Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 853 - 100: Yuanxiao Classmate’s Talent Show

In the evening, when Wang Yunxiao followed Mu Yuming back home, Li Mumu felt incredibly conflicted.

She really wanted to curse, but she had to maintain her image in front of her parents.

"Uncle invited me over for dinner."

"And you came empty-handed?"

"Not empty-handed."

Wang Yunxiao had bought a lot of things on the street. In the dead of winter, there weren’t many fresh vegetables or fruits, so he bought some dried goods like red dates and walnuts, as well as some smoked chicken and marinated meat.

Ha...

Which of these were bought for me?

Li Mumu shot him a scrutinizing look.

None.

Wang Yunxiao shrugged helplessly.

Coming to your house for dinner, of course I have to focus on your parents’ preferences—buying you gifts wouldn’t make much sense, would it?

"We happened to run into each other, and I heard Yuanxiao is now also working as a government officer for the new administration. That deserves some celebration. Initially, we planned to eat out, but I thought we’re not outsiders, so we decided to have a family dinner back here."

Mu Yuming pretended not to notice the silent exchange of glances between the two and said matter-of-factly, "Mumu, go get some slippers."

"We don’t have any."

Li Mumu replied coldly, "We don’t have that many slippers at home anyway, and the floor isn’t clean regardless—just wear shoes inside."

That was an honest truth.

Over the past few days, various relatives had taken turns visiting, leaving the house in a complete mess, with cigarette ash, mud, and sunflower seed shells scattered everywhere.

Li Ya certainly wouldn’t lift a finger to clean up; she hid in her bedroom and wouldn’t come out.

Mu Yuming, in trying to accommodate her lifestyle, had hired a woman named Nanny Wu to help tidy up the house.

In the past, the maids and housekeepers in wealthy households were all trained and nurtured within the family, which is why their services were attentive and meticulous.

Nowadays, there aren’t professional training institutions, and if you casually hire a middle-aged woman off the street, don’t expect premium service standards.

Of course, there was another reason: From the beginning, Mu Yuming hadn’t planned to hire one of those overly shrewd housekeepers.

The household composition was already complicated enough; no need to invite more trouble.

So this Nanny Wu... while she was quite honest and capable of working, she wasn’t overly diligent.

The house wasn’t cleaned to a high standard.

After Li Mumu and Jiang Yinyin returned home, they spent an entire day doing a deep clean—and now, Mumu was still rolling up her sleeves, mop in hand.

It was perfectly understandable to be in a bad mood.

You could’ve at least bought me a piece of cake!

In front of her parents, Wang Yunxiao didn’t dare communicate excessively with the Eldest Miss Li. He put down the goods in his hands, obediently walked up to Li Ya, and politely greeted her.

Li Ya responded with a warm smile.

"Ah, Wang is here! I was just talking to Mumu this morning. You brought her home, but didn’t even come upstairs for a visit. This girl plays so wildly outside that she’s completely lost her manners..."

You’re lying! You didn’t say anything like that!

Hypocritical adults.

Li Mumu glared angrily, but Li Ya ignored her.

"How’s your health, Auntie?"

"Doing just fine... Mumu, stop mopping the floor; go boil some water and make tea!"

"No need, no need!"

Are we not supposed to have maids in this house?

What’s with your attitude today? Did you eat some rat poison?

Li Mumu turned to glance at Jiang Yinyin, who deftly dashed to the kitchen without a word.

Meanwhile, Li Ya continued chatting with Wang Yunxiao.

"Mumu’s been away for so long; we’re so grateful for your care."

"Oh no, no, Li Mumu is really capable—there’s nothing much I could help her with."

"Actually, we’ve always been worried about her, afraid she’d suffer or face hardships out there. But you know her temperament..."

You! Are! Lying!

Why is everyone acting here?

What’s that? I’m acting too?

Sigh, Mad at this exhausting charade—the world might as well just end.

Mu Yuming took off his coat, settled onto the sofa, and instructed Nanny Wu, "Take care of the prepared deli meats and find the wine I brought back a few days ago. Oh, and Mumu, Yuanxiao said he wanted to personally cook a couple of dishes to show off his skills—let him try."

Oh, so now you’re coming to my house to cook?

Li Mumu squeezed the mop in her hand and hissed through her teeth, "A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen. This kind of crude work shouldn’t be left to Commander Wang! I’ll do it!"

"No, no, no—it’s not crude at all."

Wang Yunxiao grinned shamelessly, "Uncle Mu doesn’t treat me like an outsider; that’s why he’s letting me into the kitchen."

If he dared deny me this opportunity to show off, well, don’t blame me for spreading rumors outside.

Li Mumu raised her eyebrows. "I’ve known you for so long, and I didn’t know you could cook!"

Don’t you usually bully Dumpling into cooking?

Wang Yunxiao responded solemnly, "It’s never too late to find out now."

"What are you cooking? Tomato and egg stir-fry?"

"Auntie probably prefers lighter dishes now, right?"

"Anything’s fine."

Li Ya smiled warmly, "As long as it’s Chinese food, I’m easy to please—I’m not picky like Mumu."

"Does the house have tofu and gluten?"

"Make a list and ask Nanny Wu to buy them—it’s just across the street at the grocery store."

Wang Yunxiao wasted no time getting started.

The kitchen in Mu Yuming’s house wasn’t short on ingredients—money wasn’t an issue for this family.

But Nanny Wu wasn’t skilled at handling food, so she only made simple dishes. Common ingredients like tofu and gluten were already stocked and didn’t need to be purchased.

A truly professional chef doesn’t require you to prepare mountains of rare ingredients days in advance and then whip up a grand feast with a whirlwind of effort.

Instead, they work with what’s at hand, ensuring the flavor while keeping the process efficient.

Otherwise, by the time you finish carving a flower into a winter melon, it’ll be the next morning.

Wang Yunxiao apparently had some idea of this.

There’s an old saying: there are no men who can’t cook, only men too lazy to cook.

As long as there’s no emotional baggage, it’s like solving a formula—knowing some basic facts, the dishes you make won’t be too bad.

It’s like driving: as long as you don’t take drugs, get drunk, or drive while exhausted, male drivers generally have fewer accidents on the road.

On the contrary, female drivers have much lower accident rates compared to male drivers, but when something does happen... it’s often inexpressibly odd.

Wang Yunxiao scanned the kitchen ingredients and had already formulated a plan.

At this moment, Li Mumu followed him in, squinted her eyes, and muttered, "Why didn’t you learn from your wife’s cooking, then?"

"Don’t talk nonsense! I don’t have a wife."

Outside, they could joke around as much as they wanted, but within the house and within earshot of Uncle and Aunt, any misunderstandings wouldn’t be good.

Li Mumu snorted coldly, "So you can cook, huh? Such a show-off, huh? Fine, I want delicious food!"

"What counts as delicious food?"

"Guess!"

"How about caramelized sweet potatoes?"

Li Mumu curled her lips, thought for a while, but didn’t object.

"Anything else?"

"A plate of caramelized sweet potatoes isn’t enough for you?"

"It’s not! I love seafood."

"You want me to dive into the sea to catch some fish for you now? How about Eight Treasures Tofu?"

"How long would that take you? We’re all waiting for you here!"

"Don’t worry about that; just tell me whether you want it or not."

"Sure."

(The gentle and virtuous Madam Li, illustration by Assistant Writer)