My Happy Daily Life After Being Reborn-Chapter 233 - 41 Distress

Jiang Xiaomei was not truly clueless in the kitchen, she could manage simple tasks like steaming rice or frying a basic dish, but that was about the extent of her culinary skills. Anything more complex, like braised pork or steamed fish, was beyond her.

"Uh... it should be fine, I guess. My parents can both cook, and they’re both retired, so they have plenty of time," Yi Feng reasoned after some thought.

The others weren’t as optimistic, especially Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang. In their eyes, no matter how easy-going a mother-in-law might be, it was not acceptable for a daughter-in-law to take being looked after for granted.

"In that case, starting from tomorrow, Xiaomei, you will begin learning to cook with me in the kitchen," Mr. Jiang decided with finality.

It was their oversight, too. Because they both knew how to cook and Xiaomei was competent in other areas, they had neglected this particular aspect. Thankfully, there was still time to rectify the situation.

Jiang Xiaomei nodded her agreement. She, too, hoped to improve and make a better impression on her in-laws.

Yi Feng, however, felt a pang of sympathy, "Isn’t it needless? You’ve been really busy at work recently."

The kindergarten where Jiang Xiaomei worked was newly established and teeming with various tasks—sometimes she was even called in during holidays to help out.

"It’s okay, things at our kindergarten will slow down after this busy period," Jiang Xiaomei reassured him with a comforting smile.

After dinner, Jiang Xiaomei and the others left, leaving Lin Xiaoguai alone to contemplate how to arrange her new home.

Following an afternoon nap, Lin Xiaoguai awoke and began to make her plans.

She had already moved the grapevine to the backyard and intended, when time permitted, to spend money on transporting some cobblestones to lay down. She also planned to transplant a Jacaranda tree. When it’s done, not only would there be a place for cooling off, but also a swing and seesaw for Little Niangao to play on, as well as other simple playground equipment like slides.

The new home’s yard was vast, about five or six times larger than the house itself, leaving ample space even after her extensive backyard plans.

In the future, when conditions allowed, she would add a swimming pool and had plans to create a man-made beach, recalling that many children in later generations enjoyed such play areas.

She placed the vegetable plots on both sides of the house to avoid having unfamiliar visitors immediately notice a vegetable garden and make idle comments.

After all, her neighbors were now different from before.

As for the front yard, Lin Xiaoguai planned to create a small garden, and near the fence, she wanted to plant trees according to her own tastes.

She thought it through carefully—she wanted to plant several ginkgo trees, her favorite, but sadly she had no lake to plant poplars around, which would have been a rare and beautiful sight. Then there were fruit trees: she liked pomegranates, Shen Xiu liked oranges, grandma and grandpa liked apples. All could be planted, though regrettably, she didn’t dare grow tropical fruits such as durian and mango, which Little Niangao and Shen Chi enjoyed, for fear of shocking conventional sensibilities.

Around the perimeter wall, Lin Xiaoguai planned to plant a row of roses, both for beauty and as a deterrent to burglars.

—The idea of burglary prevention was initially secondary, but later on, it proved to be rather useful.

The attic area next to the new house’s rooftop was what Lin Xiaoguai found most satisfactory. The space was not only spacious but also enclosed by a fence, making it perfect for a natural greenhouse. A part of it was shielded from the sun by an attic, ideal for growing shade-loving orchids.

In the evening, Han Shouxin’s family and Han Shouzhen’s family both came over for a housewarming visit.

"This is a nice house," complimented Han Shouxin as he walked in.

Zheng Cuicui quietly held back a laugh at her husband’s brazen comment. Everyone knew the Han family’s old house was only a few miles away and that the old master had clearly had a hand in the allocation of these houses.

Shen Chi knew all too well, too, but he didn’t mind in the slightest, nor did he feel awkward. If the old man wanted to make amends, he would simply accept it.

"Please, have a seat!" Lin Xiaoguai said, bustling about to serve orange juice to Xu Ji and Nuonuo.

Han Shouzhen smiled and said, "Wanwan, I’ve noticed that you seem to like children very much. You always put kids first, whether your own or someone else’s. Adults always have to step aside."

Lin Xiaoguai appeared slightly startled by the remark, and as Shen Chi took it in, he assumed it was because she had almost lost Little Niangao once, which is why she was particularly fond of children. A trace of sorrow swept across his eyes.

While these families were enjoying themselves, the atmosphere at the Han family was rather somber.

Han Kuang sullenly drank the tea handed to him by the guard, and after a long while, he asked, "Xiao Zhang, am I right in remembering that you’re an orphan?"