Revenge, No Such Thing as a Free Dinner

Ahem, that's all after the fact—Serena Feng still hadn't left yet. Under the stunned, admiring gazes of Caleb Wang, Ethan Hsieh, Vincent Su, and the others, Serena calmly sutured the corpse back together.

If you ignored the seam running down the middle, you'd never guess this body had been taken apart piece by piece by Serena.

"I never thought your stitching was this good, Serena." Caleb Wang stepped forward, eyeing the neat sutures and giving a thumbs-up.

Whoever marries Serena in the future is in for a treat—a wife with such fine needlework skills means new clothes every day.

Serena snorted, clearly annoyed.

Caleb was just teasing her—Serena couldn't even sew a button.

"You all came by carriage, right? Which one of you is giving me a ride? I'm exhausted and can't walk home," Serena said, peeling off her bloody gloves and outer robe, not bothering to be polite.

"Ah, I just remembered I have an appointment with a friend. Let Ethan give you a ride." Caleb Wang bolted as soon as he spoke—Serena had been far too fierce today, and he was still shaken. He didn't dare share a carriage with her, afraid he'd catch the lingering scent of blood.

"Vincent and I have to check on some shops, so we'll head out first." Vincent Su scooped up Leon, clapping a hand over his mouth to keep him from talking.

Same excuse as Caleb.

Every time he saw Serena, he remembered the mangled corpse she'd dissected. He still hadn't recovered—the scene today was so bloody that he figured he wouldn't be able to eat meat for a long time.

Serena frowned. Was she really that scary? It was just an autopsy, after all.

"I'm riding my horse—I have business with Magistrate Wei. Catching the killer comes first." Dominic Zhai left with perfect composure.

Ethan Hsieh stayed put. Serena asked, "What about you? Got anything urgent?"

"I... I..." Ethan was so flustered he nearly cried. After stammering for ages, he suddenly blurted, "I need the latrine—I'll stay for now!"

"Ahhh, where's the bathroom..." Ethan dashed off as if a ghost were chasing him.

Everyone was gone except Sun Zhengdao. "I'd love to give you a ride, but I walked here myself, Dr. Feng. Sorry, I can't help."

The smell of blood on Serena was overwhelming. Sun Zhengdao was a doctor and didn't mind gore, but he hated the stench—it was just too much.

"Fine. Wonderful. You all sure know how to run—I’ll remember this." Serena ground her teeth in frustration, grabbed her medical kit, and walked back to Feng Manor. She hadn't even changed clothes before Second Madam Hsieh had another issue.

Serena rushed to handle it, then checked on Madam Sun. By the time she was done, it was evening—she’d missed lunch again.

The next morning, after checking on her patients, Serena finally got some real sleep. She went out to ask around about Evan Zhou, but there was no news.

No news was good news—at least Evan was still alive.

Back at the manor, Serena saw that Mrs. Steel had bought everything she’d asked for. She immediately sent Simon Sun to invite Dominic Zhai, Caleb Wang, Ethan Hsieh, Vincent Su, and Sun Zhengdao over for dinner—her treat.

The five men came as soon as they heard Serena was hosting, though they had no idea why. Ethan, Caleb, and Vincent were especially nervous, worried Serena would settle scores over yesterday. But Serena greeted them with a radiant smile, never mentioning the morgue, and only asked about the progress of the case.

"Tonight you can really dig in—every dish was made by me, with a chef's guidance. This is Eight-Treasure Duck, that's Beggar's Chicken, here’s braised carp, steamed perch, yellow delicacy, turtle, donkey meat, beef, bear paw, and quail." Serena introduced the recognizable dishes; the rest she left unmentioned. In short, the whole table was meat, beautifully presented, mouthwatering and irresistible.

Serena had tracked down every edible meat—fowl, beast, fish—except pork.

"Who would've guessed, Serena—you've got the makings of a perfect wife and mother." Dominic Zhai, who hadn’t been involved in yesterday’s drama, was completely at ease.

"Living alone, you have to learn to fend for yourself." Serena was talking about her modern life, but the others thought of her past hardships. The mood chilled, and yesterday’s events were forgotten.

Serena giggled. "It’s all in the past—I’m doing fine now, aren’t I? I’m always troubling you all, so tonight’s feast is my way of saying thanks for looking out for me. Eat as much as you want—especially the soup. I spent all afternoon making it."

Serena enthusiastically served everyone, ladling out bowls of the snowy-white soup for each guest—and herself, of course.

"Tastes great! Serena, your cooking is every bit as good as a professional chef's."

These men were used to luxury at home, so the food itself wasn’t rare for them. What mattered was Serena’s thoughtfulness—and the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere at Feng Manor.

There was no rule about silence at meals in the Feng household. Serena’s manners were decent, but hardly those of a genteel lady. Thanks to her profession, she ate quickly.

After all, in a hospital or on the battlefield, you never knew what would happen next. If you could eat, you ate fast—who knew when the next meal would come, or if there’d even be one.

Serena’s "rough" eating style rubbed off on everyone—they all dug in, especially enjoying the soup. Everyone drank their fill, totally satisfied.

"This soup is amazing, Serena. What’s in it? I’ll have my chef learn the recipe next time." Dominic Zhai finished his bowl, wishing for more.

Here came the key moment. Serena’s smile grew even brighter: "As long as you enjoyed it, that’s all that matters. As for the ingredients, you’re better off not knowing."

"Stingy! Keeping a soup recipe secret from us? I’m not opening a restaurant, you know. Your secret’s safe." The less Serena said, the more Dominic wanted to know.

"But..." Serena looked troubled.

"Come on, what’s the big deal? Just tell us." Dominic was boisterous, and Caleb and Vincent joined in, laughing.

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Tonight’s soup was especially delicious—better than any they’d ever had. If they knew the recipe, they could enjoy it at home every day.

"Alright, since you’re all so eager, I’ll tell you." Serena struggled to keep a straight face as she spoke solemnly.

"There’s nothing special about this soup, really—it’s just made from a part of the pig."

"Pig? Which part of the pig makes soup this tasty?" Vincent Su ran restaurants and knew food well, but he’d never heard of any pork cut that made such delicious soup.

"Pig brain!" Serena declared.

"What?" Dominic Zhai was the first to jump up.

"Ugh..."

Vincent Su, Caleb Wang, and Ethan Hsieh clung to the pillars, retching.

"It’s pig brain! You saw it yesterday, didn’t you? Human brains and pig brains look almost the same—after a good wash, they’re just a white lump. The delicious soup you just praised was pig brain. Take a live pig, clean it, tie it down, crack open the skull—there’s your fresh, tasty brain." Serena explained with perfect seriousness.

"Pig brain? Serena, you actually fed us pig brain? I hate you!"

Ugh...

Caleb Wang retched until he was dizzy. The better Serena’s dishes tasted, the harder they all vomited.

Dominic Zhai and Ethan Hsieh had held out, but Serena’s explanation broke their composure. They clung to the pillars, retching, as yesterday’s bloody scene flashed through their minds.

Perfect. That’s exactly what she wanted.

"Sihang, keep an eye on them. When they’ve recovered, remind them to send someone to clean up." Serena lifted her skirt, humming a tune, and cheerfully went off to make her rounds at the infirmary.

She laughed with smug delight.

Ninth Prince Manor.

Hearing what happened at Feng Manor, Nolan Dongling smiled in the darkness—a smile even he didn’t realize. "Truly, she repays every slight. Looks like she treats me better than the rest. In that case, I needn’t worry about her losing out at tomorrow’s racecourse meet!"