Chapter 685 (Page 1/2)

Lin Man followed Huo Qingci downstairs with light steps. Seeing the children sitting around the dining table, she strode over.

On the left side of the long Western-style table was a steaming copper gong hot pot. The soup in the pot was bubbling, making gurgling sounds, and the rising white mist filled the air, bringing bursts of tempting aroma.

Grandpa sat alone in the upper seat, Huo Yining and his two younger brothers sat on the left, and Huo Yixin sat alone on the right, with two empty seats next to her.

Huo Qingci smiled and extended his hand to Lin Man, gently pulling her to the seat beside him. Then, he gracefully picked up a pair of clean chopsticks from the table and gently handed them to Lin Man.

"Manman, I was a little worried that these five pounds of beef might not be enough for everyone, so I went to kill a chicken. The chicken should be ready to eat after cooking for half an hour." Huo Qingci said softly.

Lin Man nodded slightly, thinking to herself: Yes, these children are grown up now, and they are in the period of growth, so their appetites have naturally increased.

Even if the five pounds of beef were all cut into thin slices, they could only be made into five plates at most, which was definitely not enough for all of them to eat. There was no one in their family who didn't like to eat meat.

Thinking of this, she picked up the colander beside her, put it into the pot and scooped out a lot of tender and juicy chicken.

She carefully placed the chicken in a bowl and began to savor it slowly. As for the beef slices, she left it to the children to cook and enjoy as they pleased, as they were all meat lovers!

Lin Man had just eaten a piece of chicken when Huo Qingci picked up a few pieces of beef for him with chopsticks. Lin Man lowered his head and ate silently.

The hot pot meal lasted a full hour. When Lin Man was about to clean up the dishes, Huo Qingci directly instructed Huo Yining, "Ningning, go wash the dishes."

Huo Yining didn't say anything and did it without further ado. Seeing that their eldest brother was busy, Huo Yian and the twins worked quickly, some wiped the table and some put the stools in place.

Huo Li was already used to his grandson ordering the children to work. Seeing that he was busy with the children, he said to Huo Qingci, "I'm going upstairs to rest for a while."

Huo Qingci suddenly recalled Lin Man's request for him to persuade Grandpa to go out for a walk in the afternoon. After a brief thought, he smiled and said to Grandpa:

"Grandpa, it's not snowing or raining today, why don't we go out for a walk together later?

I have to go back to work tomorrow, so I won't have much time to spend with you and the kids. I guess I'll have to wait until the Chinese New Year before I'll have free time again."

Huo Li, who was sitting next to him, had already agreed with Lin Man that they would not go out to play in the afternoon. However, seeing his eldest grandson's earnest invitation, his heart softened. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and said,

(This chapter is not yet finished, please click on the next page to continue reading) Chapter 685 (Page 2/2)

"Okay, okay, since you've asked, I'll go with you. Let's go for a stroll along the Bund this afternoon. But I'm a little tired right now, so I want to go upstairs and rest for a while. Come back upstairs and call me when you leave."

"Yeah, okay, grandpa, you can rest assured. I will come up and call you when the time comes." Huo Qingci responded quickly and obediently.

Huo Li stood up slowly and said, "Okay, I'll go upstairs and take a nap."

After seeing her grandfather slowly going upstairs, Lin Man gently took Huo Qingci's hand and walked to the soft and comfortable sofa next to the fireplace and sat down.

The two sat together, feeling the warmth brought by the fire, and began to chat happily.

"Qingci, let's go out for a walk in the afternoon. Don't let the children run outside tomorrow. Let them stay at home and read books, do homework and review." Lin Man said as she moved closer to Huo Qingci.

Huo Qingci nodded slightly in agreement: "Manman, didn't you put a piano in the study before? Why not take this opportunity to let the children practice piano."

Lin Man frowned and replied helplessly, "Qingci, it's too cold! Playing the piano will freeze your hands and feet."

Huo Qingci smiled and gently suggested, "Manman, actually, we can find a way to move the piano from the study to the living room downstairs. It's much warmer here than in the study. Since they didn't go to the Youth Palace for extra classes during the winter break, let them practice more at home."

Lin Man thought this was a good idea, so she turned around and waved to her daughter Huo Yixin, who was not far away, and called out, "Xinxin, come here quickly. Mommy has something to ask you."

Huo Yixin ran over to Lin Man, and Lin Man asked her, "Xinxin, do you plan to practice the piano in the study upstairs, or do you want to practice in the hall downstairs? If you want to practice downstairs, we have to move the piano downstairs."

Huo Yixin sat down next to Lin Man, blinking her bright eyes and saying, "Mom, I think it's better to move the piano downstairs. It's really warm down there."

Lin Man patted Huo Yixin's little head and replied with a smile, "Okay, since Xinxin wants to do the same, Mommy and Daddy will go upstairs to move the piano."

However, Huo Qingci quickly stopped Lin Man and said softly, "Manman, it's such a small matter, why do you need to do it yourself? I can ask Ningning to help move it. That guy is very strong."

Huo Yixin agreed with a smile, "Yes, Mom, big brother is very strong."

Lin Man glared at Huo Qingci. "Not only did you ask Ningning to wash the dishes, but you also asked him to move the piano. He's only eleven years old. What if it hits his foot?"