The people who came were Wang Yun and his wife. They carried a bag of apples and a package of braised pig's head meat wrapped in oil paper.
After exchanging greetings, Gao Ping and Cheng Baidong went to the study to talk.
Fang Qiao and Wang Yun carried the pig's ears into the kitchen together, and as they walked, Fang Qiao asked Wang Yun, "Why didn't you bring Xin Xin along?"
"She caught a chill these past couple of days and has a bit of diarrhea. She didn't know how to watch what she was eating when we brought her here, so her stomach can't digest it, and she'll get a stomachache again," Wang Yun explained with a smile, then asked, "Where's Xiao Jing?"
"They haven't arrived yet."
"She seems to be incredibly busy lately; I haven't seen her in quite a while," Wang Yun said. "I borrowed a book from her before the New Year, and after reading it, I wanted to return it, but I couldn't find her even after looking for her several times."
Fang Qiao found it a bit strange, "Business at the factory hasn't been very busy lately."
The two exchanged a glance, and Wang Yun had a bold guess in her mind: "Qiao Qiao, do you think Xiao Jing might be dating someone?"
"No way..." Fang Qiao said hesitantly, "Xiao Jing has been very resistant to finding a partner all these years. I tried to arrange blind dates for her a few years ago, but she refused them all."
"You said it yourself, that was a few years ago. People's thoughts change. Maybe Xiaojing will meet the right person soon." Wang Yun thought for a moment, then asked somewhat uncertainly, "Xiaojing is almost thirty this year, isn't she?"
Fang Qiao nodded: "Xiao Jing and I are the same age; she's turning thirty this year."
"Thirty years old, the best years of youth are almost over," Wang Yun sighed. "As the saying goes, once bitten, twice shy. It's been over ten years, Xiao Jing should move on by now. She can't let the past torment her for the rest of her life."
"Who says otherwise? I've tried to persuade her a lot over the years, but while she seems gentle on the surface, she's actually very stubborn inside, and I don't want to force her. It's not about whether a woman should get married or not; it's that I really can't bear to see her keep her heart closed off like a hedgehog, rejecting anyone's advances," Fang Qiao said. "If she can truly come to terms with it and find someone, I'll be genuinely happy for her."
"I just don't know what kind of person her boyfriend is."
"His temperament and appearance are hard to guess, but he's definitely someone who respects women a lot," Fang Qiao said with a smile. "Xiao Jing is very sensitive to these things. If the other person doesn't respect women and his words are offensive, Xiao Jing will at most talk to him once and then keep her distance."
That's true.
They chatted for a long time, until almost all the invited people had arrived, but Xiaojing still hadn't come.
Fang Qiao was a little worried.
Xiaojing is not a person without a sense of time. She values her promises and is never late for a promised time, let alone break her promise without a reason.
But since all the guests had arrived, it wouldn't be good to leave them sitting there waiting for just one person.
When it was past midnight and Xiao Jing still hadn't arrived, Fang Qiao decided not to wait any longer.
Because there were many people, three tables were set up in total. One table for men, one table for women, and one table for children.
The dishes on each table were the same. The nanny, Sister Liang, was very good at cooking. Although they were all home-style dishes, they were delicious and easy to cook, just like the ones sold in private restaurants. In particular, the sweet and sour diced chicken with grapes won over the taste buds of all the children present.
The children praised her highly, giving Sister Liang a thumbs up, which made her extremely happy. She immediately promised to do it again next time.
Halfway through the meal, Xiaojing finally arrived late.
As soon as she entered the door, she apologized to Fang Qiao, "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry I'm late."
As she handed the things she was carrying to Fang Qiao, she explained, "Something came up unexpectedly, which delayed me. I'm so sorry to have kept everyone waiting."
Fang Qiao took the things and said, "It's okay, as long as people come. We're just having a private get-together, it's not a formal occasion, so it doesn't matter if it's earlier or later."
Everyone quickly invited Xiao Jing to sit down, saying, "It's not late, it's just in time."
"Come and sit down."
Xiao Jing had a faint smile on her face and spoke politely, showing no signs of anything amiss. However, Fang Qiao's intuition told her that Xiao Jing was somewhat unhappy.
Fang Qiao handed the two roast ducks that Xiao Jing had brought to Sister Liang, asking her to cut them into three pieces, plate them, and serve them. She thought to herself that she would ask her about it carefully after the others left.
After dinner, the children gathered to play ping-pong. An'an, who had practiced specifically because of her love for the sport, was practically a professional. She was invincible on the court, firmly holding onto one racket even though it was supposed to be a rotation system. Her opponents had all changed, but she remained firmly on the 'champion' throne, which aroused the 'anger' of the other children and ignited their fighting spirit. They united, determined to defeat her!
Gao Ping asked her if she was scared, and An An raised her chin proudly and said, "Just a bunch of defeated opponents, it's nothing." Her confident demeanor made everyone burst into laughter.
An An won every match and was eliminated after several rounds due to a mistake.
After reading it, Wang Yun turned to Fang Qiao and said, "An'an is very talented in table tennis. If she is willing to pursue a professional career, you should send her to a professional coach as soon as possible. Maybe she will have the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games and win medals for our country."
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