On the surface, Eldest Uncle’s dinner looked like an attempt to introduce his eldest son’s girlfriend to the extended family. In reality, it was obviously meant to show off. According to a gossip-loving neighbor, of the two cars parked outside Eldest Uncle’s house, one belonged to Wang Ningkai’s girlfriend.
“Dad, Mom, are we going?” Wang Cheng did not want to, but he knew his parents had more things to consider.
“Of course we’re going. Your Eldest Uncle rarely treats anyone. If he’s kind enough to save our family the cost of dinner, why wouldn’t we?” Mama Wang said with complete confidence.
Papa Wang followed whatever his wife decided.
Wang Cheng laughed. This was exactly what he liked about his mother. Since they were going out and could not bring a pet with them, the stupid pig was locked in the chicken coop.
Eldest Uncle had booked dinner at Fugui Restaurant, the best restaurant in Guanjia Village. It could not compare with the big restaurants in the city, but the food there was very good. The prices were a little high, though still reasonable enough, and some villagers had never eaten there before.
Eldest Uncle had set the time for six. Everyone else arrived early, while Wang Cheng and his parents showed up right on time. The moment they stepped inside, the place was already roaring with noise.
Only then did Wang Cheng realize that Eldest Uncle had invited dozens of people.
As it turned out, most of them had come with the intention of taking advantage of a free meal. Eldest Uncle had only invited the adults, yet they brought entire families with them. One example was Wang Da, a relative of sorts. He and his wife were especially prolific, with two sons and five daughters. This Mid-Autumn, only one son had failed to come home. Everyone else happened to be around, so the moment they heard Eldest Uncle was treating people at Fugui Restaurant, the whole family appeared, some even bringing their own sons and daughters. Wang Da’s household alone accounted for more than ten people.
No wonder Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt had looked so miserable when Wang Cheng walked in. They had probably assumed three or four tables would be enough. Now that number might have to double. Seven or eight tables would be the minimum. Wang Cheng took a certain amount of pleasure in the thought.
Once it was time, everyone sat down. The immediate family occupied one large table. Some people had brought young children and needed to help them eat, so they held the children in their laps at the table. The whole scene was chaotic, with children making noise in every direction.
Wang Cheng sat with the other younger relatives. Two seats to his right were his eldest cousin and the cousin’s girlfriend, a woman who looked spoiled at first glance.
Fugui Restaurant had a good reputation and was quite clean, yet before the woman even sat down, she began complaining that the chair was dirty. Wang Ningkai hurried to wipe it for her. Then he rinsed her bowl and chopsticks with boiling water. They were not even married yet, and he was already serving her as though she were an ancestor.
Marrying a woman like that would definitely be trouble. Still, she was beautiful and rich, so plenty of men would happily do it. Several unmarried men at their table were openly jealous, and Wang Ningkai looked smug when he noticed, taking pride in it.
Before the meal began, Wang Ningkai introduced his girlfriend to everyone, then introduced everyone to her one by one. When he reached Wang Cheng, his tone changed slightly, as though he were deliberately emphasizing the introduction.
“Lisa, this is Wang Cheng. He’s my Third Uncle’s son, the second child.”
“So you’re Wang Cheng. You’re even more handsome than I imagined.” Lisa looked him over as she spoke. From her tone, it was obvious this was not the first time Wang Ningkai had mentioned Wang Cheng, and probably not in a flattering way.
Wang Ningkai’s expression changed. His girlfriend had just praised another man for being handsome right in front of him, and worse, that man was the cousin he disliked most. Irritation immediately rose inside him, but he could hardly lose his temper at Lisa, so he could only glare at Wang Cheng. Wang Ningkai himself was decent-looking, or Lisa would never have agreed to date him, but compared with Wang Cheng, the gap was obvious.
Wang Cheng had not even opened his mouth before being dragged into the crossfire. He was not the type to quietly swallow a loss, so he ignored Wang Ningkai and smiled at Lisa. “My parents gave me the face. Nothing I can do about it.”
Lisa giggled. “You’re really funny.”
Wang Cheng thought, Who’s trying to be funny? I’m telling the truth. He did not say it aloud and only smiled.
Wang Ningkai’s face turned red. He was probably already regretting inviting Wang Cheng. If Lisa took a liking to him, would all the effort Wang Ningkai had put in so far not go to waste? The thought frightened him enough that he immediately interrupted and tried to redirect her attention.
“Lisa, they’re serving your favorite abalone today. I’ll get one for you later.”
Lisa did not seem interested. She asked casually, “Do they have shark fin?”
Everyone else at the table immediately pricked up their ears.
Abalone had long been considered a prized delicacy, though inexpensive smaller varieties were now affordable for many households. Shark fin, by contrast, could not be cultivated the way abalone could, so it kept becoming more expensive and ordinary families generally could not afford it.
Wang Cheng did not believe Eldest Uncle would treat everyone to shark fin. Even if it had originally been on the menu, with this many unexpected guests, the dish had probably been removed long ago.
“If you want some, I can go buy it for you,” Wang Ningkai said, carefully sidestepping the question.
“If there isn’t any, forget it.” Lisa glanced at him.
Wang Ningkai could not tell whether she was pleased or annoyed, so he hurried to murmur all sorts of flattering things to her. Watching him lower himself so much was almost painfully pathetic.
Dish after dish came to the table, and everyone began eating without ceremony, talking loudly as they did. Only Lisa kept frowning and finding fault with one thing after another. Wang Ningkai was so busy serving her that he barely ate anything himself, while Lisa hardly ate much either.
Wang Cheng did not have much appetite. The others, however, ate with great enthusiasm. Second Uncle’s son and daughter were good examples. Their family was not lacking for food like this, yet they had come with the same intention of taking advantage. The tables at Fugui Restaurant had rotating centers, so the two kept turning the dishes toward whatever they wanted. This caused problem after problem. Someone would still be reaching for a dish when they spun the table, sending food dropping onto the tabletop.
Lisa watched the scene with undisguised contempt in her eyes. Wang Ningkai did not seem embarrassed. Instead, he frowned along with her and even leaned over to whisper disparaging remarks about his own relatives in order to please her.
The two of them thought nobody could hear, but Wang Cheng’s hearing was unusually sharp. Even with another person between them, he caught most of what they said. Wang Cheng shook his head. The only word he could use for Wang Ningkai was stupid. He could not help wondering how his construction company had survived this long. The fact that Wang Ningkai had not run it into the ground must have been ancestral blessings at work.
Only some people enjoyed the meal. Papa Wang and Mama Wang lost their appetites too. Throughout dinner, Madam Zhang kept flattering Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt while occasionally slipping in a few digs at Wang Cheng. If Papa Wang had not kept tugging at Mama Wang under the table, the meal might have ended halfway through.
After eating, Papa Wang and Mama Wang left Fugui Restaurant with Wang Cheng, who had been equally disappointed by the evening. Mama Wang regretted coming at all. Some people really never changed. She should have understood that by now.
“Chengcheng, when you look for a girlfriend in the future, make sure you choose a good one. If she’s like your eldest cousin’s girlfriend, I absolutely won’t agree.” Once they got home, Mama Wang still felt uneasy and immediately began educating him. She had only observed Wang Ningkai’s girlfriend from a few meters away, but that behavior alone showed she was not someone an ordinary family could put up with. Their household certainly could not afford to worship a “great Buddha” like that.
Wang Cheng hurried to agree. “Of course. Mom, you can rest completely easy. I’m not Eldest Cousin. If I choose a partner, naturally I’ll choose someone who knows how to live a proper home life.”
Hearing that, Mama Wang finally relaxed. She went back to the room with Papa Wang to call their eldest son and youngest daughter and chat for a while.
Back in his room, Wang Cheng also breathed a sigh of relief. Mid-Autumn should have been a warm family dinner. Eldest Uncle’s and Second Uncle’s households were better avoided. With them around, there was no hope of a peaceful holiday. Eldest Brother and Xiaoyu were the lucky ones.
Just as he was thinking that, his phone rang. His mind was still elsewhere, so he answered without looking. Chu Yifeng’s low voice immediately came through the receiver, and Wang Cheng shot upright on the bed.
“Boss.”
Only after saying it did Wang Cheng remember that he was currently in a “cold war” with Chu Yifeng. That was his own description of their relationship, of course. What Chu Yifeng thought, he had no idea. Remembering that, Wang Cheng leisurely lay back down.
“Why are you calling me? Didn’t you say you were giving me two days?”
“Today is Mid-Autumn.” Chu Yifeng ignored his bad attitude.
Wang Cheng had almost forgotten. That morning, while sending holiday greetings to everyone else, he had accidentally sent one to Chu Yifeng too, then idiotically waited for a reply. “I don’t need you to remind me. Of course I know it’s Mid-Autumn.” Chu Yifeng seemed to laugh. “I’m reminding you that your deadline is tomorrow.” Wang Cheng sat up again and sneered. With that attitude, he still expected Wang Cheng to agree to date him? Definitely getting a bad review.
As if he could picture Wang Cheng bristling on the other end, Chu Yifeng suppressed a laugh. Like his speaking voice, his laughter was low, but it sounded very good. Especially with Wang Cheng holding the phone against his ear, the sound seemed to carry an electric current that made his ear tingle.
“Boss Chu, go ahead and laugh. Tomorrow, I’ll definitely give you an answer I’m very satisfied with.” Wang Cheng spoke vindictively, the threat in his words perfectly obvious.
Chu Yifeng stopped laughing. “Wang Cheng, I’m serious.”