When I returned to the dining room, Wang Rui was eating. She spotted me right away and waved her hand as if summoning a servant, her entire demeanor radiating dominance.

I stood opposite her and asked, "What is it?"

She had ordered casually tonight, just two dishes and a soup, a nutritious combination of vegetables and meat. After swallowing the food in her mouth, she replied, "I just got you leave approved."

"They agreed?"

"Yeah, Mom said she feels better about me going out with you."

"Let me know the exact date when you've decided."

"Got it. Now, leave me alone and let me eat."

Just a moment ago, she had been using a consultative tone, but instantly her face darkened and she turned into a witch. Although I'm thirty-one, I've probably had too little contact with girls like this in reality. I used to drift through nightclubs, where the women were all trying to please me, so I'm confused. Are Pei Shi Yu and Wang Rui the normal type of women, or are the nightclub girls just putting on an act? But on closer thought, surely the latter is the true face of real life!

I wiped away the smile that had just appeared on my face and turned straight towards the kitchen. The cooks were all busy stir-frying dishes, and my mother was helping out, chopping Chinese cabbage. I walked up to her, immediately took the knife, and started separating the leaves from the stalks, copying her movements.

"Aren't you tired of running around like this?"

"Tired, but what can I do? If I promised, I have to follow through. You don't need to deliver the meals starting tomorrow."

"Did she get tired of eating them?" My mother's reaction was the same as mine.

"No, she's going abroad."

"Sounds like her family is well-off."

I didn't answer. If I had a choice, I would rather Pei Shi Yu's family was poorer. As an older single man, maybe I'd have a slight advantage then, but as it is now, I don't even dare to dream. Education, family background, and social experience, I'm not winning in any category.

My mother didn't leave, her eyes carefully observing my technique. She immediately corrected me if my movements were wrong. The fact that I've improved so quickly in eight days is also thanks to her hands-on teaching.

"Wang Rui said you want to go to Germany too?"

My head started to spin, and I started talking big. "Yeah, I'll take the opportunity to check out the overseas market. If conditions allow, I'll open up the country and spread our Chinese cuisine abroad, and keep it authentic."

"It's good to have ideals, but Mom hopes you can do well in the domestic market first."

"That's because you don't have any expectations for me. If Your Xiang said that, you would definitely say he has ideas, right?"

"As long as you manage the domestic market well, I won't stop you from developing in any way."

"When are you going to hand over the reins?" I stopped what I was doing and looked at her.

"It's too early now, otherwise, my decades of hard work would be ruined in your hands. Letting you into the kitchen is just the first step. There's too much for you to learn."

"You stay here so late every day, does Old Wang cook for himself?"

"He has a lot of social engagements. The days you went were right after the Spring Festival. Once work started, how could I see him? The last time I saw Li Rui was when he made time for it."

"Are you satisfied with Li Rui?"

"I'm quite satisfied. Old Wang should approve too. He mentioned him last night."

"I think they're a good match."

"Then you hurry up too. You could make excuses before and say you didn't have the conditions, but now that the platform is set up for you, finding a girl shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"The problem is that I don't like them. The cultured ones think I'm not good enough for them, and the ordinary ones don't give me any feeling. It's a dilemma. I'll focus on my career first."

While we were talking, the cook put another basket of shiitake mushrooms in front of me and instructed, "Slice them."

"Got it, for stir-fried vegetables."

My mother places great importance on my personal life. I thought we had already skipped this topic, but no, she circled back to it and said, "There are a lot of girls in Wang Rui's workplace..."

I immediately remembered the burst of laughter from last time. Although I didn't know what they were laughing at, I didn't want to get in contact with women from different social classes. There's no point of intersection, no common topics. The thought of actually marrying one is terrifying. For me, to be together, feeling is the most important thing. You can say I'm not down-to-earth, but I can't help it. That's just my personality; I'm sensory-oriented.

"Your Xiang has a girlfriend, what are you still worrying about?" I replied blandly.

"I don't know what that kid is thinking. He got a foreign girlfriend. When he brings her back, how are we going to communicate with each other? Old Wang is very excited and supports him, telling him to bring her back as soon as he graduates."

"Does he speak English?"

"He's been working hard to learn it recently. He knew a little before because of work, but lately, he's been cramming like crazy. He wears headphones every day before going to sleep and even makes me study with him."

"If you don't study, you're not keeping up with the times. Do you want to have a dumb conversation in the future?"

My mother suddenly smiled happily. This kind of heartfelt laughter made it obvious that she was very satisfied with Your Xiang's girlfriend, and she was also filled with anticipation.

I started to tease her, "Don't smile so happily in front of me."

"Mom will communicate with your wife in the future, so you have to keep it in mind, otherwise, I'll be ostracized by the whole family. You should rent out that house over there. Wouldn't it be better to move back and live here?"

"I'm a little uncomfortable. I haven't even found that normal mother-son affection with you, let alone spending time with Old Wang."

"Wouldn't you also have a barrier with Wang Rui?"

"Not really. I'm closer to her than I am to you. Her personality doesn't make people feel distant. Now we're like old friends; we talk about everything."

"Don't underestimate her. She's very capable at work. Old Wang might scold her in life, but he often consults Wang Rui at work."

"But her work environment is a bit harsh."

"That's our family's way of educating people. Neither you nor Wang Rui will enjoy special privileges because of any relationship. It'll be the same when Your Xiang comes back. He has to start from the bottom."

I deliberately drew out my voice and replied, "Got it, isn't that what I'm doing? You should go home and keep Old Wang in check, otherwise, it'll be annoying if he runs away at your age."

"He's not Lin Hai. I never worry or speculate about that kind of thing."

"You're too confident."

He didn't say much about this issue, his face full of indifference. This kind of performance and confidence also reflect Old Wang's character. I think the best marriage should be like this, where you don't have to doubt or be suspicious, and you don't have to guard against unnecessary things.

She looked at my face for a while and said, "You look like me, much more handsome than Your Xiang, with three-dimensional and delicate features."

"You don't say that about yourself. At one point, I even suspected that Lin Hai wasn't your biological father."

My mother just smiled...

Since I came to the restaurant, I have also been able to appreciate that she is especially attentive to me, accompanying me until the last moment every day, eating together, and summarizing the restaurant's business model and management methods, so that I can quickly integrate into the entire team.