After the two sat down, Chen Gang turned to the man and said something.
Chen Gang tilted his head, and Xu Ruantang was able to see the man's face from this angle.
He has a very masculine appearance, which could even be described as fierce.
Xu Ruantang's eyelids twitched.
Perhaps she had been staring at one spot for too long, because Li Shuhe turned her head with some confusion.
Xu Ruantang wanted to stop it.
But it happened in an instant, and she didn't have time at all. Besides, in this situation, she didn't even dare to speak loudly.
"Oh, it's your second uncle. Shall we go over and say hello?"
Li Shuhe didn't notice anything wrong, glanced at it, and quickly turned around to ask Xu Ruantang.
Xu Ruantang shook her head vigorously, her voice trembling as she spoke: "No, no, no, let's not bother you."
In this day and age, people aren't so open-minded. Normal people would just assume the two are friends at first glance.
Xu Ruantang was different; she saw through the clues at a glance.
After all, during her university years, she had bumped into several couples on campus at night, in unexpected corners and crevices.
At that time, people were more accepting of each other, and same-sex relationships were considered normal, especially in art schools like theirs.
I remember there was a public poll on the school forum to see which couple was the sweetest and most compatible.
Nevertheless, she was still somewhat shocked.
She shrank into the corner, trying to make herself less noticeable.
"Ruan Ruan, what are you doing? Your second uncle is different from your second aunt; he's a really good person."
What you fear most is what happens.
As soon as Li Shuhe finished speaking, the man looked over, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's.
Xu Ruantang glanced at him only once before quickly looking away.
Footsteps soon followed, followed by Uncle Chen Ji's gentle voice: "Ruan Tang, Shu He, are you here for dinner too?"
Li Shuhe stood up first, "Yes! Second Uncle, you're back!"
Her tone was light and cheerful; the silly girl had no sense of crisis whatsoever.
"Well, let's eat together then?" Chen Gang said with a faint smile.
Xu Ruantang also stood up, pursed her lips and was about to speak when Li Shuhe interrupted, "Okay, the more the merrier!"
My heart is dead.
Xu Ruantang could only rely on her acting skills, imitating Li Shuhe's naive and innocent demeanor, and smiled at Chen Gang, "Second Uncle, you came with your friends, so it's not convenient for the two of us, is it?"
Chen Gang had already started helping them move their things. "It's just a simple meal, nothing special."
He bent down to pick up his water glass, looked up at Xu Ruantang's pale face, and smiled warmly, his tone becoming even gentler: "Don't be afraid, my friend just looks a bit fierce. His name is Zhang Chao, you can just call him Uncle Zhang."
Li Shuhe nodded, then pulled Xu Ruantang towards the other table.
After exchanging brief greetings, Li Shuhe and Xu Ruantang each took a seat on one side of the square table.
Chen Gang and Zhang Chao sat side by side as before.
Zhang Chao picked up the kettle and poured tea for Xu Ruantang and Li Shuhe. His voice was deep and resonant as he asked, "Are you drinking?"
"Yes, are Uncle Zhang and Second Uncle going together?" Li Shuhe answered quickly.
Chen Gang chuckled softly, "Drink less alcohol, or your parents will scold you when you get home."
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Li Shuhe was raised by Chen Gang. The two families lived close by, and in the early years, before Chen Gang got married, he always lived in the compound.
Li Shuhe had a very good impression of Chen Gang. In her memory, Chen Gang was always emotionally stable and had a gentle smile.
Unlike Chen Lin, he didn't put on airs and always acted like an elder.
Unlike Chen Ji, who was aloof and unapproachable, as if someone owed him eight million.
This uncle would joke with her, knowing she liked sweets, he would always keep some in his pocket, and when he saw her, he would stuff them all into her hand.
Li Shuhe never told anyone that when she was a child, she even wanted to marry her second uncle.
She likes gentle and gentlemanly men like that.
But those were just childish thoughts, unrelated to feelings between men and women.
Li Shuhe gave a soft hum and turned away, not continuing the conversation.
"Your eyes are swollen like peaches, have you been crying?"
The waiter came to serve the food, interrupting Chen Gang's question.
Once all the dishes were served, Chen Gang pushed them towards the two girls, saying, "Eat first, don't go hungry."
During the meal, Li Shuhe kept chattering away, recounting her story with Shen Qingwen verbatim.
Finally, he asked Chen Gang, "Second Uncle, do you think I should listen to my parents?"
Before anyone could answer, she added, "If I heard that, do you think the people in the compound would say our family is materialistic and snobbish? I still have his bankbook, and besides, he's always been very good to me."
Like Xu Ruantang, Zhang Chao ate his meal in silence the entire time.
He would occasionally put food on Chen Gang's plate, and usually Chen Gang would turn around and give him a smile in return.
Xu Ruantang was so embarrassed by what she saw that she didn't dare to lift her head too much.
Li Shuhe was completely oblivious, talking to herself, and even thought that her second uncle and his friends were quite friendly.
She also imitated Zhang Chao, serving Xu Ruantang dishes that were far away from her.
“Shuhe, I can tell you really like that kid.” Chen Gang answered Li Shuhe’s question. “Your parents want you to let go, but you can’t. So why don’t you stop struggling and just follow your heart.”
After Chen Gang finished speaking, Zhang Chao turned his head to look at him, his eyes conveying an ambiguous meaning.
"Anyway, you won't know the pain until you hit a brick wall." Chen Gang also looked back at Zhang Chao, and the two did not avoid each other.
Xu Ruantang finally understood what the phrase "their eyes were practically drooling" meant in later generations.
In a very short time, her wall was about to collapse.
After they had almost finished eating, Xu Ruantang tugged at Li Shuhe's sleeve several times, but Li Shuhe seemed not to hear her.
That wasn't all; when she got really into it, she even dragged her second uncle along with her.
Zhang Chao's lips moved several times, but in the end he didn't open his mouth to persuade him.
My second uncle wasn't a good drinker; after a few drinks, his face turned red, and his speech became strange.
"Shuhe, when you cry in the future, don't forget that you made the choice yourself, so you can't blame your parents."
Li Shuhe also slurred, "I won't cry, I believe him, he won't make me sad."
She sat opposite Chen Gang, watching as he reached for Zhang Chao's hand. Her mind, clouded by alcohol, couldn't process what he was saying, and she blurted out, "Second Uncle, you and Uncle Zhang have such a good relationship!"
Li Shuhe also reached out and grabbed Xu Ruantang's hand, raising it as if to show off, saying, "I have one too!"
"Second Uncle, I just can't believe someone as good as you would marry Jia Shuling!"
Li Shuhe's words became increasingly outrageous, and Xu Ruantang couldn't stop him.
"Jia Shuling...you're such a vixen! Everyone's been keeping this from you!"
Li Shuhe leaned closer to the table, cupped her hand to her mouth like a megaphone, and deliberately lowered her voice, saying, "When you weren't home, she was always pestering Company Commander Lu Shishen from the next courtyard. He's already married, but she's still fawning over him!"
"Jia Shuling is married to you too! She's not good enough for you..."
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