Allocation

Cheng Jun also smiled brightly, her thin lips parting as she said:

"Don't celebrate too soon. Don’t you want to hear the good news?"

Shen Yi frowned, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart as he asked doubtfully:

"From the tone of your voice, it doesn’t sound like good news at all?"

As soon as he said this, all three women burst into laughter, leaning back and forth on the sofa.

"Giggle..."

"Don’t worry, it’s all good news."

Cheng Jun covered her mouth, finishing her laughter before straightening her expression and saying:

"We’ve already discussed it—we’ll agree to stay, but on one condition."

"Since all three of us have jobs, you’ll be responsible for cooking all the meals at home from now on."

"Right."

Fu Nanzhi waved her hand and took over,

"And it’s not too difficult—just hot meals, three times a day, none skipped, and no repeats~"

"That’s not difficult? You make it sound so easy."

Shen Yi muttered under his breath, trying to bargain with them.

"How about just two meals a day?"

"You don’t even come back for lunch anyway."

Usually, the three of them had lunch at their workplaces, never bothering to come home during their short breaks.

"Ah, no way."

Fu Nanzhi shook her head firmly.

"That was before, when we didn’t have the option. Now that we do, we’re setting the rules properly..."

"From now on, as long as you cook, we’ll make sure to come back for lunch."

"Right."

"Right."

Shu Yunyi and Cheng Jun nodded in unison.

Seeing how united they were, Shen Yi gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Fine, it’s just cooking, right?"

"I’ll do it."

He didn’t actually mind cooking, especially for them—it was just a bit more hassle.

"Good, then let’s move on to the next item."

Cheng Jun, seeing his agreement, prepared to continue.

"Wait a second."

Shen Yi raised a hand to stop her.

"Don’t rush. I have conditions too."

"I’ll cook, no problem, but let me make this clear—I’ll handle the meals, but cleaning the table and washing dishes? That’s not happening."

Cooking day after day was something Shen Yi could endure, but if he had to scrub dishes and wipe tables every single time, he’d refuse outright.

"Hmm..."

The three women exchanged glances, silently debating, before Shu Yunyi finally responded:

"Fine, no problem."

"No need for you to worry about it. The three of us can take turns."

They were well aware of Shen Yi’s dislike for cleaning and didn’t force him.

If they didn’t want to bother hiring help, they could always use the dishwasher for the dishes, and tidying up the table would only take a few moments between the three of them.

"No more objections? Then let’s move on to the next topic."

"Alright, what’s next?"

Shen Yi knew it wouldn’t be that simple and braced himself.

"Next, you’ll also be responsible for household chores."

Cheng Jun continued.

"Household chores? What exactly do you mean?"

Shen Yi gestured around.

"You’re not expecting me to clean the whole place, are you?"

"Cleaning is included."

Shu Yunyi crossed her arms, smiling.

"What?!"

Shen Yi couldn’t help but protest.

"This place has three floors, over three hundred square meters—are you trying to work me to death?"

The three of them smirked in unison, thinking, Why else would we make you do it?

Finally, Fu Nanzhi took pity on him and loosened the terms.

"The monthly deep cleaning can be an exception—we’ll hire a cleaner for that."

"Our own rooms are off-limits to you, but the daily upkeep of the rest of the house is your responsibility."

Shen Yi let out a relieved sigh.

"That’s more like it..."

"Fine, deal."

Cleaning wasn’t a big deal either—he’d have to do it at home anyway. And since he’d already gotten the biggest advantage (them agreeing to stay), he wasn’t about to nitpick over minor details.

"Oh, and you’ll also do our laundry."

Fu Nanzhi added one last condition.

"Laundry?!"

Shen Yi pointed at himself in disbelief.

"You want me to wash your clothes too?"

"Yep."

"But... isn’t there a washing machine? Or we could just hire help!"

"Are you seriously turning me into a househusband?"

He had washed their clothes before—but only in simulations when they were pregnant and couldn’t do it themselves. Back then, it wasn’t a daily chore. Now, with three or four people’s worth of laundry, it was no small task.

Ahem...

Seeing his hesitation, Shu Yunyi nearly laughed but held it in, clearing her throat before saying:

"You think we’re like you?"

"The washing machine is for outerwear. Our delicates need to be hand-washed by you."

"So? Not willing?"

"No pressure~"

Shen Yi shook his head helplessly. Yeah, right—no pressure.

He just didn’t want to agree too easily, so he dragged it out a bit to let them have their fun.

Putting on an exaggerated show of reluctance, he finally closed his eyes and said:

"Fine, I’ll do it."

"Anything else? If there is, say it all at once."

Seeing him relent, the three of them grinned—watching Shen Yi suffer was always entertaining.

After huddling together and whispering, Cheng Jun finally spoke up:

"Nothing else for now. We’ll add more if we think of anything."

"Good."

"Now that you’ve all made your demands, it’s my turn."

Shen Yi stood up and clapped his hands to get their attention.

"First, you can each pick your rooms. Decide where you want to stay."

"Three floors, five bedrooms, two living rooms—take your pick, any room you like."

Then, resting his hands on the back of the sofa, he added:

"Next, take a look around and discuss..."

"Whether any furniture needs replacing or if you want to add any appliances."

"You’ve got better taste in decor than I do."

"Just let me know what you decide, and I’ll handle the ordering and buying."

Fu Nanzhi stood up as well and said:

"For now, the furniture and appliances are fine. We can talk about replacements later."

"Let’s go upstairs first—none of us have really explored the place properly yet."

"Sure."

"Let’s take a look."

The four of them headed upstairs together.

The layout of the house was as follows:

- The first floor had no bedrooms, just the living room, dining area, kitchen, a maid’s room, and the front and back yards.

- The basement had a garage and a home theater.

- The second floor had three bedrooms and a decently sized living room in the middle.

- The third floor had two bedrooms, a small attic, and two nurseries.

With five bedrooms across two floors and separate wet and dry areas, there was more than enough space for all four of them—each could have their own room if they wanted.

As they toured the place, they commented on everything they saw.

Cheng Jun, lagging behind, gently tapped Fu Nanzhi’s arm and asked:

"Nanzhi, have you decided which room you want?"

Fu Nanzhi turned her head slightly, indifferent.

"Me? Any room is fine."

"Yunyi, which one are you picking?"

Shu Yunyi, walking ahead next to Shen Yi, was pushing open the nursery door to peek inside.

Hearing Fu Nanzhi call her, Shu Yunyi turned around and thought for a moment before saying:

"I can't be bothered to climb up too high. The second floor is just right."

"I'll take the easternmost room on the second floor then."

As soon as Shu Yunyi made her choice, Fu Nanzhi immediately chimed in,

"Then I won’t bother picking either. I’ll just stay next to you."

"Me too, me too!"

Cheng Jun raised her hand with a grin and said to Fu Nanzhi,

"You wouldn’t mind having me as a neighbor, right, Nanzhi?"

"Of course not."

The three girls had settled their choices in the blink of an eye, leaving Shen Yi dumbfounded.

"Wait—"

"There are only three rooms on the second floor. Where am I supposed to stay?"

Shu Yunyi had already gone inside to check the nursery, while Fu Nanzhi and Cheng Jun replied in unison from outside:

"Then just take the third floor."