MGASC -Chapter 58 A Flutter of the Heart – His Wife Is Wonderful in Every Way

Especially Lin Xun. He looked steady and refined, the kind of child adults instinctively like at first glance. Principal Ma jokingly gave him a few questions, never expecting that Lin Xun would answer every single one smoothly and correctly.

Then he tested the second boy. Though the second didn’t answer as fluently as the eldest, his reactions were quick—clearly a smart, sharp kid.

Principal Ma couldn’t help but regard the three children even more highly. Turning to Lin Tianyue, he praised him repeatedly for raising them so well.

Lin Tianyue’s dark face flushed slightly. He glanced at Zhang Qiao and said a little sheepishly, “I don’t really have that kind of ability. It’s my wife who’s taught them well.”

“Is that so?” Principal Ma said in delighted surprise, turning to Zhang Qiao.

She was so young—barely looking twenty—that she didn’t resemble someone with three sons at all. Principal Ma recalled what Chen Gang had mentioned before: she was their stepmother.

For a stepmother to care so much about the children—that spoke volumes about her character.

So Principal Ma patted Lin Xun’s head again and sighed with feeling, “Your father found you a wonderful mother. That’s truly your good fortune.”

The three kids didn’t think much of it. After all, they had already acknowledged Auntie Qiao in their hearts.

But when Lin Tianyue heard those words, something in his chest burned hot all of a sudden. Even the way he looked at Zhang Qiao subtly changed.

In the past, people never spoke like this.

He couldn’t even remember how many times he’d been told he was muddleheaded—usually so shrewd and capable, yet suffering a loss when it came to women.

Everyone believed Zhang Qiao wasn’t the kind of woman suited to running a home. On the contrary, they thought she was a pretty-faced disaster, an ungrateful white-eyed wolf who could never be warmed, someone bound to run away sooner or later.

And Lin Tianyue himself had only ever intended to take responsibility for the child in her belly.

So when did everything change?

Even Lin Tianyue couldn’t quite explain it.

But there was no doubt—this change, this version of her, was like a beam of light breaking in through a window. From that moment on, every corner of the house became brighter.

Including his heart.

For a moment, Lin Tianyue’s emotions surged.

When he got worked up, he never knew what to say.

So he turned around and went back to helping in the kitchen. After the chef finished preparing all the dishes, Lin Tianyue called Zhang Qiao over and asked her to teach him how to make that pickled fish dish—suan cai yu.

He had thought it would be time-consuming, but to his surprise, the process was simpler than he’d imagined.

Stir-fry the pickled vegetables, add broth and bring it to a boil, then slide in the fish slices. After just a few minutes, once the fish turned white as it rolled in the pot, the dish was done.

The only downside was that it used quite a bit of oil. After transferring the fish to a large bowl, they sprinkled minced garlic and chopped scallions on top, and Zhang Qiao poured over a generous ladle of hot oil.

That much oil would have been enough for the family to use for several days.

But with a loud sizzle and crackle, the aroma of the fish burst forth completely, mingling with the distinctive sour-and-spicy scent of the pickled vegetables. Just smelling it made one’s mouth water.

Lin Tianyue carried the entire bowl of pickled fish to the table.

After eating pork knuckle, stewed chicken, and braised pork earlier, everyone was already feeling a bit greasy. Now, catching a whiff of that sour, spicy fragrance, it felt instantly refreshing.

Especially Yingzi.

She knew Zhang Qiao had invited her to eat fish today. Earlier, she’d seen that small basin of fish slices in the kitchen and wondered what it would turn into. She never imagined it would become such an enticing dish.

“Sister-in-law, is this the pickled fish you mentioned? The fish slices look so tender—and it smells amazing,” Yingzi said, chopsticks in hand, clearly eager to try.

Zhang Qiao smiled warmly. “Yes, this is the pickled fish I was talking about. Come on, everyone, have a taste. The kids used to dislike fish because of the smell, so I worked out this method. I’m not sure how successful it is, so today I’ll make a fool of myself and let everyone be my taste testers.”

As she spoke, she took a pair of clean chopsticks and put some fish into each person’s bowl, ladling in a bit of the broth as well.

Yingzi was impatient by nature and took the first bite. After just one mouthful, her eyes lit up. “Wow! Sister-in-law, how did you make this? The fish isn’t fishy at all, and it’s so tender. Sour and spicy—it’s really delicious!”

With her acting as the first guinea pig, everyone else followed suit.

Even the three kids, who normally didn’t like fish, couldn’t resist taking a bite after hearing all the praise.

The result: everyone was full of compliments for the dish.

Lin Jin said, “Auntie Qiao, why is the fish you make so fragrant? It’s not fishy and not smelly at all—doesn’t make people want to throw up even a little!”

Lin Xun quickly kicked him under the table. This kid really didn’t know how to save their dad’s face.

Lin Ran said, “This is the best fish I’ve ever eaten. Uncle Ma, what do you think?”

Principal Ma found the fish exceptionally tender, the soup delicious and very good with rice. “Mm, it really is quite good.”

Lin Ran added, “Then Uncle Ma, you should eat more. You don’t know—this fish was specially saved by Auntie Qiao just for you. She planned to show off her skills when you came. Normally, we don’t even get to eat it.”

Lin Xun thought to himself: the second kid is really the best at flattering people.

He definitely couldn’t say something like that.

Chen Gang also praised the fish, then shot Lin Tianyue an envious look and nudged him. “Brother Yue, with sister-in-law’s cooking being this good, you’ll be blessed in the future.”

As he spoke, he poked Yingzi too. “So when are you going to learn from sister-in-law?”

Yingzi smiled sweetly at Zhang Qiao. “That depends on whether sister-in-law is willing to teach me.”

Zhang Qiao shot Chen Gang a sidelong glance. “Yingzi, don’t spoil him. If he wants to eat it, let him come learn and cook it for you himself!”

In truth, Zhang Qiao had her own plans.

Inviting everyone over today served two purposes. First, to host them and deepen her relationships with friends. Second, to test whether everyone could get used to the taste of pickled fish.

She came from the economically prosperous, internet-savvy 21st century, and as an online blogger who loved trying new things, she had tasted and tried just about everything.

But in the environment she was in now, information was still relatively limited. Even the method for making pickled fish—she knew it, others didn’t. That in itself was an information gap.

If used well, it might just turn into a way to make money.

She certainly wasn’t going to miss such an opportunity, so she brushed the topic off with a few casual remarks.

Judging by the result, even without ready-made pickled fish seasoning, the dish was still a success. A whole basin of fish became the star of the meal, and by the end, even the soup was completely finished.

As the hostess, Zhang Qiao naturally felt a great sense of accomplishment.

However—

In stark contrast to the lively scene at the Lin household, Wang Yan’s parents, who had been running around day and night for their daughter’s sake, were now utterly exhausted and disheartened.

They simply couldn’t understand it. Even if their daughter had given up on herself, how could she have stooped to being involved with a man like Wang Mingqing—someone who was already engaged?

How did the two of them end up in the same bed, and even get accused of hooliganism?

The elderly couple spent the entire night pulling strings and seeking connections, yet they couldn’t even see their daughter. Overnight, they seemed to have gained many more white hairs.

Just as they returned home, they heard bursts of laughter and cheerful voices coming from across the way.

The feeling was like knives stabbing straight into their hearts.