"Hello, are you Shen Qing? Please, come in."
"Xiaoxi, the Auntie Qing you've been talking about is here."
Lin Chen said with a smile.
Shen Qing sized up Lin Chen. Her first impression was that he seemed alright; his clothes were plain, but clean.
"Auntie Qing!"
Lin Xiaoxi came running over.
"Xiaoxi, Auntie Qing missed you so much."
Shen Qing squatted down and hugged Lin Xiaoxi, smiling.
"Lin Chen, I bought some fruit as a housewarming gift. There are blueberries in there, which Xiaoxi loves. You can take them."
Shen Qing said.
"Okay, thank you."
Shen Qing carried Lin Xiaoxi into the house.
Her gaze swept across the interior. The space was quite spacious. Although it couldn't compare to the villa Xu Mengyao lived in, it was still very nice. It was more than enough for Lin Chen and Lin Xiaoxi.
The house's decor also gave a comfortable feeling.
"Auntie Qing, some kids said Xiaoxi doesn't have a dad. I do have a dad, and my dad is the best."
Lin Xiaoxi said with a little smugness.
Shen Qing kissed Lin Xiaoxi: "Xixi, don't listen to those little kids talking nonsense. Of course, you have a father."
Lin Xiaoxi said Lin Chen was the best, which she had overlooked.
The Xu family had conducted an investigation before, and Lin Chen was very ordinary. He was almost a nobody during high school and college.
Lin Chen's family background was also very ordinary.
His parents were just ordinary farmers. Although Lin Chen's family was not poor, they were definitely not wealthy. Compared to the Xu family, it was absolutely worlds apart.
"Lin Chen, can I take some pictures and have a look around?"
"Mengyao wants to see."
Shen Qing asked.
Lin Chen nodded. "Sure, take your time."
The apartment was 160 square meters with only three rooms: a master bedroom, a guest bedroom, and a study. Shen Qing carefully took several photos of each room.
"Lin Chen, the rent for this place isn't cheap, is it?" Shen Qing inquired.
Lin Chen nodded. "Fifteen thousand a month. Right…you can give this to Xu Mengyao later, to pay. Xiaoxi is my daughter; I don't need her to pay for Xiaoxi's care."
Lin Chen opened his suitcase and took out the bag of money.
Shen Qing was somewhat surprised.
"You don't want it?"
"This is the living expenses Mengyao gave you and Xiaoxi."
Lin Chen said, "I can earn money myself. She didn't give me living expenses for the first two years when she was taking care of her, and now that I'm taking care of Xiaoxi, she doesn't need to give us living expenses either."
"I won't treat Xiaoxi unfairly."
Shen Qing shook her head and said, "You can give it to her later. She will definitely come to see Xiaoxi in the future."
"Lin Chen, it's almost noon. Let me treat you and Xiaoxi to a meal."
Before Lin Chen could speak, Lin Xiaoxi said, "Aunt Qing, I don't want to eat outside. The food outside isn't as delicious as Dad's cooking. I like Dad's cooking."
Lin Chen smiled and said, "Shen Qing, if you don't mind, let's have a meal at home. You can play with Xiaoxi while I cook. It'll only take forty to fifty minutes."
"Thank you for that."
Shen Qing nodded.
"Xiaoxi, how about Aunt Qing tells you a story?"
Shen Qing carried Lin Xiaoxi to the balcony. There was a low table on the balcony with many storybooks on it.
Lin Chen quickly got busy in the kitchen.
Lin Xiaoxi had been with him for five days. Adding the dishwashing, he spent more than two hours in the kitchen every day. He gained one year of experience every hour, giving him over a decade of chef experience.
This over a decade of chef experience wasn't the same as an ordinary person's, nor was it the same as a chef in an ordinary restaurant.
His experience was from a top chef teaching him hands-on for over a decade.
Lin Chen's cooking skills were, without exaggeration, better than most head chefs at five-star hotels.
\n\n
Twenty minutes passed.
\n\n
Shen Qing sniffed, the aroma from the kitchen was wonderful.
\n\n
Forty minutes passed, and Lin Chen brought the dishes out of the kitchen. The fragrance Shen Qing smelled immediately became even richer.
\n\n
"Shen Qing, Xiaoxi, it's time to eat."
\n\n
Lin Chen called out.
\n\n
"Auntie Qingqing, let's go wash our hands, we can only eat after we wash our hands, okay?"
\n\n
Lin Xiaoxi said in a childish voice.
The two of them quickly finished washing up and went to the dining room.
Shen Qing was surprised to see the five dishes Lin Chen had prepared on the table.
It hadn't taken long, but Lin Chen had actually cooked five dishes, and each one looked very appetizing.
"Auntie Qing, Daddy's food is delicious!"
"Daddy, I want to eat that meat!"
Lin Xiaoxi pointed at one of the dishes with her little finger.
"Alright, Daddy will get it for you."
Lin Chen gently stroked Lin Xiaoxi's head, his expression full of affection.
"Lin Chen, your cooking looks really good," Shen Qing complimented.
Lin Chen smiled, "It's alright. If you like it, you and Xu Mengyao should come over for dinner more often."
Shen Qing giggled, "Mengyao is my best friend. If you want me to sell her on it, it's got to be really, really delicious."
With that, she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.
The moment the food was in her mouth, Shen Qing froze.
Lin Chen's cooking was actually no worse than that of a five-star chef.
"This dish is pretty good."
"Let me try this fish…"
Shen Qing sampled the second dish, and the fish was incredibly delicious.
After tasting all five dishes, Shen Qing was astonished. Lin Chen's cooking skills were far superior to Xu Mengyao's.
It was highly likely that he had reached the level of a five-star hotel's head chef.
Keep in mind, there are many chefs in a five-star hotel, and ordinary people rarely get to enjoy dishes prepared by the head chef.
"Aunt Qing, are Daddy's dishes yummy?"