Chapter 41: Punishment

Chapter 41: Punishment

The strong scent of cilantro hit Fu Yining's sense of smell hard, and her expression turned grave.

Who in the kitchen made this dish?!

This is just cruel!

"Mom, my new video is ready. In a few days, I want to buy some things to decorate the room where you film my videos."

"Do as you like, or let others handle it."

Noticing something off in her mother's voice, Song Qingyu looked up.

Hmm, what's going on with Mom?

Song Qingyu blinked, noticing that Fu Yining was staring at the cilantro and beef dish closest to her as if she had seen something terrifying.

That was one of Fu Yining's favorite dishes before, but now her expression showed no sign of affection for it.

After a while, Fu Yining, having reached her limit, asked Song Qingyu sitting across from her, "Do you like cilantro?"

"Well, I do."

"……!"

"Then you don't like it?"

Well said! The female lead is really to my taste!

"If you don't like it, that's understandable. Chef, take this dish away—it's too strong for my grandchild!"

Finding a reasonable excuse, Fu Yining immediately ordered the cilantro and beef dish away from her.

Butler Wang quickly stepped forward and took the dish away. Fu Yining instantly felt the air had become fresher.

Song Qingyu observed quietly and realized.

Mom must not like cilantro anymore, huh?

She understood. After all, Yu Mingze disliked cilantro, or rather, hated the smell. If there was cilantro on the table, he'd always sit as far away as possible.

But Yu Mingze's father and Song Qingyu herself neither liked nor disliked cilantro.

They just didn't mind it.

"Mom, have some of this," Song Qingyu said, having discovered the truth. She quickly scooped up some other dishes for Fu Yining.

Once the cilantro was gone, Fu Yining's mood lifted, and she praised Song Qingyu for being so considerate.

Song Qingyu blushed and smiled lightly.

From that day on, cilantro never appeared on the Yu family's dining table again.

Butler Wang carried the untouched plate of beef to the kitchen, and the chef, wiping his hands, asked hurriedly, "What brings you here, Butler? Did I do something wrong with the dish?"

"It's not your fault. The young mistress is pregnant and can't stand the smell of cilantro. Just leave it out from now on."

"Got it, no problem."

After Wang Yue left, the chef stared at the dish for a long time.

He couldn’t figure out why this dish wasn’t originally part of the Chinese meal plan. Wang Yue had specially instructed him to make it, and now it was returned to the kitchen untouched. Why go through all this hassle?

After lunch, Fu Yining became increasingly unhappy with the coriander in the courtyard outside. With a reason provided by Song Qingyu, she immediately arranged for someone to clean it all up.

It didn’t taste great and ruined the look of the courtyard. They had to go!

Pull them all out!

"Butler Wang, what is this about? Did I do something wrong?" The maid assigned to clean the corner was Xiao He.

The coriander planted by the wall was also under her care, and now she was asked to uproot it. She didn’t know what she had done wrong.

Wang Yue stood by and comforted her, "I know it's not your fault. Just clean these up first. Madam won't blame you."

Xiao He didn’t dare to complain or say anything. She silently used her small shovel to uproot the coriander.

I mean, coriander’s so tasty. Why did Madam suddenly change her mind?

==========

"Yining, thank you for inviting me out for a meal!"

"Don't mention it."

Fu Yining had found some time to invite Wu Yuan out since she was free.

She had also tried to contact Chen Yujia, but upon learning that she had gone home to accompany her parents, she didn’t want to disturb their family time.

Fu Yining and Wu Yuan had planned for dinner, and after that, they could go shopping at nearby malls or visit the night market.

The two of them were dressed similarly, looking like peers.

Wu Yuan couldn't help but ask again, "Yining, are you sure you're really forty?"

"I'm sure! Should I show you my ID card for verification?"

"That won't be necessary."

Wu Yuan was just amazed. For her age, Yining looked amazing. It was hard to guess her real age.

As they strolled along, they started chatting about their families.

Wu Yuan said with a smile, "My mom wasn't happy when she heard I had changed jobs. She kept calling me, asking me to return to our hometown."

Wu Yuan's parents, like other villagers, had planted large areas of fruit trees in their hometown. The income, though fluctuating, was enough to support the family.

Her parents wanted her to return home, either to work with them on the fruit orchard or to do makeup for wedding families locally, which was also a good gig.

Wu Yuan refused, saying she was living well here and had no plans to return.

Upon hearing this, Fu Yining asked, "Do your parents worry that I might be deceiving you?"

Wu Yuan nodded.

Indeed, the salary Fu Yining offered was very high, almost unrealistically so. Wu Yuan's parents couldn't understand it, and they were worried she might be deceived, which was why they were anxious for her to return home.

Wu Yuan continued, "But it's okay. I've already talked to my parents. After the fruits are harvested and sold, I’ll bring them to Lingchuan for a visit."

She figured once her parents saw she could handle living on her own, they’d feel better about her staying here.

Fu Yining nodded in understanding.

"When the apples and jujubes from my family's orchard ripen, I'll send some over for you to try!"

"That's really thoughtful of you, but I don't want to impose."

Wu Yuan waved her hand. "It's nothing, don't be polite with me!"

"Alright, then I won't be polite." Fu Yining smiled, saying she was looking forward to tasting Wu Yuan's family's produce.

"By the way, Sis Yining, I have some good news—guess what? I'm getting a cat!"

Wu Yuan said happily to Fu Yining that she had found a great home for a kitten—a baby from a stray cat that someone in the same city had adopted. Once the kitten was weaned, she'd be able to bring it home.

For this, Wu Yuan even asked Chen Yujia what kind of security camera she uses, planning to install one at home to keep an eye on the kitten.

"I've already prepared the cat food, cat bed, and cat cans. When my kitten comes home, Sis Yining, would you like to come over and take a look?"

Fu Yining responded loudly, "I would!"

Not only did she want to see it, but she also wanted to pet the cat!

Hearing Wu Yuan talk about how excited she was to raise a cat, Fu Yining couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"Sis Yining, if you love cats so much, have you ever thought about getting one?" Wu Yuan couldn't help but ask when she saw how Fu Yining's eyes lit up.

Fu Yining sighed. "My place isn't really set up for a cat right now."

"Why not?"

"Well, it's a bit complicated, but I'll explain more next time."

Wu Yuan let it go. She led Fu Yining into a nearby makeup store.

"Sis Yining, I'm thinking of getting a new lipstick. Can you help me pick a color?"

"Sure."