Whenever he spoke of his ex-wife, He Yannian appeared calm and nonchalant on the surface.
But in reality, a man's pride is strong.
In front of his daughter, he couldn't help but harbor a tiny, secretive competitive streak with his ex-wife.
He may not have been as thoughtful with gifts as Lai Man, but he had his own advantages–at least in terms of proximity, he was closer to his daughters, living in the same city, and occasionally he could drink the nourishing soups Zhiyun made with love. This made He Yannian quite proud.
"Do all these vegetables need to be washed? Let me help you."
Keeping his thoughts to himself, He Yannian didn't let them show.
Removing his suit jacket and rolling up his shirt sleeves, he walked over to stand by the sink.
"You know how to wash them? I doubt it."
Lai Zhiyun, who had just finished washing a pot and was about to make soup, paused with the clay pot in her hands, expressing both surprise and skepticism.
In her memory, Old He was someone who was entirely waited on hand and foot.
He knew how to wash vegetables?
"Is washing vegetables difficult?" On his way here, he had watched quite a few tutorial videos for kitchen novices on how to wash and cook. The steps seemed simple, and it didn't look difficult to learn.
"Not difficult, just surprised to see you doing it, that's all."
"I was just lazy before, didn't want to bother."
"...Well, then you wash the lettuce."
Seeing He Yannian eager to try, Lai Zhiyun's words of refusal reached her lips and then she swallowed them back down, not wanting to dampen his spirits. She assigned him the easiest task, "Just pry the leaves apart and rinse them twice with water."
Once she finished explaining, Lai Zhiyun took a couple of steps back and watched him quietly from the side.
He Yannian was tall. As he bent down to stand by the sink, his movements were clumsy and sluggish, meticulously prying apart each lettuce leaf.
In Lai Zhiyun's eyes, this scene stirred up ripples in her heart, and suddenly, the memory box in her mind opened, echoing some words Lady Lai Man had once said.
She said: Your father may not be a good husband, a good lover, but he is a competent father. When you were little, he also made your formula and changed your diapers. He never disdained you for being a girl like your grandfather did. Even more so, because of you, he has always been particularly generous to me, his ex-wife;
People say I am clever, that even after so many years since our divorce, he still can't let me go. Pfft, you should take these sour words as jokes. What your dad can't let go of is you; he cannot bear to have you suffer with me, and that's why, whenever I needed money to turn over for my business, he was willing to lend it to me and even provide extra connections;
As for our divorce, on one hand, it was because of issues with both of our families of origin, and on the other hand, it was due to our respective personality issues. Plus, marrying early, we were both immature; conflicts arose without timely resolutions, growing out of control over time. Eventually, our affection was nearly exhausted, and life together became unbearable, so we had no choice but to divorce.
Overall, your dad has commendable character, he's a good person.
So, Old He is also successful in his character, even his ex-wife says he's a good man.
Lai Zhiyun's mouth curved into a knowing smile.
"What are you smiling about?" He Yannian caught a glimpse of Lai Zhiyun's face from the corner of his eye, just when she had smiled.
"I was just remembering the praise my mom had for you. She said you're a good person with decent character."
"Oh."
He had heard these words from Lai Zhiyun before, more than once, so He Yannian reacted mildly, giving a perfunctory business-like compliment, "Your mom's not bad either, generous and with vision."
Anyway, he couldn't badmouth his ex-wife in front of his daughter, so a little flattery would do.
"Alright, I'll pass on your compliments to Lady Lai Man. Then…" Lai Zhiyun glanced at the groceries she'd bought, thought for a moment, and then said, "once the vegetables are washed, you can peel the radishes."
Because He Yannian preferred light flavors, Lai Zhiyun didn't cook food that was rich or salty.
Radish beef meatball soup, steamed pork ribs with minced garlic, steamed bass, lettuce in oyster sauce, and white pepper chicken soup with pig stomach.
Four dishes and one soup, the father and daughter spent a whole hour and a half preparing this lunch together.
"OK, time to eat."
Lai Zhiyun placed a bowl of soup in front of He Yannian and then clapped her hands together, announcing the meal's start with great ceremony.
"Wait, let's take a picture first." A meal specially made for him by Zhiyun had to be commemorated with a photo.
Click—
After taking pictures from different angles, He Yannian chose the one he liked best and posted it straight to his social circle.
He Yannian: Lunch made by my daughter. JPG.
After the successful upload, he liked the post himself.
Perfect!
"I posted on Moments, can you like it for me?" He Yannian, holding his phone, looked up at Lai Zhiyun and demanded, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
This...
Is it so urgent to get a like on Moments?
Lai Zhiyun couldn't help but mock in her mind, but she didn't resist in action, putting down the chopsticks she had just picked up and going to the living room to find her phone.
"Liked, liked."
Before long, Lai Zhiyun returned to the dining table, holding her phone up to He Yannian, "Look here."
On hearing the command, He Yannian looked up and smiled, making a peace sign.
Click, click, click—
Three consecutive shots brilliantly captured the moments of He Yannian's beaming smile.
Not bad, the old man is really getting more down-to-earth.
He actually did a peace sign for the photo!
His bossy facade had been completely abandoned.
"Cute! It looks good."
Lai Zhiyun stared at the photos for two seconds, nodded her head with satisfaction, then tapped her finger on the screen, sent the photos to He Yannian, and also casually updated her own Moments.
"You posted on Moments?" He Yannian craned his neck to see Lai Zhiyun fiddling with her phone.
"Yeah."
"Then why can't I see your latest update?"
"I set it to 'Only Me' visibility."
He Yannian: "..."
So, he was still, as always, invisible in her Moments.
"Cough, I must clarify, I absolutely didn't mean to despise you."
Seeing He Yannian's face fall, Lai Zhiyun hurriedly explained, "It's mainly because your career is so successful, and you know a lot of people."
"Plus, you're handsome and wealthy, and you look exceptionally young. There was even an underclassman at our school who added me on WeChat, thinking you were my brother who's over a decade older than me. She wanted me to introduce her to you."
"Nonsense!"
He was nearly fifty years old, so how could he possibly look like Zhiyun's brother.
"Really! On the day I registered for university, just because you dropped me off, people saw and started rumors at school that you were my sugar daddy. No one would believe you're my dad, and it's all because you take such good care of yourself, looking at least ten years younger than you are."
It had to be said, He Yannian really was a man favored by time.
Standing at 185 cm tall, he had a robust figure and a demeanor both gentle and composed.
He possessed an aura of mature and collected calm while still eager to engage with new things, and from the inside out, He Yannian had a unique charm of his own, making him appear much younger.
Having such a father had consequently set Lai Zhiyun's standards for men incredibly high, hardly moved even by good-looking guys.
"Dad, you need to have a proper understanding of yourself. My uncle is nine years younger than you, but he looks two years older."
He Yannian: "Exaggerated. Your uncle is just a bit fatter than me."
"Anyway, the point is you're too eye-catching, not suitable for my Moments."
"Can't you create a group, set the visibility to family only?"
"Uh... yes, let's eat first. I haven't sorted my WeChat friends into groups. I'll do it later."
Hey—
She could see clearly now, He Yannian also had the desire to show off.