Chapter 232: Chapter 232: Cooking Personally
"How about this, Uncle Liu, you stay and have dinner at our place today? I’ve just learned a few dishes and you can try out my cooking,"
Upon hearing this, Liu Zheng’s face showed an expression of disbelief. He never imagined that he would learn how to cook in such a short time, which was indeed quite impressive.
But since he had put it that way, it was impossible for him to refuse. He smiled and nodded, saying,
"Alright, then let me taste how good your cooking really is."
Li Yanling also burst into laughter at this time.
"Oh yes, I’m very curious to try it too, I’ve never had the chance to taste your cooking before."
"I saw you tinkering around in the kitchen these past few days. I thought you were up to something, but I didn’t realize you were learning to cook."
Feeling somewhat embarrassed by these words, Xiao Kai raised his hand and scratched the back of his head as he spoke.
"I just felt really bad for always letting Mom do the cooking alone. Now that I have this chance, I wanted to learn and help out with the housework."
Before this, he had never realized these things.
He felt it was only right for Mom to cook for him and Grandma, that she should take good care of the two of them.
But later, after he learned what Grandma really thought and who truly cared for him, he finally had an epiphany.
He knew that no matter what, he couldn’t continue making the same mistakes, and that he had to make the right decisions about everything.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt he needed to wake up sooner and come to his senses quicker.
How could the woman in front of him not be happy to hear her child say these words?
At that moment, she nodded repeatedly and reached out to pat Xiao Kai’s head, saying,
"My child is growing up. That really makes Mom very happy."
The smile on Xiao Kai’s face naturally became even brighter.
"It’s no problem, Mom. It’s what I should do. You and Uncle Liu just rest here for a while, I’ll take care of preparing today’s meal."
However, Li Yanling was somewhat worried. Fearing he might not be skilled at many tasks, she immediately suggested,
"Then Mom will join you in the kitchen. That way, if there’s anything you don’t understand, I can teach you properly and help out a bit."
Liu Zheng heard this and immediately added,
"Yes, since it’s your first time, you might lack experience. Sometimes you still need us to give you some guidance, I can also go to the kitchen to help you."
To everyone’s surprise, upon hearing this, he resolutely shook his head and declined their offer.
"Alright, alright, Mom, Uncle Liu, you don’t have to worry about me. I already said, I’ll be in charge of everything today, so you don’t need to keep offering to help."
"Don’t you have that much confidence in me? Don’t worry, I’m sure nothing will go wrong, and if I’m unsure about anything I’ll come out and ask you two, there’s no need for you to help with the preparations."
Mainly, he felt that if he allowed Mom and Uncle Liu to come in, they might end up doing most of the work, leaving him with little to do.
Besides, he had really prepared for this meal very thoughtfully.
Previously, he had never had the opportunity to do so, and since such an occasion had arisen today, he wanted to seize the moment to do everything well.
Mainly because he also wished to make his mother happy.
Seeing his stubbornness, Li Yanling and Liu Zheng didn’t insist any further.
They knew that this child indeed tended to be quite stubborn.
As he had already made up his mind, it would be very difficult for others to change it.
"Alright then, you go ahead, and if there’s anything you don’t understand, remember to come and ask us. Don’t try to do everything by yourself and act tough," Li Yanling hastily advised.
How could Xiao Kai not understand? He obediently nodded.
Soon after, he went to the kitchen alone, leaving Liu Zheng and Li Yanling together in the living room.
After he left for the kitchen, Liu Zheng couldn’t help but say to Li Yanling,
"I must say, Xiao Kai has changed a lot. The approach we thought of before really worked. I feel it’s a new beginning. I hope things will only get better for you both."
He could indeed feel the magnitude of the change over this period.
At first, he hadn’t thought it would be very effective.
When he first thought of a solution, it was just meant to temporarily ease the relationship.
But he had never expected the subsequent events to bring about such a huge transformation.
For him, it was naturally a good thing, and he was very happy that, in a sense, he had been able to help Li Yanling.
At that moment, there was no trace of sorrow on Li Yanling’s face; she looked very pleased.
"Yes, I never imagined that in such a short period of time, he could change so much. I truly am very happy and comforted," she said.
"But after all, I owe it to you. If it weren’t for you, how could there have been such a big change?"
This was truly how she felt.
Everything that was happening now was something she never could have imagined before.
When Liu Zheng first brought up the idea, she was very conflicted in her heart, unsure whether to follow through with it or not.
Because to her, the method seemed incredibly risky; if anything went wrong, everything could have become even scarier.
Instead of their relationship improving, it could have deteriorated even further.
But it turned out that none of the worries she had materialized; things went very well, and the current development was something she had never anticipated.
When Li Yanling expressed these thoughts, Liu Zheng didn’t feel any pride in his heart; he had never considered his actions to be a big deal.
"Okay, okay, as I’ve said many times, we’re friends, and it’s normal for friends to help each other out," he replied.
