Chapter 58 Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple

Doctor Huang smiled and said, "You guys go sit on the sofa first, I'll set the table and we can eat right away."

Meng Yufei hurriedly said: "Let me help you."

Doctor Huang waved his hand and said, "No need, you guys go sit down, I'll do it."

Meng Yufei smiled and said, "I'm embarrassed to say that. I'll go over and talk to you."

Meng Yufei took two steps, wondering why her little follower Xia Qinqin didn't catch up with her. She looked back and found that she was staring at the little brother...

Well, my daughter's obsession with looks has started again. Meng Yufei shook her head lightly in amusement and handed her daughter over to her father.

Xia Junshan received his wife's gaze, nodded, and was about to take his daughter's hand and go to the sofa, but Xia Qinqin opened her legs and walked away by herself.

She trotted to Lu Yannan, stared at him with her round eyes and said, "Brother, you are so handsome!"

A blush appeared on Lu Yannan's handsome and fair face. He frowned slightly and said with pursed lips: "A gentleman should not judge a person by his appearance!"

Xia Qinqin tilted her head and said with a smile, "You sound like my grandpa. My name is Xia Qinqin, what's your name?"

Lu Yannan said nothing, but turned his head away from Xia Qinqin's sight, his whole body filled with a stubborn feeling of "keep away from strangers".

Lu Shaohuan laughed and said, "This kid, who is with his grandfather every day, has learned to act like an old man. It's boring."

He bent down and pointed at his nephew, smiling and saying to Xia Qinqin, "His name is Lu Yannan, and he will live here for a while. He is not very popular, and no children are willing to play with him. Please take good care of him in the future."

Lu Yannan looked up and glared at his uncle, but Lu Shaohuan ignored his gaze and continued to talk to Xia Qinqin with a smile: "Uncle will often send you snacks in the future. Just tell me what you like to eat."

"Really? Can I eat whatever I want?" Xia Qinqin asked in surprise.

Lu Shaohuan smiled and nodded, "Yes, anything is fine."

Xia Qinqin said: "Uncle, I want to eat chocolate!"

"No problem," Lu Shaohuan said generously, "Uncle will send you chocolates every month from now on."

"Wow~" Xia Qinqin covered her mouth in surprise, "I can eat chocolate every month! Uncle, you are so awesome!"

Lu Shaohuan couldn't help but touch her braid and said with a smile: "This is a thank-you gift from your uncle. I hope you can bring this bored kid of mine to play with you in the future."

"Yeah, okay." Xia Qinqin nodded happily, "Brother Yanan will be my good friend from now on. I will take him to play together, don't worry, uncle." She patted her chest to assure him.

Teacher Li smiled and said, "I like Qinqin's personality. She's like your father. Starting tomorrow, Yannan will go to kindergarten with you. You two should get along well."

Xia Qinqin said: "Okay~ I am the most popular child in the kindergarten. All the children like to play with me. I will let everyone play with Brother Yannan as well."

Lu Yannan said, "I don't need to go to kindergarten."

Xia Qinqin looked at him seriously and said, "No, every child has to go to kindergarten."

Lu Yannan tilted his head slightly and said, "I'm not a child. I can't learn anything in kindergarten. It's better for me to study at home."

Xia Qinqin said: "We can learn a lot of things in our kindergarten. Teacher Tang teaches us to recite poems, Teacher Zhou teaches us to sing, and there are also wooden horses and slides to play on."

Lu Shaohuan patted his nephew on the head and said, "Boy, did you hear that? Kindergarten is so fun. I want to go there too."

Lu Yannan looked up at Lu Shaohuan with dissatisfaction, and said through gritted teeth: "Grandpa said that men's heads cannot be touched!"

Lu Shaohuan said with a smile: "You little brat, you still call yourself a man... What? Are you using your grandfather to put pressure on me? The old man is not here now, hey, I am the boss!"

Teacher Li coughed lightly and said, "Okay, Shaohuan, be an uncle as you are supposed to be. Don't bully Yannan."

Lu Shaohuan shrugged and said, "Sure, you old guys all like this little old guy."

Teacher Li punched him in anger and said, "You kid, you deserve a beating for your mouth."

Lu Shaohuan dodged his punch and said with a playful smile: "Brother, I am not a child anymore. You couldn't catch me ten years ago."

Xia Junshan walked over, easily grabbed Lu Shaohuan's arm with his backhand, and said with a smile: "Commander, you don't have to do it yourself to teach this naughty boy a lesson."

Lu Shaohuan begged for mercy: "Captain, I was wrong! I forgot you were still here and was careless for a moment!"

Xia Junshan let him go with a smile and said, "You haven't made much progress in your skills in recent years."

Lu Shaohuan shrugged and said, "I have been in military school for two years, learning theoretical knowledge on paper every day, and I have less time for practice."

The three of them were chatting, and Xia Qinqin came to Lu Yannan's side and whispered, "You see, that's my dad, isn't he amazing!"

When Xia Junshan subdued Lu Shaohuan just now, Lu Yannan's eyes revealed a hint of admiration. He knew his uncle's skills, but this man was even more powerful than his uncle.

Hearing the voice, Lu Yannan turned his head and met a pair of round eyes with long eyelashes fluttering, which reminded him of the dolls at his aunt's house.

He turned his head and said, "It's okay."

Xia Qinqin asked: "Is Uncle Lu your father?"

Lu Yannan turned around and looked at her in surprise, and saw that she was staring at him seriously, as if she really didn't know.

"He is my uncle."

"What a coincidence, he is also your uncle."

"He is my father's younger brother and my uncle."

"Oh, then will he send you chocolates?"

Lu Yannan paused and turned his head away without saying anything. Xia Qinqin patted his shoulder and said, "Don't be sad. I will share the chocolates that Uncle Lu sent me with you."

“…No need.” Lu Yannan turned around and sat back on the sofa, saying with a straight face, “You should keep it for yourself.”

Xia Qinqin smiled and said, "You're welcome. Uncle Lu asked me to take care of you, so you are my good friend. Mom said that delicious food should be shared with good friends."

Lu Yannan looked up at the bright smiling face facing him, his eyes moved slightly, and he opened his mouth, but still didn't say anything.

At this time, Dr. Huang shouted in the restaurant: "Come and have dinner."

Several people came to the restaurant and sat down. Teacher Li took out his treasured wine and said with a smile: "Today we won't leave until we are drunk."

Doctor Huang took the bottle and said, "Just drink three glasses, and let the other two drink the rest."

Teacher Li said unhappily, "It's rare for Shaohuan to come today. I'm happy. What's wrong with drinking a little more?"

Doctor Huang glanced at him and asked, "Have you forgotten what the doctor said last time?"

Teacher Li said, "Just today, let's make an exception!"

Doctor Huang refused, "No! I've already made an exception for you for three cups."

Xia Junshan said, "I'll just drink three cups today."

Commander Li said, "Junshan, I know your alcohol tolerance. You won't get drunk even if you drink this bottle. Drink as much as you want today."

Xia Junshan smiled and said, "Commander, I came with my family, so I can't afford to drink so much wine from you. We are a family of three and we are here to have dinner tonight."

Doctor Huang said, "Eat as you like. There's nothing good about drinking alcohol. It's bad for your health, and after drinking it, you all stink. It's annoying." He turned to the teacher Li next to him and said, "Don't encourage me to drink today!"

Teacher Li sighed and said, "You are a person who won't even give me a chance to drink once a year."

Lu Shaohuan laughed and said, "It seems that I am the most relaxed. I am free when no one is watching me. Senior brother, I will take care of this bottle of wine for you today."

Doctor Huang handed the bottle of wine to Lu Shaohuan and said, "Shaohuan, it's time for you to find a wife to take good care of you."

Lu Shaohuan said, "No, I don't want to be like my senior brother and the company commander, who have to look at their wives' faces before drinking. It's better to be free and at ease."

As he spoke, he stood up and poured a glass of wine for Li Shizhang and Xia Junshan, and also poured a glass for himself. He raised his glass and said, "I'll toast to you first, to celebrate our reunion after a long separation."

The three of them picked up their glasses and drank them all.

Lu Shaohuan poured another glass of wine for each person and said, "This glass is for you two, for guarding this remote island and protecting our territory."

With that, the three of them drank it all again.

"This last cup is for you two to take care of my nephew."

After three cups, Master Li smacked his lips and said, "I didn't even have time to taste this wine properly before you made me drink it all at once. What a waste!"

Xia Junshan laughed and said, "He did it on purpose, to make us drink all three glasses of wine at once like Zhu Bajie eating the life fruit, while he took the bottle and drank slowly."

Lu Shaohuan raised his eyebrows and said, "Who told me that no one has banned me from drinking more than three glasses of wine? You guys, just watch me taste the wine."

The three of them were drinking, and Dr. Huang pointed at a dish and said to Meng Yufei, "This is sweet and sour pork with pineapple. I asked the attendant to tell the canteen chef that there were children at home tonight, so I asked him to cook something the children would like. He cooked this, which is sour and sweet, and the children love it the most."

Meng Yufei looked at the colorful dish and was surprised: "I've heard of lychee meat before, but I didn't expect pineapple to be cooked with meat."

Doctor Huang said: "Lychees and pineapples are local specialties. It is normal to use them in cooking. Local climate and soil nurture local people."

After that, he picked up a piece of food with chopsticks for each of the two children and said softly, "Try this and see if it tastes good."

Xia Qinqin smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you, Aunt Huang~" Then she couldn't wait to pick up the chopsticks and put the piece of golden and crispy fried meat covered with sauce into her mouth.

Lu Yannan said softly, "Thank you." But he didn't pick up his chopsticks.

After eating a piece of sweet and sour pork, Xia Qinqin gave a thumbs up and praised, "It's delicious! Mom, I also want to try pineapple."

Before Meng Yufei could say anything, Dr. Huang smiled and said, "I'll pick some for you. If it tastes good, we can eat more." He then picked up several pieces of pineapple and meat and put them in Xia Qinqin's bowl.

Xia Qinqin squinted her eyes and smiled, "Thank you, Auntie, you are so kind to Qinqin."

Doctor Huang couldn't help but touch her cheek and said with a smile, "You're welcome."

Dr. Huang looked at Lu Yannan who hadn't picked up his chopsticks, and asked, "What's wrong, Yannan? Is this dish not to your liking?"

Lu Yannan said to Dr. Huang: "Thank you, Auntie. The food is very good, but I don't like sweet food."

Doctor Huang said, "Oh, so, let's eat other dishes. What do you want to eat? Auntie will serve it to you."

Lu Yannan said seriously: "Don't bother you, I can do it myself."

Lu Shaohuan, who was sitting next to him, put a piece of chicken in his bowl with his chopsticks and said, "Doctor Huang, you don't have to worry about him. This child has a lot of problems. He won't eat the food given to him by others. Let him eat it by himself."

Doctor Huang smiled and said, "Okay then."

Xia Qinqin looked at the little brother sitting next to her and asked curiously, "Why don't you like sweet food? It's so delicious!"

There are actually children who don’t like sweet food!

Lu Yannan said calmly: "Everyone has different tastes. I just don't like eating it."

Xia Qinqin muttered, "What a strange child."

After that, he lowered his head and concentrated on eating the pineapple sweet and sour pork. It was sour and sweet, so delicious~

After three cups of wine, Xia Junshan and Commander Li replaced the wine with tea and chatted with Lu Shaohuan.

Xia Junshan couldn't help but ask, "Shaohuan, you just said that you would leave your nephew here for a while. Are you going to transfer him here too?"

"No," Lu Shaohuan put down his glass and said, "I just sent him here. I will leave the day after tomorrow."

Xia Junshan said: "You just leave him here alone?" What about such a young child?

Lu Shaohuan sighed, "There's nothing we can do about it. My father's situation is... special right now, so it's not convenient for him to stay in Beijing any longer."

After he finished speaking, Xia Junshan looked at Commander Li. Seeing his serious expression, his heart sank. It seemed that big changes were going to happen in the capital.

Lu Shaohuan continued, "The project my sister-in-law is involved in is at a critical stage. The place where she is staying is a key national security secret. My father can't even contact her, let alone send a child in."

Xia Junshan had vaguely heard before that Lu Shaohuan's sister-in-law was a senior physics engineer who had been engaged in cutting-edge scientific and technological research, and this mission seemed particularly important.

"As for my eldest brother, he was lucky. He applied for so many years and was finally transferred to my eldest sister-in-law's place this year. He and his wife were reunited, but they couldn't send their children over."

Lu Shaohuan poured a cup of tea for Master Li and said with a smile, "Well, I have no choice but to ask Master Li to help take care of the child."

Li said with a smile: "The old leader helped me so much in the past, so this little favor is nothing now. Don't worry, Yan Nan is with me, I will definitely take good care of him."

Lu Shaohuan picked up his wine glass and stood up and said, "I feel relieved with what you said, Senior Brother. Although my child has a strange personality, to be honest, he is much easier to take care of than when I was a child. He will definitely not go fishing in the river or climb up the roof to tear off the tiles."

Teacher Li laughed and said, "You and I have brought him here, why are you afraid of a little kid like him?"

Lu Yannan sat beside him, staring at the dishes in front of him, his slightly furrowed brows revealing a melancholy that was not typical of his age.

After dinner, Xia Junshan left the teacher's house with his wife and daughter. Before leaving, Xia Qinqin waved to Lu Yannan and said, "See you in kindergarten tomorrow. Children must go to kindergarten!"

Lu Shaohuan was a little tipsy and waved his hand, saying, "I will definitely send him to kindergarten tomorrow, even if I have to tie him up!"

When they came out, it was already late at night. Xia Junshan was afraid that the road would be difficult to walk on at night, so he picked up Xia Qinqin.

Xia Qinqin twisted her body and insisted on walking by herself. Meng Yufei raised her hand and pointed at the stars in the sky and said, "Qinqin, look! There are so many stars in the sky."

Xia Qinqin looked up, and saw the sky full of twinkling stars. She exclaimed in surprise: "Wow, there are so many stars, so beautiful, twinkling and shining."

Xia Junshan pointed to a few stars in the north and said, "Look at those stars over there. Do they look like a spoon? They are called the Seven Stars of Beidou. If you get lost one day, you can see them and know where the north is."

Xia Qinqin looked in the direction Xia Junshan pointed, "Really? They look like a small spoon! Dad, are they trying to dig eggs to eat?"

Xia Junshan said: "Hmm...I think so."

Xia Qinqin smiled and said to Meng Yufei beside her: "Mom, it turns out that Xingxing also likes to eat eggs."

Meng Yufei smiled and said, "Yes, they love eggs just like Qinqin. Mommy will steam eggs for you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay~ I like my mother's steamed eggs the most." Xia Qinqin nodded with a smile.

Xia Junshan also said: "I like it too."

Meng Yufei nodded and said, "Then you guys wait tomorrow."

Under the shining starry sky at night, a family of three walked home hand in hand.

—————

When Zhao Meixia got home from get off work in the afternoon, Mrs. Tang approached her enthusiastically and asked, "Meixia, you're back. You have to work on weekends. Are you tired?"

Zhao Meixia put down her bag and asked in surprise, "The supply and marketing cooperative doesn't close on weekends. I have to work on weekends one day every month. Mom, don't you remember?"

Mrs. Tang said awkwardly, "Look at me, I forgot all of a sudden. I'm old now and my memory is not good."

Captain Hou was resting today. When he saw his wife coming back, he shouted, "Hurry up and eat breakfast. I'm going to play cards with Lao Zhang later."

Zhao Meixia said, "We're going to play cards again, who else is there?" The two of them couldn't start the fight again.

Captain Hou said, "Old Yang from the First Regiment and Old Cao from the Second Regiment."

Zhao Meixia said, "It's you guys again. You really are old friends. Did you play all day?"

Captain Hou smiled innocently and said, "Hehe, isn't it a rare opportunity to take a break? There's nothing else to do."

Zhao Meixia said, "Can't you water the vegetable patch in front, sweep the floor and wash clothes at home? These are all chores, just like the beads on an abacus. If the personnel department doesn't move them, they won't work."

Mrs. Tang was not used to it and said, "These are all household chores. How can we let a grown man like him do them? It's just playing cards, let him play."

Captain Hou patted his head and smiled, "Next time, I will definitely do this job for me next weekend."

At the dinner table, Mrs. Tang said, "Well, Meixia, who are you going to recruit for your supply and marketing cooperative? You are the leader of the supply and marketing cooperative now, so you should have the final say on who to recruit, right?"

Zhao Meixia said, "We will register tomorrow. The logistics department of the family hospital will select three people first, and then they will go to the supply and marketing cooperative for an interview, and finally the most suitable person will be selected."

"Is there still an interview?"

"Well, after all, I'm a salesperson, I have to sell things. If I can't even speak well, how can I serve you better?" Zhao Meixia said while eating. Suddenly, she turned her head and looked at Mrs. Tang and said, "Mom, why did you suddenly think of asking this? Did someone come to say something to you?"

A trace of guilt flashed across Mrs. Tang's eyes, and she immediately shook her head and said, "No, no one, I was just asking casually."

Zhao Meixia said: "No, I was just promoted. The army is responsible for recruiting people this time. I can't decide. If someone comes to you and asks you to say something good for her, don't agree!"

Mrs. Tang immediately said, "Why would anyone come to see me? I am just an old lady, who would come to see me?"

Zhao Meixia nodded after hearing this and didn't ask any more questions. She just knew what was going on.

…

Late at night, in the guest room of Commander Li's house, Lu Shaohuan took a shower to wash off the smell of alcohol and pushed the door open to enter the room.

Lu Yannan, who was sitting at the desk, heard the noise, glanced at the door, and calmly put the photo in his hand into the pocket of his schoolbag.

Lu Shaohuan asked, "What are you looking at?"

Lu Yannan didn't say anything. He sat on the chair and turned his head to look at the night sky outside the window.

Lu Shaohuan sighed, walked to the desk, and said, "Yannan, it's not that we don't want you anymore, we... are doing this for your own good."

I never thought that one day he would actually say such words. During his rebellious teenage years, the most annoying thing was hearing others say such words to him.

It really is karma. Now it is my turn to say this to the younger generation.

Lu Yannan raised his head, "Liar!"

Lu Shaohuan bent down and looked into his eyes, and said seriously: "You know we didn't lie to you. Grandpa loves you the most. Your father and mother only have you as their child. If they don't love you, who else would they love?"

Lu Yannan asked: "Then why don't you all want me?"

Lu Shaohuan explained: "Your mother's job is very special, you know that, she has a very important mission and can't accompany you."

Lu Yannan's stubborn mouth drooped down, and after a while he said, "I want to be with Grandpa."

As far as he can remember, Lu Yannan has been living in his grandfather's house. He has only seen his parents a few times. He knows that this is because they have important work and cannot be with him.

But now, even his grandfather wanted to send him away. Even though everyone said it was for his own good, he still couldn't accept it in his heart. He felt panic and helplessness as if he was abandoned by everyone.

After all, no matter how calm he is, he is just a four-year-old child.

Lu Shaohuan said, "Yannan, Grandpa said that he has some troubles to deal with recently, and he is afraid that he will not be able to take care of you if you are here."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and whispered in his nephew's ear: "You are the only child in our family. The premise of everything we do is to ensure your safety, understand? Teacher Li is here, and he is a man who is very reassuring to the old man. You just stay here for the time being, and when the matter is resolved, we will come to take you home, okay?"

Lu Yannan looked at his uncle's eyes, nodded and said, "I understand."

Lu Shaohuan smiled and ruffled his nephew's hair. "Sometimes you, an old man, can be quite good-tempered. At least you listen to adults."

Lu Yannan slapped his hand away in dissatisfaction, "Don't touch my head! Grandpa said that men's heads cannot be touched casually!"

Lu Shaohuan smiled and shrugged, "Okay, my little man, go take a bath. Do you want me to help you?"

"unnecessary!"

Lu Yannan jumped off the chair, opened the suitcase skillfully, took out his pajamas, and went to the bathroom next door.

Lu Shaohuan watched him go out, and lay down on the bed with a sigh of relief. It was not good for this child to be too smart, and he could not be fooled easily.

But being stupid is not good either. You can’t understand what people say and just cry, which is very annoying.

Well, the company commander’s daughter I saw today is pretty good. She is much cuter than my own boy and makes me happy just looking at her.

He subconsciously took out a cigarette and prepared to light it, but when he thought of his nephew who would be back soon, he sighed and put the cigarette back.

Forget it, children are too annoying, it's more comfortable to be single...