In the kitchen, Xu Xiuhe washed various types of rice and placed them in the rice cooker, adding a lot of water.
Shen Yin came out of the bathroom carrying Zhengzheng, and saw Xu Xiuhe cutting potato shreds in the kitchen. Since he was cooking, she didn't go in. Zhengzheng in her arms said, "Daddy cooking." Then he wanted to get down.
Shen Yin put Zhengzheng on the ground, and the little one toddled towards the kitchen. "Daddy, Zhengzheng help you cook."
Shen Yin wanted to laugh at this. Zhengzheng was small but wanted to do everything, drive, write, and now that he had just been potty trained, he wanted to cook. "Zhengzheng, cooking is dangerous, come here."
Zhengzheng turned around and looked at Shen Yin, who had a troubled expression and shook her head.
Just as Shen Yin was about to pick up Zhengzheng, she saw Xu Xiuhe wipe his hands and pick up Zhengzheng, walking to the sink and saying, "Zhengzheng, help Daddy wash this tomato, okay?"
"Okay." Zhengzheng readily agreed, revealing two small milk teeth. He then took the tomato, and Xu Xiuhe turned on the faucet. Zhengzheng touched the running water with his hand before putting the tomato under it.
Shen Yin didn't know if he was really washing the tomato or not, but in her eyes, father and son were having a great time.
"Zhengzheng, well done, thank you Zhengzheng. Daddy needs to cut the tomato now, why don't you go to Mommy?" Xu Xiuhe coaxed, realizing that he wasn't as good at cooking as Shen Yin, and having a little kid interfering, they might not be able to eat dinner until the next morning.
Zhengzheng had gotten tired of playing, and when Xu Xiuhe put him down, he waddled towards Shen Yin.
"Zhengzheng, wait until you're a little bigger, then you can cook for Mommy, okay?" Shen Yin squatted down and coaxed Zhengzheng.
"Okay, Zhengzheng will cook for Daddy and Mommy later."
Shen Yin rubbed her forehead, she hadn't mentioned Daddy just now.
In the living room, Shen Yin drew design sketches while chatting with Zhengzheng.
"Mommy, hungry," Zhengzheng said.
Shen Yin sighed, usually at this time, she would have finished cooking at the Purple Courtyard, but now in the kitchen, Xu Xiuhe was still stir-frying dishes.
"Zhengzheng, Mommy is hungry too," Shen Yin said. She could only say that.
Hearing Shen Yin's words, Zhengzheng frowned and walked back into the kitchen.
"Daddy, Mommy's hungry," Zhengzheng told Xu Xiuhe.
Xu Xiuhe, who was stir-frying, turned his head and smiled, "Are you the one who's hungry?"
"Mommy's hungry, Zhengzheng's hungry too," Zhengzheng pouted.
"Zhengzheng, go tell Mommy that dinner will be ready soon," Xu Xiuhe dished out the tomato and scrambled eggs.
The kitchen wasn't far from the living room, and Shen Yin had heard the whole conversation between Zhengzheng and Xu Xiuhe. My goodness, what was with Zhengzheng? "Zhengzheng, why did you tell Daddy that Mommy is hungry?"
"Because Mommy told Zhengzheng that Mommy is hungry too," Zhengzheng blinked innocently. Shen Yin didn't know how to end this topic; children these days were so clever.
"Daddy says we can eat now," Zhengzheng had just finished speaking when Xu Xiuhe came out with two plates of dishes, called out "Dinner's ready," and went back to the kitchen.
One plate of tomato and scrambled eggs, one plate of potato shreds, a plate of stir-fried mushrooms and meat, followed by three bowls of porridge.
Shen Yin still felt awkward, she hadn't asked Xu Xiuhe to cook, and just a few hours ago they were discussing divorce. She didn't feel comfortable going over there.
"Dinner's ready," Xu Xiuhe called out. Then he seemed to remember something and added, "Zhengzheng, call Mommy to eat."
Zhengzheng obeyed and pulled Shen Yin's hand, "Mommy, eat food."
Shen Yin sat at the dining table, feeling awkward and not knowing how to face Xu Xiuhe. The table had homemade dishes, but those potato shreds were cut so thick, Shen Yin could hardly look at them, they were almost as thick as Zhengzheng's little fingers. Could they even be eaten?
Xu Xiuhe noticed that Shen Yin kept looking at the dishes on the table but didn't pick up her chopsticks. He felt anxious, picked up a potato shred with his chopsticks, tasted it, and feeling satisfied, put some in Zhengzheng's bowl.
"Wife, didn't Zhengzheng say you were hungry? Why aren't you eating?" Xu Xiuhe had pondered for a while before speaking these words, and this was the first time he had called her "wife."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yin was stunned. What did Xu Xiuhe mean by calling her "wife"? She froze, completely at a loss.
Zhengzheng used his own spoon to scoop up a few potato shreds and put them in the small plate in front of Shen Yin, "Wife, eat potatoes."
When Xu Xiuhe heard this, his expression changed, and he turned to say, "Xu Zhengzheng, she's my wife, my wife is your mother, you can't call her wife, understand?"
"Oh, I understand, then Zhengzheng wants a wife too." Zhengzheng nodded, seeming to understand but not really, and when he said he wanted a wife too, his face was filled with anticipation.
Shen Yin was troubled. One "wife" was too much, but every sentence had that word. The adult said it, the child learned it. She frowned and looked at Xu Xiuhe displeased, "Xu Xiuhe, can't you watch what you say? Zhengzheng is at the age of learning to talk, and you're saying such nonsense."
Shen Yin was really scared by that word "wife." What had gotten into Xu Xiuhe?
"What nonsense did I say? You are my wife, that's a fact. What does Zhengzheng learning to talk have to do with me calling you wife? We're legally married." Xu Xiuhe felt he hadn't said enough, so he turned to Zhengzheng and said, "Remember, you can't say that word randomly, you can't say it casually. Zhengzheng, when you grow up, you'll have a wife. From now on, you're not allowed to say the word 'wife'."
Zhengzheng looked at Xu Xiuhe speaking so seriously and nodded, "I remember, Daddy."
Shen Yin was now so embarrassed by Xu Xiuhe's behavior that she didn't want to talk. She picked up the potato shreds, no, potato chunks, that Zhengzheng had put in her plate and ate them. They were cooked through, but the taste was just barely edible.
Seeing Shen Yin eat the potatoes, Zhengzheng scooped up some meat shreds from his own small bowl and put them in Shen Yin's plate.
"Zhengzheng, eat your own food. Mommy can serve herself," Shen Yin said.
Hearing this, Xu Xiuhe used his own unused chopsticks to put some mushrooms, potatoes, and tomatoes into Shen Yin's small plate.
"I can eat by myself, you don't need to serve me," Shen Yin said.
"Then why didn't you eat earlier?" Xu Xiuhe asked.
Shen Yin was speechless, "I didn't want to eat what you cooked."
"But I still eat what you cook every day," Xu Xiuhe retorted.
Shen Yin felt this logic was flawed, "It's not like I forced you to eat it."
"You're my wife, if I don't eat what you cook, whose cooking would I eat?" Xu Xiuhe understood and decided to fully commit to his thick-skinned approach.
