Shaiming's voice was so loud that even the whole neighborhood could hear. Honghui also rushed to inspect the scene.
The most flustered of all was Xiulan. She was so petrified that she didn't even move an inch and stood at her spot with her mouth wide open. She lowered her gaze to look at the game on her phone's screen and inwardly cursed it. Her incantation was interrupted by her mother's 'pleasant' tone.
Cai Roumei gracefully made an entrance while uttering, "Guys, don't worry for your dinner. I prepared the dumplings the other night since I could predict she would fail to make meals. It won't take long to cook the dumplings. I will inform you when it's done. Now go back to your place." She gave her daughter a belittling glance.
"Mom, I will help you." Honghui dashed to his mother's side while saying softly, "Xiulan, go rest in your room. I know you are starving now. The food will be served in a minute."
"Umm" Her head was pulled down by the gravity that she didn't have enough strength to keep her chin up. She dejectedly strolled to her room.
By the time Hualing reached Zhang's mansion, she immediately went straight to the kitchen to help her friend. But to her surprise, Xiulan was nowhere to be found. She was notified about her friend's dismay. Honghui urged her to console his sister. But she decided to help them cook before she coaxed her friend since it wouldn't take long and she didn't have the guts to sit and eat what the elders made.
Only then, Cai Roumei opened her mouth, "That's why people say your surroundings affect you. Look! Hua'er becomes so obstinate. Just go upstairs and we will let you know when the food is done." She gave a motherly smile at Hualing. She couldn't resist her order, so she complied.
When Hualing entered her friend's room, she was greeted by a rather ridiculous sight.
Xiulan was sprawling her limbs out on the bed with her front facing the ceiling above. Her phone was on the left side of her head and apparently, she was on the phone with Tang Quan as Hualing could overhear a piercing shriek saying, "Quan!!!"
Quan was leisurely having dinner with his family when he heard his phone's ringtone go out. He picked up the call quickly. As soon as he put the device next to his ears, he could hear an ear-splitting scream, "Tang Quan!!!" It was so loud that he felt numb and subsequently extended his hand to put it away from his hearing organ.
Unexpectedly the phone slipped out of his grasp, but fortunately he could grab it in time before it hit the ground. In the process, he accidentally pressed the speaker icon and his friend's voice could be heard by all the people in his enormous household let alone his family members in the dining room.
"You bastard!!! That's your fault. If not for you, I won't be in this pathetic state. If you're a man, you have to take responsibility for it!" Her voice was loud and clear. Tang Quan tried to turn off the speaker as swiftly as he could so as to save his friend's dignity.
However it was disrupted by his grandfather's deadly glance, demanding to let it be because Grandpa Tang had the impression that his grandson made some silly mistakes and took advantage of Xiulan. Tang Quan couldn't help but let his friend's offensive words run wild as clear as crystal.
In the dining room, Tang Renshu took his seat at the breadth of the huge refectory table. On his right side was his little great-granddaughter and his eldest grandson. His wife and the rest of his grandsons were on the other side.
Grandpa Tang squinted his eyes all the time in curiosity and he was all ears to know what happened between them. So he simply gave an order with his eyes to keep the speaker on.
Grandma Tang shook her head boringly upon her husband's prying of other's privacy.
Li Jianyu and Tang Xiaodai brought their heads in unison to the direction of the sudden shriek.
Weimin also did the same. Without a bother, he smiled lightly and lowered his head to continue having his meal.
Xiulan's fake crying noises could be heard distinctly on the other end of the call. "Boohoo..."
Quan was flustered and stuttered, "Wait... Calm down. What happened? I can't even recall what I did to you."
"I won't..talk..to you. I am..sulking." Xiulan answered intermittently between her dramatic sobs.
Hualing chortled at her friend's drama and sat beside her, "The thing is like that. She even invited me to show off her cooking skills but it burned while she was playing the games you introduced her."
Xiulan carried her heavy upper body upwards forcefully while stretching her hands to Hualing who returned a hug before a comforting palm rested on her back softly. "It's alright you just have to learn from the mistakes and correct them next time."
"It's that simple?"
"Of course it is. Fall seven times. Stand up eight!" Hualing caressed her head.
Little Quan, who was blessed with a variety of 'meaningful' gazes from his family, was blissfully unaware of his surroundings and chuckled unrestrainedly while uttering, "So what did you guys eat?"
"Aunty Cai foresaw something like this would happen. She prepared some frozen dumplings yesterday. She is cooking now. We haven't had dinner yet." Hualing was explaining before she heard the knocks on the door.
The door opened without warning and a man's voice sounded, "Hualan Jie, dinner is ready."
Xiulan threw a pillow at her 'cute' little brother while yelling, "It's Hualing and Xiulan. Are you so dumb that you can't even memorize your own sister's name? And who allowed you to open the door?"
She then tilted her head to her phone, "Quan, we've got to go. I am looking forward to meeting you." She whispered with a threatening tone in the last sentence.
"Wait...wait!" Shaiming abruptly shouted.
"Who is Quan?" He squinted his eyes with a smirk on his face. He had no clue who the hell was that Quan man since Tang Quan was not the man in the business circle.
Xiulan didn't bother to reply back and instead, she put her phone on her palm that was raised near her head, and on the other hand, she pointed out a finger to end the call, teasing her brother's temper. On her face, 'Am I obliged to answer you whenever you ask a question?' could be seen vividly.
Her brother stared at her lifelessly while spouting in a monotone, "Hey, dude. If you're her boyfriend, just take her away quickly. She is such a nuisance to me."
"Zhang Shaiming!!" This time it was Hualing who warned him.
"Hualing, he is so rude to his elder. Reprimand him." Xiulan nudged her friend.
He gave a stop sign. "Even my mom doesn't nag me around as much as you do." He turned around to take his leave.
Weimin felt proud of Hualing and beamed from ear to ear. Jianyu witnessed his brother's fish-eating grin and shook his head in disgust.
"Zhang Xiulan, she is such a mess!" In the end, Tang Xiaodai remarked at her childish friend.
Jianyu curled his lips upwards and leaned to her to stroke her hair endearingly while mumbling, "Like a certain someone I know!"
The kid pulled a long face and pouted. She decided she would not talk to her father anymore. 'Bad daddy!'