si-mexico Chapter 971: 42 jin.
Chapter 971: 42 jin.
"Let's call Rose to have dinner together." He raised his chin towards Xiao Chao, and the white mist dissipated in the air as he spoke.
"Brother Qi has been back for quite a while this time."
Xiao Chao rubbed his hands and retreated towards the garage: "I haven't finished eating the seafood you sent me last time. Let my sister-in-law accompany you today."
Before he finished speaking, the man had disappeared into the corner, leaving only the sound of footsteps echoing on the stone road.
The moment the iron gate of the courtyard creaked closed, the gauze curtain on the second floor was suddenly lifted up.
"Daddy!" The baby voice came into his arms with the cool breeze. The little girl was wearing a coral fleece nightgown with a strawberry pattern and her bare feet were stepping on Zhou Qi's shiny leather shoes.
The man held his daughter's waist with one hand, and with the other hand he quickly unbuttoned her cashmere coat and wrapped her up like a dumpling: "A fourth-grade student is still running around barefoot?"
The fingertips scraped across the frozen red nose tip, and giggles immediately rang out in my arms.
In the light of the porch, Lin Ruixue leaned against the carved door frame, holding her waist.
The abdomen under the navy blue knitted skirt is still flat, but the collarbone is more obvious under the scarf.
Zhou Qi took two steps forward and slammed the suitcase onto the side of the steps.
"The person on the phone said he gained three pounds."
He placed his warm palm on his wife's cheek: "Why do you feel like you've lost weight?"
"Mom has to change two casseroles every day when she's cooking soup."
Lin Ruixue pretended to bite his finger, and the tip of her hair brushed across the back of the man's hand: "Touch your waist."
The end of the sentence suddenly got stuck, and the tips of her ears turned red.
There was the sound of dishes clattering in the entrance hall.
"Xiao Zhou, come and give me a hand!"
My father-in-law leaned out of the kitchen holding a blue and white porcelain soup bowl, the steam blurring his lenses.
The mother-in-law followed closely behind, clutching the corner of her apron: "That damn old man, he insisted on waiting for the son-in-law to come back before he would open that bottle of twenty-year-old Fenjiu."
Zhou Qi helped his wife walk into the house, his eyes passing over the old man's hesitant expression.
The steamed sea bass in the center of the table was steaming, with garlic vermicelli wrapped around the golden fish slices and sauce dripping slowly along the fish tail.
Lin Dong glanced at his wife helplessly, tapped the table and said, "The child just came in and he hasn't even caught his breath yet. When will you change your impatience?"
He turned to his son-in-law and gave him an apologetic smile: "Don't worry, don't worry. First try the new recipe I learned, fried fish fillet in soy sauce."
The sound of porcelain bowls colliding came from the kitchen, and Han Juan poked half of her face out: "There's only three shredded vegetables left, and it'll be ready in a minute!"
The figure wearing a floral apron disappeared into the smoke again. Zhou Qi noticed that his mother-in-law deliberately avoided his gaze and turned to look at his wife.
Lin Ruixue was rolling up her daughter Nuonuo's sleeves when she received her husband's inquiring gaze and shook her head blankly: "Mom has been acting mysterious these past two days and won't tell me anything even if I ask her."
As we were talking, the spicy aroma of fried peppercorns wafted from the entrance, mixed with the sweetness of sweet and sour spare ribs, making people's appetites whet.
When everyone was seated around the table, Lin Dong held the wine dispenser and filled his son-in-law's cup:
"Try this thirty-year-old wine. It's stronger than the Moutai you brought last time."
The amber wine swirled in the glass, reflecting the warm yellow light of the chandelier.
Zhou Qi picked up a piece of translucent fish fillet and put it into his wife's bowl first, then picked out a piece of boneless fish belly for his daughter.
Lin Ruixue touched the back of her husband's hand with her fingertips under the table, and a dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth.
My father-in-law noticed this detail, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened a little.
"Over in Guangshi." The old man had just started talking when Han Juan suddenly choked and coughed, and the spoon hit the bone plate with a clinking sound.
Zhou Qi put down his bamboo chopsticks and looked back and forth between the two elders: "Dad, what you and Mom just talked about."
Lin Dong raised his head and drank the wine in the glass, his Adam's apple rolling twice: "This is a long story."
A gust of wind suddenly blew in from the window, making the wind chimes hanging on the balcony ring. Mixed with the sound of the faucet dripping in the kitchen, it made the room full of silence.
"You can drink it, old man!"
Han Juan put down her wine cup and happened to see Lin Dong stealing glances at her: "Where is the energy you had when you were showing off? Now you're using me as a mouthpiece?"
Lin Dong touched the back of his neck awkwardly: "I was so happy on the phone yesterday that I mentioned that my son-in-law wanted to come back."
"He's over fifty years old, but he still talks like a colander!"
Han Juan glared at her husband and turned to Zhou Qi with a softer tone:
"Xiao Zhou, do you remember your uncle? He was the one who rode a red motorcycle around the village three times when our family had a wedding."
A figure wearing a leather jacket appeared in Zhou Qi's mind.
That was Lin Dong’s younger brother. He made a fortune in small business after the wave of layoffs in the 1990s. He and his family moved to the provincial capital and lost contact. During the New Year holidays, their phone calls lasted only three or two minutes, which was duller than boiled water.
"I remember, mother. Is uncle in trouble?"
"I suddenly called yesterday to try to get close to you. When I heard that Yifeng was in charge of the Pinliang Factory, my conversation became as hot as boiling syrup."
Han Juan said as she poured tea for her husband: "Your father was flattered to the point of being at a loss for words. He even told everyone that you were going home today. He immediately said that the whole family would come to visit. I see that he has other intentions."
Zhou Qi turned the teacup around, understanding what he meant.
It is true that these days, the poor live in the city and no one cares about them, while the rich hide in the mountains and there are noisy traffic. My father-in-law couldn't save his face and agreed to it, and now he is feeling very embarrassed.
“It’s normal for relatives to visit each other.”
"What kind of love is this!"
Han Juan slammed the table and said, "When his family moved into the building, we had to write an IOU to borrow 20 yuan for car fare. Now you think of this poor relative?"
She turned and glared at her husband: "Let me make this clear. If it's really an emergency, I can even use my own pocket money. If you want to take advantage of me."
She suddenly raised her voice: "No way!"
Lin Dong huddled in the rattan chair and rubbed his hands: "He just said he came back to take a look."
"What are you looking at? Our newly installed air conditioner or Xiao Zhou's car?"
Han Juan became angrier and angrier as she spoke: "Last winter, our roof was leaking, and I called to borrow 500 yuan for emergency. What did his wife say? 'I'm stuck in stocks lately'!"
Zhou Qi tried to smooth things over: "Mom, calm down. I'll handle it tomorrow."
He tapped the table with his fingertips and calculated, and caught a glimpse of his father-in-law's grateful eyes.
The cicadas outside the window suddenly became noisy, making people feel upset.
Lin Dong put down the teacup and tapped his knuckles on the mahogany tea table unconsciously: "Having said that, I am still worried. What if one day later."
Before he finished speaking, his son-in-law Zhou Qi stood up and poured more hot tea. In the warm steam, the young entrepreneur's eyebrows relaxed:
"Dad, blood is thicker than water. If you really need a hand, I won't refuse."
This statement was a powerful one as it neither overstated the matter nor gave the elders enough respect.
The crystal chandelier illuminated the table full of home-cooked dishes as Zhou Qi sipped his father's treasured Fenjiu.
The TV in the dining room played the opening theme song of the news broadcast. At the stroke of eight, my daughter Nuonuo skipped out with her schoolbag in her arms:
"The nature observation notes have to be handed in tomorrow!"
The old man always had a regular schedule, and in a short while, the couple snuggling on the fabric sofa were the only ones left in the living room.
Lin Ruixue smoothed the corner of the newspaper, and the lead-type title "Hualong Group takes the lead in developing the northern bank of Guangdong Province" was clearly visible.