Enduring the headache and hunger, Du Ruo washed up and went downstairs.
"Woof~ woof woof woof~"
"Woof woof~ woof~"
"Woof woof woof~ woo~"
As soon as he went downstairs, Du Ruo saw a little girl pulling a Golden Retriever that was about as tall as her shoulders, standing at the doorway and barking loudly at a stray dog outside.
Yes, barking loudly, the "woof woof woof" kind. It seemed the two dogs were barking at each other, and the little girl, wanting to help the Golden Retriever win the argument, joined in the barking.
"Huang Ya Mei!! I told you, your maternal uncle is sleeping upstairs, stop barking like a dog here. If you wake him up, your and Mao Mao's meals will be cut in half tonight! No, the dishes will be cut in half, but the rice will stay the same."
Before Du Ruo could laugh, a woman walked out of the kitchen. She was in her thirties, wearing light makeup and a floral dress. She scolded the little girl while pointing at her, and seemingly worried about the volume, she deliberately lowered her voice, but the seriousness in her words did not diminish at all, causing the barking to stop immediately.
The woman was Du Ruo's older sister, Du Na, who was five years older than him. When Du Ruo was still in University, she had a blind date and married into the neighboring village. However, they had bought a house near the Mount Huang scenic area and had a small storefront to run a business, so they didn't usually live in the village.
"Hehe, Sis, it's okay, I woke up a long time ago. Ya Ya, do you still recognize your maternal uncle?"
Du Ruo laughed. Seeing that scene, he felt very healed, and even the discomfort in his body seemed to have disappeared. He walked over to the little girl, squatted down, and looked at her.
The little girl looked at her mother curiously, then looked at Du Ruo with curiosity, not saying a word. Similarly, the Golden Retriever beside her also squatted on the ground, looking at Du Ruo with a curious expression.
"Hello, maternal uncle~"
Huang Ya Mei's voice was crisp. After shouting that, she ran to her mother's side and hid behind her, looking at Du Ruo.
"Little brother, you're awake. We can eat soon. Dad and your brother-in-law are in the living room. You go watch some TV first, I'll take Ya Ya to wash her hands."
Du Na looked at Du Ruo, first sizing him up from head to toe, then spoke with a smile, preparing to take Huang Ya Mei to the doorway to wash her hands.
"Ya Ya, maternal uncle brought you a toy. I'll get it for you after we finish eating."
Du Ruo watched his sister take his niece away, his smile remaining, and he shouted to Huang Ya Mei.
"Thank you, maternal uncle~~"
Huang Ya Mei, who hadn't been very happy because she was scolded by her mother, immediately blinked her eyes upon hearing there was a toy and gave Du Ruo a big smile.
"Dad, brother-in-law."
Arriving in the living room, a variety show was playing on the TV, but the volume was turned very low. Du Ruo's father, Du Jianting, had put on some weight. He was sitting on the sofa, holding the phone to scroll through videos, with a cigarette between his fingers, while a young man opposite him was brewing tea.
These two were Du Ruo's father and brother-in-law.
"Hmm, did you rest well? The air conditioner in the room should be fine, right? I'll wash the air conditioner for you tomorrow."
Du Jianting looked serious. He usually communicated very little with Du Ruo, but today he rarely showed concern for him.
"Little brother, drink some tea."
Brother-in-law Huang Baihua smiled at Du Ruo. After pouring tea for him, he pushed the cigarettes on the Coffee Table toward Du Ruo.
"I slept quite well. I'll wash the air conditioner myself tomorrow."
Du Ruo looked at the white hair on his father's head and replied. He hadn't noticed before that his father's hair was already half-white. Perhaps... that was because his father used to dye his hair before the New Year.
The three men drank tea and smoked, and the atmosphere suddenly seemed to fall silent. In the living room, there was only the artificial and repetitive laughter from the variety show on TV.
"Time to eat. Old Huang, bring out the rice cooker..."
Du Na walked in carrying bowls and chopsticks, followed by Huang Ya Mei and the Golden Retriever, and shouted, breaking the somewhat silent atmosphere.
"Want to drink a little? Your mom brewed some Rosa Microphylla Wine last year. I can't drink alcohol right now, and that wine has just been sitting there with no one to drink it."
Father Du Jianting stubbed out his cigarette and asked Du Ruo.
"Sure, let's have a little. Sis, you should have some too."
In Du Ruo's family, only his brother-in-law Huang Baihua was allergic to alcohol and didn't touch a drop. Everyone else loved to drink, especially his sister Du Na, who had loved drinking since she was a child, even though her tolerance wasn't very good.
Du Ruo still remembered that when they were young, their dad asked his sister Du Na to go buy wine, and she would sneak sips while walking back, eventually getting drunk and falling on the edge of a field, only to be found and carried back by a neighbor.
……
Tonight's meal was particularly sumptuous: Stinky Mandarin Fish, stewed pigeon, dried bamboo shoots, and cured fish—all delicacies Du Ruo had been longing for while away.
As soon as Du Ruo sat at the table and smelled the food, he couldn't hold back anymore. He lowered his head and ate big mouthfuls, occasionally offering praise. He finished a bowl of rice first to fill his stomach before starting to slow down his eating speed.
He occasionally drank with his sister, clinking glasses from time to time, and answering his mom's occasional questions.
"How long is little brother staying this time?"
Brother-in-law Huang Baihua suddenly asked. The previously happy atmosphere suddenly became quiet, and everyone looked at Du Ruo.
Only Huang Ya Mei, taking advantage of no one watching her, secretly picked up a piece of fish to eat.
"I'm not leaving this time. I'm staying at home."
Du Ruo smiled, picked up a piece of meat from the back of the fish for his niece, and carefully checked it to make sure there were no fish bones before putting it into Huang Ya Mei's bowl.
"Here, let me serve you a bowl of soup. Ya Ya, eat less fish. Did you forget that a fish bone got stuck in your throat a few days ago?"
Hearing Du Ruo say he wasn't leaving, the atmosphere returned to its previous harmony. Du Na placed the soup in front of Du Ruo and then went to help Huang Ya Mei check if there were any fish bones in the meat.
"I sold the house over there. After paying off the loan, I have 1.45 million in hand. Mom, Dad, and brother-in-law, if you need any, just let me know."
Du Ruo saw that his family didn't ask him for the reason, and he felt moved, taking the initiative to bring up the matter of selling the house.
"Your dad and I don't need it. There aren't many places to spend money at home."
His dad didn't speak, but his mom spoke first. Backed by the famous Mount Huang scenic area, even though they weren't in a bustling area, they could still receive quite a bit of care every year.
His sister Du Na didn't speak, just picked up some vegetables for Huang Ya Mei and put them in her bowl.
"Little brother, what are your thoughts? With 1.45 million, you could buy a house in the City, or buy a storefront to do some small business. If you want to buy a house in the Town, buying a place of over a hundred square meters would be more than enough. If you still want to do some business, I can have your sister add a little for you."
Huang Baihua spoke, looking at Du Ruo as he did so. It was clear that he was very sincere.
Huang Baihua was an only child, and his family had bought him a house and a storefront in the Town. He had actually always been grateful to the Du family for marrying Du Na to him with zero betrothal gifts, so he treated Du Ruo like his own younger brother.
Upon hearing that Du Ruo didn't plan to go out again, his first thought was to settle Du Ruo down and consider his future, even offering to support Du Ruo with some funds.
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