Eating

He Qing took Xu Yanche to the mall and, following what he had discussed online with Xu Yanche, bought Jinshu a set of skincare products.

Then they bought several outfits.

They also bought a huge pile of snacks Jinshu liked.

As well as some beautiful jewelry.

He Qing also picked out wedding rings for the two of them.

Xu Yanche looked at the ring on his hand, then at the one on He Qing's hand, and held out his hand.

He interlaced his fingers with He Qing's, then took out his phone to snap a photo and post it on his social feed.

"Alright, our hands look really nice together. Those shoes are pretty too."

He Qing was extravagantly generous. "Buy them."

He Qing had originally wanted to buy some designer bags, but Xu Yanche refused.

"Those bags aren't even pretty. If we're buying something, it should be pretty. My mom likes pretty things. This white one is pretty, this blue one is pretty too, and this color is nice as well. It looks like the color of a clear sky after rain."

By the time they finished shopping, Xu Yanche looked at the trunk crammed full of bags, with even more things piled in the passenger seat.

He fell silent.

"Did we buy too much?"

He Qing did not think it was too much at all. "Not much. Let's go. Are you going to the film set this afternoon or tomorrow morning?"

Xu Yanche leaned against the seat, happily sipping his milk tea. "Tomorrow morning."

[It's so good. Sigh, Qingqing darling really doesn't know how to enjoy life. Milk tea is delicious.]

He Qing silently made a note of it, planning to buy Xu Yanche milk tea whenever he visited the set in the future.

It was already five in the afternoon by the time they got home.

Xu Yanche's house was somewhat farther away from the others.

It had been exquisitely renovated, with flowers planted outside in full bloom.

They made the house feel warm and elegant.

The moment Xu Yanche got out of the car, he stood still and took a sniff, then dashed into the house. "Is Mom making braised pork? I can smell it from the door! Ah-ha, braised pork, here I come!"

He Qing watched Xu Yanche dart inside and fell silent.

That retreating figure just now looked very much like the Monkey King being born.

The courtyard had also been beautifully renovated.

Climbing roses had been planted along the walls.

The roses had only grown some leaves so far; they would not bloom for another month.

A small patch of the courtyard had been turned into a vegetable garden.

The vegetable seeds that had been scattered there had only just sprouted.

Many pots of succulents sat on the windowsills in the courtyard.

The succulents came in all kinds of lovely varieties, and the pots were beautiful too.

Xu Yanche rushed into the kitchen and, sure enough, saw Jinshu in an apron, making braised pork at the gas stove.

The kitchen was spacious and kept very tidy.

A fan sat on the counter, whirring away.

Jinshu wore a pale green qipao and had her hair braided.

She looked gentle and elegant.

Hearing Xu Yanche's voice, she smiled warmly. "Yanyan, you're back. Go wash your hands. This is the last dish. We'll eat in the room in a bit. I've already turned on the air conditioner. It's hot outside, so go cool off in the room first."

After washing his hands, Xu Yanche saw the sweet-and-sour pineapple pork already prepared on the counter. He pinched a piece of pineapple between his fingers and popped it into his mouth.

It was sweet and sour, and delicious.

Jinshu glanced outside but did not see anyone else. "Didn't He Qing come?"

Only then did Xu Yanche, who had been sneaking food, remember that he seemed to have left someone in the car. "I forgot him in the car. I'll go check right now."

Jinshu turned off the heat, caught Xu Yanche's hand, and asked, "Yanyan, tell Mom honestly. Are you doing well in the He Household?"

Seeing the worried look on Jinshu's face, Xu Yanche immediately said, "I'm doing great. Everyone in the He Household treats me very well. They really haven't mistreated me at all. We have that fake young master to thank for looking down on the He Household, or such a good thing would never have fallen to us."

"On my second day after entering the house, vegetative He Qing woke up, and then I received six hundred million yuan. When I'm on set, He Qing even comes to visit me and buys me things I like to eat. If you don't believe me, I'll show you the photos."

As he spoke, he pulled up his photo album and showed Jinshu the pictures he had taken earlier.

Jinshu looked at what was in the photos, then checked the dates they had been taken, and relaxed.

"Then I can rest easy. Go call him in. I'll bring the dishes into the living room first."

Like a monkey, Xu Yanche darted out of the kitchen. "Got it. Qingqing darling, have you gotten out of the car yet?"

The moment Xu Yanche stepped outside, he saw He Qing and the driver carrying things.

He stuffed the pineapple in his hand into He Qing's mouth. "Try it. I secretly took it from inside. My mom has finished cooking, so come on, come on, let's hurry up and eat."

Xu Yanche pulled a tissue from his pocket, wiped his hands, and tossed the used tissue into the trash can by the door.

Then he joined them in carrying things.

Jinshu looked silently at the growing mountain of things in the living room.

"Did you empty out the whole supermarket?"

He Qing called out "Mom" somewhat stiffly.

Then he began introducing all the things they had bought to Jinshu.

His voice was icy, and his tone and expression made it seem as though he were holding a meeting for company employees.

The driver waited in the courtyard.

They had even set aside a portion of food for him to eat in the courtyard.

Xu Yanche had originally wanted the driver to come inside, where it was cooler.

But the driver said there was no need.

Xu Yanche looked at the dishes on the table and slurped. "Mom, Old He, let's eat first. If the meat gets cold, it'll give us diarrhea."

He Qing let out a breath of relief. During the meal, he actively tried to make a good impression, constantly serving food to Jinshu and Xu Yanche.

Jinshu asked a few simple questions, after which Xu Yanche chattered nonstop about the gossip he had learned on set over the past few days.

He told it vividly.

He gestured wildly as he spoke.

Jinshu listened with great enjoyment.

She served Xu Yanche more food. "Yanyan, eat more. Look at how thin you've gotten."

Xu Yanche touched his own face and nodded in agreement. "I think so too, which is why I need to eat lots more."

He Qing: "..." If he remembered correctly, Xu Yanche seemed to have gained two jin.

After dinner, the two of them chatted with Jinshu for a while longer.

Then they prepared to go home.

Before leaving, Xu Yanche leaned close to Jinshu. "Mom, is Brother Hu pursuing you lately?"

At his words, Jinshu's ears turned a little red. Then she said, "No. What are you, a child, doing asking about adults' business all day?"

Xu Yanche said, "I'm just concerned about you. Mom, I actually think Hu Cheng is a pretty good person. If you like him too, I definitely won't object to you being together."

Jinshu directly "kicked Xu Yanche out of the house." "Go, go, go. Hurry home."

Xu Yanche chuckled. He could see it now—there was something going on between his mom and Hu Cheng.

Just look at her, she had gotten shy after only a few words.

He Qing: "..."