Chapter 41: An Unexpected Angle

Kitchen.

Chen Yan stood in silence, not doing anything, nor did she ask her mother what cold dishes needed to be prepared.

Mother Chen had called her in, not to put her to work, but because she had something to say.

“Chen Yan, how old are you this year?” Mother Chen didn’t look at her daughter, just kept her head down, slicing vegetables as she asked.

Chen Yan could see her mother’s expression—calm, with no emotional fluctuations. Even her question was gentle, not an interrogation, but a genuine inquiry.

“Thirty-five,” Chen Yan replied.

Mother Chen paused, straightened up, and turned to face her. “And your brother, Chen Lie?”

Chen Yan stared at her, knowing she had to answer. Her lips moved, and she reported his age accurately: “Twenty-nine.”

“Do you still remember his birthday?” Mother Chen asked.

Her voice was gentle, but Chen Yan felt a crushing weight. Instinctively, she wanted to avoid trouble and didn’t dare answer right away.

“You don’t remember?” Mother Chen looked directly at the daughter she’d doted on since childhood. “Or do you remember, but you just don’t dare say anything to him on his birthday?”

The annoyance Chen Yan had felt earlier, for being called into the kitchen just to help, vanished completely. She looked at her mother, eyes pleading.

Mother Chen sighed, shook her head, and went back to chopping vegetables. “I’m not asking you to greet your brother with a smile, or to chat happily with Xiao Su. I just want you to act like a big sister.”

“Mom—” Chen Yan’s face crumpled, and tears started to fall. “I haven’t done anything to them. You always blame me…”

Mother Chen said nothing, but her chopping grew sharper.

“Chen Yan, you’re thirty-five. Your kid’s already in elementary school. Can’t you be a little more mature?” Mother Chen tried to keep her temper. “When I called you into the kitchen just now, that look you gave Xiao Su was out of line!”

“I just looked at her! I didn’t ask her to do anything!” Chen Yan retorted. “What if—what if she wanted to help in the kitchen too? I looked at her because if she wanted to, I’d bring her in!”

Mother Chen was losing patience. “Chen Yan, don’t say things just to sound good. I know what kind of person you are, and so do you.”

Chen Yan wanted to say more, but Mother Chen raised her hand to stop her. “Save yourself some dignity, and give me some too. Don’t make me spell it out.”

As she finished, she heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. She quickly pointed at the bowl of soaking wood ear mushrooms on the counter. “Wipe your face and go clean those mushrooms.”

Chen Yan saw her mother glance toward the kitchen door and immediately understood. She quickly wiped her face, turned her back, and started cleaning the mushrooms.

Su Qinghu made her entrance deliberately, letting her soft house slippers make a little noise—a subtle signal to the mother and daughter in the kitchen that if they were having a private conversation, now was the time to wrap it up.

These slippers weren’t the typical rubber or plastic summer kind, but more like the soft, comfortable ones you find in hotels—hardly any sound. Su Qinghu had experimented with a few ways to make them audible, just enough for the kitchen but not the living room.

“Mom, anything I can help with?” Su Qinghu said with a bright smile. “Today I’ll be your assistant and get a taste of your cooking. Next time I’ll cook, and you can try my food.”

Mother Chen liked girls like Su Qinghu—straightforward and open. Hearing her, the irritation from earlier faded a bit. “Alright, you can help me out and try my dishes later.”

As Su Qinghu spoke, she noticed some garlic on the counter. She picked it up naturally and asked, “Do you want the garlic whole, or—?”

“Either way is fine,” Mother Chen replied with a smile. “We’ll use it for a cold dish and a quick stir-fry.”

With that, Su Qinghu understood. She quickly peeled the garlic, separated the cloves, placed them on the cutting board, picked up another knife, and with a few quick smacks, crushed them.

Mother Chen: “…”

Mother Chen was momentarily stunned. She’d meant to praise Su Qinghu for being careful and delicate, but now she wasn’t sure what to say.

“Mom, you’re so strong!” Erdan, the little flatterer, came over and reached for some garlic to help.

Su Qinghu stifled a sigh, resisting the urge to pop a clove of garlic into this little suck-up’s mouth. She handed him two cloves and, as he took them, asked quietly, “Why’d you run into the kitchen?”

She had to lower her head—Erdan’s words just now had somehow hit a nerve with his grandma, and Su Qinghu wanted to give her a moment to compose herself.

“It’s boring out there,” Erdan pouted. “Uncle’s talking about stuff my brother likes, and Dad and Grandpa are listening intently. I’m still little—I don’t want to shoulder the burdens of life so soon.”

He even sighed, as if he’d been worn down by life many times over. Su Qinghu nearly laughed out loud.

Has this kid been hanging out with too many old folks in the neighborhood? He talks like a little grown-up, even sighing like a battle-weary hero. Unbelievable…

“Alright, alright,” Mother Chen laughed. “We won’t listen, and we won’t shoulder life’s burdens so early!”

Erdan nodded earnestly. “Mm.”

Su Qinghu snickered. When he finished peeling the garlic, she took it from him and asked Mother Chen, “Mom, do we have any tomatoes?”

“We do,” Mother Chen replied, bending down to fetch a basket from the corner. “They’re all here.”

Su Qinghu leaned over and picked out four ripe, juicy tomatoes. As she washed them, she said, “Let’s make some tomatoes with sugar.”

“Great, we’ve got plenty of sugar at home.” Mother Chen glanced at Erdan, who was grinning from ear to ear, and knew Su Qinghu was making this for the kids. “Wash one for the kids to eat first.”

Su Qinghu nodded, took the first washed tomato, made a small cut with the knife, then split it with her hands and handed it to Erdan. “Share half with your brother.”

“Okay!”

Erdan replied happily, taking the tomato and heading out. But then he stopped, turned back, and said to Su Qinghu, “Mom, I want your cucumber salad.”

He even winked at her, his face full of “I’m helping you score points, but no need to thank me!”

Su Qinghu: “…”

He thinks her cucumber salad is tasty, and if she makes it today, she’ll win points?

Praise him? Dream on! She’s lucky she doesn’t scold him! Is this a chance to shine? No, it’s a chance to draw fire! Didn’t he notice that since she entered the kitchen, his aunt hasn’t said a word—or even turned around?

“Go eat your tomato!” Su Qinghu waved him off. “I already said I’m just helping out today, so don’t give me extra work.”

Then she turned to Mother Chen, her tone a bit more intimate. “Mom, I’m still not that skilled at cooking. Let me practice more at home before I cook for everyone.”"

"**Chapter 42: Tone It Down a Bit**

Su Qinghu spoke casually and naturally, so Mother Chen didn’t think much of it. She was just about to nod with a smile when Chen Yan turned around and said, “Then you do it.”

Mother Chen felt her temples throb, and her smile almost slipped. She wanted to scold Chen Yan, but was afraid that would just make things awkward for all three of them.

As she was wondering how to smooth things over, Su Qinghu nodded, still smiling. “Auntie really dotes on her niece. All right, I’ll make the cold cucumber salad the child just requested.”

She smiled as she said it, giving Chen Yan a backhanded compliment, not caring whether the other would choke on it. She continued, gentle and gracious, “You can make the other cold dishes. I bet Mom and Dad have missed your cooking.”

Chen Yan was feeling extremely conflicted—on one hand, she realized her tone just now had been too harsh and might have made her mother misunderstand; on the other, she was deeply unsettled by how naturally Su Qinghu called her parents “Mom and Dad.”

Meeting Su Qinghu’s gaze, she instinctively looked away, remembering she hadn’t answered her question. She muttered an “Mm.”

That was her agreement to Su Qinghu’s suggestion.

Mother Chen breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, “Good, good. Division of labor, higher efficiency. This way, you can both try each other’s cooking.”

After that, the atmosphere quieted again. Mother Chen had to find something to say. “Xiao Su, are you working tomorrow?”

“Yes, I am,” Su Qinghu replied, placing the washed cucumbers on the cutting board. She was about to slice them into thin strips when Chen Yan stopped her. “What are you doing?”

Su Qinghu glanced at her, then at her own knife, and explained, “My cold cucumber salad is a bit different from most people’s. I don’t smash them—I slice them thin and long, then mix them with the dressing.”

Chen Yan: “…”

“I think Mom still has one more dish to make,” Su Qinghu said, glancing at the cleaned hairtail fish by the stove. She smiled, “Slicing them this way helps the flavors soak in better.”

Mother Chen’s nerves settled again, but she knew this couldn’t go on. She couldn’t let her daughter and daughter-in-law keep butting heads, or who knew when things would blow up.

But she couldn’t just stay silent either—that would make things even weirder.

She needed to find a safe topic.

“Yanyan, why didn’t you and Xiao Qian bring Duoduo with you?” Mother Chen thought she’d found a safe subject as she turned on the stove and poured oil into the pan, waiting to fry the fish.

Chen Yan replied, “Mom, didn’t you already ask me and Qian Yin that before we even came in? Why are you asking again?”

Su Qinghu almost burst out laughing on the spot.

Mother Chen could barely keep her composure. Afraid Su Qinghu would notice, she turned her back to them and said, “Ah? Did I? Sigh, getting old, my memory isn’t what it used to be…”

If this weren’t her own daughter, and if it weren’t for the fact that this was her daughter-in-law’s first visit, she’d have given Chen Yan a good talking-to about what it means to speak properly!

Su Qinghu had to grip the knife tightly to keep from laughing out loud. She was sure that if she didn’t have some external help, she’d lose it in the next second.

“How are you old? You just retired, and you barely have any gray hair. I heard from Dad that you learned a lot from that old accountant, and they want you to take a technical certificate this year,” Chen Yan said as she rinsed the wood ear mushrooms, not even looking at her mother. “If someone like you has a bad memory, then there’s no hope for anyone.”

Su Qinghu: “!!!”

Hahaha, I can’t hold it in anymore!

Mother Chen’s face was expressionless. She knew her daughter was trying to praise her, but was this the time for compliments?

This wasn’t praise—this was sabotage!

She had never seen anyone so bad at talking!

Mother Chen, also known as Ms. Meng, was seething inside, practically grinding her teeth. How did she end up with a daughter like this?

At this point, everyone except Chen Yan could feel the awkwardness spreading rapidly. Just as Mother Chen was about to glance at Su Qinghu and resign herself to disaster, Erdan came running in.

“Mom, there are strawberries in Grandma’s yard!”

Su Qinghu quickly put down her knife and pinched herself to keep from laughing out loud, then said with genuine surprise, “Wow, really? Quick, take me to see!”

Erdan, my sweet boy, truly is his mother’s lifesaver!

If it weren’t for the time and place, Su Qinghu would have scooped Erdan up and showered him with kisses—he was saving her from disaster right now~~~

Erdan blushed a little under her gaze. “Okay, sure!”

He could see a tiny version of himself reflected in his new mom’s eyes!

Su Qinghu turned back with a calm face and said to Ms. Meng, “Mom, I’ll go take a look. I’ll be right back.”

Without waiting for Mother Chen’s reply, she grabbed Erdan’s hand and dashed out of the kitchen, not even stopping in the living room as she headed straight for the yard.

So, as Qian Yin explained biochemical weapon applications to Dadan in the living room, both Chen Lie and Father Chen saw a blur, and then, looking again, there were two more people in the yard.

Father Chen was still puzzled when Chen Lie’s gaze swept from the kitchen to his wife and son.

—Something feels off.

Chen Lie didn’t move, just narrowed his eyes and watched Su Qinghu and Erdan in the yard. After two seconds, he was sure: his wife’s body seemed to be… shaking?

He slowly stood up and stretched his arms. “Dad, you stay with them. I’ll go check on them in the yard.”

“Go ahead,” Father Chen waved, a hint of a smile in his eyes. “It’s sunny out—tell Xiao Su not to stay in the yard too long.”

Chen Lie agreed, took a long stride, and walked quickly toward the two in the yard.

In the yard, Su Qinghu was squatting by some flowers, giggling uncontrollably. Oh my god, she had never seen anyone with such low emotional intelligence!

She didn’t even need to look at her mother-in-law to imagine her face—despair, disillusionment, maybe even a little crazed. Hahahahaha~~~

Erdan looked at Su Qinghu, confused.

He hadn’t expected his new mom to run so fast, practically dragging him out to the yard. Once there, before he could even show her where the strawberries were, she let go of him, squatted down, and started laughing.

What was going on?

Erdan looked at Su Qinghu, then at the spot where she was squatting, then shifted his gaze to the five strawberry plants half a meter away. His mouth opened.

New mom was squatting in the wrong place…

Should he tell her?

As he hesitated, a tall figure loomed over him. He looked up. “Dad?”

Chen Lie ruffled his hair, ignoring the confusion and plea for help in his son’s eyes. He walked two steps forward, standing beside Su Qinghu, just enough to block the view from the house, and reminded her, “Try to tone it down.”

“I… I can’t…” Su Qinghu was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes, her voice low but still full of mirth—so much so that even Erdan could hear it.

Chen Lie: “…Your parents-in-law aren’t fools, you—”

Before he could finish, Su Qinghu suddenly stood up, grabbed his arm, and, right in front of him, shamelessly wiped her laughing tears on his sleeve.

Chen Lie: “…”

He looked down at her but didn’t move, letting her do as she pleased.

After wiping her tears, Su Qinghu took a deep breath and looked up. “My clothes are new…”

It would be too obvious if she wiped her tears on them.

Chen Lie said nothing, looking down at her from above. Su Qinghu wasn’t the least bit afraid. She flashed him a brilliant smile, then bent down, unbuttoned his cuff, and rolled up his sleeve. “Now no one will notice.”

Erdan stared wide-eyed at Su Qinghu in disbelief.

Everyone said he was naughty, a troublemaker, but even he had never dared wipe his tears or snot on Dad!

Chen Lie and Su Qinghu looked at each other for a moment, then he glanced at his forearm.

Hmm, the shirt sleeve was rolled up from the wrist almost to the elbow. He had to admit, she did a pretty decent job."