Chapter 3: Daddy Is Back

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Seeing that Jiang Fenglin didn’t move, Xi Youyou immediately realized he had been scared by her—because the Original Owner never entered the kitchen.

He was probably wondering if something was wrong with her brain.

“It’s nothing. I’ll go call your mom.”

Jiang Fenglin turned and walked quickly into the house. After explaining the situation, Xu Xiu also furrowed her brows tightly.

The two of them knitted their brows together in concern.

Whenever Xi Youyou acted out of character, something strange was definitely going on.

It usually meant she was planning something big at home.

But even when she acted out of character in the past, she had never gone so far as to cook in the kitchen.

“Let’s go check it out.”

No matter what, it was about time for breakfast anyway. Since Xi Youyou said she made breakfast, they decided to go have a look together.

They were full of doubt, but decided to see for themselves first.

The couple helped the children wash up a bit, then led them into the kitchen.

Xi Youyou placed the boiled dough balls on the table. “It’s nothing fancy, just some boiled dough balls with a bit of pickled vegetables, is that okay?”

She had added a little spiritual spring water to the boiling water earlier. She’d tasted the broth—it was pretty good—and she had also added what little seasoning they had at home.

The flavor wasn’t bad.

The whole family stood frozen at the door, staring at her.

What was she up to now?

Da Bao and Xiao Bao exchanged a look. In the end, Da Bao looked at his sister and muttered under his breath: “Maybe it’s because we’re burdens. Comrade Xi Youyou is planning to poison us both.”

Xi Youyou had sharp ears.

She had known something like this would happen.

These two little ones had been deeply hurt by the Original Owner. They didn’t even call her “Mom.”

They always referred to the Original Owner as Comrade Xi Youyou!

She picked up her chopsticks and sat in a corner, taking a bite of the dough ball. “Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned.”

The two children still looked doubtful. Even the grandparents, Xu Xiu and Jiang Fenglin, had confused expressions on their faces.

Xi Youyou was helpless.

But thinking about it, it made sense. The Original Owner had been happy to partake but never prepared to do any work for several years now. It would be strange if they suddenly changed their view of her in just one day.

She could only explain: “Hurry up and sit down to eat. I’m just in a rare good mood to cook today, don’t ruin it.”

A good mood was a believable reason. It made sense to them. Xu Xiu and Jiang Fenglin finally sat down with the two children and began eating.

Xi Youyou took the chance to observe the two kids.

The two children, although young, were already quite tall. Da Bao’s facial features seemed to resemble Jiang Cimo a bit more.

As for Xiao Bao, she probably looked more like the Original Owner—which meant, essentially, like Xi Youyou now.

But since she had just transmigrated here, she hadn’t even looked in a mirror yet. She had no idea what she looked like now.

Since they shared the same name, could it be that she looked the same as she did in her past life?

Still, just by looking at these two little ones, she could tell that the Original Owner must’ve had decent looks. She would find a mirror and check it out later.

Though Xiao Bao wasn’t dressed in the finest clothes, she was clean and neat. Her face was freshly washed, and her hair was neatly combed and tidy.

It was clear that Xu Xiu had been taking very good care of the two children.

The two of them were so adorable—how could the Original Owner not like them? It was truly baffling.

Even though the boiled dough balls didn’t look impressive, the moment everyone took a bite, they were surprised to find that the taste was actually pretty good.

Especially Da Bao and Xiao Bao.

The two of them secretly lifted their heads to glance at Xi Youyou.

Why did she suddenly seem… a bit gentler?

Not like her usual self—always fierce and snapping at them, constantly calling them little debt collectors.

Everything she got her hands on, she’d take straight to her room and sneakily eat it, never sparing a thought for the kids.

Today was a little… strange.

Xu Xiu, after tasting the dough balls, ate a few more bites.

Her feelings were mixed.

This cooking wasn’t bad at all—the dough balls were tasty.

Back when Xi Youyou first married into the family, she had still done some housework and cooking. But she always messed things up—breaking dishes, damaging things around the house.

She had clearly done it on purpose. After a while, she just avoided doing housework altogether.

And once she had the kids, she got even lazier.

But today, not only was she in a good mood, she had actually made breakfast—and it tasted this good?

Everyone had different thoughts swirling in their heads.

Xi Youyou, however, didn’t pay them any mind. She knew very well that it wouldn’t be easy to change the image they had of her.

The Original Owner had been lazy for years.

It would be downright spooky if they changed their opinion of her overnight.

After quickly finishing breakfast, Xu Xiu had originally planned to go do the housework herself.

Because, in their minds, Xi Youyou never liked doing chores. If they asked her to help, she would just make a mess on purpose—just to avoid the work. So they figured it was better if they handled more themselves, to avoid turning the household into chaos.

But before Xu Xiu could even get started, Xi Youyou had already begun gathering the dishes and carrying them off to wash.

Seeing her take the initiative to collect the bowls and fetch water to wash them, the whole family exchanged strange, suspicious glances.

Xi Youyou acted like nothing had happened and kept on doing the dishes.

Xiao Bao swallowed nervously. “Comrade Xi Youyou definitely has some kind of scheme. There’s no way it’s that simple.”

“Is she planning to sell the children, or eat the children?”

The two little ones whispered conspiratorially.

Hearing this, the corner of Xi Youyou’s mouth twitched.

Although the little ones had inherited the male lead’s intelligence and good looks, their thinking was far too simple.

How could someone possibly eat or sell children?

If selling them were truly an option, the Original Owner would probably have done it a long time ago. But she stayed in this household precisely to enjoy a comfortable life.

After all, she had a soldier for a husband, who regularly sent money back home. Life might not have been luxurious like that of a rich housewife, but it wasn’t bad either.

No need to work, always had food to eat, could order around her mother-in-law, and someone else helped raise the kids—wasn’t that a dream life?

Of course, that was the Original Owner’s way of thinking.

“You two go play outside. I’ve got this.” Xi Youyou said again.

The two kids looked at her—and it was as if they’d been scared by something. They quickly ran out the door with hurried footsteps.

Xu Xiu and Jiang Fenglin also left the kitchen.

The four of them stood in the courtyard, exchanging confused glances.

Xu Xiu hesitated for a moment, then looked at her husband. “What do you think’s going on here? Why the sudden change? Even if she’s in a good mood, she’s just not the type to do housework!”

“She might break the dishes any minute.”

Da Bao pouted. Xiao Bao, standing beside him, nodded furiously and tugged tightly at her brother’s sleeve. “Do you think Comrade Xi Youyou is planning to sell us?”

“The auntie in the village said we’re burdens. If she sells us, she could make a lot of money.”

“She could even find someone new.”

The two kids were smart, but the villagers loved to gossip. They often said all sorts of nonsense in front of the children.

When Xu Xiu heard Xiao Bao say this, she immediately rushed over and hugged her, smoothing her hair. “Don’t worry, Xiao Bao. She won’t sell you.”

“Grandpa and Grandma would never allow it!”

They actually knew such a thing wouldn’t happen. Sure, Xi Youyou was lazy and didn’t care for the children much, but selling them? That was out of the question.

Besides, even Xi Youyou herself understood how serious the consequences of doing that would be. She wouldn’t smash her own foot with a stone.

“Then why did she make breakfast?” Da Bao still couldn’t understand.

Jiang Fenglin didn’t get it either. “When I came out earlier, I thought there was a thief. But when I saw her cooking, I thought I’d seen a ghost in broad daylight. I even pinched myself to make sure it was real!”

That part was true.

Xu Xiu also felt like she’d seen a ghost.

“Let’s just assume she’s in a good mood.” Xu Xiu finally said, offering a fair perspective. “As long as she’s not stirring up trouble, we’ll just go along with it for now.”

The rest of the family thought about it and agreed. That was really the best they could do for the time being.

Just as they finished speaking, a knock came at the door.

Da Bao immediately dashed over to open it, Xiao Bao trailing close behind.

As soon as the door opened, they saw a man and a woman standing at the entrance.

The moment Da Bao saw the man, joy lit up his face. The man crouched down and picked him up in a warm hug.

Lifted into the air, Da Bao shouted excitedly toward the house: “Daddy’s back! Daddy’s back!”