarket to buy ingredients.
Then she spent the entire afternoon in the kitchen, thinking hard about what to cook.
Since she rarely cooked, many of her attempts this afternoon ended in failure, resulting in inedible dishes that she had to throw away.
In the end, she succeeded with a few dishes.
"Phew, that's a relief; I finally made something successful."
Gu Xiyan took off her apron and wiped the fine beads of sweat on her smooth forehead, then checked the time and saw it was already past five in the afternoon.
Wen Rou hadn't finished work yet; with the Beauty Pill just launched, there were lots of things to do at the company, and it had been very busy. Gu Xiyan guessed that Wen Rou wouldn't finish work until nine or ten o'clock that night.
Thinking this, Gu Xiyan glanced at the slow-simmering clay pot on the stove.
The pot contained chicken soup that had been simmering for over four hours already; it should be almost ready.
Gu Xiyan put on gloves, lifted the pot lid, and instantly a rich aroma wafted up to her nose.
"It smells amazing; looks like it's a success."
Gu Xiyan's eyes lit up, and she smiled, then scooped up a little of the chicken soup to taste. It was delicious and very tasty.
"Hmm, time to call Jinyu out for dinner."
After putting the spoon down and covering the pot again, Gu Xiyan washed her hands, left the kitchen, and walked to the door of Mu Jinyu's room, knocking again.
"Hey, Jinyu, come out for dinner. I've been cooking all afternoon, you're not going to snub me, right? It's really delicious!"
Gu Xiyan called out a few times.
Still, there was no reply.
Just when she thought Mu Jinyu was not going to come out, the door suddenly opened.
Mu Jinyu walked out with a calm face, showing no hint of his inner thoughts.
"Is that so? Well, I suppose I'll have to see how good it is. Don't expect me to give you face if it isn't tasty," he said with a light chuckle, teasing Gu Xiyan.
"You'll know whether it's good or not once you've eaten it! If it's not, you're taking over cooking for the rest of the month!" Gu Xiyan, seeing that he seemed alright, felt a surge of happiness inside but still hummed proudly and started bantering with him!
"Wow, you're really setting me up here, aren't you? Even if it's awful, I'd have to pretend to like it now, wouldn't I?" exclaimed Mu Jinyu, reacting dramatically.
Gu Xiyan gave him a glare and then pushed him, saying, "Alright, go wash your hands and let's eat!"
Although she was quite curious about what had happened to Mu Jinyu that afternoon, seeing that he was now in a much better mood, she feared her inquisitiveness might spoil it once again.
Therefore, she suppressed her curiosity, pretended as if nothing had happened, and didn't bring up the incident from noon.
Mu Jinyu walked into the kitchen, washed his hands, and, smelling the rich aroma in the air, flared his nostrils a few times. Closing his eyes slightly, he clicked his tongue and said, "It smells pretty good, but I wonder how it tastes!"
Afterward, he and Gu Xiyan began to serve all the dishes she had prepared to the dining table.
Gu Xiyan's hard work all afternoon was indeed not in vain. At least the dishes looked appealing, with both color and aroma, and if they tasted alright, that would be considered quite a success.
A passable housewife, in the future, dishwashing and cooking could all be handed over to her, hahaha...
Thinking wickedly to himself, Mu Jinyu then picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of braised pork, put it in his mouth, chewed it slowly, and then praised, "Hey, it's actually pretty good."
"Of course it is. Who do you think made it?" Gu Xiyan's previously tense face relaxed at Mu Jinyu's words and then she laughed smugly.
Afterwards, she sat down and started eating with Mu Jinyu.
Halfway through the meal.
Gu Xiyan stood up and said, "Hmm, the chicken stew with mushrooms should be ready by now, I'll go get it for you."
With that, she hurried off to the kitchen.
"Chicken stew with mushrooms, huh."
Upon hearing Gu Xiyan's words, Mu Jinyu paused his action of picking up food, his gaze becoming distant as something came to his mind.
Soon, Gu Xiyan returned with a pot of chicken soup, placed it on the table, and withdrew her hands, muttering, "Hot, hot, hot..."
As she muttered, she raised her scorching hands and hastily pinched her translucent earlobes.
Mu Jinyu didn't look at her or even appear to notice her actions, his expression distant.
Gu Xiyan's hands soon felt much better. She lowered them, took the soup ladle, filled a small bowl for Mu Jinyu, and excitedly called out, "Come on, try it, the taste is absolutely first level."
When she placed the bowl in front of Mu Jinyu and saw that he still hadn't reacted, Gu Xiyan looked up and noticed that he had spaced out again.
"Hey, hey!"
Gu Xiyan waved her hand in front of him a few times, calling out.
"Hmm?"
Mu Jinyu blinked, the dazed look in his eyes dissipating as he forced a faint smile and then asked, "What's the matter?"
Though Gu Xiyan was somewhat worried, she didn't ask any further, instead pointed at the bowl of soup in front of him and said in a gentle voice, "Try my essence of labor."
Mu Jinyu's gaze shifted downward, seeing the rich golden soup with its glistening oil on the table. He hummed a low affirmation, "Hmm."
After that, he slowly raised his hand, cradling the soup bowl with one and taking a spoon with the other, scooping up a small spoonful. He blew on it to cool the heat and then brought it slowly to his lips.
Upon taking a sip, the familiar yet strange flavor immediately evoked long-sealed memories.
"Mom, are you making chicken stew with mushrooms again? It smells so good! When can we eat it? I'm so hungry!"
The little boy of only four or five, standing at the kitchen door, twitched his nostrils, salivating as he called out to the busy woman in the kitchen.
The busy woman in the kitchen turned around upon hearing his call, smiling tenderly at him and said softly, "It will be ready soon, don't be impatient."
The woman's face had become too blurry in his memory after so many years, Mu Jinyu couldn't see what she really looked like anymore.
But the sad and pained look hiding behind her tender smile as she turned became suddenly very clear to him.
Because on that day, after preparing their last sumptuous dinner, the woman would vanish completely from his and his father's world!