Chapter 172: Chapter 154

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Chapter 154

Just like Jun Zishu expected, Yu Fanshu contacted her asking her about the debt. However, Yu Fanshu didn’t call Jun Zishu to ask about it on her way home. Instead, she hesitated several times before eventually sending Jun Zishu a message after returning home.

Yu Fanshu had originally written a lot of things. However, after thinking it over, she eventually sent only two words.

[Yu Fanshu]: You there?

Yu Fanshu didn’t know how to pose her question to make it seem less abrupt and overwhelming. She also didn’t know if she was in a position to ask about Jun Zishu’s debt. After all, even though they were friends, this concerned Jun Zishu’s privacy.

Yu Fanshu sat on the bed for several seconds before standing up and pacing around her room.

The stars twinkled, and the tall street lights shined brightly outside. Although Yu Fanshu could feel a cool and soothing wind blowing as she stood at the balcony, she couldn’t calm down no matter what.

[Jun Zishu]: Mhm. I’m here, Teacher. What’s wrong?

[Yu Fanshu]: Well… Ask your manager if she has any advertisement offers arranged for you.

[Jun Zishu]: There’s nothing of the sort. Big Sis Ming says that those investors are probably taking a wait-and-see approach. Since the program still hasn’t aired, they wouldn’t know what kind of promotional effects I would generate.

[Yu Fanshu]: Okay.

Yu Fanshu wanted to ask, but she didn’t dare to ask.

She didn’t know why she was so scared. Yet, the fear wasn’t an illusion as she could feel it existing for real.

Meanwhile, Jun Zishu could feel how much the person on the other end of the phone treated her cautiously and preciously, and she couldn’t help but roll around on the sofa.

Isn’t this little angel too sweet and cute?

[Jun Zishu]: Is there anything else, Teacher?

[Yu Fanshu]: I heard that your mother is sick. Is she well now?

[Jun Zishu]: Huh? How did you know that, Teacher?

[Jun Zishu]: She’s already had surgery. It’s a benign tumor, and she is currently recovering from the surgery. It’s not a big problem anymore.

[Yu Fanshu]: That’s good. Is there anything I can help you with?

[Jun Zishu]: No, everything’s fine.

[Yu Fanshu]: Which hospital is Auntie staying in? Also, are you financially okay? You don’t have any advertisement offers recently, and the money from the dating show still hasn’t come in.

[Jun Zishu]: It’s fine. I can take care of it, so no need to worry about it, Teacher.

In reality, Yu Fanshu wanted to ask if Jun Zishu had borrowed money from others and how she managed to get acquainted with Yan Jue. However, after those thoughts lingered in her mind for a moment, she eventually chose not to ask them.

Yu Fanshu had a feeling that the person on the other end of the phone didn’t really want to talk about her debt. Since that was the case, Yu Fanshu wouldn’t ask about it.

However, Yu Fanshu’s understanding nature worked against Jun Zishu’s plans, and Jun Zishu didn’t know what she should do in this situation.

[Jun Zishu]: It’s getting late, so I’m going to head to bed. Are you free tomorrow, Teacher?

[Yu Fanshu]: What’s wrong?

[Jun Zishu]: Do you want to come to my house and have a meal together? Afterward, we can visit my mother together. My mother likes you very much.

[Yu Fanshu]: Is that so? Okay. What time?

Yu Fanshu smiled as she looked at her phone. Who cared if Jun Zishu and Yan Jue knew each other? Jun Zishu was about to come under her wing soon, anyway. Once the girl became successful in the future, it’d be a piece of cake for her to pay back the debt.

[Jun Zishu]: How about noon tomorrow? I’ll send you my address. I’ll come down and meet you once you arrive.

[Yu Fanshu]: Okay.

Jun Zishu didn’t know how to repay Yu Fanshu for her kindness. All she could do was work hard to make the other party happy.

Meanwhile, Jun Zishu noticed that Yu Fanshu looked especially happy when eating her cooking. So, she decided that she might as well treat Yu Fanshu to a meal.

…

After waking up the next morning, Jun Zishu washed up, tied her hair, and put on a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Then, without putting on any makeup, she got ready to leave home.

“Are you not putting on makeup today, Big Sis Jun? Where are you going?”

“Teacher Yu will be coming here at noon, so I’m going out to do some grocery shopping.”

“Wait, wait… Are you talking about Yu Fanshu, Big Sis Jun?”

“That’s right. Do I have a second Teacher Yu?”

“My goodness! How are you two developing so quickly?! Wah! I’m so excited! This won’t do, I need to clean up the house first!” Chenzi said as she took two steps left. Then, she suddenly turned around again and said, “Big Sis Jun, hurry up and go!”

“Be good. I’ll make sure to include your portion in today’s lunch.”

“Okay!”

Chenzi nodded happily and ran to get the broom to sweep the floor.

Meanwhile, Jun Zishu visited the Freshmart downstairs and planned her lunch menu. Then, when she saw the fruits the supermarket sold, she fell into thought for a moment before starting a big shopping spree.

Jun Zishu carried a huge shopping bag home by the end of her shopping spree, and Chenzi quickly helped her with the bag when she saw it.

“Mhm, you cleaned up very well,” Jun Zishu praised.

“Hehe. The floor is still a little slippery, so be careful, Big Sis Jun.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want me to give you a hand, Big Sis Jun?” Chenzi asked after setting down the groceries.

“No need. Go outside and play with your phone.”

“Roger.”

After Chenzi left the kitchen, Jun Zishu emptied the shopping bag’s contents and prepared the ingredients.

Jun Zishu planned to make hawthorn pork ribs since it was very appetizing. Yu Fanshu also had a light palette, so she couldn’t handle spicy foods. Although Yu Fanshu said that her health had already gotten better, Jun Zishu dared not feed the other party anything spicy still.

After pitting the hawthorns using a coconut opener, Jun Zishu washed them and laid them across the kitchen counter. Then, she set up the wok, added the ribs, water, and cooking wine, and turned on the heat.

Once the liquid started to boil, Jun Zishu blanched the ribs by adding them into the boiling mixture for a moment before taking them out and rinsing them in cold water.

The weather today was good. There were a lot of clouds, so the temperature wasn’t particularly hot. The sunlight that came into the kitchen was also just the right amount.

While Jun Zishu stood in the kitchen with half her face basking in sunlight, Chenzi secretly took a photo of Jun Zishu. However, Chenzi had forgotten to turn off the volume, so the shutter sound her phone produced instantly attracted Jun Zishu’s attention.

“This shot is perfect, Big Sis Jun!” Chenzi said as she showed Jun Zishu the photo she had taken.

The picture had a warm tone, and it showed Jun Zishu holding a wooden spatula as the sunlight shone through the clear window and landed on her. Under the sunlight’s illumination, her slim legs and gentle face looked especially vibrant and beautiful.

“Not bad. Send it to me.”

“Okay!”

Afterward, Jun Zishu took out her phone and forwarded the image to Yu Fanshu.

[Jun Zishu]: Great undertaking in progress! >33<

[Jun Zishu]: You’re copying me, Teacher. _(:3」∠)_

[Yu Fanshu]: Hehe. _(:3」∠)_

[Yu Fanshu]: I’m heading out now.

…

After setting her phone aside, Jun Zishu got rid of the liquid in the wok, added oil, chopped spring onions, and sliced ginger, and stir-fried them for a moment. Then, she added the blanched ribs into the wok and stir-fried everything together.

Once the ribs turned slightly brown, the meat was cooked. So, she scooped out the ribs onto a plate and set it aside.

There was still some oil in the wok, so Jun Zishu took out the sugar container in the fridge and added a suitable amount of sugar into the wok.

Jun Zishu found that cooking really helped with her mood. It was especially true when she was cooking for someone she looked forward to meeting.

Once the sugar in the wok had turned into a brown syrup, and the air was filled with a sweet and caramelly smell, Jun Zishu added the ribs back into the wok and mixed it with the syrup. Once the two were mixed, she added some water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and five pitted hawthorns. Then, she stir-fried them for a bit before covering the wok with a lid and turning on a high beat to boil the mixture of liquids.

Once the liquid in the wok started to boil, she switched to medium heat.

While letting the sauce simmer, Jun Zishu washed some rice, cooked it, and moved on to handling other ingredients.

Twenty minutes later, the hawthorn ribs were done. After adding the remaining hawthorns into the wok and stewing them for two minutes, she turned off the stove and plated the dish.

When Chenzi saw the hawthorn ribs, it looked like she had fallen in love.

Only three people would be eating, so Jun Zishu didn’t plan on making a lot, settling for just three dishes and a soup.

When Yu Fanshu arrived, Jun Zishu had Chenzi go downstairs and pick her up. When Chenzi returned, Jun Zishu saw that Yu Fanshu had come alone, so she asked, “You came alone, Teacher? Where’s your assistant?”

“I came here for a private meeting, so why would I bring my assistant? Also, something smells nice,” Yu Fanshu said, sniffing the air when she caught a whiff of something fragrant.

“I guess you’re right. Anyway, the food is ready, so we can start eating now,” Jun Zishu said, clapping her hands twice. Then, she started moving the dishes and soup from the kitchen to the dining table in the living room.

Hawthorn ribs, spicy and sour shredded potatoes, stir-fried minced pork and eggplant, and seaweed and egg soup.

“I wanted to make something more sumptuous originally, but I couldn’t get my hands on any high-quality meat, so this is what I settled for. I’m sorry for having to have you go through this, Teacher.”

“I think it’s plenty good already,” Yu Fanshu hurriedly said and shook her head.

As expected, Jun Zishu had made too much food, and there were quite a lot of leftovers. So, she ended up packing a boxed lunch to bring to her mother.

Although the food the hospital served tasted alright and was very nutritious, it still couldn’t compare to a home-cooked meal. Thus, whenever Jun Zishu had time, she would always cook some food for her mother.

When Yu Fanshu followed Jun Zishu to the hospital, she even went out of her way to buy a fruit basket.

The two celebrities didn’t put on any makeup. They also dressed casually and wore sunglasses. However, they didn’t wear any masks since it was very uncomfortable to wear one in the hot summer.

When Dong Yuan saw Yu Fanshu, she couldn’t help but be stunned. She also got to intuitively feel how well her daughter got along with Yu Fanshu.

“Come, come, come. Sit, sit, sit. You didn’t have to bring gifts. I heard from Lingling that you’ve been taking special care of her. Lingling has also always mentioned you to me, telling me that you’re a very good person. It seems she was telling the truth; you really are a very good child,” Dong Yuan said, lavishing Yu Fanshu with praises while making sure not to sound too pompous.

Dong Yuan gave off the feeling of an affectionate elder, and Yu Fanshu couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment upon receiving the other party’s praises. Then, she said, “Jun Ling is exaggerating things. I’m not that good of a person.”

After saying so, Yu Fanshu sat in front of the hospital bed, behaving like an obedient child. Though, she also looked at Jun Zishu every now and then.

“Nonsense. I spoke only the truth, Teacher. In fact, I think I haven’t said enough yet. Words aren’t enough to describe how wonderful of a person you are,” Jun Zishu said earnestly, making Yu Fanshu feel even more embarrassed.

Meanwhile, when Chenzi saw her Big Sis Jun flattering Film Empress Yu from the side, she inexplicably had the urge to laugh.

“It really isn’t that exaggerated. I am mainly helping you because you are special,” Yu Fanshu said.

Dong Yuan couldn’t help but be amused when she saw the two girls before her incessantly showering each other with praises.

“I know you two have a good relationship, but I won’t be able to have my meal if you two continue praising each other,” Dong Yuan said, her eyes switching between her daughter and Yu Fanshu, and her smile hiding a deeper meaning.