Chapter 413: Big Trouble

Chapter 413: Chapter 413: Big Trouble

Guan Shan, naturally, refused to say. He only stared at her intently, his brow deeply furrowed.

But even if he didn’t say anything, Ji Huan knew.

After the cooking competition, business at the shop was booming. Customers came in an endless stream. While most were women, there was no shortage of men either.

Furthermore, it seemed everyone knew that Ji’s Flavor Industry had a beautiful female owner.

Sometimes, when Xu Laifu and Zhou got too busy, Ji Huan had to come out and help attend to the customers.

The female customers all adored Ji Huan. They found her personality friendly and vivacious, and when they asked her for stir-frying tips, she was always more than generous. As a result, many of them didn’t hurry to leave after making their purchases. Instead, they would gather in small groups, chatting and laughing, making the shop exceptionally lively.

Xu Laifu joked that if you were just passing by and not paying attention, you wouldn’t even know it was a condiment shop. You’d think you had walked into a silk emporium or a jewelry store.

In truth, he himself was quite a people person.

He was also very considerate. Knowing that Ji Huan was a married woman whose husband was in the back courtyard, he handled nearly all the male customers himself to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

But you could block their path, not their thoughts.

Whenever Ji Huan was around, those male customers couldn’t help but steal a glance or two. The bolder ones would even come forward to strike up a conversation.

Thankfully, most of them didn’t have any improper intentions; it was more out of simple curiosity.

Ji Huan wasn’t coy about it either. She attended to them as she would anyone else, with complete poise and grace.

Occasionally, she would encounter one or two unruly men who thought a lone woman was an easy target and would try to get verbally fresh with her.

But was Ji Huan someone who could be so easily taken advantage of?

She could curse people out without using a single dirty word, ensuring they understood perfectly, and strip them of their dignity in just a few sentences.

As they beat a hasty retreat, she wouldn’t forget to remind them with a smile, "Please pay at the counter."

She still made the sale, and the person she shut down couldn’t even bring themselves to hate her.

Some, who were even more masochistic, would come back again to buy more.

When they returned, however, Ji Huan would absolutely not serve them a second time.

But no matter what, whether it was male or female customers, Ji Huan could handle them all with ease.

Xu Laifu admired her for this, but someone else didn’t quite see it that way.

And sure enough, this very morning, before Manager Liu came to visit, a young man in his early twenties had entered the shop.

At that moment, Xu Laifu was too swamped to help, so Ji Huan personally went to greet him. Before she spoke, she realized he looked slightly familiar.

"Hey, have you been here before?"

If she remembered correctly, he had been here more than once.

Yesterday, the day before, the day before that... ’This guy is a superfan!’

"Does your family own a restaurant? You go through condiments this quickly?"

The young man seemed a bit shy. He kept his head lowered, not daring to look her in the eye.

"Miss Ji, you have a sharp eye, but... my family doesn’t own a restaurant..."

Ji Huan was thoroughly confused.

Her stare made the young man even more nervous, and he suddenly gave a deep bow out of the blue.

"I... My surname is Qin. I’m an only son. My family lives on Zhengyang Lane in the west of the city, and we own a winery... I... I..."

"Hold on," Ji Huan interrupted him.

’Do you need to give your entire family history just to buy some condiments? It’s not like this is a match...’

Her gaze paused, landing on the young man’s beet-red cheeks and ears.

Seeing that look of first love dawning on his face, what was there not to understand? ’His intentions have nothing to do with the wine,’ as they say.

It was no wonder Ji Huan was slow on the uptake.

Despite her occasional vanity, her self-image was still stuck on the sallow, scrawny "bean sprout" she’d been when she first arrived in this world.

Aside from Song Jing, no other man had ever expressed any interest in her, and she didn’t think she was the type to attract admirers at sixteen.

Unexpectedly, she had attracted one—and a major headache at that.

’Doesn’t he know I’m already married? Or did I give him the wrong idea by not wearing my hair completely up?’

’He looks like he comes from a wealthy, well-mannered family. He’s probably never experienced any real setbacks... What a pity. He’s about to face the first one of his life.’

Just as Ji Huan was thinking about how to make things clear without hurting his feelings, an arm suddenly wrapped around her shoulder.

She froze, turning her head to look up.

It was Guan Shan.

Whether it was out of haste or by design, he wasn’t even wearing his usual bamboo hat this time.

The young man froze as well.

When he came to his senses, he started to stammer.

"He... he..."

He wanted to demand who this man who had appeared out of nowhere was, and why he was putting his hands on Ji Huan.

But everything about the man—from his scarred face to his brutish aura—inspired a fear deep in his heart.

Guan Shan lifted his gaze to sweep a glance over the young man, then immediately looked away, glaring coolly at Ji Huan. "Dabao is looking for you."

If Dabao were looking for her, he would have come to the front of the shop himself. He wouldn’t need someone else to deliver the message.

Ji Huan was skeptical.

Guan Shan didn’t elaborate.

The two had a battle of wills with their eyes for a moment, and Ji Huan was defeated.

"Alright, I’ll go see what Dabao wants..."

Before she went into the back courtyard, she glanced back over her shoulder.

The young man had finally mustered his courage. He clenched his fists and demanded of Guan Shan, "Who are you to her?"

Guan Shan raised his eyes and coolly uttered two words: "My wife."

This wasn’t the first time she had heard those words.

But for some reason, this time her heart gave a few inexplicable, frantic thumps.

Ji Huan didn’t watch any further and hurried into the back courtyard.

Later, she heard from Xu Laifu that when the young man left, his face was deathly pale and he looked completely dejected and crushed. She had no idea what Guan Shan had said to him.

"What did you say to him?" Ji Huan stared at Guan Shan, finally voicing her question.

She was genuinely curious.

Seeing that he couldn’t get away from her, Guan Shan simply stood his ground.

"You really want to know?"

Ji Huan nodded, and nodded again, her face a picture of sincerity.

"He asked me who Dabao was."

Ji Huan: "?"

"He asked if Dabao was our child."

Ji Huan: "???"

"Wh-what did you say?"

Guan Shan hummed in acknowledgment, lowering his eyes to look at her.

’What was that supposed to mean?’

"What on earth did you say..."

"I said," Guan Shan paused deliberately, "’Yes.’"

Ji Huan: "..."

Ji Huan felt her brain short-circuit for a moment.

Then, fueled by rage, it quickly rebooted.

"Hey!" She rolled up her sleeves. "You’ve got some nerve! You took advantage of two people at once with that!"

Guan Shan said unhurriedly, "I admit I took advantage of Dabao."

"Then why won’t you admit you took advantage of me? How old am I? How could I have a son Dabao’s age... No, that’s not the point. The point is, the point is you didn’t need to tell him any of that, right?"

"You’ve forgotten your place again. Ji Huan, you are my wife."

Guan Shan’s voice was low, and a hint of anger glinted in his deep-set eyes.

Ji Huan saw it, and her rebuttal inexplicably lost some of its fire. She didn’t dare to be too blunt.

She only mumbled, "You know perfectly well whether I am or not."

Guan Shan’s brow furrowed. "I know. It’s you who doesn’t."

Ji Huan didn’t like him using that commanding tone with her, and she couldn’t be bothered to play these word games with him.

"Anyway, the next time something like this happens, you don’t need to get involved. I can handle it myself.

And don’t try to control me with your male chauvinism. I’m not going to spend my life cooped up in the back courtyard. I like being out in public, so what about it?

I already promised you that I wouldn’t bring you any embarrassment while I’m your wife, and I’ll be sure to watch my words and actions. You can rest easy on that front. For everything else, it’s best we don’t interfere in each other’s business.

Also, I think you should change your way of thinking. Even if you were once a nobleman or a young master from a great house, that was all in the past. Now you’re just a village rustic. Have you ever seen a farming family demand their women stay hidden from public view? Do as the locals do, you understand? Stop being so particular. People have to accept reality."

After speaking, she shot Guan Shan a look.

She noticed he wasn’t scowling; even his earlier anger had vanished.

"I accept," Guan Shan nodded.

Ji Huan, on the other hand, was stunned. "Ac-accept what?"

"I accept my wife being out in public. I also accept that she doesn’t have to stay in the back courtyard. However..." Guan Shan paused, his cold, sharp gaze raking across her face, "everyone else needs to be able to tell at a single glance that she is my wife."

Ji Huan instinctively covered her face. ’Dude, are you going to carve words on my face?’

Just as she was grumbling internally, her body suddenly became weightless.

After a dizzying spin, she... she... she was being carried over Guan Shan’s shoulder!

Like a sack of potatoes!