Jian Yan left with her mother under the varied expressions of several aunts.

  As they went upstairs, Jian Yan's mother couldn't help scolding her, "Look at what you said just now. How am I supposed to get along with them in the future?"

  Jian Yan retorted, "You still want to get along with them? I clearly saw them ganging up on you."

  "That's not ganging up on me. Those few of them do have a bit of a loose tongue sometimes, but we usually have the kind of relationship where we dance square dance together."

  "..." Jian Yan was a bit speechless. "Aren't you angry when they talk like that?"

  "What's there for me to be angry about? They know that their daughters are not as good as you in every way, so they can only bring up the topic of marriage."

  "I think it's better for you to move in with me."

  "What's so good about your place? Not only can't I dance square dance there, but it's also far from where I work. It's convenient for me to do things here, and I have them for company. We can dance, go shopping, and chat about the daily trivia together. What's not good about that?"

  Jian Yan said, "I can keep you company if you come to my place."

  Jian Yan's mother glanced at her and said, "Come on. You're so busy all day long that you don't have time to keep me company. You just want me to go over and wash your clothes and cook for you, right?"

  Jian Yan: "..."

  Their apartment was on the sixth floor. When they reached the door, Jian Yan's mother opened it and said to her, "You really know how to pick the right time to come. Did you know I bought a lot of groceries today?"

  Jian Yan laughed twice. "Maybe it's a case of telepathy. What are you planning to cook today?"

  "Since you're here, I'll add a dish. I'll make Braised Chestnut Chicken, and fry a few Shrimp and Chive Dumplings. There's still some Chinese yam at home, so I'll make Beauty Porridge for you. It's better to have porridge in winter to keep warm."

  "Wow, I'm in for a treat then."

  "If you want to eat earlier, come in and help me." Jian Yan's mother carried the groceries to the kitchen and asked Jian Yan to assist her. "You go and knead the dough first, and then crush the soaked rice and glutinous rice I prepared."

  "Sure thing." Jian Yan took off her coat, washed her hands, and went to help. While dealing with the chicken, Jian Yan's mother asked her, "I saw that your comic has ended. Are you not so busy recently?"

  "Yeah, more or less. I'm currently working as a salesperson at Starlight Department Store."

  Jian Yan's mother was taken aback for a moment. "What are you doing working as a salesperson at Starlight Department Store?"

  "I'm gathering materials. I want to draw a female protagonist who works as a salesperson in a department store for my next comic."

  "Oh..." Jian Yan's mother nodded and then asked, "So are you on leave today?"

  Jian Yan said, "I'm working the late shift today, starting at 3:30 pm."

  Jian Yan's mother poked her head out from the kitchen and looked at the wall clock in the living room. "It's almost 11 o'clock. We need to hurry up."

  "Okay."

  The mother and daughter were busy in the kitchen until 12:30 pm, and finally, they finished making lunch. Eating the warm Beauty Porridge, Jian Yan felt extremely happy. "Mom's cooking is still the best."

  Jian Yan's mother smiled and said to her, "Even if you flatter me a lot, I won't go over and cook for you."

  Jian Yan pouted and picked up a freshly fried Shrimp and Chive Dumpling. "Mmm~ Delicious!"

  "Have a piece of chicken. It seems like you've lost weight again recently." Jian Yan's mother picked up a drumstick and put it in her bowl. Jian Yan said, "It's good to be thin. I hope I can be obsessed with making money and gradually lose weight."

  "What kind of nonsense is that? Nowadays, girls keep talking about losing weight all the time. I'm worried about what will happen if they ruin their health." Jian Yan's mother said and picked up a chicken wing for her. "Eat more. I made so much today that I can't finish it all by myself. I happen to have a thermal bucket here. I'll pack some for you later and you can take it back to eat."

  "Okay, okay." Jian Yan was busy eating the meat and nodded. "Mom..."

  "Hmm?" Her mother saw that she seemed to have something to say but hesitated, so she looked up at her.

  Jian Yan swallowed the meat in her mouth and looked at her. "If I really never get married, do you really not mind?"

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Jian Yan's mother's eyes darkened a bit, and she let out a soft sigh. "Of course, I hope that one day you can find someone you like and have a good home. But... sigh, such things can't be forced. If you end up with someone like your father, it's better not to get married at all."

  Regarding Jian Yan's father, Jian Yan's mother had always felt very guilty. If she hadn't been so blind as to marry such a person, Jian Yan wouldn't have suffered so much when she was a child, and she wouldn't have made her become the way she is now.

  "Okay, okay, let's not talk about him. Eat more." Jian Yan's mother picked up a lot more dishes for Jian Yan, as if she was afraid that she wouldn't have enough to eat.

  Looking at the pile of dishes in her bowl that was like a small hill, Jian Yan said with a mix of laughter and tears, "Enough. Do you think you're raising a pig?"

  "Yes. Didn't you always say you were hungry when you were a child? Now I'm letting you eat more to make up for it."

  After lunch, her mother didn't ask her to wash the dishes. Jian Yan leaned on the sofa and took a nap. It was already past 2 o'clock. Her mother woke her up and handed her a thermal bucket. "I've packed the dishes for you. You can eat them at night. I also packed some pickled mustard greens for you. I made them myself, and they go well with rice."

  "Oh, okay." Jian Yan rubbed her eyes, stood up, and put on the coat that was draped over her. "Then I'll be leaving now. I'll come and see you next time."

  "Okay. Drive carefully."

  "Okay. Mom, you also take care of yourself. Don't catch a cold when it's cold."

  "Do I need you to remind me? I'm not like you."

  Jian Yan: "..."

  She carried the heavy thermal bucket downstairs, drove out of this old residential area.

  In the afternoon, her work state was much better than yesterday, but she was still a bit nervous, afraid of not knowing what to do when she saw Manager He.

  She just ran away like that yesterday. It must have been very impolite, and the other person was her superior...

  After seeing off the customer in her hands, it was time for dinner. Jian Yan carried the thermal bucket her mother gave her and went to the cafeteria to find a seat. She opened the lid of the thermal bucket, and the fragrant smell of Braised Chestnut Chicken wafted out, attracting even the colleagues at the next table.

  "Wow, Jian Yan, you have such a good meal. Is this Chestnut Chicken?"

  "Yeah. Do you want to try some?" Jian Yan took the initiative to push the lunch box in her direction.

  "Sure, sure," the colleague picked up a spoon and scooped a piece of chicken into her own bowl. Then she looked at Jian Yan. "Can you give me one of the fried dumplings too?"

  Jian Yan smiled and said, "Sure."

  Her mother really packed a lot for her. She even suspected that she had stuffed all the remaining dishes into the thermal bucket.

  The colleague picked up a fried dumpling again and returned to her seat satisfied. Jian Yan took a spoonful of Beauty Porridge. It was still warm. She tasted a bit of the pickled mustard greens her mother made. The taste was spicy and fragrant, and it was really good with rice.

  Another person came and sat down opposite her. She thought it was another colleague who wanted to come and share her food. When she looked up, she was stunned.

  It was Manager He again.

  She didn't know when Manager He started to be keen on having meals in the cafeteria. Anyway, he calmly carried his tray and sat down opposite her.

  "Ahem, Manager He." Jian Yan covered her mouth and coughed twice, greeting He Xiu. He Xiu smiled at her and said, "Good afternoon."

  "Good afternoon..."

  She quickly thought about what to say to him in her mind to avoid the awkwardness. He Xiu was the first to find a topic. "You have a really sumptuous meal today. Is this Beauty Porridge? It has a rich and fragrant soybean milk flavor."

  "Yeah, that's right. This is Braised Chestnut Chicken, and these are Shrimp and Chive Fried Dumplings. Do you want to try some?" After the words came out, Jian Yan was a bit surprised herself. She actually took the initiative to invite a man to try her food.

  She must have been too eager to resolve the awkwardness in her heart.

  "Um..." He Xiu looked around in her lunch box and picked up a fried dumpling with chopsticks. "I'll try a shrimp dumpling."

  Jian Yan watched as he took a bite of the fried dumpling, and his tongue flashed between his sexy lips. "How does it taste?"

  He Xiu thought for a moment and said, "It feels a bit different from what I ate that day."

  Jian Yan pursed her lips into a smile and asked, "Do you think this one is more delicious today?"

  He Xiu laughed. "So who made this?"

  "My mother. I went to my mother's place today. She was the one who cooked, and I just helped out."

  "Oh, I see..." He Xiu looked at the half-eaten fried dumpling on the chopsticks, as if he was thinking about something.

  She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but Jian Yan always felt that his expression suddenly became a bit gloomy.

  After He Xiu finished eating that fried dumpling, he silently started eating the food on his own tray. Jian Yan didn't say anything either, and the dining table suddenly became very quiet.

  Several other colleagues who wanted to come and share Jian Yan's food saw that even Manager He was sitting opposite her openly sharing her food, so they could only silently swallow their saliva.

  When the bowl of Beauty Porridge was almost finished, Jian Yan finally said, "Well..."

  He Xiu looked up and glanced at her. "What is it?"

  "Um, it's about yesterday..." Jian Yan felt a bit embarrassed to say it. "I'm sorry that I just ran away suddenly."

  She originally thought that He Xiu came to find her because he wanted to ask her about what happened yesterday, but he hadn't brought it up.

  He Xiu's eyes flickered slightly and said, "It's okay. I suddenly grabbed you, and I was still wondering if I scared you."

  "Uh, it has nothing to do with you. It's my own problem." After thinking for a while, Jian Yan decided to explain it clearly to He Xiu. "Actually, I've particularly hated getting in touch with boys since I was a child. I don't know if you've noticed, but I went to an all-girls school in middle school."

  He Xiu nodded. "Yeah, it says in your resume that you went to Lilac Girls' Middle School."

  Jian Yan was a bit surprised. Did he memorize the resumes of all the employees?

  "I initially went to an ordinary middle school. Later, because a boy pulled my hair, I beat him and sent him to the hospital. That's why my mother found a way to transfer me to an all-girls school..." It was still a bit embarrassing to tell her superior all about the things she did when she was a child.

  He Xiu was also a bit surprised. He didn't expect that Jian Yan hated boys to such an extent. He smiled at her and teased, "Fortunately, you didn't hit me yesterday. I'm grateful for that."

  Jian Yan was actually made to laugh by him. "I initially thought that you liked men, so I didn't react so strongly..."

  "Wait a minute." He Xiu interrupted her. "What do you mean by thinking that I like men??"