Chapter 154: The Most Selfless Love ②
Peng Yu Yang also nodded at Nie Qiu with a confident smile.
Peng Lao Ba stood at the doorway, holding a tray, and knocked, “Excuse me, may I come in?”
Peng Yu Yang’s head immediately started to ache upon hearing this. He walked to the door and opened it. Just as Peng Lao Ba was about to enter, Peng Yu Yang blocked him. “Dad, just give me the tray. I’ll clean up and take it to the kitchen myself after I’m done eating.”
Nie Qiu and Huang Yan initially thought it was a waiter from the restaurant delivering something. Upon hearing Peng Yu Yang call him “Dad,” they both walked over and politely greeted Peng Lao Ba.
“Hello, Uncle. My name is Huang Yan,” Huang Yan said with a bright smile, extending her hand. “I’ll take the tray. Just give it to me.”
“Hello, Uncle Peng. My name is Nie Qiu,” Nie Qiu said, greeting Peng Lao Ba with a smile.
“Hello, hello. Come, come, try Uncle’s cooking. Although I always taste others’ cooking in the kitchen, I must say, what I make is the most delicious.” Peng Lao Ba ignored Peng Yu Yang, who was stuck at the doorway, and squeezed through the gap Huang Yan had made. He entered the room with the tray and placed the snacks on the rosewood coffee table in the room. “You’re Huang Yan, right? Huang Yan… Nie Qiu, please try them.”
Although Huang Yan felt a little shy seeing Peng Lao Ba, the snacks on the coffee table were so appealing in color, aroma, and taste that they made her mouth water. Despite her shyness, she sat on the sofa next to the coffee table, pulling Nie Qiu along with her to avoid appearing too impolite.
Peng Lao Ba also sat opposite Nie Qiu and Huang Yan, his eyes crinkling into slits as he smiled. “Eat, eat! They’re very delicious.” He looked like the big bad wolf trying to trick Little Red Riding Hood.
Peng Yu Yang was helpless. He sat beside his father, flipped open several cups on the coffee table, took out the hot water kettle from under the table, poured hot water, and first handed a cup to Nie Qiu, then to Huang Yan, and finally to his father.
The hot water in the rooms where his father and uncles rested was changed daily. Although the time the waiter came to change it varied, it was still warm water at this time.
Seeing the order in which Peng Yu Yang handed the hot water to the two girls, Peng Lao Ba couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow even with his eyes squinted. He looked at Nie Qiu and Huang Yan and said with a smile, “Please eat! Don’t be shy.”
Huang Yan smiled a little shyly, picked up the chopsticks from the tray, handed a pair to Nie Qiu, and then to Peng Yu Yang. After handing them out, she realized there were only three pairs. She looked at Peng Lao Ba with some helplessness.
Peng Lao Ba smiled, “You eat, you eat. I won’t eat. I taste dishes downstairs all day, I’m sick of it. You eat!”
Huang Yan finally relaxed and then, as she had said, began to eat the snacks one by one. Nie Qiu looked at Huang Yan with a smile. Huang Yan was truly genuine. When eating at someone else’s house, if elders were present, chopsticks should be offered to the elders first, not out of politeness or habit, but because she hadn’t thought of it. Honestly, for a girl her age, Huang Yan was already considered polite. Nie Qiu had seen girls in school curse loudly, and it wasn’t uncommon. Many girls even took pride in their ability to curse well and their extensive vocabulary for insults.
Huang Yan ate with great relish, and Peng Lao Ba watched with delight. As a chef, the greatest pride came from others appreciating his cooking. The more flavorful the food tasted, the more it was a form of affirmation for them.
Looking at Nie Qiu again, she was also eating with great enjoyment, but her posture and demeanor were polite and elegant, which also made him very happy. Seeing him looking at her, she politely told him that the food was delicious and that she liked it very much.
Wait… Nie Qiu… he seemed to have heard this name somewhere before.
“Hey, Boss, our son’s grades have improved by nearly two hundred places in the entire grade! Fantastic! That girl Nie Qiu is really growing up well…” Peng Mama was a local. In public, she was very noble and elegant, and handled matters decisively. However, with her husband, son, relatives, and friends, she was a woman with a distinct personality. Like all the chefs in the back kitchen, she called her husband “Boss.”
He suddenly remembered that his wife had told him in the kitchen that the students in Class 10 had collectively improved because of a girl named Nie Qiu. The entire class’s overall grades were better than Class 5’s! That girl named Nie Qiu was among the top ten in the entire grade!
Good grades! That’s great! He was a very open-minded person and believed in living a carefree and comfortable life. When his son’s grades were poor before, he didn’t care. Let him play games, let him play on the computer! When he grew up, he would still stand in the kitchen with him and inherit his position.
With better grades, it would naturally be even better. He could study a relevant major, and as his mother said, he could better manage their restaurant like their lobby manager and service department manager. If he studied well, perhaps when he got old, he might even see their restaurant open branches and chains.
Thinking this, Peng Lao Ba became excited. His eyes widened as he looked at Nie Qiu, who was talking with Huang Yan and Peng Yu Yang, and suddenly exclaimed, “Nie Qiu? You’re Nie Qiu? You’re that Nie Qiu? That Nie Qiu Wa Zi?”
Nie Qiu nodded hesitantly, her mind filled with bewilderment.
“Dad! What are you doing? You’re scaring her.” Peng Yu Yang’s veins bulged on his forehead. He knew letting his dad join was asking for trouble. Of course, he knew his mom must have told his dad about their class, but the way his dad was asking was just too… much?
Boys want to maintain a good image in the eyes of girls, so Peng Yu Yang felt somewhat embarrassed by his father’s actions.
“Wait, you all, have dinner at my place tonight!” Peng Lao Ba suddenly stood up. He was very genuine. He felt that Nie Qiu had helped their family, so he had to thank her properly. “I’ll go down and make a few more dishes. Nie Qiu… Huang Yan, what would you like to eat?”
“Dad, we’ve eaten this and we have to go to evening self-study. We probably won’t be able to eat your other dishes,” Peng Yu Yang quickly said. Seeing Peng Lao Ba stand up, he also stood up and pushed his father, intending to escort him out of the room. “So, you should just go and watch your back kitchen!”
However, Peng Yu Yang was thin, and his build was not proportional to the tall and strong Peng Lao Ba. If Peng Lao Ba hadn’t wanted to move, Peng Yu Yang wouldn’t have been able to budge him at all. So, with Peng Yu Yang pushing, Peng Lao Ba remained in place.
“Alright, alright, I know I should go.” Peng Lao Ba looked at Nie Qiu and Huang Yan. “You two, next time, on Sunday, or during a holiday, you must come to Uncle’s place for a meal. I’ll make you delicious food. You can even bring your parents. It’s free. Come eat at my place, Uncle will treat you.”
