139 The Fluff 1 (2/2)

”Mo-mother, why didn't you say anything when you enter the room? I wouldn't have troubled you to help me if I knew it was you,” an embarrassed Xiu Ling explained.

Mrs. Lin's smile grew bigger. ”It's okay, I don't mind.”

Clueless to what her mother-in-law was planning, Xiu Ling felt like it was better if she turned back to her cooking. At least, cooking would help her take her mind off things and help her focus.

Xiu Ling uncorked the bottle and poured a generous amount into the pot of stew. The wine evaporated when it came in contact with the heat, creating a delicious smell.

Mrs. Lin sidled close to Xiu Ling and sniffed at her cooking before adding her compliment, ”Xiu Ling, this smells wonderful. What are you cooking?”

”Beef stew, mother. I hope you'll be able to enjoy it.”

”I'm sure I will.” Mrs. Lin could be considered a newbie when it came to cooking. Her mother did not teach her growing up and not long after she married into Lin family, they had gotten rich enough to employ cooks and chefs so she did not have the reason to pick up cooking skill.

Watching her daughter-in-law move expertly in the kitchen, Mrs. Lin nodded satisfactorily and decided to use this topic as small talk before she could find the right opportunity to cut into the real reason why she was there.

Noticing the bottle of red wine Xiu Ling was still holding, Mrs. Lin asked, ”Xiu Ling, why did you pour such a large cup of red wine into the stew earlier? Isn't the wine used for drinking and not cooking?”

Xiu Ling was rather surprised by this question because her mother-in-law had never once shown interest in her cooking before, in fact Xiu Ling could count on her one hand the total number of times Mrs. Lin had entered the Lin family kitchen.

However, considering Mrs. Lin did not seem like she was there to create chaos, Xiu Ling did not mind sharing her knowledge in cooking. ”The red wine is used to tenderize the meat. The acidity in the alcohol will help break down the meat, making it easier for them to fall off the bones.”

”Is that so...” Mrs. Lin nodded with interest. She had learned something new that day, she was honestly quite surprised that her daughter-in-law was so knowledgeable in cooking. She had always assumed Xiu Ling was nothing more than a gold digger who was only eyeing her son's wealth. Looks like she really needed to fix her misunderstanding about Xiu Ling.