Chapter 8 - 007: Initial Introduction to Studies
The dinner was quite sumptuous, and Ye’s mother’s cooking skill was passable. The cabbage stewed with frozen tofu, braised pork, and a big plateful of scrambled eggs had a yellowish color that looked very appetizing.
In this era, every household had its difficulties, but in the army, conditions were a bit better. At least people could eat their fill, and every few days they could have some stewed meat to satisfy their cravings. The dishes prepared by the Ye Family today were already the most generous; even during the New Year, all they added was a fish and some dumplings.
The dining table was the wooden one situated against the window in the living room. One end was tight against the wall, so no one could sit there; people could sit on the other three sides, with four on each of the opposite sides and two on the single north-south side.
During the family meal, Ye Ling and Old Mrs. Ye sat on the north side. To Ye Ling’s right was Old Mrs. Ye, and on her left, right against her arm, was Ye’s mother. Inside was Ye Qian, and opposite them sat inside Liu Zhiyuan and outside Ye He Ping.
All three dishes were plentiful. The braised pork was placed on the inside, scrambled eggs in the middle, and cabbage stewed with frozen tofu on the outside. Ye He Ping never cared about such things, nor did he see it as anything special. Besides, the table wasn’t that big.
But Old Mrs. Ye and Ye Ling, being women, noticed immediately. The braised pork was placed closer to Liu Zhiyuan, the guest, so that wasn’t something to delve into. After all, Liu Zhiyuan was a guest.
However, the scrambled eggs being placed in the middle, but closer to Ye Qian, was obvious without needing to say anything. Ye Ling, being from the rural area, had eaten plenty of eggs already, but watching her mother’s favoritism made her unwilling to let her have her way. Feeling her grandmother’s unhappiness next to her, Ye Ling gently kicked her grandmother under the table and turned her head to glance at her. Discovering that her grandmother wasn’t looking at her at all, she kicked again. Before she could catch her grandmother’s attention, Liu Zhiyuan across the table coughed lightly, drawing everyone’s attention.
"Zhiyuan, are you catching a cold? It’s almost the New Year; you can’t catch a chill. I’ll find some medicine for you after dinner as a precaution." Ye’s mother said as she picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Liu Zhiyuan’s bowl.
"Aunt Bai, no need, I’m fine; just had a grain of rice go down the wrong way." Liu Zhiyuan politely replied.
His eyes, however, swept over Ye Ling.
Ye Ling had already glanced dismissively at Liu Zhiyuan upon hearing her mother’s words. A man who’s so delicate—how had she taken a liking to him in a past life? Then, he had sharply refused her. Thinking about it now, it felt more like an insult to herself. Seeing him looking at her, she glared back at him fiercely before retracting her gaze.
Next, Ye Ling’s chopsticks navigated past the big bowl of cabbage stewed with frozen tofu straight to the scrambled eggs, scooping out half a bowl. As she noticed her mother’s gaze following her, Ye Ling pretended not to notice and placed the large scoop of eggs into her grandmother’s bowl.