"for example?"
"Porridge, salad, stir-fried vegetables, roast meat, toast."
Xiang Yuan's forehead was covered in black lines. Is this even considered a skill?
"What are the plans for the rest of today?"
"I'll visit the professor, arrange my work, and apply for and complete the procedures to return to China. That should take about ten days. After that, I'll return to the US, hand over the lab work, which should take about a month, and then I can go back to China—"
"What arrangements did Xiang Lan make?"
"You can stay at school for now, I'll be back soon—"
"How could that be?" Xiang Yuan gritted his teeth. "Her situation is completely different now."
"So, what's the best way to arrange this, brother?"
Xiang Yuan looked at Fang Zidu and noticed a mischievous glint in the boy's eyes; he was teasing him!
"Those are your own wife and children, you decide what to do." Thinking that he had just forcefully persuaded his parents to abandon Xiang Lan last night, he could only be stubborn.
"If my elder brother has no objections, shall I proceed with this arrangement?"
How could he not have any objections? He had a lot of objections, but if he followed his line of thinking, it would seem like he would lose. So, Xiang Yuan could only keep quiet and not say anything.
"Has Xiang Lan not gotten up yet?" Fang Zidu put down his chopsticks.
Xiang Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Come upstairs with me."
When the two went upstairs and entered the house, it was completely silent. Xiang Yuan quietly changed his shoes, found Fang Zi a pair of slippers, and whispered, "They won't get up for a while. Come with me to the kitchen."
Fangzi obediently watched as Xiang Yuan put on his apron, reheated the steamed buns, and turned off the pressure cooker to release the pressure after the porridge had finished cooking. He then took out cucumbers, tomatoes, and eggs from the refrigerator, made egg crepes in a frying pan, and wrapped the shredded cucumbers in the egg crepes to make small egg pancakes.
"Xiang Lan likes to eat congee with egg pancakes." Xiang Yuan lifted the pot lid to show him, "Mixed grain congee."
Fangzi nodded, looking at him with interest.
Xiang Yuan handed the frying pan to Fang Zidu and said, "Try making one."
He took the pot and carefully mixed the egg mixture and adjusted the flame. He poured the liquid into the pot and meticulously shaped it into a perfect circle with a wooden spatula, trimming any parts that overflowed the edges. Xiang Yuan, watching his slow movements and unnecessary insistence, grew impatient and tapped the stove, saying, "Too slow, it's going to burn—"
"Brother, what's for breakfast this morning?" Xiang Lan stood at the kitchen doorway, her hair disheveled, asking sleepily as she tugged at her pajamas and yawned, "It smells so good—"
Fang Zi turned to her and smiled, "Porridge and egg pancakes—"
Xiang Lan's mouth gaped open, her face froze, and she screamed, "What are you doing here?"
They ran away.
"She—" Fangzi was puzzled.
Xiang Yuan walked out of the kitchen with a dark face, and Xiang Lan grabbed him and pulled him to her room, "Why did you bring him up here?"
"Isn't he your legal husband?" Xiang Yuan asked sarcastically.
"You should have told me first!" Xiang Lan exclaimed anxiously, "Look at me, my hair is a mess, my eyelids are swollen, and I'm not dressed properly. How can I face anyone?"
"He thinks you're not pretty enough?"
"I think I'm not pretty!" Xiang Lan pushed him away. "You're so annoying. You don't even know how to protect your sister's image."
"Hmph, if he can't even accept you like this, how can he expect him to accept you with your big belly and your whole body swollen?"
Xiang Lan looked utterly shocked. "Is it really that ugly?"
"If you don't believe me, go search for photos online." Xiang Yuan shook his head. "Ugly, really too ugly."
"Then why did you let your sister-in-law try to conceive?"
"Our love is true, it's withstood every test. Can you compare?" Xiang Yuan said disdainfully. "You're just attracted by good looks; it won't last. You'd better see each other's true colors as soon as possible and leave each other—"
Xiang Lan was furious. She shoved Xiang Yuan out the door, rushed to the bathroom, and looked at herself in the mirror. Her face looked unkempt, and her pajamas were wrinkled. She hurriedly combed her hair and washed her face, instinctively reaching for her makeup products. Then she looked down at her stomach, sighed, and decided to just go makeup-free.
She got dressed and went to the restaurant. Hu Li was already seated, and Fang Zidu came out carrying a plate with both hands. He smiled slightly at her.
Xiang Lan felt a little awkward. She reached up and smoothed her hair, unsure if he would like her true appearance. Afraid of seeing the disappointment in his eyes, she didn't dare look at him and lowered her head, saying, "Why are you here?"
"I was having breakfast downstairs when I ran into this guy buying steamed buns, so we came up together." He put the plate on the table. "This is an egg pancake I made. Try it and see if you like it."
The small pancakes were arranged neatly, each one the same size, and just looking at them was pleasing to the eye.
"Beautiful—" Hu Li, who was sitting next to him, praised.
Xiang Lan also said, "It's really beautiful."
Xiang Yuan brought out the porridge pot and, upon hearing their conversation, said sarcastically, "I wasted seven or eight eggs to produce just a few. Come over whenever you have free time these next few days and practice more."
Fang Zi smiled and nodded, sat down next to Xiang Lan, picked up his chopsticks and put one on her plate, saying, "Try it and see if it tastes good."
Xiang Lan took a bite; the soft, fragrant egg crepe and the crisp cucumber strips inside were just her favorite flavor. She ate for a while, then curiously looked at the cross-section of the crepe and counted, "There are five cucumber strips in each one?"
“Yes, that way the taste will be consistent, right?” Fang Zi looked at her bare face with curiosity. Her skin was fair, her eyebrows were long and straight, and there were a few small red dots on her chin that swayed as she chewed. Her chubby face made her look more girlish than usual. He couldn’t help but touch her lower abdomen, and his hand eventually landed on her waist.
Xiang Lan looked up at him, their eyes met, and she felt a little shy for some reason. She quickly covered it up by praising him, "You're so amazing."
Hu Li chuckled and picked up another egg pancake from the plate that didn't look so appealing. It was made by Xiang Yuan, who had been abandoned by his sister. As his wife, she had to comfort his fragile heart.
Xiang Yuan picked up a bowl to serve porridge, and glancing at Fang Zi's unruly hands, he said, "Young man, in my own home, in front of me, it's not appropriate for you to lay hands on my sister like that, is it?"
Xiang Lan choked on her own saliva. She felt that Xiang Yuan was more annoying than ever before.
Fang Zi's face turned slightly red, her eyes sparkling, but she didn't move her hand away at all, saying, "It's just to say good morning to my little one."
After Fang Zidu led Xiang Lan away, Xiang Yuanchong complained to Hu Li, "What does he mean? Is he showing off in front of me that he got Xiang Lan pregnant? That pretty boy—"
Hu Li patted his head, knowing that he couldn't accept the fact that his sister was getting married, and said, "He didn't do it on purpose, they're still newlyweds! If you can't stand him, why did you make him come up here?"
“Hehe, I convinced my parents last night and also spoke with Uncle Fang. Everyone agreed that we will definitely not go easy on them this time.” Xiang Yuan then added, “I can’t stand his delicate skin and tender flesh. I’ll bring him back and train him a bit so he can serve Xiang Lan in the future.”
"He's quite capable."
Hu Li packed her bag, pulled him down to the basement to get the car, and didn't want to give this old man who couldn't see reality any advice. She just wanted him to go and hit a brick wall.
Fang Zidu led Xiang Lan downstairs by the hand. Once they reached the garden downstairs and Xiang Lan was alone, he said, "I didn't put on makeup today."
“I see—” He lifted her hand, her nails now smooth and bare, and kissed the back of her hand. “It looks so small.”
"Isn't it pretty?" Xiang Lan asked with some concern.
"It's beautiful."
"What a perfunctory response!"
Fang Zi looked around. The community garden was full of people doing their morning exercises and office workers rushing to and fro with briefcases. He pulled her out of the community, where the streets outside were much quieter. He chose a secluded corner, lowered his head, and kissed her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and parted her lips slightly.
“Look—” Hu Li pointed at Xiang Yuan as he drove.
Xiang Yuan slowed down and looked in the direction Hu Li pointed. Fang Zi was leaning against a roadside tree, hugging and kissing his sister. He slammed his fist on the steering wheel and honked the horn.
"Hey, you're so unromantic." Hu Li didn't have time to stop him.
Xiang Yuan sneered, and seeing that Fang Zi, who was not far away, had looked up, he honked the horn again.
"You brat, are you trying to provoke me? Can't you tell I'm being sized up?"
They're just dating—
Fang Zidu rushed towards Yuan Xiaoxiao, waved, and pulled Xiang Lan, saying, "Your brother is really interesting."
Xiang Lan turned around and made a face at her brother, then shouted, "Hurry up and go up the mountain to pick up Mom and Dad, don't be late!"
Xiang Yuan gave her a disdainful look, then stepped on the gas and drove off.
Do you live separately?
"Hmm." Xiang Lan nodded. "The air is better on the mountain, and my parents are recuperating there unless they have something important to do. I live alone in the old house in the city. It's big and empty, and I'm scared to live alone. So, I either go back to the mountain to squeeze in with my parents, or I come to my brother's house to freeload."
What do they like?
“My dad’s really superstitious, he likes things like feng shui, fortune telling, and health preservation; my mom’s more average, she’s all about beauty treatments, mahjong, and skincare.” Xiang Lan glanced at Fang Zidu and smiled at him, “In my uncle’s words, they’re both incredibly vulgar. Even if you threw a famous painting at them, they wouldn’t understand it; their biggest concern would be the price—”
"You mean, giving them money is the best way to please them?"
“This is not good, this is not good.” Xiang Lan shook her head and said, “Giving money is too blatant; they will feel humiliated.”
"Then what should we do?" Fangzi was a little confused.
Xiang Lan chuckled and patted her stomach. "The methods should be roundabout, the words should be tactful, but the goal must be related to money."
Fang Zi asked nervously, "What are you going to do? Don't take pictures of him—"
“I had it all planned out last night,” Xiang Lan said with a hint of pride. “He was conceived in March and was born around January of the new year, which is the Year of the Pig! This zodiac sign is lucky for my dad.”
He paused, a look of disbelief crossing his handsome face. "That's all?"
"My mom always complains that my zodiac sign is unlucky and incompatible with hers. She says it would have been better if I had been born a few months earlier," Xiang Lan said with a smile. "You're exactly one year older than me, and your zodiac sign is auspicious for my mom. Don't worry, once these two zodiac signs are born, plus you're so smart and handsome, there won't be any problems—"
Fangzi felt this was a bit far-fetched, but her smug look was kind of cute, and he couldn't bear to argue with her. In his heart, however, he thought to himself that it was more reliable to buy a gift. His wife's opinion was basically not a reliable reference.
Author's Note: Thank you for all the points and comments! I will continue to award points to those who comment, please check your inbox.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Fang Zidu ultimately decided to buy gifts, and on Fang Haoping's suggestion, he bought two jade pieces. When the two of them carried the gift boxes to the hotel, it was already quite late. Pushing open the door to the private room, they saw that the six adults seemed to have finished their first round of discussions and were preparing to begin the second.
Xiang Yuan stood up and invited the two out of the private room, saying, "Wait a moment before coming back in."
Xiang Lan grabbed him, "Brother, what do you mean? Why won't we listen again?"
Xiang Yuan didn't want to talk, so Fang Zidu pulled Xiang Lan's hand and said, "Let's wait outside!"
"They're definitely plotting how to deal with us," Xiang Lan said angrily to Fang Zidu.
Fang Zi pinched her cheek and asked, "Are you scared?"
"Not afraid, but angry? Why can't we even participate in our own affairs? I'm so angry—"
"They can do their thing, we can do ours, what's the big deal?" Fang Zi said cheerfully. "Believe me, they'll regret it later."
"Why?"
Fang Zi pulled her to sit down in the lounge area, worried she might be hungry, and asked the waiter to bring them freshly squeezed juice. Then he said, "We're already married, a legal couple. The only thing they can control us now is money. If we can overcome this problem and become financially independent, we can listen to what they say if we want, and ignore it if we don't."
"What if we can't overcome it?" Xiang Lan chuckled before he could answer, "Go ask my mom for it."