Yu Wanqiu returned to her room to unpack her suitcase. She chose the room on the left, while Jiang Lan took the one on the right. Unspokenly, they both left the middle room empty.
In the evening, Yu Wanqiu prepared a vegetable salad for dinner. After eating, she spent an hour doing yoga, followed by her skincare routine, and then went to bed.
This was Yu Wanqiu's daily life.
Jiang Lan, on the other hand, wasn’t much of a cook. She pulled out her phone and ordered takeout. While waiting for the food to arrive, she took the time to unpack her suitcase.
The room prepared by the production team was spacious, complete with a bathroom and a small balcony. It was also spotlessly clean.
After about half an hour, the takeout arrived. Jiang Lan hurried downstairs to pick it up. On her way, she ran into Zhang Tian. Although the production team hadn’t set any rules about ordering takeout, Jiang Lan still asked, “Director, is it okay to order takeout?”
Zhang Tian nodded. It was allowed, but he was surprised that Jiang Lan had chosen to order takeout instead of cooking, especially since he had expected her to impress Yu Wanqiu with a lavish homemade dinner.
From the camera feed, he could see that Yu Wanqiu was cooking shrimp.
Jiang Lan, however, felt reassured. She had ordered sweet and sour spare ribs and Kung Pao chicken, along with two portions of rice.
Though her cooking skills were limited, she could at least make a simple fried rice. She planned to use the extra rice for breakfast the next morning.
Upstairs, Yu Wanqiu had already finished preparing her vegetable salad—a mix of endive, lettuce, purple cabbage, and finely shredded carrots, topped with a few boiled shrimp and half a hard-boiled egg. She had also squeezed a glass of orange juice.
The meal looked healthy and green, but Jiang Lan knew she’d be hungry by 8 PM if she ate something like that.
She recalled that at lunch the day before, Yu Wanqiu had only eaten plain boiled vegetables, not touching any meat.
Was Yu Wanqiu a vegetarian? If so, would her future daughter-in-law have to follow the same diet?
Jiang Lan carried her takeout bag and casually sat across from Yu Wanqiu at the dining table. Since there was only one table, they had no choice but to eat together.
Living under the same roof, some small talk was inevitable. Jiang Lan asked, “Ms. Yu, would you like to try some?”
She opened the takeout containers, revealing the bright, glossy sweet and sour spare ribs and the fragrant Kung Pao chicken. The long-grain rice looked perfectly cooked, each grain distinct and translucent.
Yu Wanqiu glanced over, took a bite of her salad, and replied, “No, thank you.”
Jiang Lan nodded, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating.
She scooped a spoonful of Kung Pao chicken onto her rice, mixed it, and then added a piece of sweet and sour spare ribs.
The simple combination of meat, rice, and vegetables was incredibly satisfying.
Jiang Lan avoided celery, garlic stems, and carrots, but she enjoyed the cucumber in the Kung Pao chicken. The takeout portions were small but flavorful, and she quickly polished off two pieces of spare ribs.
Who would want vegetables when there was meat? Meat was just so much tastier.
Jiang Lan looked up and noticed that Yu Wanqiu had barely touched her salad, though she had drunk about half of her orange juice. Meanwhile, Jiang Lan was already halfway through her rice.
Yu Wanqiu had been watching her, though it was unclear for how long.
In Yu Wanqiu’s eyes, Jiang Lan saw something akin to longing. She tentatively asked, “Ms. Yu, would you like a piece?”
If Jiang Lan were eating a salad while watching someone else enjoy sweet and sour spare ribs, she wouldn’t be able to resist either.
Yu Wanqiu pursed her lips, about to decline, when Jiang Lan opened the second container of rice and pushed it toward her.
Jiang Lan had ordered two portions, originally planning to use the extra for fried rice the next morning. But since Yu Wanqiu had treated her to hotpot the day before, sharing a little rice was no big deal. “Ms. Yu, try it. It’s really good.”
Yu Wanqiu hadn’t eaten carbs in over three months. She had a disciplined lifestyle and strong willpower, but tonight, that resolve crumbled in an instant.
Jiang Lan ate with such relish, her hair tied back, head slightly bowed, finishing half a bowl of rice in no time.
Yu Wanqiu thought to herself, just one piece of spare ribs wouldn’t hurt. After all, she and Jiang Lan couldn’t avoid interacting entirely during the show. “Then you should have some salad,” she offered.
One piece of spare ribs, then two, followed by a spoonful of Kung Pao chicken… and then half a bowl of rice.
Meanwhile, Jiang Lan finished the rest of the dishes.
After dinner, Yu Wanqiu took the initiative to clean up the dishes, while Jiang Lan lounged on the couch, letting her food settle.
In truth, she was only about 70% full. Yu Wanqiu had insisted she try the salad, so she had taken a couple of bites. The taste was a bit odd, though the shrimp was sweet.
She knew she’d be hungry again by nighttime.
From the kitchen, Yu Wanqiu’s voice carried over the sound of running water.
“Restaurant food is often too salty and oily. It might taste good, but it’s not healthy.”
Jiang Lan nodded and said she understood, but she didn’t take it to heart.
After cleaning up, Yu Wanqiu dried her hands. It was just past 7 PM, and she glanced at Jiang Lan, who was still lounging lazily on the couch.
Her impression of Jiang Lan wasn’t favorable. Aside from their differences in background, she now added two more points: Jiang Lan was a bit lazy and had unhealthy eating habits.
Yu Wanqiu retired to her room early, while Jiang Lan scrolled through her phone until 10 PM. At 9:50, she ordered a small portion of fried chicken. Since the villa was in the suburbs, the delivery arrived at 10:30, just as Yu Wanqiu was preparing to sleep.
On her way downstairs to pick up the food, Jiang Lan ran into a woman in a gray business suit.
The woman had long black hair, wore high heels, and looked exhausted.
Seeing Jiang Lan, the woman paused. “You… you’re Jiang Lan, right? Hello, I’m Chen Shuyun.”
Chen Shuyun was one of the civilian participants on the show. Jiang Lan smiled and said, “Hello! I’m just going down to get some takeout.”
They passed each other, and after a few steps, Jiang Lan glanced back. From this angle, Chen Shuyun’s back seemed slightly hunched. It was already 10:30 PM, and she was just getting home.
After picking up her fried chicken, Jiang Lan took the elevator back upstairs. She moved quietly, sitting cross-legged on the couch with the takeout bag in her lap. Just as she opened the packaging, she heard noises from below.
The villa had an open atrium in the center, with a large living room on the first floor. From the fourth floor, one could see into the living and dining areas of the other levels.
Jiang Lan remembered that Chen Shuyun and her family lived on the second floor.
The sounds from the second floor were neither too loud nor too soft. First, there were two door-closing sounds, followed by an older woman’s voice. “You’re finally back. Do you know what time it is?”
Chen Shuyun replied softly, “Yes, it’s a bit late today. It’s just busy for these few days.”
Aunt Zhao took out the dinner she had saved for Chen Shuyun from the fridge. Chen Shuyun quickly said, “Mom, I already ate outside. Don’t bother.”
Aunt Zhao frowned, her voice sharp and stern. “Do you smell the alcohol on you? You’re never home. What kind of wife and mother are you? You’re so career-driven, you don’t care about your family at all… Did you take care of what I told you? I’m not criticizing you, but you’re really making people talk…”
Chen Shuyun, barefoot on the floor, took a bottle of water from the fridge. Her tone was tinged with impatience. “Mom, the work handover will take a few more days. Tonight’s dinner was because I’m resigning, and my colleagues wanted to have a farewell gathering. I only had two drinks.”
Aunt Zhao slammed the fridge door shut. “What’s the point of these gatherings? You’re always eating out. I’ve never seen you come home to cook for Xiao Xuan. Do you know he’s about to start his final year of high school?”
She turned to look at Chen Shuyun, her anger flaring at the sight of her makeup.
Chen Shuyun sighed. “Mom, I’m doing all this to give Xiao Xuan a better life. He’s working so hard in school. Doesn’t he deserve a comfortable living environment, a good school district, and private tutors? All of that costs money.”
She sat down on the couch, looking defeated. “Who do you think I’m working so hard for?”
Aunt Zhao’s tone softened slightly. “After this show, you’ll have some income, and you won’t need to work anymore. Just quit your job already.”
Chen Shuyun watched Aunt Zhao’s back, her expression complicated. Under the camera’s gaze, her makeup had faded, revealing wrinkles, dark circles, and a look of exhaustion and resignation.
Was she really going to become a housewife? Was she supposed to just give up over a decade of hard work and connections? She earned 30,000 to 40,000 yuan a month, not less than her husband. Why did she have to be the one to stay home and take care of the child? Why couldn’t her husband share more of the responsibility?
Aunt Zhao, seeing Chen Shuyun’s silence, pressed on sternly, “Did you hear me? Quit your job already!”
Jiang Lan leaned back on the couch, munching on a fried chicken wing while eavesdropping. Chen Shuyun’s voice drifted up to her.
“…I know. I’ve already submitted my resignation. I told you, the handover will take about a week.”
“So slow, hurry up and go back after the show is recorded,” Aunt Zhao muttered softly, but Jiang Lan didn’t catch it clearly. Even the sound of her munching on chicken wings grew quieter.
Chen Shuyun is quitting her job?
Sales should be pretty lucrative, Jiang Lan couldn’t figure out why she’d want to resign.
She was so engrossed in the gossip that she didn’t even hear the door creak. It was only when she looked up that she saw Yu Wanqiu standing in the dark doorway of the bedroom, while the quartz clock hanging in the living room showed the minute hand pointing at eight.
Jiang Lan was so startled that she nearly dropped her chicken wing.
She looked up at Yu Wanqiu, then down at the chicken wing in her hand.
It wasn’t a big deal, really. The show had set up this villa as a space for the four families to live together and contrast their lifestyles. She wasn’t eavesdropping.
But hadn’t Yu Wanqiu gone to bed after ten? Why was she out here now?!
Could it be because the sound of eating chicken wings was too loud?
Jiang Lan swallowed the chicken in her mouth. “Ms. Yu? Did I disturb you? I’ll go back to my room.”
She didn’t forget to take her takeout with her.
Yu Wanqiu’s expression wasn’t great—whether it was because she couldn’t sleep this late or for some other reason, she stared at Jiang Lan—no, more precisely, at the chicken wing in her hand. “What time is it? Why aren’t you asleep yet, and still eating?”
The barrage of questions left Jiang Lan stunned. But Yu Wanqiu clearly didn’t give her much time to think. “What time do you usually get up? Do you even eat breakfast? At such a young age, your routine is so irregular. Tomorrow morning, six o’clock sharp. Get up.”
Jiang Lan opened her mouth, wishing she had just eaten in her room. Why was Ms. Yu even bothering with what time she got up?
Six o’clock? She couldn’t do it.
“Ms. Yu, I’m on vacation. Six o’clock is way too early,” Jiang Lan said, resigning herself to the situation. “I can’t get up at six.”
She was just here for a variety show, to earn a paycheck. She didn’t even have to act out some deep mother-in-law and daughter-in-law bond. Was she really supposed to sacrifice two months of her life to early mornings and early bedtimes?
It was summer break, for crying out loud. Even if she had to practice the piano, she didn’t need to get up at six.
Yu Wanqiu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What did you say?”
Even if the king of heaven himself came down, Jiang Lan couldn’t get up at six. “Ms. Yu, I need a full eight hours of sleep.”
Yu Wanqiu glanced at the clock on the wall—it was almost eleven. She relented a little. “Fine, seven o’clock then.”
