Chapter 510 Overkill
Dabao and Erbao spent their first weekend of the semester break at the villa in Red Maple City. It was also the first weekend where Ning Ran could be at peace.
Nan Chen canceled all his plans and decided to spend the whole weekend with his family. First, they would watch a movie, then they would go shopping, and they’d end it with a homemade dinner.
Ning Ran and the kids were craving some hotpot, and they wanted to make it themselves this time at home.
Nan Chen had a rocky relationship with hotpots, but he could accept it as long as Ning Ran and the kids liked it. He was bored by all the upscale restaurants. They were no match for a meal at home since that was where his family was.
After they came back home, Nan Chen looked at the goods they had bought, and he announced solemnly, “I will be making dinner tonight.”
Everyone was quiet. Dabao and Erbao looked at each other while Ning Ran sorted the groceries out in silence.
It wasn’t the first time Nan Chen had tried to cook, but he had never succeeded even once. The food he cooked was nearly inedible, let alone delicious. Because of that, everyone was worried that the food might turn out bad.
They bought a lot of fresh ingredients that were perfect for hotpots. Everyone thought they’d have a nice dinner, but now that Nan Chen wanted to prepare it, they were worried that they might end up having food delivery again.
Nan Chen could feel their rejection, and he was crestfallen. I just want to cook. Is it that hard? “Are you worried I might mess it up? Hey, I watched a lot of cooking videos, you know. I’m decent now.”
Nan Chen wanted to convince them that he could cook.
Ning Ran smiled. “You’ve been hard at work. Let me do the cooking. You don’t have to do it.”
Dabao and Erbao nodded quickly. “Yeah, yeah!”
Nan Chen looked at Ning Ran, then at his kids. “Do you guys think I’m a lousy cook? You guys don’t believe me?”
Ning Ran forced a smile. “No. We just don’t want you to overwork yourself.”
The kids nodded quickly again and gave their father a worried look. “Yeah!”
It had been a long time since they had their mother’s hotpot. They loved that flavor, and they didn’t want their father to destroy it.
Nan Chen sat on the sofa, feeling defeated.
Ning Ran wanted to cheer him up, but she didn’t know how to. If it were up to her, she could eat anything Nan Chen made, but the problem was that her kids wanted to have something delicious.
“We need to talk, Daddy,” Dabao said maturely.
“About what?” Nan Chen was not interested in talking.
“You are destined for great things. You can’t waste your time cooking. That’s a waste of your talent. It’s overkill,” Dabao said solemnly.
“Yes! Dabao’s right! I think so too!” Erbao agreed.
Nan Chen knew what the kids were up to. In the end, you kids just don’t want me to cook. “Fine. I get it.” Nan Chen sighed.
“Why don’t we do this, Daddy? Mommy will do the cooking while you give her the instructions. You’re great at looking at the big picture and giving out commands, while she’s great at practical. If you and her work together, you guys can make the perfect hotpot. I call this ‘The Couple’s Teamwork,’ “Dabao suggested.
“Yes! I think so too!” Erbao clapped her hands.
Nan Chen knew his son was just trying to be nice, and he felt happy that the boy was concerned about him. “Fine. I accept the suggestion. I’ll be the instructor.” He stood up.
Wait. If you’re the instructor, then whose idea should we follow? Yours or mine? I mean, it’s fine if our thoughts align, but what if they clash? Should we do it my way or your way? Ning Ran thought. If we do it your way and it turns out bad, then it’s just the same as you making dinner yourself.
Nan Chen knew what Ning Ran was worried about, so he said, “You’ll call the shots. You know what the kids like.”
Ning Ran felt more at ease then.
After Nan Chen and Ning Ran went into the kitchen, Erbao gave Dabao a thumbs up. “Wow, you’re awesome, Dabao. You actually fooled Daddy.”
Dabao corrected her, “I wasn’t fooling him. I call that convincing.”
“Fine. Honestly, it’d be great if Daddy and Mommy could cook for us every day,” Erbao said.
“They seem sweeter than ever. Maybe they’ll get married.” Dabao looked at the kitchen.
“Really? That’s great! When?” Erbao got excited.
“Not our call to make. It’s their wedding, but they can’t make the decision themselves. They need a lot of people agreeing to it.”
“A lot of people? Who?” Erbao gasped.
“At the very least, Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma,” Dabao responded.
Erbao was genuinely confused. She looked at her brother, feeling perplexed.
“And Grandpa and Grandma, of course. It’ll be a hassle if they object. But most importantly, it depends on Daddy and Mommy. They can only get married if they want to, and if they work for it,” Dabao concluded.
“Will Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma agree to the marriage?” Erbao asked.
“I have no idea.” Dabao shook his head.
“Why not? Do they not like Mommy?” Erbao asked.
“Well, they might disagree. It’s not set in stone yet. They think Daddy can marry a woman who can help him. For example, Ouyang Qing,” Dabao said.
“Why can’t Mommy help Daddy anyway?” Erbao was more confused now.
Dabao wasn’t sure about that either, since he was still five years old. “I can’t say for sure, but I know I’m right. We have to help them if we want them to get married.”
“How?” Erbao asked.
“I have no idea for now.” Dabao shook his head.
Erbao imitated him, and she sighed as well.
“But they’re looking happy. At least they’re moving in the right direction, and that—”
Before he could finish, he heard someone’s phone vibrating.
“It sounds like Daddy’s phone,” Erbao said.
Dabao whipped the phone out. “Hey, it’s Grandma. You take the call.”
Erbao shook her head. “I don’t like her. She doesn’t like Mommy, so I don’t like her. I’m not taking it.”
“Ugh, I hate talking to her too. We’ll let Daddy take the call.”
“But what if she wants Daddy to go over to her place? I don’t want him to. It’s been a while since we had a meal together,” Erbao said.
Oh yeah. She’s right. I’ll take the call then.
