Chapter 39 - 34: The Scorned Wife of the 50s (34)

Chapter 39: Chapter 34: The Scorned Wife of the 50s (34)

Chu Shenyu finally understood. So, it turned out none of them knew that Zhu Yun was the newly crowned factory beauty from yesterday.

He chuckled and said, "A wife is for cherishing. How could you describe her as ’a practical choice’?"

’It’s over. I mean, find a new girlfriend if you must, but how can you so brazenly praise her right in front of your old flame?’

’What gives you the nerve?’

"Mr. Chu, don’t say another word! When Chef Zhu comes at you with a cleaver, we brothers will be too ashamed to step in..."

Chu Shenyu...

’How is this getting more and more absurd?’

Amused, he explained, "Chef Zhu’s skin was originally fair. She just got tanned from years of working in the fields. Now that she’s been taking care of it, her complexion is back to normal. There’s no ’other woman’."

"The one who left with me yesterday *was* Chef Zhu!"

What?! The crowd exchanged glances. ’Is there more than one Chef Zhu?’

Lately, Chef Zhu had been bundling up from head to toe, leaving only her eyes visible. Even so, they still vividly remembered her complexion. The rumor was that she couldn’t stand people calling her dark-skinned, so she had started covering herself up completely.

Zhu Yun’s hearing was incredibly sharp. From the moment her prospective apprentices—who hadn’t even gone through the formal ceremony yet—started calling out to their "Master’s Husband," she had been standing by with her arms crossed, enjoying the show.

Just then, she emerged from the back kitchen, her hands clasped behind her back.

The crowd flinched and took a step back, whispering, "Mr. Chu, you’re on your own! Chef Zhu is coming in for the kill!"

Zhu Yun shot an irritated glare at the person who’d spoken. In one hand, she held out a steaming chicken drumstick bun and offered it to Chu Shenyu. "Perfect timing. These just came out of the oven. Try one."

The gawking crowd was baffled. ’Don’t tell us Chef Zhu doesn’t know what happened?’

To keep their imaginations from running wild, Zhu Yun took off her mask right in front of everyone. She then pulled off her hat, revealing a fair, radiant, and remarkably delicate face.

Wh—

"Is this a magic trick?" someone mumbled in confusion.

With his meal box tucked under his arm, Chu Shenyu was already going at it with both hands. The warm, perfectly chewy bun was sinfully delicious. It was filled with an entire sausage, the meaty texture of which was still distinct. The combination was pure bliss.

He swallowed a large bite and said with a grin, "I already explained. This *is* Chef Zhu. She’s just gotten a little paler, is that so strange?"

Zhu Yun shot him a sidelong glance, silently watching him keep up his act.

’And who was it yesterday that failed to recognize his own wife when she was standing right in front of him?’

Chu Shenyu just kept silently chewing on his bun. After finishing the first one, he offered her a sincere compliment before starting in on the second with a huge bite.

Just then, a young man hurried over. "Master, Master’s Husband, you two go find a table and sit down! I’ll wait in line to get food for you!"

Chu Shenyu looked at Zhu Yun. It finally dawned on him that when they said "Master’s Husband," they were, in fact, referring to him. ’Wait, is this the third one already? Just how many apprentices has my wife taken on?’

Zhu Yun rubbed her nose, a little sheepishly. "Oh, that’s not necessary."

"It is, it is! It’s our duty," the young man said with a wide grin, plucking the meal box from Chu Shenyu’s hand. "A teacher for a day is like a parent for life. Just you wait, we’ll take good care of you."

The attention of the rest of the crowd shifted. Chef Zhu’s culinary skills were legendary. To become her disciple and inherit her craft was to secure one’s future for life. The envy in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.

The others chimed in. "Exactly! Why else would Chef Zhu take apprentices? She can’t just give away her skills for free. You have to let them show their respect and wait on you."

"You can hit them or scold them, and their parents wouldn’t dare say a word. But if you’re too polite with them, *that’s* what will make them nervous. They’ll be afraid you don’t really intend to accept them or pass on your true skills."

Zhu Yun had an epiphany. ’So, there are all these perks to being a master, huh.’

And so, feeling perfectly justified, she pulled Chu Shenyu along to find a table.

Someone got their food, and someone else washed their bowls and utensils when they were done. The couple’s only job was to sit face-to-face, holding their buns and feasting on the sight of each other as they ate. They also had tea eggs and a bowl of congee.

With so many people around, it was hard to talk, so they didn’t exchange many words.

Chu Shenyu mentioned he had already signed them up for the factory’s group wedding and had collected the wedding supplies they were issued. Thanks to his significant contributions to the factory, their allotment of supplies was particularly generous.

It included everything from a four-piece bedding set, enamel basins, and a thermos to tea mugs, a spittoon, and a soap dish. The young couple would hardly need to buy anything else.

"I’ll bring you something to cool you down later," Zhu Yun whispered with a smile.

Chu Shenyu stared at her with yearning eyes, his gaze constantly drifting to her soft, pink lips.

’Forget everyone else—he despised himself. His once-solid self-control was embarrassingly fragile before her. Ever since he’d had a taste of her—as soft and delicate as tofu pudding—his heart clawed at his chest whenever he saw her. He wished everyone around them would just fade into the background.’

’Couldn’t he at least get to hold her and catch his breath?!’

"Okay," he said, fighting for control as he gave a deadpan nod.