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Yang Chen brought Tai Man into the house, which had two rooms, both of them impeccably clean, indicating that Tai Man's mother was a person who valued cleanliness.
"Leader, you must be hungry too, right? I'll go make you something to eat so you can try my cooking," Yang Chen said.
Tai Man was indeed a bit hungry and looked at Yang Chen with skepticism. "You can cook?"
"When I was a child, my parents would often go up the mountain to gather herbs, so I would prepare the meals in advance for their return. After I started working in the county, I also cooked for myself. My skills are no worse than those of professional chefs," Yang Chen replied as he began to get busy.
Tai Man followed behind the limping Yang Chen and asked, "You only mentioned your mother; what about your father?"
Yang Chen stopped and turned around to say, "My father passed away when I was in middle school. He fell off a mountain while gathering herbs and was pierced in the stomach by a branch."
It was also for this reason that Yang Chen always reminded his mother not to go up the mountain.
Tai Man didn't expect that Yang Chen lost his father during middle school and apologized, "I'm sorry for bringing up your sad memories."
"It's been so long; it's fine," Yang Chen replied.
He went to the vegetable garden to pick some fresh vegetables and rummaged through the fridge to find a fish that had been frozen for who knows how long, along with some meat, which he took to the kitchen to clean.
Feeling a bit awkward just standing there, Tai Man asked, "Is there anything I can help with?"
"Do you know how to cook?"
"No!" Tai Man answered decisively.
"Then it's better if you don't cause any trouble. Do you usually eat out?"
Tai Man nodded.
Yang Chen was cleaning fish scales while saying, "If I had known I would be cooking, I would have called you. From now on, I'll give you a call when I cook. If the boss doesn't mind, you can have a bite too."
"Well, I need to see how good your cooking is first. I'm quite picky about food," Tai Man replied.
After tasting the dishes made by Yang Chen, Tai Man realized that this guy's cooking skills were indeed impressive; he wasn't exaggerating.
As Yang Chen ate, he said, "It's a pity the fish and meat aren't fresh; otherwise, the taste would be even better. But all the vegetables are organic, so you should eat more."
Perhaps it was because Tai Man was starving after a long journey or maybe because Yang Chen's dishes were simply delicious, but she finished two small bowls of rice before putting down her chopsticks and complained, "It's all your fault; eating like this will make me gain weight."
"We don't eat like this every day. Or do you want to eat like this every day?" Yang Chen teased.
Tai Man immediately changed her expression and said sternly, "Yang Chen, have I been too nice to you? I've never met such a boundary-less secretary."
"That's only because you're so kind and approachable. If it were another boss, I wouldn't dare. Have some more soup," Yang Chen replied.
Just then, Yang Chen's mother entered the yard with a basket on her back and hurried into the house after setting it down.
"Xiao Chen, why didn't you call ahead when you came back?" his mother complained happily.
Yang Chen pouted and joined in the complaint, "If I had called ahead, how would I know you secretly went up the mountain to gather herbs again?"
"I was just bored at home and went for a walk in the mountains with your aunt," Mother Yang said. Only then did she notice there was someone else present and exclaimed in surprise, "Son, this is..."
"I'm her friend," Tai Man quickly interjected, not wanting Mother Yang to know she was the county magistrate to avoid any awkwardness.
"Your girlfriend!" Mother Yang exclaimed excitedly as she slapped her thigh. "That's wonderful! Our Chen has grown up and brought home a girlfriend! When are you two planning to get married?"
"Eh?!"
"Ah?!"
Tai Man and Yang Chen were both stunned.
Yang Chen came to his senses and pulled his excited mother aside. "Mom, can you please not add extra words? They said 'friend,' not 'girlfriend.'"
"Not a girlfriend?" Mother Yang looked a bit disappointed. "That's okay, it's not like you can't be together after a while. Young lady, if my son didn't like you, he wouldn't have brought you home. And if you didn't like my son, you wouldn't have come to our house, right? So you two should just be together."
Cough...
Yang Chen coughed a few times from choking on his own words and quickly stopped his mother from speaking further. "Mom, please don't embarrass me. She really isn't my girlfriend and she won't become my girlfriend. She's my superior; she's the county magistrate of Hualin County."
"County... magistrate!" For Mother Yang, the county magistrate was a big official, and she became nervous and stuttered. "You... you're Xiao Chen's superior? Please... have a seat. I misspoke earlier; please don't hold it against me and don't let it affect Xiao Chen."
"It's fine, Auntie. I'm just here to take a look around the countryside this time; you don't have to treat me as the county magistrate, just think of me as Yang Chen's ordinary friend. Auntie, you haven't eaten yet, right? The dishes are still warm."
Once Mother Yang learned about the magistrate's identity, she became noticeably more tense and reserved. "I'll go wash my hands first; you sit down."
As she left, Mother Yang pulled Yang Chen aside and scolded him in the kitchen: "Why didn't you tell me in advance that you were bringing the magistrate home? If we neglect her, won't it affect your future? Should I notify the village chief to have them welcome her?"
"No need; our magistrate is very nice. She's just here to take a stroll around."
During dinner, Mother Yang cautiously asked, "Magistrate, are you leaving today?"
"Auntie, just call me Tai Man. I still need to head back to the county later."
Yang Chen said, "Let's not go back today. Otherwise, it will be too late by the time we get to the county. Besides, I told my mom that I wouldn't leave tonight, so let me spend more time with her."
"I can go back by myself. You can take a taxi back to the county tomorrow," she replied.
"That won't do," Mother Yang opposed. "It takes several hours to get to the county from here, and the mountain roads are not easy to navigate. If something happens, it would be terrible. Yang Chen, you should accompany the county head back."
"Mom!" Yang Chen grabbed his mother's arm. "I haven't come back to see you in such a long time. If I just come back for a little while and then leave, that would be too unfilial!"
Tai Man looked speechless; this guy was putting on an act with him. "Then I'll just stay for one night. I see the room next door is empty; I'll stay in the small room beside it."
"That's Xiao Chen's room. I clean it every day. I'll find you a new bed later."
After Yang Chen got his way, he stood up and said, "Mom, you keep eating. I'll take the county head out for a walk and show her our village."
"Go ahead, but don't go too far."
After stepping out the door, Tai Man kicked Yang Chen lightly. "You're something else, putting on a show with me. You should quit your job at the county government and find a theater to be an actor."
Yang Chen rubbed his thigh and put on a pitiful expression. "Leader, I really want to spend more time with my mom."
"I know, I agreed already. Now introduce me to your village," Tai Man said as he walked ahead with his hands behind his back.
"Sure!" Yang Chen quickly caught up and began to introduce eagerly, "Leader, our Minhua Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with beautiful scenery and rich resources on the mountains. Aside from the inconvenient transportation, it's simply a paradise..."
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