YABE - 52

In the house with four people, Jiang Xu prepared a meal of five dishes and one soup.

Just as he finished everything, the pizza Wen Siyuan had ordered arrived. Wen Siyu looked at her brother in disbelief: “You actually went ahead and ordered takeout?! I thought you were just joking! What do you think of Teacher Jiang’s efforts?!”

Wen Siyuan opened the pizza box and handed her one: “Here’s your Hawaiian pizza.”

Wen Siyu cheered and ran over to take it, then dashed into the kitchen to tell Jiang Xu: “Teacher Jiang, I’ll share a slice with you—I won’t let you go hungry.”

Jiang Xu: “….”

“What do you think of my efforts?”

Jiang Xu was wearing a Pikachu apron and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. His slender fingers lifted the lid of the pot.

The aroma wafted out as he raised the lid.

Wen Siyu let out a surprised “Huh?”

“Why are you making that sound?”

Wen Siyu stretched her neck to peek inside the pot: “Didn’t Zhou Yi say you’re a kitchen killer?”

Jiang Xu chuckled dryly: “A kitchen killer? Who are you talking about?”

As he spoke, Wen Siyu had already picked up her chopsticks and was about to sneak a bite when Jiang Xu slapped her hand away with a sharp “Smack.”

Wen Siyu glared at him indignantly.

“No sneaking food,” Jiang Xu said without looking at her as he began plating the dishes.

Wen Siyu pouted and glanced at his movements.

It was at this glance that the little girl suddenly froze.

She stood there, staring intently at him as he plated the dishes and carried them to the dining table. His once long black hair had been cut short, and his bangs looked soft.

But he still appeared a bit thin, with dark circles under his eyes and faint red veins visible in the whites of his eyes.

Wen Siyu blinked, her eyes feeling warm and slightly moist.

On the table, simple white porcelain dishes held meals that looked quite appetizing: cumin beef, cola chicken wings, braised pork ribs, two vegetable dishes, and a bowl of tomato beef soup.

These were nothing more than ordinary home-cooked dishes. Before Wen Jingyao sat down, he raised an eyebrow skeptically.

Wen Siyuan, however, was quite surprised. Wen Jingyao had known Jiang Xu couldn’t cook, which was why he made the request. He hadn’t expected the man to actually deliver. Just as Wen Siyuan was about to speak, the elder of the household slowly opened his mouth.

“I don’t like cumin.”

Jiang Xu looked up, but before he could respond, Wen Jingyao had already picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of pork rib, and took a bite: “Too hard.”

“Broccoli is overcooked—it’s too soft.”

“The chicken wings are too salty.”

“How is this soup so sour?”

At this moment, Wen Jingyao put on his gold-rimmed glasses. His almond-shaped deer-like eyes, now softened by the lenses, exuded a more elite aura: “Mr. Jiang hasn’t done his homework thoroughly enough.”

The man criticized boldly and openly, not bothering to hide his intentions—his face might as well have been written all over with the words, I’m deliberately finding fault with you, what can you do about it?

Wen Siyuan watched his father, who acted immaturely to the point of being unworthy of ridicule, and fell into deep thought. Could it be that his own previous behavior had been this childish?

Jiang Xu listened silently to the criticism, his expression unchanged. Just as he was about to speak, his hand was suddenly gently grasped.

A soft, warm little hand covered the back of his hand under the table, lightly gripping it with care. Her thumb rubbed against the knuckle of his index finger twice.

Jiang Xu was startled and turned to look at the girl beside him.

Wen Siyu lowered her head, her eyelashes casting a faint shadow beneath her lower eyelids. The corners of her lips looked stiff.

The little girl, who had remained silent until now, finally raised her head, took a deep breath, and suddenly straightened her posture.

Her movements caught the attention of both Wen Jingyao and Wen Siyuan.

The girl’s face was expressionless, her lips tightly pursed as she stared directly at Mr. Wen Jingyao sitting across from her.

Wen Jingyao, who had just indulged in his petty grievances, felt unsettled under his daughter’s gaze. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that her eyes were slightly red.

The elder felt a bit uneasy but kept his composure, pretending to raise an eyebrow nonchalantly.

Wen Siyu averted her eyes, pushed her chair back, and walked into the kitchen. She returned with two trays.

Then, she placed the trays on the dining table and began transferring the dishes—one by one—onto them.

There were five dishes and a bowl of soup, along with two small bowls of rice. It was a bit heavy, so Wen Siyu divided them into two trays. She picked up one tray but couldn’t lift the other.

She turned her body slightly and glanced at Jiang Xu.

Jiang Xu stood up to take the tray from her hands.

But Wen Siyu didn’t let go. She simply stared at him, her gaze stubborn and her eyes still red.

“Let’s eat first?” Jiang Xu sighed, trying to soothe her.

Wen Siyu didn’t reply. Instead, she turned around with the tray in her hands and headed upstairs.

She left the three men downstairs sitting at the dining table, staring at each other in bewilderment.

After a while, Wen Siyu came back downstairs.

She walked to the dining table, picked up the other tray, and turned to look at Wen Jingyao: “Since Dad dislikes these dishes so much, you and Brother can eat the pizza. The pizza isn’t salty or hard. Or you can order some egg drop soup for delivery—the tomatoes in that aren’t sour.”

With that, she didn’t spare a glance and turned to go back upstairs.

She cleared the entire dining table, leaving only two lonely bowls of rice in front of Wen Siyuan and Wen Jingyao.

Halfway up, she turned her head and called out to Jiang Xu.

Not “Teacher Jiang,” but his full name—”Jiang Xu”—with an air of natural authority.

This aura felt somewhat familiar, and for a moment, Jiang Xu thought he was back on the set of Bitter Bird , being called by Xu Sheng.

The man hesitated for a moment but, seeing the girl’s still-red eyes, eventually followed her.

The innocent bystander Wen Siyuan watched his sister’s brisk and decisive actions, which bore a striking resemblance to Ms. Xu’s style, and felt a bit lost.

He turned his head and looked at his father with a dumbfounded expression: “Why did she get so upset?”

The elder also seemed a bit taken aback. He lowered his head to look at the bowl of rice in front of him, then raised his eyes: “Why is this child’s temper becoming more and more like your mother’s?”

Wen Siyuan: “….”

So, Dad, what exactly is your point??

This was Jiang Xu’s first time entering Wen Siyu’s room. The color scheme was blue and white. The dishes she had brought upstairs were placed on a small table by the bed. Jiang Xu looked at the floor-to-ceiling window and remembered how, just a few days ago, she had pressed her forehead tightly against the glass, looking at him with a silly expression.

He couldn’t help but smile faintly and walked over to ruffle her hair.

Wen Siyu tilted her head up to look at him, her eyes still red at the corners.

“Teacher Jiang…” she called softly.

Jiang Xu smiled: “Where did the commanding tone you used when calling my name go?”

Wen Siyu pouted, pulled him to the edge of the bed, sat him down, and then sat beside him. She took his large hand, palm up, and spread it out in front of her.

Jiang Xu instinctively tried to curl his fingers and pull his hand back.

But she held on tightly, refusing to let go.

The man’s hands were large, with slender fingers and clearly defined knuckles. The lines on his palms were delicate.

And at this moment, those hands were covered in tiny cuts and a few burn marks.

She had never noticed before.

It wasn’t until he took the pork ribs out of the pot, plated them, and she watched his movements that she finally saw them.

Wen Siyu tilted her head up, her eyes still red as she looked at him.

Jiang Xu sighed softly and pulled the little girl into his arms with one hand: “What’s going on? A child shouldn’t throw tantrums like that.”

Wen Siyu’s nose tingled slightly, and she gently nuzzled against his chest. Her arms wrapped around his slim waist, her voice soft and tender: “Teacher Jiang, I really, really like you.”

The little girl, warm and fragrant, nestled into his embrace. Her body radiated warmth, and through the layer of his clothes, her nose playfully rubbed against him. She murmured softly, repeatedly saying how much she liked him.

Jiang Xu’s heart felt warm and cozy, the sensation spreading all the way to its depths.

Wen Siyu lifted her head, pulled his hand toward her, and gently pressed her lips to his palm: “Teacher Jiang, I’ll blow on it for you so it won’t hurt anymore.”

Her small, warm breath lightly brushed against his fingertips and palm, soothing and seeping into his nerves, traveling down to the tips of his fingers and into his body.

Jiang Xu’s throat tightened, and a wave of heat coursed downward.

Yet the little girl still fluttered her eyelashes, looking up at him and asking innocently: “Does it still hurt?”

Jiang Xu took a deep breath, reluctantly pulling his hand back and ruffling her hair before pulling her back into his embrace.

“You behave yourself for a moment,” he said hoarsely.

Pressed against the man’s chest, Wen Siyu blinked and understood.

Her gaze shifted slightly downward, noticing something bulging.

“Teacher Jiang,” Wen Siyu called out in a muffled voice.

“Hmm?”

“Do you know how to pitch a tent?”

Jiang Xu: “….”

“Can you teach me how to pitch a tent?”

Jiang Xu: “….”

In a desperate attempt to salvage the last shred of his dignity, Jiang Xu eventually convinced Wen Siyu to bring the dishes downstairs. Though reluctant, the little girl agreed.

Jiang Xu carried two trays downstairs, while Wen Siyu followed behind, holding a bowl of soup. When they arrived, they saw Wen Jingyao and Wen Siyuan pitifully eating plain bowls of rice, the pizza untouched on the coffee table.

Wen Siyu pursed her lips.

Who were they trying to pity?

After all the commotion, the dishes had already cooled. Jiang Xu prepared to reheat them, but Wen Siyu stopped him by pressing her hand firmly on his.

“We’ll eat it like this. I think it’s just as delicious cold,” Her Majesty declared, raising an eyebrow with an even tone.

Her demeanor was strikingly similar to when Xu Sheng was angry, making Wen Jingyao feel inexplicably guilty. Without a word, he picked up a piece of pork rib and took a bite.

Wen Siyu stared at him.

Wen Jingyao opened his mouth, then nodded: “This pork rib seems less hard when it’s cold.”

Jiang Xu: “….”

It seemed he had discovered an unexpected trait of his future father-in-law.

Although the meal had been eventful, it was eventually finished. In the end, Wen Jingyao didn’t say anything more. However, in the evening, as Jiang Xu was about to leave, he called him over.

At the entrance, the future father-in-law leaned casually against the cabinet, watching him with a calm expression: “Don’t apologize to me ever again.”

Jiang Xu was taken aback.

“No matter how sincere your apology is, a father will never forgive you if you apologize to him.”

The glasses he used to project authority had been removed, revealing his gentle almond-shaped deer-like eyes. They carried an incongruous sharpness, yet also a clarity that belied his age.

“Don’t disappoint me.”