I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

Zhou Man returned to her home at Shenlan Waterfront around 5 p.m.

When I went to the kitchen, I saw Xiao Bonian taking a sea bass out of the steamer, with Aunt Zhang helping him.

Xiao Bonian was wearing a gray cardigan today, with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. His movements were unhurried, as if he were completing a process he had done many times before.

Zhou Man didn't say anything, but leaned against the doorway and watched for a while.

Xiao Bonian is very handsome, as evidenced by the fact that he was privately voted "Yangda's Number One Beauty" by students for eight consecutive years.

He was tall but not thin, with broad and flat shoulders and back. When he stood in front of the stove, he wore his originally loose gray cardigan with a very crisp look.

The cardigan was unbuttoned, revealing a white crew neck shirt underneath. The collar was slightly flimsy and rested between his neck and collarbone, making him look like he had stepped out of an academic magazine's "Person of the Year" section.

Both arms were exposed, with clean and smooth lines in the forearms, slightly protruding wrist bones, and long, slender fingers, making them very beautiful and eye-catching.

When serving the dish, he held the edge of the white porcelain plate with his fingertips, steady and neat, as if he were used to handling instruments in the laboratory all year round, or as if he was born to cook.

The kitchen ceiling light was a warm yellow, shining down from above and subtly reflecting off his glasses.

Those gold-rimmed glasses were a perfect fit for his face: thin rims, slightly rounded, lightweight, and not pressing down on his brow bone, perfectly complementing the refined and scholarly air of his entire face.

There were deep eyes inside, with very fine lines at the corners, like the result of years of smiling.

When he looked down at the fish, his gaze behind his glasses was deep and focused—it was truly incomprehensible that he could look at a fish with such deep affection—his eyelashes cast a small shadow under the light, and his whole body was enveloped in the steam of the kitchen, as if he were coated with a layer of light.

Like a spring breeze, slowly drifting down from a great height...

"Mrs."

Aunt Zhang was the first to notice Zhou Man and greeted her.

At first, when Aunt Zhang called them "Sir," "Madam," "Miss," and "Young Master," Shen Kang was the most comfortable with it. He would loudly praise it, saying that the title "Young Master" was good, making him, a peasant, enjoy the treatment of a rich young master. Afterwards, he would often slip Aunt Zhang some roasted chestnuts, salad oil, soap, a toilet plunger, pepper spray, and so on, saying that Aunt Zhang calling him "Young Master" provided him with great emotional value, as a way of expressing his gratitude.

There are some things that Aunt Zhang finds both funny and frustrating. For example, the pepper spray. She doesn't even know what she needs it for, but it's perfect for her daughter—who's in high school and studies late into the night. It's actually quite useful for her to have it.

He Qiuzhu adapted quite well, but Zhou Man was not so comfortable with it—she was always called "Miss" at home before, and suddenly being upgraded to "Madam" was really hard for her to adjust to.

Xiao Bonian was also awkward, and together with Zhou Man, he corrected Aunt Zhang several times.

Zhou Man told Aunt Zhang to stop calling her "Madam" and just call her "Miss." Aunt Zhang was hesitant, saying that there was already a Miss He, and this... Zhou Man said that she would be the eldest Miss, and He Qiuzhu would be the youngest Miss. Aunt Zhang agreed and called her that too, but after a couple of days, she reverted to calling her "Madam." If you pointed it out to her, she would look apologetic and say that she was from the countryside, uneducated, and had a bad memory, always forgetting things.

Then, continue to correct and continue to forget.

Xiao Bonian also told Aunt Zhang to stop calling him "Mr." and just call him by his name. Aunt Zhang agreed, but after a couple of days, she started calling him "Mr." again.

This Aunt Zhang seems to be deliberately anchoring the identities of everyone in this family in some way and making them accept them.

Xiao Bonian and Zhou Man corrected it a few times, but seeing that it had no effect, they became too lazy to correct it anymore.

So now, "Mr.", "Mrs.", "Miss" and "Young Master" have become the terms of address that all four members of this family have accepted.

……

Upon hearing Aunt Zhang's address, Xiao Bonian turned his head and saw Zhou Man.

This surprised him somewhat.

"You're back? Didn't you say there was a dinner party tonight?"

He specifically asked Zhou Man yesterday if she would come back for dinner today, and Zhou Man said that she had a dinner party that had been arranged a long time ago and it was difficult to refuse.

"It's cancelled."

Zhou Man said in a very natural tone, as if she were announcing a decision she had already convinced herself of.

Xiao Bonian said "Oh" and didn't ask any further questions.

Zhou Man stopped watching at the door, took a couple of steps into the kitchen, looked at the dishes already prepared on the table, and asked, "Is there anything you want me to make?"

Xiao Bonian's hand froze for a moment.

He had witnessed firsthand what it meant for Zhou Man to be in the kitchen—on October 27th, the weather was sunny, Zhou Man's company had secured a good project, and Zhou Man was in a great mood. As soon as she got home from work, she volunteered to cook two dishes herself to celebrate with Xiao Bonian.

Then, the dishes were served, and Xiao Bonian ate a lot of them, which was very kind of him.

During the family games that evening, Xiao Bonian, sweating profusely, lost to Shen Kang for the first time in the competition.

That was the only time Xiao Bonian lost to Shen Kang. Afterwards, when everyone was fighting bandits, Shen Kang kept babbling on and on about the Korean War, saying that the gap in technological level was only due to certain objective factors, and that in the end, the key factor in the war was still people.

Everyone understood what Shen Kang meant.

The next day, during family game time, Xiao Bonian crushed Shen Kang five times in a row—Zhou Man didn't cook that day. Shen Kang finally said it was time to play against the bandits, no more PvP.

Having experienced this, Xiao Bonian clearly understood what it meant for Zhou Man to enter the kitchen.

But he still stepped aside and said, "How about you stir-fry some vegetables? I've already washed them."

Zhou Man nodded, walked to the pool, and rolled up her sleeves. She stretched out her hand; her skin was very fair, her nails were neatly trimmed, and she still had the watch on her wrist.

The pot is already on the stove.

Zhou Man poured the oil in, and a little oil splattered up. She took half a step back.

Xiao Bonian stood to the side and pushed over a colander filled with green vegetables.

Zhou Man dumped the vegetables into the pan all at once, then stirred them a couple of times with the spatula, making an unpleasant sound. She stirred them vigorously, as if she were subduing some disobedient subordinate.

Xiao Bonian didn't say anything, but silently turned up the heat a little and added, "Vegetables need to be stir-fried over high heat."

Zhou Man nodded, stir-fried it a couple more times, then turned to look at him: "Should I add the salt later?"

"Just add it before taking it off the heat," Xiao Bonian said.

Zhou Man nodded, stirred it a couple more times, then added a spoonful of salt. She felt there wasn't enough salt, so she added another half spoonful.

Xiao Bonian glanced at it, but didn't say that there might be too much salt. He only said, "That's about right. The heat is too high. If you stir-fry it any longer, it will get tough." He thought to himself that it was good that he had turned up the heat first. If it had been lower, she could have added more salt.

Zhou Man then turned off the heat and put the vegetables into a plate.

The plate of greens didn't look very appealing; a few stalks were wilted, but they were still a vibrant green and smelled alright. She picked it up, smelled it, and was quite satisfied: "It looks and smells good."

Then he looked at Xiao Bonian, "Would you like to try some?"

Xiao Bonian's hand trembled slightly, but his expression remained calm as he nodded. "Okay."

As she spoke, she picked up a pair of chopsticks, took a small piece of green vegetable, but after thinking for a moment, she put it down and instead picked up the largest one: "I'll eat more first, so the two children can eat less and suffer less."

He picked up the largest piece of green vegetable, put it in his mouth, chewed it silently for a moment, swallowed it, and then smiled and praised, "Not bad, you've improved since last time."

Then Xiao Bonian saw Zhou Man smiling sweetly, her eyes crinkling, just like a young girl.

Xiao Bonian also laughed.

Aunt Zhang remained silent, her right hand holding a cell phone, which she discreetly placed beside her leg. She took a picture of the scene in silent mode, intending to send it to someone later.

Her movements were so skillful and stealthy, like those of a trained special agent; even Xiao Bonian, looking over at that moment, couldn't figure out what she was doing.

In her heart, she thought to herself, "Just by looking at them, the couple really do look like a young man and woman. If you didn't know, you wouldn't even know they're old hands."

……

Shen Kang and his group arrived at Shenlan Waterfront at six o'clock. After parking their car downstairs, Shen Kang carried a snakeskin bag and came upstairs with He Qiuzhu.

As soon as he entered the door, Shen Kang was taken aback.

Zhou Man stood at the junction of the entrance hall and the dining room, her posture upright, her hands folded in front of her, as if she had just come down from a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

She didn't look at them; her gaze was fixed on the small framed picture of the community garden diagonally in front of her. Her expression was dignified, as if she were waiting for someone. Her whole demeanor was elegant and graceful.

It's not that Zhou Man wasn't dignified and elegant before, it's just that her "dignified and elegant" demeanor today is a bit different from her usual self, a bit... indescribable.

Seemingly only then noticing their return, Zhou Man looked over and smiled gently, like a virtuous wife and loving mother who had just stepped out of a wealthy family in the Jiangnan water towns.

Then, she spoke softly and gently, her eyes full of "kindness".

"You're back?"

"..."

Shen Kang lost his grip, and the snakeskin bag he was holding fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Zhou Man glanced at the snakeskin bag, about to ask what it was, but then sentences from the book flashed through her mind.

So, without asking, she simply continued in a gentle and kind tone, "Are you hungry?"

"..."

Shen Kangren felt a little numb.

***Novel***Website********First******Published! 「」「」「」「」「」「」.「」「」「」

Then, with a blank expression, he nodded, "Yeah, a little."

"Wash your hands first, it'll be a little while, there's soup coming up."

Zhou Man continued speaking gently, in that same soft tone. Then, she turned and left, not knowing where she was going or what she had been doing standing there.

Shen Kang finally calmed down, wiping away a cold sweat—it was terrifying. Who is this person? How did they get here?

As he changed his shoes, he glanced over there, and seeing that no one was there, presumably everyone was in the kitchen, he turned to He Qiuzhu, who was also changing her shoes, and whispered, "Who was that just now?"

He Qiuzhu was putting on her black and white panda slippers with a few quick movements. "President Zhou."

Shen Kang didn't know how to describe his feelings. While putting on his slippers, he racked his brains and finally came up with a sentence: "Don't you think... she's a little strange?"

He Qiuzhu had already put on her slippers. She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "It seems a little bit?"

.

Shen Kang didn't say anything more to her, put on his slippers, and silently went inside.

The two of them went to wash their hands first.

Aunt Zhang was quite efficient; in no time, she had finished making the last soup, and the two of them went to the restaurant.

Shen Kang saw that Zhou Man was standing by the dining table, holding a pair of chopsticks, setting out the bowls.

She pushed the two bowls together, then picked them up again, moved them to a different position, gently put them down, and then picked them up again.

Shen Kang stood there watching for a while—what kind of formation was President Zhou setting up? The Primordial Eight Trigrams Formation? The Five Gates Golden Lock Formation? Or perhaps the Twelve Heavenly Capitals Grand Formation? ...

Zhou Man noticed him, looked up, and smiled: "We'll be eating soon. Professor Xiao made fish today."

Shen Kang remained calm, simply said "Oh," and walked to the table to sit down.

He Qiuzhu followed him in and sat down next to him.

Zhou Man handed out chopsticks to them and then went to the kitchen to bring out the dishes.

Xiao Bonian quickly came over and sat down.

Zhou Man was the last to sit down. She brought out the last dish of stir-fried vegetables from the kitchen and placed it in front of Shen Kang and He Qiuzhu. Then she sat down next to Xiao Bonian and opposite Shen Kang, and smiled gently at Shen Kang, making Shen Kang feel a tightness in his back.

"..."

Xiao Bonian, however, didn't notice this side. He was just looking at the two children opposite him, feeling a little emotional: he probably already considered the two children as good friends. He hadn't seen them for several months and missed them quite a bit. Seeing them come back now was also quite touching.

Then, picking up the glass of juice, all his thoughts boiled down to one sentence.

Welcome back.

Zhou Man and He Qiuzhu both raised their glasses, which were filled with juice.

Shen Kang looked around for a moment and asked, "Do you have any wine?"

Zhou Man raised her eyebrows slightly, but quickly calmed down and said gently, "Drink juice first today. Why are you drinking it so quickly after just getting back?"

After she finished speaking, she pushed the bottle of juice on the table towards Shen Kang.

Xiao Bonian glanced at Zhou Man beside him: he hadn't noticed before, but now he realized that Zhou Man was fine at other times today, but seemed a little strange in front of the two children.

What's even stranger is that after Zhou Man pushed the juice over, she saw that Shen Kang didn't move. According to Zhou Man's usual temperament, it was like, "Drink it or don't, I'll spoil you."

But now, Zhou Man took the bottle of juice herself and poured it into Shen Kang's empty glass, just like a gentle mother.

Xiao Bonian's pupils contracted.

It's a ghost story.

Shen Kang didn't stop him, and just sat there casually watching.

After the wine was poured, Shen Kang raised his glass, and the four of them clinked glasses to welcome Shen Kang and He Qiuzhu back.

After clinking glasses, the group began to eat.

Shen Kang saw something else.

Zhou Man gently asked He Qiuzhu, "How did you do on your final exams?" He Qiuzhu said she did very well and could answer all the questions.

That would have been fine, as Zhou Man was usually very gentle with He Qiuzhu, but strangely, Zhou Man asked herself in the same gentle tone, "How did you do on your final exams?"

"..."

After asking about the final exams, Zhou Man picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks and placed it in front of He Qiuzhu, then picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks and placed it in front of Shen Kang.

She added gently, "There's not much good food at school, so eat more fish. Fish is good for your brain."

"..."

Finally, Zhou Man reached out and took a few tissues, considerately placing them beside Shen Kang and He Qiuzhu.

"Professor Xiao's fish has a lot of sauce. Wipe your mouth after you finish eating."

"..."

This is fucking bizarre.

Shen Kang put down his bowl and took a deep breath.

He turned to look at He Qiuzhu—this glutton was munching on fish without even looking up.

He looked at Xiao Bonian again. Xiao Bonian was drinking soup with his head down, his expression calm, but he didn't lift his eyelids, as if he was deliberately ignoring his signal. His forehead was practically writing four words: "Don't look at me."

Shen Kang ignored everything and just kept staring at Xiao Bonian.

Xiao Bonian finally had no choice but to glance at the plate of vegetables in front of Shen Kang and He Qiuzhu, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally.

Shen Kang finally turned his gaze away and looked at the plate of green vegetables in front of him.

He thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled, somewhat wistfully, "Mr. Zhou, you spoke so gently today, just like a top mediator on TV. Have you taken on some new work lately and are you practicing your hosting skills?"

He Qiuzhu continued to eat her meal in silence.

Xiao Bonian also kept to himself – he, a scholar with no physical strength, would not participate in such a close-quarters battle.

Zhou Man's gentle expression froze for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled gently, "Isn't this how I always am?"

Shen Kang nodded and said very seriously, "Yes. If you were to host a family mediation program, I would definitely sign up first whenever my wife and I have a dispute, so you could mediate for me."

Zhou Man's smile had faded, as if it were about to be blown away by the wind.

However, she still managed a weak smile. "Nonsense. Didn't you say you'd never get married? Where did this wife come from?"

"Just a hypothesis."

As Shen Kang spoke, he picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of green vegetable in front of him, and started eating. After finally swallowing it, he began to interact with Xiao Bonian: "Professor Xiao, I'm not trying to be mean, but the fish you cooked was quite good. How come you made this vegetable like this? It looks like you've beaten a salt seller to death. And the stir-frying is no good either. One half of the vegetable is tough and hard to chew, and the other half is raw and scratchy on the throat..."

"Snap"

Zhou Man slammed her chopsticks on the table, her face expressionless. "Shen Kang, eat if you want, or go clean the balcony windows. Isn't that your job?"

Shen Kang smiled and said, "Look at what you're saying. Of course I'll eat."

Xiao Bonian, who had been silently eating, quietly reached out with his chopsticks, picked up three green vegetables, put them in his bowl, and began to eat.

After finishing his meal, Xiao Bonian put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and slowly said, "Shen Kang, this vegetable isn't actually as you described."

"You say it's half-cooked, half-baked, but I think it's like a newly written article. The beginning is a bit forceful, the salt is added quickly, like heavy ink was used from the very first stroke, and it does seem a bit jarring at first glance. But if you savor it in the middle, some leaves are soft, some stems are still raw, like an article half-written, the pen not quite steady yet the momentum hasn't broken. The more you read, the more the vegetable juice seeps in, the flavor settles, and there's a sweet aftertaste. The rawness you disliked at first becomes part of the flavor later on. This kind of dish isn't perfectly prepared, but it's authentic, and more interesting than those that taste the same from beginning to end."

"..."

Shen Kang recalled the way Xiao Bonian had looked at the plate of vegetables, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally.

Professor Xiao, what do you mean?

Now that the patient has recovered, he has taken on the role of the villain, and someone has descended like a god.

Professor Xiao, what do you mean?