22

Before, when Song Tan lived in this old mansion, she hired someone to cook for her.

But when Song Tan was about to get married, Song Zhiwen used this as an excuse to directly dismiss the cook. At that time, she was seriously ill, and she couldn’t muster the strength to resist him.

So, she could only watch helplessly as Song Zhiwen sent away the people around her.

Now that she has returned to this old mansion, she doesn’t have anyone to help her, so she’s basically making do with cooking some porridge.

She just didn’t expect Shen Yin to come to her, and he stayed until night.

Originally, she wanted to tell Shen Yin that it was already late and he should go back.

But now, because her stomach growled, Shen Yin was in the kitchen cooking for her…

She lived in the east wing, which had a small kitchen attached to it.

The area was not large, but it was fairly well-equipped. However, there wasn’t much food, only some rice and vegetables.

“You eat just this when you’re home?”

Song Tan blinked, feeling a bit guilty for some reason, “It’s not like that.”

“Instant meals?”

Song Tan : ?

“The ones in your room, I saw them.”

Song Tan : “…”

Shen Yin’s observational skills were pretty good. She had hidden the instant meals under the table in her room, and if one didn’t pay attention, they wouldn’t notice them. But Shen Yin had seen them.

This indicated that his observational skills were quite impressive.

Seeing that Song Tan was silent, Shen Yin said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t consider it carefully.”

Indeed, he hadn’t thought that when Song Tan returned to the Song family, even what to eat would be a problem.

Seeing Shen Yin blaming himself, Song Tan raised an eyebrow slightly.

But then she sighed lightly.

“It’s my own fault, I can’t even cook.”

After saying that, she lowered her head with some distress, looking somewhat self-blaming.

Shen Yin looked at her, only seeing the top of her head.

The corners of his lips curled slightly, then he comforted, “How can this be your fault?”

The two of them played the loving couple act very convincingly.

One sang, the other harmonized.

Even without an audience, they performed quite convincingly.

Especially when Shen Yin rolled up his sleeves and cooked for Song Tan.

Song Tan was indeed somewhat surprised.

Although Shen Yin was not highly regarded in the Huo family, he was still a rich young master and had never set foot in the kitchen.

But watching his unfamiliar movements, learning from his phone while not very skillfully rinsing the rice and putting it in the pot, the corners of Song Tan’s mouth curled up again.

A skilled cook can’t prepare a meal without rice¹.

For dinner, Shen Yin didn’t do anything fancy, but he had made some preparations. He had paid a high price to have two nutritious meals delivered.

Song Tan looked at Shen Yin through the steam rising from the takeout boxes.

“What’s the matter?”

“Thank you.”

When Shen Yin heard this ‘thank you,’ he paused slightly, and then he heard her continue, “Apart from my Grandpa, no one has ever cared whether I ate or what I ate.”

Song Tan’s expression was obscured by the rising steam and wasn’t very clear.

From her, there was a sense of sadness, giving off an endearing feeling.

“Even if there’s no one around, you still have to eat well.”

When Shen Yin said this, he lowered his head to serve her some food. Song Tan couldn’t see his expression clearly, but she could sense a hint of coldness in his tone.

Song Ta raised an eyebrow slightly.

She feels… the Shen Yin from just a moment ago is the real Shen Yin.

The Shen Yin without mask.

…

Song Tan won’t mistreat her own body.

After putting on a show in front of Shen Yin, she starts eating with small bites.

It’s been two days since she had such a rich and delicious meal, so Song Tan naturally wants to savor it.

As for Shen Yin in front of her, he has slept the whole day at her place and is already hungry.

Song Tan observes that he has had three bowls of rice.

A man eating three bowls of rice… is not that unusual.

But watching Shen Yin sit quietly at the dining table, clearly hungry but still maintaining table manners, that look…

Well, it’s a bit cute.

Shen Yin doesn’t know what Song Tan is thinking at this moment, but he is indeed hungry.

He slept the whole day today and is starving.

Now, he needs to fill his stomach first.

Unconsciously, he has already eaten thirty thousand grains of rice, and he’s starting to come back to his senses…

His appetite today seems quite good.

It seems like this place of the Song family is a treasure trove.

Even without Old Master Song around, it can still improve sleep and appetite.

It looks like he can consider buying the other half of the Song family’s mansion from Song Zhiwen.

Just wondering… what will happen if Song Tan finds out she has to be his ‘neighbor.’

After dinner, it’s already past eight in the evening.

This time, Shen Yin didn’t drop any hints but said directly, “I’m worried about you living alone here. I’ll stay tonight.”

Song Tan : ???

“I wasn’t quite clear about the situation here before, but now I know. I can’t let you stay alone here.”

Although it’s not a remote place, there are other houses not far from the big mansion. However, Song Tan’s health is not good, so leaving her alone here would test Shen Yin’s conscience.

Although he boasted that he wasn’t a person with a conscience, he could not let Song Tan get into trouble in front of him.

He didn’t consult with Song Tan; he made the decision directly.

“Or maybe, you’re going back with me today?”

Seeing Song Tan’s hesitant expression, Shen Yin asked again.

Song Tan : “…”

Going back… for now, she didn’t want to.

“Jiaojiao is not married yet, she’ll come over tomorrow to ask for my help.”

So, she had to stay at this old mansion for one more night.

“Okay, then I’ll stay.”

Song Tan : “…”

Song Tan looked at Shen Yin, seeming to have something to say but stopped. However, it seemed that Shen Yin hadn’t noticed the meaning in her eyes. He raised his hand to check his wristwatch and said, “It’s getting late; you should wash up and go to bed.”

As soon as Shen Yin finished speaking, Song Tan felt her eyelids getting heavy.

She looked at Shen Yin in surprise.

Could Shen Yin be practicing some kind of witchcraft? How come she started feeling drowsy as soon as he spoke?

But Shen Yin didn’t explain himself and instead brought over a bowl, looking at Song Tan.

That look was just like a teacher staring at a student, asking why the student wasn’t moving.

Song Tan remained silent for two seconds and then stood up.

Since Shen Yin insisted, she would see what he wanted to do.

Song Tan was genuinely tired.

She would prioritize her physical well-being; as for the rest, she would consider it tomorrow.

“Well, as you wish?”

“Good.”

The two of them were married, and Shen Yin could be considered half a member of this family. He could be a bit more relaxed in his own home; it was reasonable.

Song Tan wanted to see what he wanted to do, so she didn’t ask any further. However, before she fell asleep, she used the system’s monitoring function.

The system is currently in self-maintenance mode, so it has no consciousness, but it can still use the basic functions of the system.

The system’s most basic function is monitoring.

It covers the entire old mansion, doesn’t need charging, has no blindspot, and has unlimited storage space.

So, even if Song Tan is asleep, she can still know what Shen Yin did at night.

After cleaning up the dishes and utensils, Shen Yin glanced at Song Tan, who had already settled down in the bedroom.

She lay quietly on the bed, her delicate white hands folded on the blanket, her sleeping posture very obedient.

But Shen Yin’s brow furrowed, and he walked to the side of the bed.

Song Tan woke up involuntarily.

But she didn’t open her eyes, waiting for Shen Yin’s next move.

Shen Yin walked to her side and then held her hand.

Although she was used to holding hands, she couldn’t help but feel a flutter in her heart.

Fortunately, Song Tan could endure.

She controlled her instincts, letting Shen Yin grab her hand and put it under the blanket.

Song Tan: “…”

She almost forgot that Shen Yin seemed to have a bit of OCD.

After he put her hand under the blanket and let go, Song Tan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Shen Yin didn’t do anything else afterward, otherwise, Song Tan would have to pretend to wake up again.

After tucking her hand under the blanket, Shen Yin went to check the doors and windows, and when he saw that no wind was coming in, he left the bedroom.

Then, he went straight to the abandoned herb garden behind Song Tan’s bedroom, which had been neglected for a long time.

Song Tan had a good night’s sleep this night.

Since returning from the apocalyptic world, her sleep quality had improved significantly.

Specifically, even if she has something on her mind, she can sleep very soundly.

Of course, if someone approaches, she will immediately wake up.

After getting enough sleep, she washed up while looking at what Shen Yin did last night.

After leaving her bedroom, Shen Yin went straight to the herb garden.

He…

Song Tan fell silent, and after hastily washing up, she went directly to the herb garden.

The original herb garden had grown quite a few weeds because no one had been taking care of it.

But now, all the weeds in the herb garden had been cleared.

She was not just surprised; she was astonished.

“You did all of this in one night?”

This question was a bit redundant.

She had seen it on the system’s surveillance. Shen Yin had stayed up all night pulling weeds in the garden.

All these piles of weeds, nearly half a person’s height, were all the results of his one-night work.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to get some exercise.”

Song Tan: “…” He had slept all day yesterday, so it was indeed difficult to fall asleep at night.

But when you can’t sleep, you come to pull weeds…

All she could say was that Shen Yin was truly one of a kind.

Was he always like this?

Song Tan felt a bit complicated. She had originally thought that Shen Yin was trying to stay with her for some ulterior motive, but now, seeing him staying up all night to clear the weeds in the herb garden, she felt somewhat embarrassed about her previous suspicions.

Of course, Song Tan would never admit to this.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Song Tan saw that his sleeves and pants were covered in dirt, and after a night of ‘work,’ his hair was slightly damp with sweat.

However, these things didn’t make him look messy; on the contrary, they added a unique charm to him.

“Your clothes are dirty.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Yin glanced at himself and then smiled. “It’s okay, I brought spare clothes. I can wash up later.”

Song Tan: “…” He had thought it through thoroughly.

However, Shen Yin’s attention was clearly not on the clothes.

His eyes were fixed on the medicinal herbs in this garden.

“Look how lovely they are.”

These medicinal herbs were not carefully planted, but they thrived in the days when no one was tending to them, competing with weeds for space, and growing towards the sun.

Now that the weeds were gone, they swayed in the wind, as if waving to thank someone.

Song Tan’s lips curved upwards, nodding in praise, “Indeed, they are very lovely.”