NOVPUB
Chapter 168: Chapter 168 Did you kill Aqiang?
"Go home!" Si Chen raised his hand, ruffling Tong Yao’s hair. His eyes softened, and his voice mellowed, "Ensure all doors and windows are locked tonight. If anything happens, contact Boyi or Xiaohui. I’ll be back once I finish my work in Kyoto."
After Si Chen left, Tong Yao suddenly felt like a large part of her heart was missing. Normally, they saw each other every day, so she didn’t think much of it. But now, knowing that Si Chen would be away for ten days, she inevitably felt a little lost and empty.
"Sister-in-law, these are the steamed buns I made. Give it a taste." Back at the dormitory, Tong Yao ate a few buns, and gave the rest to Li Nuanchun.
"Oh my, sis, you’re so talented. These steamed buns are beautifully made. I can’t bear to eat them." Li Nuanchun received the buns with a smile that narrowed her eyes into slits.
"Hmm... I was just messing around. I got up too early and I’m a bit sleepy now, so I’ll take a nap."
Tong Yao handed out the buns, exchanged a few polite words, and returned to her room. She was really tired now. As there wasn’t much to do, she could take a nap and, in the afternoon, go check on the progress of her shop’s renovation.
By Monday, she should get a move on with her permit applications to ensure no delays for the shop’s opening.
Meanwhile...
At the sound of the train horn, the train started to move slowly and soon gained speed. Si Chen and Professor Qu had just found their beds, put down their luggage, and were resting on the lower bunk. Because they were rushing to catch the train, none of them had time for breakfast.
The doctor traveling with Professor Qu said, "You guys rest. I’ll go check if breakfast is still available."
If they had breakfast, that would be great. If not, they would have to wait until noon for lunch.
This was the fastest train from Li City to Kyoto. It left at eight in the morning and arrived at seven in the evening, only stopping five times. After eating, they could rest for a while and take a nap.
Just as the doctor was about to leave, Si Chen opened a bag on the small table. "I brought breakfast. Let’s all eat together!"
The doctor’s face lit up, he sat back down. "Doctor Si really has thought of everything, even preparing breakfast. I was just worrying about whether we could get breakfast at this time."
Having traveled all morning, they were all hungry. When Si Chen took out the small steamed buns and porridge, everyone was intrigued. The doctor took a bun and gave it to Professor Qu, then took one for himself and took a bite, immediately singing its praises.
"Doctor Si, where did you buy these steamed buns? They’re so delicate and taste great. Why haven’t you brought us these before? This breakfast doesn’t seem cheap! The packaging alone looks expensive."
A smile crept into Si Chen’s eyes as the corner of his mouth turned upward. "These were made by Yaoyao at home."
"Yaoyao is... your wife made these?" The doctor was about to ask who Yaoyao was when he remembered that Yaoyao was Tong Yao, Si Chen’s wife. He gaped in surprise. "Doctor Si, I never knew your wife was such a good cook. You are a lucky man."
Hearing that Tong Yao had prepared the breakfast, Professor Qu laughed heartily. He was clearly in a good mood. 𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝒎
"She’s young, but she has a knack for crafting."
Si Chen said nothing, just picked up a bun and began to eat. Another doctor, holding a bun, suddenly asked, "Doctor Si, why do all these buns have a groove at the bottom?"
The buns they usually ate didn’t have this feature. Could this design make them tastier?
Si Chen responded, "This is my first time eating them too."
Both the doctor and Professor Qu looked at the buns in their hands. Indeed, each had a groove at the bottom. However, as Tong Yao wasn’t present, they couldn’t decipher her intent.
Si Chen glanced at the pickles on the table and ventured a guess. "I think the groove is for stuffing pickles."
Upon hearing this, the doctor immediately stuffed some pickles into the groove, took a big bite, and his eyes lit up. With an exaggerated expression, he gave a thumbs up. "That’s it! You have to try it. It tastes even better with pickles. Doctor Si, your wife is brilliant."
The others followed his example, and could not deny that the buns did taste better this way. Paired with the millet porridge that Tong Yao made, it was a match made in heaven.
Taking a train journey could be drab but, thanks to Tong Yao, the atmosphere was lively as they all ate the breakfast she cooked, singing her praises.
...
Two days flew by. Tong Yao woke up early one morning. The moment she opened her eyes, No. 8 Mosquito babbled at her nonstop.
[Big news! Yu Shiya agreed to date Si Jun last night! They not only held hands but also kissed! They returned from the movie past ten, and Si Jun gave Shiya a bottle of perfume. I’m amazed at his generosity, the perfume costs thirty yuan.]
Tong Yao put on her shoes, got out of bed and responded, "If what he gives is cheap, Shiya wouldn’t even look at it!" Shiya came from a wealthy background that put her in the top ten percent in Li City. A thirty yuan bottle of perfume was nothing to her.
To court a woman like Shiya, one should either give nothing at all or avoid cheap gifts. The stuff that lured ordinary women wouldn’t work for Shiya.
[Several students were rushed to the hospital yesterday. I think it was food poisoning.]
Tong Yao walked over to her mirror, tying her hair back. "You are late with the news. I knew about it yesterday." She was there when it happened.
After delivering two pieces of news to an unimpressed Tong Yao, No. 8 Mosquito found it boring and flew away.
With Si Chen not home and no one to buy breakfast, Tong Yao made some millet porridge and paired it with some pickles. She found it quite satisfying. She changed into a dress, brought her paperwork, and planned to check on the progress of her shop’s renovation before obtaining her business license. However, she was startled by someone who suddenly appeared just outside her door.
"Yaoyao."
"He Fang?" Tong Yao looked at He Fang and couldn’t help but frown. "What are you doing here?"
Now that they were completely estranged, Tong Yao, of course, wouldn’t call her ’Sister Fang’ anymore. But what was He Fang doing here instead of selling milk tea?
Seeing Tong Yao’s look of disgust, He Fang stood awkwardly not knowing where to put her hands. But things had reached this point and she was desperate. Apart from begging Tong Yao, she had no other choice.
"Yaoyao, I am begging you to save me. This time, only you can help. If you don’t help me, I’m going to jail." As she said this, He Fang’s tears started streaming down her face like a broken dam.
"Going to jail?" Tong Yao raised her eyebrows. "Did you kill Aqiang?"
"....." He Fang choked on her words. Her well-prepared speech was completely disrupted by Tong Yao’s question, and she looked quite peculiar. "Yaoyao, where did your mind wander off to? How, how could I kill someone?"
She knew that murder was a capital offense. She couldn’t even kill a chicken or a duck, how could she possibly kill a person?
