Chapter 126: Iron Pot Stew

Upon seeing Su Wanning, Yin Shanshan was the first to speak with a smile: "You two groups have returned so late; you must have made a lot of money, right? Xiao Ning, am I going to lose to you again today?"

Su Wanning found this strange: "We were just strolling around town for a while longer. Why are you all back so early?"

Feng Rui, standing nearby, couldn't help but boast: "Of course it’s because business was good. We sold a lot of clothes today!"

Su Wanning glanced at Yin Shanshan, who was struggling to maintain an air of haughtiness while clearly dying to show off, and immediately understood her intentions.

Su Wanning deliberately replied: "That’s impressive. But if business was so good, why not sell for a bit longer? Wouldn't you have made even more?"

Upon hearing this, Yin Shanshan’s expression became visibly awkward. Throughout the day, many netizens had been criticizing her for being overbearing, and her influence had clearly diminished as a result.

Fang Wei, standing aside, chimed in to defend her: "Sister Shanshan didn't want us to get too tired. See, we even had time to rest after we got back."

Su Wanning shrugged and said nothing.

At this moment, Wang Zan spoke up: "Alright, since all groups are back, I will announce today's results. The group with the highest earnings is Yin Shanshan's team, with a total of 4,836 yuan."

People began to applaud. Yin Shanshan’s face was filled with irrepressible joy, her gaze immediately darting toward Su Wanning. However, Su Wanning was currently turned away, chatting with Qin Jingchen. She wore a faint smile and clapped her hands, looking as if she were completely indifferent to the outcome of the competition.

In an instant, the urge to show off that Yin Shanshan had bottled up all day felt as if it had been blocked, leaving her with no outlet for her frustration. A massive stone seemed to weigh on her chest, leaving her unable to catch her breath—it was like a bone stuck in her throat. There is nothing more disheartening than working so hard to compete with someone, only to find that your opponent doesn't care about the contest at all.

Fang Wei noticed Yin Shanshan's mood immediately and leaned in to comfort her in a low voice: "Many of your fans are supporting you; they all think you're amazing."

But these words, landing on Yin Shanshan’s ears, only reminded her of the comments from her fans earlier in the day criticizing her for not stocking enough inventory. Her face darkened.

"My fans' opinions don't represent everyone. Are you trying to make me complacent with that remark?"

"…I didn't mean it like that."

At this point, none of them were wearing microphones, so their conversation was not picked up by the livestream cameras. After a brief, cold explanation, Yin Shanshan turned her head away, ignoring her further. Feeling snubbed, Fang Wei felt a strange sense of unease grow within her.

"Before announcing the other rankings, I have an announcement: the group that finished last today is responsible for preparing dinner for everyone. So, let’s guess which group earned the least today?"

Wang Zan teased the audience before announcing: "The group with the lowest earnings today is Yu Xin and Tian Boyu."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Yu Xin turned to complain to Tian Boyu: "It's all your fault! Look, now we have to prepare dinner for everyone, even though we’ve already eaten!"

"But—"

Wang Zan started another sentence, drawing everyone's attention to him. Tian Boyu couldn't help but urge him: "Director, just say it already! You're killing me with suspense!"

"But you two brought back two large fish. According to local market prices, they are worth 300 yuan, so your total labor earnings will increase by 300 yuan. With that, you move up to second place, and the ones who ultimately lose are Mr. Qin and Su Wanning's group."

Su Wanning never expected the director to have this card up his sleeve. The bias was far too obvious—using fish to adjust the earnings? Yet, no one else expressed any objection. Even Qin Jingchen simply nodded in acceptance.

"So, I’ll have to trouble Mr. Qin and Su Wanning to help us prepare dinner tonight. You can use those two fish as ingredients!"

Su Wanning, having been inexplicably saddled with the task of making dinner, was in a foul mood. She walked to the kitchen with a scowl, feeling even more disgusted when she saw the two fish, each the length of her forearm.

"I hate the smell of fish, and how am I supposed to handle fish this big?"

No sooner had Su Wanning complained than Qin Jingchen’s voice sounded behind her: "I'll handle it. What are you planning to make?"

"With fish this big, the only option is to braise them in an iron pot."

After answering, Su Wanning still couldn't quite believe it. She watched with suspicious eyes as Qin Jingchen calmly rolled up his shirt sleeves. The cuffs were pristine white, entirely out of place in this environment, especially next to the fish.

"Do you really know how to handle these? Maybe we should ask someone else for help? I recall Tian Boyu might know how to do this."

Su Wanning was just tossing out a suggestion, but Qin Jingchen’s gaze darkened. He picked up a kitchen knife and, with one swift motion, gutted the fish. His movements were clean, decisive, and without hesitation.

"…Impressive." Su Wanning gave him a matching thumbs-up, at a loss for words.

Qin Jingchen worked efficiently. After gutting the fish and removing all the organs, he scraped the scales, washed them clean, and handed them to Su Wanning. Immediately after, Su Wanning chopped the fish into pieces and dropped them into a hot oil pan. Neither of them spoke; they formed a seamless assembly line in the kitchen, working in perfect sync.

[Who says they aren't a real couple? Is this a slap in the face or what?]

[Their teamwork is so natural; they must cook together at home all the time.]

[This proves that Mr. Qin really did make Su Wanning angry, which is why he’s being so attentive today.]

[I never expected a CEO to step into a kitchen to appease someone. My own husband won't even set foot in the kitchen—a good man really is different.]

"Is there anything else that needs help?"

Qin Jingchen walked up behind Su Wanning, his sudden voice startling her so much that the large iron ladle in her hand clattered into the pot. She turned around, heart racing, her nose nearly brushing against his chest, only then realizing he was less than half a step behind her.

Su Wanning patted her chest. Thinking of how effortlessly he had handled the fish, she naturally assumed he knew how to cook, so she directed him: "The standard pairing for iron-pot stew is cornmeal cakes. Go over there and help me knead the dough."

"Is this it?"

Qin Jingchen went straight to the pile of flour and found the yellow cornmeal. Feeling more reassured, Su Wanning nodded and replied, "Yes."

The man behind her stopped speaking. From time to time, the sound of bowls and basins clashing could be heard. However, when Su Wanning finished stewing the fish and turned around to check on him, she was left completely dumbfounded.