Just as Yu Lili was done with the first dish and had it covered, Jiao Ziqing arrived home with her fruits . Jiao Ziqing stood at the sink at the back to wash the fruits while Yu Lili continued to stir-fry her dishes and boil the soup . Neither of them said a word .
Unexpectedly for Yu Lili, the silence was neither awkward or uncomfortable .
When all the dishes were ready and Yu Lili had laid them on the table, she turned around and called out, “Auntie, you may tell Uncle that dinner is ready . I’ll bring Ou Ming over . ”
Jiao Ziqing was sitting on the couch . She neither replied or reacted . Yu Lili knew Jiao Ziqing had her reservations about her, but she didn’t wait for her to reply before heading to the room .
When Ou Ming heard movement, he knew she’d come . “How was it?”
“Dinner’s ready . Let’s go,” Yu Lili said .
“You cooked?” Yu Lili could tell that Ou Ming sounded nervous . She was holding his uninjured hand, so she could feel his palms sweating .
Yu Lili beamed and patted his hand gently . “Yeah!”
“Did my mom say anything?” he asked .
“She said, ‘If you can do the cooking, then I’ll let you do it,’ and left to buy fruits,” she said .
Upon hearing this, the nervousness Ou Ming was feeling vanished . He chuckled and said, “My mom is used to a life of leisure . She hates cooking . If not for the maids having gone home for the New Year celebrations, she would never have stepped into the kitchen . ”
More importantly, Jiao Ziqing’s cooking was unpalatable .
But, it wouldn’t have been right for Ou Ming to out his mother at such a time .
“Oh, I see,” Yu Lili said .
That explained why Ziqing had left her to do the cooking without any reservations whatsoever . But, that had also been the first opportunity Yu Lili was given to try and change Jiao Ziqing’s opinion of her . Hopefully, such scenarios would continue to happen in the future .
By the time she led Ou Ming to the dining room, Ou Huojin and Jiao Ziqing were already seated . When he saw them, Ou Huojin said, “You’re here . ”
“Yeah,” Yu Lili affirmed as she pulled out the chair facing Jiao Ziqing and had Ou Ming sit . She went to wash her hands and brought back a wet towel for Ou Ming to wipe his hands with . It was a small action, but one that caught the eyes of both Jiao Ziqing and Ou Huojin .
The husband and wife picked up their chopsticks at the same time, as Ou Huojin said, “Let’s eat . Dinner tonight is a little late, so don’t eat too much . Take a short walk later before going back to your room . ”
This statement was clearly directed toward Ou Ming .
Yu Lili nodded her head naturally without too much thought, and answered, “OK . ”
Jiao Ziqing apportioned a bowl of soup for Ou Ming and proceeded to dig in . Ou Ming had injured his left arm but still possessed the full faculties of his right arm .
Yu Lili placed the bowl of soup in his hand and whispered, “Be careful not to spill it . It’s a little hot . ”
“Alright . ” Ou Ming finished the soup in a couple of gulps and asked, “Is that eggplant that you cooked? I want some eggplant . ”
“OK,” Yu Lili said .
Jiao Ziqing took a bite of the food and subconsciously glanced at Ou Huojin . When she saw the same look of surprise that registered on her husband’s face, Jiao Ziqing looked back down into her bowl of rice .
Who would have thought that the food would taste so good! Compared to her own cooking… it was just lacking by a wee bit .
Yu Lili didn’t sense the slight change in their expressions . She was too busy trying to hide her own embarrassment as she picked at her food with her chopsticks and didn’t dare to say a word . She didn’t even say much to Ou Ming .
Do rich families like this have strict rules and etiquette regarding not speaking at the table? If I do anything to annoy Ou Ming’s mother, wouldn’t that be creating trouble for the future?