Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 137. Itching to try

Having fallen behind his son, Old Man Hua glared at Hua Chengtian, but his chopsticks were just as quick in reaching for the greens on the table.

Old Lady Hua and Mrs. Qi were also unwilling to fall behind, so they extended their chopsticks as well.

Then they all collectively fell silent.

Almost in unison, their eyes turned to the wide-eyed Hua Jin.

It wasn’t as hard to swallow as they thought. Aside from being slightly salty, the greens were stir-fried to be fresh and crispy. For a young girl cooking for the first time, it could be called perfect.

The response to Hua Jin, aside from Mrs. Qi urging her daughter to eat quickly, was that none of them stopped reaching for the dishes with their chopsticks. Seeing this, Hua Jin’s appetite grew, and she happily sipped her porridge with a smile.

The meal was finished in silence, and even the beef dipping sauce was completely mopped up by Hua Chengtian with a piece of flatbread, using his actions to tell his daughter how tasty it was, and then he gave her a thumbs-up.

"Our Jin’er made it so delicious, dad’s stuffed." Hua Chengtian patted his belly.

How could he not be full? He ate two more flatbreads and drank another bowl of porridge than usual.

Not only him, but even the old man and the others ate more than usual, just to show how delicious the food was.

However, after eating well, a few people felt a bit distressed. They had eaten too much, which meant they’d use more grain. Although the family’s conditions at the moment were not an issue, one must still be frugal in life. With three meals a day and almost always a meat dish, even a landlord’s family wouldn’t live like this.

So, getting stuffed is okay occasionally.

Just after the son finished speaking, Old Lady Hua, who was feeling a bit distressed, also spoke up.

"That’s because our Jin’er is so clever, everything she does turns out great, her cooking is simply amazing, much better than what your grandma and mother make. Look, granny ate so much she couldn’t help but get stuffed. But cooking is hot, tiring, full of grease and smoke, and most importantly, it’s dangerous. Our Jin’er is still young; cooking should be left for a couple of years later. There’ll be plenty of opportunities to help out in the future, and grandpa, grandma, and your mom and dad aren’t willing to let our Jin’er work so hard at such a young age."

"Yes, yes," Mrs. Qi quickly nodded as if nodding a bit slower would somehow increase her daughter’s interest in cooking.

Her daughter’s thoughtfulness and filial piety made Mrs. Qi, as a mother, genuinely happy from the bottom of her heart, as if she had eaten honey. Yet when she thought about how much they had eaten just to please their daughter, she felt a pang of heartache. If the child cooked more often, the family’s grain would surely deplete quickly. Of course, the most important concern was accidentally getting hurt. This child was too generous with the oil, and the best outcome would be to keep her out of the kitchen.

"Your grandma is right. We know you are thoughtful and feel for us. Dad, mom, and grandpa, grandma couldn’t be happier. But dad, mom, grandpa, grandma also worry about you. You’re still young, and if you get burned or hurt while cooking, dad, mom, and grandpa, grandma couldn’t even work in the field with peace of mind. Don’t you agree, Jin’er?"

As expected of a mother, she knows her daughter best and knows what the child cares about the most. She even used the bitter trick.

Sigh! Mrs. Qi really racked her brains to dissuade her child from thinking about cooking.

"Yes, what your grandma and mom said is right. You’re too young to be cooking. Dad and mom really can’t be at ease, and our minds would be elsewhere when working in the field. If you really want to be caring, just pick the vegetables and make sure dad, mom, grandpa, and grandma have hot water to drink when they get home. The rest, your mom can handle," Hua Chengtian quickly added, realizing he had to chime in.

It’s not that we pity the family’s grain too much; it’s just that our delicate, soft, and fair daughter isn’t meant for cooking. Not to mention the danger, but the oil and smoke would take away that delicate softness over time. How could she stay white and tender then?

Ever since our daughter’s birth, she’s been brought up with utmost care. Even a thorn in her hand made me feel distressed. If she got burned or splashed with oil, wouldn’t that break my heart!

Cooking is absolutely out of the question.

With everything being said, Old Man Hua could only nod in agreement. freewebnσvel.cѳm

With her mother and daughter-in-law, there’s no need for the precious granddaughter to make food.

Anyway, Old Man Hua couldn’t bear the thought of his granddaughter being tired, not even from cooking.

Over at Hua Jin’s side, she found herself amused yet exasperated as she looked at her most beloved family members.

Why did she feel like her family was racking their brains trying to persuade her not to cook, not just because it was dangerous!

However, grandpa, grandma, dad, and mom were really overthinking it today. It was just a spur of the moment thing, thinking of giving them a break since there wasn’t much to do. But if she had to be in the kitchen every day, especially with the temperature rising day by day, even though she had good perseverance, she’d only cook occasionally even in the past. Long-term commitment wasn’t something Hua Jin was confident about.

But seeing her family trying to convince her, Hua Jin couldn’t help but feel playful and wanted to tease them.

It was to add some fun to life, otherwise, things would be too monotonic and boring.

The small face’s smile gradually faded, and her expression turned downcast.

"Grandpa, grandma, dad, mom, don’t lie to me. I know my food must not taste good, and you’re just saying this so I won’t feel bad. I understand, I won’t cook anymore." Hua Jin pursed her lips, glanced at them, and lowered her head, noticeably more dejected.

Given their past experiences, although they knew she might be teasing them, Old Man Hua and the others couldn’t stand seeing their granddaughter upset or downhearted, and they immediately became anxious.

Especially Hua Chengtian, the daughter nut, who practically indulged his daughter in every possible way. He couldn’t stand seeing his daughter even a bit unhappy.

Seeing his daughter looking dejected made him more upset than if he were unhappy himself, and he quickly sat beside her, waving his hands.

"How could it not taste good, it’s incredibly delicious. Daddy loves it," he was so nervous that he even repeated himself, "Daughter, daddy has never lied to you. You’re daddy’s precious pearl, cherished dearly, cooking is no trifling matter—not only is it hot, there’s also oil involved. You’ve never done this before, and we’re just too worried. And it’s not like we’re saying not to let you cook; it’s just that cooking for so many people by yourself would be very tiring."

"Really, you really aren’t saying Jin’er’s cooking is awful?"

Hua Chengtian, Old Man Wang, along with Old Lady Hua and Mrs. Qi nodded in unison.

"Alright, maybe I was overthinking it. But you did make a good point; I’ll wait until both grandma and mom are around to help then." Though she really wanted to tease everyone, in the end, Hua Jin couldn’t bear to see her doting family get all tense because of her mischief, so she didn’t hold back and began to laugh.

Smiles are contagious. Watching her, Old Man Hua and Old Lady Hua visibly relaxed, and they laughed along together.

Old Lady Hua gave her granddaughter an affectionate scold, saying, "You child, if you pull this trick again, granny will actually spank you next time!" She raised her hand, feigning a few swings without intending to land a hit on her dear granddaughter.

"Granny..." Hua Jin drew out her soft, long-toned voice and leaned into Old Lady Hua’s arms with a grin.

In any case, she didn’t believe her granny would actually hit her. Granddaughters as filial, cute, sensible, and smart as she was were quite rare.

Her self-assured demeanor really made people itch to reach out, and Old Lady Hua’s swinging hand ended up gently pinching her granddaughter’s cheek.