After returning home, Yin Zhao-an began to prepare lunch. The fridge was well-stocked, so it was entirely up to her discretion what she could make for lunch.
Considering Tang Yu's condition, Yin Zhao-an made mostly light dishes, but not too bland.
Some time ago, Yin Zhao-an had brought Tang Yu to the hospital for an examination as promised. After looking at the results, the doctor said to Yin Zhao-an, "Her gastritis is genetic and cannot be cured, but she just needs to pay more attention to her daily life, maintain a regular diet, and avoid eating foods that are overly greasy and meaty. It's also best if she avoids spicy food altogether.
"Maintain healthy eating habits, and there's nothing to worry about."
"This isn't a very serious case. The hospital has seen quite a few patients with hereditary gastritis living all the way to the age of 70 or 80 without their disease ever worsening. So long as she maintains healthy eating habits, there won't be anything to worry about."
Thus, Yin Zhao-an volunteered to ensure Tang Yu ate healthily.
Meanwhile, Tang Yu couldn't be more delighted that she could enjoy home-cooked meals without having to lift a finger. When she saw Yin Zhao-an putting on an apron and busily moving around in the kitchen, she couldn't help but find this situation a little amusing. After all, the Yin Zhao-an in her previous life had never set foot into the kitchen…
The kitchen hood kept working, emitting a droning sound. Suddenly, Yin Zhao-an heard her phone's ringtone coming from the living room. After looking at the vegetables she was in the middle of stir-frying, she turned and shouted to the living room, "Tang Tang, can you answer the phone for me?"
Tang Yu grabbed the phone lying on the sofa. When she saw the caller ID flashing on the screen, she hesitated momentarily, wondering whether to answer it. After a brief thought, she walked into the kitchen with the phone, connected the call, and placed the phone by Yin Zhao-an's ear.
Yin Zhao-an frowned as she listened to the complaints of the person on the other end of the phone. Throughout this time, her hands never stopped moving, adding salt and stirring when needed. She would also occasionally respond with a few words. At the end of the conversation, Yin Zhao-an said, "That won't do. I have to get Tang-Tang's opinion."
Tang Yu was puzzled by these words. Then, she heard Yin Zhao-an whispering, "Zhao Yu wants to mooch a meal off us."
Yin Zhao-an gestured for Tang Yu to speak to Zhao Yu herself. Tang Yu hesitated for a moment, then took the phone out of the living room and patiently listened to repeat his lengthy rant.
…
When Zhao Yu arrived, Yin Zhao-an had just brought the dishes out of the kitchen. She raised her eyebrows and smiled smugly, "What's up? Are you home alone today?"
After saying hello to Tang Yu, Zhao Yu slumped on the sofa, scratching his messy short hair as he said, "I feel like my dad is just crazy. I'm not one of his soldiers, yet he keeps putting on that dead-serious look in front of me for no reason."
Tang Yu and Yin Zhao-an exchanged a glance, both keenly aware that something was wrong with Zhao Yu's mood. As Yin Zhao-an was more familiar with Zhao Yu, she was the first one to speak, saying, "Did your dad give you a scolding?"
Zhao Yu shook his head, covering his face with both hands, feeling a little uncomfortable.
Yin Zhao-an pulled out a chair at the dining table for Tang Yu to sit on and then took her own seat. Despite his downcast mood, Zhao Yu still heard the sound of chairs moving, so he took the initiative to walk over to the dining table and serve himself some rice.
After finding himself a seat at the table, Zhao Yu began picking at his foot with small bits while saying in a muffled voice, "My dad... He found out that I was playing games."
In the meantime, Yin Zhao-an scooped a bowl of rice for Tang Yu and served it to her. Then, as she was scooping a bowl of soup for Tang Yu, she asked, "Oh? And then what happened?"
"He beat me up," Zhao Yu replied, his voice trembling.
Yin Zhao-an's hand trembled, almost spilling the bowl of soup she was holding.
"You're already a grown-up, yet he's still using physical violence?"
Even Tang Yu frowned when she heard about Zhao Yu's experience, but when she remembered how Zhao Yu had been brutally beaten by his father when he came out of the closet in her previous life, she suddenly felt that it wasn't so strange that Zhao Yu's father would act in such a manner.
"Yeah." Zhao Yu kept his head down, his voice sounding strange.
Noticing Zhao Yu's abnormal behavior, Yin Zhao-an asked, "What happened to your face?"
Zhao Yu kept his head down and remained silent, shaking his head and refusing to say anything.
Tang Yu didn't know if Zhao Yu was fortunate or unfortunate to be born into a military family, especially the family of a general. If Zhao Yu chose to join the military or politics in the future, he was bound to have a smooth sailing life ahead of him.
However, Zhao Yu's family was too cold, so cold that he could not feel any warmth or love from it.
No one broke the silence, and the only sound at the dining table was the clattering of chopsticks and porcelain bowls.
After lunch, Yin Zhao-an dutifully cleared the dishes, and Tang Yu sat on the sofa with Zhao Yu, watching an old movie that had been released a long time ago.
"Does Doctor Gao know about this?" Tang Yu pretended to speak casually but still paid attention to Zhao Yu's reaction through her peripheral vision.
Tang Yu's words stunned Zhao Yu, and he lowered his head even more.
Tang Yu originally thought Zhao Yu wouldn't give her an answer, but after a while, she heard Zhao Yu saying in a lowered voice, "He would worry..." Thus, it was better for him to bear all the sadness and hardship by himself.
Perceiving Zhao Yu's emotional changes, Tang Yu widened his eyes slightly, a look of disbelief appearing on her face.
"You two…are together now?"
Zhao Yu didn't think he needed to hide this from Tang Yu, especially since it was well-known that Tang Yu and Yin Zhao-an were together, so he nodded without hiding anything.
When Tang Yu saw Zhao Yu's nod of affirmation, she lost her breath and covered her heart in disbelief.
This… Isn't the butterfly effect a little too incredible?!
In Tang Yu's previous life, the turning point of Zhao Yu's relationship with Gao Rang happened in his third year of high school. Because he didn't choose the major his family hoped for, he was beaten and hospitalized by his angry father. The doctor in charge of him happened to be Gao Rang.