Modern young people are becoming more and more open.
Liu Zhenshan initially thought that Little Chun, whom she met today, could potentially become her daughter-in-law...
But now it seems like Lingling also has a chance?
Who knows who will win in the end...
Liu Zhenshan had no intention of interfering in the affairs of young people.
She understood her son's character very well.
He would never do anything to wrong a girl.
If something did happen...
Well, it would definitely be because the girl made the first move.
Up until now, Shi Hai had always been reliable, to the point where Liu Zhenshan couldn't find a single flaw.
She even had a somewhat twisted hope that her son would get into some trouble, so she could step in as a mother and show him unconditional love and care.
She often received exasperated looks from her son...
In most families, it's the mother educating the son, and the son finds the mother annoying.
But in Shi Hai's family, it was the other way around.
The son would nag, and Liu Zhenshan found him annoying.
It wasn't that Shi Hai was a nagging man.
He just gradually realized that while his mom was a saintly person outside, she was quite sloppy at home.
If she didn't go out, forget about makeup, she wouldn't even wash her face.
She would proudly say that this was her 'natural' good skin.
Moreover, her housekeeping skills were not great.
For example, when cooking, she would add seasonings very casually and manage the heat in a similar way, resulting in dishes that at best were just edible.
Particularly in terms of ingredient selection, she was very careless.
After Shi Hai discovered that if he responded "whatever" when his mom asked what to have for dinner, she would invariably make scrambled eggs.
After enduring twenty consecutive days of scrambled eggs, Shi Hai realized he had to give precise instructions.
Thus, Shi Hai became responsible for deciding the menu every day.
Initially, Liu Zhenshan was very reluctant, and even said that how could a kid who had never cooked could cook better than her?
After all, she had been the chef in the Shi family for over a decade...
But she was immediately won over by Shi Hai's "Potato Stew" the next day.
Reluctantly, she admitted it was much tastier than her own cooking.
However, being beaten by her son who had learned to cook from a few videos was hard to accept.
After several family cooking competitions, they decided to divide the responsibilities.
Liu Zhenshan, who passed by the market on her way home and had better knife skills, would buy, wash, and chop the vegetables, while Shi Hai would handle the actual cooking.
They settled dishwashing with rock-paper-scissors...
If Jian Sichun hadn't helped with dinner tonight, Shi Hai would probably have cooked again.
Aside from cooking, the other house chores also puzzled Shi Hai.
For instance, Liu Zhenshan once mistook dish soap for laundry detergent, leaving Shi Hai's clothes smelling of dish soap...
It wasn't that she was irresponsible, she's just naturally like this since the start...
Could this be the so-called... natural airhead?
Nevertheless, because of this, Shi Hai's housekeeping skills were quite high, and he even enjoyed doing housework after getting used to it.
As long as it wasn't treated as a chore, cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning were all quite stress-relieving.
That's also the reason why Shi Hai decided to help clean up at Zhu Lingjie's place, since it would help him to relieve the stress from the unusual events of the day.
Around ten o'clock in the evening, Shi Hai returned home to find his mom chatting with Zhu Lingjie.
As soon as Shi Hai entered the house, Zhu Lingjie stood up and walked over, showing concern for him like a wife.
"Thank you for your hard work..."
"No problem, I've mostly cleaned it, but some corners need more attention. I'll finish it tomorrow."
"That won't do... I can't trouble you anymore..."
"It's not a trouble, just think of me as having mysophobia too."
"—!"
Zhu Lingjie's heart started racing.
He always inadvertently said things that made her heart skip a beat.
They weren't even romantic words, yet they were more effective than any love talk, striking her soul directly.
Seeing her silent with her head down, Shi Hai took it as her agreement.
"But the bed sheets probably haven't been changed yet... Mom, do we have spare bed sheets at home?"
Of course, they did.
But from Liu Zhenshan's perspective, she clearly saw Zhu Lingjie's love-struck expression.
Eager to watch the show, Liu Zhenshan wouldn't let Zhu Lingjie leave so easily.
An idea popped into her head, and she suggested, "I think you should stay at our place tonight, Lingling."
"Huh...?"
"Mom, you..."
Shi Hai also knew his mother well. He narrowed his eyes and was about to complain about her, but Zhu Lingjie had already agreed.
"Ah, yes!"
Mother-in-law! Thank you very much!
This way, I can get in touch with Shi Hai earlier than Jian Sichun!
If possible, I would like to live here forever...
Wait a moment...
Zhu Lingjie suddenly realized a contradiction.
There are only three rooms in Shi Hai's house.
If I remember correctly, there shouldn't be any empty rooms after Shi Hai's sister moved in.
So where's her sister-in-law?
"Okay, I'll go get the bedding..."
Shi Hai was about to get the bedding, but then he thought that Zhu Lingjie probably didn't want to touch the bedding that a man like him had touched.
So he said to his mother:
"Mom, can you please go and get the bedding for me?"
"Let's talk about the bedding later… Little Hai, can I discuss something with you?"
Shi Hai frowned when he heard this.
His mother usually calls him by his full name.
If she suddenly changes to "Little Hai", it must be that she has done something wrong and it is a sign of guilt.
Most of the troubles that she ran into were caused by her kindness, and Shi Hai was no longer surprised by this.
So he never agrees first.
And judging by her expression this time, the trouble level is at least S-level.
Feeling that he should be mentally prepared first, Shi Hai picked up a cup from the coffee table in the living room and wanted to drink some water to calm his nerves.
Zhu Lingjie, who was following behind him, quickly poured him some water.
"Oh, thank you."
Zhu Lingjie, holding the water jug, blushed and smiled, satisfied.
She had been thanked, which felt like a 'reward.'
My childhood friend has really become a hundred times cuter than before...
With this thought in his mind, Shi Hai took a sip of water and asked his mom, "Alright, let's hear it."
"It's just... um..."
Liu Zhenshan, fidgeting and playing with her fingers, glanced cautiously at her son's face and asked, "Do you... want a little sister?"
"...What?"