My younger brothers are so fierce!!! I'm clearly the eldest brother!

After Nan Yun'er left, Gong Bolin took advantage of everyone's presence to tell them everything he had found out about the Apricot Blossom Banquet.

"The apricot blossom feast is a village custom for worshipping the flower goddess and praying for a good harvest. This year, the county attaches great importance to it, and the scale is larger than in previous years. The dishes are quite elaborate, including apricot blossom cakes, apricot blossom wine, apricot blossom fish... They say it's an old craft that ordinary people can't make."

"That complicated?" Lin Jingxiao's eyes lit up. "It'll definitely be a lot of fun."

Gong Bolin nodded. "The special mission is to learn how to prepare the food for the Apricot Blossom Banquet, and then help out at the banquet. The old lady at the convenience store said that Chef Bai was the head chef who prepared the banquet in previous years, so I plan to visit him this afternoon..."

Jiang Yan frowned. "This sounds so complicated, and the reward is only two hundred. It's not cost-effective."

Gong Bolin nodded, "Yes, so we won't answer for now. We'll see how things go this afternoon..."

Before she could finish speaking, someone knocked on the courtyard gate. Cheng Yunqin stood at the door, carrying a heavy-looking food box in her hand.

"Aunt Cheng."

Lin Jingxiao and the others stood up to greet him.

Cheng Yunqin smiled and waved as she walked into the courtyard. "You were having dinner just now, so I brought you some food."

Cheng Yunqin placed the food box on the wooden table, and the moment she lifted the lid, the aroma forcefully filled everyone's nostrils.

"It's just some home-style dishes, everyone should eat it while it's hot," Cheng Yunqin said with a smile.

"Aunt Cheng, this is too lavish." Lin Jingxiao rubbed his hands together, his eyes fixed on the plate of spare ribs.

"Recording the show must be tiring, you guys should eat more."

Cheng Yunqin carried the food box to Jiang Guanqing's side and took out a blue and white porcelain cup from the bottom of the food box.

"Guanqing, this was specially made for you. You're not feeling well, so you should eat more nourishing food."

Upon lifting the lid, a slightly bitter medicinal aroma wafted out.

"This is pigeon stewed with Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus, with some red dates and goji berries, as well as a few other warming and nourishing medicinal herbs. Drink it while it's hot."

Jiang Guanqing subconsciously shook her head, "No need, Aunt Cheng, that's too..."

Cheng Yunqin interrupted Jiang Guanqing, shoving the spoon into his hand without giving him a chance to explain. "Does Guanqing want Aunt Cheng to feed you?"

Jiang Guanqing was somewhat at a loss, "Aunt Cheng..."

Jiang Yan frowned slightly. Something was wrong. Aunt Cheng was being a little too enthusiastic towards her older brother. She had sent soup over last night, and then came so early this morning to deliver breakfast. Now she had even specially stewed pigeon.

"Aunt Cheng, what kind of medicinal herbs are in the soup? My older brother is taking medicine recently, and I'm worried about potential drug interactions."

Cheng Yunqin smiled and waved her hand, "Don't worry, they are all mild tonic herbs, and they won't have any adverse effects on Guanqing's medicine."

Jiang Yan's eyes turned cold, and Gong Bolin also sat up straight.

"Aunt Cheng, do you know what medicine my older brother is taking?"

Cheng Yunqin's smile froze. She had blurted it out. What should she do now?

In a corner of the Yuehua Group cafeteria, Bai Xin stopped chewing his food abruptly and sighed helplessly.

Fearing that Jiang Yan and Gong Bolin would mistake her mother for someone with "ulterior motives," Bai Xin quickly sent several messages to Jiang Yan and Gong Bolin in the group chat.

Bai Xin: Don't be nervous. Let me formally introduce you. Cheng Yunqin is my mother.

Bai Xin: They asked me about it when adding medicinal herbs to the stewed pigeon. I specifically consulted the doctor, and there were no problems.

Bai Xin: The chef who prepares the banquet is my dad. If you need anything, just tell my mom.

……

Jiang Yan, Jiang Zhuo, and Gong Bolin all received message notifications on their phones at the same time, several in a row. Lin Jingxiao and the others looked at the three of them curiously.

Jiang Yan took out her phone, avoided Jiang Guanqing's gaze, and stared at the screen for two seconds.

Aunt Cheng is Bai Xin's mother...

The coldness in Jiang Yan's eyes vanished instantly, leaving only embarrassment.

Gong Bolin also saw the message, coughed lightly, leaned back in his chair, and pretended to be nonchalant.

Jiang Yan put away her phone. "Aunt Cheng, so you're Bai Xin's mother."

Cheng Yunqin was annoyed that she had let something slip. Upon hearing this, she was first taken aback, then seemed to realize something and shook her head helplessly, "This brat, he's quick to spread the news."

Now that she knew, Cheng Yunqin readily admitted, "It was quite a coincidence. Bai Xin called yesterday and asked me to take good care of Guanqing. Several years ago, Bai Xin said he had a good boss and kept mentioning it. I've wanted to meet him for a long time, but that brat wouldn't let me..."

Jiang Guanqing hadn't recovered from the fact that Aunt Cheng was Bai Xin's mother when Cheng Yunqin's next words made her blush and feel like she was about to cook.

Seeing that Jiang Guanqing was so shy that he was practically "burning" with embarrassment, Cheng Yunqin quickly stopped talking.

"Guanqing, drink your soup quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Jiang Guanqing gripped the white porcelain spoon that had been forcibly shoved into his hand and looked up at Cheng Yunqin.

Cheng Yunqin was smiling at him. When she smiled, you could see the faint fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She looked very gentle, like a mother.

"...Thank you, Aunt Cheng."

Jiang Guanqing felt a lump in her throat, lowered her head, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and put it in her mouth.

~(＞_＜)~

It's so bitter, just like medicine, so bitter I want to stick my tongue out.

Jiang Guanqing swallowed the soup in his mouth with difficulty.

"That's right, eat more, especially meat, it's good for your health." Cheng Yunqin looked at Jiang Guanqing with satisfaction.

Jiang Guanqing nodded, sipping the soup slowly. It was all Aunt Cheng's kindness, and he couldn't waste it, but it was so bitter...

Jiang Guanqing felt a bitter taste lingering in his heart, and wanted to scoop up a few spoonfuls of white sugar to neutralize it.

LYXSAX: Holy crap, the moment Brother Jiang asked me that question, I got goosebumps. I thought some kind of rural suspense poisoning drama was about to unfold.

Jin Yi: Oh, so she's Bai Xin's mother. I've always wondered why Aunt Cheng was so enthusiastic towards my older brother.

Qianyi537: Upstairs, I'm different. I didn't find it strange at all. I just thought it was because my brother was incredibly charming...

Fang Xiezhen from the next village: Those message notification sounds, were they Bai Xin remotely saving the day? Hahahahahaha

Moyu1003: Help! My brother blushed so much from being praised, he looked like a piece of laundry detergent, his ears were all red, so cute!

Jian Suiying's Beloved: I'm at my wit's end. Everyone's gossiping, but Lin Jingxiao is glued to the braised ribs the whole time. He's so focused; I suspect he doesn't see anything else at all.

The commenter, "This soup with added herbs is definitely nourishing, but it's also definitely not tasty. You're amazing, brother, you didn't even flinch the whole time! When I was little, my mom forced me to drink tonics, and even though it was so bitter my face was contorted, I didn't dare say it tasted bad."

Yan Yi: Family, the grease from that plate of braised ribs was practically splattering onto my screen. All I want to do right now is rush into the yard, grab a bite, and maybe even get a little kiss with my older brother while I'm at it...

White Giant Fluttering Moth: Aunt Cheng's comment just now, "My son has been talking about you for years," was incredibly revealing. Bai Xin, you've been keeping your secrets pretty well!

Jin Jiayi: Gong Bolin just sat up straight, ready to fight, but after reading the message, he slowly leaned back, his expression looking exactly like, "Thank goodness he's not here to cause trouble, he scared me to death."

The most devout follower of the Cat Lord: Something's not right, something's not right. Why are all three of their message notifications ringing at the same time, but the eldest brother's phone on the table isn't beating? Are the three of them having a private group chat behind the eldest brother's back?

Zaijiu Ruilu: That's right, how could this be? What can't my brother know? If he doesn't know, fine, but why hide it from me? I'm a VIP!