Chapter 44

Chapter 44

"Are you alright?" After steadying her, Wen Mochuan asked earnestly, his concern evident on his face.

Jiang Yiyan was indeed feeling a bit dizzy and disoriented, but she smiled at Wen Mochuan and shook her head. "I'm fine, really. I just wasn't paying attention and lost my balance."

Wen Mochuan retracted his hand from her waist.

Meimei had been a little bomb when she first rushed into her mother's arms, but now she instantly transformed into a gentle and considerate little darling. She carefully supported her mother's hand and said, "Mommy worked hard today. Meimei will help you sit down on the sofa."

Wen Mochuan also followed and sat down.

Jiang Yiyan was truly very hungry. After stroking her daughter's soft, porcelain-like cheek, she asked Wen Mochuan, "Has Feng Ma gone to rest?"

Wen Mochuan replied, "Meimei insisted on waiting for you, and I wanted to keep her company. Since I was there with her, I let them rest first."

Since they were already asleep, it wouldn't be appropriate to wake them up to cook for her. So... she would have to take matters into her own hands and fend for herself.

"Night owl!" Jiang Yiyan affectionately rubbed her daughter's face before playfully scolding her, "Why aren't you sleeping this late? Look at the time." Jiang Yiyan pointed at the wall clock—it was almost ten o'clock.

"Daddy allowed it," Meimei immediately betrayed her father.

Wen Mochuan: "…"

This time, Jiang Yiyan didn't join her daughter in teasing her husband. Instead, she sternly said, "Daddy allowed you to stay up late and kept you company because he loves you. But how can you shift the blame onto Daddy whenever something happens? Meimei, that's not good behavior for a child." Her expression was serious, as if she wasn't joking.

Meimei was adept at reading people's moods. Seeing her mother's seriousness, she became a bit scared.

While Meimei might have some minor flaws, overall, she was a pretty good kid. After realizing her mistake, she would take the initiative to apologize.

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I was wrong." Meimei's voice was low as she leaned against her mother, trying to use her cute and endearing ways to gain forgiveness.

But Jiang Yiyan wouldn't easily brush the matter aside, allowing her to think that she could get away with a simple act of cuteness. Instead, she continued, "You didn't do anything wrong to Mommy, so there's no need to apologize to me. You bullied Daddy, so you should apologize to him."

In this regard, Wen Mochuan shared Jiang Yiyan's parenting philosophy. Children could be pampered and spoiled, but when it came to right and wrong and correcting their minor flaws, there should be no room for leniency.

They could show love and care, but when mistakes were made, they needed to properly explain the reasons and not let her get away with it by simply throwing a tantrum.

So, while his wife was educating their daughter, Wen Mochuan quietly sat beside them without intervening or pleading for forgiveness on her behalf.

Children were very smart, even shrewd, and they were the best at gauging people's reactions. If one parent protected the child while the other disciplined, the child would never be properly educated. Mistakes made today would likely not be corrected in the future.

Meimei waited for her father to come to her aid, but after a long wait, she didn't see her usually gentle father stepping in to plead for her. Eventually, Meimei gave up hope.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." Meimei sincerely apologized to her father. "I promise I won't do it again."

Wen Mochuan said, "As long as you truly realize that your actions were wrong and promise not to repeat the same mistake, Daddy will forgive you."

"I promise!" Meimei quickly assured him. "I really won't do it again."

Wen Mochuan said, "Then Daddy forgives you."

With her father's forgiveness, Meimei turned to her mother. "Mommy, Daddy said he forgives me." So, please don't be angry anymore.

She feared her mother was still upset, so she tried to win her over by holding her hand. She tightly gripped one of her mother's fingers and gently shook it.

"Please, Mommy." Meimei continued to beg, using all her charm.

Jiang Yiyan wasn't actually that angry; she only put on a stern face to properly educate her nominal daughter. Now that her goal was achieved, she naturally wasn't angry anymore.

"Since you've apologized to Daddy and he's willing to forgive you, Mommy won't be angry anymore." Jiang Yiyan's expression softened. "But Meimei must remember what she said today. In the future, always speak honestly. No matter what happens, don't try to clear yourself by shifting the blame onto others."

"I'll remember, I'll remember. I'll remember it forever," Meimei hastily promised.

Unable to hold back, Jiang Yiyan laughed.

"Forever? Do you know how long forever is?" She ruffled her daughter's hair.

"Mommy finally smiled." Meimei immediately threw herself into her mother's arms, regaining her earlier vitality. "My dear mommy."

Though not her biological child and they hadn't spent much time together, perhaps it was fate—Jiang Yiyan found herself increasingly fond of this fair-skinned daughter.

Other people had their handfuls with mischievous kids, but her own was perfect. Even if she could be naughty and make mistakes, she was still a good child with just a few flaws.

Jiang Yiyan hugged the sweet and adorable girl in her arms, cherishing her for a while.

Wen Mochuan remained quietly seated, silently watching the playful interaction between mother and daughter. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his calm eyes held a hint of warmth.

Suddenly, a series of "gurgling" sounds disrupted the harmony.

Jiang Yiyan remembered something else—she was hungry.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she said, "I'm hungry…" She subconsciously glanced at Wen Mochuan.

Wen Mochuan got up and headed towards the kitchen. "There should be leftovers from dinner in the fridge. Let me check."

"Forget it." Jiang Yiyan didn't particularly want healthy food like fish, meat, or shrimp. At this late hour, after a busy day, she craved junk food to satisfy her hunger.

"Is there any instant noodles in the fridge? I want to cook some." And she also wanted to drink soda.

Jiang Yiyan got up and headed towards the kitchen.

Wen Mochuan knew there probably weren't any such items in the fridge, and no one would buy them. But since she had already gone to look, he didn't say anything.

Sure enough, the fridge was filled with high-nutritional-value protein and meat products, along with various types of milk.

"Well," Jiang Yiyan sighed regretfully. "Of course, there isn't."

Wen Mochuan said, "There's a 24-hour convenience store at the entrance of the neighborhood. If you really want to eat, I can go buy some."

Jiang Yiyan hesitated for a moment. "Then let's go together."

Meimei had been listening attentively to her parents' conversation. When she saw that they were going out to buy something, Meimei immediately said, "I want to come too."

Though it was the dog days of summer, there was a cool breeze at night, so it wasn't hot. Besides, she had been cooped up in the house all day, so taking a walk would be refreshing and help her sleep better when she returned.

"Then let's go together."

Cuiming Water Garden covered a vast area, with one of the highest plot ratios in all of Shenzhen. It took about fifteen minutes on foot to get from their villa to the entrance of the complex. Therefore, by the time they reached the convenience store at the gate, it was almost ten twenty.

After buying what they needed and walking back slowly, it was already ten forty.

By then, Meimei was already asleep, dozing on her father's shoulder.

Meimei usually slept with Feng Ma, but it was clearly inappropriate for her to do so tonight. So as soon as they got home, Jiang Yiyan asked Wen Mochuan to take their daughter upstairs first.

"By the way, do you want some?" Jiang Yiyan suddenly asked Wen Mochuan, who was already climbing the stairs with their daughter in his arms.

Wen Mochuan usually didn't eat anything at night, and even if he did, instant noodles wouldn't be his choice. However, seeing his wife's enthusiasm and since she had asked, he couldn't refuse. He nodded and said, "If it's convenient, could you cook a bit for me too?"

Jiang Yiyan gave him an OK gesture before turning around and entering the kitchen.

Apart from lacking instant noodles, the kitchen fridge contained everything else needed for cooking noodles: eggs, vegetables, and ham. Since they were cooking instant noodles, it was only natural to add some garnishes. Therefore, Jiang Yiyan took two eggs out of the fridge, grabbed some vegetables, and sliced a bit of ham.

Jiang Yiyan wasn't skilled at preparing proper meals, but she was an expert at cooking instant noodles. In the past, when she came home late from work, she would always cook herself a steaming bowl of instant noodles. Especially during winter, after finishing such a bowl, her whole body would feel warm and energized.

Although it was summer now, the villa was well air-conditioned, so eating them wouldn't make her feel hot.

When Wen Mochuan came downstairs after settling their daughter, Jiang Yiyan's instant noodles were almost ready.

As he approached the kitchen, Jiang Yiyan continued stirring the pot with chopsticks while asking, "How much do you want?" She had cooked two packets because she was very hungry and worried it might not be enough.

With the addition of eggs, vegetables, and ham... Wen Mochuan found a large pot filled to the brim waiting for him when he arrived.

Wen Mochuan: "…"

"I can't eat too much," he replied as he went to the cabinets and fetched a bowl.

Both bowls were small, definitely not big enough for the amount of noodles they had.

"Are you only going to eat this little?" Jiang Yiyan asked.

Wen Mochuan: "Yes, I had a normal dinner and haven't expended much energy tonight, so I'm not very hungry." This was also a subtle way of giving Jiang Yiyan an out; she had worked hard today and expended more energy, so it was normal for her to eat more.

Jiang Yiyan muttered, "If I knew you weren't going to eat much, I would have only cooked one packet."

Wen Mochuan glanced at her, noticing her staring at the pot with a somewhat melancholic expression. For some reason, he changed his mind.

"Eating a bit more is fine," he added.

Jiang Yiyan turned off the stove, turned around, and fetched two larger bowls. These bowls were twice the size of the ones Wen Mochuan had taken earlier.

"One bowl each, don't waste," she said before evenly dividing the noodles between the two bowls and giving each of them an egg and some vegetables.

Even though they were instant noodles, they looked quite appetizing. Although they hadn't tasted them yet, they already scored points for appearance and aroma.

"Let's sit in the dining room to eat," Jiang Yiyan said as she carried her own bowl over.

Seeing this, Wen Mochuan followed suit and brought his own bowl along.

Jiang Yiyan was both hungry and hadn't eaten instant noodles in a long time, so she savored every bite. One could tell how delicious the food was just by watching her eat.

Wen Mochuan rarely touched junk food, but he had eaten instant noodles before. However, in his memory, they weren't particularly tasty. How did they become a delicacy in her mouth?

Perhaps influenced by her, Wen Mochuan took a bite and found it surprisingly good.

One bite led to another, and he couldn't stop.

Seeing him enjoying it, Jiang Yiyan was pleased. She proactively asked, "The instant noodles I cooked are delicious, right?"

Wen Mochuan maintained his elegant eating manner. Hearing her question, he lifted his eyes, smiled, swallowed the noodles in his mouth, and confirmed, "Delicious." Then he continued eating.

The dining room was lit by a soft yellow light, and they sat facing each other. They didn't speak anymore, only focusing on the food in their bowls in perfect harmony.

They finished eating almost simultaneously and put down their chopsticks at the same time. Then they looked at each other and shared a smile.

Wen Mochuan stood up on his own initiative. "You cooked the noodles, I'll wash the dishes."

One cooked the noodles, and the other washed the dishes—it was fair. Therefore, Jiang Yiyan didn't pretend to be polite and argue with him. When he offered to wash the dishes, she directly handed him her bowl and chopsticks.

Wen Mochuan wasn't a pampered young master who never did any chores. In fact, before the age of ten, he hadn't lived in the Wen family household. During the time he spent with his mother, he had done all kinds of household tasks, including washing clothes, cooking, washing dishes, and mopping the floor.

"I'm sleepy, I'm going upstairs to take a shower and sleep." After eating her fill, Jiang Yiyan felt drowsy. She covered her mouth as she yawned, barely able to articulate her words clearly. "I'll leave this to you."

Wen Mochuan had already tied an apron around his waist and stood by the sink. Hearing her, he raised his eyes and spoke gently, "Go rest."