I'll give my daughter one more second.

However, Wu Shen did not waste this time.

"Yukino, I have a treasure to show you~"

While the shumai were steaming, Wu Shen took out a large glass jar from the cupboard. It contained a black liquid with some white, lumpy objects soaking in it.

"What is this?" Yukino asked curiously after taking the large jar from Wu Shen's hands.

"Laba vinegar. It's made by soaking garlic in vinegar. After soaking for about a week, not only will the garlic taste better, but the vinegar will also become more mellow. Moreover, its shelf life will be greatly extended, and it won't spoil even after being stored for a long time," Wu Shen explained.

"I don't know about other places, but in my family, whether it's dumplings, chive boxes, or shumai, we always use this when we need to dip them in vinegar. We always keep a small jar of it at home for later use."

"Vinegar? So you need to dip shumai in vinegar before eating it?" Yukino asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Don't you know? Japanese shumai should be dipped in vinegar and wasabi, right?" Wu Shen asked, having heard a little about this.

"I don't know, because it wasn't written on the recipe, so I thought that Chinese dishes didn't need vinegar." Yukino shook her head.

"No wonder... the taste of this kind of food is completely different whether it's dipped in vinegar or not. Various dipping sauces are definitely the finishing touch," Wu Shen explained.

While a small number of people prefer to eat it plain, dipping it in sauce is definitely the choice for most people, with vinegar being the top choice.

"You can take this jar for now. I happen to have another jar at home as a spare. The method is very simple: just prepare a container and soak the garlic in ordinary vinegar for about a week."

When the shumai were ready, Yukino neatly arranged them into the bento box she had brought, while Wu Shen handed the entire jar of vinegar to Yukino.

When Yukino returned home, it was already getting dark, and she realized that she had spent the entire afternoon in a boy's house. And yet, she felt no resentment or disgust whatsoever.

With a sigh of relief, Yukino prepared the bowls, chopsticks, and utensils, and placed the shumai she had just cooked under Wu Shen's guidance in front of Yu Yin, who had been waiting at the table for a long time.

"How does it taste this time?" Yukino said as gently as possible. She wasn't very good at expressing her feelings, but since Amane appeared, she had been changing little by little.

Yu Yin picked up her chopsticks, took a bite, and her expression changed in an instant: "This tastes like Father..."

As she spoke, she looked up at Yukino, her eyes filled with surprise.

"Because I noticed you didn't really like what I made for lunch, I went to learn how from Wu Shen." Yukino smiled gently. "How is it? It tastes pretty good, right? This should be your favorite flavor. However, since my skills aren't as good as Wu Shen's, the taste might be a little off."

"No, this is already delicious." Yu Yin ate several more in a row, her smile beaming. "Besides, the plan went smoothly and we got something good to eat. I'm already very satisfied."

"Plan? What plan?" Yukino paused for a moment, then keenly caught a clue in Amane's words.

"Oh no, I let it slip because I was so happy..." Yu Yin quickly covered her mouth with her hand, but when she saw her mother's stern gaze, she knew that she couldn't keep it a secret any longer.

So Amane had no choice but to obediently confess to Yukino.

"I see. So, at noon, they found out I was learning to cook Chinese food. That's when they got the idea to increase our time together, so they deliberately acted a bit exaggerated while we were eating. It was all so I'd go and ask Wu Shen for advice as soon as possible?"

"I do not like eating mushrooms, but it's not that bad. My mother taught me not to be a picky eater since I was little." Yu Yin scratched the back of her head embarrassedly.

"What a troublesome person. Didn't I tell you that you can come to me directly to discuss similar matters in the future?" Yukino patted Ayane's head and gently scolded her.

"The main thing is that I feel my mother seems to like to be strong, and it's hard for her to take the initiative to do anything without external motivation."

"Maybe you're right." Yukino shook her head, her gaze somewhat blank.

On the other side, after Yukino left, Wu Shen started preparing dinner for Mai because he had to go out to work later.

The food had just been cooked and Wu Yi had placed it on the table when Wu Shen's phone suddenly rang.

Wu Shen glanced at the caller ID and discovered that it was Shi Yu's phone number.

Didn't we just meet yesterday? What could be the reason for this phone call at this hour? With a hint of curiosity, Wu Shen answered the phone.

"Shiyu, is there something you need?"

"Hehe, I have some good news to tell you right away. The results of the novel competition just came out. My work was shortlisted for the Best Newcomer Award." On the other end of the phone, Shi Yu's usually aloof voice carried a rare hint of joy.

Author's Note:

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On the day the emperor votes in the north, remember to tell your grandfather at the family altar.

m(o?ω?o)m

Chapter 118 We Have a Traitor Among Us

"The review results came out so quickly?"

Wu Shen was overjoyed to hear the news. This was a goal he and Shi Yu had worked on together, and winning the award was definitely good news.

This fact proves that history can be changed through hard work. However, it cannot be considered completely changed. In the past, Shiwa also won a newcomer award. Whether her fate can truly be changed depends on the sales of the first volume and whether the second volume is canceled. So now is not the time to let our guard down.

"My editor called me today. He told me about the award and that it will be printed and published soon."

"Congratulations, Shiyu. Hard work pays off," Wu Shen said sincerely.

"It's nothing, you also contributed to this."

"I was just offering some suggestions. You were the one who actually wrote the story. I wouldn't dare claim credit for it."

"No matter what, you definitely deserve some credit. I casually mentioned you to the editor, talking about the original story, and she even said she'd like to meet you sometime."

Shiyu paused for a moment and continued, "By the way, I'm going to meet the illustrator with the editor after school tomorrow to discuss the novel's illustrations, so I won't be able to go to the club. Please tell Yukinoshita that I need to ask for leave."

"Don't worry, leave this task to me. I'll go tell her in a bit," Wu Shen said, indicating it was a trivial matter.

"Going there in a bit? By the way? Do you have a date with Yukinoshita tonight?" Shiha keenly caught the suspicious part in her words.

"I meant making a phone call. Don't I have Yukino's phone number? What are you thinking?"

Wu Shen wiped away a cold sweat. He sighed inwardly at how perceptive girls were these days; a casual remark from him had aroused their suspicion—they were practically detectives.

“Is that so…” Shi Yu only uttered a single syllable, followed by a long silence on the phone.

Wu Shen assumed the other party had finished their conversation and was about to hang up, so he waited for Shi Yu to speak. However, after a short while, there was still no sound from the other end. The atmosphere became extremely silent.

"Shiyu? Are you still there? Can you hear me?" Wu Shen thought it was a bad signal or a network problem, so he went to the balcony and asked tentatively.

"Yes... I was just thinking about something and got a little distracted. Sorry."

"It's nothing. Don't people often say online that writers tend to get distracted when they're brainstorming stories? From today onwards, Shi Yu is also a novelist." Wu Shen smiled and said nonchalantly.

"Um, Wu Shen, are you free the night after tomorrow?" After a few seconds of pause, Shi Yu suddenly asked.

Shiyu seemed to have made some preparations, but because she needed to meet the artist tomorrow, she had to change the date to the day after tomorrow.

"You should have some time after you finish work, right? Is there anything I can help you with?"

Now that Yukino is his neighbor, Mai will go across the street for a meal if he comes home late. So he doesn't have to rush home lately.

"I'm thinking of throwing a celebration party at home to celebrate winning the award. Would you like to come?"

"A celebration party? A gathering is usually better if it's a bit lively. Not many people know you write novels. Should I invite Yukino, Aoyama, and Mai?"

Wu Shen felt that if they were going to celebrate, it would be better to make it lively; otherwise, it wouldn't be a good thing if it were too quiet. Even if they didn't bring Yukino and Aoyama, they could still bring Mai along.

"No! Need!" Shi Yu said, emphasizing each word. "The celebration only needs the two of us!"

"But what about the dance costume..."

"No buts! It's just the two of us at the celebration. I'll ask you one question: are you coming or not?" Shi Yu seemed to be pushed to the limit and asked the question directly.

Are there only two people? Wu Shen began to ponder. If there are only two people, it would definitely be a good thing to improve favorability.

After Saturday's test, Shi Yu showed no resistance to pretending to be a couple or husband and wife, proving that her affection for her had reached a certain level. Her initiative, the deliberate exclusion of others, and the element of the novel's celebration party—Wu Shen suddenly felt that these factors combined made the atmosphere and timing particularly suitable for a confession.

Moreover, upon calm analysis, although the influence of the three great illusions of life cannot be ruled out, Wu Shen surprisingly felt that Shi Yu had a slight possibility of accepting the confession!

JOJO, I'm not single anymore!!

This was an adventure, but there was a possibility of success. Wu Shen swallowed hard, his mind already racing as he devised a plan to deal with all the possible outcomes.

"Come on, of course I'll come. How could I possibly refuse your invitation, Shiyu? I'll come straight to your house the day after tomorrow after I finish my work," Wu Shen replied, having already made up his mind.

"Yeah, just come to my house. By the way, I heard from Mai that you can cook, right? When you leave the supermarket, you can buy the ingredients and come over. As a celebration, I'd really like to try what your cooking tastes like."

"Okay, just wait and see how I show off my skills." Wu Shen perked up immediately at the mention of cooking.

Just in case, I'd like to ask in advance: your parents aren't going to suddenly come back this time, are they?

"They're going on a business trip together for about two weeks starting today, so don't worry. Nothing will happen even if they stay overnight here," Shiyu said confidently.

"Phew, that's good." Wu Shen breathed a sigh of relief, though he still felt a bit scared when he thought back to the beginning.

After discussing the relevant matters, Wu Shen hung up the phone and looked at Wu Yi, whose eyes were already shining, who had already approached him.

"Is it a call from Mom?" Mai asked expectantly.

"Yes, Shi Yu's novel has passed the review and has been selected for the Newcomer Award."

"Great! I knew Mom could do it! In the future, Mom will be a super popular light novel author." Mai jumped up from the bed excitedly.

"Be careful, don't break the bed. It can't withstand your movements. If it really collapses, we'll have to sleep on the floor for a while." Wu Shen quickly stepped forward and pressed down on Wu Yi to stop her from moving around.

Wu Shen now has no spare money after deducting the living expenses for the two of them. If the bed breaks down, there won't be enough money to buy new furniture for at least a month.

"Wuyi, I have a question for you. It's important, so please answer it seriously. This is no joke." Wu Shen looked at Wuyi, his expression turning serious.

"Dad, ask away. I'll answer every question!" Wu Yi patted her slightly protruding chest and answered confidently.

"Wuyi, do you think there's a high chance Shiyu will accept me if I confess my feelings now?" Wu Shen asked, his voice trembling with tension as he stared intently at Wuyi.

“Dad’s word is definitely right! With Dad’s charm, Mom must have fallen in love with you at first sight!” Mai raised her hands high, her voice filled with innocence and inexplicable confidence.

"Sigh..." Wu Shen lowered his head and sighed.

I must have been out of my mind. A seven or eight-year-old girl couldn't possibly understand such complicated emotions. I asked the wrong person from the very beginning.

But who else can he ask for advice besides Mai? Eiki and Rinya are both single, just like Wu Shen; asking them would probably only make things worse. Yukino and Nanami are even less likely to help. He's not bold enough to discuss this kind of issue with girls, especially since Yukino and Utaha don't get along.

What should he do? Wu Shen paced back and forth, suddenly realizing an important attribute of the dance costume that he had never fully utilized: the costume came from the future, and she must know many things that the present Wu Shen was unaware of.

"Wuyi, I have another question for you." Thinking of this, Wu Shen immediately sat down. "Do you know how I confessed to Shiyu back then? What were the circumstances of my confession?"

Wu Shen had heard Wu Yi mention that her future self and Shi Yu often showed affection for each other and talked about the past. So growing up eating dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection) isn't necessarily a bad thing; although he might become a little lewd, he'd definitely know more details.

"How did Daddy confess his love? Ugh..." Mai's little hand rested on her chin as she began to think. Not long after, she seemed to have thought of something and suddenly raised her little head.

"If I remember correctly, Dad once told me a story that Mom confessed her feelings to him, and Dad readily agreed. Then it was all very passionate lovey-dovey!"

"Huh? She took the initiative? Shi Yu confessed to him? That's really rare." Wu Shen was genuinely surprised. He himself was a fire mage who had been single for eighteen years, how could a girl of Shi Yu's caliber take the initiative to confess to him?