Chapter 38

Jiang Yu still hadn’t made up her mind about opening her shop. Seeing everyone busy while she had nothing to do, she felt guilty.

A competent mom starts by learning to cook. So, one morning, she set her alarm for 5:30 AM to make breakfast. If she woke up late, Jiang Zhe wouldn’t give her a chance to cook.

Jiang Yu had tried cooking before but always failed. Her cooking experience was practically zero.

What should she make for breakfast?

She rummaged through the fridge and quickly found several ingredients: eggs, dumplings, and bread.

Dumplings and bread were easy; she just needed to steam them.

Jiang Yu liked fried eggs. She always saw Jiang Zhe making them easily and thought she could do it too.

Steaming the dumplings and bread was straightforward once she figured it out, though cleaning the pot was a bit tedious.

Feeling confident after mastering steaming, she followed a tutorial to fry eggs. But for someone inexperienced like her, even a simple task felt challenging.

After putting the egg into the pan, Jiang Yu realized she hadn’t added salt. She hurriedly added some, but in her rush, she added too much. Trying to fix it, she scooped out the excess, only to find the egg had burnt in the process.

It was inedible.

Regretfully, she turned off the stove and looked for a garbage bag. As she was about to dispose of her failed attempt, she sensed someone behind her.

Turning around, she saw Jiang Zhe standing there in his pajamas.

Jiang Yu, now holding the trash bag with her failed attempt inside, smiled sheepishly. “Why are you up so early?”

“Were you making breakfast?” Jiang Zhe seemed incredulous.

Jiang Yu admitted, a bit embarrassed, “Yes, I wanted to fry an egg, but I failed.”

“I’ll teach you,” he offered, grabbing an apron and handing it to her. “Put this on so you don’t get dirty.”

He even came around to her back to help tie the apron.

Jiang Yu said, “I thought you would tell me not to cook.”

“Do you want me to?”

Jiang Yu shook her head. “No.”

She knew her limitations. “I can’t cook as effortlessly as you guys, but I thought it would be nice if I could make breakfast.”

“Then let’s do it. I’ll teach you.”

“The first step to frying an egg is to use more oil,” Jiang Zhe instructed, guiding her hand with the spatula.

Jiang Yu realized, “I only used a little oil earlier. No wonder it burnt.”

She heard a low laugh from behind her. His voice, so close to her ear, sent a shiver down her spine.

Annoyed, she snapped, “What’s so funny? It’s my first time.”

Jiang Zhe quickly stopped laughing and continued teaching her.

He even showed her how to make porridge.

When the nanny came downstairs, she joined them for breakfast. She rarely had the chance to eat a meal prepared by her employers. Usually, she handled the cooking along with other household chores, but she had grown used to the change over time.

While eating, the housekeeper noticed something was off. “The breakfast tastes a bit different today.”

Jiang Yu, feeling a bit shy, confessed, “I made it.”

The nanny was stunned, recalling Jiang Yu’s earlier behavior and finding the change hard to believe.

The transformation was significant. From not caring about the baby at all to now learning how to make breakfast.

Jiang Yu thought the food was okay, though she might have been biased. She had already asked Jiang Zhe, and he had said it was fine.

Seeing the nany’s reaction, Jiang Yu asked, “How did I do?”

Though she was asking for feedback, her bright eyes clearly anticipated praise. The nanny glanced at Jiang Zhe, who was eating calmly and showing no signs of discontent. Understanding the situation, she said, “For your first time, it’s pretty good.”

The presentation was indeed decent.

Jiang Yu grinned, feeling proud.

She then turned to Jiang Zhe and said, “Thank you, teacher.”

Jiang Zhe almost choked at the sudden title. Jiang Yu looked at him, surprised, and said, “You taught me how to cook, so you’re my teacher, right?”

Jiang Zhe replied, “…Yes.”

Though the title felt odd, Jiang Zhe found it somewhat refreshing.

Over the next few days, Jiang Yu made breakfast several times. Jiang Zhe continued to praise her efforts, but the nanny=y found it increasingly difficult to endure. Despite some progress, Jiang Yu’s cooking was still far from perfect, and the nanny’s stomach was starting to suffer. Thankfully, after the novelty wore off, Jiang Yu stopped insisting on making breakfast.

During those days, Jiang Yu spent her free time learning to take care of the baby from the others. Once she felt confident, she asked Jiang Zhe, “Can the baby sleep with me tonight? I think I can take care of her on my own now.”

Jiang Zhe didn’t quite understand her insistence on helping with the baby. He thought they could handle it themselves, but since she was eager to learn, he respected her efforts and agreed. He only reminded her, “If the baby gets too fussy, bring her to my room.”

Jiang Yu, determined, said, “I want to be a good mom who can take care of the baby by myself.”

Seeing her resolve, Jiang Zhe didn’t dampen her spirits.

That night, Jiang Yu took the baby to her room. Although the baby was four months old, Jiang Yu was still nervous. She was so anxious that she couldn’t sleep, waiting for the baby to wake up.

Jiang Zhe had already prepared the baby’s milk and kept it warm. He left, but not without repeatedly reminding her to call him if she needed help. Jiang Yu, a bit defiant, believed she could manage.

However, the baby seemed to be testing her, showing no signs of waking up. Jiang Yu, unable to sleep, propped herself up on her arms and watched the baby. She admired the baby’s delicate nose, long eyelashes, and the cute, peach-like face. Her daughter was truly a sight to behold.

The little bundle was already so beautiful that Jiang Yu was certain she would grow up to be a great beauty.

She waited for a long time until the baby finally woke up. As soon as the little one started crying, Jiang Yu picked her up, and she stopped crying, her big eyes blinking as she watched her mother. Jiang Yu put the bottle in her mouth, and she immediately started drinking, soon falling back asleep.

Feeling confident, Jiang Yu placed the baby beside her, covered her with a blanket, and closed her eyes to sleep as well. However, just as she began to drift off, the baby woke up again. Although Jiang Yu was very sleepy, she couldn’t ignore the crying baby. She got up, checked the diaper, and found it needed changing.

After changing the diaper, the baby still didn’t want to sleep and kept her big eyes open, reaching out to grab Jiang Yu’s hair. When Jiang Yu wouldn’t let her, the little one started crying loudly.

Jiang Yu was stunned. Crying just because she couldn’t play with her hair? 

Hurriedly, she fetched the baby’s toy and tried to soothe her. “Don’t play with mommy’s hair.”

But the baby refused the toy and kept crying. Jiang Yu resignedly gave her hair to the baby, who immediately stopped crying but pulled hard on Jiang Yu’s hair. Sleepy and now with her scalp hurting, Jiang Yu felt frustrated. She gently extracted her hair from the baby’s grasp, causing the baby to cry again.

No matter what Jiang Yu tried, the baby kept crying. She was at her wits’ end when Jiang Zhe came in.

Seeing Jiang Zhe, Jiang Yu’s expression turned pitiful, her lip quivering. “She keeps crying and insists on playing with my hair.”

Jiang Zhe found her expression amusing but stifled his laughter, not wanting to upset her. He took the baby, patted her back, and she soon stopped crying and fell asleep, her eyes still wet with tears.

Holding the sleeping baby, Jiang Zhe suggested, “She’ll wake up again later. Let me take her back to my room.”

Jiang Yu agreed. “Okay.”

She had known that taking care of a baby at night was tough, but this was beyond her expectations. Sleep-deprived and having to soothe a baby, she admitted defeat. She couldn’t do it.

It was just past 1 a.m., with a long time until dawn.

Jiang Zhe took the baby back to his room, leaving Jiang Yu in peace.

She lay down and closed her eyes but couldn’t sleep. Despite the baby’s fussiness, Jiang Yu missed having the soft little bundle beside her. She wanted the baby to sleep with her without feeling exhausted.

An idea struck her, and she slowly picked up her pillow.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Yu, clutching her pillow, headed out of her room.

Jiang Zhe was about to turn off the light when he saw Jiang Yu come in, holding her pillow.

He was surprised. “Why are you here?”

Jiang Yu, avoiding his gaze, spoke slowly, “I think… I shouldn’t be so hands-off.”

“We can take care of her together at night.”

Since taking care of a baby was already so tiring, Jiang Zhe probably wouldn’t think of anything else. Plus, she had already decided to continue living with him, and if something happened between them, it would be perfectly normal. She wouldn’t be at a loss.

Jiang Zhe hadn’t expected this turn of events but didn’t refuse. He made space for her. “Alright.”

The baby slept between them, looking so peaceful that Jiang Yu’s heart melted.

She lay on the other side, focusing on the baby. Although it was her first time sleeping in Jiang Zhe’s room, and she knew their relationship had changed significantly, she couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous.

Even though she knew nothing would likely happen.

“Um, Jiang Zhe, let’s sleep.”

“Okay, good night.”

The lights went out, and the room plunged into darkness.

Jiang Yu could hear her own breathing clearly. The silence was eerie, so she broke it. “When will she wake up again?”

“In about one or two hours.”

“Oh.”

Imagining herself being woken just as she fell into deep sleep, Jiang Yu felt a bit overwhelmed.

Being a parent wasn’t easy.

Luckily, Jiang Zhe was willing to help with the baby.

But in many marriages, the mother handled night-time baby care.

Being a mom was tough.

Feeling drowsy, Jiang Yu quickly fell asleep. She vaguely heard the baby crying during the night but was too exhausted to wake up. She turned over and continued sleeping. When she woke up, it was already daylight, and the room was empty. It was 10 a.m.

Panic-stricken, she jumped up and saw Jiang Zhe coming in, dressed casually in a coffee-colored home outfit.

Still groggy, she rubbed her eyes. “Did the baby wake up again last night?”

“Twice.”

“Why didn’t I hear anything?”

“You slept soundly.”

Embarrassed that he had gotten up to take care of the baby while she slept like a log, Jiang Yu said, “You should have woken me.”

Jiang Zhe smiled and agreed, “Okay, next time, I’ll wake you up at night.”

Jiang Yu believed Jiang Zhe’s words, but that night, he still didn’t wake her up. She felt like she was just sleeping in a different place.

The key was that she slept quite comfortably.