I'll give my daughter one more second.

"This is some kind of pornographic plot from somewhere! I'm not a pervert! And there's no way this kind of threat could possibly succeed! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"

Wu Shen couldn't help but complain. Where on earth did his daughter learn all this stuff?

"You're not allowed to watch that kind of nonsense anymore, understand?" Wu Shen felt he should regain his "authority" as a father.

"Hehe~☆!(·ω<)!" Mai tapped her head and stuck out her pink little tongue.

"Trying to be cute doesn't work! Sigh... Boss, give me a parenting guide. It has to be specifically for my six- or seven-year-old brat daughter." Wu Shen said listlessly.

He was truly at a loss with his quirky and unpredictable daughter. Wu Shen felt he needed to read some books and receive professional parenting training.

Author's Note:

(○｀ 3′○)

Chapter 7

On the way home, Wu Shen held Wu Yi's hand. Fortunately, Wu Yi didn't call out "Dad" again along the way, and passersby just thought they were a harmonious brother and sister.

"Wuyi, remember not to call me Dad when we're out." Wu Shen whispered to her after looking around and seeing that there weren't many pedestrians.

"Why? Doesn't Dad recognize me as his daughter?"

Wu Yi looked at Wu Shen pitifully, her eyes veiled with tears. However, recalling Wu Yi's incredibly realistic acting that morning, worthy of an Oscar, Wu Shen was not so easily fooled.

"It's not that I don't acknowledge him, but a six or seven-year-old girl calling a high school student 'Dad' would evoke very negative associations in passersby. And it would be difficult to explain to acquaintances as well."

You should know that people nowadays have a very rich imagination and the ability to fill in the blanks.

"Then what should I be called?" Mai blinked, looking confused.

"Call me 'brother' when there are other people around. When it's just the two of us, you can call me whatever you want," Wu Shen suggested after thinking for a moment.

"Okay, Dad!"

Hmm... it's like casting pearls before swine. But thinking about it, it makes sense. I've been calling him that for at least four years, so it's unlikely I'll change it anytime soon. Besides, calling him "brother" sounds rather strange.

Just imagine how creepy it would be if your dad suddenly asked you to call him "brother." Just thinking about it sent a chill down Wu Shen's spine.

Halfway there, Mai's stomach suddenly started growling.

"Daddy, I'm hungry." Mai lowered her head, her little face turning red.

"Are you already hungry at just past four o'clock?"

"I didn't eat breakfast or lunch," Mai pouted, looking very aggrieved.

"what……"

Wu Shen slapped his forehead. Only after Wu Yi mentioned it did he realize that he had left in such a hurry that morning that he hadn't had time to arrange breakfast or lunch for Wu Yi.

This is a serious dereliction of duty on the part of the guardian.

Now is the time when they need nutrition to grow, and we absolutely cannot neglect this aspect. Thinking of this, Wu Shen touched Wu Yi's smooth, long hair.

"I'm sorry, this was my mistake. What would you like to eat tonight? Just tell me what you want and I'll make it for you, as compensation for today."

"Pulled noodles, sweet and sour pork ribs, shumai, beer chicken wings (1980 words omitted)..." Wu Yi gesticulated wildly as she rattled off a long list.

【Tsuki no Eientei】19400320 “Just say you want to eat a Manchu Han Imperial Feast.” Wu Shen’s lips twitched.

However, judging from what her daughter said, it seems that she will be in charge of her future married life.

"Didn't your mother ever cook Japanese food for you?"

Could it be that Kasumigaoka Utaha's cooking skills are surprisingly poor? Wu Shen guessed.

“Mom’s cooking is also good. But we all agree that Dad’s cooking is better, so Dad is in charge of all the dinner.”

Haha, the culinary skills of our great nation are the best in the world!

"I don't have enough ingredients in the refrigerator at home, so I need to go to the supermarket to replenish them." After recalling the few ingredients left in the kitchen, Wu Shen decided to go to the supermarket to get some more.

So the two changed their route again and took a detour to a convenience store.

Looking at the meat, vegetables, and fruits in the supermarket, all beautifully packaged in plastic wrap and ridiculously expensive, and then at the meager living expenses left in his pocket, Wu Shen suddenly missed the bustling vegetable market near his old home.

"Sorry, I'm a little short on living expenses lately. Let's have some hand-pulled noodles for dinner tonight."

He originally wanted to make sweet and sour pork ribs, but seeing the exorbitant price of the ribs, Wu Shen had no choice but to accept his fate due to financial constraints.

From now on, we'll be covering food expenses for two people, and living expenses for just one person will definitely be tight. It seems I need to find a job at a shop as soon as possible to earn some extra money. In any case, my daughter's nutrition can't be neglected.

So Wu Shen picked out a bag of cucumbers and a box of cheap, promotional pork, and headed to the cashier. He still had other ingredients left at home, so there was no need to spend any more money.

As Wu Shen passed the beverage shelf, he felt a pair of small hands tightly grabbing his hand. He turned around and found Wu Yi looking at him pitifully, making that cute expression again.

"what's up?"

"Dad, buy me some milk! I want to drink it!"

"Milk? That makes sense. Drinking more milk helps promote calcium absorption and growth."

Wu Shen thought for a moment and then chose a large bottle of milk and put it in the shopping basket.

"That's good. Drink more milk, I want big breasts like Mommy's too." Mai looked down at her small chest, pouted, clearly not very satisfied with her development.

"..." Upon hearing this, Wu Shen almost tripped and fell over.

"You're still a child. You can't rush this."

Having a youthful face and large breasts is something only those with exceptional talent can achieve. Wu Shen thought to himself.

Carrying a plastic bag and holding the little hand of the dancer, Wu Shen embarked on her journey home again. Upon arriving home, Wu Shen did not rest for a moment. After changing into a set of home clothes, she immediately went into the kitchen.

First, the dough is kneaded and rolled out into a flat pancake of a certain thickness with a rolling pin. Then, thick strips are cut off with a kitchen knife. Everything is done in one go.

Next comes the most crucial step: hold both ends of the noodle with both hands and begin to slightly rotate your wrists at the same frequency. The noodle will extend in length with each rotation, just like when jumping a long rope.

This process is something that can only be understood intuitively and cannot be explained in words. If you turn it too fast or use too much force, the noodles will break. If you turn it too slowly, the noodles will not have a chewy texture, and they cannot be stretched very long, resulting in uneven thickness.

When Wu Shen first learned it, he practiced it more than ten times before he truly mastered the skill.

Stretch the dough to a certain length and until it feels very elastic, then immediately drop it into a pot of boiling water. Repeat this process until all the dough is used up.

The sauce for pulled noodles is not much different from that for fried sauce noodles, but the different noodle preparation methods can give it a completely different rich and complex taste.

"Speaking of which, Dad, why are you so skilled at cooking? Did you receive chef training before?" Mai asked curiously from outside the kitchen door.

Why am I so good at cooking? Wu Shen began to reminisce about the past.

Because my parents are often away from home, I have to take care of my own meals... Did you think I would give such a cliché answer?

Actually, Wu Shen watched anime and mistakenly believed that guys who could cook would be popular with girls. So he asked his mother for cooking lessons and practiced diligently, eventually mastering her culinary skills. However, as he's still single, he knows it's all for naught.

Tears welled up in my eyes; everything in anime is a lie.

Author's Note:

?(? ? ??)

Chapter 8 Only Tactics Win People's Hearts

While the noodles were boiling and cooking in the pot, Wu Shen, who had some free time, decided to start making the fried sauce to be used as the noodle topping.

Just as he turned around, he discovered that Wuyi had secretly slipped into the kitchen and had already placed all the necessary seasonings and ingredients on the table.

Dried yellow soybean paste, scallions, ginger, star anise, and cooking wine were all presented in front of Wu Shen; they were all the ingredients needed to make fried sauce.

"Wuyi, do you know how to make fried sauce?" Wu Shen asked in surprise, looking at the condiments on the table.

"Of course, I usually help my dad with cooking!"

With a confident air, Wu Yi placed her hands on her hips and raised her head. Her expression practically screamed, "Praise me already!"

"What a good daughter."

Wu Shen fulfilled his daughter's wish and said it aloud, but in his heart he thought: It would be even better if it weren't so vulgar.

Because Kasumigaoka Mai had already prepared all the seasonings and ingredients for Wu Shen, saving him a lot of preparation time, he didn't say much. So, without further ado, he took out a small bowl and began to quickly prepare the fried sauce.

First, he skillfully used a kitchen knife to cut the pork he bought into small cubes. Then, he washed and chopped all the scallions and ginger. All the operations were obviously done with ease.

After doing all this, Wu Shen poured the dried yellow soybean paste into a bowl, added an appropriate amount of water to dilute and stir. Next, he prepared a wok for frying and poured in a little cooking oil.

Before Wu Shen proceeded with the next step after the oil was hot, he specifically instructed the onlookers in their dance costumes to step back a few steps to avoid being burned by the splashing oil droplets.

After giving the instructions, Wu Shen took the spices from Wu Yi's hand and poured them into the hot pot. When they were fragrant, Wu Yi then precisely handed him minced ginger.

This skillful pairing gave Wu Shen the illusion that the two had been working together for a long time.

When the time was right, Wu Shen reached out, and Wu Yi quickly handed over diced pork. While stir-frying the pork, she poured cooking wine into the pot with her other hand.

Stir-fry until the pork turns completely brownish-yellow. Wu Yi then skillfully carries over a diluted and well-stirred yellow sauce, takes the sauce and pours it into the pot. Wu Shen turns up the heat and begins to stir-fry continuously.

Once the sauce has boiled completely, and bubbles are rising like molten lava, reduce the heat to low and continue to heat it.

"Daddy, can we eat now?" Wu Yi couldn't wait any longer. She touched her flat tummy with her little hand and eagerly leaned closer to him. Just smelling the aroma made her mouth water.

"Little glutton, it won't be that fast. You'll have to wait a little while longer."

"It's that 'wait a little while' line again, Dad. Every time you say that, it takes at least ten minutes. I think you have a problem with your sense of time." Mai pouted and turned her head to the side to express her dissatisfaction.

Wu Shen could only respond with a wry smile. Seeing Wu Yi's sullen expression, he recalled his childhood, when he would wait in the kitchen every day for his mother to cook delicious meals.

Back then, I felt like I was just like Wuyi, always urging her to hurry up and finish cooking, while my mom would always calmly reply, "It'll be ready in a little while."

When I was little, I was ignorant and would sometimes argue with my mom over trivial things.

Now that I'm in a foreign land, whenever I recall my mother's cooking, the aroma still lingers on my lips and I feel a lingering warmth. Perhaps this is what they call the feeling of home, the taste of home...

The old clock hanging on the wall ticked away, time slipping away second by second as we waited.

Wu Yi, who had been silent all along, seemed unable to bear the quiet atmosphere any longer and began to tell Wu Shen about her memories of her mother.

"Speaking of which, if I remember correctly, my mother's first series of debut works ended abruptly. It seems to have always been a regret of hers." Kasumigaoka Mai seemed to recall something and immediately said to Wu Shen.

"Cut in half? Do you know how many volumes were cut in half?" Wu Shen sighed.

Actually, it's already quite remarkable for a high school student to be shortlisted for a light novel newcomer award and get a chance to be published. However, having read many light novels, Wu Shen was still curious about the reasons why it was canceled.

"If I remember correctly, it was supposed to be a limited run of three volumes, but my mother was so devastated that she only wrote two volumes before hastily ending it." Mai said this with a dejected look on her face.

"Three volumes were cut short, and two were completed. It seems the problem lies in the very first volume," Wu Shen analyzed.