Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

Seeing him stand up, Zhao Shanhe also stood up.

"Are you leaving already?"

He glanced up at the sky. "It's already this late. Xiu'er has probably finished preparing the meal in the backyard. Why don't you stay for a meal before you leave? We were having a nice chat, why are you suddenly in such a hurry to run away?"

"Next time, next time."

Upon hearing this, Jin Wanfu quickly waved his hand, his previously relaxed brows furrowing tightly again. "My good-for-nothing brat, I heard he ran away from Hong Kong without a word. This matter is more troublesome than all the messy debts in the city."

Zhao Shanhe was somewhat surprised and casually replied:

"Your son?"

"It's him!"

Jin Wanfu slapped his thigh, his face full of disappointment. "This kid's been living a life of debauchery in Hong Kong, neglecting his family business and only knowing how to cause trouble all day long. This time it's even worse; he didn't even say hello before suddenly running back to the mainland. When I asked him what he was doing back, he was like a mummified blockhead, refusing to utter a single word. His mother was even standing there protecting him, afraid that I would scare her precious son if I asked too many questions."

Jin Wanfu's face grew darker as he spoke, and he suppressed his anger and let out a cold snort:

"Let me tell you, do you think I don't know what kind of person this kid is? Why would he come all the way from Hong Kong for no reason? Nine times out of ten, he's caused some trouble over there and can't handle it anymore, so he's come back to me to clean up his mess."

Zhao Shanhe found it somewhat amusing:

"There's no rush for this meal, is there?"

"Why aren't you in a hurry?"

Jin Wanfu glared, his tone becoming more agitated, "I've been busy with those messy accounts outside these past few days and haven't had a chance to deal with him. I finally found out he was home today, and if I don't hurry back and corner him, he'll smell something's wrong and pack his things tonight and run away. Where am I supposed to catch him then? That little bastard may not have any other skills, but he's got a whole repertoire of ways to hide from his father."

Zhao Shanhe couldn't help but laugh out loud after hearing this, and didn't try to stop him any longer.

"Alright, then I won't keep you any longer. Take it easy on your way back, don't actually get yourself into serious trouble."

"Don't worry, it's my own child, I know what I'm doing."

Jin Wanfu waved his hand, walked to the courtyard gate, and then turned back to call out, "I'll owe you the meal for now. I'll come find you for a drink in a couple of days after I've dealt with that troublesome person at home."

Zhao Shanhe smiled and nodded: "Okay, you should go back now."

Without another word, Jin Wanfu pushed open the courtyard gate and strode out.

A short while later, the roar of a jeep starting up could be heard from outside the courtyard wall.

Just as the courtyard quieted down, the curtain leading to the backyard was suddenly lifted.

Lin Xiu came out carrying a large bowl of freshly cooked chicken and mushroom stew, still steaming hot, with a few beads of sweat still clinging to the tip of her nose.

She was about to greet him with a smile when she looked up and found the courtyard empty except for Zhao Shanhe sitting at the wooden table smoking.

Where are they?

Lin Xiu stood there, holding the large bowl, stunned. She glanced out the tightly closed courtyard gate. "Why did he leave without even saying goodbye? I had a big goose stewing in the pot behind me, and two big carp being chopped on the cutting board. I rushed to prepare a whole table of delicious dishes, hoping you two brothers could have a good drink tonight. Why did he run off?"

Seeing his wife's bewildered expression, Zhao Shanhe couldn't help but chuckle. He stood up, walked over, and took the scalding hot bowl from her hands, placing it steadily on the wooden table: "Stop looking, they've already driven out of the village."

Lin Xiu wiped her hands on her apron, feeling a little sorry for herself after working so hard all day: "We were chatting so enthusiastically just now, why did you rush off like that?"

Zhao Shanhe twitched the corner of his mouth and sat down again: "They said that his son in Hong Kong suddenly ran back to the mainland without saying a word, and he was afraid that he would cause some big trouble in the city, so he rushed back to catch his son."

Lin Xiu suddenly realized what was going on and sighed helplessly, "What are we going to do with all this food? It's just the three of us. Even if we eat our fill until tomorrow, we still won't be able to finish it all."

Zhao Shanhe reached into the bowl, grabbed a piece of mushroom, popped it into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, his eyes lit up, and he grabbed the chopsticks from the table and handed them to his wife. "If you can't finish it, eat it slowly. It'll be a good treat for Niu Niu."

He pulled Lin Xiu to sit down on the bench, his tone unusually relaxed and gentle. "I've been away from home every day lately because of things at the factory, and I haven't had a chance to have a proper meal with you two. Today, let's not think about anything else, just the three of us, and enjoy a good meal behind closed doors."

Seeing his unusually relaxed expression, Lin Xiu playfully patted the back of his hand.

"They ate it without even washing their hands, aren't they afraid that Niu Niu will learn bad habits if she sees it?"

She complained, but her eyes and brows were full of undisguised joy.

She turned and called out towards the inner room, "Niu Niu, stop playing with your doll and come out to wash your hands and eat!"

"Here you are!"

A moment later, Niu Niu came running out of the inner room, clutching the blonde, blue-eyed doll and toddling along with her short legs.

Seeing that she was still tightly clutching that precious item, Lin Xiu couldn't help but sternly scold her:

"Why are you holding her in your arms while she eats? This table is full of oil from all the meat and fish. If you drip oil on her white dress, it will be impossible to wash it off."

When Niu Niu heard that the doll was going to get dirty, she quickly pulled her little hands to her side.

Her big, bright eyes darted around the yard, but she didn't see the person she was looking for. She turned to look at Zhao Shanhe with some confusion.

"Dad, where's that chubby Uncle Jin? Wasn't he just talking in the yard? I was thinking of showing him the doll."

Zhao Shanhe laughed heartily, reached out and patted his daughter's head, his tone full of affection:

"Something urgent happened at your Uncle Jin's house. He went to catch his disobedient older brother and didn't even have time to eat. You should quickly put the doll back inside, wash your little hands, and then come out to eat that big chicken leg."

Niu Niu gave a half-understanding "Oh," then turned and ran back into the inner room with the doll in her arms. She carefully placed it on the kang (a heated brick bed), then ran back to the corner of the yard and hastily washed her hands by the washbasin.

After she scrambled onto the bench beside the table, her eyes lit up as she looked at the table full of steaming, hearty dishes. She couldn't help but swallow hard and ask:

"Dad, are we having big guests today? Why did you make so much delicious food?"

Zhao Shanhe smiled and placed a large, tenderly stewed chicken leg into his daughter's bowl.

"Your Uncle Jin was supposed to have dinner at home, so your mother went to great lengths to prepare this big meal. But then he had to leave suddenly, so all this delicious food went to waste, and our little glutton got to enjoy it all."

Lin Xiu, while serving rice to the father and daughter, chimed in with a smile:

"That's right, it's already done. Niu Niu, eat your fill today, try to finish your dad's share too, so it won't get stale tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Niu Niu cheered and grabbed the big chicken leg with both hands, starting to gnaw on it until her mouth was covered in oil.

A family of three sat around an old wooden table, the courtyard filled with the enticing aroma of meat.