Chapter 1287

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Near noon, Du Xiaojuan returned from the Company.

The table was already set with a sumptuous spread of rice and dishes, but since she hadn't returned, no one dared pick up their chopsticks.

During the meal, Du Xiaojuan praised Wang Dashan's culinary skills from time to time.

"Not bad, Wang Dashan, your stir-fried pork belly with pepper has just the right heat, suits my taste perfectly."

"This braised fish is delicious!"

"This chicken soup is also stewed well!"

Wang Dashan wore a smile, looking a bit pleased with himself.

He always felt that no matter what he did, he would be belittled by Du Xiaojuan as good-for-nothing, except for cooking.

So previously he had some resistance to the role of family cook, but now he slowly found a sense of achievement in it, and thus slowly adapted.

But seeing this, Li Xiulan couldn't help feeling a pang of heartache.

After all, he was her own biological son.

He actually couldn't go out to work, and could only stay home raising the child and cooking.

This originally contradicted the traditional concept of men plowing and women weaving.

Under normal circumstances, shouldn't it be the husband going out to work, and the wife staying home to raise the child and cook?

Li Xiulan found the role reversal between Wang Dashan and Du Xiaojuan somewhat hard to understand, yet she didn't say anything, just felt uneasy inside.

Wang Erhai on the side, however, cheerfully echoed Du Xiaojuan's words:

"Big Brother, you should have taken up cooking long ago. To tell the truth, Eldest Sister-in-law's cooking, where does it compare to yours? You, a natural-born kitchen god, never saw you cook much as a child, yet now you can actually cook this well!"

In fact, this table full of rice and dishes wasn't that delicious.

The stir-fried pork belly with pepper, the pepper was a bit scorched. The braised fish wasn't properly de-fished, a bit fishy. The chicken soup actually had white pepper added, completely masking the chicken's fresh flavor.

But Wang Erhai just had to flatter his big brother like this; he really didn't want his big brother to come out and stir up some messy trouble again, otherwise if something happened, he and Wang Xiaohua, these two younger brothers, would have to come wipe his ass.

Wang Dashan hurriedly brought out wine, wanting to drink a cup with Wang Erhai.

Wang Erhai hurriedly declined, saying he had to drive back to Shangou Village after eating, so he couldn't drink.

In a blink, lunch ended.

Du Xiaojuan had Wang Dashan take Li Xiulan upstairs to rest, called Kang Yi to clean up the bowls and chopsticks, while she took advantage of the lunch break to tend to the child.

Wang Dashan escorted Li Xiulan to the second-floor room.

"Mom, you rest, I'll go downstairs to see Second Brother off."

Li Xiulan suddenly grabbed him and asked:

"Dashan, will you be cooking at home from now on?"

Wang Dashan's expression flickered slightly; his mother asking like this made him lose face a bit.

He could only answer evasively:

"Right now I'm the one at home raising the child and cooking; when the child grows up a bit, I should go out to work."

Li Xiulan frowned instead:

"When the child grows up a bit, when is that? Isn't this me coming down to help? In a few days, once I get familiar with things, you go out to work too; you're a big man, you can't not work."

Wang Dashan felt Li Xiulan's words had some reason, but couldn't help worrying:

"Mom, leaving just you to watch the child, can you manage?"

Li Xiulan said:

"There's still that nanny, isn't there? What I don't know, just let her do it!"

Wang Dashan also felt it made sense, but the final decision-making power wasn't with him, so he said:

"I'll go discuss with Xiao Juan."

Wang Dashan went downstairs, saw Wang Erhai off, then returned to the master bedroom on the first floor.

Just as he entered, Du Xiaojuan said:

"I heard Kang Yi say your mom just arrived today and went to the kitchen to help you cook; must say, your mom is really diligent!"

Wang Dashan frowned instead:

"She's been diligent all her life; it's just she doesn't understand anything, coming down to help, she'll probably have to learn everything from scratch."

Du Xiaojuan was a bit surprised:

"Shouldn't be, isn't she quite good at cooking? I remember when we'd just bought this house not long ago, she and your dad came down to visit, and she helped cook then; back then her hands and feet were quite nimble."

Wang Dashan said:

"Don't know how it happened; anyway, today her whole person acted dazed. Maybe Dad's passing hit her hard, or maybe she's old and slowed down at everything. You might not believe it, but even turning on that gas stove, I had to teach her several times before she learned."

Du Xiaojuan felt even more astonished inside.

A thought even flashed: was Li Xiulan faking it?

But this thought flashed and passed, and she quickly dismissed it.

Because she knew, this mother-in-law Li Xiulan's character was still alright; she absolutely wouldn't do such a lowly behavior.

Heard that when people reach a certain age, not only do they not continue growing, they even start regressing.

Whether IQ, learning ability, or hands-on ability...

"My mom just started helping, there might be some places she doesn't do well; you must not dislike her. Her being able to come help is already very good!"

Wang Dashan spoke up at this moment, pulling Du Xiaojuan back from her thoughts.

"Rest assured, as long as she's willing to do it, no matter how it turns out I won't say a bad word."

Du Xiaojuan still had this much sense of proportion.

Take today's lunch for example — Wang Dashan cooked the fish so badly, yet she still praised his cooking skills?

As long as work is done, it must be praised.

Only this way can the person doing the work continue doing it.

Picking faults, being mean and sharp-tongued, unable to tolerate the slightest mistake — that's the behavior of women who lack sense and emotional intelligence; she, Du Xiaojuan, would not be like that.

Wang Dashan suddenly recalled what Li Xiulan had just said to him, and so he said weakly:

"Once Mom adapts to life here and can truly help out, I'll go out to work."

The moment these words left him, Du Xiaojuan immediately became unwilling:

"No, wasn't it already agreed? From now on you'll be the family cook!"

Wang Dashan wore a long face:

"But I don't want to be a good-for-nothing who just eats and waits to die; I should find something to do!"

Du Xiaojuan said:

"You do the household matters well first; later matters we'll discuss later!"

Wang Dashan was depressed beyond measure:

"Plainly put, you just won't let me go out to work; I don't want others to think I'm eating soft rice!"

Du Xiaojuan said:

"What's wrong with eating soft rice? Bringing up the kid daily, cooking meals, if it costs money I'll give it to you — what else are you unhappy about? How many men want this kind of relaxed life but can't get it even if they beg!"

Wang Dashan was speechless.

Du Xiaojuan added:

"Leave the earning to me; you stay home and focus on raising the kid well — that's far stronger than you going outside to earn those meager pickings!"

Wang Dashan thought, isn't this line usually spoken by a husband to his wife?

Now the roles have completely reversed.

This really made him lose face.

But he had no way to refute.

Because compared to what Du Xiaojuan earned, what he earned could indeed only be described as "three melons and two dates."