"There’s nothing like that," Jiaojiao shook her head.
Xiu Xi’s expression finally softened, but Ruan Hao’s gaze flickered slightly. When he looked down and t Jiaojiao’s eyes, he simply smiled gently.
By the ti they returned to the private room, most of the dishes had already been served.
People in Beidu are used to starting their als with soup. A bowl of fresh fish soup had already been ladled for Jiaojiao. She took a sip and imdiately squinted her eyes in delight.
Perhaps it was because she had been a cat in a previous life, she naturally loved eating fish. However, her hand had been injured a while ago, and according to the old sayings from their region, fish is considered a "trigger food"—it’s not suitable when one has cuts that are inflad. So, she hadn’t eaten fish at ho for quite so ti.
Jiaojiao was seated next to Ruan Hao, who had almost entirely taken care of her throughout the al. This ti, even Xiu Xi hadn’t competed with him.
Across from them, Shu Jiao, who knew Xiu Xi’s personality well, glanced at him in surprise several tis. At the end, she seed to think of sothing, lowered her head, and chuckled softly.
The family spent about two hours on the al. Since the weather was cold, Ruanlin Family and Old Shu shared a bit of dicinal wine, and naturally, Ruan Jianguo had to join them out of courtesy. After finishing her food, Jiaojiao and the others rested on the sofa nearby.
"Big Brother, are you staying ho tonight?" Jiaojiao, feeling a bit full, stood behind the sofa, resting her elbow on the edge as she asked Ruan Hao.
Ruan Hao nodded and slipped a piece of fruit into her mouth during the brief exchange.
"I can’t eat anymore, my stomach is about to explode." Though reluctant to refuse Ruan Hao’s feeding, Jiaojiao forced herself to eat half a tangerine before she finally couldn’t take it anymore and turned him down.
Ruan Hao didn’t insist and put the other half of the tangerine into his own mouth.
"Then Big Brother, when will you start your break? How about tomorrow we go with Big Brother to your school and play?"
"I have exams over the next two days. After the break starts, I’ll take Jiaojiao out." Having a clear understanding of his little sister’s antics, Ruan Hao knew better than to let her run around freely without his constant supervision.
Hearing this, Jiaojiao could only nod helplessly.
anwhile, Old Shu had gotten drunk. His health hadn’t been great over the past couple of years, and he had quit drinking entirely for several years. Feeling festive today, he broke his sobriety for the first ti, opting for dicinal wine, but one cup was enough to make him tipsy.
Whenever Old Shu got drunk, he would beco a chatterbox. He kept repeating the sa sentence to Ruan Jianguo.
"My daughter is a treasure sought by hundreds, you better treat her well! Otherwise, old man here will take you down!"
Ruan Jianguo, who had his fair share of drinking experience from socializing, wasn’t drunk. He quickly nodded at this remark.
Old Shu repeated the sentence several tis. Then, spotting Jiaojiao chatting sweetly with Ruan Hao, he suddenly gave a laugh.
His laughter made Ruan Jianguo’s scalp tingle.
He patted Ruan Jianguo’s shoulder with an expression that seed like reluctant acceptance. "Kid, while you’re poor, ugly, and uneducated, there’s still one good thing about you."
"What?" Ruan Jianguo, after hearing a string of disparaging remarks, instantly perked up at the complint and asked eagerly.
Old Shu chuckled slyly, laughing so much that Ruan Jianguo felt his goosebumps rise. Then, they saw him beckon to Jiaojiao, "Little Jiaojiao, co here to Grandpa."
Jiaojiao looked at them perplexedly, noticing their flushed faces and realizing they were likely both drunk.
She ran over and supported Old Shu by his arm.
Old Shu smiled at her first and then turned to Ruan Jianguo, saying, "Take a good look, kid. This is your only redeeming feature, got it?"
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