When Liu Man happily returned with his lunchbox, he saw Hu Xiaoling eating cornbread and pickled vegetables in her dormitory with a cup of hot water. He remembered how Hu Xiaoling had called him aside that morning to tell Li Qianqian that she had spoken ill of Zhao Aiguo to her parents. He smiled, placed the lunchbox on his desk, and said, "Xiaoling, I'm treating you to lunch!"
Hu Xiaoling glanced at the lunchbox and then looked away indifferently. "Forget it, I have to learn from Fan Zhongyan! I can't indulge in momentary cravings, otherwise how will I be able to eat this pickled vegetable and cornbread in the future?"
Liu Man smiled slightly and opened the lunchbox. "What era are we living in? I can't finish this by myself! Come on, let's eat together!"
Hu Xiaoling was stunned for a moment when she smelled the aroma, but she finally picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of the twice-cooked pork. "This is so authentic! Where did you buy it?"
Liu Manyi smiled, revealing a set of small white teeth. "This was made by Brother Aiguo's grandfather. Isn't it delicious? Eat more! I also think this flavor is something you really can't find anywhere else."
Hu Xiaoling didn't care about anything else. She had fallen out with her family to study medicine, and hadn't received any subsidies for the past six months. She had barely managed to get by. If things got too bad, she would just have to eat more. She could always go back home for the New Year and beg her father to give the subsidies to Liu Man, that silly girl. Even if she didn't eat them herself, they would still end up in Li Qianqian's stomach, and she wouldn't be grateful.
The more she ate, the more the taste seemed just like she remembered. Hu Xiaoling asked, "Could Zhao Aiguo's grandfather be Zhao Defa?"
Liu Man was filled with questions. Who was Zhao Defa? Hu Xiaoling, seeing her expression, said, "This skill, this taste, only he could make it!"
Liu Man asked, "Is Zhao Defa famous?"
Hu Xiaoling thought to herself that this was a case of fools having good fortune. "Zhao Defa was the head chef at Qingfengyuan before liberation! His ancestors were imperial chefs, and his skills were among the top three in Beijing. Because he saved a high-ranking leader, he was assigned to work in a factory after liberation. If you want to eat his cooking again, you can only dream of it if you're someone of high status!"
I was wondering why Zhao Aiguo brought you food every day; I thought he was stingy! Xiaomanzi, let me tell you, you're in luck! You'll never lack good food again!
Liu Man's little eyes were practically sparkling. "Is Aiguo's grandpa a great cook? He's amazing! No wonder the Zhao family is so lucky. Even before his granddaughter-in-law has officially entered the family, she's already completely in awe of Zhao's father!"
The meal was incredibly satisfying. Hu Xiaoling patted Liu Man on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I won't eat this for nothing. Once I'm all set for myself after the New Year, I'll take care of you from now on!"
Liu Man didn't mind. In fact, Hu Xiaoling had been very cold to everyone since the start of the semester, and she was a little afraid of her. Today, it was only when Hu Xiaoling came to tell her about Li Qianqian and her parents that they had a deeper interaction. Hu Xiaoling smiled brightly at Liu Man and went to wash her lunchbox happily.
Hu Xiaoling stroked her smooth chin, thinking to herself, "Zhao Aiguo really has unique taste. He fell in love with Liu Man at first sight. He's quite a character. So it turns out that men can be indifferent to looks too!"
In the afternoon, Liu's parents came over and stopped Liu Man from going to class. Hu Xiaoling immediately said tactfully, "Uncle and Aunt, you two chat. Xiao Man, I'll go sign you in and take notes for you."
"Thank you, Xiaoling!" Hu Xiaoling waved and left. Liu Man quickly asked his parents to sit down and said, "Mom and Dad, did you go to Aiguo's house? Is everything alright there?"
Liu's mother nodded and said, "You know perfectly well! That clever little Zhao Aiguo already told you!"
Liu Man said shyly, "How was it?"
Liu's parents exchanged a glance. Liu's father, with a stern face, said, "So you don't need to worry about getting a house after graduation?" "Ah!" Liu Man's eyes reddened. Didn't her brother Aiguo say it was all settled? And now her own father was saying this. Liu's mother glared at her father, patted Liu Man's back, and said, "My dear girl, your father is just teasing you. Aiguo's house is a detached house with eight rooms, so you don't need to worry about housing!"
Liu Man patted his little chest. Oh! I was so scared! I thought my parents disagreed. Then he looked at his parents and said, "Mom and Dad, you agreed?"
Mr. Liu shook his head. "Girls are more outgoing. This hasn't even happened yet, and she's already not on my side." Then the family of three exchanged opinions. Liu Man didn't care about the house or the courtyard house; she was only thinking about being with her patriotic brother. How wonderful! They were going to eat Quanjude tonight! That was fantastic; she'd only eaten there twice since coming to Beijing. Just thinking about the taste made her mouth water.
"I'm talking to you, kid! What are you thinking about?" Liu Man said embarrassedly, "I heard that Li Qianqian said bad things about Aiguo-gege to you this morning, and I thought you disagreed with him!"
Liu's mother chuckled and said, "Do you think we're as brainless as you?" Liu Man retorted, "Then you weren't happy when you first saw Brother Aiguo!"
Mr. Liu said helplessly, "He wants to steal my treasure, and I have to greet him with a smile?"
Liu Man said embarrassedly, "What?! Our family will have two babies in the future! By the way, can you increase the allowance next month? I can't keep eating Aiguo's brother's food."
The couple smiled knowingly and decided that they would give Liu Man an extra ten yuan a month from now on. In the afternoon, Liu's mother helped Liu Man tidy up, and then the couple also discussed that they would treat Liu Man to a meal, since they couldn't just eat other people's food.
Just as they left the school gate, Zhao Aiguo arrived. He cheerfully helped them onto the bus, then rode off on his bike. He had to deliver food to Xiaoman tomorrow, so he had to ride his bike back today!
When they arrived, the Zhao family was all waiting at the door, eager to see the girlfriend Zhao Aiguo had described as being as beautiful as an angel. After much anticipation, she finally appeared, only to be a chubby little boy with fair and tender skin. The Zhao family all laughed, realizing that the boy genuinely thought Zhao's mother and Wei Shuqing were the most attractive!
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