Chapter 202 Eating

Xiaowan Village has always been particular about entertaining guests. If it's Chinese New Year, they must have eight cold dishes, eight hot dishes, and four steamed bowls. But the timing is not right. It's not Chinese New Year or a festival, and the weather is still hot, so many things can't be stored, so everything has to be simple.

Despite this, Li Aiying still carefully prepared a table full of meat and vegetable dishes, with both vegetables and soup.

The dining table is a small low table placed under the hallway. The breeze from the corridor blows in, so you don’t feel hot when eating.

Tian Xin brought a small stool and asked Lin Zhou to sit down, then went out to find Xiaoxu to come back for dinner.

Li Aiying was still busy in the kitchen, and Lin Zhou was the only one at the dinner table.

Waiting there felt a bit awkward, so he went to the kitchen to see if there was anything he could do to help.

As soon as Li Aiying saw him come in, she quickly pushed him out: "No, no, you go sit down. I'll do it!"

"Actually, I can do all of this, Auntie!" Lin Zhou was chased out and came back in, rolled up his sleeves and helped Li Aiying beat eggs and chop vegetables: "I can cook since I was a teenager, but my cooking is just average. Auntie, you have great skills."

Li Aiying was making the last spoonful of the dish. Seeing that he was determined to help, she didn't stop him. She said casually, "It's just plain food, nothing like what you have in the city. Just make do with it, it's okay. Don't be disgusted!"

"How could that be? I'm a little envious of Tian Xin. Being able to eat her mother's cooking anytime is such a blessing!"

"What's the big deal? Every family is like this?" Li Aiying said with a smile, "You city people have good living conditions. Your mother must be a better cook than me!"

"Not really!" Lin Zhou handed the chopped vegetables to Li Aiying and replied casually, "I haven't eaten my mother's cooking for more than ten years."

"Oh? Really? Then your mother must be very busy at work?"

As he spoke, the spoon was already ready.

Lin Zhou looked at the four bowls on the table, walked over and picked them up: "Let me do it, Auntie!"

"No, no, you go sit down, I'll do it!"

Li Aiying swiftly carried the bowls out, placed a bowl on each of the four corners of the table, and pulled Lin Zhou to sit down.

Tian Xin hadn't come back yet, so she took off her apron and casually placed it on the table. She looked at Lin Zhou and smiled faintly: "Lin Zhou, what does your mother do for a living?"

"She is an opera actor and works in a theater troupe!" Lin Zhou responded.

"An opera actor? A Qinqiang singer?"

"Yes, Auntie, do you usually listen to opera?"

"Listen! We have opera troupes here every holiday. Maybe I've even seen your mother!" Li Aiying asked, "Which piece does your mother usually sing?"

"I don't quite understand that," Lin Zhou said. "She was a Qingyi singer named Zhou Ruilian. Sometimes she would be sent down to the village to sing! But she hasn't been out much in recent years and has gradually moved behind the scenes!"

"Zhou Ruilian? Is that the Zhou Ruilian who sang 'Three Mothers Teaching Their Sons'?"

Li Aiying was surprised and said: "Oh, so that's your mother? Your mother is a famous actress!"

"Have you heard of her?" Lin Zhou asked with a smile.

"Well, it's more than just hearing about it. Everyone in this area has heard of your mother's opera. She even came to town for Chinese New Year this year!" Li Aiying recalled excitedly: "There were so many people that day, it was so crowded that we couldn't see anything. They all came to see your mother's "Three Sisters Teaching Their Sons"!"

After she finished speaking, she seemed to have a hint of regret, and murmured to herself: "I didn't see the person clearly that day. I didn't expect that it was your mother!"

"Really? So you're a big fan of my mom? Well, if you're free someday, I'll take you to the ancient city. She performs regularly at the Yisu Society, so you'll definitely be able to see her!"

Lin Zhou's face was full of excitement, and he spoke a few words in one go without any hesitation.

Li Aiying had a gentle smile on her face all the time. After hearing what he said, she immediately said something politely: "That's not a problem! Your mother is so busy, I just watched it on TV!"

"What's the trouble? Just a trip? It's very convenient..."

"Lin Zhou," Li Aiying interrupted Lin Zhou and suddenly changed the subject: "How many people are there in your family?"

“…”

Lin Zhou was still immersed in the excitement of the moment, and was a bit caught off guard by this question. He was stunned: "Huh?"

"A family of three! His father, mother and him!" Tian Xin brought Xiao Xu in from the door, but the voice came back before they arrived.

"Mom, are you checking the household registration?" She looked at her mother Li Aiying half-jokingly and half-seriously with a smile on her face, her eyes instantly conveying multiple messages.

Before Lin Zhou could open his mouth, he was so stunned by what Tian Xin said that he couldn't speak.

Li Aiying seemed oblivious to Tian Xin's hint. While telling the siblings to wash their hands, she asked, "So you're an only child? You're the only child your parents have, and you don't have any other siblings?"

"Uh...actually..."

"Mom, it's almost time for dinner!" Tian Xin interrupted Li Aiying's question again while washing her hands and listening with her ears pricked up.

This time Li Aiying was unhappy: "Don't talk, I want to talk to Lin Zhou for a few words."

"Lin Zhou, I heard Xinxin say you're doing business. Where is it? In the county or in the ancient city?"

"In the new district, Auntie! Our family is in the building materials business, and my father is in the ancient city. I just came back last year and am now starting a business in the new district!" Lin Zhou answered quickly without letting Tian Xin interrupt him.

Tian Xin didn't say anything, just glanced at him.

Li Aiying nodded and said "oh" twice, and she understood.

The brother and sister came back after washing their hands and sat down at the table.

Xiao Xu met Lin Zhou for the first time, but he was not shy and asked immediately: "Brother, is that car at the door yours? It's so cool!"

"Yes!" Lin Zhou smiled and asked Xiaoxu to sit next to him: "You are Xiaoxu, right? How old are you?"

"I'm 12," Xiaoxu walked over and sat next to Lin Zhou. He picked up the chopsticks and handed them to him, looking at him with a smile: "Brother, can you take me out for a walk later? Your car is so cool, can you take me for a ride around the village?"

Teenagers are very curious. Lin Zhou remembered that he was the same when he was little, and he loved playing with cars. So he agreed without thinking: "Of course, you like cars?"

"Yeah!" Xiaoxu responded, then turned to Li Aiying and asked, "Mom, can I go play with my brother?"

"Brother is busy with work, how can he have time to play with you?" Li Aiying did not agree to Xiaoxu's request. She turned around and called Lin Zhou: "Eat, Lin Zhou, try this soup that Auntie made specially for you!"

"Oh, okay, okay, thank you, Auntie!" Lin Zhou quickly reached out to take the soup and took a sip.

Xiao Xu was just happy for a second, but when he heard what his mother said, he immediately pouted and said unhappy: "Can't I even play for a while? Mom, you're such a spoiler!" After saying that, he looked at Tian Xin again: "Sister, I want to play with my brother!"

It was a small request from his brother-in-law, and as a brother-in-law, there was no reason for him to refuse. Lin Zhou coughed lightly and immediately began to show his ability: "Actually, I don't have anything to do this afternoon. I can take Xiaoxu for a ride. It's not a big deal!"

"Really? Then can I bring my friends along?"

"No problem!" Lin Zhou said, "But I still have to listen to my mom and sister!"

"Is it okay, sister?" Xiao Xu quickly turned his head and looked at Tian Xin eagerly. Tian Xin glanced at Li Aiying: "Mom, it's okay anyway, let him go!"

"Oh, how can you be so ignorant, kid! You agree to everything he asks for!" Li Aiying complained to Tian Xin, then turned to explain to Lin Zhou: "Xinxin has spoiled this kid since he was little. She gives him everything he asks for and agrees to everything he says. He's so naughty! If you take him out, it'll definitely cause you trouble!"

"It's okay, Auntie!" Lin Zhou smiled and patted Xiao Xu's shoulder: "Little boys at this age are very curious, just like my brother!"

"You have a younger brother?" Li Aiying frowned when she heard this and turned to look at Tian Xin: "You just said he was an only child!"

"Don't blame her, Auntie." Lin Zhou put down his chopsticks, turned around and smiled faintly: "She is right."

Seeing that Li Aiying was confused, he sighed and explained, "Actually, my parents divorced more than ten years ago. My brother was born to my stepmother and is about the same age as Xiaoxu. When Tian Xin said that I was her only child, she was right."

"Oh, so that's how it is!" Li Aiying realized, her face darkening slightly. "It's okay, just eat your food, eat your food!" She just kept urging Lin Zhou to eat his food, not asking any other questions.

Lin Zhou was stunned, his mood instantly dropped to freezing point, and the hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly.

From the moment he walked in, he was mentally prepared for interrogation from Tian Xin's mother. Tian Xin had never asked a single question about his family. He had thought countless times about bringing her to meet her mother, about wanting her to be part of his life. But Tian Xin's attitude towards him was always ambiguous, so there was no chance of this happening.

Today, he finally came to his house. Facing Li Aiying's questioning, he was actually happy. He didn't think about hiding anything at all. He just wanted to take another step forward with her. But unexpectedly, before they could say a few words, the topic ended.

He suddenly understood that the reason why Tian Xin had always refused to accept him was because of this?