The Beauty's Comeback! What my Wife Says Goes 202 First Lesson: Waffles

"Nana, you're up so early today." Zhi Hei walked into the kitchen and helped his daughter down from the small chair she used as a stand-on while cooking. Even though she had reached high school, her height was around 5 feet compared to Wei Wei who was already 5 feet 7 inches tall. She always wondered what food he eats that he grows up to be a giant.

Sighing as she lifted her arms for her father to move her away from the stove, her eyes still fixated on the ruined waffles. Zhi Hei followed her gaze and saw her slightly overcooked waffles. With a chuckle, he tied an apron around his body and placed the waffles she made to a separate plate. 'I'll eat it later for breakfast.' He thought as he wouldn't waste his daughter's efforts.

"Nana, did you want to make waffles? You could have asked Auntie to make it for you or came to me. What if you burn yourself?" Zhi Hei said as he prepared the necessities used for waffles and started cooking.

Ever since he knew he would be a father; he had learned to cook for convenience purposes. After investigating countless recipes to learning from the basics, he had mastered most dishes. Whenever he brings his family out to dinners, he would take note on the dishes Shi Xue and his children favored and then research on how to make it.

Nana leaned on the back of the chair and watched her father make everything from scratch with admiration. "Daddy is so great. I need to find a husband like you in the future. Sigh, good men are hard to find."

"did you and your brother make another bet? What is it this time? Making waffles?" He smiled at her remark and was glad to be her role model for her future partner scavenger hunt chaos. Knowing how she fan-girled over K-Pop idols, he had been worried about her preferences in terms of appearance over personality.

Now that she had said she would look for someone like him, he could rest assure for the day. Nana poured herself a glass of orange juice from the fridge. "Brother said he bet he could make better waffles than me. If I win and make waffles, then he would bring me to the dessert spot I've been dying to go to. If he wins, then I will have to carry his bag for two weeks after school."

"Haha, it sounds just like him. Nana, you're at an advantage, though. If you think about it, Wei Wei will still bring you to the dessert spot as long as you tell him you want to go. Also, even if he makes you carry his bag, he would either empty the content out to make it super light or he would end up carrying it himself." Zhi Hei almost laughed when he heard the bet.

In his head, he felt very proud for teaching his son to keep the entertainment going in the family. 'What bet? This is advantage all over the place, silly girl. If I raised him to bully you, then all these father and son talk since young would be toilet flushes.'

"Brother always teases me, but you're right. He wouldn't dare bully me~ If he does, I'll bully him back hehehehe." Nana sipped the orange juice and smelled the delightful fragrance coming from his direction. Suddenly, she felt really hungry for breakfast.

"Nana, if you want to help out for breakfast, then you can help me cut up some fruits. Be careful when you hold the knife. I taught you before, remember?" Zhi Hei could send her intense stare from behind and decided to give her an easy task.

Taking out a large plate, Nana rinsed it under hot water before wiping it with a clean cloth. Then, she washed the fruits she took out from the fridge and sliced them. Her family enjoyed simple breakfasts, so waffles with syrup, ice cream and fruits were enough to fill their stomachs. Sometimes, Zhi Hei would make scrambled eggs and sunny side ups according to their preferences.

After filling and organizing the fruits neatly, she brought the plate to the center of the family sized dining table. She made sure she had cleaned the table surface before placing the plate of fruits. After that, she arranged the mugs that everyone used daily to their regular spots. When breakfast was almost ready, Nana went to wake everyone up.

During breakfast, Wei Wei said, "Are you ready to hold my bag for the two weeks?"

Nana smiled, " Of course~ How about brother try making waffles tomorrow for breakfast?"

Wei Wei knew she would throw a comeback at hi, so he was well prepared. "Sure. I've already mastered it from dad."

"What?! Not fair daddy! You wouldn't even let me fry eggs by myself!" Nana looked her mother, Shi Xue for some back up, but was met with silence.

Zhi Hei said, "You're too clumsy."

Wei Wei reminded her, "Remember at the time you tried making sausage and egg for breakfast? You almost burned yourself. You tried making soup and you left it on the stove too long."

Shi Xue said, "Aiya, you two stop listing her failures. Nana is good at many kitchen tasks!" Nana looked at her mom with a nod and huge smile. Except, she didn't expect her mother's following words would also hit her hard on culinary skills.

"Nana is good at blending and mixing ingredients before it is used for cooking. She could crack eggs perfectly. She could make fresh fruit juice with a blender after washing it. She could marinate meat very well too without measuring the amount of seasoning used." Shi Xue started listing things Nana was good at and it only made her feel like cooking was incredibly difficult.

"Sweetheart, Mommy doesn't know how to make waffles either if it makes you feel better." Shi Xue said as she chewed on a piece of strawberry.

"Mom! You too! Wahh, why is it that brother could do it?"

With a smile on all their faces, nobody answered her inquiry. After breakfast was finished, Wei Wei and Zhi Hei stayed behind to do the dishes. Nana peeked at them from the entrance and observed them. Feeing a tap on her shoulders, Shi Xue whispered, "Nana, you still want to know why Wei Wei could make waffles, right?"

Nana nodded in full curiosity. If she had a tail, it would be wagging left and right while waiting for her mother to tell her. Giggling, Shi Xue said, "Because mommy once told your daddy that the 101 ways to win a girl's heart is through good waffles. At that time, I was pregnant with you and Wei Wei. I had a huge craving for waffles."

"Then don't tell me, daddy got jealous of the chef?" Nana could never have guessed that her mom's words held such power.

"Yep. Waffles were the first thing he learned when he first started cooking. After that, it became his hobby. Till today, he tells Wei Wei that a way to a girl's heart is conquering their stomach. Waffles are the first step." Shi Xue smiled as she looked at husband and son's back in the kitchen.

"I see....but then..why can't I make it for my future boyfriend or husband?" Nana understood it halfway.

"Your father wants to teach his son-in-law the dishes that you like. If a guy won't cook for his girlfriend or wife, then he doesn't love her enough. It's a test for your future half on how much he would do for you. If you want to learn how to cook, mommy can teach you too." Shi Xue sighed when she thought about her husband's daughter loving nature.

Nth years later, at Nana's wedding, Wei Wei encounters a girl around his age who was cheering up a lost little girl. The innocence of her smile caught his complete attention. With his help, they found the little girl's parents. As he wondered how he could keep the conversation alive after the little girl was gone, she turned to him. "It's great that we finally found her parents. Hahaha, it was fun walking through the crowd with you, Huang Jiang Wei."

"You know my name?"

Nodding to his question, she told him how she knew him. "Yep. I see you almost all five days of the week. I study in the same department as you at the university. You probably never noticed me because I usually wear very low-profile outfits. Anyways, thanks for your help! I was a little bored since I didn't know anyone here." As she turned around to leave, she felt something warm hold her hands.

Turning back, she realized he had reached out to stop her. "Hmm?" She waited for him to speak first.

"Oh..umm..you already knew my name, but I still haven't asked for yours yet. Can you tell me your name?" He asked hesitantly since this was the first time he had initiated to learn about a girl.

Her blossoming smile was equivalent to the beauty of a meadow in Spring, where sunlight shone brightly on flowers. His heart raced as he listened to her sweet, honeysuckle voice, "My name is Chen Anna. Nice to meet you."

He wasn't sure what else to say, but didn't want them to separate like this. Words bounced off his tongue as he asked, "Do you want waffles?"

"Pfft, waffles? Isn't this your sister's wedding? Aiya, don't tell me you wanted to plan a sneak out, haha."

"If it's with you, I'll go. If not..then maybe dessert later?" He retracted his hand as he realized he was still holding onto her.

"Sure. I'd love to have waffles for dessert tonight. Of course, after the wedding ends." Both of them blushed as they continued chatting with each other.

Wei Wei's inner thoughts: 'Dad was right! Waffles are the first step to winning a girl's heart.'

Chapter end