Why am I, a cook, always involved in cases?

Let us lift the veil of time and return to the moment when Quan Wushuang and Lin Zhiruo threw themselves into the waterfall.

At that moment, Lin Zhiruo's lips seemed to be pressed tightly by an invisible force, and her chest was bearing an unspeakable burden. She let out a low and vague groan, and then spat out a mouthful of clear water, mixed with fear and helplessness.

She struggled to support her exhausted body and vomited repeatedly until her stomach was empty.

During this long and painful process, she vaguely felt a warm hand caressing her wet back, giving her a little comfort.

After a while, Lin Zhiruo finally got rid of the pain. She heard an apologetic whisper from behind her. The owner of the voice seemed a little ashamed and did not dare to look directly into her eyes. He just turned his head slightly and said in an almost inaudible voice:

"If I failed to protect you and let you get frightened in this cold water, it would be my fault."

Lin Zhiruo's face was pale, her lips a faint purple. She forced a smile, her voice weak and trembling, "In such a critical situation, how could you still have the mind to swim?"

At that moment, Quan Wushuang suddenly picked up Lin Zhiruo and jumped off the towering cliff without hesitation like a brave knight. His figure drew an arc in the air, with determination and tragedy.

While falling, Lin Zhiruo seemed to hear the loud sound of a flintlock rifle again, echoing in the valley.

The cliff is bottomless. To ordinary people, Quan Wushuang's behavior is undoubtedly crazy.

"This waterfall pool is very deep. As long as you jump in the right way, you won't drown so easily." Quan Wushuang saw the anger on Lin Zhiruo's face and her eyes full of blame. He couldn't help feeling embarrassed and quickly looked away.

Lin Zhiruo struggled to stand up, her belt loosened, and her clothes became heavy from absorbing water.

"What are you going to do?" Quan Wushuang asked in surprise.

Lin Zhiruo lowered her head slightly, her voice filled with shyness and helplessness: "Master Steward, please don't mind. If I continue to be so wet, I'm afraid I'll catch a cold. I wonder if you would be willing to take off your clothes and let me wring them out for you?"

After saying that, she began to wring her clothes.

The clothes were heavy, so Lin Zhiruo simply took off her skirt and middle shirt, leaving only the thin gauze close to her body to maintain her last dignity and shyness.

As she took off her clothes, a bag of food slipped out. Those were the ingredients that Lin Zhiruo had carefully prepared, but now they were soaked in water and had lost their effectiveness.

Lin Zhiruo looked at the wet ingredients, feeling an indescribable regret and helplessness in her heart.

Seeing this, Quan Wushuang hurriedly took off his clothes and handed them to Lin Zhiruo, but Lin Zhiruo gently pushed him away and insisted on wringing them out for him first.

"Put my clothes aside for now, and take care of yourself first." Quan Wushuang's voice was filled with anxiety and command.

But Lin Zhiruo didn't want Quan Wushuang to wait naked, so she insisted on wringing out his clothes first.

Quan Wushuang took the clothes from her and started wringing them out himself.

Seeing that Quan Wushuang was stronger and could wring clothes better than herself, Lin Zhiruo started wringing her clothes with peace of mind.

After the clothes dried a little, Lin Zhiruo put on the clothes that were still damp and finally had the opportunity to observe the surrounding environment.

It turned out that they were in a dark and damp cave with dim light, as if isolated from the world.

"Where is this?" Lin Zhiruo asked curiously.

Quan Wushuang smiled slightly: "This is the inside of the waterfall, a little-known secret place."

"The steward seems to be very familiar with this place."

"An official played with me here before, and I heard it was occasionally used to test one's courage."

"So that's how it is." Lin Zhiruo nodded, secretly thinking about the origin of this mysterious cave.

Lin Zhiruo rummaged through the wet ingredients and finally found a small package wrapped in bamboo shoots, which she handed to Quan Wushuang.

When Quan Wushuang opened it, he saw that it contained boiled coltsfoot, tightly wrapped by Ophiopogon japonicus.

Because the bamboo shoots are wrapped in several layers, the coltsfoot inside is not soaked too much by water.

Lin Zhiruo smiled slightly: "This is just plain food, I hope the steward doesn't mind."

The seasoning of coltsfoot is salty, so even if it gets wet, the taste will not be affected too much.

However, for the noble Quan Wushuang, this was still too simple food.

"What is this?" Quan Wushuang asked curiously.

Lin Zhiruo smiled slightly: "It's just some ordinary things, but I think Manager Quan needs to add some sodium chloride."

This is not a prescription, but a snack brought by Lin Zhiruo. She thought it tasted very good this morning, so she asked the maid to pack some for her to take with her.

"Sodium chloride?" Quan Wushuang looked at Lin Zhiruo in confusion.

Although he looks fine now, he seemed a little shaky before.

Seeing this, Lin Zhiruo understood: "It's the salt. The steward is wearing a cloth covering his face in this weather. He must be unable to regulate his body temperature, so he feels tired and has a headache, right?"

This is why Quan Wushuang is unwell.

He covered his face with a cloth, hardly ate or drank, and ran around everywhere, so his body naturally couldn't bear it.

Some people may think that not drinking water is no big deal, but sometimes, lack of water is a fatal threat.

Being soaked all over seemed to temporarily relieve Quan Wushuang's dizziness, but to be cautious, Lin Zhiruo still hoped that he could take in some salt, so she advised him to eat this winter food.

Quan Wushuang suddenly realized, and gently picked up a piece of coltsfoot with his fingertips and put it into his mouth, savoring it carefully.

He seemed to think the taste was good, so he started eating it bite by bite.

At this moment, a slightly clumsy sound was heard in the cave. It was Lin Zhiruo's stomach rumbling.

Lin Zhiruo eats little, so she naturally gets hungry quickly.

As a servant, she had to wait until the high-ranking officials had finished their meals before she could eat.

Seeing this, Quan Wushuang quickly covered his mouth and picked up a piece of coltsfoot with his fingers and handed it to Lin Zhiruo's mouth.

Lin Zhiruo almost glared at him, but finally restrained herself, frowned slightly, picked up a piece and started eating.

Seeing this, Quan Wushuang had no choice but to put the remaining coltsfoot into his mouth.

When only the bamboo shoot skins were left, Quan Wushuang licked his fingertips, looking as if he was still not satisfied.

Lin Zhiruo thought his action was inexplicably childish as she picked up the bamboo shoots.

"What was that just now?" Lin Zhiruo asked with lingering fear.

Quan Wushuang frowned. "It looks like a flintlock rifle to me. The firing interval is not long. I'm afraid there are more than one criminal."

The flintlock rifle was a weapon used in combat, and it had to be reloaded with gunpowder and ignited after each shot.

It was for this reason that Quan Wushuang chose not to hide in the woods, but instead resolutely jumped off the cliff.

Entering the forest is like walking into a trap, not to mention that the number of the other party is unknown, making it extremely dangerous.

Lin Zhiruo secretly pondered the conspiracy and hatred behind this, but did not dare to say it out loud.

After all, it was she who brought Quan Wushuang to this place where he could easily become a sitting duck, so it was not easy for her to complain.

Although there is a possibility of being sniped as soon as entering the woods, the impact of leaving the villa is equally huge.

Lin Zhiruo felt bad and looked around.

This place is located inside the waterfall, and the sound of water is as deafening as thunder.

The cave was extremely humid and covered with moss and vines.

Lin Zhiruo saw the skeletons of small animals scattered in some places. It was not difficult to imagine that they must have strayed into this place and were unable to escape.

The deeper you go into the cave, the dimmer the light becomes.

However, she unexpectedly found a refreshing breeze gently blowing across her cheek, bringing a rare coolness and freshness.

"Since the steward knows that there is a cave here, does he also know how to get out?" Lin Zhiruo asked hopefully.

Her eyes were shining with anticipation and desire, as if she was waiting for Quan Wushuang to bring her a glimmer of life and hope.