It Seems I’m Not The Only One Who Reincarnated

Afternoon.

It was nearly one o’clock, and since Jian Sichun and Zhu Lingjie still hadn’t come over, Liu Zhenshan was starting to feel restless.

Without these two essential “backup daughter-in-laws” here, how could she move forward with her grand “inner circle” plan? But she couldn’t have Shi Hai take the initiative to go find them—no, that would ruin the whole “chased by girls” dynamic.

Yes, the hierarchy had to be maintained, with the girls taking the lead.

Her goal was to ensure they were completely fixated on her son, which would lay the groundwork for them to eventually “yield” to him.

In that moment, her thoughts aligned perfectly with her future daughter-in-law.

For both of them, love was a war.

And in war, there were only winners and losers.

Winning meant glory; losing meant walking away empty-handed.

So, a little anxious, Liu Zhenshan nudged her son in the side with her foot and asked, “Why haven’t Lingling and Sichun come over yet? Could it be that they’re already losing interest in you?”

Shi Hai, sitting on the far end of the sofa reading, was unbothered by his mom’s antics.

He didn’t even turn his head as he replied, “Who knows? Maybe it’s… that time of the month?”

“No way! It’s only the beginning of the month… wait, Shi Hai, why are you acting so indifferent?! Don’t you care about them at all?”

Liu Zhenshan felt annoyed at her son’s nonchalance and raised her foot, pressing it in front of his face.

Now Shi Hai couldn’t ignore her.

With a frown, he grabbed her nylon-covered foot and pushed it back, grimacing as he flicked his hand to shake off any lingering odor.

“Mom, it’s one thing to kick me, but don’t put your foot on my book! I just bought it—it’s still got that fresh book smell. Now it’s gonna smell like feet…”

“You brat, are you implying my feet smell?!”

Well, to be fair, the smell wasn’t all that bad.

It was more like a faint mix of sweat and that peculiar, trapped odor.

With regular cotton socks, it was just a fabric smell.

But nylon stockings? He vaguely recalled that they were made from some petroleum-based material.

So they gave off a chemical scent, which became sharper when they were enclosed in a warm space…

But it wasn’t exactly “bad,” more like an “odd” scent.

After all, wearing nylons all day, especially in summer, would make anyone’s feet give off a scent, no matter who they were.

And since Liu Zhenshan even wore them to bed, there was no chance they’d smell fresh.

Liu Zhenshan’s nylons were high-quality, stretchy, and had a smooth, delicate texture.

However, back in the day, she used to wear cheaper stockings and just threw them away after a single use, letting them pile up for later disposal.

Until the time she noticed Shi Hai taking those stockings, washing them…

Then she understood something.

For her son’s… tastes, she was surprisingly understanding.

After all, men had their peculiarities—better this than him liking men, right?

So she’d upgraded to better nylons and handed the task of washing them to Shi Hai.

But now he dared to act disgusted!

Putting on a show of decency, huh? Wasn’t this the same guy who dreamed of building a harem? And now he’s pretending to be high-minded?!

“Oh, so now you don’t like this scent?”

Shi Hai was baffled.

Who on earth would enjoy the smell of other people’s feet and socks…?

Oh, well, some people probably do.

But he figured it wasn’t the smell itself they liked.

It probably had more to do with appearance.

A cute girl’s black nylons? Sure, even a stink might smell sweet.

But put the same socks on an Auntie?

That smell might send you straight to the bathroom.

So, where did his mom fall on that scale?

Pretty, but still a middle-aged woman.

Complicated mix…

Anyway, he figured, a bad smell was a bad smell.

Didn’t hold a candle to the smell of a fresh book.

“Mom… I’m not into that stuff. Didn’t I tell you ages ago to take your socks off before sleeping?”

“But aren’t you actually into this… heavy-duty stuff?”

After she’d upgraded to a better material, she noticed Shi Hai spent more time washing her stockings.

And when she slept with them on, the wash-time grew even longer. Didn’t that mean his “cast time” was increasing? But really, he just took extra care to wash away the strong odor, which meant scrubbing a lot more.

“Huh? Mom, where on earth did you get that idea?”

“Why, you—!”

She stopped mid-sentence, embarrassed.

After all, some things were better left unsaid.

It was like finding a folder labeled “Study Materials” on her son’s computer and debating whether to open it—curious but dreading what she might find—so she chose to ignore it altogether.

It’s that unconditional love of a mother!

By the way, the “study materials” folder on Shi Hai’s computer genuinely only contained actual study materials.

No secrets, nothing to hide.

Just then, Shi Meng finished washing the dishes and came over from the kitchen, holding an orange.

“Brother, want some fruit?”

“No… Actually, sure, I’ll have one.”

He was still getting used to having these small tasks taken care of by his little sister, but he was trying to adapt.

Shi Hai shifted a bit to his right, setting his mom’s leg and foot onto his lap, making space for Shi Meng to sit while also keeping her away from the scent of their mother’s nylons.

Shi Meng sat down next to her brother, starting to peel the orange. “Want me to peel it for you, Mom?”

“No thanks…”

With her daughter present, Liu Zhenshan was ready to team up to give her son a hard time.

“Mengmeng, look at your brother—does he look like he’s serious about finding a girlfriend?”

As she carefully peeled the orange, Shi Meng replied, “What’s wrong with him?”

“Little Chun and Lingling haven’t come over, yet he doesn’t seem worried at all!”

Closing his book with a sigh, Shi Hai said, “Mom, why are you more anxious about this than I am?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Weekends are so precious! I have to work during the week, so I only have weekends to help you draw one of them away!”

“Oh, please… They’re probably just busy today, right? Can’t they just enjoy their own time on the weekend?”

“Stubborn kid, not everyone’s as much of a recluse as you.”

“Would you even call this reclusive?”

Shi Meng finished peeling the orange perfectly in one piece and started separating it into segments. “I wouldn’t call it reclusive; my brother’s actually pretty outgoing!”

Shi Hai shrugged. “It’s not like I can make them come over. Do you want me to go invite them?”

Liu Zhenshan frowned, her tone heavy. “No, you can’t go…”

“Well, you’re stopping me from going to see them—what am I supposed to do?”

“Ugh… dense as ever!” She rolled her eyes, turning onto her stomach on the sofa, swinging her legs up and down, and tapping Shi Hai’s lap with the tops of her feet in mild frustration.

“Ahh… My future daughters-in-law… Why haven’t they come over…!”

Shi Meng and Shi Hai exchanged a glance, both smiling wryly as they watched their mom flop around.

With a mom this lively, home would never be dull.

Enjoying the orange his sister fed him, Shi Hai reopened his book.

Shi Meng looked over at her brother’s focused profile, then leaned to take another glance at their adorable mom. Resting her head on her brother’s shoulder, she smiled.

This was the vision of happiness she’d always dreamed of.

A peaceful afternoon…

With her brother and mom close by.

The three of them, spending a warm and simple time together.

This… this must be what people meant by “daily life.”