Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
Tang Tang spent an hour preparing a table full of dishes, six meat dishes and six vegetable dishes, all beautifully presented and delicious. The aroma was so enticing it made one’s mouth water.
“Wow—” Everyone looked at the table of dishes in disbelief, their eyes filled with admiration for Tang Tang. Ji Yue, in particular, was completely awestruck, “Tang Tang, you’re amazing! You made so many dishes by yourself, and they smell so good! You’re truly incredible!” For a kitchen disaster like her, someone with amazing culinary skills was simply an idol.
Tang Tang blushed at the praise and waved her hand shyly, saying, “No, it’s just home cooking. Everyone, please eat.” No one stood on ceremony and picked up their chopsticks to start eating. Because the food was so delicious, everyone ate until they were stuffed, burping contentedly. All of Tang Tang’s dishes were devoured, and the rice cooker was empty.
Gu Chang’an gave Tang Tang a thumbs up, “Sister-in-law, your cooking is amazing! You’re so lucky, Third Brother!”
Ji Yue followed, saying, “Looks like we’ll have a place to freeload from now on.”
Zhuo Ji chimed in, “When you go freeload, take me with you.”
Tang Tang was both happy and shy from the praise, so she had to clear the dishes and go to the kitchen to avoid the commotion.
Ji Yue felt bad about eating for free and followed Tang Tang into the kitchen to help, but found herself clumsy and unable to help much. While Tang Tang finished everything in no time, leaving the kitchen spotless.
Ji Yue clicked her tongue in amazement, her opinion of Tang Tang completely changed. She felt they had misunderstood Tang Tang before; she was clearly a very nice person.
After tidying up, Tang Tang didn’t immediately leave the kitchen. Instead, she took some ingredients from the refrigerator to prepare.
Ji Yue asked curiously, “Tang Tang, what else are you going to do?”
Tang Tang said while preparing the ingredients, “I saw everyone ate too much tonight. If you’re full, you won’t sleep well, and it’s not good for your stomach. I’ll make some digestive tea for everyone. This won’t affect your sleep and will help with digestion and sleep.”
Ji Yue exclaimed, “My goodness, you even thought of that? You’re so virtuous! Do you spoil your husband Ji Yan like this at home too?”
“Huh?” Tang Tang said blankly, “I don’t spoil him. It’s only right. He works hard, so I should take good care of him and the baby.”
Ji Yue was stunned. Suddenly, she began to reflect on whether she had been too harsh on Gu Chang’an. Sometimes, he would even wash her feet and massage her after work. Was she not being a good wife and mother?
But she couldn’t do what Tang Tang did.
Suddenly, she felt like Ji Yan really hit the jackpot by marrying this woman!
Tang Tang’s digestive tea worked wonders; it made you feel full quickly, and it tasted great too. Even Ji Xiaozhuo was enjoying it immensely, drinking two large cups and still wanting more. Tang Tang quickly took his cup away, saying, “Don’t drink anymore, you’ll wet the bed tonight.”
Ji Xiaozhuo’s little mouth puffed out immediately, defiantly defending his dignity, “Mommy, I’m not a three-year-old anymore, I won’t wet the bed!”
Realizing she’d stepped on the little guy’s toes, Tang Tang quickly changed her tune, “Okay, okay, Mommy knows you won’t wet the bed. Mommy’s just worried you’ll keep getting up to pee at night if you drink too much.”
The little guy calmed down, but still reminded Tang Tang, “Then you can’t doubt my bedwetting next time, okay? I’m a man, you can’t say that.”
Tang Tang raises her finger as if swearing, “Okay, okay, Mommy promises I won’t say it again.”
The conversation between mother and son made everyone around them stifle their laughter; they were such a pair of lovable goofballs!
Just then, Ji Yan’s phone rang. He saw it was Aunt Li and answered, “Hello, Aunt Li.”
Tang Tang and the little one immediately stared at Ji Yan, wondering what Aunt Li wanted to say.
Ji Yan spoke to Aunt Li for a moment, then hung up with a slightly serious expression.
Ji Xiaozhuo tugged at Ji Yan’s sleeve worriedly, “Daddy, what did Grandma Li say? When is she coming back?”
Ji Xiaozhuo had been raised by Aunt Li and was very attached to her; so he missed her terribly after so many days apart. Ji Yan didn’t hide anything from the little one because of his age and said directly, “Grandma Li’s granddaughter isn’t doing well. Grandma Li will have to stay home to take care of her grandchildren from now on, so she can’t come and take care of you anymore.”
“Ah?” Ji Xiaozhuo opened his mouth, unable to accept it.
Ji Yan sighed and patted his little head. “You have to understand Grandma Li. She’s also very reluctant to part with you, but she has family matters to attend to and can’t leave.”
Ji Xiaozhuo pursed his lips, fiddling with his fingers somewhat sullenly.
Ji Yan rested his forehead on one hand, his heart filled with worry. If Aunt Li stopped taking care of Xiao Zhuo, how could he go back in peace? Xiao Zhuo couldn’t possibly take care of himself. Finding another caregiver would take time, and a reliable caregiver wasn’t easy to find. He didn’t feel comfortable entrusting Xiao Zhuo to strangers.
Zhuo Ji understood Ji Yan’s concerns and asked, “What will happen after that? Do you want me to help you find a reliable person to take care of Xiao Zhuo?”
Gu Chang’an also said, “I can help you look too. I’ll go back and ask our nanny.”
Before Ji Yan could decide on a plan, Ji Yue suddenly spoke up, “I don’t think we need to find a nanny. Let Tang Tang take Xiao Zhuo and go with Ji Yan to the military base. Anyway, Ji Yan’s rank is high enough, and Tang Tang doesn’t work. Wouldn’t it be better if the three of them could be together every day?”
As soon as Ji Yue finished speaking, the whole room fell silent, and everyone’s eyes turned to Tang Tang.
Tang Tang was at a loss for words, but her thoughts were drawn to the word “follow to the military base.” Did “follow to the military base” mean going to live with her baby’s father at the military base so that the three of them could be together every day? Could it be like that? Before, she only thought that they could only wait for him to come back from his leave at home. She never thought that they could live with him. If that were the case, wouldn’t the baby be able to see his father every day, and the three of them wouldn’t have to be separated?
Tang Tang couldn’t help but glance at Ji Yan, feeling a little nervous.
Ji Yan looked back at her and simply said, “Let’s talk about this later.”
Seeing that he didn’t agree, Tang Tang was a little disappointed. It was true, he didn’t like her, and probably didn’t want to take her with him. It was just a pity for her baby.
That night, Ji Xiaozhuo slept in the middle again, with Tang Tang and Ji Yan on either side.
After lying there for a while, Ji Xiaozhuo became restless, directly putting his legs on Ji Yan’s lap, using the leverage to roll over and skillfully climb onto him, lying on his chest and looking up at him, asking, “Daddy, is Grandma Li really not coming back to take care of me anymore?”
Ji Yan hummed in agreement.
Ji Xiaozhuo sighed, resting his chin on his hands, “Then I’ll only be able to rely on Mommy from now on? How pitiful.”
Tang Tang: “…”
Ji Yan: “…….Who taught you to use ‘rely on Mommy’ like that?”
Ji Xiaozhuo answered in her childish voice, “That’s how it’s portrayed on TV. The baby’s father abandoned him and his mother, and then they lived together, which is called ‘relying on each other for survival.'”
Ji Yan covered his forehead, unsure whether letting Ji Xiaozhuo watch TV was a good thing or a bad thing. “Ji Xiaozhuo, but Daddy didn’t abandon you. Daddy will come back to see you, so you and Mommy aren’t relying on each other for survival.”
Ji Xiaozhuo pouted, his voice filled with sadness, and said, “But, it’s just Mommy and me at home. Other people’s fathers live with their mothers and babies.”
Ji Yan’s heart skipped a beat, and a deep sense of guilt filled him once again.
Seeing that her father remained silent, Ji Xiaozhuo pointed at Ji Yan’s chest with his little finger and said in a soft voice, “Daddy, Mommy works so hard taking care of me all by herself. She can’t even lift a bag, and she can’t change a light bulb properly.”
Tang Tang, listening from the side, felt embarrassed. She didn’t want Ji Yan to think she was incompetent, or that she couldn’t even do simple things like carrying things or changing a light bulb. She quickly explained to Ji Yan, “No, no, it’s because my legs are weak. When my legs are better, I’ll be able to lift things and change light bulbs, really!”
Ji Yan gave Tang Tang a complicated look and asked, “Which light in the house is broken?”
Tang Tang waved her hand, “No, no, no light is broken.”
Ji Xiaozhuo retorted, “That’s not true. The light in Mommy’s bathroom isn’t working, so Mommy has to take a shower in the dark.”
Tang Tang bit her lower lip, feeling a little embarrassed by being betrayed by her son.
Ji Yan paused for a moment, then patted the little guy’s back and said, “I know, Daddy will fix it when we get back.”
Ji Xiaozhuo was satisfied.
Now that Daddy had pampered him enough, it was Mommy’s turn. Ji Xiaozhu rolled off Ji Yan and towards Tang Tang, but knowing she was thin and weak and couldn’t withstand his climbing, he didn’t climb on her. Instead, he rolled into her arms and hugged her, saying, “Mommy, don’t be afraid. I’ll become very strong in the future, and then I’ll carry things for you and change your light bulbs.”
Tang Tang was almost moved to tears by this sweet little boy, hugging him and showering him with kisses. “Mommy’s little darling, my little baby, my little chubby one, Mommy loves you.”
Ji Xiaozhu returned the kiss, “I love you too.”
Ji Yan, watching the mother and son’s oblivious display of affection, suddenly felt superfluous.
Fortunately, the show of affection didn’t last long. Ji Xiaozhu had been playing wildly all day and started dozing off after only a short while. With Tang Tang’s gentle pats, he soon fell asleep, even snoring softly.
Tang Tang kissed the little one on the forehead, then looked at Ji Yan, suppressing a little shyness, and said, “Honey, I’m going to sleep now too, goodnight.”
Ji Yan paused, and after a long while, he softly hummed in agreement.
Tang Tang smiled silently in the darkness, slowly falling asleep while smelling the milky scent of Ji Xiaozhuo in her arms.
Ji Yan rested his head on his arm, unable to sleep for a while, thinking about Ji Xiaozhuo’s words.
Aunt Li wouldn’t be coming back, and he was extremely worried about the mother and son living alone. Even if Tang Tang could continue to treat Xiao Zhuo as well as she did now, it would still be difficult for a weak woman like her to raise a child alone. Raising a child was not easy, and you had to do everything yourself, including things that should be done by the husband. Such a life was truly tough.
If the mother and son could come with him to join him in the military, he could see the child every day and help with household chores, so she wouldn’t have to bear the burden alone.
He just didn’t know if she would be willing to go. The Tang Tang of the past would definitely not have agreed, and he wouldn’t have even considered it. But now, he wasn’t sure about the Tang Tang.
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
