Chapter 284: A Cold and Quiet Room

Chapter 284: A Cold and Quiet Room
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
When Jiang Xia returned, everyone had just woken up and was currently freshening up.
She stood quietly to the side, waiting. Zhou Lan brought out a soft steamed bun from the kitchen. It was green and handed it to Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia was wary, “Mom, what kind of vegetable juice did you add to the bun this time?”
No wonder Jiang Xia was so suspicious. As a child, she hated eating spinach. To ensure she got the nutrients, Zhou Lan would juice the spinach and add it to noodles, buns, and any food she could think of. This only made Jiang Xia more averse to spinach.
Zhou Lan smiled guiltily, “You don’t have to be so scared. Have 1 done that to you again since then?”
So you admit it!
“So, what is it this time?”
“Lettuce!” Zhou Lan proudly declared, “Don’t you love lettuce? Try it and see how it tastes!”
It turned out that after Zhou Lan successfully made cream using strawberry juice the day before, she was inspired to experiment with other fruit and vegetable juices.
Jiang Xia was speechless, realizing she was the lab rat…
However, the bun did taste good, carrying the fresh aroma of lettuce and the sweetness of white flour.
“Is it good?” Zhou Lan looked at Jiang Xia with anticipation. After receiving affirmation, she dragged her into the kitchen, showcasing a huge pot full of… buns!
Jiang Xia twitched her mouth, “Mom, why did you make so many buns? Even if we ate them for three days, we couldn’t finish them all! Did you use up all the flour we brought?”
Zhou Lan laughed awkwardly, “I noticed our relatives had everything except flour, so I thought I’d make some buns for them.”
Indeed, the mountain had everything. They could hunt wild animal meat, grow vegetables, but flour had to be traded from the foothills, which was somewhat inconvenient.
Zhou Lan plated two buns and handed them to Jiang Xia, “Go give these to Aunt Zhao.”
Jiang Xia sighed helplessly. She had to pamper her own mother…
Zhao Wan had already tidied up and was waiting in her room. The door was open, so when she saw Jiang Xia approaching, she invited her in without waiting for a knock.
Jiang Xia placed the buns on the table, “Aunt Zhao, my mother made some vegetable buns. She especially wanted you to try them.”
Zhao Wan, fond of girls and particularly of Jiang Qing, also liked the Jiang family a lot.
She smiled warmly, pulling Jiang Xia to sit down and then gracefully tasted the bun.
As Jiang Xia watched, she felt a sense of familiarity in Zhao Wan’s mannerisms, as if she had seen someone with a similar demeanor before, but she couldn’t recall who.
Feeling idle, Jiang Xia glanced around Zhao Wan’s room.
The room was simply furnished, making it seem spacious, even a bit stark.
But something was strange; the room didn’t look like two people lived there. There were no belongings indicating a man’s presence.
Didn’t the Old Master Zhang pass away just a month ago? Why were his belongings cleared out so quickly?
Jiang Xia thought of her parents. They were so attached to each other that even when her father traveled for work, he always kept an item belonging to Zhou Lan by his side, claiming it was for when he missed her.
Jiang Xia had once joked, couldn’t he just call her? With the advances in technology, isn’t video calling available?
Both parents had simultaneously retorted, “You’re single. You wouldn’t understand.”
Jiang Xia was left speechless.
Now, seeing Zhao Wan’s room, Jiang Xia recalled what Su Zhen had mentioned about the Old Master Zhang notorious drinking and temper. It seemed incompatible with Zhao Wan’s demeanor.
Back then, after listening to the story, Jiang Xia had assumed that Zhao Wan was a tragic woman, who either swallowed her grievances and wiped away tears daily or portrayed a pitiable image, constantly nodding in submission in front of her husband.
But clearly, Zhao Wan wasn’t like that. Her inherent proud demeanor ensured that she would never bow her head in submission.
Then why did she marry the Old Master Zhang?
Noticing Jiang Xia’s daydreaming, Zhao Wan asked with a smile, “Did you go out to look for Fleece Flower Root this morning?”
Jiang Xia was taken aback. She was sure she had observed that no one was awake. How did Zhao Wan find out?
Jiang Xia softly murmured in acknowledgment. Fortunately, Zhao Wan didn’t press further, and gently said, “Walking in the mountains, it’s easy to get lost, especially for someone as young as you. Don’t go out alone next time. If you like Fleece Flower Root, have Third Brother Zhang collect and pack all of it for you, so you can take it home when you leave.”
Jiang Xia was startled again, thinking to herself, “She’s so gentle!”