Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
Ji Xiaozhuo had never seen the sea before, and now that he saw it, he was completely overjoyed, rushing straight into the water like a little cannonball. Luckily, Ji Yan had put a little duck swimming ring on him and was protecting him the whole time, otherwise he might have been swept away by the waves.
The little one swung back and forth in the sea, giggling happily, and waved to Tang Tang standing on the beach, “Mommy, come quick, this is so much fun!”
Tang Tang’s leg was still in a cast, so she couldn’t get it wet. She could only wave apologetically to the little one and call out, “Mommy can’t go in the water, Mommy will watch you from here.”
The little one was a little disappointed, but with his father by his side, he quickly went wild with fun.
Everyone else followed suit and went into the water. Everyone was wearing swimsuits, and the men were even showing their upper bodies and calves. Tang Tang didn’t dare to look, but she couldn’t help but let her gaze drift to Ji Yue and Gu Yanran in their swimsuits. These two were truly stunning beauties, with excellent figures, long legs, slim waists, and curvaceous figures. Their skin was so white it shone in the sunlight, and they looked incredibly sexy in their bikinis. Even though Tang Tang wasn’t a fan of such revealing clothing, she couldn’t deny that the two of them looked exceptionally beautiful and charming.
Tang Tang couldn’t help but look down at her own skinny frame, feeling utterly dejected. How can there be such a big difference between people? They had a defined bust and waist, but she was just a skeleton! She had been eating so hard lately, but she didn’t seem to have gained any weight. Where did all her food go?!
Tang Tang’s expression was so straightforward that anyone could see right through her, which made Zhuo Ji, who was watching from the shore, burst out laughing.
Tang Tang then realized that her thoughts had been read, and her face flushed instantly. She could only manage a dry smile at Zhuo Ji.
Zhuo Ji turned his wheelchair towards the recliner, saying to Tang Tang, “Let’s sit over there for a while; it’s too sunny here.”
Although Tang Tang wasn’t familiar with Zhuo Ji, he was a good friend of Ji Yan, and it was clear that Ji Yan respected him. Therefore, Tang Tang couldn’t refuse, so she followed him, leaning on her cane, towards the recliner.
Under the recliner was a tea set, antique and elegant, resembling Tang Tang’s own belongings, which gave her a sense of familiarity. Moreover, Zhuo Ji’s every movement was refined and graceful, like a celestial being, serene and otherworldly. Tang Tang had never seen a man with such an air about him before, inexplicably reminding her of the great scholars of her time.
So Tang Tang couldn’t help but stare intently at Zhuo Ji’s actions.
Zhuo Ji picked up the teapot, gently poured a cup of tea, and pushed it towards Tang Tang, saying, “Sister-in-law, try some.”
Tang Tang didn’t dare drink casually, so she instinctively picked up the teacup with the most standard gesture, brought it to her lips, and took a sip. A faint bitterness followed by a sweet aftertaste immediately made her mouth water.
Tang Tang’s eyes lit up, and she couldn’t help but praise, “Excellent tea!”
Although Tang Tang wasn’t well-liked in the household, she was, after all, a young lady from the Prime Minister’s family. The household’s matrons had thoroughly instructed her on etiquette, manners, and poise to avoid any lapses in decorum when serving tea to her stepmother on the fifteenth of each month. Furthermore, her wet nurse came from a wealthy family and was quite knowledgeable about tea ceremony in order to serve her mistress well. Therefore, Tang Tang did have some understanding of tea tasting. Zhuo Ji, however, was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected Tang Tang to know about tea, and her tea-drinking posture was the most standard and elegant he had ever seen; he had only ever seen it on his grandmother.
This was quite different from the rumors he had heard about her being utterly useless.
Zhuo Ji immediately became interested and said to Tang Tang, “It seems you’re quite knowledgeable about tea ceremony. Do you know how to brew tea? Why don’t you brew some for me to try?”
Tang Tang was startled and quickly waved her hands, “No, no, no, I only know a little bit, I wouldn’t dare to embarrass myself.” She really only knew a little bit, and couldn’t compare to a true master at all. Her nanny always said she had no talent in this area.
“Don’t be nervous, sister-in-law, we’re just brewing it for fun.”
“Well… alright then, I hope Brother Zhuo won’t laugh at me.” Tang Tang couldn’t refuse, so she picked up the tea set and started brewing tea, following the method her nanny had taught her.
Although Tang Tang’s skills were indeed not those of a master, this was the 21st century, and the art of tea brewing had been passed down only to a few people. Therefore, Tang Tang’s tea brewing technique was not just superficial here, which surprised Zhuo Ji. Such a professional and elegant tea brewing technique, Zhuo Ji admitted that he was not as good as her, and guessed that only his grandmother could compare.
He never expected that Ji Yan’s wife would be so unassuming.
“Brother Zhuo, please try some.” Tang Tang handed the brewed tea to Zhuo Ji.
Zhuo Ji took a sip, his eyes instantly brightening. He exclaimed in admiration, “Sister-in-law, your tea-making skills are excellent! Your tea skills are even better than mine!”
Tang Tang waved her hand shyly, “Brother Zhuo, you flatter me.”
Just then, the others who had been playing returned. They were all surprised to see Zhuo Ji enjoying tea and chatting with Tang Tang, as Zhuo Ji was usually quite reserved and rarely approachable.
Gu Chang’an asked curiously, “Brother, why are you all enjoying tea?”
Zhuo Ji pushed the teapot, “You should all try some too. Sister-in-law’s tea-making skills are superb; I’m ashamed to admit my inferiority.”
Everyone was even more astonished now, their eyes filled with surprise as they looked at Tang Tang. Zhuo Ji’s tea-making skills were taught by a master, far surpassing those of ordinary people. How could she be better than Zhuo Ji? Was he joking?
Unlike the adults, Ji Xiaozhuo, upon hearing that his mother’s tea was delicious, immediately rushed to Tang Tang’s arms and whined, “Mommy, I’m thirsty, I want some tea.”
Tang Tang quickly poured a cup and fed it to the little guy. The little guy, having no idea how to appreciate tea, gulped it down like a cow. After finishing, he smacked his lips, finding it a bit bitter and not as good as juice. But it was his mother’s tea, and he couldn’t contradict her. So, the little guy nodded seriously and said earnestly, “Hmm, good tea!”
Everyone was amused by his earnest lie.
Having served the little one, she couldn’t forget the older one. So Tang Tang immediately poured another cup of tea and handed it to Ji Yan, “Husband, have a cup of tea.”
Ji Yan was also curious. He took the tea, but instead of gulping it down like the little guy, he took a small sip and felt a sweetness spreading through his mouth. Although Ji Yan didn’t know much about tea, he knew this tea was indeed very good.
She even knew tea ceremony? When did she learn it?
Everyone became interested upon seeing this and wanted to try it. Tang Tang was delighted and poured tea for everyone, but when she offered it to Gu Yanran, Gu Yanran waved her hand and refused, saying, “Sorry, Tang Tang, I don’t really like tea. I prefer coffee.”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Tang Tang said casually, withdrawing her hand.
The group played until evening before returning to the villa. They would stay there for the night and go back the next day.
Having been hungry all day, everyone was ravenous and clamored for dinner as soon as it got dark. But a problem arose: who would cook?
Zhuo Ji only came occasionally, so there was only a part-time cleaner; there were no permanent servants. Therefore, they had to do everything themselves, including dinner.
The men looked at each other, indicating their helplessness. They were usually served meals prepared by others; they didn’t even need to lift a finger. They could help out, but cooking was out of the question.
Ji Yue, who couldn’t cook either, looked at Zhuo Ji speechlessly and complained, “Big brother, you only buy ingredients but don’t hire a chef. Who are you trying to make things difficult for? Don’t you know our skill level?”
Zhuo Ji smiled apologetically, “I originally asked Aunt Wang from home to come over, but something came up at her house, and she only had time to prepare some food before going back. You all ate that food at noon, so we’ll have to cook dinner ourselves. It’s kind of an experience, you know.” After saying that, Zhuo Ji also felt sorry for everyone and tentatively suggested, “How about we try ordering takeout?”
Gu Yanran held up her phone: “I’ve already checked. This place is too far from the city center; there’s no takeout service at all.”
Everyone immediately groaned, feeling like they were going to go hungry tonight.
Seeing everyone’s hopeless expressions, Tang Tang silently raised her hand, “I’ll cook. I can cook.”
Everyone stopped groaning and looked at Tang Tang in surprise.
Ji Xiaozhuo was very supportive of his mother, patting his chest and saying to everyone, “My mom’s cooking is amazing! Absolutely the best in the universe!” His tone was full of pride.
So, everyone looked at Ji Yan questioningly.
Ji Yan nodded, rolled up his sleeves, and said to Tang Tang, “Then I’ll trouble you tonight. I’ll help you out.”
Tang Tang waved her hand and pushed Ji Xiaozhuo to him, “No need, no need. You take the baby to rest. I can manage on my own. I don’t need to help. Dinner will be ready in an hour at the latest.”
Ji Yan realized that Tang Tang seemed to particularly dislike him going into the kitchen to help, so he had no choice but to sit outside with the others and wait.
Gu Chang’an asked Ji Yan uncertainly, “Third brother, can she really cook? She won’t blow up eldest brother’s kitchen, will she?”
Ji Yue immediately pinched his ear. “Gu Chang’an, what do you mean? Are you mocking me? I only blew up the kitchen that one time, how do you still remember?”
Gu Chang’an quickly begged for forgiveness, “No, no, I wasn’t talking about you, I’m just worried about my sister-in-law.”
“Hmph!” Ji Yue let go of him, but still looked at the kitchen with some unease. “She won’t really blow it up, will she? Should we go check?”
Ji Xiaozhuo, seeing everyone’s distrust of his mother, pouted and said, “Mom is a great cook, you just wait!”
Ji Yan patted the little guy’s head and said to everyone, “Don’t worry, her cooking skills are indeed very good.”
Hearing Ji Yan say this, everyone naturally had to believe it, even if they didn’t. However, the shock was still quite significant. Although they didn’t know much about Ji Yan’s wife, they knew she was an irresponsible woman who loved to drink, and they all felt sorry for Ji Yan. But this time, Tang Tang completely overturned their impressions. This woman was polite, had excellent tea ceremony skills, and now could even cook— she was practically a virtuous wife and loving mother! How could this be?
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
