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“It’s quite a coincidence, actually. I got them from the Spice Shop,” Su Wenyue recounted the origin of the seeds to Xiao Xi.

“Madam is truly kind-hearted. The Shopkeeper of the Spice Shop must be grateful to give you these seeds. This is what they call good people are rewarded.” No matter what, in Xiao Xi’s eyes, Madam was the best person in the world. If it weren’t for Madam, she might no longer be in this world, having been tortured to death by those evil people.

“Your mouth still knows how to speak well, but merely saying sweet words is useless. You need to complete your tasks well for me; these seeds are not easily obtained again. You should plant half of them first and save the other half. If they don’t survive, we can try to plant them again,” Su Wenyue instructed Xiao Xi, and shared her knowledge and understanding of the seeds.

“Madam, rest assured, I will make certain to take care of everything. The vegetables in the greenhouse are growing nicely, and we can almost harvest the first batch. I’ve specially brought some of them for Madam to taste the freshness,” said Xiao Xi as she had someone bring up a basket of vegetables. There weren’t many; after all, it was still a bit early and they were too tender—picking them now would be a pity. So, Xiao Xi only picked this basketful to give Su Wenyue a taste of the fresh produce and also to show Madam the fruits of her labor over these days.

Su Wenyue was delighted to hear that. These were the first batch of vegetables grown in the greenhouse, which held a special meaning to her: “Well, that’s great. I’ve been getting a little tired of eating the same few things all the time; I was just thinking about wanting some fresh vegetables.”

It just so happened that when Han Yu returned at noon, he did not come back alone but with Deng Chen. The main reason why Deng Chen followed Han Yu back was mostly because he was a foodie, craving the meals at Han Mansion. Indeed, before Su Wenyue could speak, Deng Chen eagerly said, “Younger sister-in-law, I’ve come to your house to mooch a meal again. Don’t dislike me for it, just bring out whatever delicious dishes you have, and I promise to finish them.”

In the past, Han Yu and Deng Chen were unsure of each other’s age, calling each other Brother Deng and Brother Han. Now that they had discussed their ages, with Han Yu being two years younger than Deng Chen, they had changed the way they addressed each other, and Deng Chen’s references to Su Wenyue also changed. Originally, calling her sister-in-law seemed somewhat odd since Su Wenyue appeared young.

Deng Chen had a straightforward personality, at least in front of Su Wenyue—whatever he thought, he did not hide, and he expressed his requests boldly. Su Wenyue actually preferred dealing with such forthright people; she lightly pursed her lips and smiled.

Seeing this, Han Yu also said, “Wife, I will have to trouble you with the arrangements for today’s noon meal. Tell the kitchen to prepare a few good dishes; Brother Deng and I plan to drink quite a bit.”

Although his status had changed, Han Yu was still accustomed to calling Su Wenyue his wife, feeling it was more intimate and natural.

“Yes, indeed, it’s a hassle for my younger sister-in-law. You can’t make too much of a good thing,” Deng Chen chimed in again.

Hearing Deng Chen’s words, Su Wenyue’s smile grew even wider. “Why speak of trouble or no trouble? I’m more than happy to have Brother Deng over. It happens that today, the Zhuangzi has sent over some fresh and tender vegetables. I’ll have the kitchen stir-fry them, to have something fresh. During the winter, it’s tiring to keep eating the same things.”

Han Yu wasn’t surprised by Su Wenyue’s words; he knew somewhat about the Zhuangzi matters his wife had been arranging, and whatever she did, she liked to tell him about it, which Han Yu very much enjoyed. Still, when his wife had talked about growing vegetables in the winter, he had been quite skeptical, but now, she had truly succeeded in her venture.

Deng Chen was astonished to hear about fresh and tender vegetables being delivered even in the midst of winter, as no one had yet used greenhouses to grow vegetables during this season—Su Wenyue was a pioneer.

“To have fresh vegetables even in winter, did you grow them on your Zhuangzi? That’s truly amazing,” he said.

“It’s nothing much, just constructed a few greenhouses. The principle is quite simple; it’s just that no one had thought to go in this direction before. I also started it because I was getting fed up with having the same few things in winter, so I came up with this method.”

“Younger sister-in-law, you are truly ingenious. As they say, being early is not as good as being timely. I came at the right moment today. You must ensure enough portions for the meal; I have a hearty appetite,” Deng Chen reminded again, still reminiscing about the excellent food he had at the Han Mansion last time, and eagerly looking forward to it.

“Husband, Brother Deng, then please chat for a while. I will go to the kitchen and make the arrangements.”

Su Wenyue was in good spirits today, having acquired quite a few fine ingredients, and with the fresh vegetables Xiao Xi had brought, she had the kitchen prepare many dishes, and she even personally cooked a few of them herself—it was indeed a lavish meal.

Deng Chen was even more satisfied with this meal. Heeding his special request, Su Wenyue not only prepared a wide variety of dishes, but also made generous portions. Deng Chen’s stomach was almost bursting from eating so much, but with a table still laden with plenty of dishes, he couldn’t bear to stop eating. Han Yu was somewhat speechless seeing Deng Chen like this.

“Brother Deng, if you find the dishes my wife makes delicious, then come over next time. After all, we’ve now moved into the prefecture, and our families live not far from one another. Don’t overdo it by eating so much at once,” Han Yu suggested.

Hearing this, Deng Chen was somewhat embarrassed and finally laid down his chopsticks: “Okay, that’s settled then. I’ll be stopping by your mansion often in the future, and I hope, brother, that you won’t find me bothersome. It’s really amazing—where did your family’s chef learn such fine culinary skills? The cooking here is even better than the food at the best restaurant in the city.”

“Brother Deng, feel free to come over anytime,” Han Yu was eager to foster a friendship with Deng Chen and readily agreed. Deng Chen was not an easy person to get along with unless he truly shared interests and enjoyed good food; after all, there was not only Deng Chen’s status to consider but also the Deng Family behind him.

Deng Chen had come to the Han Mansion to scrounge for food and drink, and after eating his fill, he took his leave. Han Yu and Su Wenyue escorted him to the door.

“Brother Han, younger sister-in-law, there’s no need for such courtesy, otherwise, I won’t feel comfortable visiting next time,” Deng Chen said.

“Brother Deng, take care. In a few days, we can harvest vegetables from the Zhuangzi. I’ll have someone send some to your mansion then.”

“That’s great, I thank you in advance. I’ll let my sister-in-law try the freshness, too.”

After seeing off Deng Chen, Han Yu didn’t go elsewhere but pulled Su Wenyue back to their room. Su Wenyue still had some instructions to give in the kitchen, but Han Yu asked her to tend to them later; Su Wenyue could only follow Han Yu.

“Husband, what’s the rush? Couldn’t you wait for a while?” Su Wenyue was very curious about what Han Yu was in such a hurry to do.