Zhou Qiqi was overjoyed. Looking at the tempting pale orange color in the enamel mug, she could almost taste the sweet soda.
She forced back the corners of her mouth, and in order not to let her shrewd mother-in-law see through her act, she had to force a worried and distressed expression on her face, as if she were about to drink bitter medicine.
Sigh, what can we do? It's all for this "contraband"!
She went to great lengths, fully expecting to taste sweet soda next.
But to my utter surprise, when I took a big sip through the straw, the taste... was simply indescribable!
What was in the cup wasn't the sweet soda I had imagined at all.
Or rather, it's not entirely soft drinks.
It has a very faint soda flavor, along with salty, sweet, and strange tastes...
She could even taste the pepper, and maybe a hint of garlic?!
Several flavors are mixed together, making it a truly complex and unpleasant experience. Moreover, it's served warm, so drinking it is pure torture!
Zhou Qiqi's face instantly scrunched up, and this time the pain was absolutely genuine!
In fact, Qin Peilan had already caught a glimpse of her son and daughter-in-law's little interaction out of the corner of her eye, and was wondering to herself if the two of them were up to something.
Upon seeing Zhou Qiqi's appearance, all doubts vanished instantly.
It seems I was overthinking things. My daughter-in-law's mouth was just so tasteless that even drinking plain water made her look miserable. I really feel sorry for her.
She felt a surge of warmth and even patted Zhou Qiqi on the shoulder to comfort her:
"Qiqi, just bear with it, drinking more hot water is good for your health."
Just then, she saw Lei Yuhua pushing Zhou Shuhua, who was in a wheelchair, into the restaurant. She got up to greet her and stopped staring at Zhou Qiqi.
"Okay...okay, drink more, drink more..."
Zhou Qiqi squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth. As soon as her mother-in-law turned around, she immediately glared at Shen Huaichuan across from her with her fiery eyes, silently mouthing the question through gritted teeth:
"Shen Huaichuan! What the hell did you add to it?!"
Shen Huaichuan looked bewildered and innocent under her glare, shrugged, and mouthed in reply:
No! I only poured you a little bit of soda!
Judging from his expression, he certainly didn't seem to be lying.
Zhou Qiqi's eyes darted around, her gaze sweeping towards Xiao Zhouzhou sitting next to Shen Huaichuan.
The little girl was staring at her with her big, bright eyes, her face expressionless.
But sitting next to her was Jiang Xiangyang, who clearly had a "seeking praise" expression on his face!
Needless to say! It must have been those two little rascals who did it!
They must have heard her say she wanted something flavorful to drink, so they kindly brought her the salt shaker, MSG bottle, and pepper from the table.
And on the empty table next door, the garlic sauce for dipping dumplings was also given to her as a deluxe gift!
Zhou Qiqi was truly at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
She wanted something flavorful, but not this kind of "mixed flavors"!
However, now is clearly not the time to deal with these two little rascals.
Zhou Shuhua had only exchanged a few words with Qin Peilan when she immediately maneuvered her wheelchair to Zhou Qiqi's side, her face full of concern.
"Qiqi, you just had major surgery and your body is still weak. You can't just eat and drink whatever you want. You have to listen to the doctor, understand?"
She now understands that besides fashion design, her niece's biggest hobby is satisfying her appetite; she never skimps on her food.
As she spoke, her gaze fell upon the enamel mug in Zhou Qiqi's hand.
"What's in your cup? You didn't secretly pour some drink on it behind your mother-in-law's back, did you?"
Zhou Qiqi's heart tightened. To avoid giving herself away, she quickly forced a genuine smile, pulled the cup closer to her chest, and said with a smile:
"No, no! Auntie, you're mistaken. This is just boiled water, lukewarm boiled water!"
To increase credibility, she steeled herself, held her breath, and took a large gulp of the strange-tasting mixture with a pained expression, tears streaming down her face.
At this moment, Zhou Qiqi deeply understood.
Before she had so many relatives around her and cared for her, she didn't feel anything.
Now, I'm suddenly surrounded by so much deep and inseparable family and friendship.
The days to come will probably be just like this drink in my hand—rich, stimulating, and occasionally with unexpected "surprises."
However, she knew in her heart that this sweet yet annoying "burden" stemmed from the most sincere love.
She enjoyed it immensely.
Of course, despite the feelings, the family matters must be temporarily left to my mother-in-law and the others to mediate.
Zhou Qiqi herself still needs to devote her main energy to the intense preparation of the "Ink Splendor · Self-Enjoyment" series of new products, which is the most important thing right now.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com