He unexpectedly becomes a father at the start of his life, and the mother of his child is a national

Chen Hao plated the scrambled eggs, scraping the spatula clean so that not a single morsel was wasted.

Asparagus is the simplest.

Slice the garlic. Cut three cloves of garlic into evenly thick slices.

Heat the oil, using slightly less oil than you would for stir-frying vegetables.

The garlic slices sizzled as soon as they hit the pan.

The edges curled up, turning a light gold color.

The asparagus was poured in, whole stalks, vibrant green and glistening.

The spatula flips the food quickly.

The asparagus swayed in the pot, its skin glistening with oil, making it look even more vibrant.

Add salt and a little sugar to enhance the flavor.

He picked up one and pinched it lightly with his fingernail.

Crispy.

Ready to serve in two minutes.

The asparagus lay neatly arranged on the white plate, its vibrant green shoots clearly separated from the rest.

The garlic slices are hidden inside; you might miss them if you're not looking carefully.

Lin Caiwei stood to the side the whole time.

She didn't say anything, but her eyes never left the pot.

Chen Hao placed the asparagus on the table and looked back at her.

"You've learned it?"

"I remember," she said. "I didn't learn it."

His lips twitched, as if he wanted to laugh, but he suppressed it.

The chicken soup was made in the morning.

When Chen Hao arrived, it was just dawn, and Lin Caiwei was still in the bedroom combing Sisi's hair.

She heard the door lock click and peeked through the crack in the door, seeing him carrying a bag of groceries into the kitchen.

She didn't go out to say hello.

Sisi tugged at the hair tie in her hand and said that her mother was hurting her.

She came to her senses.

The chicken was a free-range chicken bought from the market; the owner said it was raised in a free-range manner and had firm meat.

Chen Hao put the chicken in a pot of cold water, turned on the heat, and waited for the water to slowly heat up.

When small bubbles started to appear on the surface of the water, he used a slotted spoon to skim off the foam.

The movements were very gentle, without muddying the soup.

Then add ginger slices, add water, and transfer to a clay pot.

Simmered over low heat for two hours.

The soup changed from clear to cloudy, and then from cloudy to golden yellow.

A thin layer of chicken fat floats on the surface. When you gently push it with a spoon, the oil swirls and then slowly gathers back together.

He placed the casserole on the stove and turned the fire back on.

As the soup boiled, he added the sliced ​​matsutake mushrooms.

The matsutake mushroom slices quickly unfurled in the hot soup, their edges curling up slightly, like closed flower petals slowly opening.

He gently stirred the soup with a spoon, ensuring that each matsutake mushroom slice was submerged in the broth.

three minutes.

Turn off the heat.

Do not cook for too long.

If left for too long, matsutake mushrooms will become soft, lose their crisp and tender texture, and their aroma will dissipate.

[Ding! Three dishes and one soup completed, cooking skill experience points +500]

Lin Caiwei took a bowl from the sterilizer.

Three rice bowls, white porcelain, with a thin blue stripe around the edge.

Three bone plates, each the perfect size to hold one dish.

There are three pairs of chopsticks. The pair that Sisi uses is shorter and has a little rabbit printed on the end.

She placed the soup bowl between Chen Hao and herself.

Then I laid out Sisi's little rabbit placemat and smoothed out all four corners.

Sisi tiptoed and carefully placed her plate of smiling cherry tomatoes in the center of the dining table.

The plate is placed upright.

She adjusted the angle again, so that her crooked, smiling face was facing her mother.

Chen Hao brought out the dishes one by one.

The silver cod has a crispy skin, tender white flesh, and a glossy sheen from being drizzled with butter.

The black truffle scrambled eggs are golden brown with black bits scattered throughout, and the eggs are moist, not fully cooked and dry.

The asparagus was lush and green, neatly arranged, with each stalk standing upright.

The matsutake chicken soup was crystal clear, with a few pieces of matsutake mushrooms floating on the surface and a thin layer of chicken oil.

"Dinner is served."

Sisi immediately climbed into her high chair.

The chair was a bit high, so she knelt on the cushion, rubbed her bottom back a couple of times, and finally settled down.

She picked up a small spoon and waited to serve the food.

Lin Caiwei sat down next to her and spread a napkin on her lap.

The restaurant's lighting was warm and yellow.

It's not a special light, just an ordinary ceiling light with several light tubes arranged side by side, casting light evenly down.

The light shone on the dishes on the table, and on this family.

Chen Hao served food to Sisi.

The cod is selected from the tenderest part of the belly, which has no bones.

He picked it up and held it in the air for a moment, letting the excess oil drip off, before putting it into Sisi's bowl.

I also scooped some scrambled eggs and a few asparagus spears for her.

"Thank you, Dad," Sisi said.

She scooped up the cod with a small spoon, puffed out her cheeks, blew on it, and put it in her mouth.

His cheeks puffed out even more.

She chewed, a few crumbs of scrambled eggs clinging to the corner of her mouth, and while still chewing, she mumbled, "Delicious!"

Chen Hao served Lin Caiwei another bowl of soup.

The soup bowl was very hot, so he held the bottom edge of the bowl with his fingers and carefully placed it in front of her.

"Try it."

Lin Caiwei lowered her head and scooped up a spoonful of soup.

The soup was warm when it entered my mouth.

It wasn't scalding hot, but just the right temperature to eat.

The fresh sweetness melts on the tip of the tongue, and the aroma of matsutake mushrooms slowly spreads in the mouth.

It's not an intense impact, but a lingering, subtle flavor that seeps into every corner.

She didn't say anything.

I scooped up another spoonful.

After finishing the cod, Sisi started on the scrambled eggs.

The scrambled eggs were too tender; she tried to scoop them up with a spoon for ages, but they kept slipping off the edge.

When she scooped for the third time, she brought her face close to the rim of the bowl and used the spoon to scoop the food directly into her mouth.

A little bit of egg yolk got on the tip of my nose.

Chen Hao tore off a tissue and wiped her mouth.

Sisi obediently tilted her head up, her eyes still fixed on the scrambled eggs in the bowl.

After he finished wiping, he immediately lowered his head and continued eating.

Lin Caiwei watched this scene.

She was still holding a bowl of soup in her hand, and the warm touch traveled from her palm to her heart.

She remembered the year Sisi was born.

She takes care of the child alone, cooks alone, and gets up late at night to make formula alone.

She didn't complain about anything, and there was nothing to complain about.

The choice is yours, the path is yours to choose.

She never imagined that one day someone would sit at her family's dining table.

She wiped her daughter's mouth.

Serve her some soup.

"Cod doesn't taste good when it's cold," Chen Hao said.

Lin Caiwei came to her senses.

She picked up a piece of cod.

The fish meat is so tender that it can be easily separated into two halves with a gentle touch of chopsticks.

The outer skin is crispy, making a slight crunch when you bite into it, followed by the soft and tender texture of the fish meat.

It's savory with a buttery, creamy flavor that's not greasy at all—just right.

It was better than any Michelin-starred restaurant she had ever eaten at.

"It's delicious," she said.

Chen Hao hummed in agreement and lowered his head to eat his meal.

He didn't ask her what was so delicious about it, nor did he press her about what she was thinking.

He simply continued eating, picking up food for Sisi, and occasionally adding soup to her bowl.

Sisi put down her spoon and leaned back in her chair.

Her little belly was bulging, making her sweatshirt look like a small round bag.

She looked down at her stomach and patted it with her hand.

Then he raised his head.

"Mom and Dad," she said.

Chen Hao put down his chopsticks.

"Sisi is very happy today," she said, pointing her little hand at Lin Caiwei, "because Mommy has been smiling all day."

She drew a large arc on her face with her finger.

Draw from the left corner of the mouth to the right corner of the mouth.

The finger wasn't long enough to draw.

"Mom's mouth always looks like this—" she said.

Lin Caiwei was stunned for a moment.

She raised her hand and touched her face.

Is the corner of your mouth flat or curved?

she does not know.

She didn't realize whether she was smiling or not.

Chen Hao looked at her.

His gaze was light, like the evening breeze brushing against the curtains, without much weight, just landing there.

Lin Caiwei lowered her head.

She scooped up another spoonful of soup.

The soup wasn't very hot anymore, but it was still delicious.

She put the spoonful of soup into her mouth and swallowed it slowly.