"Light eating... That won't do, Mu Qi needs to eat well."
In the end, Yun Shuzun chose two portions of ribs stewed with over a dozen medicinal herbs, and two portions of rice.
...
"Hey, stop. What are you doing?"
Twenty minutes later, a person in a delivery uniform arrived at the villa's main gate. He stopped his motorcycle and was about to make a call to his employer when he was stopped.
"Delivery." The man gestured with his head towards the delivery driver ears on his helmet, thinking, wasn't his uniform obvious enough?
"Delivery of what? Who ordered it?" The security guard approached the delivery driver, bombarding him with questions, appearing aggressive.
"Ribs. Who ordered?" The delivery driver took out his phone.
"Oh, it was a Mrs. Mu."
As the delivery driver spoke, the security guard's heart skipped a beat.
Could Mrs. Mu be Qi Yuan's mistress?
The security guard recalled the scene at noon when all the maids were driven out. After much thought, he still felt something was off.
Even without the maids, couldn't the young master have had them delivered from Yipin Xuan?
Why would they need to order delivery?
"I'm going to be late. If you don't let me in, I'll have to call my employer and tell them to come out and get it."
As the delivery driver spoke, he opened his phone, intending to call Yun Shuzun.
However, as soon as the delivery driver unlocked his phone, the security guard grabbed his hand.
"Give it to me, I'll deliver it for you." The security guard said, reaching out to take the delivery from the driver.
Unexpectedly, the delivery driver instinctively dodged quickly.
"This won't do. I still need to call my employer to confirm.
Only if they say it's okay for you to have it can I give it to you. Otherwise, if anything goes wrong, they'll blame me." Su Dan Xiaoshuo Wang.
The security guard fell silent for a moment, then compromised: "Go ahead and call."
"Hello, madam, your delivery has arrived, but the security guard won't let me in."
As the delivery driver finished speaking, the security guard quickly snatched the phone from the driver's hand.
"Madam, is that you?"
There was a pause on the other end of the line, then Yun Shuzun's voice came through: "Wait where you are, I'll come to get it."
After Yun Shuzun finished speaking, the security guard quickly said, "No, no need. It's fine as long as Madam ordered it, I'll deliver it to you, you don't need to come out."
The security guard was afraid that his oversight would offend someone he shouldn't have, and he'd be fired tomorrow.
"I was just about to go for a walk," Yun Shuzun said, hanging up the phone before the security guard could say anything else.
"Alright, give me the delivery and you can go."
"Got it."
The delivery driver had heard Yun Shuzun's side of the conversation on speakerphone, so he readily agreed. He took his phone and got on his bike.
The security guard stood ramrod straight at the gate, holding the delivery.
He only started to quickly walk towards Yun Shuzun, carrying the delivery, once her figure came into view.
Yun Shuzun took it without saying much and turned to leave.
Watching Yun Shuzun's retreating back, the security guard felt increasingly uneasy.
Even if the young master and madam wanted some private time, and even if they ordered delivery instead of using the chef from Yipin Xuan, the madam shouldn't be the one coming out to collect it.
Anyone who had worked for the Mu family knew how doting the young master was on his wife.
Trying to make sense of it, the security guard found a plausible explanation.
Perhaps Madam simply wanted to go for a walk?
The security guard frowned, scratching his head, wondering if he was overthinking things.
"Mu Qi, time to eat."
As Yun Shuzun entered the master bedroom, she saw Mu Qi standing by the window, looking at something.
Yun Shuzun's eyelids twitched violently. She quietly placed the delivery on the table and immediately stepped forward to take Mu Qi's hand.
Mu Qi tightened his grip on Yun Shuzun's hand, his gaze swept over the delivery on the table, and he frowned slightly.
Mu Qi turned his head to look at Yun Shuzun beside him, "Nian Nian, I can ask Yipin Xuan to deliver every meal."
Yun Shuzun met Mu Qi's gaze for only a second before quickly turning her head away.
"No," she said, recalling Mu Qi's posture by the window. Her tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
Mu Qi was silent for a moment, then continued, "I can give you Yipin Xuan's number, and you can call them yourself."
Yun Shuzun paused, then still refused.
What if they asked about Mu Qi and suspected something...
"These ribs are quite good too, stewed with over a dozen medicinal herbs," Yun Shuzun said, then led Mu Qi towards the dining table, still holding his hand.
Yun Shuzun used the silverware from home, which was made of silver.
The handles of the chopsticks and spoon were hollowed out, making them look exceptionally exquisite. Compared to the simple plastic takeout containers, they looked quite out of place.
Yun Shuzun: "How does it taste?"
Mu Qi opened the takeout box, and the aroma of the ribs instantly filled the air.
"Mmm," Mu Qi replied, picking up Yun Shuzun's rib container and helping her open the lid.
Yun Shuzun instinctively glanced at Mu Qi's expression, feeling guilty, as if she had neglected him.
But she was truly out of options for now.
"Mu Qi, don't worry. I won't have you eating takeout every day."
Mu Qi was slightly surprised by Yun Shuzun's words.
He didn't mind eating takeout every day, but Yun Shuzun shouldn't.
If Yun Shuzun said this, it meant she wouldn't be eating takeout either.
"You are not allowed to cook," Mu Qi immediately added.
The thought of Yun Shuzun going into the kitchen made Mu Qi incessantly worried.
"I won't go into the kitchen," Yun Shuzun said, having a clear understanding of her own cooking abilities, thinking of the burnt, blackened dishes she had made.
"Don't do anything dangerous, don't get hurt," Mu Qi continued, unable to rest easy, not knowing what Yun Shuzun was planning.
"Mu Qi, are you worried about me?" Yun Shuzun asked, putting down her chopsticks and staring intently at Mu Qi, her eyes filled with a mix of expectation and something else.
Mu Qi: "It's only natural that I worry about you."
Hearing Mu Qi say this, Yun Shuzun's expression didn't lighten.
Yun Shuzun lowered her head and took a few bites of rice, then couldn't help but look up again and ask, "What about Ling Xue? You care about her, right? How do you explain that?"
Mu Qi: "When have I ever cared about Ling Xue?"
"You..."
The thought of Ling Xue's scent on Mu Qi made Yun Shuzun extremely irritable. She threw her chopsticks aside and turned to leave.