One hour later.
Boiled pickled fish, sweet and sour pork, Mapo tofu, blanched okra, and fish head tofu soup were laid out on the dining table.
Three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and one soup — a full, hearty meal.
“Wow~~”
Li Ziyang stared at the steaming dishes, drooling.
“Dad, you're amazing!”
Li Ran walked out from the kitchen and joked, “So this already counts as amazing?”
He held two bowls in his hands. Using a ladle, he served a bowl of fish head tofu soup for his wife, then one for his son, and only served himself last.
“Son, this fish head tofu soup boosts brainpower, improves appetite, and is very nutritious. Drink more of it.”
“Daddy is the best!”
Su Bingyao glanced at the kitchen — the counters were neat, the sink spotless, and everything was cleaned to a shine.
“Why didn’t you wait until after dinner to clean up?” she asked curiously.
“I learned this on my phone, clean as you cook. It makes washing up after much easier and less chaotic.”
Li Ran didn’t say it was because of Su Bingyao’s obsessive-compulsive disorder and cleanliness issues that he kept the kitchen so spotless.
But Su Bingyao knew. She knew he was doing it for her.
After all, they had fought plenty in the past because of her OCD and need for cleanliness.
But right now, Su Bingyao felt warm inside, like the warm, milky soup flowing into her heart.
“Son, let me serve your rice.”
“I can do it myself!”
“Haha, good boy. A self-reliant man, I like that.”
Su Bingyao lifted her beautiful eyes. “I’ll serve myself too. You just eat.”
So Li Ran gave up and went to get his own rice.
“Boiled pickled fish and rice are a perfect match. Son, you’re still growing, eat more to nourish yourself.”
“Mm! The fish is so tender, and this sweet and sour pork is super tasty!”
Truthfully, Li Ran was just trying to make conversation. If he didn’t do more things, he really wouldn’t know how to communicate with the mother and son.
At that moment, Su Bingyao put down her chopsticks, took out a card, and handed it to Li Ran.
Li Ran looked at her, puzzled. “What’s this?”
Su Bingyao explained, “Didn’t you say your company’s been doing poorly lately? This home shouldn’t rest solely on your shoulders. This is part of my savings. Take it. If it’s not enough, I have more.”
“This…”
Staring at the bank card she handed over, Li Ran was genuinely touched.
If an online keyboard sect saw this, they'd probably joke that this was straight out of a film.
Where would you find such a good wife in real life? So many married men feel a weight the moment they step into their homes.
"Mistaking vinegar for ink, they write a lifetime of bitterness on paper."
How many people only feel alive when sitting in their cars after work, because going home just means facing chaos?
What Su Bingyao did would elevate her to goddess-tier status in the hearts of many men.
Li Ran seriously felt like he was dreaming.
“I don’t need it. You keep it for yourself.”
“This is for you. You dare not take it?”
Su Bingyao boldly stuffed the card into his shirt.
Li Ran buried his head and wolfed down his rice.
Truthfully, besides feeling moved, he was also confused.
What would he need Su Bingyao’s money for?
What use was money in this eerie world?
He needed points, attributes, and Eerie Power!
Still, her gesture had genuinely touched him.
If it weren’t for being trapped in this eerie world, he might have chosen to live this plain but blissful life.
---
[You’ve completed a hidden side quest within the "Repair the Broken Family" mission.]
[The extra bank card will automatically be converted into rewards.]
[Converted reward: Eerie Power +100, Points +1000]
---
“What the heck…”
“So money earned in the world automatically converts into rewards.”
“That’s actually super considerate.”
Li Ran checked his current stats.
Li Ran
Eerie Power: 200
Agility: 20
Strength: 20
Points: 1460
Active Skill: Shadowstep
Passive Skills: Thunder Mark, Focus Mind (Immune to Mental Attacks)
“Hidden side quests give this much?”
“My wife’s the real boss!”
Li Ran never expected that the bank card Su Bingyao gave him would convert into rewards worth more than several regular missions.
Keep in mind, the timed seven-day mission “Repair the Broken Family” only offers Eerie Power +50 and Points +500 as the final reward.
Li Ran remembered that fortune-teller fraudster, he had also unknowingly triggered a hidden quest and reaped a windfall.
“Hidden quests really give way better rewards than regular ones…”
“From now on, I need to pay attention to details and aim to complete more hidden missions.”
Li Ran was secretly thrilled. He’d scored big.
But in Su Bingyao’s eyes, Li Ran’s behavior looked like a proud man reluctantly accepting help under pressure.
“Hmph, men and their damned pride.”
A soft smile curled on Su Bingyao’s lips.
If not for today’s hypnosis on her husband, she might never have figured out so many things.
She wouldn’t pry into his privacy anymore. This incident had taught her an important lesson: never jump to conclusions before knowing the full truth.
At that moment, Li Ziyang picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and placed it in Li Ran’s bowl, asking in a small voice, “Dad, there’s a parent-child activity at kindergarten the day after tomorrow. All the other kids’ parents are going.”
“I’ll go with you,” Li Ran agreed immediately.
“What about Mommy?”
Li Ziyang looked hopefully at Su Bingyao, giving her a piece of pork as well.
“I’ll go too,” she said gently.
“Yay! Daddy and Mommy are coming to school with me!”
Li Ziyang’s face visibly brightened, with a rosy hue and renewed cheerfulness. His whole demeanor lifted.
The soft smile on Su Bingyao’s lips showed her mood was just as good. She even ate more than yesterday.
This meal was delicious, and emotionally satisfying.
At this rate, the "Repair the Broken Family" mission might not even take seven days. Li Ran was confident he could finish early.
After doing the dishes, Li Ziyang went to do his homework.
Li Ran felt a bit stuffed and wanted to walk it off, so he turned to Su Bingyao, who was standing by the window.
“Wife, want to go downstairs for a walk?”
But Su Bingyao didn’t turn around. She stared down at the community courtyard and said, “It’s dangerous to walk at night. Don’t go.”
Li Ran immediately recalled the dense swarm of monsters he’d seen in the community earlier.
If not for her reminder, he might’ve forgotten.
Su Bingyao continued, “I don’t know when it started, but once night falls, this community becomes… unsettling.”
Li Ran frowned slightly. Does Su Bingyao not realize she’s already infected and turned into a monster? Or is it that none of the residents in this place know what they’ve become?
Thinking back over the past couple of days, each resident had their quirks. They could talk like normal people, but their actions were disturbingly off. Clearly, none of them thought they were monsters.
Su Bingyao and Li Ziyang were no different, they were totally unaware.
Suddenly, Su Bingyao turned around, her expression strange as she looked directly at Li Ran.
“Make sure you’re asleep before midnight!”
(End of Chapter)