The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

Under Xu Nian's attentive care, Xu Xi lived a life like a noble princess, with food served to her and clothes done for her. Apart from going out for a walk with Wen Yao and Zhao Lin every evening after dinner, she spent almost all her time in bed playing video games.

Xu Nian took on all the household chores, from laundry to cooking, without letting Xu Xi interfere at all.

That day, when Xu Nian returned from picking up a package at the community service station with Mai Mai, she was surprised to find Xu Xi busy in the kitchen.

"Xiaoxi, didn't you say you'd cook dinner when I got back?"

He hurried upstairs, frowned, and said with a slightly reproachful tone.

Xu Xi pouted and gently shook her head.

"Brother, I'm so bored! I've already finished the game. If I don't get something to do, I'll get moldy."

"Well..." Xu Nian scratched her head, "How about I buy you some comic books tomorrow?"

"Don't worry, brother, it's okay." Xu Xi muttered softly, "Brother is busy taking care of things at home every day, while I'm just sitting in bed bored out of my mind. I might as well help you out."

"When I'm so pregnant I can't get out of bed, then I'll have to rely on my brother for everything."

"Alright then." Xu Nian sighed, deciding to respect Xu Xi's decision.

He stood aside and began to assist Xu Xi.

"Speaking of which, Xiaoxi, what dish did you make tonight? It doesn't look like you used any seasonings at all!"

"This is boiled vegetables." Xu Xi lifted the pot lid, revealing the bubbling vegetable soup inside.

It's called vegetable soup, but it's really just clear broth with a few vegetables picked from the garden, bobbing up and down in the water, looking extremely bland.

Xu Nian's lips twitched involuntarily: "This thing... can it even taste good?"

"Whether it tastes good or not is not important." Xu Xi held up a finger and shook it gently, like a little teacher, and instructed, "Modern people are used to eating foods that are high in oil and salt. These things are difficult for the body to metabolize and will eventually affect health. I learned this from a parenting channel: eat more boiled vegetables that are free of oil, salt, and sugar, so that the baby in the womb is less likely to suffer from congenital cardiovascular diseases."

Upon hearing this, Xu Nian's eyelids twitched.

He pointed to himself and asked, "Do I want some too?"

"Yes." Xu Xi nodded. "Brother, you too. We used to eat too much unhealthy food, so we need to eat boiled vegetables together to empty the impurities from our stomachs and intestines."

Upon hearing this, Xu Nian felt something was off, but she couldn't refute Xu Xi, so she could only agree by nodding in agreement.

Before long, two bowls of light boiled vegetables were served on the table.

Xu Nian sat at the table, took out her chopsticks, picked up a piece of boiled cabbage leaf, put it in her mouth, tasted it carefully, and immediately frowned.

This food isn't exactly bad, but it's definitely not delicious either. Aside from the taste of the food itself, you can't taste any flavor at all.

For the sake of health, Xu Xi did not add any seasonings, not even a grain of salt. This taste was a bit hard for Xu Nian to accept.

Xu Xi, on the other hand, did not show any strange expression. Holding the bowl in front of her, she sipped the clear soup and water, and soon ate half of the bowl.

Seeing Xu Xi's insistence, Xu Nian had no choice but to bite the bullet and start eating the boiled vegetables in front of her.

Finally, after eating half a bowl, Xu Nian found it hard to swallow, so while Xu Xi went to the toilet, she secretly poured the remaining boiled vegetables into Mai Mai's cat bowl.

Thinking it was time to eat, Mai Mai came bounding over with tiny, bouncy steps. But after taking a sniff of the boiled vegetables in her bowl, she made a gagging face and turned away.

Upon seeing this, Xu Nian couldn't help but feel annoyed.

Seriously? Even cats don't eat this?

Over the next few days, Xu Xi completely took control of the kitchen, cooking boiled dishes for the two of them in various ways.

Today I cook cabbage and green beans, tomorrow I cook carrots and potatoes. Every day I cook a different dish, but without exception, they are all "three-free" foods: no oil, no salt, and no sugar.

With such a light diet, Xu Nian's weight finally turned negative for the first time since her release from prison.

In the middle of the night, Xu Nian lay in bed, her stomach growling loudly with hunger.

He hadn't tasted anything for days, eating only boiled vegetables and drinking plain water. His mouth was so uncomfortable that he felt like he wanted to swallow a whole bag of salt.

After tossing and turning for half an hour, he finally couldn't hold back any longer, got out of bed, and tiptoed into the kitchen.

If he remembered correctly, there should still be a pack of instant noodles left in the cupboard, the one he bought from the supermarket last time.

Regardless of all that, if we don't let him taste it soon, his stomach might get sick from the craving before his body even gets healthy.

But as he approached the kitchen, he vaguely heard a rustling sound coming from inside.

"A mouse got into the house?"

Xu Nian instinctively grabbed the broom beside her, pressed herself against the wall, and peeked out, only to be startled.

Beside the cabinet, a strange black shadow was wriggling about the size of a stone block, searching for something inside.

Could it be that Mai Mai has run out to look for food?

Xu Nian shook her head and quickly dismissed the idea.

First of all, MaiMai's cat food and cat treats are all in its cat room, so even if it's looking for food, it's impossible for it to find its way into the kitchen.

Besides, although Mai Mai is a bit chubby, she is far from meeting the standard of a stone block!

Could it be that a thief broke into the house?

Please, thieves break into homes for money. What decent thief wouldn't target the safe and valuables? Why would they come to the kitchen to steal food?!

At that moment, a terrifying thought arose in Xu Nian's mind.

This is neither Mai Mai nor a thief, but a mutated rat.

For some unknown reason, it developed such a terrifying size. In order to maintain the nutrition it needed, it scaled the wall and entered their house in search of food.

Thinking of this, Xu Nian swallowed hard, feeling extremely nervous.

Humans have an innate fear of the unknown. Although he was powerful, he still subconsciously felt fear and dread when faced with an unknown creature like a mutated rat.

After hesitating for two and a half minutes, Xu Nian gritted her teeth and made up her mind.

He is the only man in the family. If he doesn't step up in the face of danger, who will?

You can't exactly huddle in Xu Xi's arms and yell, "Mommy, save me!" right?

So he mustered his courage, gripped the broom tightly, and tiptoed toward the "big rat."