Chapter 7

“What’s wrong?”

“If you were home, I would buy some groceries and bring them over,” Bai Qin said. “My sister has already gone back to Lijiang, and you must be having some trouble adjusting, so I might as well go over and cook a few of my signature dishes for you. Let me tell you, ever since I became Lao Qian’s apprentice, my cooking skills have improved by leaps and bounds. Especially that braised pork ribs, it’s practically on par with a master chef.”

“I am not in Shenzhen right now.”

“Then where did you go?”

“I’m at your house.”

“You mean my hometown?”

“Yes,” Han An said, “Your mom and sister are killing a chicken. It’s a pity you’re not here, otherwise you could have a feast.”

“What a pity.”

“Yes, I should have brought you back with me.”

“That’s not what I meant by ‘it’s a pity’.”

What is that?

“It’s a pity you won’t be able to eat my braised pork ribs anymore.”

“Then when I get back, you can make it for me and your sister.”

“I only wanted to make this for you, brother-in-law.”

After hearing Bai Qin’s rather ambiguous words, Han An smiled and said, “If your sister knew I was eating alone, she would definitely beat me up.”

“My sister isn’t that fierce.”

“Yes, yes, I’m the fiercest, okay?”

“No, brother-in-law, you’re so gentle,” Bai Qin said on the other end of the phone. “I still remember the time you hugged me.”

Hearing Bai Qin’s words, Han An frowned and said, “Xiao Qin, I’ve explained what happened that time to you several times. That time, I was drunk and mistook you for your sister, so I hugged you. Normally, I would never do such a thing. Besides, I only hugged you once, and didn’t do anything more outrageous, so please stop bringing it up, okay?”

“My sister and I look completely different. How could you mistake me for her?”

“Let’s not talk about this anymore, okay?”

“Or is it that you just wanted to hug me, brother-in-law?” Bai Qin said on the other end of the phone. “Is it just because you had too many concerns that you didn’t continue doing what you wanted to do? If you had drunk more that day, brother-in-law, would you have gone ahead without hesitation?”

“You silly girl,” Han An said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but you’re overthinking things. I told you before, I’m your brother-in-law, so stop saying weird things to me. If you’re looking for a partner, I can introduce you to some people. I know a lot of successful young men who are single but have good careers.”

“Brother-in-law, you have no idea what I want.”

“I don’t know, but I know what I should give you.”

“Whatever, you’ll never get to eat my braised pork ribs in your entire life.”

“That just means I’m not lucky enough to have any good food,” Han An said. “Take care of yourself and don’t let your emotions affect your work.”

“hehe.”

Beep…beep…

Hearing the hang-up message, Han An’s thoughts became somewhat chaotic.

Bai Qin is his sister-in-law; she just graduated from university last year.

After graduating from university, I worked for a foreign trade company, but resigned due to a conflict with my boss.

She then worked as a supervisor at Hanji Hot Pot Restaurant and took charge of the cashier after her sister became a full-time housewife.

In a typical store, a cashier’s salary is definitely lower than that of the supervisor.

However, because Bai Qin is Bai Jing’s younger sister, Bai Qin’s salary is higher than that of the foreman.

As for why Bai Qin frequently showed affection to Han An, who was her brother-in-law, it all started with what happened on Labor Day this year.

On Labor Day, Bai Qin had lunch at Han An’s house.

Because of the holiday, the Bai sisters, Bai Jing and Bai Qin, cooked a lot of delicious dishes together.

Good food deserves good wine, so Han An also drank the two bottles of dry red wine that a friend had given him.

After lunch, Bai Qin left under the pretext of going back for a nap, while Han An went to the toilet.

Because of the effects of the alcohol, Han An wanted to take a nap after using the restroom.

But when he entered the master bedroom and saw his wife standing with her back to him, he immediately hugged her from behind.

He originally wanted to kiss his wife, and even wanted to take her to bed for sex.

But when he realized that the person he was holding was actually his sister-in-law, Bai Qin, he was so frightened that he immediately let go.

As for his wife, she was just taking out the trash at that time.

He apologized to Bai Qin, saying he was drunk and had misjudged her. But Bai Qin didn’t believe him, saying he must have done it on purpose, and even asked him if he was thinking of doing something naughty.

Since his wife had already gone inside, Bai Qin left.

At that time, Han An asked his wife why his sister-in-law had come back again, and his wife said that she had left her phone behind.

From then on, Bai Qin’s attitude towards Han An became somewhat ambiguous.

As for Han An, he never responded to Bai Qin’s ambiguous advances.

Han An even considered simply firing Bai Qin and finding her a better job.

But if he brings it up, his wife will definitely object, since she dotes on her younger sister who is five years younger than him.

Of course, Han An was even more afraid that Bai Qin would reveal what happened that day.

Even though it was just a case of babies being switched at birth, Han An was still worried that his wife would overthink things, and he didn’t want that incident to affect their relationship.

It’s fair to say that Han An has put a lot of effort into nurturing this relationship that began in Lijiang.

That’s why Han An was heartbroken when he realized he might have been betrayed by his wife.

With a sigh, Han An, his thoughts in turmoil, finally lay back on the bed.

Because he had been unable to sleep the night before, Han An fell asleep quickly without even taking off his leather shoes.

About half an hour later, Bai Jing entered the room.

Seeing that her husband was already asleep, Bai Jing tiptoed around.

As she walked to the bedside, Bai Jing wanted to take off her husband’s leather shoes, but she was afraid of waking him up.

Looking at her husband sleeping soundly, Bai Jing’s brows furrowed more and more tightly.

Looking at her wrist and touching the inside of her thigh, Bai Jing’s eyes immediately reddened.

Then, tears silently streamed down my face.

Afraid of being seen by her husband, Bai Jing hurriedly left the room.

Upon arriving on the first floor, Bai Jing was sitting on a wooden bench in the living room.

At this moment, He Donglian walked out of the kitchen.

Seeing tears on her daughter’s face, He Donglian quickly asked, “Honey, did you and Anzi have a fight?”

“No, that’s not true,” Bai Jing said with a smile after wiping away her tears. “My relationship with him is great!”

“Then why are you crying?”

“This is called crying tears of joy.”

“I don’t understand what it means to cry tears of joy,” said He Donglian, sitting next to her daughter. “Anyway, I just see you crying.”

“Actually, I was thinking of my dad,” Bai Jing said. “He never enjoyed any happiness in his life, so I always felt guilty towards him. After I grew up, I often told him, ‘Dad, I will make sure you have meat to eat every day.’ But until he passed away, I still couldn’t make my promise a reality. If he hadn’t died so young, he could have enjoyed a peaceful and happy life with you, Mom.”

After saying that, Bai Jing hugged her mother and started crying.

Thinking of her husband who passed away ten years ago, He Donglian, holding her daughter, let out a long sigh.

After sighing, He Donglian said, “He wanted to see you when he passed away, but unfortunately you were leading a tour group in Shangri-La at the time and couldn’t come back immediately.”

“Mom, I was wrong, I was really wrong.”

“What did you do wrong? It’s not like you didn’t come back, you were just half a day late.”

“He will never forgive me.”

“Your dad has never blamed you, so there’s no question of forgiveness or not.”

He Donglian thought that the “he” her daughter was referring to was her husband, but it was actually her son-in-law, Han An!