"Speaking of which, the last time we had a dinner was more than half a year ago." After taking a seat, Miss Yu Hui raised her juice and remarked with a smile.
"The two of us do have frequent dinners together, but Bai Zhou has been out of town for most of this half year, and Old Jiang from your family hasn’t been back for about the same time. The children are growing up, and chances for our two families to have dinner together are becoming less frequent. Thinking back, we used to do this every fortnight." Ms. Qin, sitting next to Miss Yu Hui, also smiled and continued, her eyes scanning Jiang Baizhou and Cen Jin across from her.
"Yeah! Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the kids have grown so much."
Listening to the two of them exchanging sentiments, Cen Jin raised her juice and smiled at them in acknowledgment, taking a light sip before subconsciously glancing sideways at Jiang Baizhou, noticing that he remained calm and unperturbed, showing no change.
However, it was indeed more than half a year since they last shared a table. He had been invited by an old professor to join a university as a teaching advisor, and during these six months, they hardly contacted each other. It was about a month after he left when she called to wish him a happy birthday.
"Cen Jin, eat more. You’ve been working overtime, it must be tiring! You’ve even lost a bit of weight." As Cen Jin’s thoughts started to drift away, Ms. Yu Hui’s voice came again, her gaze falling on Cen Jin’s delicate features, with a noticeable touch of concern in her eyes.
At these words, Cen Jin raised her hand to touch her cheek, glancing at Ms. Qin and then back at Ms. Yu Hui, playfully raising an eyebrow and smiling, "Really? I think I’ve been eating quite a lot lately!"
"You call that eating a lot? Even a cat eats more than you." Ms. Qin chided her with a glance.
Cen Jin was left speechless, silently closing her mouth, and focused earnestly on her meal, not daring to provoke her temperamental Qin family member anymore.
Jiang Baizhou’s gaze shifted lightly, taking a casual look at her, then indifferently withdrawing his gaze, continuing to eat in silence.
After dinner, as dusk fell, Cen Jin volunteered to do the dishes. Ms. Qin agreed and left the table’s aftermath to Cen Jin, taking Miss Yu Hui for a walk.
As Yu Hui changed her shoes and was about to leave, she saw her son standing nonchalantly in the dining room watching Cen Jin clear the table alone. Almost exasperated, she went over and slapped him on the back, "What are you standing here for? Can’t you see Cen Jin is cleaning up all by herself? Go help her!"
Jiang Baizhou was caught off guard by the slap, stumbling a step, with rarely seen bafflement and incomprehension in his usually calm eyes. Seeing him remain silent, Yu Hui glared at him and continued, "Did you hear me? Don’t let Cen Jin do it alone. You ate a lot just now, go help."
Jiang Baizhou pursed his lips, brow slightly furrowed, and with a stern face, walked over to Cen Jin, took two plates from her hands, and said, "I’ll do it."
Seeing this, Yu Hui finally nodded in satisfaction, waved at Cen Jin, and left with Ms. Qin. Instantly, the large villa became very quiet, with only the sound of water running in the kitchen sink echoing ’splish-splash’.
Cen Jin and Jiang Baizhou stood side by side by the sink. Watching his slender hands, unaccustomed to chores, Cen Jin looked up and cheerfully said, "I can wash them, it’s fine. You can help me wipe the table instead!"
"Do it yourself." Jiang Baizhou had no intention of yielding, standing there unmoved by the sink.
"Do you know how to wash dishes?"
Hearing this, Jiang Baizhou cast a glance of mild disdain at her, "Never done it, but I’ve seen it done."