Chapter 505 The Years of Pang Pu Ce
Ye Shenge nodded understandingly, taking the tea from the beautiful woman. Her eyes, however, kept darting outside, clearly her husband was no match for Pang Pu Ce.
"Madam, please have a seat. I'll go prepare dinner for tonight. Mr. Pang will be cooking personally later."
"Alright, go ahead."
Only then did Ye Shenge have the chance to observe the living room's furnishings. Upon entering, it felt sparse, but on closer inspection, several priceless blue and white porcelain vases were displayed. She then looked at the cup in her hand, tutting. The same blue and white porcelain cup, no wonder Pang Pu Ce claimed to be rich.
Zi Yi Sheng walked in, tidying his clothes, with a smug Pang Pu Ce behind him.
"I say, Zi Yi Sheng, you're not as good as you used to be. You can't even take a few moves from me. You're getting so lazy from being a leader."
Pang Pu Ce then smiled proudly at Ye Shenge, while Zi Yi Sheng remained expressionless.
"Hurry up and go cook, or we'll leave right now."
"Heh, let your wife see your stingy side. It's such a buzzkill."
With that, Pang Pu Ce stood up, cupped his hands in a mock salute towards Ye Shenge, and left.
"Wife, Pang Pu Ce is just a loose-lipped person like that. He acts on impulse solely for his own amusement, so his jokes are never malicious. Don't be angry."
"I'm not angry. When he joked with me, his eyes were sincere. I can tell."
"That's good. I received news of him rather suddenly and wanted to come see him."
Ye Shenge felt this person's appearance was rather strange. Zi Yi Sheng had never mentioned him before, yet now his words conveyed deep affection.
The beautiful woman came out again mid-way to refill their tea. Ye Shenge's gaze followed her the whole time. Once the woman left, she couldn't hold back her question.
Ye Shenge nudged Zi Yi Sheng's arm and, covering her mouth, raised her eyebrows towards the door.
"Who is she?"
Zi Yi Sheng took a sip of his tea, nodding with satisfaction.
"Probably a confidante. Pang Pu Ce doesn't like people following him, let alone a woman. I'd guess either she's someone he likes but can't have, or he used some trick to keep her here to seek an opportunity. In any case, he has an agenda."
Ye Shenge nodded in agreement, it seemed like a couple with a story.
The preparations had been done in advance, so stir-frying was quick.
"Please follow me, Mr. Pang has already prepared the meal."
Upon entering the dining room, a table laden with six dishes greeted them. Based on their appearance, Ye Shenge already felt she'd need extra food tonight. As for the aroma, it was almost non-existent.
"Hahaha, sit down quickly! I rarely cook, so taste my culinary skills today."
The three sat down, and the beautiful woman began placing bowls and chopsticks before leaving.
"Cun Xue, don't go. Stay and eat with us."
Fu Cun Xue turned her head, her expression icy. She surveyed the dishes on the table with disdain.
"I am a servant; it is not appropriate to dine with the masters."
Pang Pu Ce watched Fu Cun Xue leave with reluctance. When he came back to his senses, he noticed both Ye Shenge and Zi Yi Sheng staring at him.
"Ahem, hahaha, the young lady is still young and doesn't understand. Let's eat."
Ye Shenge picked up her chopsticks with a smile but insisted that Zi Yi Sheng try first. If he claimed it was so delicious, he had to be the first to test the dishes.
Zi Yi Sheng truly hadn't thought that far ahead. He took a bite. The scene instantly fell silent. Ye Shenge clearly saw the veins popping on Zi Yi Sheng's forehead.
Ye Shenge suppressed her laughter and put down her chopsticks. Pang Pu Ce also smiled, but without a care, he took a bite too.
"Little Zi, I'm not the Pang Pu Ce I used to be."
Pang Pu Ce pointed to his mouth, smiling faintly.
"I can't taste anything. Years ago, I was hit on the head with a stick. I didn't die, but I lost my sense of taste. So, today is the first time I've cooked in over ten years."
Zi Yi Sheng clenched his fists tightly. What else could he say?
"Hahaha, look at me. Today is a good day, why am I bringing this up?"
"Why didn't you look for me back then? I had already warned you to leave quickly."
"I left, but they were faster. After being hit, I was rescued by someone. By the time I woke up, I was already in a safe place."
Just then, Fu Cun Xue entered with a tray. On it sat three bowls of noodles. As soon as they were placed in front of her, Ye Shenge smelled their fragrance. She had been busy all afternoon and was starving. Seeing Fu Cun Xue was like seeing a savior.
"They don't feel hungry chatting, but you can't suffer with them. The noodles I made are delicious, eat quickly."
"Thank you, you're so thoughtful."
Ye Shenge quickly took the noodles, first sipping the soup with her spoon, then eating without even lifting her head.
A rare smile also appeared on Fu Cun Xue's face. As for the other two gentlemen, they were not within her concern.
"Eat slowly, these three bowls are all for you."
"Mmm, I can finish them."
Zi Yi Sheng watched his wife offering to take it all and twitched his mouth. He was hungry too, wasn't he?
"Ahem, Cun Xue, where's mine!"
"None. I only made this much."
With that, Fu Cun Xue left again, but she didn't see the smile on Pang Pu Ce's face.
The noodle bowls were small, and Ye Shenge finished three bowls in one go. Satisfied, she wiped her mouth and gave Zi Yi Sheng a smile.
"What are we going to do? Go hungry?"
Zi Yi Sheng pointed at the dishes. Was he supposed to eat hungry?
"My status at home is too low. Cun Xue often goes on strike and makes me go hungry. How about we go out to eat?"
The big strong man looked aggrieved. Zi Yi Sheng sighed.
"Who is she? Has she been with you all these years?"
Pang Pu Ce quickly looked outside, then covered his mouth and whispered.
"She's the daughter of my benefactor, and also the brat who curses me as a murderer every day."
Ye Shenge raised an eyebrow. Could this be considered a tangle of grievances and affections?
"I had an accident back then, didn't I? Cun Xue's father was my mother's childhood sweetheart. He risked his life to save me and sent Cun Xue away with me. But when we returned, the old man had already been murdered, and it was to protect my mother's belongings. So Cun Xue hates me, and even more, she hates the old man. She mistakenly believes that her father only had my mother in his heart, but in reality, their feelings were purely from growing up together. So no matter how much I explain, she doesn't believe me."
Pang Pu Ce poured himself a drink and downed it in one gulp. Zi Yi Sheng accompanied him.
"Wherever she went, I went. Then, she tracked down those who killed the old man to Chenghai City, and we've settled here semi-permanently."
Ye Shenge had heard enough. But seeing the two grown men drinking on an empty stomach, she really couldn't stand it.
"I'll go make something for you. It might not be delicious, but it'll be edible."
"Hahaha, thank you, sister-in-law."
Ye Shenge fumbled her way to the kitchen, but seeing Fu Cun Xue already stir-frying, she stood at the doorway, watching with a smile.
"If you knew Pang Pu Ce's cooking was terrible, why did you let him cook?"
Fu Cun Xue nudged her chin towards a chair, continuing to stir-fry. Ye Shenge also sat down with a smile. She was actually more curious about what Fu Cun Xue was thinking. If a woman didn't have feelings for someone, how could she let them stay by her side for so long?
"That idiot of his is the most stubborn person in the world. If he doesn't get to do it, he'll be too upset to sleep all night."
"It seems Mr. Pang is quite willful. I never heard the child's father mention him before, so I'm quite curious about him."