# Chapter 22: A Late-Night Batch of Dumplings Made for the Heart
Hello, wonderful listeners and fellow book lovers! How are you doing today? I hope life has been treating you kindly. It's me again, your faithful storytelling companion, and I'm thrilled to walk with you through yet another moving chapter of *The Untouchable Ex Wife*. Today's chapter is small in setting, yet enormous in emotion—a single, quiet evening in a humble dumpling shop that reveals more about Renee's hidden heart than a hundred grand confessions ever could. So settle in, and let me take you there with me.
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The evening had stretched deep into night, and most of the little town had already pulled down their shutters and tucked themselves into their cozy routines. But one light still burned warmly in the corner of the street—the dumpling shop, run by a kindly, no-nonsense storekeeper whose hands had been shaping dough long before anyone in town could remember. Business was over. The pots were scrubbed. The counters were wiped clean. She was ready to go home.
And then, in burst Renee, breathless and wide-eyed, clutching her hands together in a desperate, pleading pose that the shopkeeper had seen far too many times before.
"You can still make one more batch, right? Please, Miss, just this once!" Renee begged, her voice dripping with sincerity and just a hint of playful stubbornness.
The storekeeper let out a long-suffering sigh, her hands already reaching for her apron strings. "You can come back tomorrow, dear. It's just some dumplings. Certainly, no one will die from missing one, right?"
"No, no—someone might literally die without those dumplings!" Renee insisted, placing a hand dramatically over her heart. "Basically, it's super important! Please, just make one more! I'm a regular, aren't I? You wouldn't send one of your most faithful customers home empty-handed, would you?"
The storekeeper stared at her for a long moment, one eyebrow raised. But as always, Renee's adorable earnestness won. "Oh, you... alright, alright! Come on, then!" She shook her head helplessly and fired up the kitchen once more, all for Renee's sake.
And here's the truth—this storekeeper wasn't the only one who cherished Renee like this. The entire town adored her. They would have moved mountains for her if she'd asked. Part of that affection came from sympathy, of course, because everyone knew the story: such a fragile young woman, carrying the heavy weight of caring for a disabled man day in and day out. People's hearts ached to see a girl so small bearing such a big burden.
But Renee had won them over for deeper reasons, too. She was sincere. She was kind. She was the one who would patiently teach the lonely elderly how to use their new smartphones, spending hours helping them video-call their grandchildren and navigate the confusing modern world. To the older folks, she was the precious daughter they never had. To the children, she was the sweet big sister who always had time to play. And to the storekeepers, she was a loyal customer and a genuine friend rolled into one.
Now, as the storekeeper began rolling out fresh dumpling skins, she couldn't help but poke and prod at the mystery before her. Small talk turned into gentle interrogation.
"Now tell me—who exactly is this person dying over a plate of dumplings? It's not Van, is it? I seem to remember that boy doesn't care much for carbs."
"It's not him," Renee replied softly, already lifting a piece of dumpling skin into her palm. With practiced, nimble fingers, she scooped up the filling and pressed the edges together, forming a neat crescent in seconds.
"Not him?" The storekeeper froze mid-wrinkle, her gossip instinct buzzing like a fire alarm. "My, my, have I just stumbled onto some big secret tonight? These dumplings aren't for Van, but for somebody else entirely?"
"It's... for an old friend I knew back in my hometown," Renee said, and there was something mysterious, almost dreamlike, in her voice.
"Then this old friend must be quite precious to you." The storekeeper resumed her work, but her eyes sparkled with curiosity. "You buy so many dumplings every single day without fail. Then you come here this late, begging me to make one more batch. Why do I get the feeling this person matters to you more than Van ever has?"
Renee let out a soft laugh, though something flickered in her eyes. She chose her words carefully, keeping the playful mask firmly in place. "Haha, why would you ever think such a thing, Miss? You know Van and I are the model couple of this town. Are you doubting our relationship?"
In public, that was always their story. The perfect couple. The devoted partners. The townsfolk would look at them and envy what seemed like a love story written in the stars.
But behind closed doors, the truth was far more complicated. Renee and Van were not lovers in the way the world believed—they were more like two lonely souls huddled together against the cold, each living on for their purest, most private desires. A partnership of comfort. A shelter from a world that had hurt them.
The storekeeper wasn't fooled for a second. She had run this shop for decades, and she had learned to read people the way she read her dough—patiently and accurately. "That's because Van only feels like a responsibility to you, dear. I can see the exhaustion in your bones when you're with him. But this other person..." She gave Renee a knowing look. "Your feelings toward them carry a different flavor entirely. Real passion. Real warmth. Like your heart actually beats for their well-being."
Renee went silent, her hands pausing over the dumpling skin. For a long, thoughtful moment, the only sound was the gentle bubbling of the pot on the stove.
Then, in a quiet, philosophical voice, Renee spoke. "Well, isn't the purest form of love... simply responsibility?"
It was a beautiful deflection. But beneath it, there was an ocean of unspoken pain, of sacrifices made, of a heart that loved so deeply it had learned to disguise itself as duty.
Before the storekeeper could respond, the dumplings were done. Steam erupted from the pot, carrying a rich, savory fragrance that filled the entire shop and drifted out into the warm night air. This time, many of the dumplings had been wrapped by Renee herself. They weren't as perfect or as pretty as the storekeeper's expert folds, but to Renee, they held a special, meaningful charm—like offering not just food, but a piece of herself.
The storekeeper carefully placed the freshly cooked dumplings into a small container and handed them over. Renee reached for her bag to pay, but the storekeeper stopped her with a firm, gentle hand.
"Joan, you made these dumplings yourself," Renee said in surprise—but the storekeeper only shook her head with a warm smile.
"You made these dumplings with your own hands, child, so I'm not taking a single cent from you." She pressed the container into Renee's palms and then patted her shoulder softly. "I just hope those dumplings bring you a real smile. A genuine one. The kind that reaches all the way to your eyes."
There was something deeply cryptic in her words, like a blessing whispered over a traveler before a long journey. The storekeeper watched Renee's small figure disappear into the night, cradling the dumplings like a precious treasure.
Silently, her heart ached.
*That child is so young... and yet she carries so much weight on her shoulders. I've watched her come in here day after day, looking worn down and weary. But lately, I've seen a truly blissful expression on her face—something I'd never witnessed before. Perhaps that's what those dumplings truly mean to her. Perhaps, for the first time in a long time, she's feeding someone she genuinely loves...*
And behind her, the steam continued to rise into the night sky, carrying with it the scent of dreams, secrets, and a love that refused to fade.
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## Reader's Impressions & Star Rating
Oh, this chapter just struck me right in the heart! At first glance, it's such a simple scene—a girl begging for dumplings, a friendly storekeeper teasing her, a fleeting conversation. But beneath that cozy surface lies so much emotional depth. We see a side of Renee that she has carefully hidden from the entire town. The contrast between her public image as Van's devoted partner and her private reality as a lonely woman bound by duty is heartbreaking. And the storekeeper's piercing observation—that Renee's feelings for this mysterious "old friend" are far more genuine and passionate than anything she feels for Van—opened a door to questions we desperately need answered. Who is this person from her hometown? Why does his happiness matter so deeply to her? Is this her ex-husband, the one the title warns us about? The final image of the storekeeper watching Renee leave with that "blissful expression" on her face was beautifully poetic. This chapter proves that sometimes the most significant revelations happen in the most ordinary places.
⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars
## Next Chapter Prediction
Now that Renee has secured her precious late-night batch of dumplings, the next chapter will almost certainly take us to the moment she delivers them. My prediction? We will finally see the mysterious "old friend" face-to-face, and when we do, our suspicions will be confirmed—it has to be her ex-husband! I believe he may be sick, injured, or in some kind of serious trouble, which explains Renee's frantic desperation. And when these two former lovers meet again over a simple plate of dumplings, buried feelings, old secrets, and unresolved pain are bound to explode. Will Van find out what Renee has been doing behind his back? And will this reunion threaten the fragile wall she has built around her heart?
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