News from Taiwan

Chapter 28 A Brave Attempt
After learning about the minor conflicts between her maternal grandmother and great-grandmother, Jiang Guier became somewhat dejected.

She has been "lying down" in her large apartment for several days, and apart from some unavoidable team work, she has reduced even unnecessary outings.

Lin Wan arrives on time every day, and today is no exception.

At this moment, the afternoon sunlight slanted in through the French windows. Lin Wan was adjusting her Dior pearl earrings behind her ears in front of the mirror. She was wearing a cream-white Chanel tweed suit, which made her shoulder and neck lines look particularly neat. The Rolex watch peeking out from under the three-quarter sleeves flashed with tiny lights as she raised her hand.

"Lin Xiaowan, can you please stop showing off your watch? So what if you bought a Rolex?" Jiang Guier lay sprawled on the sofa, sinking into the soft cushions.

Her face was pale, her lips were bloodless, and she looked listless. Her eyes were watery, showing signs of allergic tearing.

"Gui'er, if you keep crying like this, my Chanel suit will be soaked in water."

As she turned around, her skirt swayed in the light. She reached for a tissue and handed it to him. "Didn't you just praise your braised pork to me before, saying it was even more flavorful than the chef at the Peace Hotel? Now look what you've done. With such a great opportunity right in front of you, and your grandmother waiting in the hospital to taste it, you're here playing the role of Lin Daiyu?"

Jiang Guier clutched the hem of her clothes and looked up, her eyes red like cherries soaked in water. Her Gucci strawberry embroidered T-shirt was wrinkled. "You asked me to take braised pork to Grandma to try, you probably want to see me 'burying flowers'."

"Pfft." Lin Wan laughed out loud, "It's not that exaggerated, no one will die."

Lin Wan squatted down and smoothed Jiang Guier's messy bangs with her fingertips. "The old lady has always been the same person. You were spouting nonsense at the hospital just a couple of days ago, going against her. Why are you backing down now? That's not like you."

Faced with Lin Wan's ridicule, Jiang Guier bit her lip and remained silent, her fingers unconsciously picking at the strawberry embroidery on her clothes.

Lin Wan suddenly smiled and reached out to pinch her cheek: "Your grandmother will definitely not be too harsh on you, Gui'er. You heard what your aunt said that day. If you really have a lot of concerns, you might as well give up."

"I will absolutely not give up." Even knowing it was Lin Wan's provocation, Jiang Guier still persisted, "The word 'give up' doesn't exist in my dictionary!"

“So,” Lin Wan stood up and straightened her suit collar, “go to the kitchen now and cook.”

Jiang Guier was pushed to her feet. She reluctantly moved forward, feeling hesitant. She felt that making braised pork for her grandmother was like the old lady committing suicide.

That day, my grandmother looked utterly heartbroken and was vomiting; it was terrifying.

She stood in front of the kitchen counter, picked up the heavy cast iron pot, the enamel on the rim gleaming warmly in the sunlight, just like what her great-grandmother always said: "Life needs a bit of warmth and everyday life to feel right."

Lin Wan handed her an embroidered apron. As soon as Jiang Guier took it, she realized that it wasn't hers. "Why did you buy such an old-fashioned pattern?"

"What do you know? This is a fashion show piece from this year, and it's custom-made. Most people can't even get their hands on it." Lin Wan jumped up, saying that she could say anything good about her, but no one could question her fashion sense.

"I don't understand!" Jiang Guier shook her head and tied on her apron.

She lowered her head and began preparing the ingredients and chopping vegetables. She poured the blanched pork belly into the pot, and oil splattered up, burning her wrist and causing a slight itch.

"Don't be nervous, cooking is a piece of cake for you." Lin Wan had somehow put on the same embroidered apron, holding an iced Americano in her hand, sipping it slowly, standing not far from the kitchen counter, looking just like a female boss supervising the project.

"Just don't bother me here," Jiang Guier retorted.

She kept her head down and continued working, but out of the corner of her eye she would always see Lin Wan walking back and forth. Today she was wearing a Chanel suit and such a uniquely designed apron, making her hard to ignore.

Seeing Lin Wan like this reminded Jiang Guier of her mother, Jiang Yun, the woman who always wore a sharply tailored Armani suit.

Many years ago, when work wasn't too busy, I was able to spare some time to spend with her every weekend.

Back then, her mother would put on an apron on her free weekends and clumsily follow recipes to learn how to cook.

She would stay by the kitchen counter, watching her mother cook. Her mother would also comfort her and talk a lot while cooking.

“Your grandma said that braised pork should be made with three layers of pork, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat so it won’t be dry.” Jiang Yun’s knife skills were crooked as she cut the meat, but she insisted on not letting her help. “When you grow up, you have to learn to make this dish too, in the future…”

Jiang Guier's lips curled up slightly. She had long since learned how to make braised pork, and she made it even better than her mother.

After all, his mother's cooking skills were limited to simply cooking the vegetables.

"What are you thinking about? Grinning to yourself like that." Lin Wan bit the rim of her cup, tilting her head to look at Jiang Guier, who was grinning foolishly. It was hard to ignore that smile; she was just too adorable.

"You're about to send me to the guillotine, can't I even smile?"

Lin Wan worked quickly, putting all the ingredients in, and now she just waited for time to bring her a surprise.

She snapped her fingers. "I've decided to go and deliver the braised pork to my mom first."

"Oh my, you've got some nerve. Are you sure your aunt won't kick you out?" Lin Wan took a step forward and placed her coffee cup on the counter, the two pieces of porcelain clinking together with a crisp sound.

"Have you forgotten how you were kicked out last time?"

Jiang Guier glared at Lin Wan, "Don't laugh at me for being no better. We were both kicked out together."

Lin Wan rolled her eyes haughtily, "Anyway, I'm not going to your aunt's place with you. But if you go to your grandmother's place, I might consider going with you to meet the old lady."

Seeing Lin Wan's obvious expression of wanting to watch the show, Jiang Guier was furious.

Too lazy to talk.

She crouched down and rummaged through the cabinets under the counter, and soon found a set of limited-edition kitchenware that had been given to her by the brand, a collaboration with Fendi.

The lid of the lunchbox features an extravagant pattern, very Baroque, somewhat reminiscent of DG, yet Fendi's eye is printed in the very center. This somewhat strange combination is a design idea that most people cannot comprehend.

She washed the lunchbox and put it in the sterilizer to disinfect it.

They started washing the fruit again.

"Baby, what are you doing?" Lin Wan said as she moved closer, her hand reaching towards the washed fruit.

"Slap." The finger was knocked away before it could even land.

"You're so stingy! What's wrong with eating one?"

"You want to eat the last meal before your execution?" Jiang Guier said sarcastically.

She refused to believe that Lin Wan would still have the audacity to come and eat after she had said all that.

"eat together!"

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　　(End of this chapter)