Chapter 7: The “Phoenix Man”

Loving food is normal, but to love a specific type of food so much that you specially order utensils to make it? Only the Song family does that.

Tan Aizhi, worried that her daughter was in a bad mood, woke up early today. She cleaned the steamer from the utility room, then queued to buy fresh pork, eggs, green onions, and glutinous rice flour. She made a rice paste and steamed the egg and lean meat sausages her daughter loved to eat.

Song Xilan quietly ate three plates in one go before stopping. “Mom, this is so delicious.”

[Wow, she can really eat. She doesn’t look like a woman at all, no wonder she’s so fat.]

[I don’t like hearing that. I didn’t eat your rice, so why are you concerned?]

[Honestly, watching Broccoli’s eating videos is quite healing. The chubby girl who loves to eat and laugh is actually pretty cute.]

[Please, we came to watch the time-traveling girl turn things around and dominate, not to watch a fatty eat and drink.]

Broccoli? Is that referring to her? Song Xilan nodded to the comment that called her cute and then selectively ignored the rest.

“Mom, Dad, I’ve made up my mind. I don’t like Yang Jingyu anymore.”

Tan Aizhi cautiously looked at her. “Did he do something to make you upset last night?”

Song Xilan replied, “It’s not about what he did last night. I just realized that his character is not good.”

Tan Aizhi slapped her thigh. “That’s great! We were afraid you’d be upset, so we didn’t tell you last night. You said he used to ignore you, but suddenly he became so warm. The reason is that he found out your uncle is the deputy director of the Cultural Bureau. What he was after was your uncle!”

After saying this, she carefully watched Song Xilan’s face.

Hearing this, Song Xilan wasn’t surprised at all. She nodded. “That’s right, he’s exactly that kind of person.”

Tan Aizhi, happy, continued, “And he was raised by his widowed mother in the countryside. If you really get together with him, when the company distributes housing, won’t he bring his mom to live with you? You won’t even be able to stop him. If you try, he’ll say you’re being unfilial. And then, if he listens to his mom about everything—habits, hygiene, you name it—it’ll definitely be different from yours. If you want to eat better or wear nicer things, they won’t approve. How hard would your life be?”

These words stirred up a hornet’s nest. Song Xilan’s mind was flooded with dense thoughts.

[Oh my God, this is the Phoenix Man character! I almost didn’t realize it, but the male lead is a typical Phoenix Man!]

[Just because he’s a little official, he looks down on people? So what if they’re from the countryside? Our Yuge’s mother embodies the traditional virtues of Chinese women—diligent, frugal, hardworking, and gentle. Having a mother-in-law like that is a huge blessing, but this fat girl doesn’t appreciate it.]

[The fat girl has a bad temper, is lazy, and wastes money. What’s wrong with the elderly being concerned about their son’s hard work earning money? Does that mean she should make a scene over it?]

[The hardest part is the male lead stuck in the middle, seeing his mom endure and being forced to stay silent because his father-in-law is so domineering. He’s suffocating.]

[Luckily, the female lead arrives later, gentle and virtuous, managing everything at home and at work, supporting her family and bringing peace. She really is the male lead’s savior!]

[I’ll quietly say this: if you’re talking about Yang Jingyu marrying Broccoli and what happened after, I don’t think we can blame Broccoli completely. If the male lead wasn’t such a hands-off boss, the two women wouldn’t be in such conflict!]

[The person who’s trying to be neutral clearly doesn’t understand. I hope you also meet a lazy, domineering daughter-in-law someday.]

[Sorry, I don’t have sons, nor do I want to be a white lotus mother-in-law. Let me be blunt: a Phoenix Man son and a white lotus mother-in-law—Broccoli marrying him is like charity work!]

[Exactly. His parents are willing to help out, and he earns a salary himself. What’s wrong with enjoying good food? Don’t forget, the house they got after marriage was only because of the wife’s family connection!]

Song Xilan thought the comments were interesting. “Phoenix Man,” “White Lotus,” at first, they seemed strange, but after thinking about it, they were pretty vivid and accurate.

If she married someone from such a family, and made some delicious food or bought herself a nice piece of clothing, her mother-in-law would cry to her husband, complaining that she wasn’t allowed to spend money—even though the money was hers. She would be expected to do all the housework, her hair always messy, always working without complaint, and at the dinner table, the men would get all the meat. If she accidentally took a bite, her mother-in-law would give her a disapproving look.

Oh my God, she could never live like that.

Her parents were right—when it comes to marriage, it’s important to find someone with similar backgrounds. At least the person wouldn’t hesitate to share food.

“Dad, Mom, from now on, I’ll listen to you.” Song Xilan said obediently.

[Mama’s girl, no backbone.]

[This plot’s going in the wrong direction. If this keeps up, the fat girl won’t marry the male lead, and then what will happen to the time-traveling girl?]

[Fans of the female lead rejoice, because now the male lead can stay clean and pure for her.]

[I hope the fat girl doesn’t get married before the female lead arrives. I don’t want my daughter to end up with someone like that.]

“Pfft, you’re the one who won’t get married. Your whole family won’t,” Song Xilan angrily thought.

“Mom, I’m going to find Qiaoling.” After what happened last night, Zheng Qiaoling must be full of questions, and she needed to explain.

Actually, Song Xilan really wanted to discuss everything with her best friend, but unfortunately, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She had to silently keep such a big secret, and it was so difficult.

“Alright, you go ahead. I’ll tidy up here. What do you want for lunch?” Tan Aizhi said quickly. Her daughter was in a bad mood, and at her age, it wasn’t easy to talk to her parents about her worries. It’s better to talk to a friend.

Song Xilan thought for a moment. “I want to eat roast goose.”

“Okay, I’ll have your dad go buy it.”

“No need, I’ll go buy it. Dad still has things to do.” Today was New Year’s Day, and the company had a holiday, but Song Baili, as the factory director, had to go with other factory leaders to deliver care packages to retired employees facing financial difficulties.

Tan Aizhi replied, “Alright, then I’ll make some soup and stir-fry some vegetables. You still have the pork bones you bought yesterday. How about I make a soup with pork bones and kudzu root?”

“Sounds good.” Song Xilan put on her coat, grabbed an orange from the table, and went out.