Chapter: 3059

After dropping off Gu Yanzhong and Lin Wanqiu at Buckingham Palace and leaving them in the care of Chen Zekai, Charlie Wade drove back to his Tomson Yipin Villa. It was just after two o’clock in the afternoon. Charlie thought his wife, Xiao Churan, would be busy until around three or four, so he decided to go home first and then pick her up later.

However, when Charlie arrived home, he was surprised to find Xiao Churan, along with his father-in-law Xiao Changkun and mother-in-law Ma Lan, already working in the kitchen.

“Wife, when did you get home? Why didn’t you tell me so I could pick you up?” Charlie asked.

Xiao Churan smiled and replied, “I finished early. I wanted to be home by two to prepare a birthday dinner for you.”

Ma Lan was busy placing a large king crab into the steamer when she looked up and said, “Good son-in-law, I’m making you a big meal tonight! Look at this crab, it cost over three thousand!”

Seeing Ma Lan about to steam the crabs, Xiao Churan quickly interjected, “Oh no, don’t steam the crabs yet! It’s still early; we won’t eat until three. If you steam them now, they won’t taste good by dinner time!”

Ma Lan looked surprised and asked, “Then why are we cooking if you’re back so early?”

Xiao Churan sighed and explained, “We need to prepare first. Let’s clean the king crabs and get them ready in a bucket. We should take out all the other ingredients too. That way, when it’s closer to eating time, we can cook everything and it will taste fresh!”

Ma Lan frowned and said, “Hey, I thought I could just start cooking. Isn’t this crab supposed to go straight into the pot? Do I really have to wash it?”

“Of course you need to wash it,” replied Xiao Churan. “At the very least, you should scrub off the dirt and rinse it with clean water a few times.”

Ma Lan rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to brush it. It’s covered in thorns, and I don’t want to get pricked again. Let your dad handle the seafood.”

She then turned to Xiao Changkun and said, “Xiao Changkun, take this crab out of the steamer and wash it. Make sure it’s really clean!”

Xiao Changkun sighed and replied, “I have other things to do. You can do it yourself.”

Ma Lan shot back, “Stop complaining and just clean the crabs! If you don’t, you won’t get a bite to eat tonight!”

Xiao Changkun, not happy about the situation, asked, “If I’m cleaning the crabs, what are you going to do?”

Ma Lan shrugged. “I’ll just peel some garlic.”

With that, she grabbed a few garlic cloves, sat down on a small bench in the corner, and started peeling them into a trash can.

Feeling frustrated but not wanting to argue, Xiao Changkun took the crab out and headed to the sink to clean it.

Seeing this, Charlie Wade spoke up, “Dad, let me clean the crabs.”

But Xiao Churan quickly interjected, “Husband, it’s your birthday. Stay out of the kitchen today. Go to the living room and watch TV. The cake will be here soon, so just listen for the doorbell.”

With Xiao Churan’s clear instructions, Charlie Wade didn’t push it any further and said, “Okay, but if you need anything, just call me.”

“Sure,” she replied.

Charlie Wade stepped out of the kitchen and took a moment to relax in the living room. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. He checked the monitor and saw a delivery person waiting at the door, so he got up to see who it was.

As he walked outside, the delivery person, a middle-aged man from Yixie, asked, “Is this Ms. Xiao’s house?”