The family reunion ceremony happened to fall on a Saturday, and Tang Wu also had a long-awaited day off. For the past month, as the city's first line of defense, especially during the period of returning home and going back, they had been so busy that they often fell asleep as soon as they hit the bed.
Tang Meng ran to the front to queue up to buy roasted chestnuts, while Luo Yang and Tang Wu stood in place waiting for her.
Luo Yang stood on the street watching young couples walk by hand in hand. "The last time we went shopping together was before you were discharged from the army?"
Tang Wu recalled carefully, "It seems so. The year I was discharged from the army coincided with a crackdown, and I was very busy every day. In the past few years, I have been busy and haven't had time to spend with you and our daughter."
“We have a lifetime ahead of us, so there’s no rush. But as our daughter grows up, you’ve already missed too many moments of her growth. It’s time to spend more time with her.”
Tang Wu remained silent, not because he didn't want to spend time with his children, but because he was simply too busy. After the crackdown a few years ago, social order had finally improved, but now smuggling and drug trafficking were getting worse.
Tang Wu looked at his daughter who was walking over with a paper bag of roasted chestnuts and said, "I will try to spend half a day with you and the children every week from now on."
"Mom and Dad, these roasted chestnuts are better than the ones from the shop downstairs in our neighborhood. You should try them."
Tang Wu looked at his smiling daughter, who had grown into a big girl in just a few years. He had indeed missed out on too much.
Luo Yang took a roasted chestnut, peeled it, and put it in his mouth. It was warm, powdery, and really delicious.
Seeing that Tang Wu hadn't taken any roasted chestnuts, Tang Meng peeled one and handed it to him, saying, "Dad, you should try it, it's really delicious."
"Your dad doesn't love..."
Before Luo Yang could finish speaking, Tang Wu had already stuffed the peeled chestnut into his mouth.
Tang Wu said expressionlessly, "Delicious."
Luo Yang's lips twitched. He hadn't expected the clown to be herself. His daughter was treated differently; she ate whatever she didn't like.
Tang Meng ate a chestnut and said unconsciously, "After living in Shenzhen for so many years, this is the first time I've gone shopping with my parents. I never imagined that shopping with my parents would feel like this. It's so wonderful!"
Tang Wu's voice choked with emotion, "I'll try to spend more time with you from now on, okay?"
Tang Meng shook her head. "No need. Xiaomin often accompanies me shopping, and Aunt Chunmei and Uncle Jianguo are very good to me. They often invite me to their house for meals and buy me things. I just hope that you two can accompany me to grow up safely. I don't want to be a child without a father."
Upon hearing this, Tang Wu immediately thought of the memorial service he attended with Tang Meng last November. He looked down at his daughter and said, "Dad can't guarantee this. I can only say I'll try my best. If Dad is really gone that day, you must grow up well."
Tang Meng didn't reply for a long time.
Luo Yang slapped Tang Wu's arm hard, "What nonsense are you talking about during the New Year? Say another word and I'll beat you up."
Tang Wu winked at Tang Meng and said, "Look at your mom, she's a real tigress, super fierce."
Enraged, Luo Yang chased after him and beat him up. The two men, who were both over ninety years old combined, ended up fighting in the street.
Tang Meng thought that if her father's subordinates saw this scene, they would probably rub their eyes and repeatedly confirm whether this person was their boss or not, as the contrast was too great.
"Let's go! This is your daughter's favorite hot pot restaurant." Luo Yang had heard about this hot pot restaurant from his daughter more than once.
Tang Wu stood at the entrance of the hot pot restaurant, watching the crowd surge out. Those who came out had red and swollen lips, while those who went in were full of anticipation. The aroma of chili peppers could be smelled right from the entrance, and saliva was constantly being secreted in their mouths.
"Mengmeng, didn't you say you can't eat spicy food?" Tang Wu's impression of his daughter was still based on the past.
“Dad, Xiaomin and I often come here to eat hot pot, and we’ve upgraded from extra spicy to mild spicy.”
Tang Meng pulled Luo Yang and Tang Wu into the hot pot restaurant.
It was lunchtime, and the hot pot restaurant was packed with customers, with hissing and panting sounds filling the air.
Tang Meng handed the menu to her parents, "Mom and Dad, order whatever you like. Let's choose a mildly spicy broth, since neither of you has tried it before."
Luo Yang and Tang Wu are both from Shanghai and neither of them eats spicy food; this was one of the few times they had eaten spicy food.
The two looked at the menu for a while but didn't order anything. They handed it back to Tang Meng, saying, "You can order whatever you want, as long as you don't order pig brains or offal, we're fine with it."
Tang Meng shook her head regretfully and said, "Mom and Dad, are you really not going to try the pig brain? It's incredibly delicious, even more tender than tofu pudding. The duck intestines are also super crispy, the chicken liver is delicious, and the beef tripe is delicious too. Are you really not going to try them? Especially the beef aorta—it's absolutely amazing!"
The waiter standing next to the menu was amused by Tang Meng.
Half-heartedly, Tang Meng ordered a lot of her favorite offal and meat, as well as a little bit of vegetables.
Looking at the bright red hot pot broth served by the waiter, Tang Wu felt intimidated; so many chilies made it look very spicy.
When Tang Meng arrived at the hot pot restaurant, it felt like returning to her happy hometown. She filled two dishes with sesame sauce for her parents.
"Mom and Dad, use this dipping sauce later. It won't be spicy after you dip your food in it."
Seeing that Tang Wu and Luo Yang were still skeptical, Tang Meng emphasized again, "Mom and Dad are serious. Xiao Min told me about this dipping sauce. I used this sauce the first time I ate it, and it really isn't spicy. You have to believe me."
Tang Meng blinked after she finished speaking.
The couple sighed silently, watching their daughter happily head to the dipping sauce station, and they felt that today's meal was well worth it.
Tang Meng returned with two dishes of dipping sauce, one dry sauce and one sesame sauce.
The couple's lips twitched simultaneously when they saw the chili peppers in the dish of dried spices.
A waiter from the hot pot restaurant pushed a cart over and said, "Hello, all your dishes have been served. Please enjoy your meal."
Tang Meng methodically boiled various meatballs, then used a strainer to put a few slices of beef tripe into the soup for about fifty seconds before taking them out. She then used chopsticks to put one piece into the dipping sauce for Luo Yang and Tang Wu.
"Mom and Dad, you should try it; this is when the beef tripe tastes the best."
Looking into their daughter's bright eyes, the couple exchanged a glance, then picked up a piece and put it in their mouths.
Luo Yang's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected it to actually taste so good. With this dipping sauce, even the hot pot that looked spicy was palatable.
Now, without Tang Meng's recommendation, they are trying different ingredients on their own.
"Old Tang, you should try this chicken liver, it's delicious."
"Duck intestines are delicious too!"
"I didn't expect those two girls to have such big appetites. No wonder they come over for a meal every few days."
"This place is great. I'll bring my colleagues from the bureau here for our next get-together."
By the end of the meal, Luo Yang and Tang Wu were covered in sweat and took off their coats.
Tang Meng, with a smile, placed the last dish they ordered—pig brains—into the soup.
"Mom and Dad, let me tell you, the pig brains at this place are the best Xiaomin and I have ever had. They don't have any fishy smell at all. Are you sure you don't want to try them?"
Tang Meng is just like an enthusiastic salesperson in a shopping mall, but unfortunately her sales performance is poor.
The pig brains were cooked in fifteen minutes.
"Are you sure you don't want to try it?"
Seeing his daughter's repeated recommendations, Tang Wu, unable to refuse again, decided to give it a try.
"Yangyang, are you sure you don't want to eat it? It tastes pretty good."
Luo Yang shook his head vigorously, "You guys eat it yourselves, I won't."
The family of three, having eaten and drunk their fill, walked home under the moonlight and amidst a sky full of stars.
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