The heavens set sail from the courtyard

Wang Gang drove back to Manny's apartment, arriving at exactly noon.

Manny didn't leave the house all morning. She called the bar staff to tell them that she wouldn't be coming over today and asked them to keep an eye on the bar.

With nothing to do, Manny cleaned the house. She was in a state of mental turmoil and didn't want her body to stop moving.

When Wang Gang arrived, Manny was mopping the floor and was taken aback when she saw him.

"You came so early?"

"I came straight over after helping Mi Lai move," Wang Gang said, putting down his car keys. "Have you had lunch yet?"

Manny, holding the mop, said, "Not yet. I'm going to grab something to eat after I finish cleaning."

Wang Gang asked, "Is there any food in the refrigerator?"

Manny thought for a moment and said, "There are tomatoes and potatoes!"

Wang Gang rolled up his sleeves and said, "Okay, I'll cook. We'll have something to eat soon."

Manny asked suspiciously, "You can cook?"

Wang Gang laughed and said, "You keep mopping the floor, don't worry about me."

After saying that, Wang Gang went straight into the kitchen.

Manny's refrigerator is quite large, but unfortunately it doesn't contain much food; it only has tomatoes, potatoes, and eggs.

Wang Gang planned to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes and stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar, just enough to get by.

He first took out the tomatoes and potatoes and soaked them in the sink, then rinsed the rice and steamed it.

Manny stared in disbelief at the busy figures in the kitchen.

Wang Gang put the washed rice into the rice cooker to cook. Seeing Manny standing there blankly, he said, "Are you done mopping the floor?"

"Oh!"

Manny then realized what was happening, picked up the mop and continued mopping the floor, but she still kept stealing glances at Wang Gang in the kitchen.

Soon the sound of stir-frying came from the kitchen. By the time Manny finished what she was doing, Wang Gang had already put the scrambled eggs with tomatoes on the table.

"So fast?" Manny looked at the delicious-looking tomato and chicken stir-fry and couldn't help but swallow.

Manny had only had some thin porridge in the morning and was busy cleaning, so she was really hungry.

A few minutes later, Wang Gang brought out the stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar and said, "Dinner is ready."

“I’ll serve the rice,” Manny said eagerly.

Wang Gang smiled and took out two more bottles of Coke from the refrigerator.

Manny quickly scooped out two bowls of rice and eagerly picked up her chopsticks to take a bite of scrambled eggs.

"Hmm, it actually tastes pretty good."

The scrambled eggs, soaked in broth, not only had a sweet and sour flavor that whetted the appetite, but also a fluffy and soft texture, which immediately made Manny's appetite soar.

"Delicious." Manny shoveled a big mouthful of rice into her mouth.

Wang Gang opened a can of Coke, placed it next to Manny, and said, "You should keep more food in the refrigerator. It's not healthy to always eat out."

As Manny ate, she said, "I live alone, and my cooking skills are just average, so I'm usually too lazy to cook."

Wang Gang reminded him, "Eat slowly, be careful not to choke."

As Manny mixed scrambled eggs with tomatoes and rice, she said, "I never expected a grown man like you to be such a good cook!"

Wang Gang picked up his chopsticks and said, "Don't you know that most of the world's best chefs are men?"

With rice in her mouth, Manny said, "How about you cook for me from now on? I'll pay you a salary."

Wang Gang laughed and said, "I'm very expensive, you can't afford me."

Manny said, "Don't you know I'm about to inherit a huge fortune? At least a billion or more, surely I can afford to hire you?"

Wang Gang asked, "Are you really planning to accept this inheritance?" Manny pouted and said, "Why wouldn't I want it? If I don't accept it, wouldn't that woman be getting it for nothing?"

Wang Gang asked, puzzled, "Didn't you say that woman left with nothing after the divorce?"

Manny said, "She's still taking care of the old man in the hospital. I don't want the inheritance; the old man will definitely give it to her."

Upon hearing this, Wang Gang said to Manny, "It seems you don't want to forgive your aunt."

Manny slammed down her chopsticks and said coldly, "How could I possibly forgive her? If it weren't for her, I would still have a happy family now."

Wang Gang shook his head and didn't try to persuade Manny to let go of her hatred. After all, it's hard for outsiders to truly understand the pain unless it's happening to them personally.

"Now that you've inherited such a large sum of money, what are your plans for the future?" Wang Gang changed the subject.

“I don’t know,” Manny sighed. “To be honest, the old man handed the company over to me, and I don’t know how to manage it.”

Wang Gang laughed and said, "Then sell it! With the money, you can travel the world and live a carefree life."

Manny laughed and said, "Traveling around the world sounds pretty good!"

Wang Gang asked, "What's the place you most want to go?"

Manny thought for a moment and said, "Paris, France! I've always wanted to go. Isn't Paris the city of romance?"

Wang Gang said, "If you want, I can go with you to have some fun. I know the place well!"

Manny scoffed, "You've never been abroad, have you? What are you talking about?"

Wang Gang laughed and said, "Don't you believe me? I can also speak French."

Manny exclaimed in surprise, "Really?"

Wang Gang directly said a sentence in French: "C'est d'abord l'amour qui te fait oublier l'heure, puis le temps qui te fait oublier l'amour."

Manny's mouth dropped open in surprise, and she asked incredulously, "You really know how? What do you mean by that?"

Wang Gang laughed and said, "First, love makes you forget time, then time makes you forget love."

Manny paused, lowered her head slightly, and picked at the shredded potatoes with her chopsticks, asking, "When did you learn French? You speak it very well. Have you been studying it for a long time?"

Wang Gang said, "I became interested in less commonly taught languages ​​in college, so I tried to learn them on my own."

Manny's gaze burned as she said, "I didn't expect you to be so talented! You're a real gem! If I were a few years younger, I definitely wouldn't let you go!"

Wang Gang said, "It's not too late now!"

Manny paused, then quickly regained her composure and said, "I've long been disillusioned with marriage. I'll never get married and have children in this lifetime. You should focus your attention on other women! We're fine as we are now."

Wang Gang neither agreed nor disagreed, but put a piece of shredded potato into Manny's bowl.

"Let's eat quickly, didn't you have an appointment with the lawyer this afternoon?"

"We made an appointment for three o'clock, so there's still plenty of time."

The two ate in silence, neither of them speaking. Wang Gang's cooking completely won over Manny's stomach. She finished both dishes clean, and even used the last bit of sauce from the tomato and egg stir-fry to mix with her rice, eating two large bowls of rice.

After dinner, Wang Gang washed the dishes, while Manny lay sprawled on the sofa, too full to move.

When Wang Gang finished washing the dishes and came out, he found Manny asleep on the sofa, probably because she was really tired.

Wang Gang checked the time and told Manny to take a nap, then woke her up after 2 a.m.

After getting up, Manny changed her clothes and then went to the hospital with Wang Gang.

On the way, the lawyer she had arranged to meet called to say that she had arrived and was waiting in the ward.

The two walked together to the door of the ward, but Manny suddenly stopped, seemingly uneasy and hesitant to go in.

Wang Gang held Manny's hand and said, "Don't worry, I'll stay by your side."

Manny suddenly relaxed, feeling incredibly at peace. It seemed that as long as Wang Gang was there, she feared nothing. (End of Chapter)