msmithbooks Chapter 435 You're still the most filial son.
Chapter 435 You're still the most filial son.
Chapter 435 You're still the most filial son.
Before long, one after another, carefully prepared dishes were served on the table in an orderly manner.
Upon closer inspection, although the number of dishes is not large, the portion size of each plate is quite considerable.
There are stir-fried winter bamboo shoots, deep-fried prawns, steamed turbot, and mutton hot pot.
The most eye-catching dish is the mutton hot pot. The pot is placed steadily in the center of the table, with steam rising continuously. The pot does not contain thin slices of mutton, but rather large, evenly cut pieces of hind leg meat.
The rich and mellow red broth in the pot was bubbling happily. As the broth was rolling vigorously, the unique and tempting aroma of mutton wafted out and penetrated deep into people's nostrils without reservation, instantly arousing Yu Huan's appetite.
He hastily ate a bowl of instant noodles at noon to fill his stomach, and was now starving.
The hunger in my stomach surged like a tidal wave, and I unconsciously swallowed.
However, despite being starving, Yu Huan did not immediately reach for her chopsticks and begin wolfing down her food.
He simply gazed quietly at the sumptuous dishes on the table, a feeling of indescribable emotion welling up inside him.
Gently squeezing Lin Yourong's soft hand under the table, with a sincere smile on his face, he said to his mother-in-law across the table, "Mom, thank you for all the hard work, you've made so many delicious dishes."
With a smile on her face, the mother-in-law picked up her chopsticks and said, "What's so hard about this? Today is your birthday. It's more important for everyone to get together, eat, and chat happily."
Sister Ru chimed in, "That's right! We originally planned to eat at a restaurant, but Aunt Fang said that nothing beats eating at home and insisted on cooking herself. When we arrived around 5 p.m., we saw Aunt Fang already busy in the kitchen. This table full of dishes is all thanks to her."
Yu Huan nodded repeatedly, her gaze lingering on the appetizing mutton hot pot. She smiled and said, "Just by looking at this mutton, I know it must be delicious. Mom, your cooking skills are getting better and better."
The mother-in-law beamed with joy at Yu Huan's praise, her wrinkles smoothing out. She warmly urged, "Stop talking! Try it first. Everyone, hurry up and start eating, or the food will get cold and won't taste as good."
Lin Yourong picked up her chopsticks, but instead of immediately picking up any food, she asked Sister Ru, "Sister Ru, aren't we going to wake Weiwei up?"
Without even thinking, Sister Ru replied without hesitation, "Hey! Let her sleep a little longer. She was so sleepy before. Otherwise, with her making such a fuss and causing trouble, I'll have to feed her and won't be able to eat properly."
Lin Yourong nodded slightly, agreeing with what Sister Ru said.
Yu Huan picked up a piece of tender mutton, put it in her mouth and chewed gently. The deliciousness of the mutton and the spiciness of the red soup instantly bloomed on her tongue.
After chewing and swallowing the mutton, he couldn't help but praise it repeatedly: "The mutton is so tender and smooth, and most importantly, it's not gamey at all. It's incredibly delicious."
Seeing her son-in-law praising it so highly, the mother-in-law's smile widened, and she said with a beaming smile, "This is genuine Yanchi Tan lamb. My friend asked someone to bring it back from Ningxia."
"No wonder."
Yu Huan shrugged and then began to eat in silence, just like Xing Yujia, who was sitting at the table.
As the mother, daughter, and Sister Ru chatted idly, Yu Huan, having eaten her fill, leaned back comfortably in her chair and patted her slightly protruding belly.
Having eaten a bowl of instant noodles at noon and not eaten anything else, I was in dire need of filling my stomach, so I ate much faster than usual, wolfing down two large bowls of rice and a lot of dishes before I felt my empty stomach was completely filled.
He was the second person, after Lin Yourong, to put down his chopsticks.
Yu Huan took the tissue Lin Yourong handed him, wiped his greasy mouth, and looked at his mother-in-law, saying, "This meal was so delicious, Mom, thank you for your hard work."
The mother-in-law was just taking a bite of rice.
Hearing this, a smile appeared on her face, and she said slowly, "What's so hard about it? You're so busy with work all the time. It's rare for us all to get together today. Seeing you enjoying your meal makes me happy too."
Yu Huan smiled and nodded slightly.
Lin Yourong suddenly stood up and said, "I'll go wake Weiwei up for breakfast."
Sister Ru lowered her head and spat out the bone she was sucking on, replying, "Alright, after talking about godfather for so long, it's time to let her get up."
Yu Huan's gaze followed Lin Yourong's graceful figure as she headed towards the second bedroom, and she chuckled softly, "Really?"
"Of course!" Sister Ru laughed and chimed in, her tone teasing. "Weiwei has always liked handsome guys, so your status as her godfather is quite special. Lately, she hasn't been making a fuss about finding her biological father. All she talks about is her godfather. It seems like your godfather is even closer to her than her biological father."
As she spoke, she picked up a piece of tender winter bamboo shoot with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, chewing it slowly.
Listening to Sister Ru's teasing, the mother-in-law couldn't help but smile and said, "This little guy is quite clever and mischievous."
A short while later, Lin Yourong came out of the second bedroom carrying a sleepy-eyed Wang Weiwei in her arms.
The little guy was clearly not fully awake yet. His little head rested limply on Lin Yourong's shoulder, his eyes half-open and half-closed, his gaze still carrying a hint of confusion and bewilderment.
When she saw Yu Huan sitting behind the dining table, her eyes lit up and widened. She struggled to get down from Lin Yourong's arms and exclaimed happily, "Godfather! You're back!"
Seeing this, Lin Yourong gently placed Wang Weiwei on the ground.
As soon as she landed, Wang Weiwei wobbled and jogged toward Yu Huan.
Looking at Wang Weiwei's childlike appearance, Yu Huan saw only affection for her.
As she walked around the table to his side, he quickly turned to the side, opened his arms, bent down slightly, and gently lifted Wang Weiwei onto his lap, a bright smile on his face.
"Weiwei, are you awake? Did you miss your godfather?"
Wang Weiwei nodded vigorously, her little hands tightly wrapped around Yu Huan's neck, and said in a childish voice, "Yes, Weiwei misses her godfather so much, happy birthday godfather!"
After saying that, he leaned forward and gave Yu Huan a big kiss on the cheek, making a crisp "smack" sound.
Seeing Wang Weiwei's well-behaved behavior, Sister Ru remembered her previous instructions and said with a smile, "This little girl still remembers to wish her godfather a happy birthday. Godfather really did not spoil you for nothing!"
Yu Huan felt a warmth in his heart and kissed Wang Weiwei's chubby little face, saying gently, "Weiwei is such a good girl, godfather misses you too."
Everyone who saw this couldn't help but laugh.
Lin Yourong walked gracefully towards the kitchen, served Wang Weiwei a small bowl of rice, and gave her a ceramic soup spoon, placing it in front of her.
Wang Weiwei turned her head, looked at Lin Yourong who was sitting down next to her, wrinkled her little nose, and mumbled, "Godmother... I... I want to eat cake..."
Her voice was soft and sweet, with a childlike charm.
Sister Ru placed a large shrimp in her bowl and coaxed her with a smile, "Weiwei, we have to wait until Grandpa Lin comes back before we can eat the cake together. Grandpa is still busy with work and won't be back until very late. You should eat your food first, so you'll have the energy to wait for Grandpa to come back, and then we can all happily cut the cake together, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Weiwei pouted slightly, her eyes filled with reluctance.
Seeing this, Sister Ru calmly continued, "Weiwei, look at all this delicious food on the table—prawns, and your favorite boneless fish. Eat something to fill your stomach first, or your godfather will worry if you get too thin."
When asked about her godfather, Wang Weiwei blinked her big, bright eyes, hesitated for a moment, then grabbed Yu Huan's clothes with her little hand and whispered, "Then...then godfather, you have to promise that when Grandpa Lin comes back, I'll be the first to eat the cake."
Yu Huan smiled and nodded, saying firmly, "Okay, godfather promises that as soon as Grandpa comes back, he'll be the first to cut the cake for Weiwei."
Having received Yu Huan's promise, Wang Weiwei reluctantly picked up the soup spoon and began to eat her meal in fits and starts.
Seeing this, Sister Ru swallowed the food in her mouth and chuckled, "Look at him, he really is her favorite godfather. Yu Huan only needs to say one word and he'll start eating by himself. He's more effective than any baby-soothing gadget."
Lin Yourong couldn't help but chuckle. "I think Yu Huan is indeed quite popular with children. Xiao Qin even told me that her grandson Ashu often wants to come and play with Yu Huan." The mother-in-law put down her chopsticks, turned her gaze to Lin Yourong, and suddenly changed the subject, "Aunt Qin's son is only a year older than you, and his child is already running around and can run errands."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yourong could only sigh and rub her forehead in exasperation.
here we go again……
After finishing their meal, Yu Huan and Lin Yourong quickly tidied up the mess and then sat down on the sofa with everyone, leisurely drinking tea, eating melon seeds, and watching TV.
Before he knew it, it was past 8:30 p.m. when an episode of "Raising Children Is Difficult" had finished airing, and Old Lin finally arrived late.
Upon hearing the knock, Yu Huan quickly got up and welcomed his father-in-law into the house. Then, familiar with the place, he took out a packet of "Harmony Brings Wealth" from under the TV cabinet.
After responding to everyone's greetings, Old Lin changed his shoes and saw his son-in-law offering him a cigarette. He took it and said with a smile, "I've just finished my cigarettes. You're the most filial son."
Lin Yourong wanted to retort when she heard what her daughter said in front of her.
But considering there were still guests, she held back her anger and silently stood up to go to the kitchen to serve her elderly father rice.
During the journey, I made sure to turn on the electric hot pot.
Yu Huan smiled and replied to Old Lin, "Dad, you must have been so busy these past few days, right? You look exhausted. Sit down and eat first. Mom's cooking is so delicious, especially the lamb hot pot, it's absolutely amazing. You should try it."
As Lao Lin smelled the lingering aroma of food filling the room, the fatigue on his face seemed to lessen somewhat.
He strode toward the dining table and said with a smile, "One thing after another has been happening all day, and I'm so busy that my brain can hardly keep up. But with a hot meal and you all here with me, I don't feel tired at all."
My father-in-law always speaks with such eloquence.
Yu Huan secretly gave her father-in-law a thumbs up and sat down with him.
After busying herself with various tasks, Lin Yourong sat back down on the sofa and continued watching TV.
Old Lin held his chopsticks, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over his daughter's profile. He lowered his voice and asked with concern, "What's wrong with You Rong today? She hasn't said a word."
This question made Yu Huan's lips curl into a slight smile.
He knew in his heart that Lin Yourong was being pressured by her mother-in-law to have a baby all day, so it would be strange if she was in a good mood.
It's best not to bring up this thorny topic again in front of your father-in-law. Just answer calmly, "Dad, Rongrong has been busy all day. She must be tired."
Old Lin nodded, didn't ask any more questions, and focused on eating.
Beside the coffee table, Wang Weiwei impatiently circled the birthday cake, muttering repeatedly, "Godfather, when can we finally eat the cake?"
Seeing this, Sister Ru quickly smiled and coaxed, "Weiwei, be good, just wait patiently. After Grandpa Lin finishes his meal, you can cut the cake with your godfather, okay?"
Old Lin was happily eating tender mutton when he overheard Sister Ru and Wang Weiwei's conversation. He looked up and smiled, saying, "Why are you waiting for me? It's not my birthday. Look at how greedy the little one is, I'll cut some up for her to eat first."
"Great!" Upon hearing this, Wang Weiwei knew that Grandpa Lin was in charge, and she clapped her hands excitedly.
She immediately turned around and ran to Yu Huan's side, grabbing his arms with both hands and saying in a coquettish tone, "Godfather, Godfather, come and cut the cake!"
“Okay, godfather will cut the cake with you.” Yu Huan nodded with a smile, stood up, and led her to the coffee table.
Seeing Wang Weiwei's impatient look, her little hands fiddling with the bow on the cake box, Sister Ru said in an annoyed tone, "You little glutton, don't ruin the cake."
Yu Huan crouched down behind Wang Weiwei, gently embracing the little one with both arms, while reaching out to untie the ribbon on the cake box: "Weiwei, let's untie it together."
"Mmm!" Wang Wei nodded vigorously.
Yu Huan lifted the lid, and on the cream cake, an exquisite and unique fondant doll came into view.
The doll is seated, with its legs crossed on a stool, holding a guitar in its lap.
Yu Huan took a closer look and was slightly taken aback.
The doll's face was seven or eight parts similar to his, with a leisurely and contented expression in its eyes and brows. Even his suit-style trench coat was meticulously replicated.
Wang Weiwei, nestled in his arms, blushed with excitement upon seeing the fondant doll. She clapped her little hands excitedly and exclaimed, "Godfather, it's you! It's you! This looks just like Godfather!"
Her clear, childlike voice was filled with uncontrollable joy, as if she were even more excited than Yu Huan herself.
A warm feeling welled up in Yu Huan's heart. She looked up at Lin Yourong with a touch of emotion in her eyes and joked, "It would be even more fitting if there was the background music of 'Sunflower' when we opened the box."
Lin Yourong smiled and nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes."
Hearing their conversation, Sister Ru looked puzzled and asked, "What sunflower?"
Lin Yourong leaned forward, picked up the plastic bag containing paper plates and cutlery from the coffee table, and slowly untied the bag as she said, "It's just a guitar piece, and Yu Huan played it quite well."
"Oh." Sister Ru nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
The mother-in-law chimed in with a smile: "Yu Huan does play the guitar quite well, but he's not very good at singing."
"He can't sing, but he can write songs, right? Yu Huan is such a talented man!" Sister Ru said with a hint of teasing, then smiled at Wang Wei and said, "Little one, before we eat the cake later, you have to sing a birthday song for your godfather!"
Wang Weiwei blinked her big eyes and nodded vigorously, saying in her childish voice, "Okay, Weiwei will sing a birthday song for godfather! Then, godfather will make a wish and blow out the candles!"
She seemed to know the whole birthday cake-eating routine by heart.
The mother-in-law couldn't help but chuckle and said, "This clever little rascal has probably been eyeing this birthday cake for a long time, just waiting for this moment."
Yu Huan watched as Lin Yourong inserted the two candles with the number '24' on them. Her lips parted slightly, and she was about to say that it wasn't necessary to go through all that trouble and that they could just cut the cake and eat it. After all, the birthday celebration had just been done last month, and there was no need to repeat these formalities.
However, just as he was about to speak, Sister Ru suddenly stood up from the sofa and strode away briskly: "I'll go turn off the lights first."
Yu Huan swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Old Lin sat behind the dining table, leisurely eating his food.
He watched with a smile as the ceiling light in the living room went out, leaving only the dining room light above his head and the faint glow emanating from the television.
The candlelight on the cake flickered and swayed in the dim light.
"Happy birthday to you—" Wang Weiwei's childish voice rang out first, though it was a little off-key.
With a smile on her lips, Lin Yourong promptly joined in, leading everyone to join in.
As Yu Huan listened to the birthday song sung by everyone, her eyes welled up with tears.
He was filled with emotion. As someone who had been fortunate enough to be reborn, such moments and such warmth were incredibly precious.
All of this was the happiness he had once dreamed of, and now he truly held it in his hands.
(End of this chapter)