Soon, Jiang Ning and Mengmeng finished their breakfast.
“Mengmeng, go play by yourself for a while. Uncle Jiang will tidy up.”
“Okay.” Mengmeng nodded obediently.
Jiang Ning walked into the kitchen and washed the dishes and cups. After that, he opened the refrigerator to check and take stock of what ingredients were still needed. He had to make sure that the daily meals were nutritionally balanced.
With the system’s gift of top-tier cooking skills and a wealth of knowledge, including the nutritional components of various vegetables, meats, and flour-based foods, Jiang Ning clearly understood which ingredients to buy. He also knew that the ingredients had to be fresh each day.
Since it was just him and Mengmeng now, he couldn’t buy too much of any single item. He had to ensure that everything could be consumed within a day or two. Otherwise, even with refrigeration and freezing, the quality of the ingredients would be affected. This was a knowledge blind spot he didn’t understand before acquiring top-tier cooking skills.
“Let’s go, Mengmeng. We’re heading to the supermarket.”
“Yay! Uncle Jiang, can we buy other stuff too?” Mengmeng asked happily.
“That depends. Some things we can buy, others we can’t.”
Mengmeng asked curiously, “Uncle Jiang, what can we buy and what can’t we?”
“For example, snacks and sugary drinks—those we can’t buy. But Legos, Rubik’s Cubes, things that help you improve your thinking skills—we can buy those.”
“Oh! Uncle Jiang, what’s a Rubik’s Cube?” Mengmeng had never played with one and didn’t know what it was.
“A Rubik’s Cube is kind of like a puzzle, made up of colorful blocks. It’s really fun.”
“Okay! Mengmeng wants to play with a Rubik’s Cube!”
Just like that, Jiang Ning held Mengmeng’s soft little hand and walked out of the villa.
Outside the villa community was a large supermarket, selling fresh vegetables, meats, seafood, and more.
As Jiang Ning stepped out of the community gate, a well-dressed middle-aged woman walked toward him.
“Young man, hello!” The woman greeted him warmly.
“Hello, ma’am.” Out of courtesy, Jiang Ning replied politely.
“No, I’m the child’s stay-at-home dad.”
“Stay-at-home dad?” Wang Meina asked curiously.
“I mean I take care of the child, like a nanny.” Jiang Ning felt a bit awkward. A young man like him being a ‘stay-at-home dad’ did sound a little strange.
“So you’re not the child’s father, huh? No wonder… no wonder you dress so plainly. What’s the relationship between the lady of your house and this child?” Wang Meina continued prying.
Jiang Ning frowned slightly at how much she was asking. This wasn’t normal neighborly curiosity. “Sorry, Sister Wang, you’re asking a bit too much. I have things to do. Goodbye.”
With that, Jiang Ning turned to leave.
“Hey, wait! That lady—your boss—she doesn’t have a boyfriend, does she?” Wang Meina chased after him with more questions.
“No comment.” By now, Jiang Ning was certain—this woman was clearly interested in Su Meng and trying to dig for information through him.
After all, anyone who could afford a villa in this neighborhood had to be wealthy or influential. Not to mention, Su Meng’s villa was in a prime location and larger than the others. It was bound to attract attention, and Wang Meina was clearly one of those nosy neighbors.
“Hey! Tell me and I’ll give you 100 yuan. How about it?” Wang Meina kept pestering him.
This time, Jiang Ning completely ignored her.
Seeing that he wasn’t taking the bait, Wang Meina’s expression immediately changed. “What are you so proud of, huh? You’re just a dog raised by someone else. I was speaking nicely to you earlier to give you some face. Frankly speaking, even the dog in my house is better than you.”
Hearing that, Jiang Ning was speechless. What kind of person was this?
He didn’t argue back. He just treated her like a mad dog who bit people. He had only responded to her earlier out of politeness, thinking she was a regular neighbor. Who knew she had ulterior motives?
Ignore her, and she immediately flips out. What a snobbish and petty woman.
Jiang Ning walked away with Mengmeng.
It was only after they walked a distance that Mengmeng finally spoke up, “Uncle Jiang, I don’t like that aunt.”
“Mm, good girl. Uncle Jiang doesn’t like her either. Mengmeng, in the future, if any adults ask you questions about you or your mommy, just pretend you don’t know, okay?”
“Okay! Mengmeng understands. The headmistress at the orphanage always told us not to talk to strangers. She said nine out of ten strangers who talk to good kids are bad guys.” Mengmeng said seriously. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“Haha, our Mengmeng is such a smart girl.”
Thinking back, Jiang Ning felt like he wasn’t even as smart as Mengmeng. He’d wasted too much time talking to that kind of person. Tch.
Soon, Jiang Ning led Mengmeng into the supermarket.
“Wow, Uncle Jiang! There’s so much stuff in the supermarket!” Mengmeng’s eyes were wide with amazement.
It was her first time in a supermarket. She’d never been before while living at the orphanage. Even after Su Meng adopted her, she’d been staying in the villa the whole time.
Thankfully, Su Meng had been by her side this past week. Because of work, she had to handle many things via video conference. After Jiang Ning arrived yesterday, Su Meng rushed back to the company after lunch—there were too many contracts and documents waiting for her signature. She had to take care of them quickly, or else the company wouldn’t be able to run properly while she was away for the next three months to negotiate a major overseas deal.
Since she’d be gone for a long time, she didn’t even bring her assistant—only a team of bodyguards and took a private jet.
Jiang Ning quickly picked out the nutritious ingredients missing from the villa’s refrigerator. He chose some high-quality vegetables and meats, as well as some seafood. But since it was only him and Mengmeng eating, and he wanted to ensure freshness, he only bought a one- or two-day supply—just small portions.
This made the stall vendors a bit unhappy.
After buying the food, Jiang Ning took Mengmeng to browse the rest of the supermarket.
It was large, with three floors and a wide variety of goods.
Jiang Ning bought a bunch of toys that Mengmeng liked—Barbie dress-up sets, a hospital doctor roleplay kit, a Thomas and Friends train set, all kinds of planes, tanks, toy guns, and more. As long as it was something Mengmeng liked and wasn’t already in the playroom, Jiang Ning bought it.
Children loved toys, and he didn’t want Mengmeng to feel disappointed.
By the time they returned, Jiang Ning was carrying two large shopping bags filled to the brim. Over 90% of the items were toys, especially the combo sets, which were bulky and took up space.
Mengmeng was overjoyed. She ran ahead excitedly, eager to get back to the villa and play.
Seeing her happy and innocent expression, Jiang Ning’s heart also felt warm. Fortunately, the supermarket was close to the villa.
They quickly returned to the villa community.
It wasn’t that Jiang Ning didn’t want to store the bags in the system space—he just didn’t want to expose it. Besides, these items weren’t heavy. With surveillance cameras everywhere—in the community, in the supermarket, and on the street—it was better not to arouse suspicion.
Just as Jiang Ning and Mengmeng walked into the community, that same Wang Meina suddenly appeared again.
This time, her face was filled with hostility. “Hey, you! Stop right there. Tell me—does the lady of your house have a boyfriend or husband? And who exactly is that child to her, huh? Did you hear me?”