In the kitchen.
“Mr. Shang, if you want mashed potatoes, you can just say so, instead of calling this dish potato shreds.”
Xuan Zhixia stared at Shang Shuji, utterly bewildered: “So why didn’t you listen to me when I told you to just cut the potatoes into chunks?”
Shang Shuji: “…”
Five minutes ago, Shang Shuji chopped carrots into small cubes and put them on a plate. Under Xuan Zhixia’s guidance, he drizzled a small amount of cooking oil, soy sauce, and other seasonings on top, stirred it well, and then put it in the microwave.
The microwave started working, and Shang Shuji continued preparing the ingredients; next up were the potatoes.
Out of personal preference and cooking habits, Xuan Zhixia subconsciously asked Shang Shuji to cut the potatoes into shreds, but the next second he took back his words and changed his mind and asked Shang Shuji to cut them into chunks instead.
When Shang Shuji asked him why he changed his address, Xuan Zhixia told the truth: “You’re a beginner. It’s good enough if you don’t cut yourself when you’re chopping or dicing. Cutting potato shreds is a bit difficult.”
Moreover, if Shang Shuji’s hand is injured, who will do the work?
However, for the sake of peace, Xuan Zhixia did not say the last sentence.
But Shang Shuji still felt provoked and insisted on cutting the potatoes into shreds.
The first potato has now been cut and plated, and is placed next to the cutting board.
The good news is that Shang Shuji didn’t cut his hand, and the potato shreds were cut very finely.
The bad news is that the potato shreds were cut into a terrible mess.
Xuan Zhixia watched from the sidelines, but still couldn’t figure out how Shang Shuji did it. The potato shreds were cut into very small pieces, and at first glance it looked like a plate of mashed potatoes. If you put it in the microwave for a few minutes and then take it out, it will probably really become mashed potatoes.
Xuan Zhixia suspected that Shang Shuji was being competitive and felt looked down upon, so he had to prove himself.
But then I thought again that Shang Shuji shouldn’t be so naive as to get worked up over such a trivial matter.
Shang Shuji didn’t explain, and after a moment of silence, he calmly said, “Perfect, Jingqi and Jingshu should like mashed potatoes.”
Xuan Zhixia raised an eyebrow slightly, then calmly agreed: “That makes sense. So, Mr. Shang, are you going to continue cutting the mashed potatoes?”
Shang Shuji picked up the next potato, without answering Xuan Zhixia’s question, and simply controlled the cleaver, honestly cutting the potato into chunks.
It was at this moment that Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu rushed into the kitchen.
Xuan Zhixia smiled and said, “What, did you hear that your dad was going to make mashed potatoes for you, and came here specifically to watch?”
Shang Shuji: “…”
The two children looked bewildered.
But it was at this moment that Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu remembered—oh right, Dad is here too!
What if they apologize to Xuan Zhixia in front of their father… and their father gets angry?
The two children looked at each other.
After a while, Shang Jingshu looked at Xuan Zhixia awkwardly: “Um… Uncle, could you come out with us for a bit?”
Xuan Zhixia was a little surprised, thinking that people don’t come to the temple without a reason: “Why are you suddenly being so polite? Do you want to borrow my phone? I’m sorry, I really can’t.”
The two children: “…”
Viewers in the live stream—
[Hahaha, I almost forgot about the phone!]
[They’re still just kids, wanting to watch cartoons.]
[What cartoons do Qiqi and Shushu watch? How do Shangs raise children’s anxieties?]
Shang Jingqi stamped her foot in frustration: “No, I don’t want to borrow your phone anymore, it’s just… please come out with us for a bit!”
Xuan Zhixia leaned lazily against the wooden shelf where the washbasin was placed, not wanting to cooperate: “I’m busy cooking with your dad, don’t come to me with pranks.”
Shang Jingshu’s eyes widened: “We’re not playing a prank!”
Shang Jingqi: “It’s really not! We’re good kids!”
Xuan Zhixia didn’t seem to believe them much, which made the two children even more anxious.
Apologize to Xuan Zhixia right here? No, Dad will hear.
Should we just not apologize? That won’t work either. Bad kids need to admit their mistakes and correct them to become good kids, and neither of them wants to be bad kids.
After slicing a potato, Shang Shuji looked up and interjected, “To be precise, we haven’t actually collaborated; your attitude is more like that of a supervisor.”
Xuan Zhixia curved his lips into a smile.
”Um… could you come out with us for a bit? We just want to talk to you for a few minutes… We really don’t mean any pranks.” Shang Jingqi said with a crestfallen face.
Xuan Zhixia looked at the two children helplessly.
When Shang Jingshu saw him looking at her, she quickly nodded again, “It’s really not! Please believe us… We even helped you today, when Gao Shang’s father was bullying you…”
The two children were particularly insistent. Xuan Zhixia glanced at the speed at which Shang Shuji was cutting potatoes, then nodded: “Alright, where should we talk?”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu were immediately delighted: “Outside! Somewhere away from the kitchen!”
Xuan Zhixia raised an eyebrow slightly.
Shang Shuji lowered his head and carefully cut the potatoes, saying calmly, “If you want to avoid me, you shouldn’t let me know you’re avoiding me. Otherwise, there’s no point in doing this, unless you don’t care about my attitude, understand?”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu were stunned for a moment, then timidly said “Oh”.
The kitchen was quiet for a few seconds.
Xuan Zhixia was the first to walk out of the kitchen: “Let’s go.”
The two children seemed to snap out of their daze and quickly followed, running a few steps to reach Xuan Zhixia.
”Hmm… come this way! Come to our bedroom!”
Xuan Zhixia was led into the bedroom by the two of them.
”This is it!”
The two children turned around and stood facing Xuan Zhixia, their expressions like those of a tabby cat preparing to die bravely and fight a tiger.
Xuan Zhixia looked at them calmly: “What do you want to say to me?”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu opened their mouths at the same time, but neither of them made a sound. They closed their mouths and remained quiet for a while.
Then Shang Jingqi spoke softly, “Um… we’ll call you uncle from now on, we won’t call you by your name anymore… and we won’t call you a bad person anymore…”
Xuan Zhixia tilted his head slightly.
Shang Jingshu clenched her small fists and said in one breath, “I’m sorry! We shouldn’t have called you a bad person before! We’ve reflected on our actions. You didn’t hurt us, and we shouldn’t have put salt in your medicine bowl!”
Xuan Zhixia was a little surprised and curious about what the two children had been talking about.
”You don’t hate me anymore?” Xuan Zhixia asked.
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu shook their heads in unison. Shang Jingqi said, “Anyway… we’re sorry, we were wrong before, but we’re really not bad kids… We’ve thought it through, you’re not a bad person, and we don’t want to be bad kids either, so we don’t hate you anymore!”
Xuan Zhixia remained calm and smiled, saying, “Aren’t you afraid of upsetting your father?”
Upon hearing Shang Shuji’s name, the two children’s expressions immediately became much more serious.
Shang Jingshu hesitated and said, “We just… we just don’t hate you anymore, because you haven’t done anything bad, but… Dad hates you, so we won’t like you either! We don’t hate you, but we don’t like you either!”
Shang Jingqi quickly nodded: “Yes! Anyway… Dad will talk to you and help you with your suitcase… so it’s okay for us to talk to you and speak up for you!”
Shang Jingshu declared firmly, “Dad is a reasonable adult!”
After listening to the two children’s self-persuasion, Xuan Zhixia couldn’t help but smile again, nodding and saying, “It’s good that you’ve thought it through. Is there anything else you want to say?”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu looked at each other, then shook their heads uncertainly: “It seems… there aren’t any left?”
Xuan Zhixia: “Okay, then I’ll go back to the kitchen to work.”
The two children stammered, “Oh…”
Xuan Zhixia then turned and left the bedroom, returning to the kitchen.
Although there were no cameras installed inside the bedroom, there were some outside the bedroom door, and the room wasn’t very big, so Xuan Zhixia’s conversation with the two children was broadcast live to the audience.
[Hahaha, Xuan Zhixia said he has to go back to work.]
[How can supervising not count as working?]
[Hiss… Actually, Xuan Zhixia didn’t respond to the two children’s apology, right?]
[I guess he wasn’t really bothered by it to begin with. He wasn’t that angry before, and hearing the apology didn’t really affect him. I’m just guessing.]
[Most people, when hearing a child’s apology, especially on a live broadcast, would at least offer some politeness even if they didn’t want to accept it. Xuan Zhixia, on the other hand, just said, “Oh, you said that, I heard it. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.” Hahaha]
[That’s why I really admire Xuan Zhixia’s spirit! He doesn’t go crazy in public, and he doesn’t falter internally; he has such a carefree attitude!]
[Waaaaah, if I just give my wife a forced kiss, he probably won’t be angry, right?]
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu also realized the problem.
Shang Jingshu took off her detective hat and twirled it in her hand, her face full of worry: “Oh no, I forgot to ask him if he accepted our apology… He didn’t say anything either…”
Shang Jingqi frowned as well: “He didn’t say ‘it’s okay,’ which means he didn’t accept it… But he said before that he hadn’t been angry with us…”
”Was our apology not sincere enough?” Shang Jingshu asked.
The two children discussed it again and then decided that they must take concrete actions to make Xuan Zhixia accept the apology and hear him say “It’s okay”! So next time someone bullies Xuan Zhixia, they will immediately stand up for him! This is about admitting their mistake and correcting it, not about liking Xuan Zhixia, so Daddy definitely won’t be angry!
Shang Shuji and Xuan Zhixia started cooking at 12:30 and didn’t finish until 1:30, when they put all the dishes on the table.
The main room served as both a living room and a dining room. The square table for eating was placed in the main room, and there were exactly four of them, each sitting on one side.
The meal consisted of three dishes, all vegetarian: diced carrots, potatoes in chunks and mashed form, and smashed cucumber. The first two dishes were quite light, while the last dish, smashed cucumber, had chili oil added to the sauce.
Although Shang Shuji brought back cured pork, it was quite troublesome to prepare. The cured pork was smoked using traditional manual methods and had been stored for half a year. The blackened layer on the surface of the cured pork needed to be washed with hot water and scraped off with a knife.
Putting aside Shang Shuji’s knife skills, just getting hot water was a challenge. After all, none of them had ever used a traditional earthen stove before, and it was getting late; if they slowly finished, it might be too late for the afternoon assembly.
Moreover, due to his personal health condition, Xuan Zhixia does not eat heavily salted smoked products, and he has never processed cured meat before, so he may not be able to do it well based on his cooking experience.
Meat dishes aren’t a necessity for every meal, so making a few vegetarian dishes is enough.
When the meal officially began, Shang Shuji was actually the least comfortable of the four.
Xuan Zhixia is accustomed to a light diet and is not picky about the color and taste of dishes.
Although the two children were meticulous in everything after being brought back to the Shang family, they had only been adopted for half a year. They were not pampered and spoiled when they were in the orphanage. Moreover, they were already restrained in front of Shang Shuji. Now that they were hungry, they ate the meal very well.
Shang Shuji, however, had little appetite. Although he had cooked these dishes himself, he felt no appreciation for their “labor” and even found them hard to swallow, feeling they were a waste of his own hands.
Shang Shuji found the food tasteless; though he remained silent, his expression suggested he was swallowing mosquitoes.
For the first time in his life, he questioned his decision—was participating in this show really the right thing to do?
When Xuan Zhixia picked up some food, his gaze swept over his expression, and he couldn’t help but find it a little amusing.
Shang Shuji caught a fleeting smile from Xuan Zhixia, and his mood instantly soured.
—He suddenly wondered if this meal could be considered cat food made according to Xuan Zhixia’s taste.