Chapter 114 Meow meow meow

Huo Ye, Huo Ran, Mu Mingqiu, Old Madam Huo and other bigwigs stood blankly under the street lights, looking at each other.

They couldn't help but pinch themselves to confirm that this was reality and not a dream.

Huo Ye half-knelt on the ground, his face pale, holding his head and muttering to himself:

"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible. I am a big shot in the Beijing circle and the biological father of Boss Xiaolan. Although I have not appeared in the past three years, blood is thicker than water... It is clearly written in the novel that as long as I sincerely put down my status and seek peace, Qingquan and the child will accept my existence... A family of three..."

Huo Ye's suit was wrinkled into a ball, his handsome face looked lonely, and he looked a bit dejected, like a domineering president in downtime.

Seeing his expression, Mu Mingqiu, although he himself was not feeling well, could not help but sneer: "This is the real world, not some novel about a man running away with his wife and going to the crematorium! Do you really take yourself seriously?"

"Why should they accept you when you suddenly appear after ignoring me for three years..."

As he spoke, not only did Huo Ye's expression become increasingly ugly, but even Mu Mingqiu's own expression turned gray.

yes.

Huo Ye was derelict in his duty as a biological father, but he, Mu Mingqiu, was a complete stranger to Ye Qingquan and Lan Lan. Why should he expect the father and son to accept him?

"I'm too arrogant." Mu Mingqiu looked at the diamond ring in his hand in despair. "I'm no different from Huo Ye. I really thought I was so great just because I had some money and a good family background..."

Mu Mingqiu has never truly loved anyone in his life.

But the moment he saw Ye Qingquan spraying insecticide on Huo Ye, he had to admit that he was really 1% moved.

...Of course, the remaining 99% of his heartbeat came from the fact that if Ye Qingquan was willing to marry him, he would be able to legitimately obtain the custody of Boss Xiaolan and form a happy family of three with Boss Xiaolan and Ye Qingquan.

"You are an outsider, what do you have to do here?" Old Madam Huo was also heartbroken, but at this time she couldn't help but raise her eyes and said to Mu Mingqiu.

——No matter what, in her heart, Boss Xiao Lan is still a member of their Huo family and has nothing to do with Mu Mingqiu from beginning to end.

Because she had anticipated that Ye Qingquan might reject Huo Ye, she had specially prepared the second option, Huo Ran, to increase her chances of winning. Madam Huo thought that Ye Qingquan and Lanlan would choose Huo Ye, or at worst Huo Ran. It was even possible that they would choose Mu Mingqiu...

But the result was something no one expected.

"Mom, it's already this time. There's no point in saying anything." Huo Ran interrupted Mrs. Huo. He still smiled gently, but there was a hint of reluctance in that gentleness.

Huo Ran pointed at the roast duck stall with a long queue in front of him.

…Looking in the direction he pointed, the four people present suddenly felt that they could hardly breathe.

There was already a long line at the roast duck stall in front of them.

And they, because they were so complacent that Lan Lan would choose them, did not queue up - they were going to get the custody of Lan Lan soon, so did it matter whether they queued up or not?

Once they become a family with Boss Xiaolan, eating roast duck will be a piece of cake!

No one expected Boss Xiaolan to say "I won't choose anyone".

No one expected that after Boss Xiaolan said that, a large group of diners appeared out of nowhere, bringing their families with them, chatting and laughing, and squeezed into the line with their bowls in hand. They didn't even have a chance to queue.

At this time, there were dozens or even hundreds of people queuing in front of the roast duck stall. Even if they queued up again at this time, they probably wouldn't be able to eat roast duck.

“…”

The queue was bustling with people, many of them were families, young couples holding hands, grandfathers with their grandchildren, mothers with their children, and high school students who had just returned home from get out of class, wearing school uniforms and playing around while queuing.

Boss Xiaolan was packing the roast duck very quickly. The line was moving quickly and more and more people were getting the roast duck.

Most of the people who got the roast duck found a seat nearby with their family and friends and ate it while it was hot. Only a very small number of people hurried home with the roast duck to share it with their loved ones who were waiting at home.

The aroma of roast duck wafted through the streets and alleys.

"Your roast duck is packed, be careful, it's hot!"

Boss Xiao Lan smiled and handed out the roast duck he had just packed.

Aunt Wang happily took the roast duck, and together with her son and daughter-in-law, she took out small stools and sat down on the street. There were a lot of people on the street, so the three of them sat very close to each other, head to head, surrounding the freshly-oven roast duck in the middle.

Aunt Wang's son and daughter-in-law had been drooling with greed for a long time - they had eaten processed roast duck before, but this was the first time they had eaten freshly-baked roast duck. The two of them had been rubbing their hands since they lined up, until this moment, when the roast duck finally arrived in front of them.

The hot roast duck is still covered with freshly-baked steam. It is plump, with thin, red crispy skin. The crispy, tender duck meat is wrapped in the reddish-brown crispy skin. The glistening oily surface and the rich aroma of roast duck make people salivate.

However, the young couple did not pick up their chopsticks.

"Hurry up and eat," Aunt Wang couldn't help but urge, "otherwise it will get cold!"

"Mom, you eat first." The two looked at each other, then looked at Aunt Wang, "You've been busy running around for a long time since we came back this time, and you haven't had a good rest. Most of the roast duck has gone into our stomachs, and you haven't had a good meal yet..."

Whether it was the roast duck that was cooked at the beginning or the roast duck that was bought earlier today, Aunt Wang left most of it for them to eat. The young couple has already agreed that from today on, all the roast ducks will be eaten by Aunt Wang first.

Aunt Wang didn't expect that all her hard work and dedication over the past two days were seen by her son and daughter-in-law.

She couldn't help but feel warm in her heart and her eyes became moist.

...Of course, she would never mention the fact that she had secretly hidden a roast duck and ate the whole thing at noon without telling them, and almost became a giant.

Sometimes telling the truth can easily hurt feelings, haha.

"You two are both good kids, so I'll obey your orders and eat first!"

After saying that, Aunt Wang tore off a roast duck leg from the roast duck and took a big bite.

The roast duck was cooked to perfection, and the crispy skin roasted from the fruit wood was shiny and oily, and very tender and crispy.

Aunt Wang only took a light bite, and a large piece of roast duck with crispy skin and meat was torn off. The oil under the crispy skin also flowed out, accompanied by the soft duck meat. When she chewed it carefully, it was fat but not greasy, and extremely fresh and fragrant!

Aunt Wang was overwhelmed by the aroma and took several bites before she came to her senses and said:

"It's delicious, so delicious, you two should eat it too!"

"Okay, okay!" The young couple rubbed their hands excitedly, put on gloves, and started eating with big mouthfuls.

Uncle Li was holding the roast duck he had just bought. Looking at the happy scene of the three people, he couldn't help but sneer at the side:

"It's great to have a son and a daughter-in-law. Haha, I'm not envious at all. I can eat a whole roast duck by myself..."

Having said that, everyone could hear the bitterness in his words.

Uncle Li and Aunt Wang live across the street from each other. They always compare with each other in everything they do. Uncle Li feels a little lonely when he sees Aunt Wang reunited with her son and daughter-in-law.

Uncle Li's two children are working overseas and can't come back until the Chinese New Year. Uncle Li says that he doesn't care, but he actually misses them very much.

Therefore, every time Aunt Wang's son and daughter-in-law came to visit, Uncle Li would become more sarcastic and mean, and would want to compare himself with Aunt Wang in order to relieve his inner loneliness.

The same is true now.

Uncle Li deliberately held his roast duck in front of the three people and ate it in big mouthfuls, pretending to enjoy it very much.

...But such a fragrant and delicious roast duck, when he put it in his mouth, he felt that it was a little tasteless.

How strange.

Uncle Li couldn't help but rub his sore eyes.

"Old Li, you are such a sly person..." Aunt Wang looked at him and couldn't help but sigh, "Look behind you."

Uncle Li was stunned for a moment, turned around, and found that his back was surrounded by neighbors without him knowing when.

Some people had already received their roast duck, while others were still waiting in line, but they all came to talk to him with a smile:

"Lao Li, my son said he wants to give you his roast duck leg. Thank you for the spicy chicken you made for him before! He loves it!"

"Yes, Uncle Li, I'm giving you this beer to exchange for a year's worth of spicy chicken. Please don't think I'm eating and drinking for free."

"Grandpa Li, let's eat roast duck together, okay?"

"How about we make a bet on who can finish a whole roast duck first? The loser will pay for the drinks!"

We have been neighbors for so many years and we are so familiar with each other. Everyone tacitly agreed not to mention anything about Grandpa Li's children. They just gathered around him, laughing and joking, and making jokes. You handed him a roast duck leg and I handed him a roast duck roll.

"You guys..." Looking at those familiar smiling faces and the unspoken concern, Uncle Li felt his nose sour, "You guys are so..."

...He hadn't finished saying the word 'good' yet.

Someone reached out and secretly snatched the roast duck leg from Uncle Li’s hand!

The sadness in Uncle Li's heart was immediately diluted.

He was furious and instantly entered combat mode: "Which bastard dares to touch my roast duck——"

The neighbors burst into laughter.

Some were chasing, some were running, there was a family of three happily eating roast duck together, and there were old friends joking and betting over drinking money. In this extremely lively yet ordinary night, happiness flows slowly in the aroma of roast duck.

Under the light of the street lamps, the owner of the roast duck stall is busy. In the warm atmosphere of fireworks, everyone has a smile on his face.

…

Ye Qingquan stood in the queue, looking at the warm scene, and couldn't help but smile.

He had been worried and confused, wondering why Lan Lan was so determined to go out and sell roast duck every day, rain or shine. When he was recognized by Old Madam Huo today, he even thought that from today on, he would no longer allow Lan Lan to go out and set up a stall to sell roast duck.

But seeing the scene before me...

All his puzzles and confusions seemed to have answers.