Jiang Wanxi’s arrival gave Jiang Yu a strong sense of crisis.
She couldn’t accept the fact that she wasn’t her parents’ biological daughter. She didn’t want to return to the countryside and become one of the rural people she had always looked down upon.
But now that Jiang Wanxi had returned, could the day she was sent back really be that far away?
At first, she had thought Jiang Wanxi was nothing more than a country bumpkin from some rural village and wouldn’t be much of a threat.
But she had been wrong.
Jiang Wanxi was far more difficult to deal with than she had imagined.
What was she supposed to do?
She didn’t want to leave the capital, nor did she want to lose the comfortable and privileged life she had always enjoyed.
More importantly, Brother Jin’an was here.
She couldn’t leave.
If she left, Brother Jin’an would surely be snatched away by Jiang Wanxi.
She had no idea whether her parents might suddenly decide to send her away one day, and the thought terrified her.
She had to find a way to stay.
She had to drive Jiang Wanxi away.
She couldn’t allow Jiang Wanxi to steal her parents or take away everything she currently possessed—including Xie Jin’an.
Jiang Yu tossed and turned throughout the night, unable to sleep peacefully. By the time she got up the next morning, she looked listless and exhausted.
Jiang Wanxi, on the other hand, had no trouble sleeping in an unfamiliar bed.
After a good night’s sleep, she woke up feeling completely refreshed.
Since she had gone to bed early, she naturally woke up early as well.
She took her watch from beneath her pillow and checked the time.
It was only six o’clock.
Today, she chose to wear a *bulaji* dress. She braided her hair into a fishtail braid and tied it with a handmade hair accessory she had made herself.
After washing up, she went downstairs.
Aunt Zhang was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
“Good morning, Aunt Zhang. What are we having for breakfast today? Let me help you.”
Aunt Zhang was quite fond of the eldest young lady who had recently returned to the family.
Jiang Wanxi was beautiful, knew how to dress herself well, and spoke in a bright and pleasant manner.
“Miss Wanxi, why didn’t you sleep a little longer? I can handle everything here by myself. Why don’t you go outside and relax for a while?”
“Just call me Wanxi, Aunt Zhang. You really shouldn’t call me ‘Miss.’ Everyone is equal nowadays, and there’s no such thing as a ‘young lady’ anymore. It wouldn’t be good if someone overheard you.”
Jiang Wanxi had no intention of leaving the kitchen.
“I’ll help. Today, I’ll let everyone have a taste of my cooking.”
She looked over the ingredients Aunt Zhang had prepared and immediately began making breakfast.
“But… but…”
Aunt Zhang didn’t know what to say.
After all, Miss Yu had always insisted on being addressed that way at home.
Miss Yu had also never stepped foot into the kitchen to help.
Besides, Aunt Zhang was being paid to work here. How could she possibly let her employer’s daughter do the chores for her?
Jiang Wanxi paid no attention to her hesitation.
She washed the rice and set the porridge to cook with practiced ease.
When she noticed some flour and green onions, she decided to make scallion pancakes as well.
She would also prepare a cold cucumber salad and boil an egg for each person.
Watching how swiftly and skillfully Jiang Wanxi worked, Aunt Zhang could immediately tell that she was accustomed to cooking.
In fact, Jiang Wanxi was so efficient that Aunt Zhang could barely find anything to help with.
When Shen Menglan came downstairs, the first thing she saw was Jiang Wanxi wearing an apron and bustling energetically around the kitchen while Aunt Zhang stood helplessly to the side.
The moment Aunt Zhang spotted Shen Menglan, she looked as though she had found her savior.
“Menglan, quickly talk some sense into Wanxi—”
She almost called her “Miss Wanxi” again but hurriedly stopped herself.
“Please persuade her! How can we let her do all this work?”
Jiang Wanxi also noticed Shen Menglan and greeted her with a cheerful smile.
“Mom, good morning!”
Hearing her daughter obediently call her “Mom” made Shen Menglan’s heart melt.
How could she have such a thoughtful daughter?
The girl had gotten up early in the morning just to prepare breakfast for the whole family.
“It’s all right, Sister Zhang. Today, we’ll have a taste of Wanwan’s cooking. I never thought there would come a day when I’d get to eat a meal prepared by my own daughter.”
Just as Jiang Wanxi finished preparing breakfast, the rest of the family began getting up one after another.
Only Jiang Hongtao wasn’t home.
He had fallen behind on quite a bit of military work because of the time he’d spent picking up his daughter. He had returned to his unit the previous evening to take care of everything.
The family was already accustomed to his frequent absences.
Jiang Rui and Jiang Jin had stayed up rather late the night before talking with their mother.
When they got up that morning, they heard her speaking to their father on the phone.
“Old Jiang, you really missed out today! Wanwan made breakfast for us this morning. She even made scallion pancakes! I already tasted one, and they’re absolutely delicious.”