"This is homemade by Auntie. It's safe to drink; it's non-toxic and harmless, contains no preservatives, and drinking a little is good for your health."
"Look at your hands, they're ice cold."
"Dongyang, hurry up and cook two poached eggs for Nuannuan."
Li Dongyang stood frozen in place, his eyes fixed on Xia Nuan.
He really wanted to explain to his mother that she was just a tenant.
He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Seeing his mother so happy was rare for Li Dongyang, so he ultimately held back.
I went to the kitchen and cooked two poached eggs for Xia Nuan.
I put two spoonfuls of rice wine in it.
"Here, have a taste. Doesn't this rice wine Auntie made smell delicious?"
Xiao Qianwen took the bowl from Li Dongyang and handed it to Xia Nuan.
His eyes were full of love.
"Thank you, Auntie." Xia Nuan took the bowl from Xiao Qianwen, scooped some up with a spoon, blew on it, and then put it in her mouth.
"How is it?" Xiao Qianwen stared at Xia Nuan with her eyes crinkling.
Rice wine is available in supermarkets, but the one Xiao Qianwen made herself was especially sweet.
Xia Nuan nodded. "Mmm, it smells delicious. This is the best poached egg I've ever had."
Xiao Qianwen chatted with Xia Nuan for a while, then got up and went to the kitchen.
Braised pig's trotters need to be put into the pot early, otherwise they won't become tender.
Take the apron hanging behind the kitchen door and put it on.
After tying it up, she didn't forget to call out to her son.
"Dongyang, come help Mom wash the vegetables."
Li Dongyang hummed in agreement, picked up the dishes from the table, and followed them to the kitchen.
Xiao Qianwen was busy blanching the pig's trotters and using tweezers to remove the pig hair.
Li Dongyang assisted by washing and chopping the vegetables.
The atmosphere was joyful and harmonious.
After Xia Nuan finished eating her poached egg, she also got up and went to the kitchen.
He placed the bowl next to the sink and, for the first time ever, said thank you to Li Dongyang.
Yes, he wasn't hallucinating; the woman actually thanked him.
When did she become so polite?
Xia Nuan put down the bowl and tactfully left the kitchen, after all, it wasn't her forte.
If he blew up the kitchen again like before, it would be incredibly embarrassing. So, he wisely stayed in the living room watching TV and eating the local specialties that Xiao Qianwen had brought.
Although they are local snacks, they are quite delicious.
Watching the mother and son bustling about in the kitchen, Xia Nuan felt a surge of happiness.
......
After a busy afternoon, I prepared a large table of dishes: braised pork trotters, shredded potatoes with green peppers, eggplant with garlic sauce, stir-fried cauliflower, and two cold dishes.
They are all home-style dishes.
Looking at the table full of dishes, Xiao Qianwen took off the apron hanging around her neck with satisfaction.
"Dongyang, go and call Nuannuan for dinner."
Upon hearing the name Nuannuan, Li Dongyang felt a chill run down his spine for some reason. He also wondered what his mother was thinking, how she could keep calling him Nuannuan like that.
After washing his hands, Li Dongyang walked to Xia Nuan's door and knocked a few times.
"Hey, I'm calling you out for dinner."
Xiao Qianwen served herself three bowls of rice.
As soon as I came out, I heard Li Dongyang knocking on the door in a very stiff tone.
He stepped forward and slammed his fist down on Li Dongyang's head, saying, "How can you treat someone with a name like that as a servant?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Nuan walked out of the room, her eyes seeming to be provoking him.
"Wow! Auntie, I can smell the fragrance from this far away."
It's no exaggeration to say that Xiao Qianwen's cooking skills are excellent, especially her braised pig's trotters.
"Come on, the food is ready. Auntie doesn't know your usual appetite, so please ask for more if you're still hungry, okay?"
Xia Nuan nodded.
The two women then sat down at the table and ate with great relish.
Li Dongyang was left standing alone at the door.
Didn't we agree to come see him?
Who exactly are we here to see?
For some reason, he felt a little superfluous at that moment.
At the dining table, Xiao Qianwen kept putting food on Xia Nuan's plate with serving chopsticks.
Perhaps because we are both mothers, I felt a pang of heartache seeing Xia Nuan so thin, almost skin and bones.
Looking at Li Dongyang from the side is like looking at a child who has made a mistake.
A feeling of disgust inexplicably arose within me.
"Dongyang, go get Nuannuan a bowl of soup." Li Dongyang hadn't even settled in his seat when he heard Xiao Qianwen ordering him around.
"How can a grown man like you take care of someone? Look how thin Nuannuan has become!"
Li Dongyang stared wide-eyed at his mother.
He took care of her?
Why should we take care of her?
She's not his girlfriend, is she?
"Mom, she's got hands, and the kitchen's right there. Why should I go get her soup?" Li Dongyang protested.
"Just go get the soup when I tell you to. Why are you asking so many questions?"
"If you don't cherish your own wife, why expect others to cherish her for you?"
daughter in law?
What's going on? Could it be that Mom really mistook Xia Nuan for his girlfriend?
Li Dongyang had previously mentioned to his parents that he had been dating a girlfriend for three years and planned to propose to her.
He didn't tell his family about breaking up with You Shuang.
Li Dongyang looked at Xia Nuan, hoping she would explain to her mother, but Xia Nuan ignored his plea for help and even rolled her eyes at him.
“Mom, it’s not what you think about us,” Li Dongyang explained.
"I didn't think about it. You're all living together now, why would I need to think about it?"
"Enough with the nonsense, hurry up and serve the soup."
It seems impossible to get Xia Nuan to explain. Seeing his mother ordering him around, Xia Nuan seemed to enjoy it.
"Nuan Nuan, don't take this kid to heart. He's always had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. He may have a bad mouth, but he's not a bad person. If he ever bullies you, just tell Auntie, and I'll teach him a lesson."
Xia Nuan thoroughly enjoyed watching Li Dongyang being scolded.
She instinctively raised an eyebrow at him.
That's right, this woman did it on purpose; she deliberately made her own mother misunderstand.
It is said that the most poisonous heart is that of a woman.
At this moment, Li Dongyang was extremely afraid that his mother would ask Xia Nuan to come to their hometown for the Chinese New Year at the end of the year.
As the saying goes, what you fear most is what will happen.
When Li Dongyang returned after serving the soup, he overheard his mother asking Xia Nuan what her plans were for the end of the year.
I'm practically asking them if they want to come over for a visit at the end of the year.
Xia Nuan shook her head. "I don't have any plans for the end of the year. I'm all alone at home, so every year I either spend the Spring Festival with my colleagues or by myself."
Hearing this, Xiao Qianwen was taken aback. "Alone?"
Xia Nuan nodded. "Yes, I'm used to it."
Perhaps out of maternal love, Xiao Qianwen turned her face away and touched her eyes. Anyone with eyes could see that she was feeling sorry for Xia Nuan, and she picked up her chopsticks and kept putting food on Xia Nuan's plate.
"Come on, child, eat more."
Xia Nuan nodded, seemingly enjoying the feeling of Xiao Qianwen serving her food.
Li Dongyang, on the other hand, suddenly felt like he was being adopted.
"Come to our house with Dongyang this Chinese New Year, and Auntie will cook you something delicious."
Upon hearing this, Li Dongyang nearly choked on his own words.
He spat out a mouthful of rice, but luckily he covered it quickly enough to prevent it from spraying all over the table.
"Mom, what are you saying?!" Li Dongyang was about to stop her.
Unexpectedly,
Xia Nuan actually agreed.
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