Dinner was lavish, celebrating the fact that their son got into a fight.
After returning home in the afternoon, father Yan eagerly took Yan Yuchen's pulse and discovered that his once withering body was now vibrant and full of vitality. It was a miracle bestowed upon the family by the heavens. Overjoyed, Yan's parents embraced Yan Yuchen, tears of happiness streaming down their faces. They couldn't have dreamed that their son's health would suddenly improve.
Happiness came unexpectedly. To celebrate, father Yan, who hadn't cooked in years, decided to personally cook for the family tonight. However, in keeping with his promise to the teacher earlier in the day to discipline his son, father Yan opted for stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots.
In the kitchen, as mother Yan sliced bamboo shoots, she expressed some guilt, "Is it right to deceive the teacher like this?"
Father Yan, scrubbing the pan, earnestly replied, "Nonsense! When did we deceive the teacher? Making stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots is about teaching Chen a lesson, making him understand that wrongdoing deserves punishment!"
Puzzled, mother Yan asked, "What kind of punishment is this?"
Father Yan coldly snorted, "Let's make the dish delicious, make plenty of it, and make that rascal cry! Let him dare not provoke the teacher at school again!"
Mother Yan fell silent, continuing to chop bamboo shoots, choosing to ignore him.
What a shameless father and son duo.
After finishing with the pan, father Yan hesitated for a moment and said, "I've already found a new house, a charming little courtyard. We can move in tomorrow."
Mother Yan, after a moment of silence, nodded and said, "That's good. Since this place has been discovered by the people from Sunset Valley, if we don't move, there might be more trouble. After all, that Blue Phoenix Jade is too eye-catching. Even though Yan Kuan took it, he surely won't dare to reveal it. Others might still think we have it."
Thinking about the Blue Phoenix Jade, father Yan felt a twinge of guilt and said bitterly, "It's my incompetence that wasted that jade. Otherwise, Chen could have..."
Mother Yan held his hand, comforting him, "Don't blame yourself. With your martial arts nullified by the Yan family, how could you contend with Yan Kuan? Besides, Chen's health is improving now. Whether we have the Blue Phoenix Jade or not doesn't matter much."
A hint of resentment appeared in father Yan eyes as he said, "I regret that I can no longer practice martial arts. Otherwise, I would surely seek revenge for you and Chen. I wish I could tear apart those from the Yan family and the ones who harmed you and our son!"
"Mom, Dad, I'm back!"
As mother Yan was about to offer more consolation, Yan Xiaoxi returned from school.
Yan Yuchen, who was watching TV in the living room, turned to her and said, "Hey, what about your brother? You can't see your handsome brother sitting here?"
Yan Xiaoxi, with her little backpack, deliberately looked around, not glancing at him. She stared wide-eyed at the ceiling and said in surprise, "Who? Who's talking? Why can't I see them?"
Yan Yuchen playfully threw a sofa cushion at her head, laughing and scolding, "You mischievous girl, watch how your brother steals the meat from your bowl later!"
Yan Xiaoxi skillfully caught the flying cushion, smiling mischievously, "Oh, big brother is back too? I heard that our homeroom teacher informed Mom and Dad to go to school and bring you back. Did Dad scold you?"
Yan Yuchen pretended to look solemn, patting his butt, "Stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots, especially delicious (crunchy)."
"Pfft!"
Yan Xiaoxi laughed joyfully, "Serves you right! You always bully me!"
During dinner, she discovered a plate of stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots on the table.
Yan Yuchen, savoring the dish, praised, "So delicious, Dad's cooking skills are really good."
Father Yan, being praised by his son, smiled happily.
Yan Xiaoxi flipped the stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots with her chopsticks, puzzled, "Dad, are these bamboo shoots in here the ones used to spank brother's butt?"
"Pfft—"
Yan Yuchen almost burst out laughing.
Father Yan also chuckled for a moment, attentively picking up a bite for his daughter and said, "Let me tell you something. Tomorrow, we're moving to a new house, a small courtyard facing the willow-lined moat. The scenery is beautiful."
Yan Xiaoxi paused and asked, "Why are we suddenly moving?"
Immediately after asking, she realized that last time, the bad guys had come, and there might be more trouble in the future. For the safety of the family of four, it indeed made sense to move quickly.
Yan Yuchen, eating his meal, said, "Tomorrow, both my sister and I have classes, so we can't help you."
Mother Yan smiled, "It's okay. Your dad and I hired people from a moving company."
Father Yan glanced at Yan Xiaoxi, seeming a bit uneasy. He continued to attentively pick food for his daughter, contemplating how to broach the subject.
Yan Xiaoxi looked at him suspiciously, "Dad, just say it. Don't scare me. You've never picked food for me before. Are we so tight on money that you're thinking of selling me?"
Father Yan, somewhat embarrassed, smiled awkwardly, "Well, yes. We don't have much money, so we need to be frugal. That's why we bought an ordinary small courtyard with only two bedrooms inside..."
After saying this, he glanced at Yan's mother, who immediately lowered her head to eat, indicating that both of them felt a bit guilty.
Yan Xiaoxi frowned, "That's not possible. Even the simplest small courtyard shouldn't have only two bedrooms, right?"
Father Yan earnestly said, "Indeed, there are only two bedrooms. The other space is needed for storage, and besides, we only have two beds."
With their son's sudden improvement in health, father Yan attributed it to the nourishing effect of their adopted daughter's Yin-Yang balancing technique. As their relationship grew closer, and their son's spirits lifted, he discussed with his wife and decided to proceed to the next stage of the Taoist technique that Master Zhuang had taught them: sleeping and cultivating together.
Although this might seem somewhat unfair to their daughter, they had long accepted the future relationship between her and their son, so they didn't have many reservations.
"Dad, you're not doing this on purpose, are you?"
Yan Xiaoxi squinted her beautiful eyes, staring at him and asking.
Father Yan chuckled awkwardly, "Of course not. It's really because of a lack of money..."
Yan Xiaoxi smirked, gave her mother a knowing look, and hummed, "Okay, stop pretending. According to my guess, either you had a fight with Mom, or you have someone outside. Otherwise, you wouldn't deliberately prepare only two rooms. Hmph, trying to make me sleep with Mom while you sleep with my brother, your scheme is quite loud."
"..."
Father Yan stood there with his mouth open, looking bewildered.
"Pfft—"
Yan Yuchen and his mother burst into laughter simultaneously.
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