Sister, can I be a maid too?

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

"Son, you haven't made the arrangements with your side yet? Why don't you ask your dad to wait a bit before opening it, and then you can contact him again?"

"It's all arranged, don't rush me."

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

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

"His cooking is okay, but only okay. He can't possibly make 'Master Chef Xiao Fu Gui' level golden fried rice."

Hey~

Qin Huiyi looked utterly surprised:

"Hey kid, how come you've started siding with outsiders after not seeing me for a while?"

"Turning one's elbow to the outside? What does 'turning one's elbow to the outside' 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 you all get together to discuss going on your honeymoon—have you forgotten that you have a child at home who is at a crucial moment in his 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 indeed Mom and Dad's fault... We'll make it up to you later."

How will you be compensated?

Qin Huiyi was taken aback.

No, I was just saying, 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 you get me 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's 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' treasured 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 know..."

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 and sending them over, so he would always try to describe things as completely as possible to avoid the trouble of having to add details back and forth.

After waiting 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, I'll just give your mom a quick greeting later. We won't 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 hurry 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 delicious 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 beforehand and timidly presented it to 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 what she saw, 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 need to change your shoe covers?"