I Have No Idea!

As the key slid into the lock, the door that had remained closed for quite some time was finally pushed open again. A faint smell of dust washed over them.

Looking at the slightly dusty house, Mother Jiang turned to Huo Yuhao and smiled apologetically. "Sorry. It's been too long since we came back, so the house has gotten a little dusty."

She had originally planned to eat out, but Huo Yuhao had insisted. Unable to refuse him, she had no choice but to buy some ingredients and come home to cook herself.

"Mom, let me clean up."

Jiang Nannan spoke as she skillfully headed into the house.

"Alright." Mother Jiang nodded. "Yuhao, rest for a while first. I'll go make dinner now."

Before she could finish, Huo Yuhao spoke up with a cheerful smile. "Auntie, I can help Nan Nan-jie too..."

Mother Jiang's expression turned serious. "How could that do? How can we let a guest help with housework?"

"Auntie, I came today to celebrate your discharge from the hospital. What guest are you talking about?"

"That still won't do. You child, if word got out, wouldn't people laugh at us mother and daughter?"

Huo Yuhao showed a helpless look. His gaze happened to fall on the vegetables Mother Jiang was carrying, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "Auntie, then at least let me help cook, right? I'm actually pretty good at cooking. I can let you two have a taste tonight."

"This..."

"Alright, Auntie. Guests at least bring gifts when they visit, but I came empty-handed. You have to let me do something, don't you?"

With that, Huo Yuhao gave Mother Jiang no chance to argue further. He directly took the ingredients from her hands and headed for the kitchen, leaving Mother Jiang and Jiang Nannan staring at each other.

Seeing the conflicted look on her mother's face, Jiang Nannan could not help but laugh. "Come on, Mom. It's not like you can't tell what Yuhao's like. If you really made him stand around doing nothing, he probably wouldn't even want to come."

"Sigh, he's a good child."

Hearing her mother's sigh, Jiang Nannan recalled how Tang Ya had lavishly praised Huo Yuhao's cooking back at the academy. For some reason, she found herself looking forward to dinner.

"Mom, Xiao Ya said Yuhao is an amazing cook. We might be in for a treat tonight."

"Really?"

Mother Jiang was curious as well. But once she entered the kitchen and saw Huo Yuhao's knife skills, which were even more practiced than her own, all her doubts vanished completely.

Throughout the entire process, her only role was to fetch various utensils and seasonings for Huo Yuhao. She was practically his kitchen helper.

As she watched Huo Yuhao bustling about, Mother Jiang suddenly seemed to remember something. Her face flushed red. She cautiously glanced outside the kitchen first, and only after seeing Jiang Nannan cleaning the bedroom without paying attention to this side did she muster her courage and turn to the boy standing with his back to her.

"Yuhao."

"Hmm?"

Huo Yuhao paused mid-motion and instinctively turned around. Seeing Mother Jiang's deeply embarrassed expression, he froze.

"What is it, Auntie?"

"Well... it's just..."

Whenever the words reached her lips, Mother Jiang felt an intense wave of shame surge through her.

"It's just that... after my heart was cured, I seem to have... some aftereffects."

"Aftereffects?"

Huo Yuhao was slightly stunned. She had clearly been perfectly healthy when he examined her earlier.

"Auntie, don't get worked up. Tell me exactly what symptoms you have."

"Don't tell Nannan about this... It's just that certain places keep... keep..."

At Huo Yuhao's words, Mother Jiang's embarrassment deepened. She stammered for a long time before finally explaining her condition. During the process, she felt as though her soul had been sublimated through the sheer extremity of her shame, and her voice gradually steadied.

Simply put, her skin had gotten thicker.

As for Huo Yuhao, the listener, he had already gone blank.

No matter how hard he tried, he could never have imagined such a bizarre aftereffect existed.

Could it be some kind of naturally sensitive constitution?

For some reason, Huo Yuhao suddenly recalled that perky little bud standing in his palm after he had treated her heart a few days ago. But Mother Jiang's voice immediately pulled him back to reality.

"I've tried quite a few methods these past few days, but none seem to work very well. I wanted to ask whether you have any ideas."

I have no idea!

Huo Yuhao really wanted to say that this was already beyond his field of knowledge. But seeing Mother Jiang's shy yet troubled expression, he felt he should still think of a solution.

After an intense mental storm, Huo Yuhao suddenly had an idea. He raised his head and looked at Mother Jiang hesitantly.

"How about... Auntie, you try drinking?"

"Drinking?"

Seeing Mother Jiang's confusion, Huo Yuhao coughed twice and explained in a serious tone, "Auntie's condition should be caused by your body being overly sensitive. It needs a long period of adjustment, and if you want to speed up that process, you can appropriately give it some stronger stimulation..."

"Moderate drinking can accelerate blood circulation, so it should help with your... well, aftereffects."

Simply put, once the body had weathered a few storms, this little fuss naturally would not have much effect anymore.

"I understand. Thank you, Yuhao."

Mother Jiang's eyes lit up in understanding. She nodded gratefully at him before walking out of the kitchen.

After a brief sound of conversation between mother and daughter, the front door opened and closed. Mother Jiang then returned to the kitchen. As she continued helping him, she let out a helpless sigh.

"That girl said she was worried and insisted on going to buy the wine for me."

Huo Yuhao smiled. "Nan Nan-jie is worried about you, Auntie."

Mother Jiang sounded somewhat dejected. "This illness of mine has caused her so much worry. Ever since Nannan started school, she only comes home for about a month a year, yet she's always been staying at the Medical Hall with me. It's really been hard on her."

Then Mother Jiang seemed to think of something. She stopped chopping vegetables, turned toward him, and said with a smile, "Yuhao, I heard you live in Heaven Dou City too. Come visit when you have time. Nannan is at school, and I'm alone in the house most of the time. If you come around often, it'll make the place feel livelier."

Huo Yuhao chuckled and nodded. "Sure. When I have time, I'll come mooch meals off you, Auntie. Just don't chase me away."

"What are you saying? I couldn't welcome you more."

By the time Jiang Nannan returned with the wine, the final dish had just been placed on the table.

"Nannan, come eat. Today's dishes are guaranteed to be so good you'll swallow your tongue."

Jiang Nannan was stunned when she saw the dishes on the table, which looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful.

"Mom, did you make all this?"

Seeing her daughter's shocked gaze, Mother Jiang blushed. "Stop looking. Yuhao made all of it. I only helped out."

She had said she would be the one treating him to a meal, yet the guest she had invited had ended up cooking everything himself. Already thin-skinned, she felt even more embarrassed.

"Yuhao made all of it?"

Jiang Nannan instinctively looked at Huo Yuhao. "Yuhao, you already know how to cook at such a young age? Where did you learn?"

"I usually like figuring things out on my own. Luckily, I have a little talent for it... Hurry and try it. See how it tastes."

At that, Jiang Nannan gently picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and placed it in her mouth. Her eyes instantly lit up, and she could not help looking at Huo Yuhao.

"Yuhao, now I know why Xiao Ya keeps praising your cooking. This is far more than just a little talent."

"As long as it suits your taste."

Huo Yuhao smiled. Beside him, Mother Jiang took the wine Jiang Nannan handed over and teased with a smile, "You two are still young, so you'll have to make do with fruit juice."

Looking at the bottle of wine, Jiang Nannan seemed to think of something and asked hesitantly, "Mom, have you ever had alcohol before?"

Mother Jiang paused. "I don't think so."

But then she waved it off, poured herself a small glass, and said nonchalantly, "It's fine. I'll just drink a little. With Yuhao here, nothing will happen."

Everything had a first time, after all. Besides, compared to being tormented by those aftereffects and having to change her underwear several times a day, what was a little alcohol?

Half an hour later.

Mother Jiang had been laughing and chatting with them one second, then collapsed onto the dining table the next without the slightest warning, her mouth still mumbling something incomprehensible. Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan instinctively exchanged a glance, and for a moment, both fell into deep thought.