Chapter 232 : Father Liu: Did Our House Get Robbed?
Chapter 232: Father Liu: Did Our House Get Robbed?
“Second Grandpa, brought you a slice of watermelon — a new variety, please have a taste!”
“Second Aunt, I left the cart here for you, also brought you a piece of the new watermelon, try it!”
Qinghe Village — although Lin Mo hadn’t spent much time here, he had come often as a child, especially when his grandmother was still around. He might not know most of the villagers, but he was still familiar with a few neighbors nearby.
Especially after he grew up — every New Year or festival, when the family returned to tidy up the courtyard, they’d always borrow tools from the neighbors.
Today, his dad brought half of the Kirin watermelon he had bought that morning. Though it was just half, it still weighed nearly twenty catties. Even if father and son ate as much as they could, they still couldn’t finish it all. It was better to share some with the neighbors — whether it was expensive or not didn’t matter. At least they didn’t come empty-handed; it was a token of goodwill.
When Lin Mo returned, half the watermelon on the table was already gone, but instead, there were more fruits and peaches — along with two bowls of sorghum porridge.
All were brought by the nearby elders after seeing that the father and son had come back. Especially the sorghum porridge — it was considered coarse grain, but since the sorghum was homegrown, it counted as green food.
“Dad, is it ready yet? I’m starving!” Lin Mo sat on the chair, took a bite of watermelon, and smiled with his eyes squinted.
The watermelon was crisp, sweet, and juicy. After being cooled in well water, the taste was even better. Taking a bite in this hot noon felt refreshing from head to toe.
And this watermelon seemed to have a special effect — just one bite, and one’s mood immediately brightened, as if after being baked under the sun for three hours, you suddenly stepped in front of an air conditioner and drank a gulp of iced soda.
“What’s the rush? Good food takes time. Don’t you know your old man’s cooking? Not to brag, but even if I didn’t work at the steel plant, I could open a barbecue stall and business would still be booming, hahaha!” Comrade Old Lin also took a bite of watermelon and laughed heartily.
The grill was placed under the shade of a jujube tree beside the courtyard wall, keeping them from being scorched by the sun.
Hearing that, Lin Mo curled his lips. Men knew men — if a man started a sentence with “not to brag,” you could bet the next thing out of his mouth would be pure bragging. Believe even one word, and you were a fool!
Open a barbecue stall? Yeah right — he’d lose everything, even the Ku Cha Zi!
How to describe his dad… Although he could cook, his culinary skills weren’t enough to run a restaurant. Even if he opened one, he’d only be fit to work as the cook — the cash register would still have to be run by his mom.
Simply put, his father wasn’t suited for business; being a worker was his limit.
Looking at the meat skewers and chicken wings sizzling on the grill, Lin Mo swallowed his saliva but didn’t lend a hand.
Sure, he could roast chicken wings to golden crisp perfection, but the skewers were pork — better not to risk burning them. Since his dad was in the mood, he’d just let him be. Lin Mo was happy to take it easy.
Before long, Old Lin served the freshly grilled skewers to the table.
“Come on, let’s eat!”
Rubbing his hands together, Old Lin grabbed a beer from the water basin, cracked it open, and took a big gulp.
“Ahh, refreshing! Come, taste your dad’s craftsmanship!”
Lin Mo was just about to dig in when suddenly, the sound of a car came from outside.
The father and son exchanged confused glances — could it be Mom, Zhou Min, coming over?
Soon they knew they’d guessed wrong. A Maybach pulled up beside their car, and Su He jumped out, hopping toward the gate. Peeking inside, she burst out laughing:
“Second Uncle, what a coincidence! Wahahaha!”
“Xiao He? Hahaha, come, come! You little glutton, you smelled it from afar, didn’t you? Just in time!” Old Lin stood up with a beer in hand and went to greet her with a smile.
But Lin Mo frowned. “Cousin? You got rich?”
He didn’t know the exact model, but that car was definitely not her 2888t, and not his uncle’s either.
“Rich, my ass! It’s just—” Su He turned around and noticed that Liu Rushuang hadn’t gotten out of the car. Instead, she was curled up in the passenger seat with her head lowered. Immediately, Su He smacked the Maybach’s hood twice and shouted:
“Come on, little sweetheart, show your face!”
Liu Rushuang:
Lin Mo: ???
Comrade Old Lin: ???
The more calmly Liu Rushuang had imagined this moment earlier, the more nervous she felt now.
She wasn’t afraid of Lin Mo, but upon suddenly seeing Lin Mo’s father, she became so tense her hands clutched the hem of her skirt.
Hearing Su He knock on the hood, she knew there was no way to hide.
“Whatever, I’ll have to meet him sooner or later!”
Giving herself a mental pep talk, Liu Rushuang finally sat up, opened the car door, and stepped out. Her face returned to calm, looking completely unbothered — not a trace of nervousness.
But what she was actually thinking, only she knew.
“Ahem… my shoelace came undone, just tied it,” Liu Rushuang said with a smile.
Hearing that, Su He sneered inwardly but pretended to buy the excuse, smiling as she said:
“Second Uncle, this is my college classmate, Liu Rushuang. She’s here to visit during the holidays. Coincidentally, my cousin and she know each other too. I figured your place has a nice view, so I brought her over to hang out.”
“Hello, Uncle, sorry for dropping by unannounced,” Liu Rushuang said politely, hands folded in front of her stomach, her tone soft and graceful — the perfect picture of a well-mannered young lady.
“No bother at all! Come in, come in. We were just about to eat. I grilled some skewers myself — come join us!” Old Lin was momentarily surprised, then quickly gestured for them to come in. Guests were guests, after all.
As Liu Rushuang passed Lin Mo, she even winked at him.
Lin Mo’s mind went blank for a second before his dad smacked him on the back. “What are you standing there for, go get a couple more chairs!”
Lin Mo stumbled forward. Damn, where did that slap come from? Was this still South City?
When he came back with the chairs, the three of them were already chatting.
Comrade Old Lin said, “What’ll you two drink? I’ve only got beer and two bottles of soda. If you want soda, I’ll have Lin Mo run to the village shop for more!”
“No need, Uncle. How about you try this instead?” Liu Rushuang said, pulling out a bottle of 1573 from the car.
“Oh? White liquor, huh!” Comrade Old Lin’s eyes lit up instantly.
That bottle looked even better than the Maotai his son had brought back. Even then, he hadn’t dared open that one.
But before he could react further, Liu Rushuang smoothly uncorked the bottle and poured him a cup in a disposable paper cup.
“Uncle, please try this. It’s my first visit, so I didn’t bring anything else,” she said sweetly.
Hearing that, Old Lin felt a little embarrassed. The liquor was so expensive — he felt like he was taking advantage.
“Well, uh… that’s really too kind. I’ll just take a sip then,” he said, reaching into his pocket for a cigarette.
But before he could take one out, Liu Rushuang pulled a box of cigarettes from her skirt pocket — a brand none of them recognized.
“Uncle, have this one instead. I don’t smoke — it’s from my dad’s car.”
She unwrapped the box deftly and handed him one.
Old Lin: .
Su He: →_→
Lin Mo: →_→
——
Jiangning City, Liu Family Villa.
A slightly chubby middle-aged man scratched his head as he came downstairs — Liu Rushuang’s father, Liu Zhengyuan.
“Eh? I just noticed some of my liquor bottles are missing. Not only that, my cigarettes and tea too — especially the tea! I hadn’t even had any yet. Did our house get robbed?”
Normally, with all the liquor, tea, and cigarettes in the Liu family villa, missing a few wouldn’t even be noticed. But when Liu Zhengyuan checked today — good heavens — a whole section of his wine cabinet was empty, as if a tooth had been knocked out. How could anyone not notice?
Hearing this, Mrs. Cheng, sitting on the living room sofa, couldn’t help but chuckle. “You got that right — and it’s an inside job. Your good days are just beginning!”
Liu Zhengyuan: ???