That evening, the Zhou family had dinner together. Zhou’s mother specially invited the canteen chef to come and prepare a sumptuous home-style meal.
Among them, the stewed pigeon soup, shredded chicken with water shield, steamed sea bass, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and lotus seed and lily porridge are all light-flavored dishes, which are obviously specially prepared for Lin Yuqiu.
After everyone was seated, the chef brought out two more bowls of fragrant steamed egg custard.
Zhou’s mother placed one of the bowls in front of Zhou Wanyi. Just as Zhou Wanyi was about to act coquettishly and smile sweetly, she saw her mother place the other bowl in front of Lin Yuqiu. She immediately pouted, lowered her head, and stopped talking. Even the steamed egg custard in the bowl, which she never tired of eating, lost its flavor.
At the table, Lin Yuqiu quietly buried her head in her food, only because the man next to her kept piling food into her bowl. When he saw that she had eaten a few more bites of the shredded chicken and water shield, he used serving chopsticks to pile the food into a small mountain in her bowl. However, she was too embarrassed to say anything in front of the Zhou family.
Lin Yuqiu glanced at the man.
Zhou Runqing immediately responded in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
Lin Yuqiu blushed and lowered her head, stuffing the shredded chicken into her mouth.
Seeing her son’s careful and protective manner, Zhou’s mother smiled knowingly and broke the silence first: “Yuqiu, are you getting used to the food?”
Lin Yuqiu smiled and replied softly, “It’s a habit, thank you, Mom. It’s delicious.”
Zhou’s mother smiled even more and said gently, “It’s good that it’s delicious! This is Chef Wang from the government canteen. His skills are the most exquisite, and he understands the tastes of Chengdu people.”
As she spoke, she looked at Zhou’s father beside her, her tone both suggestive and certain: “How about we ask the organization to coordinate and transfer Master Wang to the island’s military canteen once Runqing and Yuqiu arrive on the island? That way we can improve the food there.”
Mr. Zhou, who was sitting in the main seat, put down his chopsticks, nodded slightly, considered for a moment, and immediately agreed: “Yes, I will make the arrangements then.”
When Zhou’s mother saw that her husband had agreed, her smile widened. She then looked at Lin Yuqiu with loving eyes and added softly, “From now on, we’ll have Chef Wang cook some dishes that suit your taste so you can eat comfortably on the island without suffering any injustice.”
“You don’t need to worry about Master Wang’s wages. Runqing’s father and I will take care of it.”
“You two should just enjoy your own little life.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuqiu was instantly flattered. Her lips parted slightly, and she didn’t know what to say for a moment. She could only glance at the man beside her.
The man’s expression remained quite calm.
Mr. Zhou then looked at his son, “Have the military dependent registration procedures been completed?”
Zhou Runqing nodded: “It has already been pre-approved. We’ll complete the formal procedures once we arrive on the island.”
Zhou’s father nodded, his eyes filled with a mixture of relief and seriousness, and slowly instructed, “You are now the regimental commander, and the responsibility on your shoulders is heavy. When you get to the island, you must take good care of your family, but don’t neglect the affairs of the troops.”
“You don’t need to worry about things at home, your mother and I are here.”
“Don’t worry about your mother’s affairs. Dad will take care of her. Just focus on doing your job well in the army.”
Zhou Runqing replied in a deep voice, his tone full of respect: “Yes, Dad.”
Mr. Zhou then turned his gaze to Lin Yuqiu, the seriousness on his face fading and replaced by a kind smile. His tone was very gentle, without any airs of a leader or father: “Xiaoyu, you’ve had a long day, you must be tired. After you finish eating, go back to your room and rest early.”
Lin Yuqiu was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting that Zhou’s father would specifically give her this instruction.
She quickly realized what was happening, and with a grateful smile on her face, she whispered, “Thank you, Dad.”
Zhou Wanyi, who was standing to the side, had been holding her breath the whole time.
She looked around and saw that the whole family’s focus was now on Lin Yuqi. Her parents were all smiles, but they didn’t show her a single word of concern. The meal was utterly tasteless.
Especially when she saw the concerned looks in her parents’ eyes, a wave of bitterness welled up inside her.
“Smack!”
Zhou Wanyi slammed her chopsticks down, her face flushed red, and her tone was full of sullen resentment: “Hmph! I’m not eating anymore! I’m full!”
Before she could finish speaking, she flung her sleeves, turned around, and ran away angrily.
The atmosphere in the room fell silent instantly.
Watching his daughter’s retreating figure, Mr. Zhou shook his head helplessly. Then, he looked up at Mrs. Zhou with a hint of reproach, his tone full of indulgent helplessness.
“Look at you, it’s all your fault for spoiling her!”
Upon hearing this, Zhou’s mother immediately became displeased and raised her eyebrows to retort, “Hey? How did it become that I spoiled her? It’s clearly you who indulges your daughter’s every whim.”
The two of them got up and went to their daughter’s room, gently coaxing her.
“Wanwan, open the door, don’t be angry.”
From inside came Zhou Wanyi’s sulking voice: “I love Chef Wang’s cooking! How could you let her take it away? What am I supposed to eat? I’m so angry!”
Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhou couldn’t help but chuckle softly. He raised his voice towards the crack in the door, his tone full of indulgent helplessness: “Oh dear, after all this fuss, it turns out it was just this little thing!”
“My dear daughter, Dad will have the cafeteria hire people tomorrow. I don’t believe that there isn’t a chef in the whole of Chengdu who can cook better than Chef Wang.”
He paused, then coaxed, “Besides, aren’t there several chefs in the canteen? Didn’t you praise Chef Li’s sweet and sour pork ribs and Chef Liu’s braised pork before?”
“Why are you focusing on Master Wang now?”
“Dad’s about to scold you. You’re a little petty, aren’t you?”
The room fell silent instantly, clearly because Zhou Wanyi was speechless.
Seeing this, Mr. Zhou softened his voice and, in a tone of coaxing a child, patiently advised, “Alright, alright, don’t be angry. My precious daughter, Zhou Jianjun, is crying over such a small thing. If word gets out, people will laugh at us, won’t they? My dear daughter, open the door.”
Seeing this, Lin Yuqiu and Zhou Runqing also got up and followed, standing at the door of the room.
Zhou’s father deliberately raised his voice, speaking through the crack in the door, with a hint of mockery: “If you don’t open the door soon, your brother will come. Then your father won’t be able to protect you.”
There was an instant silence inside the door.
A few seconds later, the door was carefully opened a crack, and Zhou Wanyi’s little head peeked out, timidly glancing at Zhou Runqing at the door.
Upon seeing Zhou Runqing’s cold and stern face, she shuddered in fright and abruptly tried to slam the door shut.
“Bang–”
Zhou Runqing reacted quickly, pushing the door open and then pulling her up from behind it.
The oppressive force of her bloodline made Zhou Wanyi instantly wilt, like a mouse seeing a cat, not daring to move an inch.
Zhou Wanyi, ever the pragmatist, immediately put on a fawning smile and called out in a soft, sweet voice, “Brother.”
Zhou Runqing then let go of her hand.
She rubbed her arm, and when she turned her head, she saw Lin Yuqiu standing to the side, unable to suppress her laughter. She immediately yelled at her angrily, “Are you laughing at me? You’re so smug, aren’t you?”
“Zhou Wanyi!” Zhou Runqing frowned, grabbed her arm with his other hand, and said in a cold tone with an unquestionable authority, “Is this how you treat your sister-in-law? Are you asking for a beating?”
Zhou Wanyi was instantly intimidated by his shout. She snorted defiantly, but her hands and feet moved swiftly. She broke free from his grasp and ran towards the living room in a flash.
As he ran to turn on the black and white television, he yelled out in frustration, “Heh heh, I’m going to watch TV all night!”
Zhou’s mother went over to comfort her daughter, while Zhou’s father shook his head helplessly and looked at Lin Yuqiu and Zhou Runqing, saying, “You two should go upstairs and rest early.”
Lin Yuqiu smiled and nodded, watching Zhou’s mother coaxing Zhou Wanyi in the living room. Wasn’t this just like how her mother used to pamper her when she was still healthy?
Her nose tingled slightly when the man suddenly took her hand.
Lin Yuqiu glanced at the man with embarrassment and shyness, then at Zhou’s parents who were leaving for the living room, before following closely behind him upstairs.
This was the first time Lin Yuqiu had stepped onto the second floor and walked to the door of Zhou Runqing’s room.
Just as she stopped at the door, the man beside her suddenly paused and gently pushed the door open.
He turned to the side, his large, well-defined hand slightly outstretched, making a standard gesture of invitation.
Lin Yuqiu’s cheeks flushed instantly. She lowered her eyes instinctively, not daring to look at him or at the room in front of her that belonged to the opposite sex.
From a young age, her parents taught her that boys and girls should be different, and she had never even set foot in her brothers’ rooms.
She could feel a meaningful gaze falling on the top of her head.
There was a moment of silence in the air.
The man maintained his inviting gesture, his gaze lingering on her flushed cheeks and slightly trembling shoulders.
He restrained himself almost imperceptibly, with only a fleeting hint of tenderness in his eyes that even he himself was unaware of.
Lin Yuqiu froze, startled by the sudden gaze, her fingertips instinctively curling up, and her heart skipped a beat.
Then she heard the man’s thin lips part slightly, his voice extremely low, with a barely perceptible magnetic huskiness, yet it floated into her ears with unparalleled clarity, burning all the way to the tip of her heart.
“Madam, please come in.”