The 99th Divorce

Just as Yu Lili was done with the first dish and had it covered, Jiao Ziqing arrived home with her fruits. Jiao Ziqing stood at the sink at the back to wash the fruits while Yu Lili continued to stir-fry her dishes and boil the soup. Neither of them said a word.

Unexpectedly for Yu Lili, the silence was neither awkward or uncomfortable.

When all the dishes were ready and Yu Lili had laid them on the table, she turned around and called out, “Auntie, you may tell Uncle that dinner is ready. I’ll bring Ou Ming over.”

Jiao Ziqing was sitting on the couch. She neither replied or reacted. Yu Lili knew Jiao Ziqing had her reservations about her, but she didn’t wait for her to reply before heading to the room.

When Ou Ming heard movement, he knew she’d come. “How was it?”

“Dinner’s ready. Let’s go,” Yu Lili said.

“You cooked?” Yu Lili could tell that Ou Ming sounded nervous. She was holding his uninjured hand, so she could feel his palms sweating.

Yu Lili beamed and patted his hand gently. “Yeah!”

“Did my mom say anything?” he asked.

“She said, ‘If you can do the cooking, then I’ll let you do it,’ and left to buy fruits,” she said.

Upon hearing this, the nervousness Ou Ming was feeling vanished. He chuckled and said, “My mom is used to a life of leisure. She hates cooking. If not for the maids having gone home for the New Year celebrations, she would never have stepped into the kitchen.”

More importantly, Jiao Ziqing’s cooking was unpalatable.

But, it wouldn’t have been right for Ou Ming to out his mother at such a time.

“Oh, I see,” Yu Lili said.

That explained why Ziqing had left her to do the cooking without any reservations whatsoever. But, that had also been the first opportunity Yu Lili was given to try and change Jiao Ziqing’s opinion of her. Hopefully, such scenarios would continue to happen in the future.

By the time she led Ou Ming to the dining room, Ou Huojin and Jiao Ziqing were already seated. When he saw them, Ou Huojin said, “You’re here.”

“Yeah,” Yu Lili affirmed as she pulled out the chair facing Jiao Ziqing and had Ou Ming sit. She went to wash her hands and brought back a wet towel for Ou Ming to wipe his hands with. It was a small action, but one that caught the eyes of both Jiao Ziqing and Ou Huojin.

The husband and wife picked up their chopsticks at the same time, as Ou Huojin said, “Let’s eat. Dinner tonight is a little late, so don’t eat too much. Take a short walk later before going back to your room.”

This statement was clearly directed toward Ou Ming.

Yu Lili nodded her head naturally without too much thought, and answered, “OK.”

Jiao Ziqing apportioned a bowl of soup for Ou Ming and proceeded to dig in. Ou Ming had injured his left arm but still possessed the full faculties of his right arm.

Yu Lili placed the bowl of soup in his hand and whispered, “Be careful not to spill it. It’s a little hot.”

“Alright.” Ou Ming finished the soup in a couple of gulps and asked, “Is that eggplant that you cooked? I want some eggplant.”

“OK,” Yu Lili said.

Jiao Ziqing took a bite of the food and subconsciously glanced at Ou Huojin. When she saw the same look of surprise that registered on her husband’s face, Jiao Ziqing looked back down into her bowl of rice.

Who would have thought that the food would taste so good! Compared to her own cooking… it was just lacking by a wee bit.

Yu Lili didn’t sense the slight change in their expressions. She was too busy trying to hide her own embarrassment as she picked at her food with her chopsticks and didn’t dare to say a word. She didn’t even say much to Ou Ming.

Do rich families like this have strict rules and etiquette regarding not speaking at the table? If I do anything to annoy Ou Ming’s mother, wouldn’t that be creating trouble for the future?