Chapter 34

The next day, Jia Fuhai energetically started preparing breakfast.

Lin Feifei quickly finished the breakfast he made and headed back to the hospital. Since she had just found out she was pregnant, she insisted that she could still go to work, as it was still early in her pregnancy.

Jia Fuhai thought about it and agreed, but told her that once her belly grew bigger, he wouldn't let her run around anymore.

Not long after, Zhen Linqi came out, followed by Zhen Fugui and his wife.

"Where's your sister?" Zhen Fugui asked as he sat at the table, noticing that Zhen Lina was nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, Jia Fuhai had already left to drive Feifei to the hospital.

"She's still sleeping," Zhen Linqi replied, her lips curving up as if she were thinking of something amusing.

"Be gentle with your sister," Zhen Fugui sighed.

"She'll be up and bouncing around by the afternoon; don't worry," Zhen Linqi said nonchalantly, taking a sip of soup.

"As long as she's okay," Chen Lina finally spoke, reassured after hearing there was nothing to worry about. After all, it was her daughter.

A short while later, Jia Fuhai returned, just as the two little ones woke up.

Meanwhile, Chen Lina went into the master bedroom to check on her daughter, only to find her sleeping like a log. She couldn't help but be speechless—Lina had played too hard the night before.

After brushing their teeth, the two little boys eagerly sat down for breakfast, still talking excitedly about making bread and pastries.

"Alright, we'll continue later. You two teach me how to do it." Jia Fuhai quickly raised his hands in support, eager to learn their skills.

"Sure, sure!" The two boys responded enthusiastically.

After finishing breakfast, the whole family gathered again, except for Zhen Lina, who was still resting.

"This time, you two will guide Daddy. I'll be the one to knead the dough," Jia Fuhai said as they prepared for another round of baking.

"You need to knead with force here, like this. This way, this way," Jia Qiyi began directing his father on how to knead the dough.

Following his son's instructions, Jia Fuhai quickly got the hang of it, learning how to knead the dough properly and how the ingredients would affect the flavor. He also learned the right amount of ingredients to use.

This time, the three of them shaped the dough together, and even Jia Fuhai managed to mold it into impressive shapes. They also added more ingredients like eggs, cream, and milk, taking it up a notch.

After preparing the dough, they moved on to making various types of cakes. Jia Qiyi took the lead again, instructing his father on how to make the cakes.

Since it wasn't just about making buns this time, Jia Naji had little to do. Instead, he grabbed a baking book and started discussing techniques with his brother.

Watching the busy father and sons, Zhen Linqi's face lit up with a smile of happiness.

On the other hand, Zhen Fugui grumbled internally, Those grandkids are mine, and everyone's trying to steal them from me! I don't care if the yellow-haired guy gave me two prodigies—I'm still annoyed!

Once everything was ready, Jia Fuhai placed the ingredients into the oven. Jia Qiyi told him how long each item should bake based on the ingredients.

"How about next time Grandpa helps you knead the dough?" Zhen Fugui, still feeling jealous of his son-in-law, tried to win back some favor from his grandsons.

The boys thought about it and compared their grandpa's efforts from yesterday with how quickly their dad picked things up today.

"Grandpa, let Daddy do it. He's stronger," Jia Qiyi said, feeling that his dad was more capable.

"Yeah, exactly," Jia Naji nodded in agreement.

Hearing this, Zhen Fugui felt a deep sense of injustice. He was only in his 40s—was he already seen as useless?

Looking down at his own belly compared to Jia Fuhai's muscles, he sighed in defeat.

Ding~

As soon as they opened the oven, a rich, sweet smell filled the air.

"The honey egg tarts are ready," Jia Fuhai announced as he placed the tray on the table.

"Smells so good~" Zhen Lina, still lying in bed, twitched her nose as the combined scent of honey and baked goods hit her. Her brain immediately woke up, and she quickly threw on some clothes and rushed out of the bedroom.

Following the aroma, she found herself in front of the tray in no time.

Seeing her daughter's messy hair and pale face, Chen Lina scolded her sternly, "Lina, go wash up first! Look at the state you're in."

It was as if Zhen Lina hadn't heard her mom. Her eyes were fixed on the honey egg tarts, and she reached out to grab one.

Smack!

"Let it cool a little first," Jia Fuhai said, using his inherited talent for precision to prevent her from burning her hand on the hot tray.

"Mom~" Jia Naji felt exasperated by his mom's behavior. If it weren't for the fact that this was a family matter, he would be completely speechless. Both he and his brother knew better than to touch something fresh out of the oven—how old was their mom again?

He glanced over at Kiki, thinking that maybe having a stricter mom like Kiki wasn't such a bad thing after all. At least she acted more like a parent, unlike his own mom, who made him worry all the time as her son.

"Lina, go wash up now. If you don't, you won't get to eat," Chen Lina warned her daughter, feeling embarrassed. She couldn't believe this was her own child, acting so unrefined even though she was already a mother herself.

"Got it," Zhen Lina, snapping out of her daze, quickly obeyed after receiving a signal from Haige. She hurried off to the bathroom to freshen up.

"Don't worry about her. She's a mom, but she still acts like this. Let's just enjoy the food," Chen Lina sighed, massaging her temples as she sat down. Her daughter had become a mother without truly growing up herself. If it weren't for her sister handling all the responsibilities...

"Mom, Lina is only 20. Blame me for this!" Jia Fuhai quickly jumped in, taking the blame as he tried to protect his wife from her mom's anger.

"Hmph," Zhen Fugui snorted, thinking to himself, Of course, it's your fault! Who else's would it be?

"Haige, make sure to keep Lina in check from now on. And Linqi, you're her sister—keep an eye on her too," Chen Lina said, hoping the two of them would help her daughter mature a little.

"..." Jia Fuhai didn't know how he was supposed to handle this. He was just like Lina, always up to mischief! He only behaved better when his in-laws were around.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm keeping an eye on Lina," Zhen Linqi replied, feeling that there was nothing wrong with Lina's true nature. She didn't see any need for Lina to change, especially since she was the one taking care of all the household matters anyway.

"It's ready to eat, Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma," Jia Qiyi said, sensing that the egg tarts had cooled to the perfect temperature for maximum flavor.

"Let's dig in!" Jia Fuhai ruffled his son's hair affectionately.

"What about Mom?" Jia Naji asked quietly.

"Hmph, don't worry about your mom, Naji. Go ahead and eat," Chen Lina replied, thinking of Kiki and feeling once again that Lina didn't measure up in comparison.

The two little boys eagerly reached out with their small hands and started munching away. With their milk teeth, eating the tarts was no problem at all.

The others followed suit, picking up the egg tarts and taking their first bite.

Jia Fuhai bit into one, and at that moment, his brain and taste buds fired off a series of intense reactions.

He was reminded of a scene from an anime where the food's deliciousness was visualized in vibrant, exaggerated imagery. Right now, it felt like he was floating through a field of flowers surrounded by golden wheat.

The sensation was indescribable—it was just that good.

He quickly swallowed the rest of the tart and immediately grabbed another one to devour.

He realized that every time Jia Qiyi directed a cooking session, the results were even better than the last. He could only imagine how amazing the food would be once his son grew up and cooked on his own.

Just the thought of it made him feel like the rest of his life would be filled with culinary bliss. Plus, it seemed like he had picked up some of the skills along the way.

"Is this really cake?" Chen Lina asked in disbelief, savoring the tart's incredible flavor.

While eating, Zhen Linqi couldn't help but murmur, "Did my son really direct this?"

"Wow, if we opened a shop, people would be fighting to get their hands on this!" Zhen Fugui's eyes widened as he took a bite, completely amazed.

The two little boys quietly continued eating.

Everyone else quickly finished their tarts and reached for more.