Page 191

Nervous, did that mean he just hit the nail on the head with her inner thoughts? A secret joy bloomed in his heart, but Xia Zheng rarely pursued the matter further on this occasion, for he knew that pressing Lin Yuan too hard might backfire, given her temperament.

Seeing that Xia Zheng was merely enjoying a quiet chuckle without bickering any further, Lin Yuan felt a sudden unease and quickly changed the subject, "Where’s Liuzi? Why did you bring the tea over yourself?"

"The master sent him back to the Fuman Building." Xia Zheng raised the teapot in his hand, "I’ve already delivered tea to your father just now. For you, it’s better if you bring it in yourself."

Although Xia Zheng didn’t specify why he sent Liuzi back to the Fuman Building, Lin Yuan guessed by intuition that he went to arrange the meal.

Without mentioning it, she would have nearly forgotten that it was almost time for lunch.

She was so engrossed in talking with her grandmother that she nearly missed cooking time.

Fortunately, with Lan Hua and Loudmouth in the kitchen, there was no need to worry about the workers’ lunch.

As she took the teapot from Xia Zheng, Lin Yuan felt its substantial weight.

The eastern room was filled with men, so he could enter, but the western room held the women, thus he, a grown man, had to call her out.

Surprisingly, the Young Master, usually so merry and concerned only with profit, showed such considerate and tender care.

Noting Lin Yuan’s glance toward the kitchen, Xia Zheng waved his hand in front of her eyes and patted his chest, proclaiming, "Don’t worry about the kitchen. Just get ready to eat later!"

Lin Yuan gave a grateful smile and carried the cup and teapot inside. No one in their household drank tea; the tea leaves were brought by Xia Zheng himself.

While pouring tea for her grandmother and aunt, the corners of Lin Yuan’s mouth involuntarily curled up.

She suddenly remembered the pained expression on Xia Zheng’s face when she used his tea leaves to make tea for the workers the day before.

Young Master Xia had snatched the tea leaves from her hand, his face paling, "You prodigal woman, do you realize these were imported from another country?

Do you know how expensive they are? I brought them for you to drink, and you actually gave them to those rough men! "

Lin Yuan shot him a disdainful glance and stuffed the tea leaves back into his arms, disdainfully remarking, "It’s just a box of tea leaves. Why be so stingy!"

She hadn’t given it much thought at the time, but now, as she poured the tea, Lin Yuan savored it carefully. Indeed, the tea was exceptional, smooth and fragrant, even making someone like her, who didn’t enjoy tea, salivate a little.

Taking another careful sip, Lin Yuan regretted inwardly. Next time, she would have to buy some ordinary tea leaves. Such high-quality tea shouldn’t be wasted—indeed, it would surely make delicious tea eggs.

Chatting with Lin Jiaxin and others in the western room, Xia Zheng suddenly felt a twinge in his chest, as if someone had cut a piece of flesh from him.

As noon approached, Liuzi rushed back with a carriage, unloading not only about ten food containers but also a large table and several long benches.

Due to the limited space in the carriage, a knockdown table was chosen, and thankfully, with workers at home to help, the table was assembled without trouble.

Watching Liuzi move containers and furniture in and out of the carriage, Lin Yuan felt grateful to Xia Zheng once again for his attentiveness.

Their house was just beginning to be built, and they only had two small low tables and several small stools made from leftover materials.

Normally, the workers just took their food and found a place to eat, so she hadn’t thought about getting larger tables and benches.

Thus, she had been worried about her grandfather’s family’s visit today.

Neither Lan Hua nor Sister Gui Zhi’s family had such a large table.

The old Lin family house did have such tables due to the large number of people dining, but she would absolutely not borrow one.

So, she was thinking about borrowing one from the village chief’s house when, to her surprise, Liuzi brought one back before she had even left.

The table and benches were set up in the main room, and the food containers held more than thirty dishes, including hot dishes, cold dishes, main courses, and even desserts. A full table’s worth of food instantly whetted one’s appetite.

Loudmouth and Lan Hua had prepared their meal earlier, so at that point, they had already let the workers start their lunch.

Originally, Lin Yuan had planned to set up the table in the yard.

Although their meal wasn’t extravagant, she didn’t want to create distinctions between them and the workers as if they were superior.

But Chief Sun insisted on moving the table inside, and once in, he led the workers to the kitchen to get their meal.

To be honest, the food at Lin Yuan’s house was already the best they had encountered in all their time working, even better than what any Boss provided in the town, where not even white flour buns were offered daily.

They felt very content, so how could they intrude on a family’s precious time to be together?

It didn’t matter that Chief Sun didn’t join in, and even Lan Hua and Loudmouth found excuses to leave. Lan Hua went home to eat, and Loudmouth quietly sat next to her son with the food she had served herself, even returning the special dish Lin Yuan had brought over.

Lin Yuan understood Loudmouth to some degree, who always stood by her words, so she didn’t try to give the dish a second time.

The grandfather, Liu Huaiqing, sat in the seat of honor, while Liu Siliang wheeled Lin Jiaxin out in his wheelchair.

By rights, given Xia Zheng’s status, he should have sat in the seat of honor, but he silently waited for everyone to be seated before joining Lin Yuan and the younger generation at the table.

It was a rare occasion for the family to be together.

Xia Zheng had even prepared a jar of fine wine especially for this gathering.

Lin Jiaxin, who was injured and should not have been drinking, couldn’t resist celebrating today.

Neither Lady Liu nor Lin Yuan stopped him, although Xia Zheng did instruct him to only have one cup while pouring the wine.

Lin Jiaxin, his eyes brimming with laughter, nodded continuously at Xia Zheng, assuring him, "Alright, alright, just one cup, just one cup."

Lin Yuan watched, quite surprised. The more she looked, the more it seemed like a father-in-law regarding his son-in-law?

Liu Huaiqing didn’t talk much, but when Xia Zheng offered him a toast, he still chugged a big cup and even smiled at Xia Zheng, saying, "Zheng Xia, not bad, this kid is not bad!"

Lin Yuan nearly poked her chopsticks down her throat.

Her grandfather was using irony again, even purposely mispronouncing Xia Zheng’s name.

His mood was exceptionally good. She wondered what that fellow Xia Zheng had talked about with the men in the eastern room to win so many hearts within just a morning.

Seeing her eldest uncle clinking glasses and drinking with Xia Zheng, Lin Yuan was very curious.

Lady Liu and Liu Limin, on the other hand, were exchanging secret glances and whispering to each other.

"Sister, I told you this kid was good. Look how much our father adores him."

"Mhm, he is good, very considerate."

"Alright, Sister, stop worrying. Da Ya is grown up. You should worry about the one in your womb. Right, you little rascal? Come on, call me auntie, and I’ll give you a crystal meatball."

Lady Liu laughed and swatted away her little sister’s playful chopsticks, her face beaming with smiles.

Lin Yuan was nibbling her food delicately while watching her family revel in joy and peace. Her eyes moistened slightly. Compared to the past scenes at the old house where the women weren’t allowed to dine at the table, this was what a family’s life should be like.