Sure enough, the excuse that could brush off Ke Xing at this moment could also brush off Mo Feng and the others. They didn’t think too much about it. Once Ke Xing, the oldest, nodded and picked up his chopsticks, they couldn’t wait to reach their own anticipated dishes with their chopsticks.
Du Xixi’s bowl had already been filled with several chopsticks’ worth of her favorite dishes by Ke Lian. After smiling, Du Xixi instead asked, "Are the braised duck intestines tasty?"
Du Xixi had asked 2569 to bring out the braised duck intestines some time before dinner, intending for them to be a little snack. She had taken a quick glance at the plate on the coffee table earlier, and it was empty, with only a bit of marinade left.
It was obvious without asking that they must have been very satisfied with the braised duck intestines, having eaten them all up.
This time it wasn’t Mo Feng who spoke. This young man, who was the same age as Ke Lian, was stuffing himself with stir-fried yuba and wood ear mushrooms, showing an expression of enjoyment, clearly too busy to answer Du Xixi’s question.
The other brothers were not much different. It was the more composed and gentlemanly Diwu Qian who, while holding his chopsticks and occasionally glancing at the hot and sour beef soup, gently answered Du Xixi, "Sister-in-law’s cooking skills are naturally good. The duck intestines are among the best delicacies we’ve had. Thank you for your hard work, sister-in-law."
Ke Lian gave him an appreciative glance, obviously pleased with his unspoken thanks to Du Xixi, while looking at the others who were engrossed in the food, unaware of anything else going on. He felt a bit like he was hating iron for not becoming steel.
Look at them! Each one seems like they’ve never had a full meal before, all looking like a bunch of starving ghosts! Ke Lian shook his head helplessly, and scooped another bowl of tomato egg drop soup for Du Xixi.
Du Xixi accepted it with a smile, meeting Ke Lian’s gentle gaze, blushing and quickly lowering her head to sip the soup in small gulps. She peeked up to see that the people at the table didn’t seem to notice her and Ke Lian’s little interaction, which made her breathe a sigh of relief and her expression became more natural.
It’s truly because Du Xixi gets embarrassed easily. It was fine when Mo Ying and Ke Xing were around, but after all, it was the first time meeting Mo Feng and the others, and interacting with Ke Lian in front of them naturally made her a bit self-conscious.
Fortunately, Ke Lian didn’t do more, seeing how shy Du Xixi was, he smiled to himself and popped a spoonful of Mapo tofu into his mouth. The tender, salty, and spicy tofu mixed together in a way that wasn’t very distinctive, but that very mergence made it taste delicious.
Ke Lian couldn’t help but take another spoonful, his brows and eyes relaxing completely. The tofu was something he had made with 2569, under Du Xixi’s guidance to soak soybeans, grind soy milk, boil soy milk, add coagulator... even participating in the final tofu molding process.
At the time, he was wondering how such fragile white tofu could taste good, but unexpectedly today, with Du Xixi’s cooking, it turned out to be more intriguing than the other dishes.
While Ke Xing was used to Ke Lian and Du Xixi’s blatant display of affection, Mo Feng and the others were not accustomed at all, only holding back for fear of making Du Xixi uneasy.
However, in spite of holding back, they couldn’t restrain the exchange of glances during the meal.
’Look, look! It’s rare! The iceberg has melted!’ Sun Mulin nudged Bai Zhan sitting next to him with a piece of glistening, shiny red-braised pork.
Bai Zhan gave an amorous smile: ’Haha! Sister-in-law’s shy, it seems like Ah Lan does this kind of thing often!’
Diwu Qian smiled mildly, with a hint of gossip in his eyes: ’Let’s eat properly, maybe after the meal, we can add more of their dog food as dessert.’
Mo Feng: ’Ah, this wood ear mushroom is really tasty!’
Diwu Qian and the others: ’...’
After the meal, 2569 diligently and sensibly started cleaning the table, putting the bowls and chopsticks into the dishwasher, while Du Xixi and the others rubbed their slightly stuffed bellies, comfortably leaning back on the couch.
Of course, the "restless" Ke Xing, satisfied with food and drink, went out again to chat with his old buddies about what delicious food he had again.
Ke Lian and Du Xixi maintained some decorum, leaning properly against the cushions, but Mo Feng and the others seemed boneless, sprawling in whatever way was comfortable.
Especially Sun Mulin, who was the most carefree and uninhibited among the brothers. With his hunger and thirst satiated, he felt completely relaxed, kicking his leg up on the edge of the sofa and leaning back contentedly.
He alone took up most of the sofa, but luckily Ke family’s sofas were numerous and large enough that even if everyone lay down, there was plenty of space.
Sun Mulin squinted lazily with a rakish air that didn’t offend, and he spoke to Du Xixi, his tone not especially flippant: "Sister-in-law, your culinary skill... top-notch!"