After finishing her fried skewers downstairs, Xia Minmin looked at her mouth and teeth in a small mirror, then took out a piece of chewing gum and chewed it.

Once everything was ready, she walked upstairs with confident strides, this time certain she wouldn't be discovered.

The door opened as soon as Xia Minmin reached the stairwell, and Xia Jianguo stood in the entryway. "Did you do anything naughty today? Like, did you secretly eat something?"

Xia Minmin shook her head, feigning ignorance. "No, I just ate a piece of chewing gum."

Xia Minmin bit down on her chewing gum and showed it to Xia Jianguo.

"Really?"

Xia Minmin's expression became even more innocent. "Of course it's true. How could I possibly lie to you, Dad?"

Li Chunmei overheard the father and daughter's conversation from the kitchen. "Xiaomin, you've been exposed. Your father and I saw everything you did downstairs."

Seeing Li Chunmei come out of the kitchen, Xia Minmin immediately thought of the window by the kitchen sink, which offered a clear view of the trash can.

Xia Minmin closed her eyes and slapped her forehead in frustration. "Okay, Mom and Dad, I admit my mistake. I ate fried bananas and fried starch sausages today."

Recently, news reports about gutter oil have been frequent. Xia Jianguo has explicitly forbidden Xia Minmin from eating at food stalls, but the more he forbids it, the more she wants to eat there.

"Xia Minmin, I'm telling you this is your last chance. If you eat it again next time, your allowance will be deducted from your allowance for next year."

"I promise I'll never eat it again."

Xia Jianguo was so angry he almost laughed. He frantically rubbed his daughter's head, trying to reason with her, but to no avail. She immediately backed down when it came to deducting her allowance.

Seeing that her daughter didn't report back excitedly, Li Chunmei guessed that she hadn't made progress in swimming lessons and didn't press her for more information, afraid of discouraging her child.