After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

They both saw in each other's eyes an incredible shock, and... a torrent of tears.

This taste...it's so familiar!

Twenty years ago, they were poor contractors and bookkeepers on construction sites.

The two of them squeezed into a drafty shed. On New Year's Eve, unable to afford meat, the wife used a large iron pot borrowed from the construction site canteen to stir-fry an identical plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

That night, Mr. Zhang held his wife's hand, his eyes red, and vowed, "Wife, you've suffered so much with me. I'll make sure you live in a big villa and eat and drink the finest things in the world!"

Twenty years have passed. They have a large villa and their company has gone public, but due to suspicion, interests, and the temptations of other women, they have come to the brink of becoming estranged.

"Wife..."

Looking at his wife's face, which, though well-maintained, couldn't hide her exhaustion, and watching her silently weep as she ate scrambled eggs with tomatoes, Mr. Zhang felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

He suddenly realized that all those so-called asset divisions and so-called young mistresses were utterly worthless in the face of this memory of supporting each other through thick and thin!

"Smack."

Mr. Zhang suddenly stood up, walked around the table, and hugged his wife tightly.

"Wife, I'm sorry... I was wrong! I'm a bastard!"

This ruthless and decisive chairman in the business world was now weeping uncontrollably, crying, "Let's not get a divorce! Let's not go to the Civil Affairs Bureau this afternoon! Let's go home, okay?!"

His wife leaned on his shoulder, and the grievances she had suppressed for so long finally burst forth. She cried her heart out, but then hugged her husband tightly.

And at the store entrance.

Shen Man, who had just had a big argument with her mother at the market, walked in with red eyes.

She ignored the customers in the store who were crying their eyes out, and she didn't care about her own terrible appearance at that moment.

She walked straight to the cashier, glanced at the new dishes on the blackboard, and found the most secluded corner to sit down.

"Lin Fan, give me a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes."

Shen Man's voice was hoarse, revealing a deep weariness.

"it is good."

Lin Fan didn't ask any more questions. He could tell that Shen Man's condition was extremely abnormal. He just gave her a deep look, then turned and walked into the kitchen.

Five minutes later.

When the plate of steaming scrambled eggs was placed in front of her, and when Shen Man picked up her spoon and took her first bite...

She was stunned.

All the grievances and resentment...

In that instant, it felt as if a pair of warm, large hands had gently wiped it away.

This smell is just like it was when she was very young, when the Shen family didn't have such a huge fortune, and her mother hadn't become the snobbish person she is now, only interested in profit and social class.

At that time, my mother was just an ordinary mom.

In that not-so-spacious old apartment, her mother, wearing an apron, cooked a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes for her in the kitchen, and when she brought it out, she smiled so gently.

"Manman, eat more, so you can grow up to be pretty..."

That was pure maternal love, without any ulterior motive, just the warmth of wanting her to be well-fed and healthy.

But I don't know when it started, everything changed.

It turned into an endless cram school, a class on etiquette for social interaction, and a bargaining chip for measuring the man's family background.

Shen Man bit her lip tightly, tears silently sliding down her fair cheeks and dripping onto the edge of the white porcelain plate.

She ate bite after bite, feeling the comforting sensation in her stomach.

The emptiness that had long been a source of nostalgia and a lack of genuine family affection was completely filled by this simple plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

Lin Fan stood in the open kitchen, quietly watching Shen Man in the corner, who was eating and crying like a wronged little girl.

A hint of calm appeared in his eyes.

This dish can conquer not only your taste buds.

It is more comforting to people's hearts.

In this materialistic age where everyone lives behind a thick mask, this 288 yuan plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes isn't selling ingredients at all.

What they're selling is a redemption of the soul.

"Is it tasty?"

Lin Fan had walked out of the kitchen at some point, carrying a glass of jade plum juice, and gently placed it on Shen Man's table.

Although sour plum drink is meant to cool you down in the summer, he made sure to let this cup warm up a little at room temperature.

Shen Man raised her head, hastily wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, and stubbornly looked at Lin Fan:

"It tastes awful."

She muttered something stubbornly, but her spoon honestly scraped away the last bit of broken egg, still coated in red tomato sauce, from the plate and put it in her mouth.

Lin Fan smiled faintly and sat down opposite Shen Man.

"Have you been wronged?"

Shen Man's body stiffened slightly.

"Lin Fan..."

Shen Man's voice trembled with suppressed sobs. She covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking slightly, her voice muffled in her palms, revealing a deep weariness.

"I'm so tired... My mom doesn't care about my feelings at all."

"She thinks that me coming to your restaurant is a sign of my depravity, and that Liu Zhiyuan, who's always scheming, is the perfect match for me..."

"I even had a huge fight with her..."

Shen Man raised her head, her eyes red as she looked at Lin Fan:

"Am I really that immature? Am I really as terrible as she says, unable to even maintain a semblance of decency?"

Looking at the vulnerable and pitiful heiress in front of him, a hint of tenderness flashed in the depths of Lin Fan's eyes.

He quietly pulled out a tissue and handed it to Shen Man.

"Wipe your face clean, it's all stained from crying."

"There is a very basic common sense in the kitchen."

Lin Fan pointed to the clean white porcelain plate in front of Shen Man, his voice gentle:

"No matter how precious the ingredients are, even if they are top-grade Wagyu beef or the finest truffles flown in from the air, if the chef is not careful or the cooking time is wrong, the food will still be hard to swallow."

"On the contrary, even tomatoes that cost only two or three yuan per kilogram at the market, or eggs from free-range chickens, can be made into unforgettable delicacies if you respect their most authentic flavors and cook them with care."

Lin Fan turned his head, his gaze lingering intently on Shen Man's captivating, watery eyes:

"Ingredients are not inherently superior or inferior, but rather suited to different tastes. The same applies to people."

"Your mother is used to measuring everything by price tags; that's her survival rule, and you can't change her. But there's no need for you to force yourself to change your own nature."

"What's the point of turning yourself into a soulless ornament just to please others, no matter how high the price tag is?"

"You're very sensible, Shen Man. You're just sticking to being yourself."

Lin Fan smiled faintly, stood up, and casually picked up the empty plates on the table.

"Whether your mother looks down on me or not is not important. I run a business and make a living with my skills, not with anyone's approval."