She felt that although the state-run restaurant in this era was cheap and good value, for people who had grown up in this time, eating there was still considered a very luxurious thing.
Going there once in a while already attracted attention. If you went three meals a day, it would be far too conspicuous.
People would definitely gossip behind their backs, and might even suspect that Qin Yu had obtained illegal income—otherwise how could his wife and child afford to eat at the state-run restaurant three times a day?
But Su Qinghe had been thinking that if they couldn’t go to the state-run restaurant, they could eat at the flour factory cafeteria instead.
She never expected that Qin Wang would actually take the initiative to cook.
This kid was so clever—was he doing this on purpose to test her?
Cook first, then make her take over all the cooking herself?
Just as she was thinking this, the system suddenly appeared.
[Today’s mission 3: Tell the male lead—“If you want to cook, then you cook. I’m not doing it.” Reward: 100 growth points upon completion.]
This was the mission Su Qinghe liked the most out of all the system tasks.
But saying it directly felt a bit stiff.
She didn’t rush to respond and instead said to Qin Wang, “Got it.”
Even Qin Wang didn’t expect her to stay silent for so long and only say those three words.
But thinking of her cooking skills, he didn’t want to say anything else.
Relying on her was worse than relying on himself.
Qin Wang picked up the plate beside the stove, served out the stir-fried winter melon, and then quickly washed the pan.
Just by looking at him, you could tell he had done these things many times before.
After washing the pan, he quickly stir-fried another dish—chili scrambled eggs.
The chili was very spicy.
As soon as it hit the pan, it made Su Qinghe cough from the fumes.
She quickly turned and walked out of the kitchen, only able to breathe properly once she reached the open air.
Eggs cooked quickly.
While she was still outside catching her breath, Qin Wang had already brought the dishes into the living room.
Not only did he make two dishes, he also cooked rice porridge and baked flatbread on the stove.
On the surface, the meal looked simple.
But once you remembered that it was made by a seven- or eight-year-old child, it suddenly didn’t feel simple at all.
Sitting at the table, Su Qinghe looked impressed. “Qin Wang, you’re amazing!”
His lips instinctively curled upward, but he forcefully suppressed it.
“It’s nothing, it’s all simple. If you want to learn—”
Before he could finish, Su Qinghe quickly interrupted, “I don’t want to learn! If you want to cook, then you cook. I’m not doing it!”
[Congratulations to the host for completing today’s mission 3. 100 growth points have been credited.]
Seeing her points recover a bit, Su Qinghe felt even better.
But when she turned around, she saw Qin Wang pursing his lips, looking at her with grievance and disappointment in his eyes.
Before she could say anything, he turned his head away.
“If you don’t want to do it, fine. I didn’t even want to teach you anyway!”
The relationship between them, which had just slightly improved, seemed to drop back to freezing point again.
Su Qinghe truly didn’t want to learn cooking, and she didn’t know what else to say, so she could only glance toward the door anxiously.
Why wasn’t Qin Yu back yet?
Was he working overtime until late every night?
Just as she was thinking this, Qin Yu rode his bicycle in from the back courtyard to the front.
“You’re back!”
Su Qinghe stood up, her tone full of surprise.
“You came back just in time. Qin Wang made dinner—you can wash your hands and eat.”
Qin Yu nodded. “Alright, I’ll be right there.”
He quickly washed his hands and came in, smiling brightly. “Not bad, Qin Wang. Your cooking has improved again.”
“When did you learn to cook?” Su Qinghe asked curiously. “Who taught you?”
“My dad taught me,” Qin Wang said while serving porridge. “I learned when he was in the army. He’s been busy these past two years, and I’ve grown a bit older, so he taught me simple dishes when he had time. If we don’t want to go to the state-run restaurant or cafeteria, I won’t go hungry.”
“So impressive!” Su Qinghe praised.
“It’s nothing. Just home cooking—pretty easy to learn.”
“……”
Someone who turned tomato scrambled eggs into egg custard really had no right to say it was easy.
Just then, Qin Yu added, “Of course, some people don’t have talent for cooking. Even simple dishes can become difficult. It’s not their fault—it’s just lack of talent.”
Su Qinghe immediately smiled again.
That’s why he was the factory director—he really knew how to talk.
Qin Wang looked at Qin Yu, then at the smiling Su Qinghe, feeling a bit sour inside.
His dad was really setting the bar too low for this woman!
“Dad, let’s eat. The food will get cold.”
Hearing this, Qin Yu returned to the table.
This was the first time the three of them had sat together for a meal, and it felt quite nice.
Given his age, you couldn’t expect Qin Wang’s cooking to be especially delicious, but it was certainly not bad—just normal home-style food.
After dinner, Qin Yu took the initiative to wash the dishes.
Su Qinghe sat in the courtyard, resting her chin in her hands, spacing out.
At that moment, Qin Wang walked over.
“I cook, my dad washes the dishes—so what do you do?”
Su Qinghe immediately perked up and smiled at him. “I eat, sleep, and repeat!”
Her answer was so matter-of-fact that even Qin Wang froze, staring at her, unable to respond.
He had never seen someone so shamelessly lazy.
And today, he was finally seeing one.
Su Qinghe brushed her hair back. “That’s how I am at home. I can’t possibly live worse after marrying into your family than I did at my own home, right?”
Qin Wang widened his eyes. “But other women, after getting married, do laundry, cook, and work!”
“Then why don’t you let another woman be your stepmother?”
Before he could answer, she lowered her voice and asked, “Would other women cover for you after you got into a fight and help you hide it from your dad?”
Qin Wang was startled and quickly looked toward the kitchen.
Seeing that Qin Yu hadn’t come out and her voice was low, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
But now he didn’t dare criticize her anymore.
His dad always thought he was well-behaved and that the rumors outside were false.
He couldn’t let his image in his father’s eyes collapse.
“You promised you wouldn’t tell Dad!”
“Of course,” she smiled. “I won’t tell him. Want to pinky promise?”
Qin Wang turned his head away. “I don’t want to.”
At that moment, Qin Yu came out of the kitchen and saw Su Qinghe smiling at Qin Wang, while Qin Wang looked a bit proud and awkward, but the atmosphere between them was quite good.
He couldn’t help but smile as well.
He walked over and sat on a small stool beside her.
“Do you want to work?”