"Jin Hua, up so early?"

Grandma Su put on her coat and walked into the kitchen, looking at her busy granddaughter-in-law in surprise.

Li Jinhua immediately put on a gentle smile.

"Grandma, why are you up? Sleep a little longer, breakfast will be ready soon."

She helped the old lady sit down.

"I specially made your favorite sweet poached eggs in syrup, and also steamed some sweet buns."

The old lady was taken aback by Li Jinhua's sudden enthusiasm.

"You silly child, you can just eat anything for breakfast, why make yourself go through all that trouble?"

"It's alright. It's only right that I work hard for you and Grandpa."

Li Jinhua lowered her head and stirred the poached eggs in the pan, her long hair falling down to cover her rolling her eyes.

At 7:00 a.m. sharp, a sumptuous breakfast was already laid out.

Golden poached eggs floated in the sweet soup, freshly steamed buns were steaming hot, and there was a dish of pickled cucumbers and a bowl of millet porridge on the side.

"Grandpa, please try this."

Li Jinhua diligently placed a steamed bun into Grandpa Su's bowl.

"I deliberately added a few extra spoonfuls of sugar."

The old man took a bite and nodded in satisfaction.

"Hmm, not bad, quite sweet."

Li Jinhua's face was full of smiles as she served the old lady another bowl of porridge.

"Grandma, have some porridge; it's good for your stomach."

Su Mingqiang watched in stunned silence; he had never seen his wife so virtuous.

While the old man wasn't looking, he secretly gave Li Jinhua a thumbs-up, which earned him a hard stomp on his foot under the table from his wife.

"Ouch!"

Su Mingqiang cried out in pain.

"What's wrong?"

The old man frowned and asked.

"N-nothing, I just bit my tongue."

Su Mingqiang offered an explanation with an awkward laugh, which earned him a warning look from Li Jinhua.

After breakfast, Li Jinhua quickly cleared away the dishes, her movements so fast that the old lady couldn't help.

"Jinhua, you go to work. I'll wash the dishes."

The old lady said from the side.

"No need, no need. You and Grandpa can go sunbathe in the yard. I can do these chores."

Li Jinhua pushed the old man out of the kitchen, and the smile on her face vanished the moment she turned around.

She stared fiercely at the dishes in the sink, gritting her teeth and muttering under her breath.

"You old geezers, let's see how many days I can keep up with you."

On her way to work, Li Jinhua deliberately took a detour to the department store.

She carefully selected a navy blue polyester shirt and bought a pair of soft-soled cloth shoes, things the old lady usually couldn't bear to buy.

"Comrade, how much is this shirt?"

She pointed to a dark blue dress in the counter and asked.

"Eighteen yuan and fifty cents."

The salesperson answered without looking up.

Li Jinhua gritted her teeth and pulled out two ten-yuan bills from her wallet.

"Wrap it up for me."

As soon as the lunch break bell rang, Li Jinhua was the first to rush out of the office.

She rode her bicycle home as fast as she could.

"Jinhua, aren't you going to the cafeteria for lunch?"

A colleague called out from behind.

"No, I'm going home to cook for my parents!"

She answered without turning her head, but cursed inwardly.

Damn it, it's so hot! If it weren't for that money, who would suffer like this!

At home, the old lady was picking vegetables when she saw her granddaughter-in-law return and stood up in surprise.

"Why are you coming back at noon? You must be tired."

"Not tired at all."

Li Jinhua wiped her sweat and took out her newly bought clothes from her bag.

"Grandma, I bought you a new shirt. Try it on and see if it fits."

The old lady touched the smooth fabric and was very happy.

"How much does this cost...?"

"It's not expensive, only a little over 20 yuan. I'm glad you like it."

Li Jinhua suppressed her heartache and helped the old lady change her clothes.

"It looks so good on Grandma! You look ten years younger in it!"

Lunch consisted of braised pork, stir-fried vegetables, and egg drop soup, the aroma filling the entire house.

Li Jinhua kept serving food to the elderly, but she only ate a few mouthfuls of rice herself.

"You should eat more too."

The old lady placed a piece of braised pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat into her bowl.

"Thank you, Grandma."

Li Jinhua smiled sweetly, but inwardly rolled her eyes.

Old man, who wants to eat your saliva!

Before going to work in the afternoon, Li Jinhua prepared the ingredients for dinner, chopped the meat, washed the vegetables, and even soaked the rice in advance.

"Grandma, I'll cook dinner when I get back tonight, please don't do it."

She gave her instructions, her tone so gentle it was almost tender.

The old lady held her hand.

"Good child, don't overwork yourself."

As soon as Li Jinhua stepped out of the house, her face fell.

She rubbed her stiff, smiling cheeks and kicked a pebble on the roadside angrily.

"Pretending to be a good person for a day is more tiring than doing a full day's work!"

In the evening, Li Jinhua got off work on time and went home. As soon as she entered the door, she smelled the aroma of food.

The old lady had already prepared the meal!

"Grandma, didn't you say you'd wait for me to come back to make it?"

She quickly put down her bag, her tone reproachful.

"I saw you were working too hard, so I made something simple."

The old lady was a little embarrassed, after all, she had just received clothes from her granddaughter-in-law.

Li Jinhua immediately put on a smiling face.

"I know you feel sorry for me, but I promised to take care of you two."

She helped the old lady sit down.

"You're not allowed to lay a hand on me again tomorrow."

Dinner was even more lavish than lunch; Li Jinhua even opened a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and poured a glass for the old man.

"Grandpa, please try this wine; I've heard it tastes good."

She held the wine glass with both hands and respectfully handed it over.

The old man took a sip and nodded in satisfaction.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!