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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 168: Let Her Stay at My House
Before reaching home, Zhang Qiu received a call from his father. On the phone, Zhang Zhi Hua asked, "It's good that your phone is on. You haven't gone home yet, right?"
"I'm on my way."
"That's good. You guys come to Dahe Old Sichuan Hotpot, it's over at West Ring. Can you find it?"
"I have GPS, don't worry, Dad." Zhang Qiu replied and was about to hang up when He Mei snatched the phone, reminding him, "Be careful."
Zhang Qiu smiled and took Jiang Xue onto the main road of West Ring. Passing by the police station and public security bureau, Qiu Sheng Zhang felt a wave of emotions; fate is truly unpredictable. One moment you might be in hell, and the next you find yourself in a different world.
The West Ring road is a key renovation project in the old city redevelopment, widened by five meters. On the east side of the road, everything remained unchanged, while on the west side, tall buildings sprang up from the ground, with a long row of commercial buildings right next to the road. Dahe Old Sichuan Hotpot is located here. By the time Zhang Qiu arrived, the parking spaces in front were already full.
"Welcome." A hostess in a qipao with a red sash smiled as she opened the door. A server dressed in coarse ancient-style clothing approached warmly and asked, "How many of you?"
"I have a reservation," Zhang Qiu replied lightly, scanning the hall for his father's figure.
The server enthusiastically asked, "Are you looking for Mr. Zhang?"
"Yes."
"Table 5, please follow me." The server led the way.
"Let's go." Zhang Qiu took Jiang Xue's hand and followed closely behind the server.
The hotpot restaurant had a typical Chinese style, with dark carved wooden windows separating each dining area. The same color tables were set with a double-handled copper pot in the center. The server led Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue around two corners to table 5. Zhang Zhi Hua, He Mei, Second Uncle, and Auntie were already seated; the hotpot was bubbling with spinach and fish balls boiling inside.
"Dad, Mom, Second Uncle, Auntie," Zhang Qiu greeted them.
"Uncle, Second Uncle, Auntie," Jiang Xue greeted as well but slightly avoided eye contact with Auntie.
"You're here," Zhang Zhi Hua said with a smile as he stood up to let Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue in while he took a seat on the outer circle. Second Uncle grinned broadly while Auntie remained silent with a slight change in her expression.
"Second Uncle, where's my mom? Is she not coming?" Jiang Xue looked eagerly at Second Uncle. Since arriving here, she had been searching for her mother's figure and even after realizing that only Second Uncle and Auntie were present, she secretly hoped that her mother might just be in the restroom.
Second Uncle sighed with a frown and said, "I didn't tell your mom about this, afraid it would worry her. You know how hard it is for her."
"I understand," Jiang Xue nodded sadly and asked, "Ming didn't come either?"
Auntie calmly replied, "Ming has a lot of homework, so I didn't bring him."
"Here’s the menu; you two can take a look and order what you want to eat," He Mei sensed the awkward atmosphere and quickly handed the menu to Zhang Qiu. Before Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue arrived, they had already ordered some dishes for Second Uncle and Auntie. Zhang Qiu understood her mother's intention and took the menu to discuss with Jiang Xue, then ordered a few dishes that Jiang Xue liked to give to the waiter.
Zhang Zhi Hua picked up the wine bottle to pour for Second Uncle, but Zhang Qiu hurriedly took it over to fill their glasses and poured one for herself as well. For He Mei, Jiang Xue, and Auntie, she poured Orange Juice.
Zhang Zhi Hua smiled and said, "Come on, let’s all raise a glass to Jiang Xue regaining her freedom!"
"Cheers!"
Everyone raised their glasses and drank in unison. Zhang Qiu looked at Jiang Xue, who smiled brightly. The feeling of freedom was truly wonderful.
He Mei placed a plate of lamb rolls into the pot, which changed color within seconds as it boiled together with vegetable fish balls. "Eat, eat, it's boiling now," she said while using a spoon to scoop some for Jiang Xue.
Zhang Qiu smiled as she took the spoon and said, "I'll help her; you help my dad."
Qiu Wan, He Mei, and Zhang Zhi Hua all laughed. Jiang Xue looked at this warm family scene and suddenly burst into tears. This made everyone flustered, but Zhang Qiu remained calm; he knew Jiang Xue was feeling upset, and crying was better than bottling it up inside.
"Xue'er, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" He Mei was about to grab a tissue when Zhang Qiu stepped in first to wipe away Jiang Xue's tears.
Second Uncle rubbed his hands together, somewhat at a loss; everything was going well during dinner until she suddenly started crying.
Jiang Xue rubbed her eyes and smiled lightly, saying, "I'm fine; let’s eat hot pot. I really love this meat."
"As long as you like it," He Mei said while signaling to Zhang Qiu with her eyes. Zhang Qiu nodded; whenever Jiang Xue's plate was nearly empty, he would add some of her favorite dishes.
"This restaurant is quite famous in our county; it just opened six months ago, but its reputation has spread throughout the city for its authentic flavors. If you want to eat here, you need to make a reservation in advance. Luckily for us today, I called to reserve a spot just as someone canceled their reservation, which is why we have the chance to eat here."
Second Uncle, while chewing, said, "It really is delicious; we can't make this kind of flavor at home."
"Listening to people is an exclusive secret recipe brought by Boss. Come on, drink up, drink up." Zhang Zhi Hua and Second Uncle were chatting enthusiastically, while He Mei was also busy talking with Auntie about the village's Er Ni. Jiang Xue watched the harmonious scene of the family, her eyes revealing a longing. However, thinking of Auntie's usual attitude, that longing quickly faded, but it was still noticed by the attentive Zhang Qiu.
There had to be a way to solve this problem, Zhang Qiu thought to himself. It wouldn't do to meet awkwardly; that would make Jiang Xue uncomfortable too. The issue stemmed from Jiang Xue staying at Second Uncle's house for a long time. If they could resolve this first, it would be fine. Zhang Qiu called out, "Auntie."
Auntie was in the middle of a conversation with He Mei about Er Ni in the village when she was suddenly called by Zhang Qiu. She paused for a moment, realizing he was calling her, and looked at Zhang Qiu.
"Auntie, I want to discuss something with you."
As soon as Zhang Qiu spoke, Jiang Xue sat up straight, and both Zhang Zhi Hua and Second Uncle put down their cups to listen quietly. Zhang Zhi Hua's expression was complex; he didn't know what Zhang Qiu wanted, but he vaguely felt it must be something significant.
"Auntie, now Jiang Xue is my girlfriend. How about letting her stay at my house?" Zhang Qiu examined Auntie's eyes, trying to keep his tone steady. He knew it was somewhat abrupt, but for Jiang Xue's sake, he had no choice but to be straightforward.
Auntie clearly did not expect Zhang Qiu to directly suggest that Jiang Xue move into her house. She was momentarily stunned and didn't know how to respond. After a while, she hesitated and said, "Well, that might not be very good. Jiang Xue is a girl; how can she just move into a boy's house?"
"She can stay in an empty room; we won't be sharing one. I'm mainly considering that the college entrance examination is coming up soon. It would be more convenient for Jiang Xue to live closer to school and have a comfortable place to eat and stay." Zhang Qiu felt his face flush; fortunately, they were having hot pot today, so the steam concealed it. They had already moved houses; if it were before, there would have been an empty room available. But after moving, there were only two rooms in total—there wasn't any spare room left.
"You do have a point there. I agree with this arrangement; let's hear what Jiang Xue thinks." Auntie pushed the decision onto Jiang Xue. Deep down, she hoped Jiang Xue would move out, but while it was easy to do so privately, it wouldn't sound good if word got out. If the neighbors started gossiping and she forced Jiang Xue out, that would be serious trouble. If Jiang Xue willingly wanted to go, that would be another matter.
"Jiang Xue, don't leave; just stay at Second Uncle's house..." The second half of Second Uncle's sentence was abruptly silenced by Auntie's glare.
Seeing Auntie push the choice onto herself and noticing Auntie's reaction made Jiang Xue clear about her thoughts; she surely hoped she would move out. Of course, she also wanted to move out; when Zhang Qiu proposed it, Jiang Xue felt incredibly excited. But upon reflection, since Zhang Qiu's father worked outside and only He Mei took care of him at home, would it really be good for her to add trouble? This made Jiang Xue hesitate.
"Xue'er, go ahead," Zhang Qiu tightened his grip on Jiang Xue's hand and noticed it felt a bit cold; he quickly held her other hand too.
Zhang Zhi Hua and He Mei exchanged glances; years of being husband and wife allowed them to understand each other's thoughts without words. He Mei gently said, "Xue'er, if you are willing, come stay at Auntie's house; Auntie welcomes you."
"Yes, child. Uncle also welcomes you."
Zhang Qiu held onto Jiang Xue's hand tightly and smiled, "Come on; look at how our parents welcome you."
Jiang Xue shyly lowered her head; she had already agreed in her heart but couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. After all, this was cohabitation—how could she let herself be seen like this in front of so many people?
"Promise me, Xue'er," Zhang Qiu pleaded once more.
Jiang Xue secretly blamed Zhang Qiu for being inconsiderate, but inside she felt quite pleased. Finally, she said, "I'll go home and stay at your place, but I'll still live at school most of the time. This way, I won't trouble Auntie too much."
"This child, how could Auntie think you're a bother? It's decided then; you can sleep at Auntie's house. That's settled. Come on, let's have another toast!" He Mei chuckled, understanding women best. She noticed Jiang Xue's shyness and helped her make the decision while changing the subject.
Zhang Qiu filled everyone's glasses again, and they all toasted together.
It was nearly seven o'clock, and Zhang Qiu, who was used to eating at six, was already starving. With Jiang Xue coming to stay at his house, his appetite grew even larger. He stuffed large pieces of lamb into his mouth, occasionally adding some spinach and a stack of bean curd skin, dipping them in sesame sauce and oil with chopped green onions. The food was soft and fragrant.
As Zhang Qiu ate, he kept serving meat to Jiang Xue. In a good mood, she teased him with a smile, "I knew you'd just give me meat. What if I get fat? We don't exercise much in our senior year."
Zhang Qiu chuckled, "Eat up! I like it when you're a bit chubby; it's more comfortable to hold." Suddenly realizing that parents were around made him feel awkward. Jiang Xue's face turned even redder; this Zhang Qiu really didn't know when to be appropriate!
Zhang Qiu glanced at the others; their parents were casually eating their meals. Second Uncle was grinning and rubbing his hands together while Auntie appeared indifferent.
"Zhang Qiu!"
Zhang Qiu was looking at Auntie when he heard someone call his name and instinctively turned to look.
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