Chapter 7

Time flew by, and in over a month, Lin Zhao, apart from guiding Gu Yuelun in cooking, was mostly bossed around by Meng Ruoying.

As time went on, Lin Zhao became more involved in various matters, and the mysterious highlights about him grew more numerous. Gu Qi was puzzled for a long time—when did his nephew learn to cook? Moreover, his skills were extraordinary, surpassing the so-called master chefs in Bianjing, and even the imperial chefs seemed to fall short...

Meng Ruoying, as promised, brought a jar of century-old wine, and the main dish for the old lady's birthday celebration was also prepared. After listening to Lin Zhao's descriptions and several trial runs, Gu Qi firmly believed that this dish alone could make him stand out in the culinary world. However, he seemed to have a vague worry, and in the end, he feigned illness and passed the task to his daughter...

This time, it was Lin Zhao's turn to be puzzled, unable to understand his uncle's mindset. Fortunately, Gu Yuelun had already gotten the hang of it, and the title of the most beautiful chef was almost guaranteed...

Meng Ruoying was also amazed, first by learning the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of Arabic numerals from Lin Zhao. Her calculation speed increased significantly, and bookkeeping became much easier. This made Meng Ruoying, who had been tormented by numbers and counting rods for many years, extremely excited, and she called Lin Zhao a genius for the first time...

Lin Zhao merely smiled faintly. It was rare to see the young lady so happy, so he didn't tell her that this was something a seven-year-old in the future could master proficiently...

Meng Ruoying found more and more highlights and wonders in Lin Zhao. She was deeply puzzled—how could Lin Zhao know so much? Wasn't he just a bookworm by his brother's side before?

Could it be that he was hiding his true abilities?

Meng Ruoying wanted to probe her brother for information, but Meng Ruogu was staying at the prefectural school, studying hard and not returning home for over a month. She had to give up on this matter!

As the spring breeze grew warmer, it was already March 17th, the day of the old lady's seventieth birthday!

The Meng family had been preparing for this for more than two months. Even so, in the days leading up to the birthday banquet, the entire household was busy with decorations, seating arrangements, and other issues...

Lin Zhao avoided the commotion early in the morning. Meng Ruoying had been making full use of everyone, and Lin Zhao was afraid she would assign him another troublesome task. Of course, he wasn't just avoiding work; he had to supervise Gu Yuelun closely because the carefully prepared delicious dishes were to be served today, and he couldn't afford any mistakes...

Only after everything was completed did Gu Qi, feigning illness, personally oversee the preparations. Lin Zhao then took a break and wandered around the garden.

However, he encountered the person he least wanted to see—Meng Ruoying. Fortunately, he noticed in time and quickly hid behind a bush.

Meng Ruoying must have taken a break from the busy work. She had indeed been very tired lately. At this moment, almost all the servants and guards of the Meng family were in the front yard setting up and welcoming guests, making the garden unusually quiet.

Seeing no one around, Meng Ruoying jumped with joy, completely losing her usual refined and gentle demeanor. She sat on the swing and swayed gently, clearly enjoying it, with a radiant smile...

She then stood up, picked a flower with her delicate fingers, and sniffed it lightly before letting it go. The girl didn't seem to like the scent of flowers, which was quite unusual. At the slightest sound, Meng Ruoying would look around nervously, only relaxing when she saw no one...

Lin Zhao smiled faintly, watching Meng Ruoying walk under a tree. The green plums on the branches were not yet ripe, but Meng Ruoying closed her eyes and sniffed lightly, smiling, seemingly very much enjoying it...

Lin Zhao, standing behind the bushes, saw everything clearly. It was rare to see Miss Meng in such a gentle and lovely state, so different from her usual proud and strong demeanor!

This was not surprising. The Meng family had a vast business, but Meng Ruogu, who should have been the heir, was devoted to his studies and the imperial exams, leaving the management to others. With the family's small size, Meng Ruoying, at just a few years old, had to shoulder such a heavy burden. If she weren't strong, how could she manage all the managers and employees?

Hiding her true feminine nature and pretending to be a strong woman was indeed difficult! Lin Zhao began to feel some sympathy for Meng Ruoying.

The poor girl could only express her feminine side when no one was around!

"Ruoying, I've been looking for you for a long time. You're here!" A perfect scene of a beauty in the garden was ruined by Chen Xuan's sudden appearance...

"What do you want?" Her good mood ruined, Meng Ruoying was slightly displeased.

"Oh, I brought some gifts from Bianjing for my cousin!" Chen Xuan looked eager, holding a box in his hand.

"Thank you for your kindness, but I appreciate the thought. No need to trouble yourself..." Lin Zhao saw clearly that Meng Ruoying didn't seem to have any feelings for Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan, however, seemed overly eager, and Lin Zhao deeply suspected his motives. The fact that he could have an affair with a married woman, especially his future brother-in-law's wife, showed his poor character. Chen Xuan must have some ulterior motives in targeting the Meng family's aunt and niece.

In Lin Zhao's view, the most likely motive was financial gain. The Meng family was one of the top merchants in Jiangning and all of southern China, with wealth beyond measure!

"No trouble at all, do you like it?" Chen Xuan opened the box, revealing a crystal-clear jade bracelet.

Meng Ruoying only glanced at it, showing little interest...

"Cousin, this is top-quality jade, said to have come from the Wu-Yue royal family... Take a look..." Without waiting for Meng Ruoying's reaction, he forced it into her hand...

If she didn't like it, why push so hard? Lin Zhao stepped out of the bushes and called out loudly, "Young lady..."

The jade bracelet in her hand, Meng Ruoying was a bit at a loss. Lin Zhao's shout made her lose her grip, and the bracelet fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

Lin Zhao, unaware of the situation, said, "Young lady, you were hard to find. The young master has returned and is welcoming guests in the front yard. He asked you to come over... Oh? What happened to your bracelet? No worries, it's just a sign of peace and safety, year after year..."

"Oh! Alright, I'll go..." With someone to help her out, Meng Ruoying hurried away. Chen Xuan was left standing there, furious, glaring at Lin Zhao with intense hatred. This guy had ruined his plans again!

"Mr. Chen, that jade bracelet isn't worth much, don't be upset!" Lin Zhao added as he left, purely to annoy Chen Xuan.

Not worth much? Chen Xuan sneered. Eight hundred strings of cash down the drain... Just wait, I'll make you pay!

Chen Xuan glared at Lin Zhao's back. If looks could kill, Lin Zhao would have died a thousand times over...

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"Mr. Chen, you're really here!" As people came and went in the garden, Lin Zhao had just left when Xiaotao appeared.

"What is it?" Chen Xuan, seeing it was Li's personal maid, felt a bit uneasy. Since their last near-discovery, Chen Xuan had been afraid of that voracious and insatiable woman, so he had avoided her for a while. He rarely visited recently, but today he had to come, and now the annoying leech was back...

Xiaotao approached and whispered, "Madam asked me to tell you to slip out during the banquet. She has something urgent to discuss with you!"

"Urgent?" Chen Xuan looked at Xiaotao suspiciously. Could it be that the woman couldn't bear the loneliness? To act out in such a situation? She must be crazy!

Xiaotao said, "It's very important. Madam will tell you in person. Remember!"

A sense of foreboding rose in Chen Xuan's heart. Damn it! This was all because of that evil servant. Chen Xuan felt he needed to find a way to humiliate Lin Zhao to vent his anger!