Siheyuan: I am the God of Cooking, and all the birds are crying with envy!

The night was like a thick, impenetrable black curtain, covering the city heavily and wantonly, as if it would swallow up all the light and hope in the world.

There were only a few sparse and extremely weak moonlight, which seemed to have exhausted all its strength to penetrate the layers of clouds with difficulty, and sparingly cast down a few dim and lifeless light and shadows, as if just to prove that the darkness was not completely impenetrable.

He Yuzhu hummed a tuneless and disjointed little song and walked into the house with light steps as if the wind was blowing.

His face was filled with joy at the booming restaurant business, and his excitement was just like that of a lucky man who had just won a huge lottery.

Even his eyes were unabashedly flashing with bright and dazzling light, as if his entire body was emitting an aura of complacency.

Inside the house, the dim light seemed even weaker and powerless against the backdrop of the depressing night, as if most of the light had been swallowed up by the boundless darkness, leaving only a few lingering rays of light, barely maintaining a slight visibility in the house.

Xu Xinyue was like a solidified statue frozen in time, sitting there quietly, motionless.

In her hands she tightly grasped an unfinished sweater. Under the dim light, the wool of the sweater looked increasingly dull, as if it had lost all its color and vitality.

Her eyes were fixed straight on the door, and her gaze seemed to have some kind of penetrating magic, as if it could see through the tightly closed door. There was a hint of coldness in her eyes.

Just like the biting cold wind whistling outside the window, it can penetrate straight into people's hearts and make people feel chilled from the bones.

"Come back so late?"

Xu Xinyue was the first to break the suffocating silence. Her voice was not loud, but it felt like it was squeezed out from between her teeth.

Every word was filled with a hint of coldness, seeming particularly abrupt in this deathly silent room, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly breaking the original tranquility.

"There's a lot going on in the restaurant today, as you know. I'm discussing with Xiao'e how to expand our customer base."

He Yuzhu answered casually while taking off his coat nonchalantly. His mind seemed to still be on the restaurant business. He didn't notice his wife's face, which was so gloomy that it seemed like water could drip out of it, and the surging emotions that were about to erupt under her calm appearance.

"Lou Xiao'e, Lou Xiao'e, could you please stop mentioning her?"

Xu Xinyue was like a powder keg that was instantly ignited. She stood up suddenly and her knee accidentally hit the table hard. The teacup on the table was shaken a few times by the sudden vibration, making a slight collision sound, as if it was a weak protest in this tense atmosphere.

The knitting needles in my hand were also knocked to the ground, making a crisp "ding ding" sound, which seemed particularly harsh in this quiet and almost dead atmosphere, as if it was a sharp alarm that broke the silent night sky.

When He Yuzhu heard the sudden roar and noise, his body involuntarily jolted, and only then did he realize that his wife's mood was not right.

He frowned slightly, with a hint of confusion on his face, as if he was puzzled by his wife's reaction: "What's wrong?

What's wrong with me doing this for her? She has contributed a lot to the restaurant's success."

"Help? I see you two are together all day, are the restaurant's affairs more important than this family?"

Xu Xinyue's eyes turned red instantly, as if a thin layer of mist quickly spread out, blurring her vision.

Her voice trembled with excitement, with a barely perceptible cry in it. The sound was like the helpless cry of a wounded animal in the dark, which made people feel pity.

"Can you please stop being unreasonable? She and I are just business partners, nothing is wrong."

He Yuzhu's voice involuntarily rose a few notches, with obvious impatience on his face. He raised his hand and scratched his head irritably, with a hint of unconcealable irritation in his eyes, as if he felt extremely dissatisfied and aggrieved by his wife's questioning.

"Clear and innocent? Do you think I'm blind? You went home and fell asleep immediately, and when you woke up you ran to the restaurant. How could you say anything to me?

Now, all he talks about is Lou Xiaoe!"

Xu Xinyue's tears finally burst out, surging down like a flood that broke through the dam, flowing freely on her cheeks that were full of grievance and anger.

She rushed to He Yuzhu in a few steps and stared into his eyes. It seemed as if her eyes could see through him, as if she wanted to find out his truest thoughts deep in his heart from his eyes, without missing a single detail.

He Yuzhu felt a little guilty when being stared at, like a child caught doing something wrong. He unconsciously avoided his wife's gaze, looking away with his eyes wandering, still mumbling: "Isn't this for our family to live a better life? Why don't you understand?"

"I don't understand? If you really want to do good for this family, you should keep your distance from her!"

Xu Xinyue choked up as she spoke, each word seeming to be squeezed out with difficulty from the depths of her throat, as if every word took up all her strength.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her body was shaking with excitement, like a blade of grass struggling tenaciously in a violent storm, fragile and helpless, as if it could be uprooted by the merciless storm at any time.

"Keep your distance? What about the restaurant? It's a critical time for development now. Without her, can you take over those things?"

He Yuzhu's brows were furrowed into a deep "川" shape, and there was a hint of suppressed anger in his voice, as if the rage in his heart was about to burst out.

He waved his hands in the air, as if to emphasize the seriousness of the matter, trying to make his wife understand the importance of Lou Xiao'e to the restaurant business.

"I know that in your heart I am just a housewife who knows nothing and cannot compare to your Lou Xiao'e!"

Xu Xinyue closed her eyes in despair, tears streaming down her cheeks, sparkling with crystal light under the dim light, that light seemed like her broken heart crying silently.

Her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only let out a faint sob, as if all the words were drowned out by the endless sadness and despair.

"Can you please stop being so picky? She and I don't have anything like what you think!"

He Yuzhu paced back and forth in the room in annoyance, and every step he took seemed to be stepping heavily on his wife's already broken heart.

His hands kept rubbing his hair, making the originally neat hair messy, and the expression on his face became more and more anxious and helpless, as if he was trapped in a dilemma from which he could not escape.

"No such thing? Look at yourself now, your soul is almost seduced away by her!"

Xu Xinyue stretched out her finger and pointed it directly at He Yuzhui. Her fingers were trembling slightly because of anger, like branches shivering in the cold wind, as if they would be broken by the biting wind in the next second.

Her eyes were filled with anger and disappointment, as if the man in front of her had become strange and distant, no longer the husband she once knew and loved.

"enough!"

He Yuzhu roared suddenly, and the sound exploded in the room like thunder, making people's eardrums hurt.

His face turned red with anger, and the veins on his forehead bulged, like angry little snakes, crawling on his skin, as if trying to release all the anger in his heart.

"I'm busy outside every day, and when I come home I have to listen to you making such a fuss. Will you ever stop?"

Xu Xinyue seemed to be shocked by the roar. Her body trembled violently. She stared at He Yuzhu blankly, her eyes full of astonishment and fear, as if she couldn't believe that the person in front of her who was roaring at her was actually her husband.

She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out for a long time. Her lips were trembling slightly, as if all language was frozen at this moment.

The room fell into deathly silence for a moment. It was so quiet that one could hear the two people's heavy breathing intertwined together, as if it was the suffocating calm before the storm. The air was filled with tension and depression.

After a while, He Yuzhu was like a deflated ball. He took a deep breath and slowly slowed down his tone.

He walked to Xu Xinyue and gently held her hands. Her hands were icy cold due to excitement, as if they were a piece of ice without temperature.

"Xinyue, I know I have neglected you during this period, but I really have no other thoughts about Lou Xiaoe.

The restaurant is our livelihood, and I just want to run it well so that you and the kids can live a good life."

Xu Xinyue sobbed and did not respond.

Her body trembled slightly, and her tears continued to flow, wetting He Yuzhu's hand holding hers, as if those tears were the release of the unspeakable pain in her heart.

He Yuzhu sat down beside her, gently hugged her in his arms, and patted her back gently like coaxing a child, trying to comfort her injured heart in this way: "I will pay attention in the future, spend more time with you and the children, and try not to bring the restaurant's affairs home, okay?"

Xu Xinyue shook off his hand abruptly, with a hint of doubt in her eyes: "You say it well, but can you do it?"

"Yes, I can. I will tell Lou Xiao'e tomorrow to stop talking about the restaurant at home and try to come back earlier."

He Yuzhu looked at his wife, his eyes full of sincerity and determination, as if he was swearing to her. Every word he said was powerful, hoping that his wife would trust him again.

Xu Xinyue was silent for a long time, as if she was thinking about whether He Yuzhu's words were credible.

Finally, she nodded gently and said weakly: "I believe you this time, but if you disappoint me again..."

"No, absolutely not."

He Yuzhu once again hugged his wife in his arms and held her tightly, as if he wanted to make up for what he had owed her during this period of time.

There was a hint of guilt and determination in his eyes, as if at this moment he truly realized the importance of family and understood how much harm his previous negligence had brought to his wife.

Outside the window, the night is still dark, and the boundless darkness seems to swallow up the city completely, leaving no trace.

The turmoil in the house has temporarily subsided, but He Yuzhu knows that the scars in his wife's heart cannot be healed overnight. To repair the rift between him and his wife and regain the trust and warmth they once had, there is still a long way to go...

He looked at the endless darkness outside the window and secretly vowed to balance the relationship between family and career in the future, never let such a thing happen again, and protect this family with his own actions.

As the days go by, He Yuzhu works hard to fulfill his promise.

Every morning, before the first ray of sunlight fully illuminates the earth, he gets up early, tiptoes into the kitchen, and prepares breakfast for his wife and children.

Although his cooking skills were not as good as those of experienced chefs in restaurants, he was very attentive. Every fried egg was fried golden and crispy, every slice of bread was toasted to perfection, and every glass of milk was heated to the right temperature.

At the dinner table, he would chat with his wife about their children's studies and the trivial things happening among the neighbors, trying to make the atmosphere at home warmer and trying to regain the family warmth that he had once neglected.

After going to the restaurant, he also tried his best to avoid being alone with Lou Xiao'e for too long.

When he needs to discuss business matters, he will deliberately choose a public office area and try to solve the problem concisely, no longer discussing details for a long time as before.

Lou Xiao'e seemed to have noticed the changes in He Yuzhu. She did not ask many questions, but just cooperated more at work. The cooperation between the two was still smooth, but the sense of closeness that once made Xu Xinyue feel uneasy gradually disappeared, and was replaced by a pure working partnership.

However, life is always full of unexpected surprises.

One day, the restaurant suddenly encountered a problem with the food supplier. The other party suddenly raised the price without any warning, which gave He Yuzhu a headache.

After learning about this, Lou Xiao'e took the initiative to propose to go to the supplier to negotiate with He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu hesitated for a moment, and his wife's face and his own promise flashed through his mind, but thinking of the restaurant's interests, he finally gritted his teeth and agreed.

They spent a long time with the supplier and after some intense bargaining, they finally succeeded in solving the problem.

When they walked out of the supplier's office, it was already dark. Lou Xiaoe looked at her watch and said with a smile, "It's really not easy today. It's so late. Let's have a meal together to celebrate our successful solution to the problem."

He Yuzhu quickly waved his hand and refused: "No, I promised Xinyue to go home early."

Lou Xiao'e nodded slightly, with an understanding smile on her face: "I understand, then you should go back quickly and don't let her wait anxiously."

He Yuzhu hurried home and as soon as he opened the door, he saw Xu Xinyue sitting in the living room, staring straight at the door.

His heart tightened, and he quickly explained: "Xinyue, something happened in the restaurant today. Lou Xiaoe and I went to deal with it. We came back late. I'm sorry."

Xu Xinyue didn't say anything, just looked at him quietly.

He Yuzhu walked up to her nervously, sat down and said, "We really just went there to discuss business, and came back after the discussion. We didn't do anything else."

Xu Xinyue sighed softly: "I know, I'm just a little worried that you will go back to your old ways."

He Yuzhu held her hand and said, "No, I promised you, and I will do it.

This is a special case, I will pay more attention in the future."

Since then, He Yuzhu has been more careful to maintain a balance between family and career.

After work, he would take his wife and children to the park for a walk to feel the beauty and tranquility of nature;

Xu Xinyue gradually put aside her doubts and felt the warmth and happiness of her family again. She saw He Yuzhu's efforts and changes and began to trust him more.

As time went by, the restaurant business grew better and better, and the family became more and more harmonious.

However, the trajectory of life did not develop in the direction he expected...