Chapter 79 Family Dinner
A community home-style restaurant.
The dishes were all served: the braised spare ribs and steamed fish were steaming, the fried shrimps were golden, and the vegetables were juicy, but the atmosphere at the table was like a taut string.
Xu Wenyao, wearing a clean grey jacket and with his hair neatly combed, handed the fish meat, bones removed, to Xu Jiaojiao. "Our Jiaojiao has loved eating fish since she was little."
"Dad has picked out all the ingredients for you, so don't worry, it won't get stuck in your throat."
A few months of normal life had added some flesh to his thin face, making it less gloomy and tired. When he smiled, he even looked a bit younger.
Today's dinner was almost an hour later than usual, and Xu Jiaojiao was really hungry.
She lowered her head and hesitated for a while, but when she saw that her brother didn't stop her, she ate her rice silently.
Xu Wenyao was quite encouraged. He smiled slightly and picked out another piece of meat and handed it over, "Let my son have some too."
Xu Jiqing had a cold expression on his face. He didn't take it and didn't say anything.
Lin Yuezhen grabbed her chopsticks and put the largest piece of pork ribs into Xu Jiqing's bowl. "Ah Qing, Daddy feels sorry for you because you're working so hard during the competition..."
"No, I can do it myself." Xu Jiqing said in a calm voice.
Before his mother's chopsticks fell, he blocked them with his serving chopsticks without any mercy.
Lin Yuezhen's hand trembled and the ribs almost fell on the table. She paused awkwardly and silently put them back on her plate.
Xu Jiqing's gaze was as cold as iron as it fell on Xu Wenyao's face. "Where did you get the money for this dinner tonight?"
Xu Wenyao has only been out for two months.
Even if they share a house, the rent in Jiangcheng is not cheap. This table of food would be a waste of money for other families to eat out, but it is not a small amount of money for Xu Wenyao now.
It was hard for him not to doubt the source of the money.
"You heard it during the Chinese New Year. I worked as a helper at your Aunt Zhang's car wash, washing cars and doing some accounting. They were quite generous with their money."
Xu Wenyao's smile remained unchanged, not at all offended by his words. "It just so happens that our family hasn't had a proper meal together since the New Year. This afternoon, your coach Hu called your mother to tell her that you did well in the mock exam, and he brought you out to celebrate."
He bent over to serve the soup, like an ordinary, loving father. "Come, Jiaojiao, try the dumpling soup that Dad ordered for you."
There was a news program on TV, and the air conditioner was blowing a muffled buzzing sound, not sure if it was hot or cool air.
After his hand withdrew, the little girl took the bowl, scooped a spoonful, blew on it, and then concentrated on eating.
"Why did you answer the call from Coach Hu?"
Xu Jiqing asked.
He leaned back in his chair, his arms seemingly casually resting on the armrests, but his muscles were tense, revealing an invisible sense of vigilance.
"I was setting up a stall at the night market this afternoon. Your mom was busy serving food and clearing the tables. She just left her phone there, on speakerphone, and answered it together."
Xu Wenyao paused for a moment as he picked up the food, his smile undiminished. "Teacher Hu praised you, saying you're a rare talent that only comes around once in decades. He made a good choice when he went to An City to recruit you. This time, you've won first place in the city!"
"That's amazing, my son. Dad knew you had a lot of potential since you were little," he said, his voice rising with a suppressed excitement. "There's a prize for this competition, right?"
Xu Jiqing's eyes were like deep wells, reflecting Xu Wenyao's face calmly, without a trace of light.
"Small competition, no," he said.
"I see..."
Xu Wenyao took a sip of tea and said nothing more. He spoke with a tone that seemed to sympathize with him, "Your mother said that you've been working so hard on those questions every day for the past two years that your eye sockets are black. What's the point?"
"Your year-end competition is still in Jiangcheng?"
Having been out of society for two years, Xu Wenyao didn't have a deep understanding of these things. He could only think of the certificates given out by the town's primary school, and he felt a bit disdainful. "I put in so much effort, just to get a few extra points on the college entrance exam, but what do I get in the end? A notebook or a certificate to hang on the wall?"
Xu Jiaojiao scraped the shrimps at the bottom of the bowl and raised her face which was covered with rice grains.
She couldn't understand the strange tone between the two, but she knew Xu Jiqing was very capable, definitely not what Xu Wenyao said. She whispered, "Brother, that competition is very difficult. Only the smartest person can win the prize. You want to go to Beijing in the future."
The curve of Xu Wenyao's mouth froze for a moment, and he laughed dryly twice, his voice louder and more deliberate than before, "Yes, yes, yes, look at my brain."
"It's a national competition, so we have to go to Beijing! We haven't seen each other for so long, and I thought I was still in junior high school back home. Old people are useless, and their brains are all muddled."
He reached out and wanted to pat Xu Jiqing's shoulder to show affection.
The moment before his hand fell, Xu Jiqing had already stepped back, his refusal obvious.
Xu Wenyao's hand missed and stopped awkwardly in the middle of the attack. Then it fell back onto the table without a trace and wiped the lid of the teacup with a crisp "clang" sound.
Lin Yuezhen was startled by the sound.
She hurriedly tried to smooth things over, "Ah Qing has worked really hard these past two years. It's great that you can come to Beijing... It's great. This delicious food is almost cold. Let's eat it quickly, okay?"
She wanted to pick up the piece of pork ribs that had not been given to her son, but when her hand was halfway out, she looked at Xu Jiqing's cold profile and froze again.
Xu Wenyao really couldn't hold it in any longer.
Although the smile was still on his face, the ice in the depths of his eyes finally showed, mixed with embarrassment and resentment of being looked down upon.
He picked up his teacup, took a big sip of tea, and put it heavily on the table. The bottom of the cup hit the greasy plastic tablecloth with a bang, and the diners around him looked over here.
Lin Yuezhen was a very traditional woman who didn't want the conflicts at home to be seen by others. Her face flushed red and she was busy holding her husband's hand.
"Okay, I'm going to Beijing, what a great future!"
Xu Wenyao's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth, and he still maintained a fatherly tone, but every word was sharp. "You are so capable, you brought your mother and sister to the city. You all understand!"
"Your dad has no talent. After leaving the factory, he could only drive a taxi. Now no one wants to drive a taxi, so he can only wash cars for others. This is all I can do. This is my fate!"
His eyes swept across Lin Yuezhen's pleading face. Lin Yuezhen shrank back, holding on tightly and not letting him break free.
"Is this my own wish, eh?"
Xu Wenyao's tone suddenly changed again, like a deflated ball, filled with a suffocating sense of self-pity. "Is it me who wants to be a loser? Do I want to live worse than a dog? Who made me like this, huh?"
As he said this, he looked straight at Xu Jiqing.
Two years have passed, and Xu Jiqing is no longer the same as he remembered.
He is thin, but not frail.
His shoulders were powerful and broad, and he looked taller than he was when he stood up.
A pair of light eyes were silent, as if they had seen through him long ago and were just waiting for the opportunity to make him shut up.
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