With Jiang Ning’s help, Mengmeng finally completed the puzzle. A lively and vivid image of a little girl appeared on the wooden board.
“Uncle Jiang, look! I finished it!” Mengmeng cheered, waving her arms and legs with joy.
“Uncle Jiang, can you mix it up again? But this time, don’t help me—I want to do it by myself!” Mengmeng said with confidence.
“Alright, then Uncle Jiang is going to scramble it now. You’re not allowed to peek, okay?” Jiang Ning teased.
“Okay, I won’t look, I won’t look!” Mengmeng said, covering her eyes with her little hands. But between her fingers, she left a gap, her big eyes sneakily watching Jiang Ning’s hands as he shuffled the puzzle pieces.
Jiang Ning, of course, didn’t mix it up completely. If the puzzle became too hard, a child could easily lose confidence. So he simply spun the board a few times, randomly rotating the little girl’s body and clothing. Since Mengmeng was peeking, Jiang Ning felt she’d probably be able to piece it back together quickly.
“Alright, Mengmeng, you can open your eyes now,” Jiang Ning said with interest.
“Okay!” Mengmeng quickly let go of her soft little hands and eagerly grabbed the puzzle, recalling the sequence Uncle Jiang had scrambled earlier.
Five minutes later, the previously disordered puzzle was neatly assembled again.
“Yay! Uncle Jiang, look! I finished the puzzle again! Am I amazing or what?” Mengmeng said proudly.
Jiang Ning couldn’t help but give her a thumbs-up, praising, “Yes, our Mengmeng is truly awesome.”
“Let’s do it again, Uncle Jiang! Mix it up a little more this time!”
As she spoke, Mengmeng covered her eyes once more, again leaving her big adorable eyes peeking through the gaps, closely watching Jiang Ning’s every move, not wanting to miss a single detail.
Seeing all this, Jiang Ning chuckled to himself. This time, he made the scramble more complex than before. Still, he found that playing with this clever little Mengmeng wasn’t nearly as exhausting as he had imagined—in fact, it was rather fun.
“Alright, let’s see if the amazing Mengmeng can conquer the puzzle this time,” Jiang Ning said while gently patting her head.
Time passed slowly.
Jiang Ning and Mengmeng happily played for over an hour.
“System, how can I upgrade my thinking skill to Master-level?” Jiang Ning asked.
[Host, if you spend 30 hours playing logic-based games with Mengmeng, you can reach the Master-level. You currently have 28 hours and 35 minutes remaining.]
“That long, huh…”
Jiang Ning thought about it. If they kept playing the same puzzle game, Mengmeng would probably get bored within two days. To keep her interested, he’d need to buy more logic-based toys later—like Rubik’s Cubes or LEGO sets.
What surprised him was that every time he increased the difficulty, Mengmeng still managed to solve the puzzle.
Even though she peeked, Jiang Ning noticed her memory was incredibly sharp.
What he didn’t know was that while he and Mengmeng were immersed in play, Su Meng had been sneaking downstairs every thirty minutes to secretly observe them.
She still wasn’t fully at ease with Jiang Ning. After all, a grown man working as a “stay-at-home dad” didn’t seem like someone who would have the patience to do it well. Especially today’s young people—so impatient and restless.
If not for her younger brother Su Che’s strong recommendation, she wouldn’t have agreed at all.
Seeing Mengmeng happily playing, Su Meng finally felt a little more reassured.
“Mengmeng, play for a bit, Uncle Jiang will go pour you a glass of water,” Jiang Ning said with a smile as he watched her focused on the puzzle.
“Okay, thank you, Uncle Jiang,” Mengmeng replied without even lifting her head, completely absorbed in the game.
Jiang Ning stood up and went downstairs.
Strangely, there wasn’t a single housekeeper on the first floor.
In such a large villa, there should’ve been some staff. Why was it just Su Meng and her daughter living here?
Jiang Ning didn’t dwell on it. He went into the kitchen and poured a glass of warm water.
When he glanced inside the fridge, it had everything one could need.
“Hmm, I’ll make some snacks for Mengmeng later. I wonder how good this top-tier cooking skill from the system really is.”
Jiang Ning felt excited. After all, the cooking skill from the newbie gift pack hadn’t been tested yet.
“Wow, Mengmeng is amazing! You’re almost done. Just the head and arms left!” Jiang Ning exclaimed while carrying the glass of water.
He had scrambled the pieces five times more than the first time, yet Mengmeng was already close to finishing again.
“Hehe, Uncle Jiang, Mengmeng is really awesome!” she laughed, her eyes curved like crescents.
“Yes, my Mengmeng is the best girl in the world. Come, drink some warm water first,” Jiang Ning said with overflowing praise.
“Uncle Jiang, I don’t want plain water. I want juice. I want orange juice,” Mengmeng shook her head and refused.
“Mengmeng, no, you need to drink warm water. Little girls shouldn’t drink juice all the time—it’s not healthy,” Jiang Ning explained.
“But warm water has no taste, and it’s not sweet,” Mengmeng pouted in protest.
“Mengmeng, if you drink too many sugary drinks, you’ll get dumber. But if you drink more warm water, you’ll become healthier and even smarter,” Jiang Ning said patiently, trying to persuade her.
“Why?” Mengmeng still didn’t understand.
“Because warm water detoxifies, improves blood flow, quenches thirst, and nourishes the baby cells inside you.”
“Really? So the baby cells inside me like to drink warm water too?” Mengmeng asked innocently.
“Yes. When you feel thirsty, it means the baby cells inside you want warm water. If you drink orange juice or other sugary drinks, those baby cells will feel sick and uncomfortable.”
“Oh, I get it now. Then I’ll drink it right away! I want my baby cells to be just as smart and awesome as me!” Mengmeng took the glass and started drinking slowly.
Watching her finally drink the warm water, Jiang Ning wiped his forehead in relief.
Being a qualified stay-at-home dad… wasn’t as easy as he thought.
Soon, it was almost noon.
Jiang Ning realized he had completely forgotten to make snacks for Mengmeng. He felt a bit guilty—his first day on the job, and already he had made a mistake.
He couldn’t let that happen again tomorrow.
“Mengmeng, are you hungry?”
“Mm-hmm, Uncle Jiang, just a little bit.”
“Alright then, stay here and play. Uncle Jiang will cook a table full of yummy food for you.”
“Yay, yay! I can’t wait to see if Uncle Jiang’s food tastes good!” Mengmeng clapped her hands in delight.
Jiang Ning went into the kitchen.
He opened the fridge—there were plenty of vegetables and meats.
Following the system’s instructions, he got to work.
When he picked up the knife to cut vegetables, he felt as if he had over ten years of experience as a professional chef—his movements were smooth and skilled.
He also had an instinctive sense for nutrition, seasoning, and combinations.
He knew exactly which parts of ingredients were best, how much seasoning to use, and when to add each one. It was all crystal clear in his mind. Whatever he cooked was guaranteed to be delicious.
Su Meng had already sent him a list of dishes Mengmeng liked and disliked.
But regardless of preferences, Jiang Ning believed that whatever he made would win Mengmeng over.
Thirty minutes later…
The rice was done. The soup was ready. Three dishes and one soup were neatly arranged on the dining table.
The aroma of freshly cooked food wafted up to the second and third floors.
Mengmeng, playing with puzzles on the second floor, and Su Meng, working on the third floor, were both instantly energized.
Their stomachs began to rumble.