Lin Jianxia Was a Girl Who Could Be a Mother

Sunday morning.

Lin Jianxia stood outside Jiang Yubai's door and knocked softly.

Knock, knock, knock.

After several crisp knocks, there was no movement inside.

That was only natural. It was not even seven yet, and Jiang Yubai had said yesterday that on weekends, he would not get up until he woke naturally. How could he possibly come open the door at this hour?

Lin Jianxia patiently knocked a few more times. After confirming there was no response, she took the key from her pocket.

With a click, the lock opened.

She cautiously leaned half her body inside. The curtains in the living room were drawn, the light was dim, and the place was utterly silent. That guy was probably still snoring away in his bedroom.

Silently saying, "Excuse me," Lin Jianxia finally stepped inside.

Her gaze lingered briefly on the tightly shut bedroom door before she lightened her steps and headed straight for the kitchen.

She opened the refrigerator, which was packed full of the ingredients she and Jiang Yubai had bought yesterday.

The sight of such abundant supplies brightened Lin Jianxia's mood without her realizing it, and the corners of her lips lifted.

Back in her rented apartment, what she worried about most was the daily meals for herself and her little sister.

She herself was fine. The cafeteria at least had cheap steamed buns, mantou, and rice porridge. But her little sister could not go hungry, and she even had to make a variety of dishes for her.

But after tuition and rent, there was hardly any money left in her hands. She could only live frugally.

Whenever she watched the food in the refrigerator dwindle bit by bit, anxiety would rise uncontrollably in her heart, yet she had no one to tell.

And a refrigerator stuffed this full made her feel incredibly secure.

What should she make Jiang Yubai for breakfast...?

Her eyes swept across the assortment of ingredients, and Lin Jianxia knitted her brows slightly.

I forgot to ask what he liked yesterday...

She hesitated before the refrigerator for a while, picking through things, before finally taking out eggs, bacon, toast, some vegetables, and three bottles of milk.

Hmm... I just learned how to make sandwiches. I wonder if I can pull it off.

She tied on an apron and turned on the range hood. Its low hum filled the room.

Lin Jianxia skillfully heated oil in a pan, fried the bacon until fragrant, then poured in beaten eggs and scrambled them until soft and golden.

While the toast browned lightly in the toaster, she quickly layered the ingredients together. Finally, she cut them diagonally—three generously filled sandwiches sat quietly on the plate, golden and appetizing.

Looking at the fairly decent finished product, Lin Jianxia's lips curled up slightly.

Hehe~

After admiring them for a moment, she put the warmed milk and one sandwich into an insulated lunch box. Seeing that the bedroom door was still motionless, she could only purse her lips and return home with the other two servings.

After eating breakfast with her little sister, she returned to Jiang Yubai's place. By then, the hands of the wall clock pointed to 9:10.

Lin Jianxia looked around, then went over and pulled open the curtains. Warm sunlight instantly flooded the living room.

She casually tidied the room, then removed the cover from the throw pillow she had once tossed onto the floor, washed it, and hung it out on the balcony.

After finishing all that, Lin Jianxia sat in the living room and glanced at the bedroom door beside her.

It was still tightly closed, without a single sound coming from within.

He can really sleep.

Lin Jianxia pursed her lips. After thinking for a moment, she took the key from the inner pocket of her clothes and gently placed it on the coffee table.

Staring at that key, she could not help but sigh softly.

Honestly, he has no sense of caution at all...

Who just casually gives someone the key to their home like that?

Isn't he afraid that one day, on a whim, I'll clear out everything in his house?

Though she complained inwardly, looking at the key made her feel inexplicably giddy, as though she had been basking in the afternoon sun, warm all over.

Patting her cheeks, which had somehow grown hot, Lin Jianxia pressed her lips together, propped her chin on her hand, and her thoughts scattered again.

Although Wanwan had agreed... how was she supposed to bring it up with Jiang Yubai?

She could not exactly say, "Jiang Yubai, for my little sister's sake, could you chat with her every night?"

He would definitely think she was being weird.

Whether he was willing was another matter. Strictly speaking, Jiang Yubai had already helped her quite a lot, and now she had to ask him for another favor because of her sister...

She had not even repaid him for the favor of getting her this job.

Could it be that she really had to wear a maid outfit and serve him?

Lin Jianxia quickly shook her head, tossing out the strange images that had suddenly popped into her mind.

She took a deep breath, but could not help looking at the wall clock again.

9:35.

At this hour... even a pig should be awake!

According to their agreement, her task seemed to be merely making breakfast—once it was done and put into the insulated lunch box, she should have completed her assignment perfectly.

Even if it turned cold and no longer tasted good when he got up, was that not his own problem?

But...

Well, she was asking him for a favor, after all.

Besides, as a woman... pfft, as a chef, she had to watch him eat it with her own eyes before the job could truly be considered finished, right?

After turning over all sorts of random thoughts in her head, Lin Jianxia finally made up her mind.

She stood up, went to the kitchen to reheat the sandwiches and milk, then walked to the tightly closed bedroom door.

Jiang Yubai dreamed that he had turned into a koala in a tree, being chased and beaten by a group of squirrels dressed in maid outfits.

The squirrel in the lead stood with her hands on her hips, her voice strangely familiar.

"Jiang Yubai! Are you ever going to bully me again?!"

He clung to a bare branch, trembling, while his mouth was stuffed full of bitter, astringent leaves.

Just as the squirrels were about to pounce—

Knock, knock, knock.

The crisp sound made Jiang Yubai furrow his brows. He squinted instinctively and took a long while before weakly replying,

"...Who is it?"

The knocking stopped for a few seconds, then an annoyed female voice came from outside.

"It's me!"

...Me? Who's me?

That voice... why does it sound a little like that mama squirrel chasing me?

No, wait. I think I was dreaming just now.

Jiang Yubai shook his groggy head. The soft warmth of his blankets dragged him downward, and all he wanted was to sink back into sleep.

It took him quite a while to wake up properly.

Oh... it was Lin Jianxia.

He reached for the phone beside his pillow, squinted at the time, then buried his face back in the pillow, his voice muffled.

"Lin Jianxia... why are you knocking on my door so early in the morning?"

The voice outside sounded indignant.

"It's almost ten o'clock! How is that early in the morning?!"

"Get up and eat. If you don't come out, breakfast will get cold!"

Even half asleep, Jiang Yubai could not help laughing when he heard that.

This Lin Jianxia... why was she acting like his mom?

Or maybe...

Did she really think of herself as his maid?

He shook his head and began considering whether he should get up.

He did want to try Lin Jianxia's breakfast, but the warm blankets on a weekend seemed even more tempting.

After all, breakfast could be reheated and eaten later, but once he lost the warm weekend blankets, he would have to wait until next week to reunite with them.

Perhaps because there had been no movement inside for a while, Lin Jianxia knocked again outside.

"Moshi moshi? You didn't fall asleep again, did you?"

No... why are you so persistent...

Jiang Yubai covered his face with a pillow and spoke lazily.

"Then bring breakfast in here."

The moment he said that, there was no sound outside. It became completely quiet.

She finally left.

Jiang Yubai chuckled, changed positions, and prepared to enjoy a nice second round of sleep.

Just as his consciousness was about to sink into that sweet darkness, a soft click suddenly sounded beside his ear.

...Hm?

It took him about two seconds to realize what that sound was—

The next second, Jiang Yubai's eyes flew open.

Holy shit, you're actually doing it?!