Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Her heart felt warm as she watched the determined look on the man's face, and the heavy stone of worry in her heart seemed to have been lifted.
"Aren't you afraid that I might be deceiving you?"
Gu Jinchen decisively shook his head, then thought for a moment and nodded again, before slowly opening his mouth in response to Luo Ge's puzzled gaze.
"...Even if it is a deception, I'll accept it."
"Pfft." Luo Ge genuinely laughed at this, feeling reassured in her heart by his attitude. She fished the large intestines out of the pot and placed them in a basin, setting aside her task at hand.
Closing the courtyard gate, she took his hand and led him back to the room: "Let me take you somewhere."
She knew he needed an explanation.
"?" Under Gu Jinchen's bewildered gaze, the two instantly changed realms.
Looking at the unfamiliar scene before him, Gu Jinchen glanced down at his little wife, whose hand he gripped tightly in return.
Even though he believed she was not a demon, witnessing her extraordinary abilities firsthand still made his heart race with panic.
He was afraid that at some point, she might just disappear with him like this.
Then, he wouldn't even know where to cry or how to search for her.
"Don't be afraid, I'm not really a demon, but a person from another world thousands of years in the future..." She pulled him along, gently explaining as they strolled through her spatial courtyard.
The more Gu Jinchen heard, the tighter he held her, as if afraid that if he loosened his grip, the person before him would run away.
"The things in this space are what I possessed in that world. When I had an accident in that world and opened my eyes again, I found myself in this world..."
"It just so happened that I encountered the refugees fleeing the famine in the northwest, and I came here with them... After you brought me home, an accident led me to discover this space."
At this point, she stopped walking and looked up at Gu Jinchen.
"Thank you, husband."
"If you hadn't brought me home, I might have starved to death or been sold to an undesirable place by those people... Perhaps I wouldn't have had the chance to discover this space's existence..."
"Coming here and meeting you, I'm very fortunate."
She was truly grateful to Gu Jinchen and felt lucky to have met him.
Looking into her eyes, Gu Jinchen bent down and held her tightly, embracing her close as he rested his head on her shoulder.
"...Meeting you is also my fortune."
Hearing this, Luo Ge smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, closing her eyes as they leaned against each other.
"Will you... return to that original world of yours?" Gu Jinchen asked hesitantly after a long while, opening his arms to let her go.
He felt uneasy, afraid that one day she might accidentally return and abandon him here.
Luo Ge shook her head decisively: "No."
"...I was an orphan with nothing in that world. Now I have you, and our children, these loved ones. I cherish them and feel very happy."
"In this life, I'll stay by your side." She added a playful remark at the end.
When she first arrived in this world, she did want to go back because the unfamiliar world made her feel insecure.
But now that she had her lover and family, she no longer wanted to leave, not at all.
Moreover... she had no reason to abandon the warmth she had here for loneliness.
Besides... she couldn't go back anyway.
Thinking about it, she suddenly recalled the lies she had told him before, like her fake family background.
"I'm sorry, what I told you before about my family was a lie. I just wanted to settle down quickly."
"The things I know, I actually learned them in that world..."
She lowered her head, her small face a little embarrassed and full of remorse, as she honestly explained to him.
The anxious life of a little illegal immigrant was truly not a pleasant one.
Gu Jinchen stroked her head and held her in his embrace: "It's alright."
If possible, he would have preferred if what she had lied about before was true.
He could now understand the loneliness of having no family. If she had at least experienced the warmth of family for ten or twenty years, it would have been better.
But to have never had that from the beginning, she had endured loneliness for most of her life.
That sense of being alone and helpless was something she had experienced since childhood, how could one not feel heartbroken for her?
Perhaps sensing his intention to comfort her, Luo Ge nestled against his chest, nuzzling him gently.
"Let's go out?" While basking in the cozy warmth, she suddenly remembered that they had been inside for quite a while.
"Okay."
Seeing him nod, Luo Ge ran to the kitchen and grabbed some soy sauce and other seasonings, having removed their outer packaging so as not to arouse suspicion.
After all, she would put them back when they were used up.
On the way, she also grabbed a few apples from the refrigerator.
"Here, eat these. These two are for the little ones." She munched on one apple herself and handed another to him.
Her refrigerator didn't have much, just a few apples, a few bananas, a few bottles of milk, and two bottles of drinks... and that was it.
But once they finished, she would restock, and the items wouldn't expire, so it was no problem.
With the truth out, Luo Ge felt relieved, no longer needing to be cautious and uncomfortable.
"Help me pick a few bunches of scallions and garlic from the doorway." For cooking.
"...Alright." A bit resigned, but seeing his wife visibly relaxed, he was still very happy in his heart.
While he was picking scallions, Luo Ge brought out a bag of eggs, along with a few potatoes, cucumbers, lotus roots, and some leafy greens, big green and red peppers.
Her blogger's kitchen was definitely stocked with produce, but not much, otherwise she wouldn't have gone to the market to buy groceries and gotten into that accident.
"Let's go, let's go." She carried half the items while he carried the other half, and she pulled him along.
As soon as the words left her mouth, they opened their eyes to find themselves back in the room.
Due to the time difference between the space and the outside world, they hadn't actually been gone for too long.
Gu Jinchen looked around the familiar room, then down at the items in his hands, taking a while to confirm that everything he had just experienced was real.
Seeing Luo Ge run back to the kitchen, he followed her and set down the items.
Looking at the eggs, he suddenly remembered something: "So the eggs from last time also came from that space?"
He hadn't forgotten or misplaced them; the eggs at home had indeed run out because his little wife had taken them from that space.
Luo Ge smiled sheepishly and nodded: "Uh-huh."
"......" Alright then.
But with more seasonings available, she could better showcase her cooking skills.
Seeing that the pot of simmering bone broth had come to a boil, she added sliced lotus root.
This season, there weren't many vegetable varieties or people growing them, so when she had simmered the bone broth before, it was just plain broth with a few red dates and broth seasonings.
Now that she had access to her space, she could add more ingredients.
She heated up some oil in a pan and started stir-frying the large intestines until they had a slight char, then added green and red peppers, followed by soy sauce, oyster sauce, and water to braise them. After that, she added chicken bouillon powder, salt, and gave it a final stir before garnishing with scallions and taking it off the heat.
Next, she smashed some cucumbers, mixing them with chili, oil, soy sauce, vinegar, scallions, and cilantro to make a cool and refreshing spicy cucumber salad.
On hot days, having this tangy and spicy smashed cucumber dish was truly delightful.
For the little ones, it would just be plain vinegar, as they couldn't handle spice. No choice there.
Once everything was prepared and the soup still wasn't ready, she thought for a moment and steamed a bowl of egg custard for the little ones.
She first minced some meat into a paste, added salt and chicken bouillon powder, and mixed it well before putting it in a bowl. Then she beat two eggs with water and a pinch of salt until smooth, and poured the mixture directly into the bowl with the meat. She then steamed it in a pot for 5-8 minutes.
When it was done, she took it out, garnished it with scallions, and drizzled some soy sauce over the top for color. And there it was, ready to be served.
"Let's eat first, the soup will be ready in a bit. We'll have it after the meal."
The braised dish can be prepared later, as it needs to simmer slowly. No rush.
Gu Jinchen looked at the fragrant and appetizing stir-fried tripe, and his throat moved slightly as he nodded.
In his memory, this dish wasn't particularly tasty, but now it seemed incredibly tempting.
The aroma wafted over, making it seem quite delicious.
The two little ones had returned just as Luo Ge began cooking, and upon hearing her, they obediently went to wash their small hands and helped bring the bowls and chopsticks to the hall.
This time, Luo Ge steamed white rice, and seeing the eager looks on the little ones' faces, she amusingly scooped some egg drop soup into their rice bowls and mixed it in.
"Stop staring and let's eat," she said with a smile.
It had been a while since she'd had stir-fried tripe, and she couldn't wait to give it a try, squinting her beautiful eyes slightly.
Hmm, her skills were still on point.
Gu Jinchen and the two little ones secretly watched her expression, and seeing her enjoyment, they hesitantly started eating as well.
The red and green peppers weren't spicy at all, so the little ones could eat them without issue.
Initially, Gu Jinchen only intended to take a small taste, after all, it was his wife's cooking, but unexpectedly, he couldn't stop himself.
In the end, he even scooped up the soup at the bottom of the bowl to mix with his rice.
The cold cucumber salad was refreshing, and the egg drop soup was smooth and tender—they didn't leave a single bit behind.
After the meal, a bowl of lotus root and pork bone soup helped cleanse their palates, truly satisfying.
The big one and the two little ones patted their full bellies with content: "Wife, shall we do this again next time?"
The two little ones also looked at her expectantly, clearly a bit addicted to the flavors.
"Heh, sure," Luo Ge chuckled.