Chapter 8: Fire

Thick smoke billowed from the kitchen, pouring out from doors and windows, enveloping the entire courtyard in rolling black clouds.

Fortunately, the fire was still somewhat under control. When Liu Changning rushed out the door, the sparks had just been extinguished.

Her cheap husband was holding a wooden bucket, a ladle in his hand, looking utterly disheveled.

Liu Changning frowned, giving him a glance, finding it hard to express her thoughts.

This man truly embodied the saying: incompetent at everything, but first-rate at eating, sleeping, and causing trouble.

She approached with a dark face, peering inside. Luckily, only the dry grass in front of the stove had caught fire; nothing else had burned.

Otherwise, given the original owner’s impoverished state, rebuilding a house would have been utterly unaffordable.

Perhaps feeling guilty, Pei Yuanshao hung his head, his eyes showing obvious embarrassment.

As the Long Elder Sister in both his past life and present, he knew what delicacies looked like, with their endless variety and abundance.

He knew what food looked like, but how to cook it was a complete mystery to him. He thought cooking rice was simply a matter of lighting a fire and mixing rice with water.

Unexpectedly, just lighting the stove had stumped him, nearly burning down the kitchen.

His peach blossom eyes were watery from the smoke, and his fair profile was stained with black soot, truly a sorry sight.

After checking that the kitchen utensils were undamaged, Liu Changning turned to see his dirty face.

Originally prepared to explode, she pursed her pale lips, ultimately refraining from scolding him.

Although her cheap husband had many qualities she disapproved of, this fire wasn’t intentional on his part.

“You’ve never lit a stove before?” Liu Changning tilted her head.

Embarrassment flashed in Pei Yuanshao’s eyes, but then feeling his demeanor was too weak, he pursed his lips and feigned fierceness: “When did I ever claim to be skilled in cooking? It’s your fault for forcing me to make lunch, causing this situation. How am I to blame?”

The scorching summer sun slanted across his face. Without his usual coquettish smile, he looked more awkward and uncomfortable.

Liu Changning was unexpectedly good-tempered. She handed him the cloth in her hand, pointed at his cheek, and said softly, “Wipe it off.”

Pei Yuanshao was stunned. Given her cold and ruthless demeanor today, he had expected her to be furious at the mess, or even drive him away again.

He never imagined she would be so pleasant, showing him a hint of gentleness for the first time all day.

He lowered his head and mumbled, “Thank you.”

By the time he finished speaking, the woman had already turned her back and stepped into the room.

“It’s okay if you don’t know how to cook. I’ll teach you. Practice makes perfect. After doing it a few more times, you won’t be so clumsy.”

Pei Yuanshao nearly choked, tears springing to his eyes.

He stared at her back, eyes wide with resentment. With the kitchen in such a state, she still wasn’t going to let him off, and wanted him to cook in the future?

But unexpectedly, his fierce gaze met her calm, unruffled eyes.

“Rather than being angry, you’d be better off learning to cook seriously. Remember, mastering a culinary skill is an asset for the future. Think about it carefully. If you can cook a good meal in the future, even in front of Lady Guan, you’ll have a commendable skill. Win her stomach, and why worry about your future prospects?”

She explained earnestly, every word seemingly for his benefit.

Pei Yuanshao wanted to grind his teeth to dust. He clenched his hand, crushing the handle of the water ladle, the fragments falling from his grip.

He lowered his head, took a deep breath, exhaled, repeated twice, then spoke through gritted teeth: “Thank you for your concern!”

Under the blazing sun, large beads of sweat formed on his smooth forehead. The unwashed soot on the side of his face smeared with sweat, covering his entire face.

He truly looked miserable.

Liu Changning’s lips curled into a subtle smile, and she politely replied with a serious face: “No need to thank me. Come on, I’ll teach you personally!”

She had never actually cooked before, but that didn’t prevent her from having memories of lighting fires and cooking in the original owner’s mind.

The two entered the room one after the other.

The sparks that had ignited the dry grass earlier were long extinguished, but the kitchen was still filled with choking smoke.

She stepped forward and opened the dilapidated window, then scooped water from the wooden bucket and sprinkled it throughout the room.

When she turned back after finishing these tasks,

She saw the person behind her staring at her blankly, motionless. His extremely beautiful face now looked somewhat dazed.

Liu Changning took a cautious step back, her face expressionless: “What are you looking at? Someone with your looks is utterly repulsive to me.”

Pei Yuanshao’s peach blossom eyes spat venom as he sneered: “Wife-master need not worry. This lowly servant remembers the three rules well. Besides, doesn’t wife-master look in the mirror? With that face of yours, even if this lowly servant never engages in those tumultuous bedroom activities for a lifetime, he wouldn’t have the slightest desire for you!”

“That’s good then,” Liu Changning replied indifferently.

Pei Yuanshao clenched and unclenched his fists in anger. He was a fool to argue with such a reckless woman.

Her unreasonable behavior made it seem as if he had truly wronged her!

She knew the truth better than anyone. Although he had set up the situation in advance, forcibly dragging her into it, if she herself hadn’t been willing to sign the contract, how could he have forced her?

That contract was bought by Second Miss Guan for a hundred taels of silver.

It was bad enough that this peasant woman didn’t know how to use the silver properly, but to constantly put on an act of a wronged wife hoping for her husband’s return was truly laughable!

Today, she finally stopped looking at him with those pitiful eyes, only to settle scores with him.

Every word was sarcastic. He knew he was in the wrong and had many concerns, so he let her have her way. Otherwise…

Pei Yuanshao fingered the red whip at his waist, then forcibly lowered his hand to his side. Unable to dispel his frustration, he simply stopped speaking.

He averted his gaze, crouched down, and followed her instructions to strike flint for fire. He placed the spark in the fluffy dry grass in the stove, and flames quickly sprang up.

He picked up the wood at his feet, about to throw it in.

The woman in front of him quickly grabbed his arm.

Pei Yuanshao glared at her sideways, almost wanting to roll his eyes like those in the pleasure quarters.

He stared at her rough hand, slapped it away, and mocked: “Men and women should not touch casually. Wife-master, you just set down the three rules a short while ago, and in the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, you’re already going back on your word, taking advantage of this servant?”

Liu Changning: …

She opened and closed her mouth, finding herself unable to retort. The usually sharp-tongued Old Ancestor Liu couldn’t find the words to counter.

She had almost forgotten this was a topsy-turvy society; her action of directly grabbing a man’s arm was undoubtedly frivolous.

Liu Changning was stunned for a moment. Coming to her senses, she pointed at the flames in the stove and explained calmly: “I apologize. I acted hastily. I was in a hurry to stop you from throwing the wood into the stove to prevent the fire from going out. It won’t happen again, rest assured.”

As she spoke, she crouched beside him, personally demonstrating how to add firewood.

Her slender hands propped up the wood inside the stove and added some dry grass underneath.

In less than half a quarter hour, the firewood was crackling and burning.

The sparks reflected in her moist eyes, glimmering brightly. Her ordinarily plain face was bathed in a halo from the fire before her.

The two were separated by a fist’s distance. As she lowered her head, the scent of herbs from her loose hair wafted to his nose.

Pei Yuanshao’s peach blossom eyes flickered, a complex emotion flashing across them for an instant.

—

With the fire lit, Liu Changning no longer had much patience to teach cooking hands-on.

She herself was still a novice, merely drawing on the original owner’s memories.

She moved a wooden stool to the middle of the kitchen and briefly explained how to use the cookware and the order of cooking dishes.

Liu Changning wasn’t a good teacher, but Pei Yuanshao was a good student.

Although he had never done any manual labor, he had been smart since childhood, learning everything quickly and able to infer one thing from another. As a martial artist, his knife skills were particularly impressive.

After going through the cooking process, there was a hint of bewilderment in Pei Yuanshao’s peach blossom eyes.

In this new life, for the past year, he had been cautious and meticulous, carefully considering every step before taking it. He feared that one wrong move would ruin everything.

Never before, in his past life or this one, had he set aside his calculations and been forced to do such mundane tasks as today.

In his ears were her drowsy instructions, in his nose the fresh scent of grass and wood from outside. Before his eyes, meat sizzled and oil splattered in the large pot.

Everything felt real, giving an illusion of peaceful times.

He glanced at the woman behind him on the wooden stool, nodding off, seemingly extremely tired.

A strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart!

If his guess was correct, she too had been reborn, but seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, now calm and carefree.

He, on the other hand, had returned from hell, his hands stained with blood.

An inexplicable envy arose in his heart.

Looking back, he saw her yellow, withered hair, sallow complexion, patched clothes, slovenly and weak.

Pei Yuanshao shook his head, his lips curling in self-mockery. To envy someone like this was truly laughable.

***

My Husband Asks for a Divorce Every Day (Female-Dominant)

This is a novel I’m planning to reread as well.

The male lead is strong, skilled in martial arts, and not the usual fragile type you often see in matriarchal novels.

Meanwhile, the female lead is a scientist—rational and logical. Even when she falls for the male lead, she doesn’t let her emotions cloud her decisions.

If you push through the first few chapters, you’ll gradually find the story really intriguing.

It has a mix of mystery, detective elements, and romance.

The author’s writing style is like crafting a puzzle—except they deliberately leave out a few pieces, making it hard to predict what happens next, yet keeping you hooked.

In the end, everything will come together and be explained.

One-sentence summary: Wife, stop playing with beakers and look at me!

In a laboratory accident, research scientist Zhu Wansheng accidentally travels to a matriarchal world. The original owner of the body is an eighteen-year-old only daughter of a wealthy rouge merchant, already married with a handsome young man.

Zhu Wansheng grins: Nice! She always said she was heaven’s favorite granddaughter. After a life of toil in her previous life, she can enjoy blessings in this one.

However, her joy lasts no more than three seconds as bad news arrives: the original owner’s family is about to go bankrupt, and her husband wants a divorce.

Even worse, she’s stuck with a research system full of restrictions.

Zhu Wansheng: ? Is this the destiny of a research dog?

——

Faced with this mess, Zhu Wansheng pours herself a bowl of wine to drown her sorrows. In her drunken haze, her husband arrives.

His figure is imposing, holding a long sword, with a dignified air that captivates Zhu Wansheng.

Gu Yingqing, however, looks at the alcohol-reeking Zhu Wansheng with undisguised disgust and coldly asks, “Divorce or not?” The intoxicated Zhu Wansheng mumbles vaguely, “I think… it’s not… it’s not… impossible!”

——

The next day, after sobering up, Zhu Wansheng is full of energy, rolling up her sleeves ready to make a big move. As for yesterday? She has no memory of it.

Zhu Wansheng is ambitious; a research dog fears nothing!

Upgrading rouge, extracting fragrances, producing perfumes, researching lipsticks… all shall bow to the power of modern technology!

The original owner’s dying rouge shop is revitalized. Her mother is pleased and with a wave of her hand, passes on the family business to her. As she takes control and her experimental results gain popularity, it’s the pinnacle of her life…

——

But there are always those who can’t stand to see her doing well. Jealousy, scheming, assassination attempts – they want nothing less than her life.

The person who has always kept his distance from her suddenly holds her tightly in his arms, eyes full of concern.

She is unharmed, but he falls into a pool of blood…

Zhu Wansheng feels guilty, “I can grant you one wish.”

Gu Yingqing tentatively circles his arms around her, carefully resting his head in the crook of her neck, pleading softly, “I regret it. Can we not divorce?”

Zhu Wansheng: ? When did I agree to a divorce?

[Small Theater]

The newly developed rouge is beautifully packaged, and Zhu Wansheng is eager to try it.

Gu Yingqing suddenly appears: “My lady, may I apply it for you?”

Cool fingertips lightly brush her lips. His Adam’s apple bobs as he leans in for a light bite.

Zhu Wansheng: ?

Gu Yingqing: It smells so good, I wanted to taste it…

On a warm spring day, Zhu Wansheng tries a new perfume: “Spring Night.” Gu Yingqing corners her against a wall.

Warm breath lingers on her neck.

“My lady, from now on, may I test the fragrances for you?”

[Humorous female scientist vs scheming live-in son-in-law male lead]

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