"Dinner is ready—"

Jianshu was holding two plates of food in his hands and yelled at the top of his lungs.

There was soon movement in the living room and the room.

Zhao Mingze and Gu Mingjing had just finished playing half of a game of chess. After hearing the sound, they put down their chess pieces without hesitation and walked out.

Gu Mingjing was walking in front and saw Jianshu staggering out with a full bowl of soup, so he hurried to greet him.

"Let me carry it, be careful not to get burned."

"No need, I'm not that careless." Jian Shu avoided him. "Go and take out all the dishes from the pot. Let's get dinner ready."

Seeing that she had approached the dining table, Gu Mingjing nodded and said, "Okay, you take a break first, I'll serve it."

Jianshu didn't compete with him and started to set the table and bring wine and drinks.

At this time, Zhao Yueling and Zhao Tianrui, brother and sister, who had just washed their hands, came over.

Zhao Tianrui climbed onto the bench, supported himself on the table with both hands, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exclaimed in ecstasy, "It smells so good!"

This intoxicated expression immediately made everyone laugh. Jian Shu couldn't help but reach out and pinch his little nose, "Can you still smell it now?"

Zhao Tianrui opened his eyes, hugged Jian Shu's arm, tried to sniff again, shook his head, and then said in a nasal voice, "I can't smell it anymore. I can't breathe through my nose."

After saying this, he opened his mouth and inhaled and exhaled, like a frog, which was so cute.

Jianshu lets go at the right time and strikes a good balance.

It’s okay to have fun, but don’t overdo it.

She patted the back of his head gently and said, "Ruirui, what would you like to drink? Malted milk or honey water? I'll make it for you."

When mentioning this, Zhao Tianrui became excited, his eyes sparkled and his long eyelashes fluttered, which was really enviable.

"Honey water! I want to drink honey water!" As a first-grade kid, Zhao Tianrui very cleverly chose honey water, which is rarely seen in daily life.

He can drink some malted milk occasionally, but it’s different with honey water. His mother never lets him drink it, saying that it will cause worms in his teeth.

But he once saw his mother drinking it herself. Could it be that adults don’t have worms in their teeth? Humph! He didn’t believe it.

"Okay, I'll make it for you, but you can only drink one cup." Jianshu agreed readily, but also set some restrictions.

It's okay to drink it once in a while, but don't drink it in excess.

"Okay." Zhao Tianrui nodded obediently but didn't make a fuss.

After all, there's no point in making a fuss.

Maybe there isn't even one left.

Oh! I really want to grow up so that I can drink honey water every day.

Mom and sister Shushu are so stingy that they only scoop a small spoonful into his cup every time. When he grows up, they will definitely use a whole bottle of honey to make tea. It will definitely taste super super delicious.

Thinking of this, Zhao Tianrui licked his lips, his heart full of anticipation.

Zhao Tianrui many years later: ...

Jianshu had no idea about Zhao Tianrui's mental activities and dreams, so he just took out some honey and made him a cup of honey water.

"Where's Lingling? What would you like to drink?"

"Sister Shu, I want to drink the plum wine we had last time." Zhao Yueling said.

"Want some plum wine? Okay, I'll get it for you." Jianshu didn't refuse.

It’s the Chinese New Year, and it’s a rare time to be happy, so of course we have to satisfy all the requests that are not excessive.

Zhao Yueling was almost sixteen, so it was okay for her to drink a little. Fruit wine was low in alcohol, so even a small amount wouldn't make her drunk.

Jianshu took out plum wine from the cabinet with familiarity, and also took out a bottle of white wine for the two men and two canned peaches.

It’s also nice to have a small dessert after the meal.

All the dishes have been served, and there are ten of them, all perfect. However, they are all hard dishes. In addition to beef, there are also lamb, pork, fish, and some seafood. Each one is very generous in portion and very rich.

In addition, a large pot of dumplings was cooked. Some were brought by Jianshu, and some were made by the Zhao family themselves. There were several kinds of fillings, and they were not separated. You could eat whatever you wanted. Anyway, the taste was pretty good. No one is picky about food these days.

Originally, Meng Ying wanted to steam some rice for Jianshu, but she stopped her.

There are so many dishes that are enough for her to eat. How could she have the stomach to eat the staple food? She can just eat two dumplings as a token of her appreciation.

She has to save room for the big meal.

Seeing Jianshu bringing the wine, Zhao Mingze asked everyone to sit down.

"Come on, come on, sit down. Today is New Year's Day. Let's clink glasses and celebrate." Zhao Mingze said, holding up the glass.

"That's right, in the new year, we should all be happy and have smooth sailing."

"Good health and all the best!"

Everyone raised their glasses, smiles on their faces, and drank the first glass of wine of the night with anticipation for the New Year.

Zhao Mingze stroked his wine glass and patted Gu Mingjing on the back. "Mingjing, I've been giving you a hard time lately. I know you're feeling aggrieved, so I want to say sorry."

"Uncle Zhao, what are you talking about?" Gu Mingjing was a little frightened, "I..."

Zhao Mingze raised his hand to stop him from continuing, "Don't say anything yet, listen to me."

"I've been through this myself, and I understand how you feel. It's one thing for you to understand, but that doesn't mean I'm right."

"We are all raised by our parents. There is no such thing as one person being bullied by another. Put yourself in my shoes. If Shushu was treated coldly by someone in a place where I can't see, I would feel uncomfortable just thinking about it."

"You're a good child. I was stubborn and treated you badly before. I apologize to you here. I hope you don't take it to heart. We will continue to get along as usual in the future. Don't let this incident affect your relationship."

The last sentence also revealed the reason why he said this tonight.

Jianshu had already put down his chopsticks and listened silently. When he heard the last sentence, his eyes felt a little sore.

After all, it's all for her.

To be honest, as elders, it is normal to teach younger generations a lesson, and there is no need to consider their thoughts.

He has his own opinions, so what else can he do? It won't affect him in any way.

The reason for apologizing for this was ultimately for her. After all, she was the one who was going to spend her life with Gu Mingjing.

If he really has some resentment in his heart because of this, it may not be a big deal for a while, but who can guarantee that he will remain the same ten or twenty years later?

No one can guarantee that, not even Jianshu, can guarantee that he and Gu Mingjing will always be like this.

Time is the most powerful weapon in the world; it can consume everything.

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