Chapter 326 - 274: A Dad with Double Standards

Before long, the group was walking upstairs. Lin Ruoxi trudged along with the large bags, huffing and puffing, her small hands turning white from the strain of the plastic handles.

Although Xie Jianfeng was more partial to Gu Muxue, he couldn’t help but shoot Xue Rui a glare. ’How can this kid be so clueless?’ he thought. ’Making a girl do all the heavy lifting?’

Xue Rui quickly reached for the bags, but Lin Ruoxi shifted them away from him. "Oh, they’re not heavy. We’re almost there."

Xue Rui shrugged helplessly. Hearing her, Xie Jianfeng’s brow twitched. ’Why does this girl give off such a strong mother hen vibe?’

Upon entering the room, Xie Jianfeng glanced around, and his thoughts were instantly pulled back many years. Before he could even process the feeling, he saw that Xue Rui had already taken off his shoes. Lin Ruoxi, meanwhile, had crouched down to get two pairs of slippers, placing them at his and Xue Rui’s feet.

"Thank you." Xie Jianfeng felt a bit awkward. This wasn’t a hotel or restaurant, after all; he felt a little guilty being waited on so attentively.

However, he saw not a hint of guilt on his son’s face. It seemed he was completely used to it...

He glanced back and saw that Lin Ruoxi had even arranged their shoes neatly.

Xie Jianfeng looked at the old furniture and appliances that had once been his. ’It’s barely changed from when I lived here,’ he thought. ’Some of this stuff felt old even to me back then. A young person today would find it even harder to accept...’

’This apartment belongs to Lin Ruoxi now, so why hasn’t she replaced the furniture?’

’Hasn’t she asked Xue Rui for money?’

’Then what does she want from staying by Xue Rui’s side?’

’My son’s biggest asset is his money!’

"Sir, please wait just a moment. I’ll have everything ready soon." Lin Ruoxi poured water for him and Xue Rui before heading into the kitchen to get busy.

"Alright. Thank you for going to all this trouble," Xie Jianfeng said with a smile.

After Lin Ruoxi left for the kitchen, Xie Jianfeng pointed to the appliances in the room. "Xiaorui, do these old things still work?"

"She fixed them. Said they just needed a little work and they’d be fine," Xue Rui said with a sigh of resignation.

’He’d wanted to replace them long ago, but this was Lin Ruoxi’s home. The girl didn’t like new things. She preferred the sense of accomplishment that came from patching things up, and then she’d wait for him to pat her head and give her a few words of praise...’

While Lin Ruoxi was cooking, a bored Xie Jianfeng wandered through the two bedrooms. They were as plain as could be, with none of the usual touches of a young woman’s room. He couldn’t even tell which one was hers.

Out of professional habit, he subconsciously swiped his finger along a hidden corner. It came away perfectly clean. The place was cleaned more meticulously than a room serviced by professionally trained hotel staff...

"Dad, what are you, a detective?" Xue Rui asked.

"Heh, just a habit," Xie Jianfeng said, rubbing his fingers together.

Xue Rui glanced at the spotless furniture. ’Ruoxi must have cleaned the moment she got back,’ he thought. ’Probably figured I’d be staying over...’

Listening to the rhythmic THUD-THUD-THUD of chopping from the kitchen, Xie Jianfeng nodded. "Impressive."

He used to be a chef himself. Even without setting foot in the kitchen, he could gauge Lin Ruoxi’s knife skills from such small details. While she was no match for a professional, she was leagues beyond the average home cook.

Since it was already lunchtime, Lin Ruoxi cooked dishes that were quick to prepare. Instead of slowly kneading dough for Xue Rui as she usually would, she made tijian, a type of noodle that could be prepared much faster.

After the two men had waited for just a short while, Lin Ruoxi brought out four or five dishes, along with several bowls of steaming hot tijian noodles.

Xie Jianfeng nodded to himself. This girl clearly spent a lot of time in the kitchen. He could tell by her speed alone; she had obviously planned each step logically, or the food would never have come out this fast.

He sat at the head of the table, picked up his chopsticks, and tasted each dish. Home cooking didn’t require strict consistency; instead, every dish had its own unique character. Lin Ruoxi had clearly put her heart into the meal. He could taste it.

"Xixi, your cooking is delicious."

"However, the cooking time for this wood ear fungus wasn’t quite right," Xie Jianfeng said, pointing at the dish. He couldn’t find any other major flaws.

Xue Rui’s brow twitched. ’What a double standard!’ he thought angrily.

’This morning, Gu Muxue made a complete mess of a meal, and you were grinning from ear to ear.’

’Now Lin Ruoxi makes a meal that’s on a completely different level, and you decide to start critiquing?’

But that was human nature. The Gu Family was well-off, so even if Gu Muxue’s cooking wasn’t up to par, his father would instinctively overlook it.

As for Lin Ruoxi, she had no resources and no family to protect her. Thus, Xie Jianfeng instinctively focused his scrutiny on her as a person, which in turn raised his standards for her.

Lin Ruoxi instantly tensed up. ’Xue Rui’s father said my cooking wasn’t good...’

Under the table, Xue Rui took her hand. He explained with forced patience, "This is the first time I’ve had this dish, too. I’m guessing it was her first time making it."

’If Dad keeps nitpicking,’ he thought, ’I’m going to have to throw him out. Why should she have to suffer this kind of treatment?’

’Damn it, if you don’t like it, don’t eat it!’

Feeling the warmth and strength of Xue Rui’s hand gave Lin Ruoxi the courage to speak. In a small, timid voice, she said, "Um, I heard you coughing earlier, and... I heard from the woman at the market that wood ear fungus is good for the lungs."

"I... I didn’t do a very good job this first time. I’ll practice and get better."