Chapter 408: Chapter 395: What’s Going On?

“Go play in the backyard first. When the meal is ready, we’ll all eat together.”

“Okay!” The three of them eagerly went into the backyard.

The three young girls played in the backyard, and before they knew it, it was noon.

Mrs. Liu personally made a delicious steamed noodle dish that was aromatic and oily. She also made a stew of tofu fish soup and invited everyone to have lunch.

Today is the fifteenth of August, the workshop has stopped production, and no more deliveries to the shop are scheduled for the afternoon. Mrs. Cao and Zhang Xiangrong decided to close the tofu shop and the hot and sour powder stall completely, so they could rest and celebrate the fifteenth of August.

Zhuang Qingsui joined everyone in the backyard, chatting and laughing, eating steamed noodles and tofu fish soup.

“My aunt is such a great cook, I’ve been craving this dish for a while,” said Zhuang Qingsui, with her mouth full of noodles.

Eating the steamed noodles she’s been craving for days, Zhuang Qingsui couldn’t stop smiling.

“If you want to eat other dishes, I wouldn’t dare to promise, but if you want to eat these steamed noodles, then it’s easy to promise. Whenever you want to eat, just come over. I promise you can eat as much as you want.”

Mrs. Liu said cheerfully, “Today’s noodles are steamed with pork and bean sprouts. Next time, I can make you some with mung bean or celery. They’re all delicious.”

“Then, I will come over to eat as soon as I get some time off. I will keep doing this until my aunt gets tired of me.” Zhuang Qingsui couldn’t help but chuckle.

The young girl was good at sweet talking, which made both Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Cao laugh out loud.

The backyard was filled with laughter and chatter; quite lively.

At this moment, the sound of urgent knocking on the door could be heard from outside.

The sound was forceful and urgent, indicating that the person knocking must be in quite a rush.

“Is Ning back? You guys continue eating, I’ll go and check.” Mrs. Cao put down her bowl and went to the front.

The knocking was still urgent. Mrs. Cao replied, “Coming, coming.”

“I’m sorry, but we’re already closed for the day, and we’ve sold out all our merchandise. If you want to buy something…”

As Mrs. Cao spoke, she removed the door panel to open the door. Upon seeing the person at the door, she froze. The words “Come back tomorrow morning” died in her throat, and her smile faded away.

“Hello, sister-in-law.”

Zhang Xiangrui, tall and thin, smiled broadly at Mrs. Cao, “So you guys are running this business here. You made it quite difficult for me to find you.”

“What brought you here?” Mrs. Cao had very little fondness for this younger brother-in-law, who had been aggressive when the family assets were divided, hogging everything advantageously, even insulting she and Zhang Xiangrong as being destined to fail.

Her tone was frosty when she answered.

“It’s the fifteenth of August and time for the family reunion. Even though we divided the family, we are still brothers. We should keep in touch and have a reunion dinner.”

“So I came to the town, to visit your place, and to check on our mother. How has she been? Is she still healthy?”

Zhang Xiangrui’s face was filled with smiles. However, because he was naturally thin and his smile was forced, it didn’t appear warm at all. Instead, it made him look calculating.

Mrs. Cao rolled her eyes without giving Zhang Xiangrui a second look. “It’s nice of our younger brother to care about our mother’s health. As you’re saying you came for a visit, this is the first time I’ve seen someone paying a visit with empty hands during mealtime.”

This remark mocked Zhang Xiangrui, who came empty-handed, intending to join them for a meal.

Mrs. Cao was not someone to mince her words, which Zhang Xiangrui was used to. He grinned, “Where’s my older brother? I want to have a word with him.”

Mrs. Cao was tough, but Zhang Xiangrong was too easygoing and never argued back. He was easy to handle. All it needed was a little deceiving and sharp remarks, and he would accept whatever was said.

While speaking, Zhang Xiangrui tried to push past.

Mrs. Cao, despite being a woman, could not stop him with her strength. She couldn’t stop him and found herself pushed aside, falling to the ground. Seeing Zhang Xiangrui stepping inside, her heart sank, and she hurriedly chased after him.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Xiangrui was already in the backyard.

Looking at everyone eating steamed noodles in the backyard, Zhang Xiangrui squinted his eyes.

The pure white noodles had a shiny layer of oil on them, indicating the generous amount of pork belly used. Furthermore, there was a bowl of white and thick fish soup.

Fish and meat! They’re living a great life.

Thinking about how his own home often lacked meat dishes, Zhang Xiangrui’s mouth watered as he eyed these steamed noodles. He swallowed a few times and chuckled, “Mother, older brother.”

“Are you here to eat?”

“Well, look, I rushed from home to the town, and then I spent a great deal searching for you. By the time I reach here, it’s late, and I’m starving. Mother, older brother, this…”

Zhang Xiangrui didn’t finish his sentence. He was waiting for either Mrs. Liu or Zhang Xiangrong to stand up and serve him some food from the kitchen.

However, after waiting for quite a while, no one moved. Even Mrs. Cao, who had just arrived, merely observed him coldly.

“We’re all family. I won’t be shy then.”

Since no one else was willing to go along with his words, Zhang Xiangrui didn’t mind losing face. He rose and headed for the kitchen.

Mrs. Cao, seeing this, tried to block the kitchen door.

Zhang Xiangrong’s face darkened, and he put his bowl down, “What are you doing?”

Mrs. Cao’s face paled.

It seemed that her husband was falling back into his old habits. She feared he was going to let Zhang Xiangrui do as he pleased again.

Zhang Xiangrui, seeing this, straightened up immediately, crossing his arms and giving Mrs. Cao a sideways glance, “Exactly, what are you doing, sister-in-law? We’re all family, just getting a bowl of noodles. Look at you, how petty…”

“What are you here for?” Zhang Xiangrong pushed Zhang Xiangrui’s shoulder.

Zhang Xiangrui, though of similar height to Zhang Xiangrong, seemed like a chick in front of his muscly elder brother. Zhang Xiangrong’s unexpected push caused him to stagger back a couple steps before regaining his footing.

“Older brother, what is…” Zhang Xiangrui looked surprised.

He knew his elder brother’s character too well; this man was overly soft-hearted and should be easy to handle.

They had not seen each other for a long time, and he didn’t expect Zhang Xiangrong, of all people, to be so assertive. At least he thought his older brother would feed him, even if he didn’t agree with everything he said. However, now…

Zhang Xiangrui looked at Zhang Xiangrong somewhat disbelievingly, “Older brother, don’t be angry. I came to talk to you, and also… to visit mother.”