Soon, Jiang Ning and Meng Meng finished breakfast.
"Meng Meng, you play by yourself for a bit. Uncle Jiang will tidy up."
"Okay." Meng Meng nodded obediently.
Jiang Ning stepped into the kitchen and washed the plates and cups.
Then he opened the fridge to check which ingredients were still needed, ensuring that each day's meals remained nutritionally balanced.
With the top-tier culinary knowledge the system had granted him—covering vegetables, meats, flour, and the nutritional content of all kinds of ingredients—Jiang Ning could clearly tell which items to buy.
He also had to make sure the ingredients were fresh every day.
Right now, it was just him and Meng Meng, so he couldn't buy too much of any single item.
Everything had to be consumed within a day or two; otherwise, even the fridge's preservation or freezer functions would compromise quality.
This was something he hadn't understood before obtaining the top-tier culinary knowledge: a blind spot in his prior understanding.
"Let's go, Meng Meng. We're going to the supermarket."
"Yay! Uncle Jiang, can we buy other things at the supermarket too?" Meng Meng asked excitedly.
"That depends. Some things we can buy, some we can't," Jiang Ning replied.
Meng Meng looked curious: "Uncle Jiang, what can we buy and what can't we?"
"For example, snacks and drinks we cannot buy. But things like Legos or Rubik's Cubes that help improve your intelligence—we can buy those."
"Oh! Uncle Jiang, what's a Rubik's Cube?" Meng Meng asked, having never played with one.
"It's like a puzzle, with small square blocks. Very fun."
"Yay! I like Rubik's Cubes!"
And so, Jiang Ning took Meng Meng's soft little hand and stepped out of the villa.
Outside the villa complex was a large supermarket, selling fresh vegetables, meats, seafood, and more.
Just as Jiang Ning stepped out, a middle-aged woman dressed in high-end clothing approached.
"Hello, young man!" the woman greeted warmly.
"Hello, ma'am," Jiang Ning replied politely.
"My name is Wang Meina. You can just call me Sister Wang. I live in this complex too. You look new here. Are you this child's… relative?"
"No, I'm the child's 'nanny-dad'."
"'Nanny-dad'?" Wang Meina asked curiously.
"I'm her caretaker," Jiang Ning said with a hint of helplessness. Being so young and a "nanny-dad" did sound strange.
"You're not her relative—no wonder! And that explains why your clothes are so plain. So, what's your lady boss's relationship to the child?" Wang Meina pressed further.
Jiang Ning, puzzled by the barrage of questions, thought: normally, people in this complex wouldn't ask so much. "Sorry, Sister Wang, you're asking too many questions. I'm busy. Goodbye."
He turned to leave.
"Wait, young man, your lady boss doesn't have a boyfriend yet, right?" Wang Meina called after him.
"No comment."
At that moment, Jiang Ning was certain: Wang Meina was clearly fishing for information about Su Meng, trying to pry details from him.
After all, anyone who could buy a villa in this complex was either rich or influential. And Su Meng's villa was prime property, larger than most, naturally attracting attention.
Wang Meina was one of those curious neighbors.
"Hey, young man, tell me and I'll give you a hundred bucks. How about it?" Wang Meina persisted.
This time, Jiang Ning didn't even bother to reply.
Seeing his silence, Wang Meina's face immediately darkened. "What's there to be proud of? You're just a dog they keep. I was being polite, but frankly, you're not even as good as my dog."
Jiang Ning was speechless. What kind of person says that?
He ignored her, treating her like a mad dog that might bite.
He had originally responded politely, thinking it was just a neighbor greeting him. But she had ulterior motives.
Not paying attention made her flip her mood instantly.
Truly a petty and spiteful person.
Jiang Ning led Meng Meng away.
At last, Meng Meng spoke: "Uncle Jiang, I don't like that lady."
"Mm, Meng Meng, that's good. Uncle Jiang doesn't like her either. Meng Meng, if any adult asks about you or your mommy, just pretend you don't know, okay?"
"Mm, Meng Meng knows. The headmistress often tells us not to talk to strangers. Nine out of ten strangers who talk to good children are bad people," Meng Meng said seriously.
"Hehe, our Meng Meng is so sensible."
Jiang Ning thought to himself: compared to Meng Meng, he was not as wise. How did he end up saying so much to that kind of person?
Soon, Jiang Ning and Meng Meng entered the supermarket.
"Wow, Uncle Jiang, there are so many things in here!" Meng Meng's eyes widened.
It was her first time in a supermarket.
She hadn't been outside the orphanage much before being adopted by Su Meng, and had mostly stayed in the villa.
Luckily, Su Meng had spent the past week with her.
With too many matters at the company, Su Meng couldn't handle everything personally and dealt with them via video remotely.
Yesterday, after Jiang Ning arrived, Su Meng had rushed to the office after dinner. There was too much paperwork needing her signature.
She had to handle it quickly; otherwise, leaving for her three-month overseas project today would have caused the company to stall.
This time, she didn't even bring her assistant—just a group of bodyguards on a private jet.
Jiang Ning quickly selected the missing nutritious ingredients for the villa fridge: high-quality vegetables, meats, and some seafood.
Since it was just him and Meng Meng, he ensured freshness, buying only enough for one or two days—very little.
Some stall vendors frowned at the small quantities.
Then Jiang Ning strolled through the supermarket with Meng Meng.
The supermarket was huge and well-stocked, spanning three floors.
He bought some of Meng Meng's favorite toys: Barbie doll dress-up sets, doctor playsets, Thomas & Friends train sets, as well as various planes, tanks, and toy guns.
Anything Meng Meng liked that wasn't in the playroom, Jiang Ning bought it.
Kids love toys. He didn't want Meng Meng to be unhappy.
When they returned, Jiang Ning was carrying two big bags full of stuff.
Nine-tenths were toys, especially combination sets that were bulky and took up space.
Meng Meng was thrilled.
She ran ahead, eager to get back to the villa and play.
Seeing her innocent joy, Jiang Ning felt very satisfied.
Fortunately, the supermarket was close to the villa.
They returned quickly.
It wasn't that Jiang Ning didn't want to put the items into the system space; it was just that these things weren't heavy, and he didn't want to expose the space.
There were surveillance cameras everywhere: the complex, supermarket, and roads.
As Jiang Ning and Meng Meng entered the complex, Wang Meina appeared again.
But this time her face was filled with hostility: "Young man, stop right there! Tell me—does your lady boss have a boyfriend or husband? And what is this child to your lady boss? Do you understand?"