Chapter 33: Visitor At Home
During the visit to the Club Building, Chou Manman kept sticking close to Xiang Chuan’s side, the two of them chatting and laughing, leaving Ouyang Yating and Liang Gong and other classmates sitting next to Xiang Chuan all stunned: When did these two hook up? How come I didn’t know?
After the afternoon club visit ended, Xiang Chuan and Chou Manman got into the Xiang Family’s car and headed back the same way to the Junior High Department to pick up Xiang Xue. When Xiang Xue got in the car, Chou Manman was so nervous she almost couldn’t speak. Seeing Chou Manman acting just like her fans at school, Xiang Xue was also very surprised, but only reacted after learning this was a friend Xiang Chuan met today: This is the person sister is bringing home today, turns out it’s not a boyfriend, just a new friend.
Xiang Xue thought for a moment and decided to temporarily keep this news under wraps. If nothing unexpected happened, Father, Mother, and Brother must be very nervous right now.
On the way home, as they talked, Chou Manman gradually calmed down from her fan-meeting-idol state and started chatting with Xiang Xue about TV dramas and acting. Learning that the other wanted to start an acting club because of her performance in the live stream room, Xiang Xue couldn’t help feeling proud: Her little interest was quite popular after all.
So the two started chatting about acting techniques, and as they talked they couldn’t help gesticulating animatedly, almost hitting Xiang Chuan several times, so Xiang Chuan quickly stopped them.
“Wait until we get home and finish dinner before continuing. The car isn’t narrow, but space is limited after all.”
The two looked at Xiang Chuan, then remembered there was still someone sitting next to them. They shrank their necks and laughed twice before temporarily dropping the acting topic and starting to chat about everyday trifles.
Walking through the door, handing the meal boxes to the servant who came out to greet them, Xiang Chuan stretched a big lazy yawn.
This was still her first time being away from home for so long. She didn’t feel it at school, but the moment she returned, fatigue hit her instantly.
“Xiao Chuan, Xiao Xue, you’re back?”
As soon as they stepped into the living room, Xiang Qi came up to greet them.
“Eh, Brother, you’re back really early. Didn’t you say the Student Union had something today and you might come back late?”
Xiang Chuan said in surprise.
“Work finished early. I thought I’d come back sooner to eat, this is…?”
Xiang Qi saw Chou Manman standing next to Xiang Xue, wearing the same uniform as Xiang Chuan, and was stunned: Could this be the person Xiao Chuan is dating today?
“She’s Chou Manman, a classmate I just met today. She’s Xiao Xue’s fan. She had something to discuss with Xiao Xue, so I invited her back for dinner along the way. Oh right, what’s on today’s menu?”
Hearing this, Xiang Qi smiled wryly and shook his head, thinking that Parents really panicked when out of touch. After Xiang Chuan left a message at noon, it directly scared them, thinking their daughter started dating on the first day of school, even making him come back early to help vet it. Now it seemed it was just a misunderstanding.
This blunder couldn’t be let known to Xiang Chuan.
Xiang Qi thought to himself, but said, “Originally planned to have dough drops, but with a guest at home today, Father and Mother hope you can let the guest have a taste of something fresh.”
“That impressive?”
Xiang Chuan asked curiously. Ever since Xiang Xue started live streaming and the lunches in Lin Minzhi’s meal boxes turned into 21st Century gourmet food, high-level people hoping to visit had been coming one after another, but Lin Minzhi had blocked them all. One had to know her mother usually had a stubborn temper and didn’t even give much face to the Fleet Commander. Previously, the director of the History Research Institute came to beg her, but she completely ignored the pile of benefits he promised and firmly rejected his request to use the institute’s space-time network to directly connect to Xiang Xue’s live stream platform, to prevent Xiang Xue from attracting too much attention and affecting daily life.
Just how heavyweight was today’s guest for Mother to entertain at home for dinner?
Since that was the case, she couldn’t neglect them either.
Arriving at the dining hall, sure enough she saw Xiang Weiguo and Lin Minzhi chatting happily with Lin Yu and a stranger.
“Father, Mother, I’m back. Uncle Lin, good evening. Hello, sir.”
Xiang Chuan greeted obediently, while quietly sizing up the other. This was a quite scholarly youth who looked about thirty years old on the outside. Of course, after the precedents of Lin Yu and homeroom teacher Zhu Bingwen, she wouldn’t judge adults by appearances anymore. Who knew if this elder before her was thirty or three hundred? But since he looked older than her father, she definitely should call him sir rather than uncle.
Thinking this, she seemed to forget she was still subconsciously calling Lin Yu uncle.
“Xiao Chuan’s back. This is Ma Chuanhua, Director Ma, also your mother’s colleague.”
From the Cultural Affairs Bureau, huh. Xiang Chuan greeted again:
“Hello, Uncle Ma. Welcome to our home.”
“Mm, very polite.”
Ma Chuanhua showed a kind smile, with the expression of a grandfather looking at his grandchild. Xiang Chuan was convinced this big shot was definitely also a high-aged person like Lin Yu.
“Father, Mother! Uncle Lin! Good evening! Ah, hello, sir!”
Xiang Xue led Chou Manman in a step behind, the affectionate Xiang Xue greeting sweetly as she loved to act cute with elders, while Chou Manman seemed a bit reserved, even nervously stuttering a bit.
Seeing that the person Xiang Chuan brought back today was indeed a girl and the two didn’t have any strange glances, Xiang Weiguo and Lin Minzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although Xiang Qi had already quietly messaged them, before seeing the person themselves, neither dared confirm if what Xiang Xue brought home was just an ordinary classmate or a boyfriend or girlfriend.
After all, there were too many social examples showing that minors who usually didn’t socialize much were more prone to falling uncontrollably into relationships when faced with others’ confessions. Their eldest daughter’s life path was just getting on track, so they didn’t want her distracted by other things.
After chatting a couple sentences, Xiang Chuan excused herself and ran to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
“What to eat tonight…”
Xiang Chuan muttered, opening the refrigerator and the warehouse ingredients list, immediately starting to have a headache again. If it was just making some small pastries on the fly, she could whip some up for her sister, but for the main meal… Xiang Chuan looked at the densely listed inventory, but the quantities of her home-style dishes or Western staples were basically unusable. Don’t ask, it was the disaster of no ginger, no oven, no soy sauce.
She stared at the eggs she subconsciously grabbed from the fridge, thought for a moment, and decided to go with the flow.
“Little Chef, heat up some milk for me, one bowl’s worth is fine.”
[Beep—Acknowledged]
With the familiar sound of egg beating from the kitchen and Xiang Chuan bossing around the kitchen AI, Xiang Weiguo and Lin Minzhi finally got a real sense that dinner preparation was underway, while also sighing that with their daughter starting school, it would probably be hard to see such scenes continuously until the holiday.
School side has been a bit busy these two days, updates a bit late, sorry to everyone…
