Capítulo 597: 380 Public Discussion on Snatching the Bride? Assistance from an Accomplice (2nd Update)
Shen Shuci jumped out of bed and, while washing up, only then did she realize her hair was a mess and her eyes were bloodshot. She quickly washed her face, tied her hair up, changed clothes, and threw the worn ones into the washing machine. The room reeked of alcohol, so she opened the windows to air it out. After the chaos, nearly half an hour had already passed…
From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the wristwatch by the entrance. She hurriedly stashed it somewhere random. Then, her gaze landed on the photo frame overturned on the table, causing her to frown slightly.
How did it fall over again!
She had only been out for about three or four minutes when Tang Wan called and said she had arrived, asking where Shen Shuci was.
“I went out to buy groceries; make yourselves at home.”
“Okay.” Tang Wan didn’t stand on ceremony with her.
But Shen Shuci was already beginning to worry that the wristwatch might be discovered. While buying groceries, she couldn’t help but be distracted.
When she returned home, the two were sitting by the window, basking in the sun, showing no sign of suspicion. Only then did she feel relieved enough to enter the kitchen.
“Can you handle it all by yourself? Are you sure you don’t need my help?” Tang Wan stood at the kitchen doorway, watching her skillfully clean a carp and raised her eyebrows in surprise, “Your technique doesn’t look like that of a beginner.”
“Is that so?” Shen Shuci chuckled wryly.
Shen Shuci was a person of action and cooked quickly. When the three of them sat down at the table, due to her hangover, she didn’t have much of an appetite. After eating just a couple of bites, she made a cup of tea and sat with them.
“Auntie, aren’t you going to eat?”
“Not feeling like it.”
“It feels pretty bad when you’ve done all this work and then you don’t eat.”
“It’s okay.”
“The fish is really good,” Tang Wan commented, then nudged the person sitting beside her, “Jinsang, what do you think of the braised fish?”
Shen Shuci was also observing Jiang Jinsang, wanting to hear his assessment of the dish. After he took a bite, he slightly furrowed his brow, looking as though he couldn’t taste much. He took a few more bites, but his frown deepened.
“Doesn’t suit your taste?” Shen Shuci asked softly.
“Not at all, it’s delicious.” Jiang Jinsang smiled with pursed lips. His expression was always like that, inscrutable.
“Then eat more.” Shen Shuci’s heart pounded with apprehension.
Could it be that Jinsang, being so close to him, had eaten it before and remembered the taste?
Had she exposed herself…
Just as she took a sip of tea, she heard him ask, “Auntie, who did you learn this braised fish recipe from?”
Her fingers trembled slightly, Shen Shuci laughed lightly; he was really too…
Sharp.
“Just some tutorials online.” Shen Shuci fibbed casually.
Little did she know that what awaited her was a big pitfall—
“Really?” Jiang Jinsang twirled his chopsticks and continued staring at her. Shen Shuci kept her composure, though her heart had already started to pound, “Auntie, could I ask you a favor?”
“What is that?”
“If it’s convenient, could you share the tutorial with me? I think Wanwan really likes your fish. We can’t always trouble you, and I’m free at home anyway. Having the tutorial, I could also learn.”
Fish cooking tutorials weren’t any secret, Shen Shuci couldn’t possibly say no. She simply nodded and said she would send it to him later.
“Thank you then.” Jiang Jinsang went back to eating his meal.
After the two left, Shen Shuci started frantically searching online for braised fish tutorials. Tang Wan turned to the person driving the car beside her and said, “Jinsang, why do I feel like you were acting strange today?”
“What was strange?”
“It just seemed…”
“I was just a bit surprised. Didn’t you say that Auntie wasn’t good at cooking? I didn’t expect the fish to be so tasty.”
“I was also surprised after I tasted it.”
Jiang Jinsang caressed the steering wheel, mainly because the taste felt familiar. He believed that although there are common ways to make braised fish, the flavor varied depending on who made it. Having been ill for a long time, he seldom ate foods rich in oil and soy sauce. The Jiang family usually prepared fish by steaming, and the number of times he ate braised fish could be counted on one hand. Hence, that taste…
Took one bite, it felt eerily familiar.
Took another bite… it actually felt quite known to him. He could almost be certain he had tasted this flavor somewhere before, but for the life of him, he couldn’t recall where.
**
However, as the wedding date of Jiang Yanting and Shen Zhixian approached, Jiang Jinsang also became busy. He had been unwell for a long time and almost never had to worry about household matters. Throughout his sickness and hospitalization, although he and Jiang Yanting had a love-hate relationship, he was well aware of how much his older brother had sacrificed for him. Therefore, he did not hesitate to offer help with the wedding preparations.
Nowadays, electronic wedding invitations were in vogue. However, some of the older relatives rarely used mobile phones, so phone calls had to be made to notify each of them personally. Nonetheless, the Jiang Family also printed a fair number of paper invitations to send to relatives and friends in the capital city, as a sign of formality.