Chapter 139：The Fluff (1)

Mrs. Lin assumed by getting Lin Kang to help Xiu Ling with the problem regarding her best friend, the enmity between them would be resolved. However, now she realized she was being too optimistic.

Things weren't completely gloomy either, there was definite sign of improvement. At least now Xiu Ling no longer escaped the room the moment Lin Kang entered it. Nevertheless, they were still not communicating like a pair of husband and wife should. If anything, they acted more than overly-courteous friends. Xiu Ling saw herself as being in Lin Kang's debt but Lin Kang wanted to be closer to her than that. However, the man did not know how to do that, he was not good at making advances at woman, at least not the non-sexual ones.

Mrs. Lin sighed, shaking her head looking at how clueless her son was. The same question she had before cropped up in her mind, 'How can Lin Kang be so bright at everything else but so clueless at things related to love?'

Taking pity on her hapless son, Mrs. Lin decided to intervene one more time.

One day, while Xiu Ling was in the kitchen making dinner, Mrs. Lin took the opportunity to join her as well. Once she entered, Mrs. Lin coughed to get the attention of the other maids. When they turned to look at her, Mrs. Lin used her death gaze to chase them all out. In the end, there were only Xiu Ling and Mrs. Lin who were left in the kitchen. Xiu Ling was too caught up in her cooking to realize what her mother-in-law was up to. Other than Lin Xi, cooking was her only other passion in life.

She was making beef stew that night. Normally, she would not make something so scrumptious and time-consuming but Xiu Ling was in a celebratory mood. After all, they had just helped solved one of the biggest crises in her best friend's career. They could afford to have a little celebration.

Watching Xiu Ling hum obliviously waiting for the stew to boil, the maids' heart went to their kind-hearted young lady of the house. They assumed Mrs. Lin was there to create trouble for her daughter-in-law again. After all, that had always been Mrs. Lin's modus operandi. Even though they pitied Xiu Ling, none of them dared to step forward to help her. They did not dare to defy the mistress of the house. Therefore, they could only shake their head as they retreated from the kitchen.

"Sister Jun, do you mind handing me the bottle of red wine?" Xiu Ling asked while she used the spatula to poke the meat in the pot. She wanted to check whether they were cooked yet or not.

Xiu Ling's hand hung in the air for a long time waiting for the bottle of red wine. She frowned and repeated, "Sister Jun, I'm sorry but did you hear me? I need the bottle of red wine."

Seconds later that, Xiu Ling heard the sound of footsteps and then something heavy falling into her grasp. Xiu Ling twisted the cap of the bottle open and said, "Sister Jun, thank you."

"You're welcome," an elderly female voice that definitely did not belong to Sister Jun said.

Xiu Ling jumped with a start and she cautiously turned around to her benefactor. It was as she expected, it was her mother-in-law. Mrs. Lin was half-smiling at her.

"Mo-mother, why didn't you say anything when you enter the room? I wouldn't have troubled you to help me if I knew it was you," an embarrassed Xiu Ling explained.

Mrs. Lin's smile grew bigger. "It's okay, I don't mind."

Clueless to what her mother-in-law was planning, Xiu Ling felt like it was better if she turned back to her cooking. At least, cooking would help her take her mind off things and help her focus.

Xiu Ling uncorked the bottle and poured a generous amount into the pot of stew. The wine evaporated when it came in contact with the heat, creating a delicious smell.

Mrs. Lin sidled close to Xiu Ling and sniffed at her cooking before adding her compliment, "Xiu Ling, this smells wonderful. What are you cooking?"

"Beef stew, mother. I hope you'll be able to enjoy it."

"I'm sure I will." Mrs. Lin could be considered a newbie when it came to cooking. Her mother did not teach her growing up and not long after she married into Lin family, they had gotten rich enough to employ cooks and chefs so she did not have the reason to pick up cooking skill.

Watching her daughter-in-law move expertly in the kitchen, Mrs. Lin nodded satisfactorily and decided to use this topic as small talk before she could find the right opportunity to cut into the real reason why she was there.

Noticing the bottle of red wine Xiu Ling was still holding, Mrs. Lin asked, "Xiu Ling, why did you pour such a large cup of red wine into the stew earlier? Isn't the wine used for drinking and not cooking?"

Xiu Ling was rather surprised by this question because her mother-in-law had never once shown interest in her cooking before, in fact Xiu Ling could count on her one hand the total number of times Mrs. Lin had entered the Lin family kitchen.

However, considering Mrs. Lin did not seem like she was there to create chaos, Xiu Ling did not mind sharing her knowledge in cooking. "The red wine is used to tenderize the meat. The acidity in the alcohol will help break down the meat, making it easier for them to fall off the bones."

"Is that so..." Mrs. Lin nodded with interest. She had learned something new that day, she was honestly quite surprised that her daughter-in-law was so knowledgeable in cooking. She had always assumed Xiu Ling was nothing more than a gold digger who was only eyeing her son's wealth. Looks like she really needed to fix her misunderstanding about Xiu Ling.