Super Soldier in the City

It wasn't long before Xu Shanshan changed into another set of loungewear, which was identical in color and style to Xu Yingying's. If not for the differences in their head shapes, it would be challenging to tell the two sisters apart when they stood together.

It must be because of the New Year; the heating was turned up especially high, so the temperature in the room was quite warm. Li Yifei was feeling hot in his outfit.

"Brother-in-law, aren't you hot?" Xu Shanshan sat cross-legged on the sofa, popped a grape into her mouth, and asked Li Yifei.

"It's okay," Li Yifei replied casually, but he really did want to change his clothes; he was truly uncomfortable in the suit.

Just then, Xu Yingying's mother walked out of the kitchen and said, "Yingying, haven't you bought Yifei any clothes?"

"I have," Xu Yingying answered confidently.

"Then let Yifei change into them quickly, look, he's sweating."

Xu Yingying uttered an "Oh," and said to Li Yifei, "Go change your clothes. Nobody will say anything about you at home." It really sounded like the exchange between a couple.

Li Yifei agreed and hurried into the bedroom. He changed into the new pajamas he had bought and threw his old clothes onto the bed.

After changing into this set of clothes, Li Yifei felt completely comfortable. His least favorite thing in life was wearing suits, which he found stiff and constricting—not his style at all. He wouldn't have worn a suit if it weren't for Xu Yingying's request.

After coming out, Li Yifei went straight to the kitchen and asked, "Uncle, auntie, do you need help with anything?"

Xu Zhenguo immediately said, "No need, just go watch TV and wait for the meal."

However, Xu Yingying's mother said, "Yifei, can you cook?"

Li Yifei smiled and replied, "Yes, I cook when I'm with Yingying."

"Hehe, then show us your skills. What do you want to make? I'll be your assistant."

"No problem." Li Yifei immediately rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and began cooking.

Li Yifei's cooking skills may not be exceptionally good, but they're definitely something to show off. This preference for cooking was unique to him; he was never picky about anything else. But with food, he had quite the appetite. Over the years, he had sampled all sorts of delicacies and eventually became passionate about cooking himself. Whenever he had some free time, he would buy ingredients and cook, and over time, his culinary skills had actually become rather impressive.

Today presented another opportunity for him to shine, and Li Yifei immediately got to work. The kitchen came alive with the flurry of the knife and the roar of the flames, and in less than an hour, he had transformed the ingredients Xu Yingying's parents had prepared into a sumptuous lunch.

"Wow, brother-in-law, no way, did you make all this?" Sitting at the dining table, Xu Shanshan sniffed the air, took a bite of a rib, and after chewing twice, exclaimed in surprise.

"How is it? Does it suit your taste?" Li Yifei asked with a smile, enjoying the appraisal of the food he had cooked.

"Delicious, delicious, your sweet and sour ribs are way better than my mom's. They're perfectly tangy and sweet, and the meat is tender without being greasy."

"You little rascal, all these years, why do you still love eating what I make?" Xu Yingying's mother laughed and scolded.

"That's because I hadn't tasted anything better." As she spoke, Xu Shanshan sampled each dish, lavishing praise on each bite.

Xu Yingying's mother was the happiest at that moment. She knew very well that Xu Yingying was utterly hopeless in cooking. She had tried to teach her daughter in the past but gave up after a few attempts—burnt dishes or mistaking salt for sugar, no amount of teaching seemed to help. Now that her daughter had found a boyfriend who could cook, it was truly a blessing for her.

Xu Yingying had never expected Li Yifei to be this skillful either. After trying a few bites, she secretly admired his talent but still feigned indifference and said, "Everyone eat, I always eat his cooking; today, you all have to try Yifei's cooking."

However, after eating for a while, Xu Yingying's chopsticks sped up. Li Yifei's culinary skills were certainly no sham; the food was genuinely delicious.

"Sis, you eat my brother-in-law's cooking every day, don't compete with me now."

"Who's competing with you?" Xu Yingying stopped her chopsticks and said, dissatisfied, "Can't I just be hungry?"

Li Yifei saw a slight upward curl at the corners of Xu Shanshan's mouth, and a cunning glint flashed in her eyes. This made Li Yifei always feel like Xu Shanshan had figured something out.

Xu Zhenguo laughed heartily and said, "Little Li, you really are talented. A man who can cook is adaptable. You'll surely make no mistakes in your future endeavors. Come on, today is New Year's, let's all be happy, you and I should have another drink."

Xu Zhenguo enjoyed his liquor but usually didn't drink much, so no one tried to stop him. The two men started drinking merrily, while Xu Shanshan and Xu Yingying kept eating the dishes non-stop.

"Sis, I want to discuss something with you." After eating until she was half full, Xu Shanshan looked towards Xu Yingying with a smile.

"What is it?" Xu Yingying asked.

"After you marry Brother-in-Law, our family of five should live together."

"Do what?" Xu Yingying was confused.

Xu Shanshan said with pride, "That way, I can eat Brother-in-Law's cooking every day."

Xu Yingying's mother laughed and said, "You child, you will have to get married someday, too. Even if your sister and our family live together, wouldn't you have to leave?"

"Why would I? Even if I get married, I want to live at home. It would be so nice if we all lived together."

"Things don't work like that. Yifei is an orphan and will naturally live with us. When you get married, you either live on your own or with your in-laws."

Xu Shanshan immediately said with pride, "Then I'll marry someone who is an orphan too. If he has parents, I won't marry him."

"Nonsense," Xu Yingying's mother scolded with a laugh. However, if such a situation did arise, she would gladly accept it. Although her daughters were grown up, she didn't want them to leave her side. If they could bring their husbands back home after getting married, that would certainly be better.

This time, Xu Zhenguo did not get drunk, for Li Yifei's cooking was very much to his taste. Having eaten a lot of food, he didn't feel like drinking anymore.

After eating, Li Yifei helped to clear the table, but Xu Zhenguo firmly pulled him away, saying, "Let Yingying and the others handle such tasks. Women, you can't spoil them too much. If you don't let them do anything, they won't be able to find their place at home or understand their responsibilities in the family, which is not good for the marriage."

Li Yifei then joined Xu Zhenguo for tea and a game of chess, and by the time they finished, everything had been tidied up, with everyone now sitting in the living room.

"Yifei, when are you and Yingying getting married?" Xu Yingying's mother broached a rather pointed question just after a few words of conversation.

Li Yifei glanced at Xu Yingying and smilingly said, "Auntie, I'm afraid we'll have to wait another two years. Right now, my career is not yet established. If Yingying and I were to marry now, it could hinder her career as well, and I would also feel somewhat inferior."

Xu Yingying's mother immediately said, "What kind of talk is that? What do you have to feel inferior about? I think you're quite good. You're capable both inside and outside the home. You might not earn as much as Yingying, but as long as we have one breadwinner in the family, that's enough. If both of you are career-oriented, then who's going to take care of the home? If you both work outside all the time, coming and going, the home will be cold and empty, which is not good."

Xu Zhenguo promptly interjected, "What you're saying isn't right. If Yingying takes care of things at home while Little Li works outside, that's acceptable. But now Little Li is the one at home, which is very damaging to a man's pride. And considering Yingying's temper, if they had a quarrel and this issue was brought up, there would surely be problems."

Xu Yingying's mother glared at him and said, "That's all old-fashioned thinking. What era are we in now? It's not a given that the man has to work outside and the woman has to manage the household. Just look at our Yingying. Do you think she could stay at home and not work?"

Xu Zhenguo retorted, unyielding, "Do you understand how important a man's pride is?"

"Pride, pride. Can pride put food on the table? It seems to me that even without giving you any pride, you haven't done anything to me," she taunted.

Her words immediately deflated Xu Zhenguo, and after she triumphed over her husband, she continued smilingly to Li Yifei, "Yifei, I'm not looking down on you. You surely know Yingying's temperament. With her personality, she's suited for working outside. If you were to start a business, you'd end up stretched thin, trying to handle both work and home. So it's perfect if you get married now. In the future, if you find something suitable, the two of you can work together on it, which wouldn't be bad."

Li Yifei was considering how to deflect the issue when Xu Yingying chimed in, "Mom, you have to give us some time, don't you? I promise you, we'll get married this year, all right?"

"Good, good. Then later I'll go and pick a date to see when's appropriate." Xu Yingying's mother was already discussing with Xu Zhenguo who they should ask to select an auspicious date.