Chapter 14: Delivering Food

"Go on, go on. Yaya is with us, so don't you worry!" Xu Mei waved her hand, letting Li Luo go about her business.

Li Luo found an aluminum lunch box in the cupboard. A slender, sharp "Ling" was engraved on it, looking exactly like Ling Zhuoqun's handwriting—just like the man himself, handsome and striking.

Li Luo arranged the rice neatly, topped it with a layer of meticulously stacked *bazirou* (braised pork belly), placed a few small bok choy vegetables at the edge, and tucked braised eggs into the gaps around the rice.

A perfect bento!

Once finished, Li Luo picked up a small basket, placed the lunch box inside, and even brought along a small sun hat, fearing the sun would be too harsh.

After getting the address from Xu Mei, Li Luo navigated the muddy paths and found the location of the farm.

From a distance, she saw Ling Zhuoqun, wearing a white shirt, sitting among a group of men who had their shirts pulled up high, listening intently to their conversation.

"Brother Ling, Er Zhu said you have a wife now? Heard she came looking for you herself. Didn't they say she ran away before?" a dark-skinned man nearby asked, wiping sweat with an old undershirt.

"That wasn't her. This girl is the true daughter of the Lin family," Ling Zhuoqun explained with a smile.

"I heard she's a city girl, too. Brother Ling, aren't you afraid she'll run off?" the man continued to tease.

Ling Zhuoqun's gaze instantly turned cold as he swept a look over the man. Realizing he had overstepped, the man fell silent immediately and buried his head in his food.

"Eh? It's almost noon, why hasn't Auntie Wang brought the food yet? Brother Ling, you're not going to go hungry, are you?" a younger man nearby added.

"Maybe Auntie Wang had something come up," Ling Zhuoqun said, looking up at the sun. He had eaten a large breakfast this morning and wasn't particularly hungry yet.

"Whoa! Whose wife is coming to deliver food? She's dressed like a fresh flower and looks like a fairy! She's even wearing a little sun hat. She's nothing like the sallow-faced wives back in our village!"

The man on the edge was the first to spot Li Luo, letting out a startled cry.

At his exclamation, the men around them erupted like a boiling pot. They set down their lunch boxes and craned their necks, eager to see what this "fairy" looked like.

Carrying her basket, Li Luo carefully navigated around the mud and approached the group of men, walking straight toward Ling Zhuoqun. The men's eyes followed her every move.

It wasn't until Li Luo came to a halt in front of him that Ling Zhuoqun startled upright. It turned out the "fairy" these men were talking about was her!

He had originally thought that even if she were a fairy, she wouldn't be as beautiful as his Li Luo, but who knew... a fairy was actually standing right before him.

The surrounding men watched with envy. One nudged Ling Zhuoqun with his elbow: "What's the deal, Brother Ling? You got a sister-in-law and you're not even going to introduce her?"

Li Luo lowered her head, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. Being enveloped by the heated gazes of so many men made her feel a bit uneasy. "I came to bring you lunch."

Li Luo set the basket down, took out the lunch box, and handed it to Ling Zhuoqun.

Looking up, she saw Ling Zhuoqun's eyes, soft as water, looking at her with a smile. For a moment, Li Luo was dazed. Realizing she had lost herself in his gaze, she cleared her throat lightly and stood up straight.

"So it was you who came. Where is Auntie Wang?" Ling Zhuoqun looked behind him; indeed, there was no sign of Auntie Wang.

"Auntie Wang didn't come today. If Sister Xu hadn't reminded me to bring you food, I'm afraid you would have gone hungry today," Li Luo explained, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Ling Zhuoqun did the math; it was about time to send money to Auntie Wang's family again. No wonder Auntie Wang had been a bit lax lately. He decided he should bring some meat to her house today as a thank-you for her looking after the child this past year.

She truly had gone to a lot of trouble.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Ling Zhuoqun took his shirt sleeve and wiped the sweat from Li Luo's forehead. Li Luo lowered her head shyly. "People are watching."

"Try it. How does the *bazirou* taste?" Li Luo's eyes were bright and sparkling, as if the stars of the night had been crushed into her gaze.

Ling Zhuoqun opened the lunch box, and the aroma of meat immediately wafted out. The men at the farm crowded around, eyes filled with longing. The neatly arranged meat, the braised eggs, and the vegetables—it was clearly a meticulously prepared meal.

They worked themselves to death at the farm, and not only did their wages have to support wives and children, but their food was often nothing more than watery broth. How could they eat as well as the big boss!

They were feeling incredibly salty.

The men who had originally agreed to stay single together felt as if they had been backstabbed upon seeing Ling Zhuoqun marry such a beautiful wife.

"Brother Ling, you're being unfair! With such a beautiful sister-in-law, are you planning to keep her hidden in a golden house?" several bachelors issued a strong condemnation and accusation against him.

"This is Li Luo, my wife. Let me introduce her to everyone. From now on, she is the lady boss of our farm," Ling Zhuoqun introduced Li Luo to everyone with great dignity.

Fearing Li Luo might be nervous, Ling Zhuoqun secretly took her hand.

Li Luo calmed down and nodded to everyone. "Hello everyone. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please look after me."

"Brother Ling, haven't you seen how strong the sun is out here? You're the one with an office—why don't you hurry up and take your wife inside!" Chen Yuejin, standing nearby, said anxiously.

"Exactly, exactly. A sister-in-law with such delicate skin shouldn't be left out in the sun. Take her into the office to sit for a while."

Under the crowd's urging, and indeed fearing the sun would harm Li Luo, Ling Zhuoqun picked up the basket, put the lunch box away, and led Li Luo to the office.

Once inside, Ling Zhuoqun opened the window for ventilation. Although he opened the windows often, today the weather felt much hotter than usual.

Li Luo noticed Ling Zhuoqun's tie was still perfectly snug around his neck, as if it hadn't even been tugged by a man. Even though he was covered in sweat, he hadn't loosened it.

"If it's hot, you can loosen your tie," Li Luo said, stepping forward, intending to help him.

Ling Zhuoqun stood obediently and leaned down so that Li Luo could reach his neck.

Li Luo felt a sense of amusement in her heart. *Thank you, you're quite thoughtful, aren't you?*

Once the tie was removed, Ling Zhuoqun could finally breathe freely. Whenever he felt frustrated, he wanted to rip his tie off, but remembering that Li Luo had tied it and thinking of the atmosphere at the time, he had instinctively restrained himself.

He had only unbuttoned his cuffs.

Li Luo opened the food and placed it on the coffee table. "Eat your meal. When you're done, put the lunch box back in the basket, and I'll wash it when I bring it back tonight."

"Don't just stand there, hurry and try my cooking." Li Luo clasped her hands together and sat in a chair, waiting for Ling Zhuoqun's verdict.

Ling Zhuoqun had tasted Li Luo's cooking before, and it was incomparably better than Auntie Wang's. Tasting the melt-in-your-mouth *bazirou* again, he realized that this girl was like a hidden treasure.

The more he delved deeper, the more her brilliance seemed to shine.

"The cooking is excellent. It's delicious—perfect in color, aroma, and taste," Ling Zhuoqun said slowly, looking into Li Luo's eyes only after he had swallowed the food.

(End of Chapter)