Chapter 63: The Dog Man Who Learned to Cook

The hospital was its own scene of chaos.

Zhong Yuxiu left the Wan family behind her thoughts; as she neared the compound, Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo appeared, following close behind.

Upon returning home, Hao Nan finally asked, "Comrade Zhong, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Zhong Yuxiu slowly shook her head.

"Was that your adoptive father from the Wan family just now?" Tian Shangguo inquired.

They must have done their homework before coming to protect her; Zhong Yuxiu didn’t mind this. In the interstellar era, whether scientists or military and political personnel, one’s background was always thoroughly checked before being entrusted with responsibility.

"Yes," she replied softly, her tone lingering. "I need you to investigate the Wan family for me, leave nothing out."

Wan Xuetang had returned, so the Wan family’s only child must have come back as well.

Tian Shangguo nodded, "Alright, I'll get on it as soon as possible."

"Sorry to trouble you."

"It’s what we should do. If you need anything, just ask. We’ll do our utmost for you." And if we can’t, we have our superiors to rely on.

Zhong Yuxiu chuckled lightly; she didn’t doubt that. "You should rest for a bit. I’ll go check the kitchen, curious to see what delicious dishes Gou Dan has prepared today."

Once their attention shifted from Zhong Yuxiu, Hao Nan frowned and spoke, "The Wan family wants to reclaim Comrade Zhong."

"Judging by Comrade Zhong’s attitude, she won’t accept them," Tian Shangguo shook his head, thinking the Wan family blind.

"It’s better she doesn’t. Blood ties are important, but to treat Comrade Zhong so coldly—there must be something wrong with their hearts." If they hadn’t interacted with Zhong Yuxiu, she would have been just a passing figure; but after spending considerable time with her and understanding her temperament, the more they knew, the less honorable the Wan family seemed.

Once that daughter returned, there were two choices: either send her back to her biological parents or treat her well. If sent back, Comrade Zhong wouldn’t have had to go to the countryside; if treated well, perhaps none of what followed would have happened.

Given Zhong Yuxiu’s abilities, if she truly wanted to protect the Wan family, it wouldn’t have been difficult.

From what they knew, the Wan family’s misfortune stemmed from that daughter who returned later; she was no ordinary character. Their investigation showed that she was a troublemaker back in the countryside’s Zhong family—her learning and temperament paled in comparison to Comrade Zhong, and her only advantage might have been her looks.

Yet, Zhong Yuxiu was by no means lacking in appearance; she was clever, dignified, self-respecting, and strong.

Without comparison, there is no harm. If Wan Yutong had been honest, none of this would have happened; perhaps the original Zhong Yuxiu wouldn’t have died, the system wouldn’t have chosen her as a host for rebirth, and the current Zhong Yuxiu wouldn’t have crossed over.

There are no "ifs" in this world. Wan Yutong, relying on her rebirth, stirred up storms and acted recklessly, ruining a promising life.

Zhong Yuxiu opened the kitchen door; inside were both Gou Dan and Yan Rushan.

"Brother Yan, why are you at my house?"

Yan Rushan paused mid-stir, turned, and smiled. "You’re back. Dinner’ll be ready soon. I learned two dishes from Gou Dan—try them later and give me your feedback."

"But, Brother Yan, what made you want to learn to cook?" At the educated youth point, only the female educated youths cooked; Yan Rushan had never done so.

Yan Rushan’s hand froze for a moment, suddenly a little aggrieved.

"There’s nothing to do in the black market, and staying home is boring, so I learned cooking from Gou Dan. You don’t know how to cook, so from now on I’ll cook for you."

"Really?" Zhong Yuxiu stepped forward; in the wok, stir-fried rabbit cubes, brightly colored. "Looks good. How did Gou Dan teach you?"

Gou Dan never spoke in front of outsiders.

"Beep beep beep," Gou Dan chimed a few times, walked to Yan Rushan’s side, and snatched the spatula from his hand.

Yan Rushan looked amazed, his gaze lingering on Gou Dan.

Zhong Yuxiu couldn’t help but laugh, thinking of Gou Dan’s human-like actions. She quickly glanced toward the kitchen door to make sure no one else saw, then let out a sigh of relief.

"Brother Yan, Gou Dan thinks you’re getting in the way."

"I was cooking too," Yan Rushan insisted.

Zhong Yuxiu’s smile was radiant—clearly a grown man, yet sometimes he acted like a wronged wife. "Gou Dan is meticulous; if it does something, it wants it done perfectly."

Yan Rushan felt defeated, his thoughts swirling, but his mood soon warmed again.

"You programmed it so well."

"Of course," she replied. Gou Dan was her all-purpose steward—of course it had to be impressive; the chip was brought from the interstellar era, technology far beyond this age. "You haven’t said how Gou Dan taught you to cook."

Yan Rushan pointed at the water-stained stove beside him. "I asked Gou Dan what dishes to make, it brought out the ingredients and put them in front of me; I asked how to cook, it demonstrated once, and I slowly picked it up."

"Oh~" So that’s how it was. Zhong Yuxiu cast Gou Dan a sidelong glance, bold now. "Gou Dan is very obedient, isn’t it?"

"Obedient?" Aside from demonstrating, it ignored him most of the time. From Gou Dan’s ability to understand him, teach him cooking, Yan Rushan recognized its extraordinary nature; he didn’t believe Gou Dan couldn’t understand his words.

Gou Dan stir-fried the rabbit, added salt and seasoning, thickened the sauce, and dished it up.

Zhong Yuxiu didn’t press further, tasted the rabbit, and sighed contentedly, "So tender, so delicious."

"I want some too," Yan Rushan bent down and opened his mouth.

Zhong Yuxiu looked at him, then down at the rabbit, scooped up a small piece and held it to his lips; just as he bit down, she quickly pulled her hand back and popped it into her own mouth, giving him a sidelong glance.

"Delicious!"

Yan Rushan laughed softly, amused—she ate it herself just to tease him.

Zhong Yuxiu turned away, got out bowls and chopsticks; Yan Rushan took them, "I’ll wash these. Go sit outside for a while—you must be tired from work all day?"

"Not really, just followed the professor around and listened to lectures." It truly wasn’t tiring, much lighter than doing research. When she was old, she’d stop researching, just teach classes and guide students—what a pleasant thought.

In the interstellar era, thanks to the powers, those with abilities lived longer as their abilities grew; retirement wasn’t a concept. Some people devoted their entire lives, right up to their final moment.

"Walking around is tiring too." Yan Rushan washed the dishes, used his arm to gently usher her out, "The kitchen is full of smoke and grease; you shouldn’t come in."

Zhong Yuxiu nodded; the grease from stir-frying clung to her clothes and smelled unpleasant.

Yan Rushan set the bowls and chopsticks on the dining table, turned around—and she was gone. He hurried back to the kitchen, but no one was there either. His gaze shifted to Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo; just as he was about to speak, he heard hurried footsteps on the stairs, rushed out, and saw Zhong Yuxiu’s silhouette disappearing down the corridor on the second floor.

Forgetting about serving the dishes, Yan Rushan quickly followed upstairs; her bedroom door was ajar. He knocked, but there was no reply.

"Yuxiu."

"Yuxiu?"

The urge to research had overtaken Zhong Yuxiu, uncontrollable; she took out paper and pen to record data, with no mind to respond. She called out, "Come in yourself."