Chapter 43

43 Goodnight

In the end, under Zhao Lanhua’s strong request, Shen Dalang gave Ji Zhao two taels of silver.

Seeing that she couldn’t refuse, Ji Zhao could only accept it.

On the way home, Ji Zhao kept her eyes down and did not speak. She was thinking about what kind of business she should start in the future to earn money.

“Mother? What’s wrong?”

Zhao Lanhua suddenly stopped in her tracks and Ji Zhao almost bumped into her back.

“Ah Tao, are you really Ji Ah Tao?”

Ji Zhao’s heart skipped a beat when she met Zhao Lanhua’s suspicious gaze.

She nervously clenched the hand hidden in her sleeve, but her expression was still calm. “Mother, of course I’m Ji Ah Tao. Who else could I be?”

“Good child, you’re really pitiful!” The emotions in Zhao Lanhua’s eyes gradually changed. She rubbed Ji Zhao’s head and comforted her softly, “Mother didn’t expect you to not only be good at cooking, but also know how to make desserts. But how could such words spread from Pomegranate Village?”

“What words?”

“It’s all in the past. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Ji Zhao helping the Shen Ji Pastry Shop sign a deal with the Qin family shocked the Shen family.

Especially Shen Yao.

During dinner, the usually serious Shen Dashan actually picked up a piece of pork rib and placed it in Ji Zhao’s bowl.

Ji Zhao, who was flattered, smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Father!”

“Mm.” Shen Dashan nodded with a straight face, but his eyes were gentler than the past few days.

A crescent moon silently hung above the treetops. The hazy moonlight gently illuminated the ground.

Ji Zhao placed her hands in front of the window and looked at the starlight in the distance.

She narrowed her eyes and enjoyed the cool breeze.

“It’s so late. Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Shen Yao suddenly approached the window and asked softly as he looked at her gentle and exquisite side profile.

“I’m going to sleep soon.” Ji Zhao returned to her senses and smiled at him.

At that moment, Shen Yao suddenly felt dazed.

“Good night.”

Before Shen Yao could speak again, the window had already been closed.

That sweet smile had already disappeared.

The next morning, Ji Zhao woke up early.

She first went to the Earth Temple and cleaned the temple carefully. Then, she placed the pastries she brought back from Shen Ji on the shrine platform.

“Earth God, devotee Ji Zhao is here to visit you.”

After Ji Zhao knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times, she said with a smile, “Those pastries were personally made by this devotee. I hope Earth God won’t mind!”

After leaving the Earth Temple, Ji Zhao went to the river again.

Ji Chen had changed a lot under Shen Yao’s care.

In order to express her gratitude, Ji Zhao planned to go into the river to catch a few more fish and personally cook some of Shen Yao’s favorite dishes.

At dawn, a strong fragrance wafted out of the Shen family’s kitchen again, waking up the people who were still sleeping.

“Why are you up so early?” Shen Yao was the first to arrive at the kitchen. When he saw that graceful figure, he suddenly thought of the water vat outside the door and could not help but frown. “Don’t do heavy work like fetching water in the future.”

“It’s fine. I’m very strong!” Ji Zhao turned around with a smile. “I just cooked fish porridge. Do you want to try it?”

Looking at her sunny little face, Shen Yao subconsciously raised his eyebrows and nodded slightly.

“It smells very good.” Shen Yao accepted the bowl of porridge she handed over and subconsciously blurted out.

“It tastes even better!” Ji Zhao said with a smile, “But you still have to be careful of the heat!”