Chapter 59: With Wine and Dishes

When Shen Siyuan got off work and returned to the neighborhood, he saw Zhu Guangfa and his family standing at the door.

Upon seeing Shen Siyuan, they immediately came forward.

“How did you know I live here?” Shen Siyuan asked, surprised.

“Because I’m a deliveryman—I can look up addresses,” Zhu Guangfa said.

It turned out that not everything Shen Siyuan bought was delivered to his company.

“The office is always busy—I didn’t want to cause a disturbance, so I waited here for you,” Zhu Guangfa said.

As he spoke, he lifted the items in his hands.

“Nothing special, hope you won’t mind,” Zhu Guangfa said.

While Zhu Guangfa spoke, Du Xiuzhi stood silently behind him, smiling warmly, behaving with quiet grace and giving Zhu Guangfa full face.

Shen Siyuan glanced at the vegetables hanging from his bike handle—bought on his way home from the market, originally planning to cook himself a hearty dinner tonight.

He then looked at the two bottles of wine in Zhu Guangfa’s hands—their packaging was dry and curled at the edges, clearly old.

“Nice wine,” Shen Siyuan said.

“Not top quality, but I bought it over ten years ago,” Zhu Guangfa said.

Hearing this, Shen Siyuan looked up and asked, “Can you cook?”

Before Zhu Guangfa could answer, Du Xiuzhi stepped forward and said, “Yes, my husband used to work as a cook for a while—though he was only a prep chef, his dishes still tasted good.”

“Then since you’ve got wine and I’ve got vegetables, let’s have a drink tonight?” Shen Siyuan smiled.

“Sure, we’ll be taking up your time,” Zhu Guangfa quickly replied, finally catching on.

Shen Siyuan then led them into his home.

“It’s not big—make yourselves at home,” Shen Siyuan invited them in.

Everyone glanced curiously around the interior.

They all thought, “This master with such abilities lives here?”

But since they’d just met, none dared speak up.

Zhu Tingting looked around curiously, but kept holding Du Xiuzhi’s hand tightly, appearing shy.

Du Xiuzhi, however, was composed and calm, pulling her onto the sofa. Shen Siyuan handed her an apple, which she held without eating.

After entering, Zhu Guangfa immediately got busy, and Du Xiuzhi went over to help.

Shen Siyuan, by contrast, made no move to assist—he pulled over a computer chair and chatted with Zhu Tingting.

“How old are you?”

“What grade are you in?”

“Is your homework heavy?”

…

Zhu Tingting first answered Shen Siyuan mechanically, but gradually she spoke more and became more relaxed.

“Brother, thank you for letting me see Mom,” she clutched the apple tightly and said to Shen Siyuan.

“No need to thank me—besides, isn’t it your dad who came to thank me?” Shen Siyuan nodded toward Zhu Guangfa, who was busy cooking.

Shen Siyuan’s kitchen was simple: one rice cooker, one induction stove, and a microwave.

So Zhu Guangfa could only stir-fry on the induction stove, which made him uncomfortable—he couldn’t easily control the heat.

But since he was only making two dishes, he had to make do.

Zhu Tingting added, “Brother, Mom says you’re amazing.”

“Not that impressive—nothing like you imagine.”

“Brother, can you make sure Mom stays with us forever?”

Shen Siyuan glanced back at Zhu Guangfa—this was clearly his script.

The couple had been straining to listen; now that Shen Siyuan turned, Zhu Guangfa’s body stiffened slightly.

Du Xiuzhi shot him a glare, then frowned, a faint look of disappointment crossing her face.

Shen Siyuan turned back and replied, “Without me, your mother has always been with you.”

“But… but I want to keep seeing Mom,” Zhu Tingting whispered pleadingly.

“Tingting.”

Du Xiuzhi looked at her daughter with disapproval.

“Mom~” Zhu Tingting whimpered.

Du Xiuzhi turned to Shen Siyuan and said, “Mr. Shen, I’m sorry—children don’t understand. We never taught her to say that.”

Shen Siyuan waved his hand. “Her thoughts are natural, but humans and spirits walk different paths—so it’s impossible.”

Shen Siyuan flatly refused her.

Zhu Tingting lowered her head and whispered sadly, “I’m sorry.”

Zhu Guangfa, who was stir-frying, paused for a moment, then quickly recovered and brought out a dish.

“Dinner’s ready—go ahead and eat. A few more dishes coming right away,” Zhu Guangfa said.

Since he ate alone, Shen Siyuan hadn’t bought many vegetables, so the cooking went quickly.

Though Zhu Guangfa said that, neither Shen Siyuan nor Zhu Tingting picked up their chopsticks.

At that moment, Zhu Tingting suddenly looked up and asked Shen Siyuan, “I heard that after people die, they’re reborn as children—will Mom be reborn too?”

Shen Siyuan froze, turning to look at Du Xiuzhi.

Du Xiuzhi stroked her daughter’s head and said, “Of course.”

Zhu Tingting said nothing, just stared at Shen Siyuan—only when he nodded did she look slightly happier.

Then she turned to Du Xiuzhi and said, “Mom, don’t rush to be reborn as someone else’s child.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“When I grow up, be reborn as my baby—I’ll love you just as much as you loved me,” Zhu Tingting said innocently.

Du Xiuzhi pulled her close, eyes glistening with tears, and whispered, “Alright, Mom will wait for you.”

One tomato, one braised pork rib, one braised pork belly, and one stir-fried shredded pork with chili.

Except for the tomato, all were meat dishes.

Shen Siyuan rarely cooked for himself.

He didn’t eat vegetarian, so he bought more meat.

“Sit down.”

Shen Siyuan invited Zhu Guangfa to sit, then unceremoniously opened one of the bottles he’d brought.

“Xifeng,” he said.

Shen Siyuan glanced at the bottle—he’d heard of this wine, but never tasted it.

He poured Zhu Guangfa a glass first; Zhu Guangfa immediately stood up, stammering, “No, no, I can’t accept,” bowing in deep respect.

Du Xiuzhi also rose and said, “You two drink—I’ll pour for you.”

Shen Siyuan didn’t refuse—he handed her the bottle directly.

During the meal, Zhu Guangfa was stiff and restrained, hardly daring to pick up food frequently—far less at ease than his daughter Zhu Tingting.

But after two glasses of wine, he gradually loosened up and began talking more.

“Mr. Shen, with your abilities, why live in such a small house? Why work such a hard job every day?”

“What else should I do?” Shen Siyuan smiled in reply.

He continued, “With such minor skills, can I rule the world? What’s the point of earning money, then? To enjoy life? But I’m already enjoying life.”

Zhu Guangfa wanted to say more, but Du Xiuzhi quietly tugged his sleeve and gave him a warning glance, stopping him.