Chapter Twenty-five: Hosting a Dinner

At the end of the lunar month, Wei Yao invited Lu Guangyao and Chen Shumin over for dinner. Since they were leaving soon, she felt it was necessary to show some hospitality, regardless of their past conflicts, as they had ultimately been of great help to her.

Song Mingrui had mostly recovered, but the thought of hosting Lu Guangyao still left him feeling stifled. He grumbled under his breath while slaughtering a chicken and cleaning a fish.

"Please, don't be like this," Wei Yao whispered. "It will be awkward if they see you like this when they arrive."

"Hmph, it's fine, my dear. If it weren't for your sake, I wouldn't even let them step through the door."

Wei Yao: "..."

*As if I have that much influence!*

She started the stove, heated the oil, and sautéed aromatics—scallion, ginger, and garlic. After draining the soaked eggplant, she tossed it into the wok. When she finished, she topped it with minced garlic and scallions, pouring hot oil over them to release a fragrant aroma that instantly filled the kitchen. She prepared a spread: tender spinach with five eggs, braised chicken with mushrooms, white kidney bean and seaweed soup with pig trotters, a refreshing cold salad of crunchy lotus root, sesame sauce noodles with shredded dried cucumber, stir-fried bacon with dried red chilies, and finally, a braised fish.

With eight dishes, both meat and vegetable, beautifully plated, even Song Mingrui, who had eaten her cooking many times before, was stunned by her skill.

"My dear, you are truly amazing! Though it’s a pity to feed all this good food to that turtle-son Lu Guangyao."

"Oh, heavens, show some magnanimity. Let the past be the past. He has a job and a family, and he did try his best to help Yangyang and Huihui later on. Let’s just move on."

Song Mingrui nodded. He could let it go for now, but once they returned to the army base, he wouldn’t let Commissar Qin off the hook without a good shake-up.

When Lu Guangyao and Chen Shumin arrived at the courtyard gate, their hands full of gifts, they couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of trepidation.

"Wife, you knock. You go in first. Mingrui isn't the type to hold a grudge against a woman. If you just give him a polite smile, everything will be fine."

"Get lost! I’m risking my life coming here with you today, and you still want me to lead the charge? In your dreams."

Realizing he couldn't convince his wife, Lu Guangyao grit his teeth, knocked on the door, and immediately ducked behind her, pretending he hadn't been the one to knock.

Chen Shumin rolled her eyes. *Is he really that scared? It’s the New Year—is he going to start a fight?*

When Song Mingrui opened the door and caught Chen Shumin rolling her eyes, he frowned, his hawk-like gaze fixed on the pair. "What's going on?"

"Oh? Um... nothing, nothing! We, heh, are we a bit late? Is Sister-in-law home? We bought some things; we aren't sure if she'll like them."

"Come in. I’ve been busy all morning preparing this meal for you."

His tone was stiff, but acceptable. Both Lu Guangyao and Chen Shumin let out a sigh of relief.

"You’re here! Why did you bring so many things? We’re leaving in a couple of days, and I’m already worried about how to move everything we have!"

"It's not much, just things you'll find useful. I heard there's a truck heading back to the base that can haul it all. If that’s not convenient, our transport team can help out."

"Exactly! Our transport team has trucks running to Yucheng. Mingrui has been back before... I think? I’m not entirely sure."

Lu Guangyao trailed off, afraid he had said too much. He was just following military orders, but he wasn't sure if he had overstepped. Song Mingrui gave him a sidelong glance but said nothing.

Song Yang was delighted to see guests. He had been running back and forth between the living room and the kitchen all morning, captivated by the scent of his mother's cooking. He had barely managed to stop himself from sneaking a bite.

"There's hot water here. Go wash your hands; dinner is ready. I’ll go get the dishes that were keeping warm in the kitchen."

Chen Shumin glared at Lu Guangyao. It was ridiculous—if he hadn't been dragging his feet, they wouldn't have arrived so late. It was embarrassing to show up just as the food was hitting the table.

"Heh, heh, what a coincidence! I was just thinking of asking Shumin to help you, Sister-in-law!"

"Enough. Go wash your hands and eat. Who knows when we’ll be able to get together again? Don’t be so skittish. If I wanted to beat you up, I would have done it long ago."

Hearing this, Lu Guangyao’s mood shifted as if a rainbow had appeared after a storm. He relaxed completely. "Heh, old Song, I knew you weren't petty. Getting together isn't hard—whenever you miss your brother, just say the word, and I'll travel to the ends of the earth to join you."

"Stop the flattery. Yao made a lot of food; let's have a drink."

"That’s a must!"

Once they were seated, Lu Guangyao and Chen Shumin finally understood what Song Mingrui meant by "a lot of food."

"This... isn't this too much?"

"We bought two chickens for the New Year, and there was a fish left over. Better to eat it all now while you're here than to have to move it back to Yucheng."

Ever since the chickens and ducks had been placed in her storage space, they had been laying eggs rapidly. While out at work, she had visited the countryside several times and bought a batch of chicks for three yuan from the locals. They were all grown now.

With the fine liquor she brought out from her storehouse, Lu Guangyao and Song Mingrui drank heartily. After three cups, the conversation turned to the Song family.

"Ever since I found out Song Liping was bullying your wife, I had people keep an eye on her. Old Song, don't blame me for being ruthless. When I found out a local scoundrel was targeting her, I didn't give her any warning. That day—I knew which creep she was going to visit, so I broke the lock on his door beforehand. Your sister is truly foolish; the lock was clearly mangled, but she just assumed nothing was wrong. She went inside and stripped down on the bed. Is there something wrong with her head?"

Song Mingrui: "..."

Wei Yao: "..."

They had no idea that had happened!

"With a reputation like that, she still had the nerve to take the exam for the Bureau Chief's secretary. I’m certain that if she’d gotten the job, the Chief’s wife would have scratched her face off within a day. I tipped off their leadership, and now she’s been assigned to scrub toilets."

"Old Lu, you’ve had too much to drink. Say less. Mingrui, he just investigated some things from the past because he felt guilty. If you think he went too far, I can go to the post office and smooth things over."

"It’s fine, it’s good. Don't worry about her; she brought it all on herself. I'll be honest with you both—it was me who arranged for the old man to be demoted."

Lu Guangyao: "..."

Chen Shumin: "..."

Wei Yao glanced at Song Mingrui. She didn't dare mention it, but she had also paid a visit to the school attended by Li Ying’s three children. She had given the kids some candy and spread a few rumors about Song Liping’s scandals. She didn't feel any guilt about it; those three children were no good either.