MGASC -Chapter 57 Go Back to Bed and Lie Down Properly

When Lin Tianyue heard her say that, his heart burned hot, but the more she teased him, the less he knew what to say.

He snatched the desk lamp back and fixed it in just a few quick moves. “What do you mean flashy or not? I bought it for you—just use it.”

When he’d bought it, he’d only thought the color suited the overall tone of the room. And besides, they were newlyweds—was he supposed to buy a plain white one?

Lin Tianyue changed the light tubes in the two rooms, then handed out some milk candies to the three kids. Following Zhang Qiao’s instructions, he only gave each of them a few pieces, worried they’d get toothaches if they ate too many.

The three kids were overjoyed. Especially Lin Xun and Lin Ran—each holding candy, they exchanged a look of tacit understanding only the two of them shared.

After lunch, Zhang Qiao got busy again. Since the principal was coming over for dinner that evening, she needed to start preparing early.

But she had barely stepped into the kitchen when Lin Tianyue, who was cleaning fish, blocked her path and forcefully pushed her back out.

“Go back to bed and lie down properly. Didn’t I already say it? I’m doing all the work today, by myself!”

Zhang Qiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You? Can you even do it? Just take this fish—do you even know what flavor I want to make?”

She had been keeping these fish for several days. Even the pickled mustard greens she’d brought back last time, she hadn’t eat any of them, saving them for today so the guests could taste something special.

As far as Zhang Qiao knew, none of the restaurants in Xiangshui County—big or small—served sour pickled fish yet.

She was determined to really show off this time.

Lin Tianyue, however, was completely unconcerned. “Isn’t it just stewing fish? Add water, add seasonings, and stew it. Fish is fishy anyway—no matter how you cook it, it’s nothing special.”

“Fish is delicious when it’s fresh. If it doesn’t taste good, that just means you don’t know how to cook it. Lin Tianyue, I still remember the fish you stewed before. What, are you trying to make everyone throw up tonight?”

Lin Tianyue flushed from being shot down. “You’re so fussy. Nobody’s even pregnant—who’s going to throw up? Besides, what kind of new tricks can you possibly do with fish?”

“That just shows you don’t know. What I’m making today—this sour pickled fish—I guarantee you’ve never eaten it before, and it’s especially delicious!”

“What kind of fish?”

Lin Tianyue had never even heard of it. Zhang Qiao snorted, turned around, and brought over the sour pickles she’d been saving for days to show him.

Lin Tianyue had never seen pickled mustard greens, much less known how to use them. He sniffed them and, catching that fermented sour smell, frowned deeply. “Are you sure this thing is edible? It smells like it’s gone bad!”

Zhang Qiao rolled her eyes at him. “What do you mean gone bad? This is a special kind of pickled vegetable from the south. Forget it—I can’t explain it to you. Just move aside.”

Seeing how insistent she was, Lin Tianyue glanced warily at her belly again.

The doctor had explained everything very clearly yesterday. In the past, he’d been careless and never realized pregnancy required so much caution.

Now that he knew, he couldn’t let her mess around.

But Zhang Qiao had quite a temper. If he didn’t give in, she’d definitely be unhappy.

Lin Tianyue rubbed his nose helplessly. “How about this… you tell me how to do it, and I’ll cook? You can just supervise from the side.”

This was the only way he could think of to keep her from getting tired.

Zhang Qiao felt completely stuck, unable to breathe out or swallow it back down.

She felt lively and energetic enough to go argue with someone if she wanted.

So how was it that with him, she’d turned into a delicate little flower who couldn’t even move?

But faced with his stubborn expression, she compromised again. “Fine. I’ll teach you, you cook. But this afternoon we still need to stew chicken, braise pork knuckles, and stir-fry vegetables. Is there a chef nearby who actually knows how to cook? Otherwise, find someone to come help you. When you invite people over for dinner, the presentation still has to look good.”

It wasn’t like she’d never eaten Lin Tianyue’s cooking. It was edible, sure—but taste-wise? Not worth mentioning. If he handled everything himself, the whole meal would be ruined.

Lin Tianyue heard the implication—that she was doubting his cooking—but didn’t argue.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “I do know someone. A guy who cooks banquet meals for rural events. His skills are pretty good. I’ll go ask him in a bit.”

And so it was settled.

Zhang Qiao guided Lin Tianyue step by step—killing the fish, slicing it into thin, almost translucent pieces, then marinating it with seasonings. Fortunately, the technique for this dish wasn’t too demanding. As long as the fish slices were well-marinated, it was already half a success.

Seeing that she’d been standing too long, Lin Tianyue insisted she go lie down on the bed.

Zhang Qiao couldn’t win against him and had no choice but to return to the bedroom.

But she’d been idle since yesterday. She couldn’t sleep, and boredom was killing her, so she picked up her English book again and continued translating.

The day after tomorrow, Zhou Xiaoxiao would come for tutoring. By then, she needed to show some results, so Zhou Junlin would know she’d been working hard and not slacking off.

By around four in the afternoon, she really couldn’t lie down anymore. She urged the three kids to wash their hair, tidy themselves up, put on clean clothes, and review the things she’d taught them.

Lin Xun was a little nervous and asked uneasily, “Aunt Qiao, will the principal test us tonight?”

He was extremely eager to go to school.

Zhang Qiao said, “Relax. He won’t exactly test you, but he’ll probably ask some basic questions. At the very least, we can’t mess it up. If you can’t answer anything he asks, won’t he think, ‘With this level, you still want to skip grades?’ No matter what your real level is, you need to respond smoothly. That’s called first impression.”

Lin Xun nodded solemnly, feeling that Aunt Qiao made a lot of sense.

Afraid of messing up, he immediately called his two younger brothers over to recite classical poems and practice arithmetic together.

By a little after five, the once-quiet little courtyard was filled with rising cooking smoke and rich aromas.

Chen Gang arrived with Principal Ma. Soon after, Yingzi and Da Lin came as well. No one came empty-handed—they brought fruit and a roast chicken. Zhang Qiao went to invite Aunt Liu over as well, and had Lin Tianyue call his other two brothers to join.

After all, when hosting guests, it wouldn’t be right to leave anyone out. Whether they came or not was their choice, but whether they were invited showed the host’s sincerity.

At this moment, the chef Lin Tianyue had hired was showing off his skills in the kitchen.

Seeing the guests arrive, Zhang Qiao chatted with them while directing Lin Xun to make tea.

Following her instructions, Lin Xun brewed the tea carefully and served it properly—everything had been taught to him in advance.

Lin Ran, sweet-tongued as ever, greeted everyone, moved chairs, and wiped tables, while Lin Jin ran around with snacks, stuffing them into Yingzi’s and Principal Ma’s hands.

All three children were dressed neatly, with bright eyes and lively spirits—and they were good-looking, too. The adults in the family were no less impressive: handsome men, beautiful women, warm and attentive in their manners. Faced with a family like this, who wouldn’t like them?

Principal Ma had originally agreed to give the children a chance only out of respect for Chen Gang’s connections, and even then somewhat reluctantly. But now that he’d met them in person and seen how smart and lively the three kids were—no less than city children—he began to genuinely like them from the bottom of his heart.