Chapter 326: Why are you there?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Auntie Bao stayed at Royal Water Bay for two days, and she was already worried about the ducks and chickens back home.
She wanted to take a car home by herself, but Lin Wan was worried. So, she drove her all the way back.
Assistant Qin offered to drive her and Auntie Bao, but Lin Wan refused. She didn’t need him to be present at her beck and call. She told him to return to Chenxin.
In the evening, Li Yanchen finished his meeting and saw Assistant Qin in the office. “You’re back?”
Assistant Qin was afraid. He had offered to drive Lin Wan to Xuecheng Village, but she had refused.
“Madam told me to return to the company. She said she was free to drive. I couldn’t persuade her,” said Assistant Qin.
He was mentally prepared for his boss to yell at him. Surprisingly, Li Yanchen didn’t yell at him.
Li Yanchen just nodded.
“Oh… then, I’m off.”
Li Yanchen returned to his office and called Lin Wan.
At the Lin family’s old mansion, Lin Wan put her phone on speaker. “Mr. Li, I
already reached. I dropped you a message but didn’t get a reply. I thought you’d be in a meeting, so I just drove here with Mama Bao.”
“Wanwan, what’s wrong? Why are you panting?”
“I’m on speaker, and I’m helping Mama Bao knead the dough. She’s going to make steamed buns. Have you tried hot steamed buns right out of the pot? I’m telling you, it’s super delicious. It’s completely different from the ones sold at stalls.” Lin Wan was almost drooling.
“Those old, steamed buns? I remember that every household would make steamed buns when I was young. We had to add alkali into the flour, so the steamed buns would be chewy. They were neither as soft nor white as the steamed buns we get now, but they were the best ones I ever tasted,” said Li
Yanchen.
The steamed buns made at home were easy to make. They were a standard dish for New Year celebrations. After Li Yanchen settled in Yun City, he hadn’t eaten steamed buns at all.
“Nowadays, there are various types of fillings. The ones without filling were called “Mantou .
Mantou was usually very big. They were steamed and eaten directly or heated with porridge to eat.
“You remember? I was really surprised when Mama Bao offered to make steamed buns. She’s going to make it with radish and meat fillings. Hubby, is it okay if I stay the night here? It’ll take a while to make the steamed buns. I know you get worried if I drive all night. Can I stay here and make steamed buns with Mama Bao?”
Li Yanchen didn’t want to dampen her spirits by refusing her. “Alright. Bring some back for me tomorrow.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that. I’ll call you when I’m done.” Lin Wan hung up and helped Mama Bao.
Auntie Bao had heard their conversation. He smiled. “Wanwan, I feel so glad to see you happy.”
“Mr. Li is a very good person. He makes me feel like all the hardships I went through were for me to meet him.” Lin Wan felt sentimental.
Li Yanchen sorted his documents and packed his bag. He then drove to Xuecheng Village. It took less than an hour and a half to drive from the company to the Lin family’s old house. The place wasn’t that far away. How could he stay away from Lin Wan, knowing she was so near and yet so far?
He wasn’t worried about her, but he just couldn’t stand being apart from her.
Lin Wan had texted Yang Ruoxi to inform her that she was dropping Auntie Bao home and that she could make plans with her again.
Yang Ruoxi was delighted to hear that. She made plans with her father to meet Auntie Bao. She convinced her father to take two days off and then helped him come up with an excuse to ask Auntie Bao out.
Yang Ruoxi took some fresh corn cobs and went to Auntie Bao’s house along with her father. She wanted to give Auntie Bao a surprise, so she hadn’t called and informed her.
Yang Yiren wore his best black jacket at his daughter’s insistence. He was very nervous about all this.
He clasped his hands together. He was already over fifty years old. Wouldn’t this seem too inappropriate?
They hadn’t even reached halfway when Yang Yiren wanted to just give up. “Xixi, this is not right. Can’t we just give Han Jie a call? We can’t just barge into her house without informing her first.”
Yang Yiren felt that this was too impolite.
“Dad, what if she just gives you an excuse if you call her? You aren’t even doing anything wrong. We’re just going to go deliver some corn.”
Yang Ruoxi had it all figured out. If Auntie Bao invited them in warmly, it would mean that she wanted her father to make the first move. She had heard her grandmother trying to convince her father to take some corn over to Auntie Bao’s place, so Yang Ruoxi had snatched the chance and persuaded her father to come along with her.
If Auntie Bao didn’t like it, Yang Ruoxi was willing to say that she had dragged her father here even when he didn’t want to come.
“Isn’t that too forward?” asked Yang Yiren.
“Look… it’s not like you two will be alone. You can talk like two friends. Besides, I’ll be there with you all the time.” Yang Ruoxi felt that if she didn’t step in, there would be no progress between her father and Auntie Bao.
Her father was too reserved.
“I just… I feel that if I suddenly go there without informing her, it might come off as offensive,” said Yang Yiren.
“Dad, if she welcomes you, then you’ll know that she wants to be friends with you. If not, you can tell her that I dragged you along even when you refused multiple times. Don’t worry. Just smile.”
“We’ll be there in a few minutes. Dad, take a deep breath. Don’t be nervous,” said Yang Ruoxi.
Yang Yiren took a deep breath. Their car had already entered the village. “Alright…
At the Lin family’s old residence, the kitchen was all foggy with steam. Auntie Bao set a pot of water to boil. When the buns were ready, she put them in a steamer.
She then started to prepare the steamed buns. Lin Wan wanted to help, but
Auntie Bao sternly told her to watch from the side and not to touch anything. “Wanwan, I’ll only know how to control the heat if I do it myself. I usually make them in two parts..”