Chapter 38: One Person’s Food Diary V
“Hello, Xiao Xia. Ming Ming and I are here to take Da Mao home today. Thank you for taking care of him all this time.”
Jin Juan looked radiant today. She wasn’t wearing heavy makeup, and there was a smile on her face, resembling a rainbow appearing after the rain.
Ming Ming seemed to be in a good mood as well. After greeting Lin Xia, he went straight to check on Da Mao, leaving Jin Juan to talk with Lin Xia.
“Ming Ming and I are going back to my hometown tomorrow. I have a close friend who opened a bakery, and she asked me to help out. I… divorced Ming Ming’s father. I have full custody of Ming Ming. Sigh, I guess it’s a relief…”
Jin Juan wasn’t sure if she felt happy or sad about the outcome. While she had escaped a sea of bitterness, she felt that her years of affection and sacrifice had ultimately flowed away like fallen flowers on water, never to return.
To say she wasn’t sad would be a lie, but she knew this was the best decision.
“Is that so? Best wishes to you both!” Lin Xia was happy for her; he could tell Jin Juan’s state of mind was improving. Mothers become strong for their children—he believed she and Ming Ming would have a better future.
“Thank you!” Jin Juan smiled in response. Seeing Ming Ming happily hugging Da Mao, she felt it was all worth it.
On New Year’s Eve, after listening to Ming Ming’s words, she felt as though she had plummeted into a bottomless abyss. She had always assumed Ming Ming didn’t know anything. In reality, Ming Ming was very sensitive; he knew about the hypocrisy and brokenness of their home, and his heart ached for his mother. She was the only foolish one, thinking her persistence was the right thing to do.
That night, Jin Juan didn’t go home. Instead, she went to the hospital to document her injuries and get a medical report. Then, calmly, she informed her relatives of her decision to divorce. Her family hadn’t known she was living in such deep waters. When they found out she had endured domestic violence just to “keep the family together” for that man, they were furious and called her foolish. But despite the scolding, her family felt mostly heartache for her. They told her they were coming to help her the very next day.
Her family’s fierce protectiveness made Jin Juan cry for a long time. She had always borne everything silently alone, thinking she was strong enough. It was only then that she realized how fragile she actually was.
The next day, Jin Juan contacted a lawyer. She was going to divorce him—for herself, and for Ming Ming.
The man hadn’t expected the usually submissive Jin Juan to actually demand a divorce. He thought she was just saying it out of anger and would come back begging within a few days. He supported her financially; without him, where would she get money? Besides, would she really let Ming Ming grow up in a broken home?
The man never imagined that Ming Ming was the one who urged Jin Juan to divorce. Although the boy was young, he saw things more clearly than anyone.
It wasn’t until the divorce papers were placed in front of him that the man realized Jin Juan was serious.
During the divorce proceedings, Jin Juan took Ming Ming to stay in a hotel. The man tried to find her but couldn’t, and she wouldn’t answer his calls.
The process was somewhat tortuous because the man staged a drama, attempting to guilt Jin Juan into giving up on the divorce. Watching the man try to slit his wrists in a fake suicide attempt, Jin Juan did waver. But the moment she thought of Ming Ming and Da Mao, her resolve hardened.
Let that man do whatever he wanted; he wasn’t worth her time anymore!
Jin Juan had been busy with the divorce recently, but she had already planned her future. When her close friend heard about her situation, she invited her back to their hometown to help out. Jin Juan had been worried about finding a job since she lacked experience and skills, so her friend’s offer solved her immediate crisis.
Da Mao was mostly recovered; they just needed to be careful not to let him run too vigorously. Jin Juan and Ming Ming took Da Mao away. They were leaving Jiang City tomorrow, and it was uncertain when they would meet again.
After seeing off Jin Juan and Ming Ming, Lin Xia went to the break room and saw White Ball playing on WeChat.
“Awooo!” Papa, An An is chatting with Uncle Tang! White Ball heard footsteps, turned his head, and said to him.
“Really?” Curious about what the two of them were discussing, Lin Xia sat down next to White Ball to listen in.
“Awooo!” Uncle Tang, An An ate one candy today, so there are fourteen candies left. When An An finishes eating all the candies, Uncle Tang will come back, right?
“Mn mn, An An is a good boy.”
…
Scanning down the screen, no matter what White Ball said, Tang Yinlang responded with “Mn mn” or other generic phrases, making it seem like he couldn’t understand White Ball’s language.
Lin Xia had black lines dropping down his forehead. He thought to himself, So now Tang Yinlang remembers to pretend he doesn’t understand tiger language? Why didn’t he remember to do that before? He was still acting even though Lin Xia had already figured him out—although, to be fair, Tang Yinlang didn’t realize his cover had been blown.
Lin Xia didn’t interrupt them. Instead, he sat aside, holding back laughter as he listened to their “chicken talking to a duck” (one-sided) conversation.
After the big ball and little ball chatted for a while longer, the big ball had to go offline for business. The little ball was thirsty after chatting for so long, so Lin Xia poured him a glass of juice.
“Awooo!” Thank you, Papa!
After finishing the juice, White Ball stayed at the counter with Lin Xia. White Ball was a working tiger, after all; he was the shop’s mascot, sitting on the counter to welcome guests.
When there were no customers, the father and son would watch videos or read books together. Their clingy, affectionate behavior was enough to give Wang Ziyu goosebumps.
White Ball had a habit: he often watched cooking videos on Weibo, then told Lin Xia what he wanted to eat. Lin Xia would then go home, learn the recipe, and make it for him.
“Awooo!” White Ball opened Weibo and found an account in his following list called “One Person’s Food Diary V” to watch the latest video.
One Person’s Food Diary V was a huge food influencer on Weibo with several million followers, frequently trending on the “Hot Search” list.
The creator behind the account was a man. Although he never showed his face, his voice was incredibly pleasant, attracting a large following of fans who were simply obsessed with his voice.
As a food influencer, what truly gathered fans for One Person’s Food Diary V was the food he made and his calm, unflappable demeanor. When he cooked, he was unhurried and graceful; it felt as if time slowed down around him. His movements were a delight to watch.
He had a beautiful house with a courtyard, which was where he filmed his videos. He never did sponsored ads, and he didn’t seem to lack money. He lived a leisurely life, and netizens often commented that he was living the life they dreamed of.
White Ball loved watching his videos because the food looked delicious—so much so that White Ball almost drooled just watching.
“Today we are making Rich Broth Rice…”
One Person’s Food Diary V liked to narrate while he cooked, but his commentary was usually standard—what ingredients to add, how much, and the method. But in today’s video, he spoke a lot more than usual.
“I haven’t made Rich Broth Rice in a long time. Today is a special day, so I wanted to make it to commemorate my first love.”
“The first time I ate Rich Broth Rice, my first love made it for me. After eating it once, I learned how to make it, and from then on, I was the one who made it for him…” The man rambled on, unable to stop once he started talking about his first love.
“My first love’s family sold Rich Broth Rice. He always said his cooking was just average and that his mother’s was the truly delicious one. He said he would take me to his home to eat it. However, I never made it there, so I never got to taste the ‘best’ Rich Broth Rice he talked about. But it doesn’t matter. In my heart, the Rich Broth Rice he made is the best.”
“Enough about that, let’s see how to make it.” The man realized he had said too much and had deviated from the task at hand. “The soup base for Rich Broth Rice is very important. You must use bones to simmer the stock, simmering until the bones are soft…”
Author’s Note: Sorry for the late update today. Thank you to the two little angels, Xi Sang (Late Stage Split Personality) and Si Nian, for the landmines~
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