I'll give my daughter one more second.

What should I make for dinner tonight? I bet Wu Yi is getting impatient, isn't she? Wu Shen subconsciously started thinking about what to cook for dinner.

Just then, Wu Shen suddenly remembered the dance costume he had left at home and jumped up from his seat.

Wu Shen glanced at his phone; it was almost 7 o'clock. Although it wasn't too late, Wu Shen had carelessly forgotten to tell Wu Yi that he would be home late today!

"What's wrong? What happened?" Shi Yu noticed Wu Shen's obvious anxiety and asked.

“Sorry, I need to get home quickly. I forgot to tell Wuyi I’ll be home late today; she’s probably still waiting for me.” Wu Shen paused. “Wuyi is the cousin from the family I told you about last time.”

"So that little one's name is Wuyi. You should hurry back now, don't keep her waiting. I roughly know how to write the novel, I'll come find you after I finish rewriting the first volume. Thank you then."

"Okay, leave it to me. I'll head back now." Without another word, Wu Shen explained the situation, quickly said goodbye, and rushed home. At the same time, he was inwardly blaming himself for forgetting something so important!

Author's Note:

~(￣▽￣～)(～￣▽￣)～

Chapter 19 The Workaholic

"Dad, over here!"

As soon as Wu Shen stepped out of the coffee shop and reached the entrance of the main street, he heard Wu Yi's familiar voice. Looking in the direction of the sound, he was surprised to find Wu Yi emerging from the alley behind the coffee shop, giving Wu Shen a nice thumbs-up.

Wu Shen immediately felt like he'd been screwed over.

So she was up to her old tricks again, following him? All that worry for nothing? Although Wu Shen wanted to scold her right then and there, seeing Wu Yi unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

As Wu Shen led her onto the main road, he was thinking about what to say when Wu Yi spoke first.

"As expected of Mom and Dad, they've already started making love in just two or three days!"

"I'm just helping you read the novel, don't get the wrong idea." Wu Shen rubbed his temples. "Didn't I tell you not to wander around? Why are you out again?"

"I want to see my dad as soon as I get out of school." Mai once again unleashed her adorable charm.

"What if we run into bad guys? There are plenty of weird uncles these days," Wu Shen expressed his concerns.

"Don't worry! I specially bought pepper spray! And a stun gun!" Mai said, taking a small pepper spray bottle out of her pocket with her left hand and a mini stun gun with her right.

Pressing the switch reveals tiny blue arcs and a crackling sound, confirming it's a genuine product.

"Where did you get all this stuff?" Wu Shen asked, embarrassed.

"The Secret of a Young Girl!"

"What kind of girl is she, only six or seven years old? You should wait until she's eighteen to use that title, you know? Then you can add the adjective 'eternal' before it."

"You're one to talk! Daddy was so busy being affectionate with Mommy that he forgot about me and was unhappy!" Wuyi waved her hands, her little face puffed up like a little balloon, looking adorable.

"How can you forgive me?" It was indeed Wu Shen's mistake, and he had been reflecting on it, so he frankly admitted his error.

"Make something delicious." Wu Yi's gluttonous nature was immediately revealed.

"What's good to eat? What would you like to eat?"

"I want to eat beer-braised chicken wings today. If Dad doesn't make them for me, I will never forgive him, hmph!" Wu Yi put her hands on her hips, pouted, and turned her face to the side, but every now and then she would turn her head back to steal a few glances.

It's obvious that being angry is fake; what she really wants is chicken wings.

"What will happen if you don't forgive?" Wu Shen bent down, touched her hair, and asked teasingly.

“If I don’t forgive Dad, I won’t let him pat my head. I have dignity too!” Wu Yi jumped aside, covered her head, and stuck out her little tongue at Wu Shen.

"Okay, then I'll make chicken wings tonight." Wu Shen did feel guilty about what happened today, so this was a good opportunity to make amends.

But my poor little wallet is going to have to spend money again.

"Really?" Mai leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with surprise.

"A man's word is his bond! Let's go, let's go to the supermarket to buy the ingredients."

Holding the bouncy, dancing girl's hand, humming a little tune, the two arrived at the supermarket they had passed along the way. Standing in front of the meat shelf piled high with goods, Wu Shen's brow twitched slightly as he looked at the prices that had several extra zeros.

"It's ridiculously expensive. If I keep spending like this, my living expenses will become a huge problem. It seems I really need to find a job."

Having already made the promise, Wu Shen naturally wouldn't go back on his word. He selected two packs of frozen chicken wings that looked good in size and quality and put them in his shopping basket. Wu Shen then walked to the magazine and book section at the edge of the supermarket.

Wu Shen vaguely remembered that there were magazine columns that published job postings, so he started flipping through magazines one by one.

"Dad, look, they sell H-themed magazines here, let's buy one!" Mai's eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had discovered something good, and she rushed to the bookshelf and picked up a book.

In Japan, some magazines with relatively low color saturation and primarily focused on photography can be openly sold in supermarkets.

However, to distinguish them, these books are usually wrapped in plastic film, and the packaging can only be opened after a formal purchase. Unlike other magazines, they do not allow short-term browsing in the store.

"What would I do with this?" Wu Shen was embarrassed. He quickly snatched the book from Wu Yi's hand and put it back, then continued to search for magazines on the bookshelf.

However, there were quite a few magazines to browse in the supermarket, and Wu Shen didn't know which magazine would carry such an advertisement, so he could only flip through them page by page.

About ten minutes passed, and Wu Shenlian hadn't even finished flipping through a tenth of the magazines. He felt that searching like this wasn't working. So he went straight to the cashier, intending to ask the clerk which magazines published job postings.

The shop assistant was a young-looking woman. She had long, reddish-brown hair tied in a ponytail, pretty and well-defined features, and a dignified posture like that of a top student. She wore a simple supermarket uniform, which only accentuated her approachable beauty.

"Excuse me, do you know which of the magazines sold here carries job postings or similar advertisements?"

"As for job postings... I think there should be a few. Please wait a moment." The girl thought for a moment and started flipping through the magazines on the shelf, but then she seemed to remember something and turned back to look at Wu Shen.

"Are you looking for part-time work?" the girl asked.

"Yes what's the matter?"

"I just remembered that the store manager mentioned that he seems to be planning to hire new employees for shift work. I wonder if you'd be interested?" The girl gave a professional smile, which suggested she was someone who often did odd jobs and was already quite experienced in many tasks.

"They're hiring here? That's perfect! What are the working hours like?"

If the supermarket were hiring employees, that would be perfect. This supermarket is located between my rented apartment and the school, so I don't have to take a long detour for work. There's simply no better place to work.

"I'm not too sure about that, but I guess you work the night shift like me?" The girl tilted her head as she thought, her ponytail swaying gently behind her head.

"Actually, it seems like other places I work at are also hiring. Many places are short-staffed lately. For example, the sushi restaurant, ramen shop, barbecue restaurant, delivery company, newspaper delivery station, family restaurant where I work..."

You really can't judge a book by its cover. This seemingly ordinary girl actually works in so many places! Wu Shen has truly witnessed a workaholic.

Author's Note:

ヾ(≧O≦)〃Nothing much to say, I just wish all my readers a prosperous Year of the Rooster today! (laughs)

Chapter 20 The Secret of the Family

"I just want to work at this supermarket. Could you call the manager for me?" Wu Shen asked after thinking for a moment.

While there are many other jobs available, and the hourly wage might be higher, there's no more convenient and faster work location than a supermarket.

"I'm sorry, the store manager has to go out today. He probably won't be back until around 9 or 10 o'clock." The girl bowed slightly, giving an apologetic wry smile.

"Then I'll come back for the interview tomorrow."

“It’s okay, you can leave your phone number. I’ll tell the store manager when she gets back to reserve a spot for you. I’ll call you again when the interview time is up.” The girl said, pushing a piece of paper and a pen in front of Wu Shen.

"Then I'll have to trouble you. And could you also get me a magazine with job postings, just in case?" Wu Shen said to the girl after writing down his contact information.

Working at a supermarket would be ideal, but just in case, it's always good to have a copy of job postings on hand. That way, if you don't get the job, you won't need to buy magazines to look for more.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

The girl quickly and skillfully found the corresponding magazine. After paying, Wu Shen left the supermarket with one hand holding the plastic bag full of ingredients and seasonings, and the dance costume that she was using as a megaphone by rolling up the magazine in the other.

Back home, Wu Shen didn't linger because the dishes Wu Yi wanted to eat would take a long time to prepare. He changed into his pajamas and went into the kitchen to start preparing.

"Speaking of which, this is Grandma's best dish. It's also my favorite dish and the one that left the deepest impression on me." Wu Shen recalled to Wu Yi, who came to the kitchen, as he opened the packaging of the chicken wings and put them in water to soak.

"Great-grandmother?" Mai asked, her eyes wide with curiosity as she leaned over the stove.

"Because my mom spoiled me a lot when I was little, I didn't like eating many of the dishes my grandma, who came from the old days, made. So she specially researched how to make this dish to satisfy my cravings."

It has to be said that the older generation was indeed more doting than our parents' generation; thinking about it now, it was overflowing with love. When I was little, if I did something wrong, hiding behind my grandma could save me from my parents' wrath.

Thinking about it now still makes me chuckle. When I was little, whenever I went to my grandma's house, she would always prepare food for me. I don't know why, but the taste of her dishes was always far superior to my mom's.

As they grew older, it became inconvenient for them to cook, so the members were completely changed, and Wu Shen took over the cooking every time.

After washing the chicken wings, heat the oil in a pan and simmer them over low heat for a short while. While they are simmering, Wu Shen takes a large bowl from the cabinet above the kitchen.

Unlike the methods described online, the most distinctive feature of Wu Shen's beer chicken wings lies in the marinating process. Instead of simply pouring seasonings and beer into the cooking oil, they add a dedicated half-hour marinating process.

This is also an improvement made by Grandma based on her life experience, making the flavor more infused through marinating, which is also the secret to making the taste surpass Mom's.

This is a recipe that Wu Shen's mother taught him after he passed her skill test.

However, he was always curious why his mother still couldn't make chicken wings that tasted the same, even though she knew her grandmother's improved method later on.

To this, his mother simply smiled, patted Wu Shen's head, and said, "You'll probably understand this when you start your own family in the future."

For Wu Shen, this secret remains an unsolved mystery.

Place the cooked chicken wings in a bowl and pour in all the open cans of beer. Since this Japanese supermarket didn't have familiar brands like Snow Beer, I had to make do with other brands; I don't know if the taste will be different.

Next, add the chopped scallions, ginger, garlic, a little salt, and a splash of light soy sauce. Mix everything together, then wait for half an hour.

Traditionally, this process is done directly while cooking in the pot. However, they specifically separated out a marinating step.

During the long wait, Wu Shen thought of that unsolved mystery again. Why was Grandma's cooking of that one dish better than Mom's? Why did she have to wait until he started his own family to find out?

"Wuyi, when my future self makes beer chicken wings, did you mention any related secrets?" Wu Shen asked.

"No, is there some secret?" Mai perked up immediately upon hearing the word "secret".

"Sigh, didn't I say that?" Wu Shen shook his head in disappointment, but quickly stopped caring.

Perhaps this is a question I'll only understand after starting a family. Thinking about it now is pointless; it only adds to my worries.

"Dad, I think this job is perfect for you! Why don't you try applying for it?" Wu Yi's energetic voice pulled Wu Shen back from his childhood memories.

Wu Shen noticed that Wu Yi was sitting at the dining table, swinging her legs and flipping through a magazine she had just bought.

"What kind of job?" Wu Shen leaned over curiously.

What kind of job would your future daughter think would suit her best?

"Hosts! Look at the ridiculously high hourly wage, plus commission, it's super fast money!" Wu Yi said excitedly, raising her hands.

"puff……"

"Dad, what are you laughing at? I think it looks just right."