“You’re kidding me, right?”

Feng Yijiu dropped her phone. She glanced at her 5/12 husky, then at the Bai Qi family-tree player beside her, and couldn’t help rolling her eyes.

By then, the aroma of baozi had already filled the room. Feng Yijiu simply put down her phone and went to help clear the bowls and chopsticks.

It was a habit she’d carried over from her previous life. Or rather, she’d always maintained that thing called basic courtesy rather well.

“Ah, Yijiu, leave it. Let Gougou do it.”

Dong Shu saw Feng Yijiu starting to clear the table. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Li Hao sprawled across her bed like Ge You.

Some things only became painful when compared.

“It’s fine, Auntie. I’ve already started.” Feng Yijiu neatly arranged the bowls and chopsticks. “Is Uncle not coming home for dinner?”

“Mhm. He has a dinner engagement tonight.” Dong Shu’s voice was gentle.

But the moment she turned around, her pitch shot up several keys.

“Gougou! Come out, wash your hands, and get ready for dinner! Also, how can you make a guest do the work? What has Mom always taught you?”

“Coming! Mom, could you stop calling me by my nickname?”

Li Hao wore a dark expression. Being called such an embarrassing nickname in front of his best friend was making him feel rather awkward.

“Here. Take the soup out.”

Dong Shu simply pointed at the pot and ordered him to get to work.

……

“Wow, (╯▽╰ ) it smells so good~~”

Feng Yijiu stared at the heaping plate of baozi and sniffed lightly.

“Hehe, if you like them, eat more.”

Dong Shu’s eyes narrowed into happy crescents as she looked at Feng Yijiu.

Since they were about to eat, Feng Yijiu had already taken off her trench coat. To keep Li Hao from noticing that she was wearing only a thin undershirt beneath it, she moved with extreme elegance.

She was terrified that one careless motion would expose something strange.

Unfortunately, Feng Yijiu was clearly overthinking it.

Li Hao’s gaze hadn’t left the hot baozi at all.

The filling contained napa cabbage, which released plenty of water. As a result, these freshly steamed baozi were full of broth.

They were at their most delicious right now, but eating them required a little technique.

First, you had to bite a small opening into the crescent-shaped bun. Then, you slowly slurped out the broth inside.

If you simply wolfed it down, you could scald your tongue in an instant.

Li Hao was clearly an expert.

His movements were focused and fluid. Pick, bite, and slurp—everything flowed together in one smooth motion.

By the time Feng Yijiu had just finished her first baozi, Li Hao had already chewed his second down to the final bite.

Watching her own clueless son focus solely on the baozi, Dong Shu felt like kicking him twice.

Idiot. When the baozi are gone, I can always make more tomorrow.

Just look at the person sitting beside you!

Dong Shu took a deep breath and kept reminding herself that he was her biological son.

Her biological son.

Only then did she slowly suppress the spark of anger in her chest.

“Yijiu, I heard Gou—”

She paused.

“Er, I heard Li Hao say that you helped him a lot at school.”

Dong Shu perked up. She felt that today, she was going to help Li Hao climb the ranks.

“N-No, not really.”

Feng Yijiu grew a little embarrassed by Dong Shu’s gratitude.

Had she even helped Li Hao with anything?

Lending him romance novels? The kind so obscure that barely anyone had heard of them?

Or teaching him how to practice writing in the Canyon?

“Not really? Li Hao has become very serious about studying lately.”

Dong Shu glanced at Li Hao, who was still locked in a life-or-death struggle with the baozi. She had no choice but to continue fighting alone.

“Yijiu, if you have time, come visit Auntie more often. Next time, tell me beforehand, and I’ll make dumplings for both of you.”

“Auntie, your handmade noodles and dumplings really are delicious.”

Feng Yijiu smiled and reached for her second baozi.

Dong Shu quietly watched her eat. The light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

She hadn’t gotten a very good look at her that day outside.

But after examining her closely today, Dong Shu discovered that this “daughter-in-law” she’d taken a liking to seemed even better than she’d thought.

Aside from dressing a little boyishly, she practically had no flaws.

Still, Dong Shu could tell that Feng Yijiu seemed somewhat tense.

She knew that saying anything more might backfire. So she merely served Feng Yijiu a bowl of soup with a gentle smile, then quietly watched her eat.

Rumble—

Thunder suddenly boomed outside.

Feng Yijiu instinctively looked toward the window. Soon, she heard rain striking against the glass.

“I’m full.”

After polishing off four baozi and drinking two bowls of soup, Li Hao stood up and slipped into his room.

Dong Shu’s breathing gradually quickened.

What a useless teammate. He was impossible to carry.

As Feng Yijiu watched Li Hao leave, she felt a slight sense of relief.

This had been the closest she’d ever come to being exposed.

Thankfully…

That blockhead had never let her down!

Feng Yijiu continued eating slowly, but her appetite couldn’t compare with Li Hao’s.

After three baozi, she felt like she couldn’t eat another bite. She slowly put down her chopsticks and smiled at Dong Shu.

“Auntie, I’m full too.”

“Hm? You’ve eaten so little?”

Dong Shu said it without thinking.

Feng Yijiu gave an awkward smile and glanced at the darkening sky.

“Then, Auntie, I should head home. It’s already—”

“Wait until the rain eases up before you leave. I know where you live. It’s that housing complex across the street, right? It’s only a five-minute bike ride.”

Dong Shu efficiently gathered the bowls and chopsticks. At the same time, she stopped Feng Yijiu from helping.

“Why don’t you play with Li Hao a little longer? Or you could do some homework together in his room. If you go back now, your clothes and books will probably get soaked.”

Feng Yijiu hesitated.

From inside his room, Li Hao added, “It’s fine. I have a raincoat here.”

Crash!

In the kitchen, Dong Shu accidentally dropped a plate and shattered it.

When she saw Feng Yijiu turn toward her, Dong Shu gave an awkward smile. Then she began sweeping up the broken ceramic pieces.

“No need. I’ll wait for a while. A raincoat would be a hassle.”

Feng Yijiu put her trench coat back on and glanced at the small umbrella beside her schoolbag.

She didn’t have anything to do tonight anyway. So she sat down on the sofa, scrolling through her phone as she waited for the rain to pass.

“Want to play a round?”

Li Hao took out his phone again and sat down on the sofa on the other side.

The two of them entered the Canyon once more.

When Dong Shu came out of the kitchen, she saw the pair sitting more than three meters apart, communicating only through their phones.

She took a deep breath.

Back in her room, Dong Shu locked the door. Then she pulled out her phone.

Her thumb pressed against the touchscreen so hard that it nearly turned white.

The call connected quickly. Li Xun’s voice came from the other end, accompanied by waves of noise.

“Hello, Shu. What’s up?”

“Li Xun, I’m done with your son! I’m not dealing with him anymore!”

After huffing out those words, Dong Shu hung up.

At the other end, Li Xun was left with one part helplessness, two parts confusion, and seven parts bewilderment.

What happened this time?