The two women outside had no faith in Zhan Mohan's cooking. They had as little confidence in his culinary skills as they had in his business acumen.
Of course, it wasn't just them. The other Zhan, already busy in the kitchen for a long time, wearing an apron, was also filled with 200% doubt.
"Brother, why don't you go out and keep the sister-in-law company? I can do it myself."
Zhan Yichen didn't say it directly, but the disbelief on his face betrayed his truest inner thoughts.
How could Zhan Mohan stand to be doubted like this, especially by Wei Yumeng first? No matter what, he was determined to make a decent dish today.
He imitated Zhan Yichen, rolling up his sleeves. "What can I do to help?"
Seeing his determined posture, Zhan Yichen knew it was inevitable and inwardly lamented. He took another apron from the drawer. "Let me tie the apron for you first."
As the saying goes, a craftsman must sharpen his tools before he can do his work. Zhan Mohan looked at the apron in his hand and nodded solemnly, then spread his arms, letting him tie the apron around him.
Wei Yumeng, who had been peeking, captured this scene with her phone. Suddenly inspired, she immediately took her phone to make an emoji.
Unaware of all this, Zhan Mohan, dedicated to showcasing his culinary prowess, was now fully focused on the kitchen.
"What should I make?"
He seemed a bit dissatisfied that he couldn't lend a hand at all.
Zhan Yichen looked around and placed a basket of vegetables in front of him. "Why don't you wash the vegetables first?"
Washing vegetables was clearly a task that required no special skills. Zhan Mohan didn't think he could fail at it. He took the vegetables to the sink and immediately began rinsing and meticulously rubbing the leaves under the running water.
Zhan Yichen also felt it was a task that required no special skills, so he confidently handed it over to him.
However, when he looked over to check on the situation, he was met with a sink full of green water.
He rushed over and saw that the vegetable leaves were almost rubbed to pieces. He instantly got a headache.
"Brother, don't you think the color of this water is wrong?"
Zhan Mohan was confused and didn't think anything was wrong.
Zhan Yichen scratched his head in frustration. "Brother, doesn't biology class say that you've squeezed out the vacuoles in their cells? There won't be any nutrients left when we eat them."
Perhaps this complex explanation was easier for Zhan Mohan to understand. He looked at the vegetable leaves in his hand, slightly embarrassed. "What should we do then?"
Zhan Yichen pressed his forehead. He had been too careless this time. All the vegetables had been ruined by him. They could only eat these imperfect ones today.
He forced a smile. "Let's just go with it. It's still edible."
Zhan Mohan knew he wasn't cut out for cooking, but he had confidently told Wei Yumeng he could. It would be too embarrassing to leave the kitchen so quickly.
So, he stayed in the kitchen to assist, making it harder for Zhan Yichen. However, luckily, he knew his limitations, and his "help" wasn't too much of a hindrance. This meal was only a bit slower than planned, the taste was a bit off, and the presentation was slightly lacking.
As they sat down to eat, Wei Yumeng and Mu Linjing almost burst into laughter when they saw the plate of stir-fried greens. It was obvious that this was Zhan Mohan's masterpiece.
Zhan Mohan's face darkened. Seeing this, Mu Linjing could only stifle her laughter, as the boss had just promoted her.
Wei Yumeng was very interested in the plate of greens but hesitated to pick up her chopsticks. This displeased Zhan Mohan. He directly picked up some and put it on her plate. "Yumeng, eat more. I made this especially for you."
This put Wei Yumeng in a difficult position. After all, she had provoked him, leading to this situation. In a way, this meal also bore her responsibility.
After her eyes darted between everyone, she decided to face it head-on.
To be honest, the taste was somewhat indescribable. However, to encourage Zhan Mohan, she forced a smile that looked more like a grimace than a real smile, and offered the most insincere compliment: "Well done. Keep up the good work, and you'll do even better."
Sensing her discomfort, Zhan Mohan didn't expose her, but simply smiled and said, "Okay, from now on, when we're home, I'll often cook for you."
Hearing this, Wei Yumeng knew her future would not be easy. She suspected that if Zhan Mohan suddenly got the urge, such a dish could appear at any time.
Since she was the one who provoked him first, she could only resign herself to her fate.
The meal ended in an atmosphere of mutual polite flattery. With the intention of letting Mu Linjing rest well, Wei Yumeng and the others didn't stay long. Having gotten used to taking care of the children, Wei Yumeng now felt like a needle was pricking her heart if she didn't see her babies for a long time.
Perhaps mothers in the lactation period all felt this way. Wei Yumeng worried that if this continued, would she still be unable to adapt when the twins no longer needed her constant care?
Before giving birth, she had decided to gradually shift her focus back to work after the children were weaned.
Now, it seemed that her mindset before and after childbirth was vastly different. Perhaps in the future, she would lose that ambition.
A woman without a career, only a family, was like a duckweed without roots. This thought filled her with anxiety about the future.
She didn't want to be the woman behind Zhan Mohan, who only took care of the family, disconnected from society, and only knew about shopping and spas. Therefore, she decided to start making changes gradually, beginning with some part-time jobs that didn't require her to be in the office.
Even though there was no talk of "contributing to household expenses" in the Zhan family, she didn't want to feel like someone who couldn't create value.
Finding part-time jobs related to her profession wasn't difficult. After a few days of gathering information, organizing, and contacting potential employers, she found a decent job and had a good conversation with them. She was satisfied with both the time commitment and the salary, so the matter was settled.
She hadn't told Zhan Mohan about this. She had intended to tell him when he got home, so she first called Mu Linjing.
On the phone, Mu Linjing's voice sounded low, as if she wasn't in high spirits. When she heard Wei Yumeng share her good news, her tone of happiness for her didn't sound genuine.
Wei Yumeng knew that Mu Linjing couldn't keep things to herself. If she was this dejected, something must have happened.
"Linjing, what's wrong? You can tell me if you're unhappy."
Mu Linjing didn't want to tell her about these things, only saying that she couldn't adapt to her new position. But Wei Yumeng felt that this wasn't the truth.