Chapter Fifty-One

Chapter Fifty-One

In the living room, the whole family gathered together. Rarely did anyone miss out today.

After sitting for a while, Cai Wenqing got up and said, "You continue chatting; I'll go check on things in the kitchen. Sister Zhang made a lot of dishes today—all Yiyan's favorites. I'll see how they're coming along." She then glanced at her daughter.

Shu Yao immediately stood up as well: "I'll go with Mom."

Jiang Yiyan smiled and also got up, saying, "Dad, I'll go too. Since I'm back for dinner, it wouldn't be right to let Aunt Cai and Yaoyao do all the cooking."

Cai Wenqing quickly responded, "You don't need to move. It's rare that you're back, so just sit here and chat with your dad. We'll handle the kitchen."

Jiang Yiyan: "If Aunt Cai and Yaoyao are helping, it wouldn't be right for me to just sit here and rest. Besides, there will be plenty of opportunities to talk with Dad later. Plus, with Ah Cheng and Mochuan here, they have men's business to discuss, which doesn't interest me anyway."

Cai Wenqing was momentarily at a loss for words.

Finally, she could only say, "Even if Sister Zhang is busy, we don't all need to go. You're a guest, Yiyan; you shouldn't be doing the cooking."

Jiang Yiyan: "How could I be a guest? I'm my father's daughter. Even if I'm married, I'm not a guest."

Then she turned to Jiang Cheng, "Dad, am I a guest?" Being a guest meant being an outsider, and was she an outsider?

Jiang Cheng was holding Meimei on his lap, playing with her. Hearing this, he looked over at his daughter with a kind expression.

"This will always be your home. No matter when you come back, it's just like before."

"Acheng, that's not what I meant," Cai Wenqing said anxiously, trying to explain.

But Jiang Cheng replied, "I know you mean well. But if Yiyan wants to help, let her. Sometimes, there's no need to be so formal."

"Alright," Cai Wenqing didn't want to argue further. A heart that has already swayed cannot be easily brought back with a few words.

In such a situation, further discussion was pointless.

Fortunately, the Jiang family had an open kitchen with ample space. Otherwise, with so many people, it might have been too crowded.

Jiang Yiyan wasn't skilled at cooking, but she was excellent at assisting. When she lived with her parents, she would often help with preparing vegetables and washing dishes whenever guests came over.

So, she naturally took on these tasks again.

She knew exactly what needed to be done without needing instructions from Sister Zhang. In contrast, Shu Yao stood awkwardly in the kitchen, unsure of what to do.

Jiang Yiyan soon bonded with Sister Zhang and the others, leaving Shu Yao feeling isolated. Watching this scene, Cai Wenqing felt truly regretful.

She had arranged this to show everyone her daughter's good qualities, but now Jiang Yiyan was stealing the spotlight.

Cai Wenqing felt helpless, wondering how Jiang Yiyan had suddenly changed, becoming so difficult to deal with.

.

For a moment, Cai Wenqing felt overwhelmed.

The menu she had prepared earlier included mostly dishes Jiang Yiyan liked. However, when the dishes were served, they catered to everyone's preferences.

Noticing something was off, Jiang Cheng frowned and asked Sister Zhang, "Didn't I tell you to prepare those special dishes? Why are these ordinary home-cooked meals? And these aren't all Yiyan's favorites."

Sister Zhang looked troubled, but Jiang Yiyan quickly defended her, "Dad, it's not Sister Zhang's fault. This was my idea. I saw the menu, and it was indeed full of my favorite dishes. But since it's a family dinner, there's no need to make everything I like. I know Dad cares about me, but doing so might make others feel left out. So... I decided to ask Sister Zhang to change the menu."

Sister Zhang added, "Miss Yiyan is considerate and thought of everyone's tastes. She helped a lot in the kitchen today." Miss Yiyan has truly changed, very different from before.

Shu Yao sat quietly nearby, her face turning red, and she lowered her head silently.

She hadn't intended to compete for attention, but the stark contrast made her feel embarrassed. Every compliment for Jiang Yiyan seemed like a criticism of her.

Feeling suffocated and uncomfortable, Shu Yao couldn't leave and had to endure the implied criticism.

At the dinner table, her father was delighted, and Jiang Yiyan kept him happy. The joyous family gathering made her feel even more like an outsider.

Subconsciously, Shu Yao shifted her gaze from Jiang Cheng and his daughter to Wen Mochuan. She wanted to gauge Wen Mochuan's attitude towards Jiang Yiyan now.

Wen Mochuan was reserved and not much of a talker. Especially in such situations, he wouldn't initiate conversation unless directly addressed. He would then smile and speak a few words.

Always gentle and refined, he had grown more mature over the years. Seeing such a perfect and outstanding man, Shu Yao felt a surge of bitterness.

It was a feeling of unwillingness.

Wen Mochuan was observant and sensitive to others' feelings. Sitting next to Shu Yao, he couldn't ignore her presence.

Noticing her occasional glances, he understood his current position and never responded.

No response, no lingering ties, a clean break... That was best for both of them.

Shu Yao focused on Wen Mochuan, while Jiang Xu's attention remained on Shu Yao. Jiang Yiyan, busier than ever, had to juggle between entertaining her father and observing the three of them.

Afraid of missing any interesting moments, she was truly exhausted.

Lunch lasted for over an hour.

Afterward, Shu Yao breathed a sigh of relief.

After lunch, Jiang Cheng asked Wen Mochuan to play chess with him. Around one o'clock, he said he was going upstairs for a nap. At this time, the others had to stay in the living room, exchanging polite pleasantries.

Jiang Yiyan's room had been kept as it was before her marriage. The housekeeper cleaned it every week, so although it had been unoccupied for a long time, it remained clean.

"Since you're back today, don't rush to leave. All three of you should take a nap upstairs. Mochuan, after the nap, we'll finish our game," Jiang Cheng said cheerfully.

Wen Mochuan responded politely, "Sure."

Jiang Yiyan wasn't new to sharing a bed with Wen Mochuan. They had "slept" together once before at a suburban inn. With Meimei around, it was manageable.

Certainly, it still felt awkward, but she wasn't as uncomfortable as before.

And the bed in this room used to be quite large, enough for a family of three to lie comfortably. In a while, Meimei can sleep in the middle, with her and Wen Mochuan on either side, clearly separated.

But since there has never been a situation where all three of them slept together before, Jiang Yiyan obviously doesn't know how they used to sleep when the original body was around.

As the vicious supporting female character in the book, she loved her husband Wen Mochuan deeply, even to the point of having an almost obsessive possessiveness over him. Therefore, even though it was their daughter, she didn't want the child to sleep next to her husband during bedtime. Whenever the three of them shared a bed, she would always sleep in the middle, with the daughter and husband on either side.

Meimei didn't mind; in fact, she preferred being close to her mother. Thus, it had become a habit that whenever the three of them slept together, she would automatically go to the left side of the bed and wait for her mother.

This time was no different. Feeling sleepy, she lay down on the bed as soon as she entered the room, patted the spot beside her, and called out, "Mom, come to bed."

Jiang Yiyan: "..."

"Doesn't Meimei want to sleep in the middle?" Jiang Yiyan asked.

Meimei looked curious. "But I always used to sleep on the left side of Mom, with Dad on the right and Mom in the middle."

Jiang Yiyan: "...” Is that how it was?

She had overlooked this.

But children don't lie. Since Meimei said it was like this, it must have been so.

However, the past is the past, and habits can change. Just because they used to sleep in those positions, does it mean they have to keep doing so now?

So Jiang Yiyan smiled and coaxed Meimei. "In the past, Mom was wrong. Mom was too domineering, wanting to possess both you and Dad. But now, Mom understands. Meimei is not just Mom's daughter but also Dad's daughter. So, Meimei should sleep in the middle, allowing us both to be close to you. And this way, Meimei can hug Dad if she wants or hug Mom if she wants." Jiang Yiyan tried her best to entice her.

Meimei didn't really care, as long as she could sleep in the same room and bed with her parents, she didn't mind which position she took.

So when her mother told her to sleep in the middle, she immediately rolled over to take up that spot.

With her daughter easily convinced, Jiang Yiyan felt relieved.

Wen Mochuan stood quietly by the side, observing his wife's every move. In the past, he would let her do whatever she wanted, as long as it wasn't too unreasonable. As long as things weren't excessive, Wen Mochuan would go along with her wishes, not bothering to argue.

But now, something seemed to be subtly changing. Facing such a wife and her actions, he actually felt like engaging with her.

So he deliberately went against her, not wanting her little plan to succeed.

"You should sleep in the middle," Wen Mochuan said seriously, looking at his wife. "Meimei is considerate; she won't mind which position she sleeps in. It's you who have light sleep. Didn't you say before that you would have trouble sleeping if you changed your position?"

Meimei suddenly remembered her mother saying something like that before and immediately rolled back to her original spot.

"Mom isn't domineering at all. Meimei prefers to sleep on the edge. Mom should sleep in the middle, and Meimei and Dad will protect Mom."

While the warmth of a caring daughter was touching, Jiang Yiyan felt that wearing such a thick coat in the heat of summer was indeed too warm.