"Yiya yaa~"
The little one was hugging a big cardboard box, her short legs wobbling like she was walking a drunkard's step, swaying forward like a snake.
Seeing this, Lu Qin bent down and supported the box, chuckling in amusement.
"Yaoyao, just do what you can. This big box—let Daddy carry it."
"Daddy, did I buy too many toys? It's so heavy."
The little girl panted slightly, frowning her tiny brows.
"Then will you still buy so many toys next time?"
"I'll only buy the ones I really like. If I just like it, I won't buy it."
She blinked her big, watery eyes.
"Daddy, let Yaoyao carry Yaoyao's things. You said, we should try to do our own things by ourselves."
She was such a sensible child. Since the big box was hard to carry, she split it into smaller boxes and moved them one by one into her room.
The father and daughter busied themselves for over an hour. Once everything was moved and organized, they washed up and lay on the sofa to rest.
The old neighborhood had a medium-sized farmer's market, just over 500 meters away.
That evening, Lu Qin went there to buy some simple ingredients and came back to prepare dinner.
Meanwhile, Lu Xiyao was in the living room watching TV. Though the screen wasn't big, she was still engrossed in the same animated show, Dora the Explorer.
The first skill drawn from the system was [Max-Level Stir-Fried Rice Noodles]. With top-level techniques and experience, Lu Qin's knife work and wok skills made a qualitative leap.
What was once just "skilled" had now reached the level of a master.
He made a simple homestyle meal: one portion of braised pork ribs, one tomato scrambled eggs, and one stir-fried greens. Three dishes for two people, just enough to finish if they had good appetites.
As the food was done, a rich aroma wafted into the living room.
Little Xiyao wrinkled her cute little nose and sniffed hard, then immediately pressed the remote control and dashed over.
"Waaah~!"
"Daddy, it smells sooo good~!"
"Yaoyao's hungry~!"
She'd eaten a big apple earlier while watching cartoons, so she wasn't too hungry. But the smell of Lu Qin's cooking awakened her appetite instantly.
"Daddy, today's food smells way better than before~!"
Her grape-like eyes sparkled as she stared at the shiny red braised ribs, practically drooling.
"Then go wash your hands—time to eat."
"Okayyy!"
She ran to the bathroom, skillfully pulling over a small stool to wash her hands.
Lu Qin had taught her well. She could wash her face, brush her teeth, and tie her shoes all on her own.
By the time she finished, Lu Qin had already scooped her a small bowl of rice and placed a rib in it.
"Daddy, let's eat—come on!"
"Ah-wooo~!"
She couldn't wait. Still practicing how to use chopsticks, she clumsily picked up the rib and popped it into her small mouth.
The tender meat and rich sauce danced together in flavor, making her sway her head as she chewed, her feet swinging unconsciously under the table.
"Slow down, eat too fast and it'll upset your stomach."
Lu Qin smiled and shook his head, trying a bite of the tomato scrambled eggs.
His eyes lit up.
It was amazing.
With the system's max-level skill, even the simplest home-cooked dishes now had gourmet-level flavor.
Every bite was bursting with texture: the egg was smooth yet springy, the tomato fresh and juicy. The flavors complemented each other perfectly, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
The three dishes were wiped clean by the father and daughter duo.
Lu Qin ate two big bowls of rice, while the little one had two small ones.
Afterwards, both leaned back in their chairs to rest. The little girl patted her round belly, still a little unsatisfied.
"Daddy, can you make this again tomorrow? Today's food was soooo good~!"
"Of course."
Lu Qin smiled, gently ruffling her hair before getting up to clean the dishes.
The little one knew he had cooked and had to clean, so she insisted on helping.
As a result, she ended up soaking her sleeves and over-squeezed the dish soap, filling the sink with bubbles.
"Hehe~"
Lu Qin wasn't annoyed. Instead, he smiled and gave her little nose a playful flick.
"You little rascal."
The kitchen was filled with a warm and cozy atmosphere.
…
8:30 PM.
The bustling city of Jiangcheng had transformed into a sea of colorful lights.
Shen Muyan returned from a long day of work. After parking her car in the garage, she took the elevator up to the villa.
The facial recognition unlocked the door, but the house was dark and quiet.
For a moment, she thought she'd entered the wrong place.
No matter how late she came home before, Lu Qin always left the lights on for her.
There would also be a cup of warm lemon water waiting on the table.
After a moment of blankness, Shen Muyan changed clothes, took a bottle of mineral water from the fridge, and sat on the large European-style leather sofa.
She closed her eyes to rest.
"You're back?"
"Yaoyao's already asleep. Are you hungry? I'll cook you some noodles."
Lu Qin's gentle voice echoed in her mind. Shen Muyan suddenly opened her eyes.
The spacious living room was empty—just her alone.
An inexplicable frustration welled up in her chest.
She picked up her phone and dialed.
"Fang Ya, are you free? Let me treat you to dinner."
"Nope, busy... Wait, what? Treat me to dinner? My dear queen, do you know what time it is?"
"I just got home from the office, haven't eaten yet."
Only when talking to Fang Ya did Shen Muyan's voice carry a trace of grievance, as if saying, "I work myself to death every day—do you know how hard it is?"
Fang Ya was speechless.
"Can't you just eat like a normal person?"
Fang Ya was a food blogger with over ten million followers and a regular contributor to several top culinary magazines.
When Shen Muyan called, Fang Ya was buried in her drafts.
She really had no choice with this friend. For the sake of work, she'd even sacrifice her stomach.
So at this hour, she accompanied Shen Muyan to dinner—considering it her late-night snack.
They walked into a smoky, down-to-earth alley.
Seeing Shen Muyan frown at the cleanliness and wipe the table with disdain, Fang Ya couldn't help but smile.
"President Shen, you know, the tastiest food often hides in rundown little alleys like this."
Shen Muyan still frowned. She trusted Fang Ya's judgment when it came to food, so the taste shouldn't disappoint.
But could the hygiene at least be slightly better?
The dishes were served quickly.
Fang Ya dug in without hesitation, a look of bliss on her face.
Shen Muyan hesitated, then took a bite. After a few chews, her eyes lit up.
Indeed—stir-fried liver and spicy tripe—looked rough but tasted divine.
Seeing the usually picky Shen Muyan eat without stopping, Fang Ya grinned proudly.
"Well? I didn't lie, did I? How's the taste, President Shen?"
"It's quite good."
Shen Muyan turned to ask the owner what other dishes he made besides these.
With this level of cooking, he could easily be poached to her hotel's kitchen.
With culinary skills like that, poaching him for the hotel's kitchen could really pay off.
After asking around, however, a look of disappointment appeared on Shen Muyan's delicate and charming face.
The owner of this little shop only knew how to cook four or five signature offal stir-fries. The rest of the dishes were just average.
Shen Muyan gave up on the idea—guests at the hotel couldn't be eating stir-fried liver and tripe every day.
Fang Ya shook her head at Shen Muyan, exasperated. "President Shen, it's this late already. Can you stop thinking about work for once and just enjoy your meal?"
"You're such a big-name food blogger with all those connections in the food scene—can't you help me out?"
"Come on. You're looking for someone with state banquet-level skills. The only one I know like that in Jiangcheng is Old Master Mai. He's already retired. You seriously think it's appropriate to ask him to work in your hotel kitchen?"
Shen Muyan let out a sigh as Fang Ya popped the last piece of tripe into her mouth.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]