House Dad's Literary Life

Chapter 452: The Honest Little Girl

Perhaps he hadn’t quite adjusted to the time difference yet, or perhaps he hadn’t slept soundly. Mo Henian got up very early. When he got up, the sky outside was still tinged with blue, and the sun had not yet risen.

After fumbling around for a while, Mo Henian got dressed and walked out of the room.

His room had no bathroom, so when he went to the bathroom, he passed by Yang Yi’s room. He glanced at the closed door, a disdainful sneer appearing on his face, and muttered under his breath, “Hmph, young people!”

It was already so late, and they were still sleeping in!

Mo Henian spent some time squatting in the bathroom, then washed his face and brushed his teeth, making himself look refreshed. However, by this time, he felt a little hungry!

If he had known, he would have eaten something last night. Why had he insisted on putting up a front? Mo Henian had only been stubborn with his words yesterday. He hadn’t eaten dinner at all, only having some bread on the plane.

Just as Mo Henian was walking toward the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat, he heard a little noise. He turned his head and saw Yang Yi coming up from the stairway, dressed in sportswear and carrying a large bag of groceries.

“Uncle, you’re awake?” Yang Yi quickly greeted Mo Henian when he saw him.

Mo Henian frowned and asked, “What did you go out to do?”

Yang Yi lifted the bag of groceries in his hand and explained, “Oh, it’s like this. I’m used to exercising in the morning, and then I buy groceries on the way back.”

Mo Henian looked at Yang Yi suspiciously. He wondered if Yang Yi was deliberately trying to impress him, but seeing Yang Yi covered in sweat so early in the morning, he decided not to say anything  for the time being.

Yang Yi followed his usual routine. He went to the bathroom to take a shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes before going to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

However, when he arrived in the kitchen, he saw Mo Henian eating an apple while rummaging through the vegetables in the bag.

Hearing the noise, Mo Henian turned around. There was a little embarrassment on his face, like someone who had been caught doing something wrong. He coughed and said, “I was just looking at what vegetables you bought.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Henian regretted it. Why had he forced himself to explain? Wasn’t that just making it more obvious that he had been caught? He would’ve been better off pretending to be cold and aloof, giving a snort, and walking out!

Yang Yi didn’t think much of it. He thought that being able to talk to his father-in-law was no easy matter, so he stepped forward and said, “I bought water chestnuts, also known as Chinese water chestnuts. Here are cucumbers, spinach, Chinese cabbage, tomatoes, as well as beef and fresh shrimp…”

After listing everything, Yang Yi smiled and said, “Uncle, I heard from Mo Fei that you run a farm over there yourself, so the food you eat must be very healthy. I’ve also tried my best to buy the best ingredients here, but compared with what you have over there, there may still be some difference.”

Mo Henian neither agreed nor disagreed. He waved his hand and said, “Don’t keep saying how good things are overseas. I think these vegetables you bought are pretty good too. It’s just that the beef is a little lacking. It can’t compare with the cattle we raise ourselves.”

……

Mo Fei was awakened by the vibration of her phone. Mo Xiaojuan called her and told her that Niu Meiling would be holding a meeting at the company tomorrow. The main purpose was to sort out the gains and losses brought about by Mo Fei’s previous scandals and make a summary, and she asked whether Mo Fei wanted to go.

Mo Fei hadn’t made a decision yet about tomorrow’s matter. However, she had gone to bed early last night and wasn’t sleepy anymore at this moment, so she tucked Xixi in with the blanket, got dressed, and walked out of the bedroom.

The kitchen door hadn’t been closed, and quite a bit of noise was coming from inside. There was the sound of the range hood, as well as Yang Yi and Mo Henian talking. Mo Fei was somewhat surprised. Although she hadn’t washed her face or combed her hair yet and was still barefaced, she couldn’t contain her curiosity and went over to see what was going on.

When Mo Fei came over, Yang Yi heard the movement, but Mo Henian didn’t notice. So, when Mo Fei peeked her head in, she saw her father personally cooking while Yang Yi stood beside him, helping pass him the seasonings.

Mo Fei was very surprised by this scene.

The atmosphere was so harmonious that if she only looked at this scene, there was no way she could have guessed that Mo Henian and Yang Yi had been in such a tense situation yesterday!

Why did it seem like the situation had improved overnight?

At this moment, Mo Henian also noticed her. He turned his head and glanced at Mo Fei, looking somewhat embarrassed. He could only put on a stern face and say, “Don’t misunderstand. I stir-fried this dish for Xixi to eat!”

It turned out that when Yang Yi had been trying his best to show off his cooking skills just now, Mo Henian had asked him to stop for a moment, then made some room for himself to cook a dish of beef with scrambled eggs.

Actually, Mo Henian simply didn’t want to admit it himself. At this point, anyone could see the change in his attitude toward Yang Yi. Perhaps the more he got to know Yang Yi, the more of his good qualities he could see?

“It’s fine. You two carry on.” Mo Fei was secretly delighted, but she didn’t expose him. She turned around and went to wash up.

Because of Mo Henian’s arrival, Yang Yi had prepared a particularly sumptuous breakfast. By the time Mo Fei came out of the bathroom, Yang Yi was still busy in the kitchen, while Mo Henian sat at the dining table with his arms crossed. Several dishes were placed in front of him, including the scrambled eggs with beef that Mo Henian had cooked himself.

“Dad, can I have a taste?” Mo Fei brought over the washed bowls and chopsticks, arranging them as she deliberately acted spoiled with Mo Henian and said, “I haven’t eaten food you cooked in such a long time!”

Mo Henian snorted and nodded.

Mo Fei smiled, picked up a piece of beef covered with tender yellow scrambled egg, ate it, then gave Mo Henian a thumbs-up and said, “Dad, your skills are still as good as ever. It’s delicious!”

Mo Henian raised his eyebrows proudly, but he didn’t smile. Instead, he asked, “Does he usually cook for you at home too?”

“Yeah, you know I can’t cook,” Mo Fei said softly. “Yang Yi doesn’t let me do any of the housework at home. He takes very good care of me.”

As she said this, a happy smile spread across Mo Fei’s face. She genuinely meant every word.

Mo Henian carefully studied his daughter’s face, but he didn’t continue with that topic. Instead, he changed the subject and said, “This morning, I saw that kid sneaking around. I don’t know where he…”

Before he could finish, Mo Fei smiled and explained, “You mean Yang Yi went out to buy groceries this morning? He exercises every day. Do you see that mountain behind the house? Yang Yi usually runs over the mountain, then goes to the vegetable market over there and buys groceries before coming back.”

Mo Henian asked with some surprise, “Every day?”

“Yes, every day.” Mo Fei nodded affirmatively. “Except on rainy days, but even on rainy days, he exercises at home.”

Mo Henian’s impression of Yang Yi was gradually improving. However, he didn’t immediately change his attitude toward Yang Yi. He remained just as displeased as ever, and just as cold, refusing to offer Yang Yi so much as a smile.

Xixi was woken up by Mo Fei. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she was going to have breakfast with Papa, Mama, and Grandpa.

“Try this dish. This is scrambled eggs with beef that Grandpa specially made for you.” Mo Fei, being quite perceptive, picked some of the dish and put it in Xixi’s bowl.

“I want to eat this.” Xixi didn’t pick up her chopsticks. Instead, she pointed at the oyster-sauce shrimp balls Yang Yi had cooked.

“Try Grandpa’s beef first. Don’t you remember? This is your favorite!” Mo Fei felt a little awkward. She glanced at Mo Henian’s dark expression and could only continue persuading her.

“Eat the beef first, then you can eat the shrimp later.” Yang Yi joined in the persuasion as well. “You have to eat a little of everything. That way, you’ll get enough nutrition.”

“All right…” Fortunately, the little girl had slept enough and wasn’t grumpy after waking up. Although she was somewhat unwilling, she still obediently listened.

But after Xixi had eaten both dishes, Mo Henian still asked somewhat unconvinced, “Xixi, which do you think tastes better, Grandpa’s beef or this, this shrimp?”

“The shrimp tastes better!” Xixi answered without hesitation.

After the little girl gave her crisp answer, she immediately asked her mother to put some of the food she wanted into her bowl, completely ignoring Grandpa’s face darkening again.

Yang Yi quickly picked up some of the scrambled eggs with beef, chewing as he said, “They’re both delicious. Uncle, you cooked the beef and eggs perfectly! Xixi probably doesn’t like it because the beef we get around here isn’t very good quality. The news is always talking about things like water-injected beef. It’s all my fault for buying poor-quality beef!”

Mo Henian looked deeply at Yang Yi several times. However, strangely enough, although he raised his eyebrows when he saw Yang Yi pick up some of his dish, he didn’t say anything.

As for whose cooking tasted better, Mo Henian had already reached a conclusion after tasting Yang Yi’s cooking. He was simply still unwilling to admit defeat and had wanted to win one back through Xixi.

But who would have thought that Xixi would be so honest…