Liang Yin’s little face was flushed: "I know, this is the name mom gave me! I really like it."
Lin Qi was moved to tears: "Yinyin, it feels like I’m dreaming, I’m so scared this is just a dream."
Liang Yin said, "Don’t worry, mom, this is not a dream, I’ve come home, I’m back with you."
Although she was still a little unfamiliar with this family, she would get used to it sooner or later.
After all, this is her true home!
Huo Zijin, this is her real name.
Yinyin got up early, and Huo Tingdong and Lin Qi had already prepared breakfast for her, and her three brothers accompanied her to finish breakfast.
After breakfast, Huo Tingdong and Lin Qi took Yinyin to the civil affairs bureau to handle the household registration.
After a busy morning.
Yinyin’s ID card and household registration information were completely changed.
From now on, she returned to her true identity, the little princess of the Huo family, Huo Zijin.
Huo Tingdong and Lin Qi took her out for steak.
This was her first time in such a high-class restaurant.
The moment the door opened, she heard quiet and elegant background music, without the noise and clamor of cheaper steak shops, everyone sat in their seats, speaking in hushed tones.
Huo Tinghan and Lin Jinmo were also there. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝓷𝓮𝓽
Huo Linzhou originally wanted to take a day off too, but he had a special class today, so he couldn’t take time off and had to reluctantly go to school.
They sat in a small booth.
Huo Tinghan handed her the menu: "Sister, order whatever you feel like having."
Yinyin took it with a smile and opened the menu. Western menus are usually not extensive, just a few pages, with lines of text and prices clearly marked.
The steak at this restaurant was priced per 100 grams.
A 100-gram steak here cost 299.
Yinyin couldn’t help but take a sharp breath.
She seemed to have never eaten such an expensive steak before!
Yinyin looked up, awkwardly glancing around, feeling a bit constrained: "The steak here... is so expensive."
Huo Tinghan took a sip of his lemon soda, surprised by her words: "Expensive?"
Yinyin murmured sheepishly: "Isn’t it? The steaks I used to have were only 70 a piece."
Lin Jinmo heard this and smiled: "Silly sister, those weren’t steaks, those were composite steaks. Here they serve only genuine steaks. Besides, they have Quinine Steak and Charolais Beef, both of excellent quality."
Yinyin nodded: "I’ve never... had this type of steak, I don’t really know how to order."
After saying this, she cautiously pushed the menu back to Huo Tinghan: "Brother, you help me order!"
That one word "brother" made Huo Tinghan’s ears tingle with pleasure!
He smiled and quickly took the menu: "How do you like it cooked?"
Yinyin said: "Same as you."
He pressed the service bell, and soon a waiter came over, who turned out to be a blonde, blue-eyed Frenchman.
Huo Tinghan used fluent French to complete the order, and the waiter took the menu and left.
Yinyin couldn’t help but be surprised: "Oh my, if it were me, I certainly couldn’t order from this menu."
Huo Tinghan: "It doesn’t matter if you don’t know French, each waiter is equipped with simultaneous translation. Or, you can simply mark your choices with a pen on the menu."
As he spoke, he picked up the seasoning jars.
They were black pepper salt and rose salt.
Huo Tinghan didn’t like to pour too much sauce on his steak; he preferred a light layer of black pepper sauce on the steak, then he liked to cut the steak into strips, dipping them into just the right amount of black pepper salt and rose salt for a unique taste.
Liang Yin observed all of this and mimicked him, sprinkling a bit of seasoning on her plate.
Lin Jinmo was also watching her.
It seemed she really had never dined in a restaurant before; even her grip on the knife and fork was clumsy.
Lin Jinmo said: "Yinyin, when the steak arrives, try it out; see whether you like the composite steak or the authentic steak better. In the future, whichever you want to eat, I’ll go with you."
Yinyin smiled, her eyes like beautiful crescent moons: "Alright. Second brother, you’re so good to me!"
Lin Jinmo, hearing her call him "second brother," felt complete, even his earlobes reddened slightly.
Huo Tingdong and Lin Qi exchanged glances.
How long had it been since they enjoyed such a joyful, complete family moment?
Soon, the steaks were served.
Huo Tinghan and Lin Jinmo, both expertly, swiftly sliced their steaks and almost simultaneously pushed their plates toward Yinyin.
They exchanged a knowing glance and silently chuckled.
Yinyin had been fretting about how the steak still seemed to bleed, making it hard to cut, but when Huo Tinghan and Lin Jinmo placed the pre-cut steak before her, some of her awkwardness was alleviated.
Yinyin asked: "Aren’t you going to eat?"
Huo Tinghan and Lin Jinmo almost in unison: "Eat mine."
After they spoke, the brothers shared another glance.
Yinyin, nearly drooling: "Can I have both portions?"
Huo Tingdong and Lin Jinmo again in unison: "You can."
Huo Tinghan took back the steak by Yinyin’s hand, while Yinyin accepted the two portions that her brothers had already cut, clumsily using the knife and fork to savor the deliciousness.
Initially, she was a bit unnerved by the medium-rare steak, but once that tender, flavorful beef filled her mouth with enchanting aroma, her spirit soared like it was dancing in the sky.
This tasted nothing like the steaks she had before.
So this is what real steak tastes like.
It was the first time she’d eaten something so tasty.
Though Yinyin was eating quickly, her manners remained poised.
Huo Tingdong found it hard to imagine how a pair of uncultured parents had raised such an outstanding daughter!
What he didn’t know was that, although Yinyin’s adoptive parents hardly taught her any etiquette as a child, she loved reading, where she learned some manners and etiquette culture, which she kept note of, maintaining a good demeanor over time.
Lin Qi said: "Our daughter is truly well-behaved and excellent. I never expected her to get into Jinghua University."
Yinyin replied: "It’s because dad and mom have good genes that I’m so smart; all the teachers say I have a chemistry brain, I can understand everything right away in class."
Huo Tinghan asked: "Did you start school later than others?"
Yinyin nodded: "Yes, because of household registration issues, I only started school at eight. Mom originally hoped I could skip grades to save a few years of tuition, but the teacher said education should be taken one step at a time."
Many children who skip grades may not develop their minds fully.
Previously, a nearby city to Yan City had a child prodigy, a third-grader who leaped directly to sixth grade, but due to immense academic pressure, committed suicide by jumping off a building.
This incident served as a warning to many schools in surrounding cities, where school leaders would now consider such decisions with the utmost caution.