You are my wife, don't doubt it!

Xiao Yao certainly knew the reason why Yu Luying didn't want to come to his house anymore, and nodded a little disappointedly.

"Then, see you tonight." Yu Luying put on her shoes, stood up, and stomped her right foot lightly on the ground: "Really, don't see me off."

Seeing Xiao Yao reaching out to hug her again, the girl blushed, and she obediently leaned in his arms for a second, then separated.

"Let's go." Yu Luying said happily.

Xiao Yao stood at the door of the soap room, checking his QQ messages.

oOShuHeOo: I have been sleeping in the afternoon. The bed at home is really too soft!

oOShu HeOo: Let’s go downstairs to eat now.

Don Quixote: Take a picture for me later, a luxurious banquet of the upper class.

oOShuheOo: Thirteen o'clock. What are you eating? Is Nannan okay? Make some for her, don't eat instant noodles anymore.

Nannan...I guess, not very good?

Xiao Yao returned to his daughter's room and took another look, but still no one was there.

Did he run away from home again? Xiao Yao felt a dark cloud over his heart.

The boy tidied himself up a bit, locked the door, and walked on the street at dusk.

How should I put it? I've gotten used to living with Shen Jie all the time, and now I'm suddenly alone. I can't say I'm lonely, but at least I'm definitely not used to it.

Yu Luying had already gone home for dinner, and she even refused to let me take her home.

After the symbiosis weakened, the function of "one person eats and two people are not hungry" also disappeared, and now only the sense of taste can be transmitted by the void.

That means you have to find somewhere to eat.

Shen Jie must have gone downstairs to eat, and her QQ disappeared again. Xiao Yao left a message on QQ, telling her that he was going to eat Hu Jian Qianlixiang wontons alone, and Nannan was not at home, so she didn't need to worry about her dinner.

As for where she went and the dispute between the three of them during the day, Xiao Yao was afraid that Shen Jie would worry, so he didn't say anything for the time being.

If she dares to stay out all night again, I'll tell her mother about it.

When he was almost reaching the entrance of Hu Jian Qianli Xiang Wonton, two junior high school students wearing red scarves came towards him, holding hands. To be honest, given their height, if it weren't for the red scarves on their chests, Xiao Yao might have mistaken them for high school students.

Hmm? Isn't it summer vacation?

The young man suddenly thought of another person.

Since the day Song Haijian died, Zhao Xiaomei has never contacted me again, and of course, I have never contacted her either.

It's hard to get used to his sudden disappearance.

Will I meet her at the wonton shop?

What on earth am I thinking about? Xiao Yao shook his head.

The phone in my hand rang at the right time. It was Yu Luying's number.

"Have you eaten?" After answering the phone, the person on the other end started talking to himself without even saying "hello": "Oh, I can feel that you haven't eaten. Come to my house. My mother asked you to come to my house for dinner."

Xiao Yao subconsciously wanted to refuse: "How can I do this now?"

The other party hung up the phone, and Xiao Yao secretly felt a little regretful.

Thinking of Yu Lihua's cold eyes, drooping mouth corners, and the row of gold and silver acupuncture needles in her hand, he didn't want to face this respectable lady.

but……

But going to Yu Luying's house for dinner always gives me a better feeling of "home" than eating alone at home or eating Qianlixiang wontons.

Before going to Yu Luying's house, Xiao Yao took a detour and went to the old commercial street.

He first bought two kilograms of big and plump peaches at the fruit shop.

Yu Luying loves to eat peaches, of course he will not forget that.

What should I buy for Yu Lihua? Xiao Yao thought about it for several times but couldn't make up his mind.

Forget it, if you carry a bag of fruit, the etiquette should be in place.

Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he caught a glimpse of a shop selling various small items for girls.

When I went to the Turkish bath to pick them up that day, I accompanied them shopping all the way. It seemed that Shen Jie and Yu Luying had also been here.

Xiao Yao immediately fell in love with the headband hanging in a conspicuous place.

This is a very cute pink bow headband. The bow is made of silky soft pink fabric, and the two wings of the bow are carefully cut into two layers, the outer layer is delicate lace, and the inner layer is softer fabric, making the whole bow look very three-dimensional, and the two ends of the headband are made of very textured metal material.

Generally speaking, this kind of thing is more suitable for elementary school students or junior high school students. If I buy it for Shen Jie, she will probably think it is childish. As for Yu Luying... well, maybe she will like it?

Xiao Yao suddenly remembered that the night before Shen Jie left, she had criticized him half-jokingly, saying that he never bought anything for her...

After all, we should give small gifts more often, right?

Accept criticism and improve with an open mind.

After the boy bought the bow headband, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

Oh, accepting Shen Jie’s criticism and then turning around to buy a gift for Yu Luying, is that too inhumane?

We must treat everyone equally and buy one for Shen Jie as well.

But what should I buy for her? Let alone the aesthetics, the prices of the things here are so high that a young lady would never wear them, right?

Xiao Yao's gaze fell on the plaque of "Xiao Fengxiang Silver Shop" diagonally opposite the shop.

This "Xiao Fengxiang Silver Shop" is located in the center of the old commercial street. Xiao Yao has passed by it countless times in the past year, but he has never thought of going in to take a look.

She definitely couldn't afford a diamond ring - of course, there might be some money left in the card, but that was all Shen Jie and her big brother's father's money, and it was obviously not appropriate to use it to buy her a gift.

I thought I could only buy silver, and basically didn't need to consider gold and platinum, but it turned out that they were actually okay. Xiao Yao quickly chose a pair of platinum couple rings weighing about 2.57g, with a discounted price starting at 1253. Although it's a bit inconspicuous, a bit delicate, a bit plain, and a bit narrow...

“You can also use it as a pinky ring.” The salesperson introduced enthusiastically.

"Pinkie ring?" Xiao Yao was a little confused: "Doesn't a pinkie ring represent celibacy?"

"Oh, that's not it..."

The staff of this silver shop wore neat uniforms, were polite, enthusiastic and considerate. Xiao Yao listened to her introduction while looking around casually.

The entire store is luxuriously decorated and brightly lit, making the cabinets full of gold and silver jewelry glow charmingly.

In this golden scene of "nobleness" and "elegance", Xiao Yao suddenly felt awkward and out of place.

After walking around a few more times, he left quickly.

Buying such an expensive item cannot be as casual as buying ice cream. What's more, Yu Luying and her mother are still waiting for me to come over for dinner. Since I have agreed to go, it would be obviously not very "sensible" if I arrive too late.

Xiao Yao, holding peach in his hand, walked quickly towards Yu Luying's home.

There is a principle that must be established, that is, whether buying gifts for Shen Jie herself or for Yu Luying, the remaining money in Shen Jie's card cannot be used - including the money left by the "father-in-law" last time.

So, the only thing I can use now is the living expenses that my grandmother left for me, neither more nor less.

But there is another problem here. If all the living expenses are used to buy gifts, the food in the end will still be spent on Shen Jie and Big B's money, which is like being fickle and covering one's ears and stealing the bell.

To buy a gift for Shen Jie, you have to use your own money to express your sincerity.

When it comes to ways to make money, the first thing Xiao Yao thought of was to work as a waiter at the Niebo Restaurant. However, that kind of job takes too much time, and the remedial lessons he has to take this summer are heavy, so he shouldn't add to the fuss.

Trying to earn some more money from writing? It seems... feasible?

Also, how do you get Shen Jie's finger size? If you ask her, won't there be no surprise?

As he walked and thought about all sorts of things, he had already reached the downstairs of Yu Luying's house. The wooden "door" on the first floor (actually not that big) was ajar, and Xiao Yao pushed the door open, making a "creaking" sound.

As soon as you enter the door, you will see a large soap room shared by four or five households. There is a bicycle and a light motorcycle parked in the soap room. A middle-aged aunt is cooking on a gas stove. When Xiao Yao walked towards the stairs, the two looked at each other.

No one knew anyone else and no one spoke.

To reach the second floor of Yu Luying's house, one needs to climb a long wooden staircase. The staircase goes up in a spiral shape, and when Xiao Yao steps on it, the wooden board under his feet makes a groaning sound like the wooden door at the entrance.

This made Xiao Yao nervous, fearing that it would collapse at any time.

The door on the second floor opposite the stairs is Yu Luying's home, which was once a holy place in his mind.

There is a couplet posted on the gate of this holy place. The first line reads: "The desert river brings peace", the second line reads: "The wilderness road is glorious", and the horizontal banner reads: "The Lord's grace is boundless".

Xiao Yao immediately noticed the shoe rack at the door, on top of which were the white sneakers that Yu Luying had worn today.

The lower layer of the shoe rack has high-heeled boots and high-heeled shoes of different heights, which are obviously my mother-in-law's.

Wait, what mother-in-law? My only biological mother-in-law passed away ten years ago.

The wooden door was also ajar. Xiao Yao rubbed the dust off the soles of his shoes on the carpet at the door, moved the peach in his right hand to his left hand, raised his right hand and wanted to knock on the door, but hesitated.

Or... a little scared?

Xiao Yao took a deep breath and raised his right hand again, ready to knock on the door.

The door was opened forcefully, and Yu Lihua's icy face appeared before her eyes.

Seeing Xiao Yao standing at the door, the two of them stared at each other for 1-2 seconds, and then Yu Lihua forced a smile.

As everyone knows, this middle-aged woman always has a stern face and a cold expression, which makes her seem unapproachable. Therefore, when she deliberately squeezes out a "kind" smile, Xiao Yao feels a strange sense of disobedience.

Her lips seemed to be lifted up reluctantly, revealing a row of teeth, but her eyes remained unchanged, still deep and indifferent, just like Mona Lisa's smile. Her face seemed not to be used to this kind of smile, and her whole expression was stiff and unnatural. Simply put...

Yes, just like watching Granny Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood.

This kind of smile would certainly make Xiao Yao feel embarrassed and uneasy, as if it was hinting at something... unknown.

"Hello, Auntie!" Xiao Yao bowed hurriedly and raised the plastic bag of peaches in his hands as if offering a tribute.

"Come in - no need to change into slippers, just go barefoot," Yu Lihua took the peach amiably, "the floor has just been mopped."

This is the home of the Yu mother and daughter - there is only one large single room, about 17 or 18 square meters. As you enter the door, you will see the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows on the wall: in this statue, Mary frowns slightly and points her finger at her heart - there are seven sharp swords piercing her heart.

Basically speaking, it can’t be said to be exactly the same as the “Parent-Child Education Center” in Teacher Yao’s hall, but it’s about 80% close.

"I'm very happy that you can figure it out," Yu Lihua whispered in Xiao Yao's ear as he walked in, "Be nice to her, otherwise..."

"Mom, what are you whispering to me about!" Yu Luying stood up with a pout and walked towards Xiao Yao. She was wearing pink bunny slippers and her socks were taken off.

"Hi." We met again not long after we separated.

There was a sofa near the door, and in front of the sofa was a small coffee table. Under the coffee table lay a double bass... and a guitar? Facing the square dining table.

The square table was next to the window, a large bed was in the innermost corner, and there was a small prayer table at the head of the bed.

This Baroque prayer table is small but fully equipped and is the most gorgeous and dazzling part of this simple room: in the middle is a pure gold cross, and on the left is a foreign Latin scripture - only a black and white photo of a man seems a bit out of place on it.

Out of politeness, when passing by the prayer altar, Xiao Yao clasped his hands together, waved them, and bowed slightly towards the portrait of Yu Luying's father.

Unfortunately, the flattery backfired - he keenly noticed that both Yu's mother and daughter frowned slightly, without being noticed.

Chapter 179 The Eldest Lady's Family Dinner

2023-05-02

Out of politeness, when passing by the prayer altar, Xiao Yao clasped his hands together, waved them, and bowed slightly towards the portrait of Yu Luying's father.

Unfortunately, the flattery backfired - he keenly noticed that both Yu's mother and daughter frowned slightly, without being noticed.

Xiao Yao's heart skipped a beat. Did he accidentally violate some Catholic etiquette by worshipping randomly? But he was too embarrassed to ask, so he could only sit down on the sofa awkwardly.

Sitting on this familiar yet unfamiliar sofa, Xiao Yao always had a confusing illusion that he was about to fight with Secker.

Dinner is ready. The braised pork is bright in color, with alternating fat and lean parts. The steamed sea bass is tender and looks delicious. The sweet and sour spare ribs are bright in color, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The stir-fried vegetables are also shiny, and there is also a dish of soy sauce-flavored dried tofu - each dish exudes an enticing aroma and is served on the table steaming hot.

Somehow, when he saw the braised pork again, he thought of the lunch he had at noon, and when he thought of the lunch he thought of his daughter. Then he began to worry whether his daughter would starve to death, and he wanted to pack up these dishes and take them back to feed his daughter.

Of course, he was no fool and knew that this was impossible.

Xiao Yao was standing right in front of the window, and the neighboring building was just a few meters away, as if he could touch it if he stretched out his hand.

Somehow, this reminded Xiao Yao of Wang Meiyu in "The Fortress Besieged".

On his left was Yu Lihua, on his right was Yu Luying, and Xiao Yao was sandwiched between them.

"Lord, bless us with the food you have given us..."

After accompanying Yu's mother and daughter in praying before the meal, Xiao Yao added, "I'm starting to eat!" before picking up his chopsticks.

The food was as delicious as love, and Yu Lihua was gentle and friendly, completely different from before. It was as if Yu Lihua from the "Parent-Child Education Center" had run out - the atmosphere had an indescribable sense of weirdness.

Yu Lihua obviously believed in not talking while eating, and Yu Luying only greeted Xiao Yao occasionally. After Xiao Yao praised the taste, he had to hold back his words. In the quiet air, the only sound that could be heard was the clatter of soup spoons, bowls and chopsticks.

It's so embarrassing.