Gourmet: The Master Chef Just Wants to Leisurely Set Up a Stall - Chapter 62

Dong Mei froze for a moment, her hands stopping mid-motion as she washed the crabs. It took her a while before she spoke again.

“You seem pretty confident these days, talking big about repaying 80,000 yuan—like it’s as easy as flipping your lips!”

“You feel guilty? Is that why you talk back to me and refuse to listen to anyone?”

“Guilty, yet you still have the nerve to refuse marriage? Ignoring what your elders say and insisting on working at a construction site?”

Dong Mei tossed aside the cloth she was using, planting her hands on her hips as she stared at Zhao Xiaojing.

Seeing her aunt switch into battle mode so quickly, Zhao Xiaojing knew nothing she said now would make a difference. With a sigh of resignation, she kept quiet and reached for the cutting board, silently slicing the winter melon Dong Mei had placed next to her.

“And there you go again—acting all wronged. Who are you trying to guilt-trip? Have I ever hit you or harmed you? I’m trying to help you by introducing you to Wen Ayi’s son, but no—you just had to insult him and leave no room for compromise!

Well, now look where that got you! He’s found someone else—a girl who works for the community office, a stable job! They’re getting engaged soon, and there’ll be nothing left for you to regret! I told you, good men are snatched up quickly…”

Dong Mei, seeing Zhao Xiaojing remain silent, only grew more agitated, like a firecracker that had been lit. She continued her tirade with increasing fervor.

Zhao Xiaojing immediately realized who this “girl from the community office” was—it must be Zhang Guodong’s ex-girlfriend, the one he had cheated with in her past life.

Or rather, his current girlfriend.

After their divorce in her previous life, Zhao Xiaojing had learned bits and pieces about what happened next from Dong Mei’s furious rants about Zhang Guodong’s family: The mistress wasn’t a full-time employee—she’d pulled some strings to get a low-paying, temporary job in the community office. On paper, it looked respectable, but she only made 1,500 yuan a month.

After marrying Zhang Guodong, she refused to work anymore and later gave birth to a son. Their household became a complete disaster.

Several times, Zhang Guodong showed up with his face scratched, and his mother, Wen Juying, developed high blood pressure from the constant stress. Wen even tried moving out to avoid the chaos, but the mistress brazenly asked, “If you move out, who’s going to take care of the baby?”

Not long after, unable to bear the toxic environment at home, Zhang Guodong cheated again. The mistress, true to form, unleashed her fury once more, tearing apart both families in a new wave of drama.

It was all just endless nonsense. In her past life, Dong Mei had relished in cursing Zhang’s misfortune.

But at the time, Zhao Xiaojing had been too trapped in the misery of her second marriage to laugh at her ex-husband’s downfall. She had felt like nothing more than a bystander in her own life.

Now hearing this news again in this life, Zhao Xiaojing froze for a moment, realizing how fate looped in circles. Zhang Guodong still ended up with the same woman.

In her past life, it was her own cowardice, fear of change, and passive acceptance that led to her disastrous life. And it was Zhang Guodong’s poor choices and self-destructive behavior that brought chaos to his life—and the eventual death of her second husband due to alcoholism.

Everyone bore the consequences of their own actions. There was no need for hatred or revenge. Her life trajectory had already shifted, while theirs continued along their predestined paths.

“What’s the matter now? Regretting your decisions? I invited him over to our house for you, but you wouldn’t even meet him, and now look what happened…”

“Ah! Waaa… Mommy! Mommy! Waaah!”

Just as Dong Mei was about to continue berating her, they were interrupted by the sound of a child crying from the living room.

“Oh no—Mom! What are you doing? The crabs are crawling everywhere! …Oh, it’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t cry, Hanhang. You’re the bravest child—Grandma will catch the crabs right away!”

Zhou Chuyan, who had just walked through the door with her daughter in tow, rushed to comfort the little girl.

Hearing the noise, both Dong Mei and Zhao Xiaojing hurried out of the kitchen. They found that during their argument, the crabs had escaped from the sink and scattered across the floor, terrifying Dong Mei’s granddaughter, Hanhang.

“What were you two doing? How did the crabs get loose without either of you noticing? Poor Hanhang opened the door and ran straight in—she’s scared out of her wits.”

Zhou Chuyan scolded them gently while cradling her daughter.

“Yanyan, you’re here. Hanhang, did you miss Auntie?” Zhao Xiaojing forced a smile and greeted her cousin and niece.

“Auntie! I missed you! Can I have a hug?”

At the sight of Zhao Xiaojing, Hanhang instantly forgot her tears and reached out for a hug.

“You’re here early today. Where’s Sun Junwei?” Dong Mei asked with her usual stern expression, still not fully recovered from her earlier anger.

“Why do you look like someone just stiffed you? Sun Junwei had business in Chongqing—he had to travel for work,” Zhou Chuyan replied nonchalantly.

“‘Travel for work’? You mean goofing off! You’re always thinking about playtime while everyone else is busy working. His business trip is serious work!” Dong Mei snapped, redirecting her frustration toward her daughter.

Zhao Xiaojing quietly handed Hanhang back to Zhou Chuyan and returned to the kitchen to grab a pot. She began collecting the runaway crabs one by one.

Once all the crabs were safely gathered under the pot lid, she weighed it down with something heavy to keep them contained. From inside the pot came the faint sound of claws scraping against metal.

With the crabs secured, Zhao Xiaojing glanced at the ingredients laid out on the counter and resumed prepping the meal.

“Alright, alright! Stop fussing with that. Go spend some time with Hanhang—you haven’t seen Yanyan in a while. You two cousins should catch up.” Dong Mei returned to the kitchen once more and saw that Zhao Xiaojing was still working. She promptly shooed her out and shut the door behind her.

“So what set off another explosion this time?” As soon as Zhao Xiaojing rejoined her cousin, Zhou Chuyan rolled her eyes toward the kitchen and pulled her onto the couch to chat.

“We argued a bit…”

Zhou Chuyan was three years older than Zhao Xiaojing, and the two had grown up together. However, having been raised by domineering parents herself, Zhou Chuyan often vented her frustrations by bullying younger children—and Zhao Xiaojing was no exception. Because of this, their relationship had been somewhat strained during childhood.

As they matured, however, they developed a distant but amicable sisterly bond and began to reconnect. Like her mother, Zhou Chuyan never looked down on Zhao Xiaojing’s family despite their struggles.

“Come on, tell me everything. You didn’t get to finish explaining on the phone last time. Was it Auntie pushing you to get married again? Why didn’t you like the guy she set you up with?”

As Zhou Chuyan unpacked toys for Hanhang to play with, she settled in for a chat with Zhao Xiaojing.

“Part of it was definitely about marriage. But honestly… I just don’t want to rush into anything right now. I don’t own a home yet; I don’t have a steady job… I don’t want to get married without having my life sorted out.”

Zhao Xiaojing started to say she didn’t want to become a housewife but caught herself just in time—remembering that Zhou Chuyan was one. She quickly changed course.

“You’re not wrong, but you should at least start dating someone! You’re not getting any younger—no one can stay single forever. It’s nice to have someone by your side, someone to lean on. I’m not saying you should rush into marriage right away, but shouldn’t you at least start looking?”

Zhou Chuyan frowned slightly, her eyes widening as she spoke. Her head bobbed with every word, and for a split second, Zhao Xiaojing could see the shadow of Dong Mei in her cousin’s mannerisms.