Vinegar-Jar Sister-in-law, Stingy Sister-in-law, Black-Hearted Sister-in-law...

Thump, thump, thump.

Hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway as Tang Yuyao rushed over, her face flushed and panicked, only to confirm exactly what her younger nephew had described earlier.

A bunch of her nieces were crowding around Ye Cheng, arms wrapped around him from both sides, the room filled with a lively, cheerful atmosphere. There were nephews around too, but they'd been pushed into a corner, two of them hunched over doing homework while all the action was centered on the nieces.

Tang Yuyao's eyes went wide: "!!!"

It was visible to the naked eye—Tang Yuyao turned bright red, her face puffing up like a giant pig's head. What made it worse was that she couldn't show any displeasure. Otherwise, she'd seem petty, like she was jealous of her own nieces. That wouldn't look good for an elder.

She forced a sickly sweet, "understanding" smile onto her face, the kind a doting elder would wear.

"You're all here?"

The girls froze at the sound of her voice from the doorway, then quickly released Ye Cheng, stopping their little groping session. Some even wore lingering expressions of enjoyment. Honestly, their Uncle-in-law, aside from maybe being a bit off in the head, was pretty impressive in every other way—scary smart, good-looking, and he even had abs...

How did they know that? Don't ask!

Compared to him, every guy their age fell completely short. Their eyes were practically glowing green with envy. If Ye Cheng weren't their Uncle-in-law, they might've considered using some underhanded tactics to snatch him up.

Ah... such a waste.

Tang Yuyao caught the flash of regret in her nieces' eyes, and her face darkened even more.

As the elder, she had to maintain her dignity. She couldn't just lose her temper, so she shifted her focus to Ye Cheng, who was still buried in his test papers.

A job's a job, and money's money—nothing shameful about it!

Ye Cheng was working diligently, but he suddenly noticed the room had gone quiet. He looked up in confusion, glanced around, and locked eyes with Tang Yuyao.

Ye Cheng: "..."

Why are you staring at me?

With a puzzled expression, he shrugged and went back to his papers.

Tang Yuyao was furious!

She strode over, saw him still hunched over his exam sheet, and slapped her hand down on the desk.

"Whose exam is this?!"

"Mine," Ye Cheng said, blinking innocently.

Tang Yuyao: "???"

The muscles in her face began twitching uncontrollably. She was ready to kill him. A college student—since when does he have exam papers? Obviously, Ye Cheng had taken money from someone again to do their homework for them.

Classic Ye Cheng move.

"Aunt... it's, um, my paper. I didn't understand a question, so I asked Uncle-in-law..." One of the nieces stepped forward nervously.

"Don't make excuses!" Tang Yuyao barked, shooting her niece a fierce glare.

"Were you actually asking him about homework?!"

The girls shrank back like terrified quails, not daring to speak. They knew they'd gone too far earlier, and now they were about to get a scolding.

"What's going on here?" Tang's Mother appeared at the doorway.

"You've been studying for so long—you must be tired. Come on out, stretch your legs, and help out with dinner. We'll eat soon. Work and rest need to be balanced."

Her arrival broke the tense atmosphere. The girls scrambled to escape, and the nephews, who had been doing homework in their corner, exchanged a look before setting down their pens and heading out too.

The room was left with Ye Cheng, still bent over his test paper, Tang Yuyao fuming, and Tang's Mother standing at the door, blinking as she tried to figure out how to calm her daughter down.

"Still writing?!" Tang Yuyao was livid.

"Almost done," Ye Cheng said, displaying surprisingly strong work ethic.

He didn't stop until the last question was finished. Tang Yuyao clenched her teeth. "So this is how you 'tutor' them?!"

"Alright, alright, dear. Xiao Cheng meant well. The girls probably begged him, and he's just too soft-hearted to say no..." Tang's Mother stepped in, moving between them.

The jealousy in this room was thick enough to cut with a knife. And jealous of her own nieces, no less. Tsk tsk... She hadn't been this brave at the restaurant earlier, huh? Nothing but a tyrant at home.

Ye Cheng chimed in from behind, nodding: "Exactly, exactly."

Tang's Mother: "..."

Tang Yuyao: "..."

"Oh, that does it!" Tang Yuyao rolled up her sleeves, ready to throw a punch, but Tang's Mother held her back again, trying to mediate.

At the doorway, the little nephew came running in, clutching his homework: "Grandma, why did all the girls leave? Are we not studying anymore?"

The little nephew scurried in from outside, finally managing to snag a seat next to Ye Cheng. Victory!

He sat down, spread out his homework, and was about to ask a question when Ye Cheng suddenly stood up.

Tang's Mother pulled him to his feet. "Xiao Cheng, can you cook? Come on, come help me in the kitchen."

"A little," Ye Cheng said, making a "tiny bit" gesture with his fingers.

And just like that, with Tang's Mother's "top-tier escort," Ye Cheng made a narrow escape from the room. A flawless tactical retreat. The little nephew and Tang Yuyao were left behind in the room.

Wait, he was about to sit down and he's leaving now?

The little nephew: "???"

Question marks appeared over his head. Desperate, he seized his last chance: "Little Aunt, I don't get this problem!"

"How can you not know something so simple?!" Tang Yuyao snapped, looking like she was ready to eat someone. She didn't even glance at the paper before yelling at him.

The little nephew: "..."

Thump, thump, thump... Tang Yuyao stormed off in a huff, heading for the kitchen. The little nephew was left alone in the room, clutching his homework.

An intense background music began to play in his head... The world abandons me, letting it mock me...

After all his hard work, the little nephew had finally crashed and burned—dead on the table. He had run around all day for nothing, and got zero results. Pain. Too much pain!

He lay sprawled lifelessly on the desk, feeling like he'd never smile again.

A few minutes later, a mouthwatering aroma drifted in from outside, hitting his taste buds and jolting his soul. The little nephew perked up instantly, reviving like magic.

"Food!"

Unlike the "deadly stir-fry" his Little Aunt usually made, this was the real deal!

He hopped off the table and bolted toward the source of the smell, his feet moving as fast as two wind wheels. Delicious food, here I come!

"WHOOSH!"

Rounding the corner, he spotted Ye Cheng holding a huge wok, tossing ingredients high into the air. Flames shot upward, and from his hiding spot, the little nephew's eyes reflected the fiery red glow.

Just the sight of that cooking action made his mouth water.

The dish being made was Guobao Rou—a tangy-sweet classic from the city of Dadong, and absolutely delicious. It was barely done before the girls, who had been eyeing it greedily, wolfed it all down.

"Uncle-in-law, you're amazing!"

"Yeah, so smart and a great cook!"

"Uncle-in-law, do you have any brothers or anything..."

Tang Yuyao: "..."

She had been managing to keep her expression under control up until the first few compliments. But when she heard that last question, she completely lost it.

What exactly do you girls want?!

Tang Yuyao regarded Ye Cheng as her personal possession. Whenever someone complimented him, it gave her an immense sense of satisfaction—a soul-deep kind of pleasure.

But it was strictly limited to just compliments. No touching allowed, and not even thinking about it was permitted. Even a thought was a crime!

Seeing the wolfish intentions leaking from her niece's expression, Tang Yuyao fully demonstrated what "elderly authority" meant. "Why are your hands so quick? Leave some for me!"

With that, she joined the fray herself. Meanwhile, her little nephew had been drooling on the sidelines, and he could no longer hold back—charging forward on his short little legs.

"Save some for me! I want some too!"

In the Tang household, cooking was always handled by Tang's Mother. She could cook, sure, but only to the level of "edible" and "not terrible." Expecting professional chef standards? Forget it.

They had to eat out if they wanted something decent.

Tang's Mother stood by, staring eagerly at Ye Cheng. "Xiao Cheng, did you work as a chef in a restaurant before?"

"No, I just taught myself. It's pretty easy. There are tutorials online, you know—how many grams of salt, how much seasoning, what temperature, how many seconds before taking it out of the pan..."

How many seconds?

Tang's Mother was completely baffled. It was the first time she'd ever seen such a "formulaic" method of cooking. She paused for a moment... She probably wouldn't be able to learn it. Her brain just couldn't keep up.

Oh well, she thought, as long as it's edible.

Over the next while, every time Ye Cheng finished stir-frying a dish, the people around him would swarm over with chopsticks and polish it off in no time. Tang's Mother watched for a bit before silently joining the eating crew herself.

She had no choice. Her little grandchildren had absolutely no concept of respecting the elderly or caring for the young. They left nothing behind—just an empty plate.

Tonight's dinner, barring any surprises, would be handled in this makeshift way.

At 8:30 PM, the kitchen stove went quiet. Ye Cheng called it a day. Most of the ingredients in the kitchen were used up, and he ended the cooking session by deep-frying half a pan of chive pockets.

That half-pan of chive pockets was Ye Cheng's own little treat. By then, everyone else was full and couldn't eat another bite, so whatever was left naturally became his.

And just like that, he'd slipped it through without anyone noticing. Heh heh heh, he really was a genius!

Both sides thought they'd gotten the better deal.

After finishing her meal, Tang's Mother felt like something was missing but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She thought for a moment... then stopped thinking altogether. Whatever, she was an old woman; forgetting little things was normal!

At the same time.

Outside the courtyard, Old Master Tang was still watching a chess game...

"Alright, it's getting late. Everyone head home now. Oh, and wash the dishes first." After eating and drinking her fill, Tang Yuyao picked her teeth with a toothpick and started bossing around her nieces and nephews with a smug look.

Everyone: "..."

Little Aunt, your heart is so black.

Logically speaking, since they had come over, they should have stayed the night. There was no rule about kicking people out.

But Tang Yuyao was scared now. She was worried something would stir up trouble later tonight, especially with her nieces acting so suspicious. She had to nip things in the bud.

The best way was to boot them out directly!

A dozen minutes later.

The nieces and nephews finished washing the dishes and were sent off to their car, leaving the Tang residence.

Inside the car.

"Little Aunt is so stingy. She's jealous."

"No kidding. You have no idea how over the top you guys were acting. I won't even call out what your hands were doing."

"Big Sister, what are you talking about? I don't understand. I'm just an adorable, innocent little girl who just started middle school! I only accidentally brushed against Uncle-in-law just now..."

"Tsk tsk tsk, 'accidentally' how many times? Didn't you see Little Aunt's face turn green?"

"Hey, Little Sister, does Uncle-in-law have abs?"

"Of course! Not just abs, but shark muscles too—one chunk after another. I was so happy just now! It's ridiculous. Where did Little Aunt pick up a guy like that..."

In the other car, the brothers were much quieter.

Two of them had spent the whole afternoon doing homework, and one had been outside sulking. Not only did they not get to taste any of the hot food in the kitchen, but they'd also been poisoned by Little Aunt. By the time they woke up, dinner was already gone. Sigh...

Not long after the cars drove off.

Another black sedan approached from a different direction on the road, pulling up steadily at the entrance.

Tang Shouye got out of the car, stretched, and walked toward the courtyard.

"Huh?"

Under the tree, he vaguely saw someone sitting there. Tang Shouye jumped in fright. "Holy crap! A ghost!"

"No... Dad, why are you sitting here alone?" A giant question mark appeared over Tang Shouye's head.

Old Master Tang, hearing the noise, snapped out of his daze as if waking from a dream. He looked around. "When did it get dark?"

Tang Shouye: "..."