Soon, both of them were full. Unfortunately, it was Jiang Ning’s first time cooking, and he hadn’t realized how little they ate. He had prepared quite a large amount of food. Although Mengmeng was full, she was still young and couldn’t eat much. Su Meng hadn’t eaten much either.
Looking at the table still full of dishes, Jiang Ning felt it was a bit wasteful. He also started to question his cooking skills. Just because he liked his own cooking didn’t mean others did. It was like how he always thought his stir-fried dishes were delicious, but others might not feel the same. The untouched food made that point clear.
“Mengmeng, go play for a bit. Uncle Jiang will clean up,” Jiang Ning said.
Mengmeng nodded sweetly. “Okay, Uncle Jiang. You go ahead.”
Jiang Ning started cleaning up the table and reluctantly threw away the leftover dishes. He made a mental note to control the quantity next time. He had overdone it this time—such a waste of food.
“System, when will my cooking reach the Master-level?” Jiang Ning couldn’t help but ask.
[Upon reaching 30 hours, it will be upgraded to Master-level. At 60 hours, to Grandmaster-level. At 90 hours, to Divine-level.]
“Ninety hours? If I do three hours a day, that’s still a whole month. Does chopping vegetables, washing, doing dishes, and cleaning count too, or only actual cooking?”
If only stir-frying counted, even making a few dishes would take just ten or twenty minutes. Reaching Divine-level would take more than three months. And he had promised Su Meng three months.
[It all counts.]
Hearing that, Jiang Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good, that’s a relief.”
He carefully wiped the dining table again and again until it was gleaming. Then he went into the kitchen to wash the dishes, scrub the pots, and clean the stove. He repeated each task patiently.
When he used to live alone, he liked cooking, but he had always been sloppy with cleaning. Whether the dishes were truly clean or not… was questionable.
Very quickly, Jiang Ning had been working in the kitchen for an entire hour. If he scrubbed any more, he might wear the bottom of the pot thin. The dishes and kitchen were now spotless. Only then did Jiang Ning sigh and walk out of the kitchen.
“Uncle Jiang, why were you in the kitchen for so long?” Mengmeng asked curiously when he came into the playroom.
Jiang Ning replied patiently, “Mengmeng, the kitchen is where we cook our meals. Uncle Jiang has to make sure it’s very clean. If we don’t, and you or your mom eats something dirty, you might get sick. That wouldn’t be good, right?”
Mengmeng nodded seriously. “Yes, Uncle Jiang, you’re right. Uncle Jiang, Mommy said Mengmeng has to nap now.”
“Okay, let’s go. Uncle Jiang will take you for your nap.”
He took Mengmeng upstairs to her bedroom. The room wasn’t large, but it was entirely pink. A pink bunny-shaped bed sat in the center, looking very cute. Stuffed animals filled the room—stuffed dogs, stuffed bears, and many others, all carefully placed.
It was clear Su Meng loved Mengmeng very much. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to fill the room with so many adorable plush toys.
“Uncle Jiang, can you tell me a story?” Mengmeng asked, blinking her big, round eyes.
“Uhh… story?”
Jiang Ning was completely stumped. He was terrible at getting children to sleep—telling stories was even harder. Especially for a three-year-old girl. He had no idea what to say.
During his four years in college, he lived with six other guys. They had plenty of crude jokes, but when it came to sweet children’s stories… his mind was blank. He tried hard to remember, and all he could come up with was: One monk carried water, two monks carried it together, and three monks had no water. Nothing else came to mind.
Oh—there was the story of the boy who cried wolf. But that seemed more like a story for boys, not a little girl.
He’d have to rely on “Sister Baidu.”
“Mengmeng, wait a bit. Uncle Jiang will find a nice story for you,” Jiang Ning said as he wiped sweat from his forehead.
“Okay.”
Mengmeng lay down obediently, waiting with anticipation.
“Found one! Mengmeng, Uncle Jiang will tell you the story called ‘The Beautiful Rainbow Dress.'” Jiang Ning had found a story and thought it sounded perfect for little girls.
“Ah… Uncle Jiang, can you pick another one? I’ve already heard that one,” Mengmeng said, a little disappointed.
Jiang Ning had thought he finally found a good story, but Mengmeng had already heard it. He felt awkward right away.
“Alright, let me look again. How about ‘The Secret Garden Under the Moonlight’?”
“Uncle Jiang, I’ve heard that one too. Mommy told it to me.”
“‘The Whale’s Song Beneath the Stars’?”
“Heard it.”
“‘Here Comes Mr. Sun’?”
“Eww, that one’s so lame. I heard it so many times in the orphanage.”
“‘The Golden Pheasant and the Crow’? Surely not this one?”
Mengmeng rolled her eyes. “Uncle Jiang, I’ve heard that one too.”
Jiang Ning felt a headache coming.
“‘The Secret of the Dreamy Garden’? How about that one?”
“Yes, yes! Uncle Jiang, tell me that one. I haven’t heard it yet,” Mengmeng clapped her hands and smiled happily.
Jiang Ning sighed. Being a stay-at-home dad for the first time really wasn’t easy. If he wanted to do well, he’d have to come better prepared next time.
“In a peaceful forest, there lived a lively and adorable little bunny named Lily. Lily was the happiest bunny in the forest. Every day, she loved to hop around and play with her friends…”
Jiang Ning began reading from his phone in a slow, careful voice.
Mengmeng’s room became very quiet. She lay there, listening attentively.
Five minutes later—
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for gaining Beginner-level Fairy Tale Proficiency.]
Suddenly, a flood of unpublished fairy tales filled Jiang Ning’s mind.
What? Telling stories could level up too?
Jiang Ning was surprised. But it wasn’t a bad thing—now he had enough stories in his mind to keep Mengmeng entertained for a long time. That way he wouldn’t have to worry about awkward moments from her having heard all the stories on the internet.
As Jiang Ning continued reading slowly from his phone, his tone was still stiff, with no gestures—more like reading than storytelling. But Mengmeng, listening quietly, soon fell asleep.
Seeing her fast asleep, Jiang Ning finally put his phone away and smiled wryly at himself. His first day as a stay-at-home dad had been less than impressive.
He had played with Mengmeng in the morning but forgot to make snacks. At lunch, he cooked too much. During naptime, he struggled to tell a story—his story collection was too limited and his storytelling was awkward.
Even he found it funny when thinking about it.
While Mengmeng was asleep, Jiang Ning quietly stepped out of her bedroom. The villa was quiet. He didn’t dare close the door, worried that if Mengmeng woke up, she might need something and call for him.
He tiptoed down to the first floor.