Now you've messed up, haven't you

It was nearing dusk.

Winter nights came the fastest. By a little past five, patches of fiery clouds had already ignited in the sky, reflecting a bright red on the curtains and bathing the entire room in a dim yellow glow.

Xia Yanchun was getting a bit sleepy in Shen Nian's arms, her head already starting to bob like a fishing rod.

"Chunbao, don't fall asleep." Shen Nian woke her up. He had to go cook. Shen Yue was coming back today, and his parents would also return early. He needed to make at least four dishes and a soup.

"Mhm..." Xia Yanchun snapped back to reality, blinking blankly. "I almost fell asleep, hehe."

"Still laughing? Don't you need to go back and cook for your parents?"

"The rice at my house is kept warm. There's a lot of leftover green pepper stir-fried pork from this morning, and a plate of water spinach. When my parents get back, they can just pop them in the microwave for a bit. Unless it's a holiday or we have guests, my family just eats casually."

"How about asking your parents to come over and eat with us tonight?"

Xia Yanchun shook her head gently. "No need."

"Alright..."

Shen Nian held her under her arms and helped her up.

The room was warm and filled with the scent of Xia Yanchun.

Hugging Xia Yanchun from behind, Shen Nian took a deep breath and planted a kiss on her neck. It tickled so much that she shrank her neck, giggling and calling him a bad guy.

Not in a hurry to go home, Xia Yanchun followed him into the kitchen, tied up her hair, put on an apron, and helped Shen Nian cook.

Xia Yanchun had never been a pampered young lady who kept her hands out of the dishwater. She had started learning to cook since she was a child and was quite skilled at stir-frying. For some meat dishes, you just had to let the wok catch fire to make them taste good.

"Chunbao is so awesome, I bow to your superiority." Shen Nian clapped his hands from the side.

"Stop it, you stir-fry the rest."

"I just praised you a bit, you rascal." Shen Nian clicked his tongue and took over her cooking duties.

In a few quick moves, a shiny, oily plate of eggplant stir-fried with meat was proudly served.

Then came braised prawns, sweet and sour pork, clams, and a large pot of bitter gourd soup...

"Will we be like this in the future too?" Xia Yanchun stood by and spoke leisurely.

"Like what?" Shen Nian raised an eyebrow.

"Like coming home from work and cooking together..."

"We can hire a nanny."

"Hmph, so unromantic. At a time like this, you should be looking forward to it to live up to the atmosphere I finally managed to build up." Xia Yanchun puffed her cheeks, which were a rosy pink. It wasn't from shyness or the heat; sometimes, her face would just warm up for no reason like this.

"What are you muttering about? Bring the plate over."

"Oh."

Shen Nian plated the dishes, leaving only a pot of soup for last.

Making soup didn't require much skill. Chop the vegetables, stir-fry them a bit, pour in water, and when it's almost done, add some oil and salt before serving.

After Shen Nian poured the water, he was suddenly hugged from behind by someone.

Feeling the girl's hair brushing against the back of his neck, Shen Nian chuckled softly and rubbed his hand backwards. "What's wrong with you?"

"Just wanted to hug you from behind." Xia Yanchun's voice was muffled. She stood on her tiptoes, popped her face over Shen Nian's shoulder, and giggled.

"Hug me again tonight."

"What are you trying to do tonight? No way."

"Chunbao, ever since we returned to town, we haven't..."

The old-fashioned range hood might not be very powerful, but it was definitely loud enough. With its rumbling and buzzing, even Shen Nian, who had plus five agility, didn't notice his parents approaching. When he caught a glimpse of the shadow at the kitchen door, he quickly shut his mouth.

This kind of talk was definitely not meant for anyone else's ears.

Xia Yanchun was still sweetly hugging Shen Nian, a soft smile on her face, squeezing out all the air between them as they pressed tightly together.

When Chen Minyue and Shen Shi entered the backyard kitchen, this was the scene they saw.

"Ah!" Seeing Auntie Chen and Uncle Shen, Xia Yanchun was half-scared to death. She quickly let go and, like a child who had done something wrong, tugged at her hair.

This time, her blush was very real.

"Hello, Uncle and Auntie..."

"Mom, Dad, you didn't even make a sound when you came back."

Chen Minyue snapped back to reality, covering her lips to hide a chuckle, and then glared at Shen Shi.

They had indeed come back at the wrong time, interrupting the young couple's intimate moment.

It was all Shen Shi's fault. Why did he drive so fast? Now they had ruined things!

"Oh, you're cooking." Shen Shi scratched his head, feeling quite embarrassed.

If he had known, he definitely would have driven around for a few more laps before coming back.

"It's all cooked. Dad, go upstairs and call sis down to eat."

"Alright."

"Then Uncle, Auntie, I'll be going back first..." Xia Yanchun scurried away in a flash.

Hugging Shen Nian so intimately in front of his parents was simply impossible not to feel shy about...!

"Did you two cook this meal together?"

"Yeah."

"Then why didn't you ask Little Chun to stay and eat with us just now?"

"I did ask her. She just wanted to eat at home. Mom, help me clean up this food waste."

"Alright, go wash your hands and eat. I'll serve the soup in a bit..."

The family of four happily started eating their dinner.

Shen Nian's cooking was excellent. Shen Shi and Chen Minyue, who had been working outside all day, ate silently and heartily. Even Shen Yue ate to her heart's content, constantly rubbing her belly.

There was no takeout to order in the town; her life was already in Shen Nian's hands.

"Shen Nian, call Little Chun in a bit, and let's go to the supermarket to buy some snacks. Watching TV isn't fun without anything to eat."

"Sure."

Shen Nian nodded.

Taking advantage of the whole family eating together, Shen Nian looked at Shen Shi and brought up an idea he had harbored for a long time.

"Dad, the family's Pond Number Three, how much would it cost to rent?"

Shen Shi was stunned. "Pond Number Three... why do you ask?"

"I want to rent a pond from you."

"What?" Shen Shi thought he had misheard. "Rent my pond?"

"Yeah, I'll rent it for a year. I'll be solely responsible for the investment costs this year, and all the harvest will belong to me. How much does it cost to rent Pond Number Three for a year?"

"Hiss..."

So his son was already planning to do business?

Shen Shi fell into deep thought. Shen Nian had more guts than he did when he was young.

Their family's breeding farm had three ponds, raising sea ducks, shrimp, and crabs... Pond Number Three was the smaller one, specifically used for raising sea shrimp and sea crabs. According to the local market price, renting a smaller pond would cost over six thousand a year.

The key point was that proper pond contracts were usually for five or ten years; almost no one would allow a one-year lease.

The brat was really smart, directly renting from his own family.

"You're still in school, why are you renting a pond?" He shook his head. "Students should focus on their studies."

"Alright, congratulations to this dad for successfully stifling his son's powerful business mind in the cradle."

"..." Shen Shi's mouth twitched, and he pulled out his trump card. "I'm doing this for your own good."

"Oh come on, I'm just renting it for a year. Dad, you're the best dad!"

"Are you really going to rent it? Who's going to help you manage it then?"

"You guys and the original workers. I'll be responsible for the production costs, and I can also cover a portion of the employees' wages. I'll leave the rest to you, Mom and Dad!"

"You..."

Before Shen Shi could finish speaking, Chen Minyue interrupted, "How about... we let Shen Nian give it a try?"

"..."

His son was a top scholar and a young millionaire, so he naturally had his own plans. Thinking of this, Shen Shi nodded.

Besides, it would soon be time to open the pond for the season anyway. He might as well let Shen Nian give it a try for a year and see what he could make of it.