Seeing that Luo Wenyuan was busy drinking and not eating much, Zhang Meiling quickly picked up a sea cucumber for him:

"Come on, Xiao Luo. Lian City may not be as good as the capital, but the food in the sea is still quite fresh. This sea cucumber is a must-eat tonic for us Lian City people in winter. Try one—!"

If his mother-in-law asked him to eat, would Luo Wenyuan dare to refuse? Luo Wenyuan picked up the plump, trembling, and thorny sea cucumber, endured the nausea and took a bite, chewed it a few times and swallowed it. Fortunately, there was no strange taste.

Qingshan knew that Luo Wenyuan was a die-hard beauty-obsessed person. He wouldn't even eat things that didn't look good. He never touched mollusks like sea intestines and sea cucumbers. He really didn't know how he mustered up the courage to eat them.

Qingshan stretched out his chopsticks to pick up the remaining half of the sea cucumber, but was stopped by Luo Wenyuan, who stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed it in one go, his eyebrows twitching almost invisibly.

Zhang Meiling didn't notice Luo Wenyuan's struggle and thought he loved it, so she wanted to serve him some food, but Qingshan stopped her:

"No, no, no, Mom, Wen Yuan is from inland and can't get used to seafood. What if he's allergic? Just eat yours and leave him alone!"

Zhang Meiling glared at Qingshan and continued to introduce the delicious seafood on the table to her future son-in-law.

Qingshan secretly drank a glass of Lingtan water. Luo Wenyuan took a sip and finally felt the churning feeling in his stomach eased and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Xiao Luo, how old is your grandfather this year?"

"Seventy-four."

"How are you feeling?"

"My grandfather has stubborn high blood pressure. He takes a lot of medicine every day but it's still not under control. Fortunately, Qingshan treated him and he's much better now!"

Zhang Meiling nodded, feeling proud. Although she and her husband were ordinary workers with no money or power, her daughter had superb medical skills. If she really married into Colonel Luo's family in the future, she would not be looked down upon by her in-laws because of her skills!

"Well, Xiaoshan's medical skills are pretty good. When she was twelve years old, she saved an elderly man who had a cerebral hemorrhage. That family still visits us frequently...blah blah..."

Zhang Meiling treated Luo Wenyuan like a family member, and she couldn't stop talking. She told him all the interesting stories about Qingshan's childhood. Luo Wenyuan was like a sponge, remembering every word Zhang Meiling said, and described Qingshan's childhood in his mind, listening with relish: he had no part in Qingshan's life before the age of fifteen, so being able to hear some details was a comfort, and he would fill in the gaps when he had the chance.

They ate and talked until nine o'clock. In the past, Old Chen and Zhang Meiling would have gone to bed by this time, but today neither of them was sleepy, so Chen Jianguo asked Luo Wenyuan to drink Pu'er tea to help digestion.

The beef stewed in Lingtan water for Yin'er had just been cooked and was fragrant and chewy. Qingshan served it a large bowl and secretly put a few pieces of lotus root in it. Yin'er happily licked the palm of his owner's hand and lowered his head to eat.

While cleaning the table, Qingshan asked Zhang Meiling:

"Mom, when did Zhan Feng leave?"

"He brought the stuff here, helped sort it out, and then left. He said there were other junior brothers and sisters in Hong Kong who needed him to take care of them. Ah Feng is a really good kid. He's polite and good at talking. He's helped our family a lot over the years. You better be nice to him and stop acting like a master!"

"Well, I won't let him down, don't worry! Have you opened the things that Afeng sent?"

"I've divided it among the relatives just as you instructed. Your uncle and aunt were too embarrassed to accept it, so they asked me to thank you! But Xiaoshan, it's a good thing that you're filial to your elders, but you should be more frugal with your money in the future, okay? Don't buy these flashy luxury items anymore. Even your parents can't get used to them. Your parents are just ordinary workers, and they can't help you financially in this life. You have to think for yourself. A woman is more confident when she has money. You should start saving some money for yourself from now on, so you don't have to ask others for money in the future!"