"Huh? Mom, who fainted from excitement?"

"Tsk! Who else could it be but Chief Yan!"

Yan Zhenyue's face darkened; losing face in front of his wife was nothing.

That brat, he just had to bring up the wrong thing! He actually said those things in front of Wen girl.

Isn't this damaging to the image of his heroic father?

A heart-wrenching blow; one second it was his wife, the next it was his son.

He took a deep breath and silently advised himself:

My own child! My own child! My own child!

Yan Xiao's lips curled into a faint smile.

Although he didn't speak again, it was obvious to everyone that he was very happy.

It was Wen Qinghe who noticed that her father-in-law's expression was getting increasingly unpleasant, so she pinched Yan Xiao to signal him to restrain himself.

Yan Zhenyue coughed lightly and explained to Wen Qinghe:

“Girl, don’t listen to this kid’s nonsense. What your mother is talking about is Xiao Wu from next door.”

Wen Qinghe nodded politely, "Yes, I understand."

Yan Xiao sneered inwardly.

You wouldn't believe it, at your age, you're still so concerned about saving face.

However, seeing the wrinkled clothes and suspicious stains on Chief Yan's clothes, and how ridiculously he was trying so hard to save face, he smiled and, unusually, did not expose him again.

Lin Yingru found it amusing, but still stepped in to smooth things over.

"Brother Yue, didn't you say you were going to cook your specialty dish for Qingqing today? If you don't change out of that outfit soon, it'll be almost noon, and you still haven't bought the groceries..."

Now that Yan Zhenyue knew that his wife's recent bouts of lucidity were not a sign of her impending death, his worries completely subsided.

Now that there's a way out, take it easy.

"Yes, that's right. I had forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it."

After saying that, she turned around and went upstairs to change her clothes, but upon closer inspection, her steps seemed somewhat hurried.

…

At the dinner table, to save face for a certain leader, none of them deliberately mentioned the incident from that morning.

"Qingqing, this sweet and sour pork ribs is Brother Yue's specialty, please try it..."

"Girl, eat more. Girls look better when they're a little chubby."

Holding both fatherly love and motherly love is too heavy a burden.

Even though Wen Qinghe's bowl was piled high with food, it couldn't stop her in-laws from worrying that she wouldn't be able to reach it and wouldn't have enough to eat.

Looking at the pile of food on the table, which seemed to be eating more than it was eating, Wen Qinghe felt like crying but had no tears left. She could only look at Yan Xiao across from her with pleading eyes.

Today, Yan Xiao couldn't even get a seat next to his wife, and he ate his rice without any appetite.

It was one thing for her mother to be attentive, but this Commander Yan was also unusually attentive today, putting most of the food in Wen Qinghe's bowl on his plate.

At that moment, Yan Xiao received a look from his wife and immediately put the food from her bowl into his own.

Ignoring Yan Zhenyue's indescribable expression, he said without changing his expression:

"These ribs are a bit salty, Qingqing. You don't have a big appetite, so don't overindulge."

Yan Zhenyue had no suspicions. He had followed the same steps as before when preparing the ribs for dinner, and he hadn't even tasted them since they were taken out of the pot and plated.

After hearing Yan Xiao's words, he immediately picked up a piece of spare rib and put it in his mouth.

Hmm, not too salty or bland, even tastier than his usual dishes.

This kid is obviously talking nonsense.

He asked suspiciously, "It's not salty at all. Isn't the flavor just right?"

Yan Xiao dismissed it: "Who knows if the person who cooked today shed too many tears, affecting the taste."

Yan Zhenyue: ...

I've fallen for your nonsense.

He's truly blessed to have such a sabotaging son...

His expression changed, then he took a deep breath and put another chicken leg into Wen Qinghe's bowl.

"Girl, don't listen to his nonsense. Eat this. The chicken soup is light and the chicken is tender."

Before he could finish speaking, the kid picked up his chopsticks and took the chicken leg away as well.

Yan Zhenyue gritted his teeth and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Chicken...leg...also...salty?"

Yan Xiao: "Hmm, this is a bit bland."

Yan Zhenyue: ...

His fist hardened; this kid was someone he'd never beaten when he was a kid.

It seems that the rebellious child, though late, has finally arrived.

He's so old, hitting him would just make us look ridiculous.

Yan Zhenyue thought back to the training grounds where the young soldiers had been complaining a few days ago…

He gave a forced, fatherly smile and then placed a large chicken leg into Yan Xiao's bowl.

His tone was gentle, yet carried a strange chill:

"Xiao'er, you must eat more. After you're full, I'll take you to help with digestion..."

Yan Xiao's eyelids twitched, and he lowered his eyes and gave a soft "hmm".

After the meal.

Chief Yan took his belatedly rebellious son out for a walk to digest his food.

Wen Qinghe always felt that there was something strange about the relationship between the father and son, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

She had a mysterious confidence in Yan Xiao, but she also had a natural, omnipotent hero's filter because of her father, a commander who had experienced countless battlefields and real battles with enemies.

It's hard to say for sure who would have the upper hand if these two were to face off.

Lin Yingru probably sensed her worry and reassured her, "Don't worry, both father and son know what they're doing."

Lin Yingru knew better than anyone else that ever since she reunited with her child...

Xiao'er never called her husband "father" or "dad".

Perhaps Xiao'er's resentment towards them has not been completely resolved, or perhaps she has not yet accepted Yan Zhenyue.

Yan Zhenyue himself could sense this and had long wanted to find an opportunity for the father and son to spend time together. Usually, his son and daughter-in-law would just keep him company, have a meal, and then leave.

He rarely communicated with his father, Yan Zhenyue.

There's nothing better for men to build a relationship than through friendly competition.

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