She followed the steps, first chopping the corn and ribs, and then arranging them on a plate.
In her original world, she always ordered delivery for meals at work. Occasionally, she would cook some simple noodles or porridge, but she hadn’t really made soup before.
She remembered making soup once, and it tasted okay. But since she hadn’t done it for so long, she had forgotten how.
Outside the living room, the two little ones were engrossed in watching cartoons on the tablet. From time to time, they danced along with the rhythm of the animation.
Lu Family’s old house.
"Xiao Yun, you’re back."
Old Madam Lu, with the help of her servant, stood at the door and smiled happily when she saw her little grandson return.
Lu Yun looked at her, his usually stern face softening a little.
"Good, good," the old madam chuckled, "It’s good that you can come back."
Lu Yun’s indifferent gaze turned cold the moment he saw a middle-aged man in casual clothes standing inside the house.
Father Lu: "What kind of attitude is that?"
The old madam quickly pulled at her son, angrily saying, "It’s not easy for Xiao Yun to come back, so don’t act all parental."
She was afraid that her grandson and his father would meet and argue like last time, with her grandson storming out of the house after just a few seconds.
The old madam hurriedly pulled her grandson inside, saying, "Aunt Liu has prepared a meal you like, come taste and see if Aunt Liu’s cooking skills have declined."
Aunt Liu laughed on the side, "Young master, come try it out. You haven’t been home in so long; the old madam missed you."
The tense atmosphere between father and son eased somewhat, and Lu Yun and others sat at the dining table.
He glanced indifferently at the dishes he used to like as a child.
At the old madam’s signal, Aunt Liu used shared chopsticks to serve food to the young master.
"Young master, this is fresh fish the old madam personally sent someone to pick from the market. Try it!"
Lu Yun: "Thank you, Grandma."
The old madam smiled warmly, "There’s no need for thanks among family."
After eating almost to the end, the always-silent Father Lu suddenly spoke.
"Lu Yun, you’ve known Mengqi since childhood. Recently, I’ve discussed with Uncle Jiang to choose a good day to formalize your marriage with Jiang Mengqi."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yun’s chopsticks slammed down heavily on the table.
Instantly, bowls and plates overturned, fragments scattered, and the crisp sound of breaking ceramics echoed through the quiet dining room.
The old madam and the surrounding servants were taken aback by this sudden action, not daring to make a sound.
Lu Yun looked up at him coldly, "Do you think I’m Lu Zhichen?"
Hearing this, Father Lu’s face instantly darkened.
"Lu Yun, you are a son of the Lu Family, and since you’re part of it, you should take on some Lu Family responsibilities."
Lu Yun sneered at these words, "A member of the Lu Family? Is that what I chose?"
"You’ve had high hopes for Lu Zhichen since young, and you pushed him to his death. Is it my turn now?"
"Insolent! I am your father!" Father Lu slammed the table, furious.
Lu Yun rose and turned to leave.
Father Lu watched his departing figure, angrily shouting, "Whether you want this marriage or not, you will do it for me!"
A furious roar followed from behind.
Father Lu listened to these unfilial words, his face turning pale with rage.
The old madam angrily cast him a sidelong glance.
"You made Xiao Yun leave again! Everything was fine, and you have to bring up marriage? You know Xiao Yun won’t listen to you."
Father Lu: "Mom, everything I do is for his own good."
The old madam snorted coldly, "For his good? It’s all for yourself. You drove your eldest son to death, and now you’re doing the same to the younger one?"
Even at his age, Father Lu was chided by his mother, making him a little embarrassed.
"Mom, do you think I want this?"
The old madam: "It was a good meal, and you insisted on bringing this up. It’s bad enough that he’s unwilling to come back, and now you’ve made it even harder. Getting him to come home again will be even more difficult."
Father Lu remained silent.
Ye’s father received a call from Old Madam Lu in the living room. After a while, he hung up and turned to his son, who was lounging on the sofa, "Ye Yixing, buy some gifts and visit your cousin’s company."
Ye Yixing didn’t look up, "Why should I visit his company for no reason?"
"Your cousin had another fight with his father, and Old Madam Lu asked you to go and comfort him."
Ye Yixing paused and then said, "He’s like a fortress, he doesn’t need any comforting."
Ye’s father shouted, "Just go as I said! Why so much nonsense!"
The shout from his father almost made Ye Yixing roll off the sofa in fright.
He put away his gaming phone, muttering, "I’ll go, no need to be so fierce."
Before leaving, Ye’s father instructed.
"When you get there, speak nicely to your cousin, okay?"
"Okay, okay," Ye Yixing replied irritably, "You never asked me to cozy up to Lu Yun before. Ever since he became the Lu Family head, you and those uncles have been telling me to hang out with him whenever I can."
Ye’s father felt awkward at those words and rubbed his nose.
Lu Yun is different now...
A few years ago, it was Lu Yun’s elder brother Lu Zhichen who was in charge, and Lu Yun was just like his son, seemingly going nowhere.
Both Lu Yun and his son were watched by the older generation since they were young, with no expectations for them to achieve anything in the future.
Who knew that since his elder brother Lu Zhichen died, Lu Yun seemed like a different person, fighting his way through the ranks of younger and older generations in the Lu Family and securing the position of family head.
If it was before, who would have known Lu Yun had such abilities?
Not only his side of the family but also Lu Yun’s relatives all failed to see this.
He sometimes wondered if his son was also hiding his talents like Lu Yun, appearing to be indifferent but actually extremely smart and strategic.
But seeing his son slouching on the sofa in a useless manner.
His fantasies immediately shattered.
Just recently, he had dragged his son to intern at the company, hoping he would display some extraordinary talent like Lu Yun. Yet, he was utterly incompetent, like a wall of mud that couldn’t hold up, making him, someone almost in the grave, half-dead from anger.
"You should learn from your cousin, you’re of the same generation and age, used to play together a lot, how come you’ve learned nothing of your cousin’s business acumen."
Hearing his father’s words, Ye Yixing looked up, "Who was it back then that told me to have little contact with Lu Yun? It’s funny how only a few years have passed and now you and those uncles have completely changed your tune."