Doctor Lin and his wife were also about to start their meal.
Doctor Lin's eyes scanned the three dishes.
"I remember I bought some meat," he said.
"The meat is in there," Mrs. Lin said as she placed a bowl of rice in front of him.
"In the rice?" Doctor Lin picked up his chopsticks and stirred the rice, turning it upside down but seeing no meat.
"It's in the dishes. You'll know once you taste it," Mrs. Lin said with a smile.
Doctor Lin's chopsticks moved over the three dishes. Finally, he picked up a piece of lotus root stuffed with minced meat. Just as he was about to take a bite, he finally saw the meat stuffed inside the hollow lotus root. He took a tentative bite and chewed slowly.
It was savory and soft. The freshness of the lotus root neutralized the fishy smell of the pork.
"Your cooking skills have improved, wife!" Doctor Lin said in pleasant surprise.
"Try this lotus root fritter. It took me quite a while to make," Mrs. Lin said, keeping the secret that these dishes were not made by her.
Following his wife's gesture, Doctor Lin picked up a golden - brown lotus root fritter. From the outside, it was impossible to tell what was inside. But as soon as he took a bite, he tasted the crispy skin, the crunchy lotus root, and the savory minced meat all at once.
"Delicious! Wife, you're an amazing cook!" Doctor Lin praised heartily.
Mrs. Lin smiled. "I just helped light the fire for this meal."
"Did Miss Zhen Er make these?" Doctor Lin was surprised.
"This second Miss Zhen from the Zhen family has quite a talent for cooking. Although she can't start a fire, her knife skills are excellent," Mrs. Lin said.
Then, shaking her head, Mrs. Lin sighed, "That man... What on earth did he do to deserve Miss Zhen's affection? I don't want to judge people by their appearance, but his looks are really terrifying, and his temper is so cold. I really don't know why Miss Zhen fell for him."
Doctor Lin looked outside the door and lowered his voice. "I also find this whole thing very strange. It's not just Miss Zhen Er. Even the beautiful eldest Miss Zhen from the Zhen family almost eloped with this A Man. Earlier, I advised Master Zhen to take the two girls to the temple to ward off evil spirits. Maybe they've been cursed."
Mrs. Lin's face changed. She looked scared. "That man does look really scary. Now that they're staying in our house, what if something bad happens?"
"It's better for them to stay here. We can keep an eye on them for Master Zhen. Don't worry. I've added some muscle - weakening powder to his medicine for the injury. Even if he wants to do something bad, he won't have the strength," Doctor Lin said slyly.
Mrs. Lin was stunned for a moment. She gave her husband a coquettish look and then covered her mouth and laughed.
Halfway through the meal, suddenly there came a tinkling sound of a bell from the yard.
Doctor Lin told his wife to continue eating and then picked up a lantern and walked to the front door.
There was a rope pulled into the house, and a bell was hung on the door between the backyard and the front hall. At night, when the door was closed, if someone came for a consultation, they could pull this rope.
When he opened the door, Doctor Lin saw Ah Hua standing outside.
"Doctor Lin, I'm feeling a bit dizzy. Please take a look at me," Ah Hua said.
Doctor Lin remained calm. "Come in and we'll talk."
After Ah Hua came in, Doctor Lin closed the door and led her inside.
"Have you eaten? Your Miss Zhen and the others should still be having dinner," Doctor Lin said.
"I've eaten. Doctor Lin, you go ahead with your business. I'll go find my miss," Ah Hua said and walked straight to the back.
"Miss, I'm here!" Ah Hua's voice could be heard from afar.
Zhen Xiaoyu, who was having dinner, quickly put down her chopsticks. As soon as Ah Hua showed up but before she stepped into the room, Zhen Xiaoyu pulled her outside.
"Why did you come at this time?" Zhen Xiaoyu asked.
"Miss, we found someone inquiring about the master's news in the town today," Ah Hua said hurriedly.
Zhen Xiaoyu's eyelids twitched. "What kind of people?"
"They were in plain clothes. We couldn't tell much. They're probably those mountain bandits."
"Did they only inquire about A Man?"
"Yes."
"If they're mountain bandits, why are they only inquiring about A Man's news?" Zhen Xiaoyu frowned.
"Maybe because the master is easy to recognize. No one who has seen him will forget him. As long as they find him, they can find you," Ah Hua guessed.
It was indeed possible.
Zhen Xiaoyu touched her nose and said, "Let's wait and see for now. You and Uncle Jiaxing continue to stay at the inn and keep an eye on the outside situation."
Ah Hua looked into the room and hesitated. "Miss, are you really going to stay in the same room with him?"
"I have to take care of him," Zhen Xiaoyu said. In fact, she was afraid that he would run away, so she had to keep an eye on him.
"Miss, the words you said to me before about being nice to him just to deceive him were actually on purpose, right? You just wanted me to pass the words to the master because you knew the master was worried that you were cursed by the master. You were afraid that the master would do something bad to the master," Ah Hua suddenly said.
Zhen Xiaoyu was stunned. She had indeed said those words on purpose, but it was for the big villain to hear. She really didn't know that the old master was actually worried about such a ridiculous thing as her being cursed.
Seeing that she didn't refute, Ah Hua thought she had admitted it. She said on her own, "The master was really fooled by you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let you take him out. If the master knew that you're living in a thatched cottage and suffering like this for him, he would be really sad."
"I didn't say those words to fool grandpa..."
"The Niushan Town is quite big. There are so many places to go, but you chose to stay at Doctor Lin's place. Isn't it just to make it convenient to treat the master's injury?" Ah Hua looked at Zhen Xiaoyu with a look that said "explanation is just covering up".
"If you speak any louder, people within a mile can hear you," Zhen Xiaoyu said helplessly.
Ah Hua scratched her head awkwardly. "Anyway, Miss, you can't fool me. I know you best!"
"Okay, go quickly."
After driving Ah Hua away, Zhen Xiaoyu turned around and walked into the room.
At this time, Zhao Zongying was sitting at the table. He had put down his chopsticks, looking like he was full.
Zhen Xiaoyu glanced at the table and found that there was still a little food left in the bowl. It seemed to be specially left for her. After all, the amount of food she brought was not much, and one person could finish it.
"Are you full? Do you want to eat some more? It's okay if I don't eat. I'm on a diet," Zhen Xiaoyu sat down.
Zhao Zongying looked at her with an unreadable expression.
He had heard all their conversation. Ah Hua's words had stirred up quite a few emotions in his heart.
Logically, he still thought that her kindness to him was with a purpose. But in his mind, he couldn't help but think of some recent experiences.
Since she showed up in his bed in the middle of the night and almost got strangled by him, everything she had done was to protect him.
If he thought carefully, she actually didn't need to keep a mysterious person as a son - in - law. Moreover, she didn't force him to stay. She just made a two - month agreement with him.
Two months would be enough for him to recover from his injuries.
"What Ah Hua said..." he paused for a moment, "is it true?"
Zhen Xiaoyu was a bit at a loss as to how to answer his question. Generally, big villains were suspicious. If she admitted it, he might not believe her. He might even think that she and Ah Hua were acting.