After about a minute had passed, Beichuan Lin's voice came through, tinged with the sound of tears, "Hui Li, is this fair? He has always been eating the food I cooked as he grew up! Now that he's got a little independence, he has started to look down on his own mother!"

At the same time, the alarmed voices of Beichuan Huili and Nakajima Michika also broke out:

"Ah?! Wait a minute! Mommy Riri! Don't cry! You've got flour all over you!"

"Right, please don't cry! Beichuan can handle anything, Auntie Beichuan really shouldn't let this bother her, we can just not make any trouble for him."

While they were clamoring on that side, Beichuan Si was finally able to prepare things with a peaceful mind on this side.

He first added the lightly charred fish bones to the soup base, and then put in a broth concentrate, creating a bubbling milky white fish soup base.

The stretched noodles were added to the pot on the other side, simply rinsed and then placed into bowls that had been prepared earlier.

The milky-white soup base was served with the noodles, and finally Beichuan Si arranged fried clams, grilled sea bream, and tempura in the bowl, garnishing the center with bright green onion.

"Let's eat," Beichuan Si said simply, and then he brought the four bowls of sea bream noodles to the table.

The extremely appealing presentation and the rich fragrance of the dish immediately captured the attention of Beichuan Lin, Beichuan Huili, and Nakajima Michika.

And then—

A harmonious scene emerged at the Beichuan Family's dining table.

Beichuan Lin, Beichuan Huili, and Nakajima Michika praised the sea bream noodles prepared by Beichuan Si as they ate.

The synchronized and orderly fashion of it all gave Beichuan Si a sinking feeling.

Beichuan Huili and Nakajima Michika being this way was one thing, but how did Beichuan Lin, who was fine just now, become like this too?

"...Forget it."

There was nothing to think about.

In any case, these people would inexplicably turn out like this.

As Beichuan Si thought this, he took a sip of the soup.

...

After they had eaten their fill, Beichuan Lin brought up a request to check the family's hygiene. After being unable to find any flaws, she said that there must be places in the bathroom that weren't cleaned. When she saw the spotless bathroom, she then suggested checking her son and daughter's rooms—

"You're grown up, don't be ridiculous," Beichuan Si said expressionlessly.

And then...

It happened again:

"Hui Li! Does this make sense? When I held Temple as a baby, he was so tiny and adorable, but now why has he grown into such an unfunny person?"

"Wait! Mommy Riri! Don't rush to cry! I actually think Brother Temple is quite handsome!"

"That's right, Auntie Beichuan, you don't need to worry about these things, Beichuan has always been like this."

Beichuan Si shook his head at these words.

As the saying goes, three women make a drama, and now Beichuan Si was coming to understand this.

But understanding was one thing, there were still things Beichuan Si would say.

He went to the living room, then patted Beichuan Huili on the shoulder and gestured kindly with his eyes for her to sit elsewhere.

When Beichuan Si sat down in the place where Beichuan Huili had just been, Beichuan Lin, too, seemed to have recovered.

Facing his mother's gaze, Beichuan Si tapped the table, his voice steady:

"I actually have something important to discuss with you."

There was a seriousness in his tone that made Beichuan Lin pause slightly:

"Discuss something?"

She thought that they had already finished discussing everything between them, but now it seemed like he still had something left to say.

Under Beichuan Lin's puzzled look, Beichuan Si spoke slowly:

"About this time you're back, you won't need to go back to Paris afterward."

Hmm?

Beichuan Lin roughly guessed what Beichuan Si was about to say.

After remaining silent for a moment, she finally said, "Temple... do you mean... you want me to quit my designer job in Paris?"

"Not bad," Beichuan Si confirmed Beichuan Lin's idea, "As you see, the family's situation has indeed gotten better, and you don't need to keep working overseas. Settling down in Tokyo and enjoying your retirement life should be enough..."

Yes.

That was the sentiment Beichuan Si conveyed.

He could earn millions of yen a month. With such an income, even in a city like Tokyo, Beichuan Lin wouldn't have a hard life.

And that was with Beichuan Si not even putting in serious effort at work.

If he really wanted to make money, Beichuan Si still had the urban supernatural page, connections in Ibaraki Prefecture, relations with the Nakajima Conglomerate in Gunma Prefecture...

If he were to convert these connections into money, ensuring that Beichuan Lin could live every day like a Salty Egg would hardly be an issue.

This was a perfectly normal thought for any child.

Having the ability to fully support their parents' livelihood, of course, they wouldn't want their parents to continue toiling and moiling outside.

"Does that mean Mommy Riri could live with us too?!" Beichuan Huili looked at Beichuan Si and then Beichuan Lin, her voice tinged with a hint of surprise.

"That's the idea… but if we decide to stay, our current house definitely won't be big enough, so we'll have to find another nice place," Beichuan Si nodded.

However, quitting her job was a major decision for Beichuan Lin, and Beichuan Si did not expect her to make that decision tonight.

After all, it all depended on how Beichuan Lin considered it.

Beichuan Si looked at Beichuan Lin.

Under his gaze, Beichuan Lin chuckled sheepishly, her eyes drifting.

Perhaps, as Beichuan Si said, staying in Tokyo to retire was the most fitting and comfortable path.

After all, both Beichuan Si and Beichuan Huili were no longer at an age requiring her concerns, and the family's financial situation had improved. Her working overseas no longer had any impact here.

In such circumstances... staying in Tokyo really was a great choice.

Every day, proclaiming, "My son is the best in the world," "My son is invincible," and living comfortably without any effort... wasn't that quite nice?

This was a very normal thought process.

If one could live a good life effortlessly, who would choose to strive?

Who wouldn't want to sleep soundly without braving the cold winds to attend class?

Who wouldn't want to lie back, well-fed and watered, and also have the opportunity to travel?

But—

"I think... I just can't live that kind of life," Beichuan Lin spoke her truth.

She was very grateful for her son's kind intentions.

But to ask her, a person already busy to death, to suddenly idle away... That was indeed not a lifestyle she could get used to.

It seemed that Beichuan Lin had an answer to this question long ago, so Beichuan Si asked,

"So, what are your thoughts...?"

At this, not only Nakajima Michika but also Beichuan Huili turned to look.

Under their gaze, Beichuan Lin hardly hesitated and answered directly:

"I want to see the scenery of other countries."

After saying this, Beichuan Lin felt that her goal was rather vague, so she added a few more words: "Actually, I just want to travel around, see different sceneries, different people, and things... It's Jianyi's dream too, but work is still necessary. I won't quit my job in Paris, at most I'll decrease my workload."

As she spoke, Beichuan Lin showed a hearty smile:

"See, I can work while saving my own money for traveling, and when it feels about right to return, I'll come back to Tokyo to enjoy my retirement. That's also pretty nice, isn't it?"

As she spoke on that side, Beichuan Si couldn't help but ponder.

'Jianyi' was mentioned just now by Beichuan Lin.

That must refer to his own father, Beichuan Jianyi.

Beichuan Si was not aware that Beichuan Jianyi also had such a dream of traveling the world, considering he was not the original owner of this body.

But since this was Beichuan Lin's intention,

As her son, Beichuan Si could only support her.

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