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

"Have you taken care of the steward's business?"

Lin Zhiruo gently untied the cloth strips on her fingers and put the knife back into the cabinet.

"It's okay to take a nap every now and then, right?"

"Please take a seat, sir." The madam quietly served tea and snacks with a meaningful smile.

The tea was the top-grade Longjing tea, and the pastry was the soft and delicious osmanthus cake, both of which were treasures used to entertain distinguished guests.

“Shall we talk here?”

For some reason, the madam specifically asked Gao Zhongcheng for confirmation.

Seeing Gao Zhongcheng nod, the madam looked unwilling, but she had no choice but to say "please sit down" and then closed the door and left.

(I really don’t know what she was planning.)

Quan Wushuang finally took off his veil and revealed his true face.

Apart from a scar on his cheek, he was quite handsome.

Lin Zhiruo gently patted the folded cushion and placed it in front of Quan Wushuang.

Quan Wushuang sat down without any hesitation.

"The steward looks a little tired."

Lin Zhiruo brought the tea and snacks to Quan Wushuang.

Quan Wushuang first picked up the teacup and took a sip.

"The official duties are indeed heavy. Not only do I have to deploy personnel, but I also have to deal with the Zi clan's property issues."

Quan Wushuang sighed and frowned.

His behavior became more and more like Gao Zhongcheng, which made Lin Zhiruo wonder if she was being too suspicious.

I heard that all the members of the Zi clan have been punished, most of them were residents of the city.

The industry is about to be nationalized, and the vast food garden in the north is rich in products and will surely add a lot of income to the national treasury in the future.

Even if the tax rate is lowered, the revenue will be enough to make up for the losses.

With the right ingredients, you can cook anything delicious.

(Hopefully, these ingredients can be used to improve the dish.)

Lin Zhiruo responded with a smile, dreaming of delicious food in her heart.

Business was not doing well in the past, perhaps because of the obstruction of the Zi clan.

Lin Zhiruo's thoughts were in a trance. When she came to her senses, she had already picked up the mortar and started preparing the seasoning.

"...you're ignoring me?"

"Sorry, I was distracted for a moment."

"Never mind."

Quan Wushuang took a bite of the dessert and drank all the tea.

Seeing that the teacup was empty, Lin Zhiruo stood up to add more, but Quan Wushuang grabbed her wrist.

"What do you want?"

Quan Wushuang pulled Lin Zhiruo to sit down again, his eyes fixed on her ear.

What he was looking at was Lin Zhiruo's ear.

The scar should have faded away.

(A scent comes.)

The aroma does not come from dim sum, but from incense.

Lin Zhiruo thought of the slightly playful old maid and thought that Henghua's taste had not changed.

“Will you keep your promise?”

(promise?)

Lin Zhiruo looked up at the ceiling and recalled the promise she had made, which made Quan Wushuang's face twisted.

"Don't say you forgot, I once gathered the ingredients for making snacks for you."

(Oh, that's it!)

Lin Zhiruo almost clapped her hands in approval.

But then he remembered the content of the promise and looked up at the ceiling again.

"What's up?"

"Ah! No, it's that hairpin..."

Lin Zhiruo's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

“I’ve already given it away.”

"..."

Quan Wushuang's face twitched, not with anger, but with disappointment.

Lin Zhiruo knew something was wrong and racked her brains for an excuse.

"Maybe we can find it again in the spring."

“Why wait for spring?”

“Or maybe I’ll never find it again.”

Rather than losing, if you really lose...

“Perhaps over the years, it will appear in the markets of the capital.”

“You actually sold it!”

“No, I didn’t sell it!”

How did this matter become so difficult? How can I explain it?

"I gave it to Zi Cui... No, I gave it to Imperial Concubine Shu Wan, although she said she would return it eventually..."

"I see."

"In that case..." Quan Wushuang raised his eyes and looked at Lin Zhiruo.

"Then keep another promise."

What was the other promise? Lin Zhiruo recalled that it seemed to be...

"Seems like I'm listening to you?"

"Exactly."

Quan Wushuang nodded contentedly.

So, Lin Zhiruo sat upright and faced Quan Wushuang.

"Okay, butler, please go ahead."

"..."

"Please say."

However, Quan Wushuang remained silent and just stared at Lin Zhiruo.

"Has the steward nothing to say?"

“No, I have something to say. But if you think about it carefully, you should have understood what I meant.”

Quan Wushuang might want to state his identity directly, but Lin Zhiruo already knew it, so there was no need to say more.

"You can say anything else."

“Other…”

Quan Wushuang remained silent.

"..."

The two fell into a long silence.

(There's really nothing to say.)

Lin Zhiruo wanted to go back as soon as possible and concentrate on preparing new products.

When I was about to get up...

Quan Wushuang suddenly moved closer and pressed against Lin Zhiruo's neck.

"...What does this mean, sir?"

A warm touch touched her neck.

No, it was wrapped around her neck.

His teeth pressed against the skin, biting gently.

“Do you understand what I mean now?”

"Human saliva may affect taste."

If you are bitten by a wild animal, you need to clean it to prevent infection. The same applies to human bites.

"..."

"I wanna go."

"This little taste shouldn't bother you."

The biting force became stronger and stronger.

Lin Zhiruo felt pain and gently hit Quan Wushuang's back.

But he bit harder and harder, and Lin Zhiruo couldn't help but hit him hard a few times.

Finally, Quan Wushuang's lips left Lin Zhiruo's neck.

The saliva pulled out a thin thread, about a foot long, and then broke off.

"Does the steward want to bite me to death?"

“I often have such thoughts.”

Who is this man?

While Lin Zhiruo was thinking, she was suddenly hugged tightly in his arms.

"Let's continue our unfinished agreement."

After saying this, Quan Wushuang smiled contentedly.

Looking at his front, the scars on Quan Wushuang's face still had the stitches still on.

Perhaps it has been re-stitched, and the stitches are much finer than before.

(I don’t know if it was sewn by my father.)

Lin Zhiruo was thinking about this, and her hand unconsciously reached out to Quan Wushuang's face.

Quan Wushuang narrowed his eyes, revealing an innocent expression.

“Do you also have a strange smell accumulated on your body?”

Before Quan Wushuang finished speaking, he raised his hand to lift Lin Zhiruo's chin...

"Pockmarked face!"

There was only a loud bang.

On the other side of the door, a small window for guests to get food was wide open.

"Look! Isn't this what you wanted?"

Zhao Yu stood in front of the window with his head held high and his chest puffed out, his right hand raised high, holding a fresh fish.

“Oh! That’s great.”

Lin Zhiruo broke free from Quan Wushuang's arms, took the fish, and put it directly into the jar.