I changed the world.

Page 283

The kitchen was filled with delicious aromas. An Huiling was carefully chopping some Chinese medicinal herbs at the stove, glancing occasionally at the clay pot simmering on the stove beside her.

The kitchen in Zhang Jing's house was located on the south side of the entire house, east of the hanging flower gate. It was clearly a location set by the previous owner according to traditional feng shui practices, since the kitchen belongs to the fire element and being located in the south is suitable. Zhang Jing continued to use this location after taking over the house, without making many changes.

Perhaps the aroma from the kitchen was too enticing, for "Xiaotian," who had been dozing by the doorway, was now roused. Wagging its tail, it shamelessly circled the kitchen doorway, its tail swishing like a windmill. Xiaotian had completely become familiar with An Huiling and was no longer the aloof creature it once was.

"Don't worry, Xiaotian, I've prepared one for you too." An Huiling said with a gentle smile.

Upon hearing this, Xiaotian wagged its tail even more enthusiastically. However, not long after, a low bark was heard. Xiaotian tucked its tail between its legs and hid to the side, running to the side of the hanging flower gate and lying down, looking straight ahead with an air of "I'm guarding the gate"...

"This lazy dog..." Zhang Jing chuckled and cursed. Although Xiaotian was still young, he was growing incredibly fast, changing every day. He already looked like a little lion, and appeared quite fierce. However, Zhang Jing knew that this guy was actually quite lazy. He would lie down if he could, and lie down if he could, and stand if he could. He was also greedy. Knowing that An Huiling had good food, he would habitually run over to mooch a treat whenever she came over.

Walking casually into the kitchen, Zhang Jing glanced at An Huiling, who was busy at work. Today, An Huiling was wearing a moon-white vest with subtle patterns, a popular style these days. Judging from the craftsmanship, it was clearly the work of a renowned artist. The vest was also very form-fitting, highlighting An Huiling's beautiful curves. She paired it with a very delicate white skirt.

Because she needs to train quite a bit every day, An Huiling doesn't style her hair in complicated ways. Her long, black hair, reaching her waist, has a wonderful texture and shines like a waterfall. It's simply tied at the back of her head and adorned with an exquisitely crafted golden phoenix.

This long, straight black hairstyle suited Zhang Jing's aesthetic perfectly. It was probably because he had casually complimented her before that An Huiling consciously started growing out her hair like this.

Zhang Jing watched as An Huiling lifted the lid of the clay pot and carefully peered inside to examine the ingredients. For some reason, a line of poetry suddenly came to mind: "Her delicate hands prepare the soup, shyly awaiting your taste."

A gentle feeling suddenly welled up in his heart, and Zhang Jing slowly walked behind An Huiling...

"Senior brother, just wait a little longer..." An Huiling said, stirring the soup in the clay pot with her chopsticks.

But the next moment, Zhang Jing had already wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her into his arms, buried his face in the hair behind her head, and filled his nose with the unique fragrance of orchids emanating from the girl.

Perhaps due to the high level of physical activity she engages in every day, or perhaps due to the abundance of Qi and blood she has gained through her spiritual practice, An Huiling's figure is no longer as thin as it was during her initial serious illness. Instead, she appears tall and voluptuous, with an amazing waist-to-hip ratio that feels wonderful to hug...

“Senior brother…” An Huiling’s body stiffened noticeably for a moment, then softened, and her voice became somewhat shy.

"Hmm, let me take a look..." Zhang Jing said, but his face was stroking An Huiling's swan-like long neck.

"Senior brother...is he cooking..." An Huiling's almond-shaped eyes welled up with tears, her voice slightly breathless, growing softer and softer, as if she were murmuring...

"Yeah, I just want a hug..."

"Senior brother...ha...ha...you're so naughty...ha...senior brother..."

..............................

After a long tender moment, Zhang Jing finally released An Huiling, whose face was flushed. At this moment, the girl's body was so soft that she almost collapsed to the ground.

While calming her rapid breathing and regaining her balance, An Huiling hurriedly extinguished the flames.

"It's already stewed..." she said with a hint of shy resentment, but she met Zhang Jing's gentle and increasingly profound gaze. Her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't say anything more.

Chapter 550 The Secret Visitor

"Hmm? What is this?" On the table next to me, there were some prepared dishes, including a pastry with a rolled pattern that looked like a large, pure white snail. Several pastries were arranged delicately on a plate.

Zhang Jing didn't know much about food. After observing it for a while, he felt that this thing was somewhat like cream, but it seemed to be different. It had a sweet aroma of ghee and looked quite tempting.

"This is abalone with ghee, you can try it, senior brother."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jing reached out, picked one up, took a bite, and found it tasted like honey with a milky aroma—delicate, sweet, and delicious.

"Hmm! This is a very nice snack. How is it made?" After finishing the remaining half in one bite, Zhang Jing couldn't help but pick up another one and ask while eating.

Seeing that her senior brother liked it, An Huiling smiled and said, "It's made with cream. If you like it, I'll make it for you often!"

The method of making this dish is naturally not as simple as An Huiling described. In fact, the cream she used was made by naturally fermenting milk, boiling it into milk curds, and then manually stirring and separating it. After that, honey and cane sugar were added, involving many complicated processes. In the end, this small plate was made with a lot of effort.

The recipe for this dessert was obtained from a renowned chef in Nanjing at great expense, and it differs from the usual method.

Of course, these things are not for outsiders to know. Seeing that her senior brother was satisfied, An Huiling felt that everything was worthwhile. She was already planning to have Mei'er find some more exquisite pastry recipes.

As for Mei'er, An Huiling had originally intended to keep some of her whereabouts a secret from her maid, and she had actually succeeded. For quite some time, Mei'er was completely unaware of her mistress's relationship with the neighbor. In fact, if the sole purpose was to keep it from Mei'er, given Zhang Jing's arrangements here and An Huiling's current cultivation level, she could have easily continued to conceal everything.

However, after some deliberation, An Huiling finally decided to let Mei'er know some things to a certain extent. After all, if she had to keep it from even her personal maid, it wouldn't be a problem for a short time, but in the long run, many things would become quite inconvenient.

In particular, if help to cover for her is needed in the future, Mei'er is actually the best choice. As for whether Mei'er will tell her mother, it is not impossible, but based on An Huiling's observation of Mei'er these days, she thinks that Mei'er should be a smart person. A smart person can see what is most beneficial to themselves, and she does not think that Mei'er would do something like telling someone.

She was an only child and had always been sickly, so she hadn't really been exposed to the sordid affairs of wealthy families. But that didn't mean she was oblivious to the realities of life. When she was young, her father hadn't yet made his fortune, and because of her frail health, she had few friends at school until she got Luo Yan as her roommate in college. This experience gave her her own understanding of the coldness and warmth of human relationships.

Therefore, she sees things very clearly. For Mei'er, she is her greatest support, both now and in the future.

Of course, even if Mei'er really did tell on them, it wouldn't be a big deal. At least on the surface, it would just appear to be some ambiguous relationship where they seemed to like each other. She didn't think her mother would really do anything to her because of it...

At that point, I'll just pretend to be in a bad mood or feeling unwell. I suppose my parents care more about my health than my marriage...

At this moment, Zhang Jing was completely unaware of the little schemes his junior sister was plotting. He watched with a smile as An Huiling continued to prepare the dishes, occasionally going up to help out. A warm atmosphere filled the kitchen.

..........................................

Just as An Huiling was cooking in the kitchen, about an intersection away from Anzhai at No. 1603 Yunshanfang, a 2011 Camel brand minivan slowly pulled up to the side of the road.

Besides the driver, there was another person in the front passenger seat and another in the back seat. The person in the front passenger seat was a young woman with a ponytail, dressed like a professional white-collar worker.

The driver and the man sitting in the back were both muscular men with buzz cuts, wearing black jackets. All three were upright and their eyes were constantly scanning their surroundings.

"Brother Song, number 1603, that's the one." The woman in the passenger seat carefully examined the gate diagonally across the road and whispered to the driver beside her.

The driver took off his sunglasses, looked carefully at the gate across the street, and nodded, saying, "This should be the place. The company rented a house for us before we came. It's not far ahead, number 1617, in the same community. It's also a villa. Hua'er and Xiao Gu arrived yesterday and have already settled in. It's enough for the five of us."

"A big client, huh? They're offering really good terms..." the man in the back seat chuckled. "Thinking back to the last security job, several of us were crammed into one room, and there was no air conditioning in the summer, huh..."

"That's what we do for a living. The company says, 'Customers first.'"

"Stop with the chit-chat, let's get to work as soon as possible. This time, the client is the eldest daughter of the An family. She signed a confidentiality agreement with the company, it's a long-term project, and the company is taking it very seriously. We're paying triple the salary and bonuses. As you know, we were lucky to get this job..."

“The client’s requirement is that we cannot be discovered by that young lady, but we must ensure her personal safety. This is a covert protection mission, and firearms may be used if necessary.” The woman in the passenger seat said calmly, then glanced back intentionally or unintentionally: “Gangzi, especially you, don’t give anything away.”

“I already knew everything before I came, so there’s no need to remind you again. How many times do you want to bring up this old story from two years ago…” The man in the back seat was clearly annoyed and embarrassed.

"I'm just reminding you that they gave us quite a lot this time, and I don't want it to end so soon."

"Alright, stop arguing. We'll go to our accommodations and settle in first, then have a meeting to confirm the plan, and then we'll start working," the driver instructed.

Seeing that both of them nodded and stopped talking, the driver started the vehicle and slowly drove forward, saying as he drove, "This matter isn't complicated either; it's roughly the same as the one in Songjiang last time. We'll first scout out the area, then select key locations to install surveillance cameras. Once we understand Ms. An's daily routine, we'll adjust the security plan accordingly..."