Chapter 53: Shameless Old Man
Chapter 53: Shameless Old Man
The Great Benefit Phoenix Claw Soup was not yet finished cooking, but Lin Shengnan began urging him.
“Zian, is it ready yet?”
Li Zian checked the time on his mobile phone. He had taken Li Xiaomei to play at Disneyland in the afternoon and returned a bit late. It was already 7 p.m., but did she really have to be so impatient?
“It will be done soon,” he replied, feeling melancholy inside.
When would this life of being both a stay-at-home dad and a house servant end?
A real man should have ambitions stretching far and wide!
The real man continued simmering the soup.
“Great-Grandmother, let me braid your hair,” came Li Xiaomei’s voice.
“Goodness, you little pip-squeak. What kind of braids can you do? Go on, go play by yourself.” Lin Shengnan’s voice had a note of amusement and exasperation.
The time was up.
The Great Benefit Phoenix Claw Soup was ready.
Li Zian lifted the lid, ladled a spoonful of soup, blew on it, and then took a sip.
It was refreshing and tasty, leaving a pleasant aftertaste. It was even better than soups made by professional chefs. More importantly, after just one sip, a warm feeling spread from his stomach throughout his whole body, reaching his arms and legs. It felt extremely comfortable.
Li Zian thought to himself, “Could it be related to my recent incense burning and cultivation? Like in those martial arts novels, did my skills increase, making the soup I cook taste better than before, and also enhancing its therapeutic effect?”
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
Someone was ringing the doorbell.
Li Zian turned off the stove and walked out of the kitchen.
Li Xiaomei dashed towards the door, reaching out to open it, but her hand still couldn’t reach the doorknob.
She had clearly overestimated how fast she was growing.
Li Zian walked over, opened the door, and froze in the doorway.
The person ringing the doorbell was Yu Taian. Standing behind him was a middle-aged woman wearing a cheongsam. She looked about forty-something, but was very well-maintained, with a figure that hadn’t gone out of shape, giving off an impression of lingering charm.
Before opening the door, Li Zian had been guessing if it might be Mu Chuntao coming over for a meal. He hadn’t expected it to be Yu Meilin’s second uncle, Yu Taian.
Although it was his first time seeing the woman behind Yu Taian, judging by her attire and her facial resemblance to Yu Jiahao, Li Zian easily guessed her identity. She was Yu Taian’s wife, Ge Chunlan.
Their sudden visit – he knew exactly what their purpose was, as clear as if he held a mirror in his heart.
Yu Taian frowned. “What, are you not going to let me in?”
Li Zian deliberately put on a confused expression. “May I ask who you two are?”
Yu Taian said coldly, “I am your Second Uncle, and she is your Second Aunt!”
Li Zian smiled and said, “So it’s Second Uncle and Second Aunt. Forgive me, I’m a bit face-blind; I hardly remember faces I’ve only seen once.”
“I don’t have time to listen to your nonsense. Get out of my way!” Yu Taian was not polite at all and clearly did not regard Li Zian, the live-in son-in-law, as worthy of respect.
But Li Zian stood in the doorway without moving.
Li Xiaomei scrunched up her little brows, looking adorably fierce. “This is my home. Why are you being so mean to my dad?”
Li Zian picked up Li Xiaomei, the smile disappearing from his face. “Even a child knows this is my home. You come to my house, and you’re still so rude. Who do you think you are?”
Ge Chunlan said with a sarcastic tone, “A live-in son-in-law from the mountains, what airs are you putting on in front of us? You should look in a mirror to see if you’re worthy.”
Li Zian reached out to close the door.
Yu Taian blocked the door with his hand, preventing Li Zian from closing it.
“Who is it?” Lin Shengnan walked over.
Li Zian stepped aside from the door. “It’s Second Uncle and Second Aunt.”
He didn’t want to argue with Yu Taian and Ge Chunlan in front of Lin Shengnan. After all, they were Yu Meilin’s uncle and aunt, and could be considered his elders. Even though he knew they had ulterior motives, in front of Lin Shengnan, as a junior, he couldn’t very well kick them out.
Of course, if Lin Shengnan hadn’t seen them, that would be a different story.
Yu Taian snorted coldly and walked past Li Zian.
Ge Chunlan followed him inside, carrying a gift box in her hand.
Lin Shengnan seemed a bit surprised. “Taian, Chunlan, what brings you here?”
Yu Taian put on a smiling face. “Mom, listen to you. You’re my mother. Does a son need a reason to come visit you?”
Ge Chunlan came to Lin Shengnan’s side and held out the gift box with both hands towards her. “Mom, this is Royal Bird’s Nest from Thailand. Only the royal family gets to eat this. I had to use my connections there to buy it. It’s to nourish your health in your old age.”
Lin Shengnan glanced at the gift box printed with Thai characters and said indifferently, “I ate quite a bit of this stuff back in the day, but it wasn’t very useful.”
She didn’t reach out to take it. Ge Chunlan, bent at the waist, held the gift box with both hands. She couldn’t retreat, nor could she not retreat, leaving her in an awkward position.
Lin Shengnan said lightly, “Zian, take the item.”
Li Zian walked over and took the gift box from Ge Chunlan’s hands.
Lin Shengnan said it wasn’t useful, but this Royal Bird’s Nest was an excellent ingredient for him. Several of his secret recipes for soups required bird’s nest. The ones he bought online were too inferior, with many fakes and few genuine ones. He could put this to good use later.
Li Zian took the bird’s nest and placed it on the living room coffee table. Then he picked up Li Xiaomei and carried her to the dining table, seating her in her usual chair.
“Great-Grandmother, time to eat!” Li Xiaomei called out.
“Coming,” Lin Shengnan replied, then said to Yu Taian and Ge Chunlan, “You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Join us. The soup Zian makes is truly delicious and very nourishing.”
Ge Chunlan muttered, “What good soup could a mountain man possibly make?”
“What did you say?” Lin Shengnan hadn’t heard clearly.
Ge Chunlan quickly changed her words: “Mom, I think you shouldn’t eat dinner here. Come to our house to eat instead. I had someone make your favorite dishes, and I specially prepared a Ten Complete Great Tonic Soup for you. That soup is the truly nourishing one.”
Lin Shengnan said, surprised, “Go to your house to eat?”
Ge Chunlan gave Yu Taian a meaningful look.
Yu Taian understood and immediately said, “Mom, Meilin has gone to Yun Di. She’s mining over there and won’t be back for several months. Zian also has to take care of Xiaomei. So Chunlan and I discussed it and want to take you to our home to care for you. You’re getting on in years, and Chunlan is very good at taking care of people. She will definitely take excellent care of you. Please come with us.”
Lin Shengnan shook her head. “Zian has taken very good care of me these past few years. I’m used to living with him.”
Li Zian said, “Grandma, come sit down. I’ll get your soup for you.”
“Oh my, the Great Benefit Phoenix Claw Soup is ready?” Lin Shengnan’s attention was diverted in a second.
“It’s been ready for a while. I’ll go serve it now,” Li Zian said, walking towards the kitchen.
Lin Shengnan walked towards the dining table, saying as she went, “Don’t bother serving it. Bring the whole soup pot out. I’m going to drink several bowls.”
“Alright then, I’ll bring the whole pot out,” Li Zian said with a laugh.
With his Great Benefit Phoenix Claw Soup here, would the Old Matriarch still care about your so-called Ten Complete Great Tonic Soup?
As long as he was here, the Old Matriarch wouldn’t leave this house.
Li Zian brought out the soup pot. He served a bowl for Lin Shengnan and also a bowl for Li Xiaomei. This soup was excellent for nourishing Yin and promoting health; it was very beneficial for girls to drink as well.
Lin Shengnan couldn’t wait and took a sip. A smile immediately appeared on her face. “Zian, the soup you made today tastes even better than before. Did you add something extra?”
Li Zian smiled and said, “Grandma, your palate is really sharp. You could tell from just one sip! But I didn’t add anything extra, I just adjusted the amounts of the seasonings a bit.”
He actually hadn’t changed anything. It was just that he had become stronger, but he couldn’t explain that to Lin Shengnan.
“That’s what I thought,” Lin Shengnan said, happily drinking her Great Benefit Phoenix Claw Soup.
Yu Taian and Ge Chunlan watched Li Zian coldly.
Li Zian said insincerely, “Second Uncle, Second Aunt, have you eaten? If not, please join us for a simple meal.”
Yu Taian said irritably, “We’ve already eaten!”
Ge Chunlan nudged Yu Taian with her elbow and then walked towards the dining table.
Li Zian couldn’t be bothered to pretend to be polite anymore. He served himself a bowl of rice and sat down to eat. Although the soup he made was excellent, he generally didn’t drink his own soups because they were too nourishing. His own body was like a furnace; any more nourishment would be counterproductive.
Yu Taian and Ge Chunlan came to the dining table and began persuading again.
“Mom, you are my mother. Your son and daughter-in-law want to take you home to care for you and fulfill our filial duties. What’s wrong with that?” Yu Taian pleaded earnestly.
Lin Shengnan just focused on drinking her soup.
Nothing made an elderly person happier than white hair turning black again or lost teeth regrowing. Although the Great Benefit Phoenix Claw Soup hadn’t made her lost teeth grow back, it had made the black hair on her head increase more and more. This was a sign of longevity; of course she treasured it.
“Mom, which room is yours? I’ll go help you pack. Once you finish eating, we can leave.” Ge Chunlan was already losing patience.
Li Xiaomei said in her adorably fierce way, “Great-Grandmother lives in our home. She’s not going anywhere!”
Yu Taian frowned. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, no sense of respect for elders. I am your Second Granduncle. It’s only right and proper for me to take my mother home. Why are you butting in?”
Li Xiaomei pouted her lips, but didn’t cry.
Ge Chunlan pretended to hit Yu Taian and said hypocritically, “Taian, she’s just a child who doesn’t understand. Don’t take it out on a child.”
Yu Taian snorted lightly. “That’s true. Her father is uneducated; how could he possibly raise a child well? Mom, if you can’t bear to be apart from Xiaomei, we can take Xiaomei over to live with you too. I’ll hire the best home tutor for her. We can send her back after her mother returns, okay?”
No matter how Yu Taian and Ge Chunlan tried to persuade her, Lin Shengnan just remained silent. After finishing one bowl of soup, she picked up the ladle and served herself a second bowl.
Li Zian said coldly, “I say, you two speaking like this right in front of me – are you relying on your seniority, or have you stuffed your faces in your pockets and abandoned them?”
He could tolerate these two disgustingly targeting him, but bullying his Little Cotton-padded Jacket was something he absolutely could not tolerate.
Yu Taian looked at Li Zian with cold eyes. “How dare you speak to me like that?”
Li Zian raised his hand and pointed at the door. “Get out!”
Yu Taian laughed in extreme anger. “You, a mere live-in son-in-law, dare to speak to me like this? Even Yu Meilin wouldn’t dare speak to me like this!”
Li Zian said indifferently, “But I am not Yu Meilin. If you don’t leave now, I’ll drag you out. Then you’ll have even less face.”
“You–” Yu Taian pointed at Li Zian, too angry to speak.
Ge Chunlan immediately pretended to be wronged. “Mom, look at your grandson-in-law. He actually speaks to Taian like this. He even wants to hit us. How can you and the child live with someone like this? No, today no matter what, I must take you to our home.”
Li Zian stood up and walked towards Yu Taian, his eyes icy.
Yu Taian immediately became nervous and took a step back. “You, what are you going to do?”
Lin Shengnan said slowly, “Zian, eat your meal.”
Li Zian stopped walking.
He really wanted to slap Yu Taian and Ge Chunlan across the face. But one was Lin Shengnan’s son, the other her daughter-in-law. Slapping them right in front of her wouldn’t be appropriate.
But this couple shamelessly lingered here, refusing to leave, like two flies buzzing in front of him. He couldn’t eat his meal like this.
“You rely on being elders, flaunting your seniority. Fine, I won’t lay a hand on you. I’ll find someone to talk to you.” Li Zian said. He took out his mobile phone and started dialing.
Yu Taian sneered. “Even if Yu Meilin were here right now, I would still take my mother to my home. Even if you’re calling her.”
Ge Chunlan said disdainfully, “Go ahead and call then. Who are you trying to scare?”
Li Zian put the phone to his ear, smiled, and then spoke, calling out, “Dad.”