Jiang Chan deftly peeled garlic. “My mom really liked this. She had insomnia and struggled to sleep at night, so I made this for her. Lily bulbs help with sleep. At least after she ate this, she could manage a few hours.”
A pause came from Aunt Zhang’s hands. “Xiao Chan, you’re so filial.”
Jiang Chan sighed. “It’s all in the past, so let’s not talk about it. Aunt Zhang, what are you planning to cook today? I noticed Grandpa enjoys meat dishes. Should we make one meat dish and a couple of vegetable sides?”
She had observed it last night. Old Master Lin Yuanshan had a penchant for meat. Although he didn’t eat much, his chopsticks always went for the meat. That wasn’t ideal. At his age, his diet needed to be balanced.
Just then, the old man, having had his nap, raised his voice, “You little girl, are you planning to feed me grass now?”
Turning around, Jiang Chan saw the old man standing by the kitchen, glaring at her indignantly. However, Jiang Chan was unfazed by his gaze. She knew this was all bark and no bite. He would grumble but ultimately give in.
She washed her hands and went over to support the old man’s arm. “I’m doing this for your health. We need to eat vegetables every day, you can’t just eat meat.”
The old man snorted but said nothing, his thoughts drifting to memories of Lin Wan often persuading him to eat more vegetables. Without another word, he followed Jiang Chan out of the kitchen.
Sitting down on the sofa, the old man glanced at the chessboard on the coffee table and then at Jiang Chan across from him. His lips curled into a sly smile. “How about a game of chess? I’ll make you regret meddling in my diet!”
Jiang Chan smirked. “Sure, but let’s make it interesting. I want a wager.”
“What kind of wager? Let’s hear it.”
“If I win, you have to eat vegetables every day, and at night you’ll have to eat bitter melon to reduce internal heat.”
“Deal!” The old man agreed readily but then raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Wait a minute. You just assumed you’d win. What if you lose? You’re that confident?”
Jiang Chan nodded, full of confidence. “If I lose, I’ll cook for you every day. But let me tell you, I won’t lose.”
The old man huffed. “Talk big all you want. Let’s see if you’ll cry when you lose. And let’s be clear, if you cook, I get to choose the menu.”
“Of course.” Jiang Chan glanced at the old man, who looked smug. She silently sympathized with him—bitter melon was definitely on tonight’s menu.
Five minutes later, the old man broke out in cold sweat as he stared at the tightly encircled black stones. Only five minutes? He prided himself on his chess skills, yet under Jiang Chan’s hand, he couldn’t even last a few minutes before it was all over?
This had to be a fluke! He comforted himself with this thought. Jiang Chan, noticing his dissatisfaction, calmly picked up the white pieces. “How about a best of three?”
The old man immediately agreed. “Fine, best of three. That last one didn’t count.”
Jiang Chan smiled as she watched him try to rationalize his defeat.
This time, the old man played cautiously, analyzing every move. He managed to hold out for eight minutes before realizing his black pieces were nearly all gone. How could this happen? He was undefeated in the community! Why did he keep losing to this little girl?
Jiang Chan suggested, “Best of five? You might still have a chance to turn things around.”
The old man was about to agree when a female voice interrupted. “Dad, you should just admit defeat. Xiao Chan is clearly a master. There’s no need to embarrass yourself.”
Both Jiang Chan and Lin Yuanshan looked up to see Liang Chen standing behind Jiang Chan’s sofa, arms crossed. Seeing Jiang Chan look at her, Liang Chen reached out to ruffle her hair. “Good girl. You skills are impressive.”
Jiang Chan feigned modesty. “It’s all thanks to Grandpa’s guidance.”
Liang Chen chuckled. “Your grandpa’s chess skills aren’t even worth mentioning.”
The old man blew his beard in frustration. “What’s wrong with my skills? I’m the best in the community!”
Liang Chen humored him. “Yes, yes, you’re the best.”
Realizing she wasn’t sincere, the old man tossed the black pieces aside in exasperation. Jiang Chan quickly cleaned up the board, dutifully offering compliments. “Grandpa, you’re already very skilled.”
The old man scoffed. “Not as skilled as you.”
Jiang Chan sighed inwardly. Could he not accept losing gracefully? Still, it was amusing to see him like this.
“It’s fine. I’ll play with you more often, Grandpa, as long as you don’t mind me being a nuisance,” she said soothingly, encouraging him to maintain a calm mindset at his age.
Liang Chen noticed Jiang Chan’s dyed blonde hair and frowned slightly. “Xiao Chan, why did you dye your hair blonde?”
Jiang Chan shook her head. “I’ve been thinking of going back to black. It looks better.”
Liang Chen clapped her hands. “Great. I’ll take you to my stylist this afternoon.”
Jiang Chan glanced at Liang Chen’s dark circles. “Auntie, you just got back. Shouldn’t you rest and recover from jet lag? It’s just hair dye. I can get it done anywhere.”
Liang Chen wasn’t having it. “No way. Xiao Chan’s hair deserves proper care. Don’t worry, as long as you’re with me, I won’t feel tired.”
Even the old man chimed in, “Let your aunt take you. Her taste is quite good.”
Outnumbered, Jiang Chan reluctantly agreed. Liang Chen scrutinized her attire. “This outfit is probably one of my sister’s old ones, right? It’s time to get you some new clothes. Let’s take care of everything today.”
The old man glanced at Liang Chen’s bracelet. “And get her some jewelry. She can’t go out looking so plain. People might think we’re mistreating her.”
Jiang Chan laughed. “That’s unnecessary. I’ve never been used to wearing jewelry. My mom bought me a lot before, but I never wore it.”
Thinking of her mother’s belonginShe hadn’t returned to get them, though, and most of them had probably been taken by Jiang Lianyu. But that didn’t matter, she planned to take them back eventually. Her eyes briefly flickered with cold resolve.
Liang Chen readily agreed. With the wealth of the Lin family and her own capabilities, she didn’t mind spending money on Jiang Chan now that they’d grown close.
The old man was a man of his word. Since he had promised to eat more vegetables at lunch, he stubbornly forced himself to take a few bites, frowning the whole time. Only when Jiang Chan nodded in approval did he feel relieved, as if liberated, and vented his frustration by eating a piece of braised pork belly.
When Jiang Chan saw the fatty meat, she narrowed her eyes slightly. Something that greasy shouldn’t be eaten every day. No matter, now that she had moved in, she would take over supervising the old man’s diet.
Watching the back-and-forth between the elder and the younger, Liang Chen found it amusing and ended up eating half a bowl more rice than usual. Being a decisive person, she pulled Jiang Chan out the door as soon as they finished lunch.
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Thank you for the new chapters! Can’t wait for more!