Just as the two were getting intimate, Sister Zhang brought out the dishes.
"Brother Huo, would you like to try this fish?" Yue Yitang said sweetly, pointing to the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish on the table.
Huo Nanchu nodded slightly, picked up a small piece of fish with his chopsticks, and put it in his mouth.
He chewed slowly, savoring the flavor, then nodded: "Hmm, it does taste quite good."
What followed was a quiet mealtime, during which neither of them spoke.
Huo Nanchu's posture was very elegant. He picked up the dishes with steady movements, and each bite of his chewing was delicate and rhythmic.
His movements were small, yet full of gentlemanly grace, without the slightest hint of impatience or embarrassment.
Yue Yitang was equally elegant and poised. Her dining etiquette was usually excellent, but today she seemed even more cautious, as if afraid of making the slightest mistake.
After finishing her meal, Yue Yitang looked at her car parked outside and asked softly, "Brother Huo, would you like me to drive you home?"
Her eyes revealed a hint of anticipation, and a touch of barely perceptible nervousness.
"No need, I'll drive. I'll take you home first, and then I'll call the driver to pick me up." Huo Nanchu said as she gently opened the passenger door and smiled, gesturing for Yue Yitang to enter.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Huo!" Yue Yitang replied happily.
"Don't be so polite," Huo Nanchu replied softly, a slight smile playing on her lips.
After Yue Yitang was seated, Huo Nanchu carefully closed the car door and turned to walk towards the driver's seat.
He smoothly fastened his seatbelt and then started the car.
Throughout the journey, in order to avoid awkward silences, Yue Yitang went to great lengths to find various interesting topics and try to create a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at the bride's family home. After the car came to a stop, the two couldn't help but sigh at how quickly time had passed, their hearts filled with reluctance to part.
Just then, the mother-in-law happened to see Huo Nanchu and Yue Yitang talking at the door, so she quickly walked out of the house.
"Anan's here! Come in and sit down! Look at this girl, she doesn't even let Anan come in and sit down." The mother-in-law greeted Huo Nanchu warmly first, and then scolded her daughter.
"Aunt Yue, you're too kind. My driver is still waiting for me at the door, so I won't go in and bother you," Huo Nanchu politely declined.
"How can we not go in and have some tea when we get to Auntie's house? Isn't Auntie's tea delicious?" My mother-in-law said with a smile, half-jokingly.
Huo Nanchu was somewhat embarrassed after hearing this.
He initially wanted to decline, but seeing his mother-in-law's enthusiasm, he couldn't refuse any longer, so he smiled and replied, "Okay, thank you, Aunt Yue."
At this moment, the mother-in-law glanced at Yue Yitang triumphantly, the meaning in her eyes was self-evident—see, she still needs my help!
Then, she turned to her servants and instructed them to prepare tea leaves and teaware.
"Tangtang, why don't you make some tea?" Mother-in-law said kindly to Yue Yitang.
Yue Yitang's tea ceremony skills are superb, mainly because she is often in charge of brewing tea at Yue Peng's home.
The mother-in-law also wanted her daughter to showcase her strengths in front of the guests.
"Okay, Mom," Yue Yitang nodded obediently.
Her movements were as natural and fluid as flowing water, a sight that was pleasing to the eye.
Before long, a refreshing aroma of tea filled the air.
"Mom, please go first. Brother Huo, please have some." Yue Yitang handed the brewed tea to his mother-in-law and Huo Nanchu respectively.
Huo Nanchu picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.
He never expected that Yue Yitang's tea skills would be so exquisite. To be able to brew tea with such flavor, it would take at least a decade of hard work. Talent and diligence are both indispensable.
"It tastes great," Huo Nanchu exclaimed sincerely.
"Then have another cup." Yue Yitang, slightly shy, poured Huo Nanchu another full cup.
“Anan, this isn’t me bragging, but my daughter Tangtang’s tea ceremony skills are so exceptional that even her teacher praised her for her extraordinary talent. She has truly surpassed her teacher! Over the years, I’ve hardly seen a child more outstanding than her,” my mother-in-law said with a face full of pride.
"Mom..." Yue Yitang blushed with embarrassment.
"It is indeed a rare sight," Huo Nanchu nodded earnestly in response.
His mother-in-law then expressed her gratitude to him for saving Yue Yitang twice.
Before we knew it, the conversation had turned to their childhood.
"Do you remember? When you were four or five years old, you came to my house to play. When you saw my Tangtang, you said that you would marry her when you grew up. It made all of us adults laugh out loud..." The mother-in-law recalled with great interest the interesting story of Huo Nanchu's childhood visit to her home.
Upon hearing this, Yue Yitang and Huo Nanchu's faces instantly turned bright red, like ripe apples.
They fell silent for a moment, not uttering a single word for a long time, and not even daring to look up at each other, as if they could feel each other's burning emotions simply by meeting each other's eyes.
The mother-in-law, being a very intelligent woman, immediately noticed the subtle atmosphere between the two and was secretly delighted: "It seems like this is going to work out!"
So she decided to give it another push, saying with a smile, "This happened when we were kids. Speaking of which, I remembered something. Tangtang's second uncle said he wanted to introduce her to someone. I thought the young man was pretty good in every way, and I was thinking of having Tangtang meet him sometime, get to know him, and maybe things would work out."
Upon hearing this, Yue Yitang became extremely anxious and immediately looked at Huo Nanchu, her eyes filled with worry and unease.
She never expected her mother to bring up such a topic at this time. She knew her feelings for Huo Nanchu well, so how could she be willing to get involved with other men? What if he misunderstood her?
At this moment, Huo Nanchu's heart was also in turmoil.
When he heard the news that Yue Yitang was going on a blind date, his heart was struck as if by a heavy blow, and an indescribable pain welled up in his heart.
He only realized his feelings for Yue Yitang then, but had not yet dared to express them. Now that he knew she might be dating someone else, the disappointment in his heart was indescribable.
The expression on his face froze instantly, as if frozen in time, and his once lively eyes now showed an expression of disbelief.
His throat felt as if it had suddenly been blocked, becoming unusually dry. He wanted to say something to break the suffocating silence, but found that he couldn't make a sound at all, and could only open his mouth in vain.
His mind was in complete turmoil, a jumble of emotions that left him feeling utterly panicked and helpless.
As for how Huo Nanchu ultimately left the Yue family, he couldn't remember at all.
Only one thought kept swirling in my mind: the person I have feelings for is very likely to be with someone else soon!
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