allonlinenovel Chapter 1312: A Twisted Fate
Chapter 1312: A Twisted Fate
That night.
The steam in the bathroom had not completely dissipated when Liu Rusi led her daughter, who had already showered and dried her hair, out of the bedroom.
Zhou Shiyao changed into a light yellow silk loungewear set, her long hair loosely tied back, and her cheeks glowed pink after being washed.
The fear and exhaustion from being kidnapped had long been washed away by the comfort of a bath and the peace of mind of returning home, and her eyes were once again filled with the freshness and liveliness that a fourteen-year-old girl should have.
"Walk slowly, don't run too fast." Liu Rusi gently patted her daughter's hand, her tone full of tenderness.
"Mom, I'm hungry and can't wait to try Uncle Lin's cooking."
A rich and enticing aroma of food spread through the air, gently wafting into Zhou Shiyao's nostrils and instantly awakening her taste buds.
"Wow, Uncle Lin's cooking smells so good! I can smell it from the living room!"
Zhou Shiyao quickened her pace unconsciously, sniffed the air hard, and her eyes instantly lit up like stars.
"Looks like you're really hungry, you little glutton." Liu Rusi shook her head with a smile.
Before the words were even finished, the two had already reached the entrance of the villa's restaurant on the first floor.
Warm yellow light shone on the long dining table, which was covered with a beige tablecloth. Three sets of tableware were neatly arranged on the table, and in the center of the table, a series of exquisite dishes were arranged in a pleasing manner, with wisps of steam rising from them.
The braised pork belly is glistening with oil, its color a bright red, with amber-colored sauce coating the marbled pieces of meat, the edges slightly charred.
The stir-fried greens were crisp and tender, garnished with a few red goji berries, making them look refreshing and delicious.
The most eye-catching dish was a plate of crystal shrimp. The shrimp were pure white and translucent, coated with a thin layer of sauce, and glistened under the light.
Another dish is crab roe tofu. Tender white tofu cubes are soaked in golden crab roe broth and sprinkled with finely chopped scallions. The fresh and fragrant aroma wafts straight to the nose, making it look incredibly appetizing.
Lin Lang was placing the last dish of tomato and beef brisket soup on the table.
He looked up and saw Liu Rusi and her daughter enter the restaurant. A gentle smile appeared on his lips, and his doting eyes were undisguised. He put down the soup bowl and gestured for them to enter.
"Please have a seat, ladies. These are freshly cooked dishes. We only have these ingredients in the refrigerator, so we'll have four dishes and a soup to share."
Liu Rusi pulled her daughter to sit down at the dining table, gently tapped Zhou Shiyao's forehead with her fingertip, and smiled with her eyes crinkling, "You're so lucky, my little girl. This is the first time I've ever eaten food cooked by your Uncle Lin himself. It's such a rare treat."
As she spoke, her gaze turned to Lin Lang, her eyes filled with smiles and appreciation, as if the dishes on the table were more tempting to her than any treasure.
"Hehe! Uncle Lin, please sit down, let me pour you some wine."
As she spoke, Zhou Shiyao picked up a bottle of Moutai liquor from the table and poured Lin Lang a glass of wine with a smile.
After Lin Lang sat down, he said with a smile, "Shiyao is such a good girl. Quickly try the seafood that your Uncle Lin cooked."
Zhou Shiyao was already irresistibly drawn in by the aroma wafting from the table. Upon hearing this, she immediately picked up her chopsticks and carefully took out a crystal shrimp.
The shrimp meat is springy and tender, with a subtle sweetness. The savory sauce coats the shrimp meat perfectly, without any fishy taste, only pure and delicious flavor.
Zhou Shiyao's eyes widened suddenly, and with a shrimp still in her mouth, she couldn't wait to mumble, "Wow—it's so delicious!"
"Uncle Lin's crystal shrimp is so fresh! It's a hundred times better than the dishes made by our nanny, Ah Zhu."
As she spoke, she picked up another bite with her chopsticks, her cheeks puffed out like a satisfied little squirrel, her face full of undisguised surprise and admiration.
The gloom of being kidnapped seemed to have been completely dispelled by the delicious flavor.
When Liu Rusi heard Azhu's name, her smile froze for a moment. She didn't know whether Azhu was alive or dead.
Just then, Liu Rusi's cell phone rang.
The caller ID showed it was the local police station.
Liu Rusi's heart skipped a beat. She stood up and said, "Daughter, you and your Uncle Lin eat first. I'll take this call."
"Go ahead, Mom," Zhou Shiyao said with a giggle.
Liu Rusi walked quickly out of the restaurant and nervously answered her phone.
"Hello, is this Ms. Liu Rusi?" A calm, slightly formulaic male voice came from the other end of the phone, with the faint background noise of a police station.
Liu Rusi's fingers tightened unconsciously around her phone, her heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to remain calm and replied, "Yes, that's right. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Hello, Ms. Liu!
“I am Officer Lee from the Fourth Traffic Police Division of Singapore.”
"I found through the police system that you are the employer of Wang Meizhu, a migrant worker from Xia, is that correct?"
Upon hearing Ah Zhu's name, Liu Rusi felt a lump in her throat.
She glanced subconsciously in the direction of the restaurant. Lin Lang was serving soup to Zhou Shiyao and didn't seem to notice anything unusual about her.
Liu Rusi took a deep breath and answered in a low voice, forcing herself to speak, "Yes, she is our family's nanny."
"This is the situation, Ms. Liu. Wang Meizhu died on the spot in a major traffic accident tonight despite all efforts to save her."
Liu Rusi felt a "buzz" in her ears, as if a thunderclap had exploded in her mind.
Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, and she almost dropped her phone.
Liu Rusi could hardly believe it. Lin Lang had said that he had calculated that Ah Zhu would die in a car accident tonight, and it had actually come true.
But she simply couldn't believe that Ah Zhu had died in a car accident.
Before Liu Rusi could think further, the male police officer on the other end of the phone continued, "As Wang Meizhu's employer, you are relatively familiar with her situation."
"I hope you can help contact her family in China so they can come to Singapore to handle Ms. Wang Meizhu's funeral arrangements, as well as the determination of responsibility for this traffic accident and other related matters."
"Okay, okay..." Liu Rusi's voice trembled slightly. She tried to calm her disordered breathing. Her mind was blank, and she could only respond subconsciously.
"I...I'll help notify her family right away, so they can call you to find out more details about the accident, right?"
"If you manage to contact the family of the deceased Wang Meizhu, or if you have any questions, please feel free to call this number to discuss the situation at any time."
"Okay, I understand. Wang Meizhu's family will contact you shortly." After saying that, Liu Rusi hung up the phone almost as if she were fleeing.
Liu Rusi stood there, stunned, clutching her phone, a fine layer of cold sweat seeping from her back.
OMG!
Ah Zhu is really dead.
Although Azhu conspired with outsiders to kidnap Zhou Shiyao, she was, after all, the nanny that Liu Rusi brought from her hometown in Xia Country, and after five years of living together day and night, there was still some affection between them.
An indescribable fear and shock, like an icy tide, instantly overwhelmed her.
She subconsciously glanced in the direction of the restaurant, where Lin Lang was eating and drinking as if nothing had happened.
After quickly calming her nervous and anxious emotions, Liu Rusi dialed Azhu's family's mobile phone number.
At the same time, Lin Lang picked up the serving chopsticks and put a piece of braised pork on Zhou Shiyao's plate: "Try this. I was afraid you would be too hungry to wait, so I stewed it in a pressure cooker. It should be soft and tender by now."
Zhou Shiyao took a bite of the braised pork. The meat was tender and not greasy, and the sweet and salty sauce melted on her tongue, carrying a rich meaty aroma. She couldn't help but squint her eyes.
"Wow, this tastes amazing! I never expected Uncle Lin's seafood to be so delicious!"
Lin Lang said affectionately, "Shiyao, try some crab roe tofu. You were just frightened, so eat something mild to nourish yourself."
Zhou Shiyao scooped up a spoonful of crab roe tofu and put it in her mouth. The tender tofu melted in her mouth, and the fresh aroma of crab roe spread on her tongue with the soup. It was fresh without being fishy and rich without being greasy.
She nodded repeatedly, her mouth full of food, and mumbled, "Delicious, delicious!"
"Uncle Lin, your cooking skills are amazing! Not only do you have superpowers, but you also cook so well! This crab roe tofu is so delicious!"
Lin Lang said with a smile, "Eat more if you like it."
While her mother was out of the restaurant, Zhou Shiyao, with chopsticks in her mouth, looked at Lin Lang and tentatively asked, "Uncle Lin, could we ask you for a favor?"
While eating, Lin Lang asked, "What's the matter?"
Unexpectedly, Zhou Shiyao said, "Uncle Lin, you are my father's apprentice."
“I looked up news online and found reports that my dad died of a heart attack in a hotel years ago, in his lover’s bed. That’s probably why my mom won’t let me go to Shanghai to visit his grave.”
"I'm thinking of going to Shanghai for a few days during this winter vacation, and taking half a day to ask Uncle Lin to take me to the cemetery to pay my respects to my father."
“If you don’t take me there, I won’t be able to find my dad’s grave.”
At this point, Zhou Shiyao's eyes reddened, and her voice trembled with tears.
Upon hearing this, Lin Lang put down his chopsticks, picked up his wine glass, and drank the wine in one gulp.
Clearly, this is something Liu Rusi doesn't want her daughter to know: her biological father is Song Zhe, a convicted cultural relic smuggler who has already been executed.
Because of this background, she is even more shameful than the illegitimate daughter of the renowned antique appraiser Zhou Zhongdang.
Therefore, Liu Rusi kept this secret and did not want her daughter to know that she had once been a gold digger.
At the same time, this is also a way to protect the daughter's mental health.
After reading it aloud, Lin Lang put down his wine glass, forced a smile, and replied, "No problem, Uncle Lin promises you, I'll take you to sweep my master's grave this winter break."
“I believe that if he is watching from heaven, he would be very pleased to see you, his daughter from another family, visiting his grave to pay your respects. He would know that he did not spoil you, his precious daughter, in vain.”
"Mmm." Zhou Shiyao nodded with a smile through her tears, but in the end, the tears still fell.
Lin Lang patted Zhou Shiyao's head and said with heartache, "You're such a good child!"
"Although Uncle Lin can't help you win the right to inherit my master's estate, Uncle Lin can support you for the rest of your life. After you grow up and graduate, Uncle Lin will take care of everything, from your job and housing to your dowry."
"Hehe... Uncle Lin, you're so kind to me!"
"When I grow up and find a husband, I'll find someone as tall, handsome, and caring as Uncle Lin," Zhou Shiyao said with a smile, wiping away her tears.
"Silly girl, let's talk about it when you grow up. Keep eating and stop crying, or your mom will find out when she gets back from her phone call." Lin Lang gently handed her a tissue.
"Mmm." Zhou Shiyao took the tissue and wiped away her tears.
Lin Lang took a deep breath and poured himself another glass of baijiu.
He knew very well that although Zhou Shiyao was not his master's biological daughter, Zhou Zhongdang had treated the seven-year-old Shiyao as his own daughter. Even after learning that she was not his biological daughter, he still had feelings for her.
Lin Lang believed that if his master Zhou Zhongdang were watching from heaven, he would also hope that Zhou Shiyao could have a smooth and happy life.
After all, no matter what grudges exist between adults, children are innocent.