Sister, can I become a maid too?

Chapter 120 These tea eggs... they're really tea-flavored!

Without any hesitation, Jiang Yubai sat down in the back seat, leaned back comfortably, and casually sent a message to Lin Jianxia.

[Jiang Bi Niao Yu Bai]: We've boarded the bus, and we'll arrive in about half an hour.

There was no reply from the other side; they're probably still busy in the kitchen.

Qin Huiyi, in the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt and turned around.

Seeing that he was still looking down at his phone, I couldn't help but laugh:

"Son, you haven't properly contacted them yet? Why don't you ask your dad to wait a bit before opening the shop, and then you can contact them again?"

"It's all in touch, don't rush me."

Jiang Yubai pursed his lips and said in a serious tone:

"Let me tell you in advance, don't get your expectations too high."

"His cooking is alright, but it's just alright. There's no way he can make 'Master Chef Xiao Fu Gui' level golden fried rice."

Hey~

Qin Huiyi looked utterly surprised:

"Hey kid, what's wrong? You've been siding with outsiders for a while now?"

"Bending the elbow outwards? What does 'bending the elbow outwards' mean?"

Jiang Yubai finally found an opportunity and began to pour out his grievances.

"Hey you two, when other people's kids are in their final year of high school, aren't they all treated like national treasures? Even if you get annoyed and start complaining, at least wait until after the college entrance exam, right?"

"You two are quite something, one of you wanders around the world aimlessly, and the other is a fisherman who lives wherever he goes."

"You finally get to come home, and the first thing you do is discuss going on your honeymoon—have you forgotten that you have a baby at home who's at a crucial moment in your life?"

Qin Huiyi was somewhat embarrassed by her son's well-reasoned and logical barrage of arguments, and her tone softened:

"Okay, okay... It was definitely Mom and Dad's fault... We'll make it up to you later."

"How will you compensate me?"

Qin Huiyi was taken aback.

No, I was just saying that, why are you taking it so seriously?

"...How would you like to compensate me?"

Seeing that his mother had relented, Jiang Yubai's eyes lit up:

"Um...can I get a computer?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Huiyi asked in surprise:

"What do you need a computer for?"

She wasn't worried that her son would become addicted to games and neglect his studies; she was simply puzzled.

"It'll make it easier to look up information," Jiang Yubai explained simply.

We live in the information age now, after all.

Although there are still physical books such as reference books and workbooks, many review materials, past exam papers, classmates' collections, and senior students' experiences in choosing schools are all in cloud storage files.

While you can view it on your phone, the screen is small, turning pages is cumbersome, and organizing notes is inconvenient.

Qin Huiyi readily nodded:

"Okay, go pick one yourself, and I'll reimburse you later."

"Okay~"

Jiang Pinglan, who was driving, glanced at him through the rearview mirror and couldn't help but mutter:

"I can buy you a computer, but you absolutely mustn't get addicted to online games. I have a friend who spent over 100,000 yuan on some game called '400 Heroes'..."

"Okay, okay, I got it..."

Jiang Yubai ignored him and gave a perfunctory reply, but he had already opened his phone again and started bothering his twin sister.

[Jiang Bi Niao Yu Bai]: Are you there? How's your sister's cooking?

After waiting for about half a minute, the familiar photo popped up with a "ding".

"Yes, my sister said there's one last dish left."

Is there only one dish left?

Keep in mind that the message was sent almost two hours ago. Given Lin Jianxia's cooking speed, if she hadn't finished by now, the table would probably be almost full.

Jiang Yubai blinked, suddenly feeling a sense of anticipation.

He composed himself and typed again:

[Jiang Bi Niao Yu Bai]: Your sister should have told you, right? My parents are coming over for dinner later. Will Wanwan feel uncomfortable?

【Jiang Bi Niao Yu Bai】: You don't have to force yourself. You can finish eating first and go back to your room. I'll come find you after I finish eating.

Jiang Yubai knew that Lin Tingwan was used to writing down what she wanted to say in a notebook, taking pictures of it, and sending it over. So he would always try to explain things as completely as possible to avoid the trouble of having to add details back and forth.

After a while, Lin Tingwan's reply came back.

"My sister told me."

"I don't feel uncomfortable at all, they're my uncles and aunties."

Seeing the meticulous handwriting on the notebook in the photo, Jiang Yubai's heart softened a little.

It's impossible for this girl not to be nervous.

After all, her father was practically a stranger to her, and she had only met her mother once.

As he typed lighthearted things on his phone, he looked up and muttered to himself:

"Mom and Dad, Lin Jianxia's younger sister, Lin Tingwan, has autism. It's already quite an achievement that she's willing to eat with us. Please don't make things difficult for her."

"I know, I know," Qin Huiyi said with a smile, "How many times have you said that at home?"

Jiang Pinglan, still gripping the steering wheel, chimed in:

"Don't worry, your mom and I will just give her a quick greeting. We won't try to chat with her unless she initiates a conversation—is that alright?"

Hearing this, Jiang Yubai finally felt a little relieved and turned his attention back to his phone.

What he didn't notice was that, while waiting at the red light, Jiang Pinglan quietly gave Qin Huiyi in the passenger seat a look, silently asking with his lips:

"younger sister?"

Qin Huiyi shook her head slightly and mouthed the same reply:

"Hard to say."

-----------------

It was not yet six o'clock in the evening, and the sky was already half dark.

A pure black GLS 450 slowly drove into Jinxiu New Village and came to a stop in front of the apartment building.

Jiang Pinglan got out of the car from the driver's seat, looked around, and couldn't help but be a little surprised:

"This neighborhood... must be twenty or thirty years old, right?"

Jiang Yubai closed the car door and couldn't help but purse his lips:

"Don't let its age fool you, it's much more comfortable to live in than in those desolate wilderness areas."

He gestured with his chin towards the entrance of the residential compound:

"There's all kinds of food on that street right outside the gate—crayfish, lamb skewers, stinky tofu, grilled squid, you name it."

After being described so vividly by him, Jiang Pinglan's throat moved involuntarily, and a hint of interest appeared on her face.

After all, he had glimpsed it when he drove in; the row of food stalls at the entrance were brightly lit, and the aroma was irresistible.

If he hadn't been in a rush to come in for dinner, he would have really liked to have a meal at the entrance.

"What are you looking at?" Qin Huiyi urged impatiently. "The good food is waiting upstairs."

Jiang Pinglan reluctantly withdrew her gaze and turned to walk upstairs.

The three of them went up to the fifth floor, and Jiang Yubai knocked on the door.

Tap, tap, tap—

A crisp knock echoed through the quiet hallway, and in less than ten seconds, the door opened.

Two pretty figures stood behind the door.

Both sisters were dressed casually—Lin Jianxia wore a light gray hoodie and sweatpants, with her long hair loosely tied back;

Lin Tingwan stood quietly behind her sister, wearing a beige hoodie.

The girl clasped her hands together gently, her gaze lowered. She only glanced up briefly when the door opened, then looked away as if startled.

Jiang Yubai coughed lightly, taking on the role of tour guide without hesitation:

"Here, this is my mom, you've met her once before; this is my dad, this is his first time here."

Lin Jianxia's cheeks flushed slightly, and she exuded nervousness as she spoke softly:

Hello, Uncle and Aunt.

To Jiang Yubai's surprise, Lin Tingwan, who was standing behind her, also gently raised the coiled notebook she had prepared and timidly held it in front of her.

The notebook contained neatly written words:

Hello, Uncle and Aunt.

Jiang Yubai blinked, hesitated for a second, and then turned to her parents:

"Mom and Dad, look, this is my neighbor, the older sister Lin Jianxia, ​​and her younger sister Lin Tingwan."

"Okay~"

Qin Huiyi was very satisfied with the look, and smilingly handed over the fruit basket.

"We came in a hurry, so Auntie brought you some fruit."

Jiang Pinglan, who was standing to the side, still had a look of amazement in her eyes. After greeting the two sisters, she couldn't help but look at Jiang Yubai.

—No, where did this pig of mine get these two plump cabbages from?

Lin Jianxia accepted the fruit basket, somewhat flattered, and pulled her younger sister aside, speaking softly:

"Uncle and Aunt, please come in... The meal is ready."

"Okay, okay~ Do you want to change into shoe covers?"

"No, no need..."

Jiang Yubai, pushing his parents through the door, complained:

"I told you, you're too lazy to change into slippers at home, and now you're coming here asking me for shoe covers, huh?"

Qin Huiyi glanced at him, but didn't comment on his "here" statement, only letting out a leisurely "heh".

She and Jiang Pinglan followed the two sisters into the living room, and when they looked up towards the dining table, they were both stunned.

The small square table was surprisingly full of dishes—in the center was a pot of bright red boiled beef, next to which was a plate of golden spicy chicken, with the aroma of Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies wafting through the air.

On the other side is a refreshing dish of tofu with scallions, the snow-white tofu garnished with finely chopped scallions, which looks very appetizing.

There were also stir-fried bok choy, tomato and egg soup, and sweet and sour pork ribs on the side. The combination of meat and vegetables, steaming hot, looked quite appetizing.

There were five dishes and a soup in total, and the portions were quite generous.

Five sets of bowls and chopsticks were neatly set out on the dining table, and the white rice was steaming warm.

Qin Huiyi glanced at it a few more times, and finally couldn't help but ask softly:

"Jianxia...did you prepare all these dishes by yourself?"

She had no doubt that this five-dish-and-one-soup meal was the limit of what the table could offer, and certainly not the limit for this young woman.

If the table were bigger, we could probably serve a few more dishes.

"No, no, Wanwan helped me out..."

Lin Jianxia was clearly a little uncomfortable, and stammered as she spoke.

"Actually, I didn't make much... I don't know if it will suit your tastes, everyone. Please sit down, it's best to eat it while it's hot..."

Jiang Yubai was the first to pull out a chair and sit down, jokingly saying in a lighthearted tone:

"Mom and Dad, I'm really benefiting from your generosity this time. This table is full of delicious dishes."

Jiang Pinglan and Qin Huiyi sat down, both looking somewhat amazed.

Seeing the two of them sit down, Lin Jianxia secretly breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her younger sister to sit down as well.

But as her gaze swept over the seats, she froze.

Jiang Yubai didn't know what he was thinking. There were clearly five seats, but he didn't sit next to his parents. Instead, he left one in the middle empty.

In this way, one of the remaining two seats is closer to Jiang's parents, and the other is a little further away, with Jiang Yubai sandwiched in the middle.

Jiang! Yu! Bai!

Normally it would be fine, but now that our aunt and uncle are here, what do you mean by sitting down between us sisters?

Lin Jianxia felt bitter inside, but she could only bite the bullet and sit down next to Qin Huiyi, leaving the slightly farther seat for her younger sister.

Jiang Yubai actually sat down subconsciously, since that was his usual seat, and he didn't think too much about it.

He first scooped a spoonful of light and refreshing scallion and tofu mixture into his father's bowl, then picked up a piece of bright red and oily spicy chicken and handed it to his mother:

"Here, this is your favorite food. How about trying Lin Jianxia's cooking?"

Qin Huiyi didn't touch her chopsticks, but instead looked at her son with a half-smile:

"Jiang Yubai, the dishes were made by Jian Xia, what are you so smug about?"

Lin Jianxia's ears burned slightly upon hearing these words.

But Jiang Yubai chuckled and said matter-of-factly:

"This is my classmate, my neighbor. They cook well, can't I show off a little and benefit from it?"

Qin Huiyi stopped teasing him and picked up the spicy chicken from her bowl, putting it in her mouth.

The chicken was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a rich, spicy and numbing flavor that spread across her tongue, instantly brightening her eyes.

"Mmm, it tastes really good!" She looked at Lin Jianxia with some surprise. "Jianxia, ​​where did you learn this from?"

Jiang Pinglan, who was standing to the side, swallowed the tofu and nodded in satisfaction.

"It really tastes good."

Hearing their praise, Lin Jianxia blushed slightly and replied softly:

"I learned it online..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to remember something and hurriedly stood up:

"Oh, right, there are still some tea eggs simmering in the pot. I'll go get them for you."

Tea eggs?

Jiang Pinglan's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

Strangely enough, he wasn't particular about food, but he had a special fondness for tea.

Because he loved the house so much, even tea eggs became one of his favorites.

Although Jiang Pinglan was somewhat surprised to see tea eggs in a main meal, she couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

Jiang Yubai, who was standing to the side, suddenly coughed twice as if he had choked. After catching his breath, he turned his head and said seriously:

"Dad, Lin Jianxia knows you like this kind of food, so she made it especially for you—even if the taste is just average, please don't be disgusted by it."

Jiang Pinglan glared at her son, annoyed.

What does this child think he is?

Not long after, Lin Jianxia hurriedly returned to the dining table with a small porcelain plate.

Five tea eggs were neatly arranged on the plate. The light brown eggshells were covered with ice cracks, and there was a little tea soup at the bottom with a few loose tea leaves stuck to them.

Jiang Pinglan stared intently, and couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

The color of these tea eggs is noticeably lighter than that of the ones sold by street vendors, giving them a refined and elegant feel.

Instead of the usual strong aroma of braised ingredients, a delicate and lingering fragrance of tea wafts through the air. The aroma is subtle and persistent...

The smell...

Jiang Pinglan blinked, suddenly sensing that something was amiss.

These tea eggs... why do they smell so familiar?