What role do children play at an adult's dinner table?
First, they're a conversation starter. The flamboyant young man turned to Lu Xuefeng and asked, "Is this one of your Lu family's offspring?"
"Hmm, he's alright, isn't he?" The old man was indifferent to his own great-grandson, but very close to You Tou Guai. Although he still wore a grumpy expression, his tone was noticeably gentler, without that imperative quality, which made Simon feel a pang of sourness.
You Tou Guai slurped his enoki mushrooms. Eating a hot pot in winter was truly comfortable. The young man prepared his own dipping sauce. Simon glanced at the sauce dish; it was sesame paste, likely with red fermented bean curd, chili oil, rattan pepper oil, and what else? Perhaps oyster sauce and seafood sauce?
"Eat your vegetables!" The young man served Simon some food. His chopsticks were greasy and had two grains of rice stuck to them. If he had a choice, Simon really didn't want to accept the favor.
The old man brought out two basins of braised meat—pork, lamb, and beef, along with several chicken drumsticks and duck feet. They were piled high, rich with oil and dark sauce. The large iron basins clanged loudly as they were placed on the table, making Simon and the braised meat jiggle three times.
Lu Xuefeng turned to the refrigerator and pulled out a pack of beer, asking the young man, "Is this enough?"
"Enough."
The old man twitched the corners of his mouth, actually smiling. Damn, why had he never smiled at me like that?!
Simon lowered his head and shoveled a few mouthfuls of mushrooms, thinking, I should be under the table, not at the table. After dinner, I'll go back to my bedroom. Today's daily tasks aren't finished yet. Tonight, I still need to memorize Spanish vocabulary, do some physical exercise, and finally, brainstorm and sleep, preparing for a new day...
Presumably, tomorrow will also be a calm and uneventful day.
Lu Xuefeng returned to the kitchen, bringing out two small dishes and placing them in front of Simon: one was cheesy mashed potatoes, and the other was braised pork with dried bamboo shoots.
The young man happily reached out his chopsticks to grab some food, "Eating so well today, huh? It's different when the little great-grandson comes over!"
Lu Xuefeng slapped away the young man's thieving hand, "Don't snatch food from a child." He turned and looked down at Simon. Xiao Lu looked bewildered. The old man didn't say anything, just gently patted Simon's head.
What role do children play at an adult's dinner table? They are the ones who receive the most care.
The young man used his chopsticks to rummage through the braised meat basin. This habit of his was truly frowned upon, especially his long, wide, dusty sleeves, which swayed and almost dipped into the basin, like a small fan patting the braised meat. Simon believed the braised meat felt as miserable as he did, observing from the side.
Simon tasted the dishes Great-Grandfather had prepared for him. He had to admit, they were much better than Comrade Sun Hui's cooking. It seemed that years of living alone had given him ample time to practice his culinary skills.
Lu Xuefeng let the young man drink beer, but he himself brought out a pewter pot of yellow wine, heating it over water on the stove. Now, it had a rich, grain-like aroma. Simon was somewhat surprised by the pewter pot; it was definitely an antique. The dragon on the lid was so worn it looked like a four-legged snake, and the thick layer of oxidation, like lead, gave the illusion that the pot was poisonous.
The young man was quite handsome, but very rude, with an unkempt face and a vulgar posture. No one would have expected such a seemingly marginalized individual to drink with such flair. He pried off the bottle cap against the edge of the chair, with a hiss, the cap flew to the floor. He sat sideways, tilted his head, raised the bottle, and shook his head before drinking. His black hair swayed twice, like the trembling thick curtains on a stage.
One bottle, in one breath, from beginning to end, unhurriedly, without spilling a single drop.
After finishing, he gently placed the bottle on the ground. He seemed to come alive, his eyes so bright they could shoot lightning. He didn't speak, continuing to eat with increasingly bold movements. After shedding his vulgar state, every part of his attire exuded the roguish charm of a playboy.
Such a person would probably be quite popular with young girls.
Simon quickly finished his allotted two bowls of rice. Although he wasn't full, he didn't continue eating. Comrade Sun Hui had set this rule, and he had agreed. If he said he wouldn't eat, he wouldn't; even one extra bite would count as...
Lu Zhengfeng frowned, "Eat two more bowls!"
"Mom said I can't eat too much."
"If she comes looking for you, I'll speak for you."
"Oh."
Thank you, Great-Grandfather, Great-Grandfather is so good!
With a respectful heart, Simon scraped clean both bowls of food made by Comrade Lu Xuefeng.
"Is it good?"
"Everything Great-Grandfather makes is delicious."
Lu Xuefeng twitched the corners of his mouth, his eyes happy, but his expression was a forced smile. The young man, however, burst into unrestrained laughter, "Little rascal, such practiced flattery. Come, call me Gege."
Simon ignored him. The young man thought for a moment and put a large chicken drumstick in Simon's bowl.
"Thank you, Uncle, Uncle is so good!"
Lu Xuefeng suddenly laughed out loud. The old man's laugh was like a boiling kettle, hissing, and very infectious. Simon also chuckled foolishly, only the young man looked sorrowful, bitter wine entering his throat and pain in his heart!
After dinner, Simon was about to go upstairs when Lu Xuefeng suddenly stopped him.
"Your mother said you like to draw. Tomorrow, you'll practice drawing with this Gege Zheng, understand?"
The young man pouted, "Hey, hey, hey, I'm not teaching this little rascal."
Simon: Even if you were willing to teach, I wouldn't be willing to learn!
Lu Xuefeng's eyelids drooped, and cold light shot from his triangular eyes, making Xiao Zheng's scalp tingle.
"Heh, Uncle Feng, I was just joking."
The old man didn't reply. He turned back to tell Simon to rest well, then urged him upstairs.
Simon closed the door to his bedroom, and then explosive curses erupted from downstairs. The floor seemed to vibrate. Even in a room with strong soundproofing, the old man's shouts couldn't be blocked.
"Motherf—! You'll teach even if you don't want to, and you'll teach even if you want to! My great-grandson is my only treasure. Now that you're in my house, don't even think about leaving! Only when his mother takes him away can you, you monkey, even think of leaving!"
"Don't worry, Uncle Feng, I'll take care of this child, I'll definitely arrange everything well for you!"
Simon secretly laughed. The old man and this Zheng fellow were clearly unlikely friends. He just hadn't expected Comrade Lu Xuefeng, at his age, to have such a fiery temper, not even afraid of bursting his own blood vessels.
"From now on, no swearing in front of my child, understood?!"
"Alright, alright, don't worry, don't worry, I'll definitely make sure the child learns well..."
Simon sat at his desk memorizing vocabulary. The shouting downstairs continued for a long time. Xiao Zheng was forced to agree to many demands. At 6:13, he received two new emails.
6:13 "Lu Jiande: Son, be good at Great-Grandfather's house."
6:13 "Sun Hui: If you miss home, send an email. Mom will come pick you up."
6:13 Unified reply "Simon: Oh, Great-Grandfather is very good to me. Don't miss me (●'?'●)"
On the return high-speed train, Sun Hui put away her phone and looked out the window.
A piece of cloud was missing in the west, and sparse beams of light fell. Amidst the city's iron curtain, swarms of drones flew by, like a flock of wild geese.
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