Chapter 616: Chapter 582: Wanwan Prepares a Meal for Him (4th Update)
Wen Wan thought for a moment and shook her head, "No."
She woke up shortly after Song Wei left, waking quickly due to a premonition.
The matter she sensed this time was neither too big nor too small.
The nanny they invited, Nanny Qin, had been in the residence for some time and began harboring thoughts of climbing up onto her bed.
This person had some means, never acting openly. She used Qi Bao as a "weapon for gaining favor," slowly progressing like a frog in warm water.
Therefore, to win Song Weiâs favor, she wouldnât harm anyone in this courtyard, treating Qi Bao even better, but making small moves at the right moment.
"Really nothing?" Song Wei clearly didnât believe her.
"Really nothing," Wen Wan replied. "Itâs already past midnight and youâre still awake. Can you get to Taichang Temple on time tomorrow?"
Song Wei couldnât get anything from her, so he lay down beside her.
Wen Wan leaned over to blow out the lamp cover and retreated into the quilt as her thoughts drifted further away.
The reason she didnât tell Song Wei was largely out of a womanâs competitive nature.
Nanny Qinâs intentions were straightforward, and she could handle it herself. She didnât want to deliberately remind Song Wei, telling him that the little nanny had been eyeing him for a long time and pondering every day how to climb into his bed.
Wen Wan felt such reminders would only make Song Wei more attentive to Nanny Qin.
In a moment of distraction, she remembered when Xu Jia had come over; she wanted Nanny Qin to check Xu Jiaâs twisted ankle because she had just praised Nanny Qin. Later, Xu Jia asked, "Your nanny knows how to do this?"
At that time, Wen Wan didnât notice anything wrong with the question. Now, she realized Xu Jia had been through inner-household struggles; her perception was inevitably more sensitive than Wen Wanâs carefree nature.
Perhaps Xu Jia had felt something was off but didnât know how to alert her.
After contemplation, Wen Wan sighed in relief, grateful for her premonition ability. Otherwise, letting a woman who already had a man climb into Song Weiâs bed would have driven her mad.
"Wanwan."
Wen Wan was deep in thought when a manâs voice reached her ears.
Without turning, she responded with a "Hmm," asking, "Whatâs the matter?"
Song Wei replied, "The food at Taichang Temple isnât as good as the Divine Soldier Bureau. Iâm not used to it."
Wen Wan secretly rolled her eyes.
He was originally from the countryside, having endured hardships. Isnât it just the big pot meals at the government office? During hunger, what doesnât taste good?
Seeing that the man was deliberately seeking conversation, Wen Wan turned to face him, blinked, and pretended to be distressed, "What should we do then?"
Song Wei didnât answer but reached out, his fingertip rubbing her chin.
Wen Wan dodged slightly, teasingly, "Stop it, itâs late."
...
Even though Song Wei searched for a lame excuse to draw her into conversation last night, Wen Wan silently remembered his complaint.
The next morning, she got up early, personally going to the kitchen to prepare two or three dishes packed into a food box.
The bamboo woven food box was delicate, square-shaped, with layers not too high. After packing the dishes into Song Weiâs daily bag for the government office, it looked as if he was merely carrying more books.
Every government office in the Great Chu Dynasty provided meals at noon, but the sheer number of people meant everyone ate from large servings, and the taste was naturally poor.
Previously, Song Wei was at the Divine Soldier Bureau under the Crown Princeâs command, where meals were relatively better than other offices. Now at Taichang Temple, things were completely different. He mentioned that for lunch, there was merely one meat dish, one vegetable, and one soup, and arriving late meant scraping the bottom of the pot.
Even though he was a civil servant and didnât do much physical work, being a grown man, this type of meal could never satisfy him, hence Wen Wan prepared two meat dishes and one vegetable dish for him.
When she brought the food box along with the bag to the main room, Song Wei was having breakfast.
He seemed surprised that she had actually taken his words to heart from the previous night. His hand paused while drinking porridge.
Wen Wan pushed the food box towards him, "Here, Iâve prepared lunch for you. The food box isnât very insulating, so you figure a way to warm it up. The soup was too difficult to carry and took up space, so I didnât prepare it. Youâll have to make do."
Song Wei pulled her into a seat, "I wondered why you woke up so early today; turns out it was to prepare this for me?"
Wen Wan didnât hide her laziness, "Iâll only do it this morning. Later, Iâll pass the menu to the kitchen the night before and let them do it early. Iâm suited for sleeping in, and besides, my cooking isnât as good as the chefâs."
Whether she cooked it or not, her thoughtful gesture already made Song Wei feel very warm inside. He peeled an egg and placed it in the small bowl in front of her, warmly urging, "Eat while itâs hot."
Wen Wan glanced at the smooth, tender boiled egg in the bowl, took the spoon to scoop half into her mouth.
While eating, she didnât forget to mention, "It seems like Nanny Qin was on duty last night. Why hasnât she brought Qi Bao over yet?"
Just as she finished her sentence, Nanny Qinâs plea echoed from outside, "Coming, coming, please forgive me, madam. The girl cried terribly last night; I coaxed her half the night until she slept. She woke late this morning, so I didnât dare hurriedly changeâ" She initially intended to say change her diaper but swallowed the words, seeing Song Wei and Wen Wan having breakfast. After entering, she skillfully sent Qi Bao into the inner room to lay in the cradle.
Night duty wasnât easy. Wen Wan saw Nanny Qinâs tired face and nodded, "Nanny Qin, youâve worked hard. Go back and rest; ask Nanny Zhou, who is taking over, to come directly to my room."
Receiving her permission, Nanny Qin left, and Wen Wan resumed eating the egg.
Seeing Song Weiâs indifference throughout, Wen Wan turned to look at him, "When you came back last night, did you hear Qi Bao crying?"
Song Wei: "I heard."
Wen Wan asked again, "Did you go to check?"
Song Wei thought for a moment, saying, "It was too late at night; it wasnât convenient for me to go in. I stayed outside and asked a few questions, hearing Nanny Qin say that Qi Bao had calmed down before returning to the room."
Wen Wanâs words had long carried a sour note that Song Wei amusingly caught, "Donât believe me?"
Wen Wan tapped the food box with her spoon, reminding him, "Youâre going to be late; why arenât you hurrying?"
Song Weiâs gaze shifted to the food box, seemingly finding his answer in the meal Wen Wan had thoughtfully prepared for him early in the morning. He smiled and stood up, grabbed his bag, "Then Iâm off."
Wen Wan instructed, "The road is slippery; tell the bearers to be careful."
Now that Song Wei had stopped using a carriage to the government office and switched to a sedan chair.
After Song Wei left, Nanny Zhou arrived at the main room, greeting Wen Wan with a bow upon entering.
Wen Wan asked her, "Have you had breakfast?"
Nanny Zhou replied, "Yes, yes, those of us who feed babies dare not be careless, donât worry, madam. Every meal the kitchen delivers, I gobble up every bit, ensuring thereâs enough milk for the girl."
Wen Wan smiled, "What about the other two? Do they eat a lot like you at every meal?"
"Well, that, Iâm not quite sure about," Nanny Zhou hesitated, "The three of us have different shifts, and we rarely eat together."
Wen Wan nodded, "I was just casually asking, donât be nervous. Itâs okay, go watch over Qi Bao."