On the third day of the National Day holiday, Chen Qianqing's father finally returned home.
Chen Qianqing's father, Chen Qingyang, was a technician who repaired machines and often traveled abroad for work. Usually, he would be away for two to three months at a time. So when Chen Qianqing was young, he spent most of his time at home with his mother.
Perhaps because he didn't spend much time with his son, Chen Qingyang doted on Chen Qianqing a lot. Their father-son relationship was good, and they rarely had conflicts.
On the day Chen Qingyang returned, Chen Qianqing's cousin and her family also came to visit his house.
Liu Huamei woke up early and dragged Chen Qianqing out of bed, asking him to go grocery shopping with her.
Chen Qianqing reluctantly got dressed, had breakfast, and followed behind a spirited Liu Huamei and Lu Zhengfei. He felt like a withered flower in the rain.
Lu Zhengfei had almost never been to the market. In his family, buying groceries and cooking were taken care of by servants, so he rarely had to do it himself. Therefore, going to the market with Liu Huamei was a new experience for him.
Liu Huamei picked out a fresh fish, some pork ribs, a bit of beef, and several vegetables and condiments before happily heading back.
Chen Qianqing didn't talk much, just obediently carried the groceries and followed behind Liu Huamei. It was Lu Zhengfei and Liu Huamei who chatted and laughed, like a mother and son who haven't seen each other in a long time.
Liu Huamei turned to look at Chen Qianqing and said, "Qianqing, why don't you like to talk? Look at little Lu!"
Chen Qianqing acknowledged with an "oh" and didn't speak further.
Liu Huamei couldn't do anything about him, so she playfully tapped his back, not too lightly or too heavily. "Watch out, I'll have your dad beat you!"
While they were talking and walking back home, Chen Qingyang, who had returned from abroad, was already there. He greeted Liu Huamei, "Huamei, you're back."
Liu Huamei and Lu Zhengfei put the groceries in the kitchen and then came out. Liu Huamei said, "Your son broke his leg and you didn't even care. I think you should retire early. It's not good for you to continue like this in the long run."
Chen Qingyang had Chen Qianqing relatively late in life, already in his thirties. Due to the nature of his work, he could retire at the age of fifty-five, which was in the next few years.
Chen Qingyang clearly didn't want to dwell on this issue with Liu Huamei. He spoke up, "Qianqing, why don't you introduce me to your classmates?"
Upon hearing the word "classmates," Lu Zhengfei immediately became delighted. It was clear he intentionally dressed to look younger.
Chen Qianqing glared at Lu Zhengfei and said, "He's already twenty-seven. He's my friend, not a classmate."
"Oh," Chen Qingyang quickly responded, "Sorry, I thought he was your classmate..."
Lu Zhengfei laughed, "No worries, Uncle. They all say I look young."
Chen Qianqing: "...You're shameless."
Liu Huamei asked Chen Qingyang some questions about his work. It was evident that she wanted Chen Qingyang to retire early, but it was difficult to say directly. Lu Zhengfei and Chen Qianqing didn't interject, and the atmosphere was harmonious for a while.
As the four of them chatted, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Liu Huamei said, "Your sister must be here. Qianqing, go and open the door."
Chen Qianqing stood up and opened the door, welcoming the two people standing outside.
Chen Qianqing's father, Chen Qingyang, had two older sisters and one younger sister. The eldest sister had been widowed at an early age, and the youngest sister had recently divorced. Only the second sister was doing relatively well, but their relationships were not very good, so they rarely visited during festivals and holidays. Usually, Chen Qingyang would be the only one to visit them, while Chen Qianqing celebrated the holidays with his mother.
This time, they came, and according to Liu Huamei's guess, it was mostly to borrow money.
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Liu Huamei and Chen Qingyang had a good relationship, but they would occasionally argue about Chen Qingyang's sisters.
"Brother, you've been back for a few days, huh?" Chen Qianqing's cousin, Chen Xiaohui, just started her sophomore year of high school. She was considered above average in appearance. As soon as she entered the house, she ran over to Chen Qianqing and chatted nonstop, "I've missed you so much. When are you going back to school? Is a city fun? When I graduate, I want to apply to the university there. Brother, what major do you think is good?"
Chen Qianqing quietly took a sip of tea. He remembered that he did have a cousin, but honestly, after so many years, he had completely forgotten her name.
Fortunately, Liu Huamei helped Chen Qianqing out and said, "Qianqing, Xiao Hui is asking you something. Why aren't you speaking?"
Chen Qianqing lazily responded with an "oh."
In front of Chen's parents, Lu Zhengfei always maintained a gentle smile. Even when Chen Xiaohui sat next to Chen Qianqing and bombarded him with questions, his smile didn't diminish. However, his gaze began to scan Chen Xiaohui up and down, as if assessing the threat she posed to him.
When he evaluated the threat to be low, almost equal to zero, his smile became even sweeter. "Qianqing, is this your sister? Introduce her to me."
Chen Qianqing glanced at Lu Zhengfei, knowing exactly what he was thinking. He lazily said, "Xiao Hui, this is Lu Zhengfei. Just call him Lu Ge."
Chen Xiaohui immediately exclaimed, "Hello, Lu Ge!" Her eyes brightened as soon as she saw Lu Zhengfei. To be honest, Lu Zhengfei was quite good-looking. When he wasn't going crazy, he could definitely be called a prince. But when he did go crazy... even a dog would find him unbearable.
Chen Xiaohui, a seventeen-eighteen-year-old girl, couldn't help but have some romantic fantasies. As the saying goes, love at first sight is not about feelings, but about that face. It was perfectly normal for Chen Xiaohui to have thoughts about Lu Zhengfei and his deceivingly attractive face.
Being cunning, Chen Qianqing almost instantly understood what Chen Xiaohui was thinking. He joked, "Study hard, your Lu Ge doesn't have a girlfriend yet."
"Hey, what are you saying?" Liu Huamei was talking to Chen Qingyang's sister, Chen Qingyu, when she heard Chen Qianqing's words and widened her eyes. "Xiao Hui is only seventeen, don't talk nonsense."
Chen Qingyu just smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, don't blame Qianqing. It was just a joke."
Blushing, Chen Xiaohui said, "Brother, you're so annoying."
Chen Qianqing revealed a smile of confusion.
Lu Zhengfei looked at Chen Qianqing's smile and suddenly had a feeling that he was about to be unlucky...
Liu Huamei said, "You guys chat first, I'll go cook." After speaking, she went into the kitchen.
Chen Qingyang spoke up, "Qianqing, take Xiao Hui and your friend out to buy some drinks and maybe some fruits." He clearly wanted to separate the children first before discussing serious matters with Chen Qingyu.
Chen Qianqing tactfully agreed, and the three of them changed their shoes and headed outside.
Chen Xiaohui's family conditions were average, and she had never been out of their province before. It was naturally quite amusing for her to see her brother return from studying outside. However, it was evident that she had a greater interest in Lu Zhengfei than in Chen Qianqing.
The influence of parents on a child is the greatest. Chen Xiaohui's parents divorced largely because her mother had almost been caught having an affair, and the man couldn't bear it anymore, so he directly asked for a divorce regardless of Chen Xiaohui's presence.
"Lu Ge, are you also at the same university as my brother?" Chen Xiaohui asked Lu Zhengfei for some information along the way.
Lu Zhengfei wanted to pretend to be a caring older brother, so naturally, he answered all her questions. Unlike Chen Qianqing, who couldn't be bothered to pay attention to Chen Xiaohui and only nodded or shook his head.
Lu Zhengfei continued to play his role as the friendly older brother. "I'm already working now, so we're just friends."
Chen Xiaohui exclaimed, "Oh, I couldn't tell at all. You look so young... I almost thought you and my brother were classmates."
Lu Zhengfei chuckled.
Hearing this in a low voice, Chen Qianqing, who was already in a bad mood, frowned. "Lu Zhengfei, bring me a box of yogurt."
Before Lu Zhengfei could finish laughing, he turned his head and went to get the yogurt. When he came back excitedly, Chen Qianqing raised an eyebrow. "Don't you know I don't eat strawberry flavor?"
Lu Zhengfei replied, "...Didn't you choose strawberry and taro popcorn the day before yesterday?"
Chen Qianqing said, "Didn't you see that I only ate the taro flavor?"
Lu Zhengfei: "...Alright, let's not say anything more. I'll go exchange it for an aloe vera flavor."
Chen Xiaohui has always been good at reading people's expressions. Seeing Chen Qianqing's expression, she cautiously asked, "Brother, are you angry?"
Chen Qianqing put on a smile that oddly resembled Lu Zhengfei's fake smile. "Silly girl, why would I be angry with you?"
Chen Xiaohui suddenly became a bit afraid to talk to Chen Qianqing.
When Lu Zhengfei came back with the yogurt, he saw Chen Xiaohui bowing her head, completely losing the chatty demeanor she had earlier. And when he looked at Chen Qianqing's expressionless face, even a fool could tell what had happened.
Lu Zhengfei asked, "Qianqing, what fruit do you want to eat?"
"I don't really have a preference," Chen Qianqing replied. After thinking for a moment, he realized that treating his cousin this way might not be the best... Well, even though he used to consider any woman who approached Chen Qianqing as a rival, the biggest problem now was that he himself was Chen Qianqing. So he spoke up, "Xiao Hui, what do you want to eat?"
Chen Xiaohui pitifully glanced at Chen Qianqing and whispered, "I want to eat mangosteen." She liked this fruit, but it was usually quite pricey, so her mom rarely bought it for her.
Chen Qianqing handed her a bag and said, "Pick as many as you want, and Lu Ge will pay."
Lu Zhengfei: "..."
Chen Xiaohui finally smiled and sweetly said, "Thank you, Lu Ge!"
Lu Zhengfei glanced at Chen Qianqing and muttered, "You're welcome."