As soon as he entered, he warmly greeted all his relatives, then handed out the gifts one by one. Chen Mo had bought fairly high-end cigarettes and alcohol, not the sort of ordinary gifts one would bring when visiting regular relatives. This was his own uncle's home—his mother's younger brother's home—so he wanted to show his sincerity. The cigarettes and alcohol alone had cost over a thousand yuan, but Chen Mo was happy to spend it. His uncle's family had helped his own family a great deal. The money he had borrowed for school, for example, had been scraped together by Grandpa and his uncle's family. Bringing some gifts when he came here was nothing.
Grandpa and Grandma were overjoyed to see Chen Mo. Not only did they bustle about making food for him, they would not let him lift a finger. He only had to wait for the food to be ready and eat.
Chen Mo took out the cigarettes from his pocket and handed them one by one to Grandpa and his two uncles, lighting them for all three.
"Er Wa, why don't you smoke? Want one?" Grandpa asked.
"Grandpa, I don't smoke!" Chen Mo said with a smile.
"Mm! It's good that you don't. Young people shouldn't ruin their health," eldest uncle said with a nod. Yet judging by the way he puffed out clouds of smoke, his actions clearly did not match his words.
Other than curling his lip, what else could Chen Mo do? His uncle was teasing him, so he could only go along with it.
Everyone laughed and chatted, and before long, the meal was ready. It was not some lavish feast with seven bowls and eight dishes, just a few small dishes along with Oil Splash Noodles—a true taste of home.
Oil