A Warm Dinner

Little Qian Qian ran over happily, tugging at her grandma to play a game.

Ling Yun was thinking about what ingredients to use for a soup. When he saw his mom, he checked her health and found nothing wrong, though she was a little frail and still not in the best of spirits.

Mm, found it. A mushroom like the ones at the market: an Immortal Realm Longevity Mushroom. Eating it regularly promoted longevity and kept one young. Though it was a low-grade ingredient, it was perfect for his mom and Qianqian. He'd use it in tonight's soup, along with a tiny bit of hundred-thousand-year-old purple ginseng. While cooking tonight, he'd give them both a good boost to their constitutions.

The little one watched Ling Yun bustling about in the kitchen. She tugged her grandma close and whispered in her ear, "Grandma, I'll tell you a secret: Daddy's cooking is the best!" She finished with a proud little smile.

Lin Qiuyan figured her granddaughter probably hadn't eaten much good food and was used to Ling Yun's cooking, which was why she said that. She didn't give it much thought.

Before long, the whole house was filled with a delicious aroma.

"Daddy, Daddy, Qianqian's hungry!" The little one caught the scent and forgot all about playing with her grandma. She ran to the kitchen and said in her baby voice, "Qianqian wants a glass of milk first!" She pointed at the steaming hot milk beside her.

"Not yet, okay? It's still too hot. Dinner will be ready in five minutes, so wait a little longer." Ling Yun smiled and patted her little head.

A cozy dinner: a soup, a pot of milk, a serving of egg fried rice, a serving of Pacific saury, a serving of mapo tofu, boiled cabbage, braised chicken, and sweet-and-sour pork ribs.

Lin Qiuyan was utterly astonished. How had her son gotten so good at this? The dishes looked absolutely perfect; surely they tasted just as good.

Even the prettiest food was meant to be eaten. Lin Qiuyan sat down, and Ling Yun served her a bowl of rice.

"Little Yun's all grown up and knows how to be filial to his mom now, haha!" Lin Qiuyan teased.

What on earth was this? It was way too delicious! This was the first time in her life she'd ever tasted food this good. Had her son really made it? She had to believe it; the proof was right in front of her. It was a hundred times better than anything made by a chef at a five-star hotel. No wonder Qianqian had nearly drooled when she caught the aroma. Mm! And this soup—how could it taste so good?

"Daddy, Daddy."

"What is it, sweetheart?" Ling Yun asked.

"Little Tiger didn't come to dinner. Is he sick? Poor thing."

"It's okay, Qianqian, don't worry. He's just in a bad mood. I'll go have a good talk with him later. You eat your dinner."

"Little Yun, who's Little Tiger?" Lin Qiuyan asked curiously.

Before Ling Yun could answer, Qianqian hurriedly piped up in her baby voice, "He's the pet dog Daddy bought me! We usually eat together. He's one of our family!"

Lin Qiuyan said nothing in response to her granddaughter's explanation.

Ling Yun got up and went upstairs. Less than a minute later, he came back down with a little puppy following behind him.

Seeing him, Qianqian called out, "Little Tiger, come eat!"

"What an adorable little puppy! I think he's a Dharma Hound," Lin Qiuyan said, coming to her senses.

Only then did the puppy scamper over. Why had he come back down to eat? Of course, Ling Yun had promised to give him an "extra serving"! That extra serving was a cup of ten-thousand-year-old Immortal Brew. That was enough to sweep away his earlier gloom, and he came down to eat. The little rascal was over the moon.

Ling Yun gave Qianqian a glass of milk, the little puppy a cup of ten-thousand-year-old Immortal Brew, and his mom a cup of million-year-old Beauty Jade Nectar—diluted, of course.

Lin Qiuyan thought it was a soft drink and didn't refuse. What harm was there in having a sip with such delicious food? The taste was incredible!

"Gulp, gulp, gulp."

It was the same feeling, the same taste as ever. Following his master meant eating and drinking like a king.

What Lin Qiuyan didn't know was that after drinking the Beauty Jade Nectar, her hair was becoming darker and glossier, while the lines around her eyes were slowly fading.

Her complexion was improving, though the changes were subtle. After a night's sleep, they'd be much more obvious. Ling Yun watched his mom's transformation and wondered what excuse he could come up with tomorrow. What a headache!

After dinner, Ling Yun couldn't talk his mother out of it, so he had to leave her with the cleanup.

A car horn sounded outside. Ling Yun went over and saw that the musical instruments, including the piano, had arrived.

Several workers carried everything inside and set it up. Ten-odd minutes later, they were done. He signed for all four sets, then happily wrote down his name.

After seeing them off, Ling Yun was about to close the door.

He didn't feel like going out tonight, after all. Just then, a Ferrari honked and drove in.

The person who got out was none other than Qin Lan, carrying some things in her hand.

Ling Yun muttered to himself that she'd said she was coming tonight and here she was—more punctual than a period.

"Good evening, handsome!" Qin Lan tossed the greeting over with a smile, then headed straight for the living room, leaving Ling Yun bewildered.

Ling Yun: "..."

What was going on? Had she taken the wrong medicine tonight? She was being so nice. Whatever. There was no need to find out what had happened to her.

"Godmother!" The little one saw Qin Lan and jumped off the sofa.

Qin Lan set down her things, scooped her up, and kissed her. "Qianqian, did you miss Mommy?"

"I did."

"Here, look what Mommy brought you."

"Wow, it's the big teddy bear I love!" the little one said happily.

Lin Qiuyan was washing dishes in the kitchen when she heard voices outside—a woman's voice. Then she heard her granddaughter call the woman Mom. Oh heavens, could that be her daughter-in-law? She had to hurry out and have a look.

A pair of long, beautiful legs, a star's face, and a lovely figure. Lin Qiuyan gave Qin Lan a nine out of ten in her mind. So this was Qianqian's mom? She really was beautiful.

"Hello, I'm Ling Yun's mother," Lin Qiuyan said to Qin Lan.

Only then did Qin Lan notice Lin Qiuyan coming out of the kitchen. She politely replied, "Hello."

"Huh? You're Qianqian's grandma? Ling Yun's biological mother?" Qin Lan asked. The woman looked to be in her thirties and was so beautiful that Qin Lan could hardly believe it.

"Yes, Ling Yun is my biological son."

After hearing her confirm it, Qin Lan's face filled with disbelief.

"That's right! Grandma's son is Daddy!" Qianqian chimed in.

"You're Qianqian's mother?" Lin Qiuyan asked uncertainly.

Qin Lan noticed the way Lin Qiuyan was looking at her. It was unmistakably the way someone looked at her future daughter-in-law. She realized there'd been a huge misunderstanding.

"Auntie, I'm not Qianqian's birth mother. She chose me as her godmother."

She finished speaking, embarrassed, her face bright red.

"Hehe, she chose you!" Little Qian Qian said in her baby voice.

Lin Qiuyan felt embarrassed too. What a huge misunderstanding. She'd even been about to ask some questions.

"Mom, don't be so nosy." Ling Yun had seen right through Lin Qiuyan's thoughts and walked in from outside as he spoke.

"You brat, I'm just looking out for you. Why can't you appreciate it?"

Ling Yun was at a loss for words. Did his mom think he was the sort of man who couldn't get a woman?