Chapter 327 - 275: Earn Money to Marry You

Xue Rui looked surprised. ’So there’s a story behind this dish?’

He looked at his father. Xie Jianfeng’s expression had clearly changed, and he picked up a large serving of wood ear mushrooms with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

"For a first time, this is already excellent," Xie Jianfeng said with a smile.

’So she made this specially for me? This girl is so thoughtful...’

’I must have had nothing better to do. Why was I nitpicking for no reason? Wasn’t I just looking for trouble?’

"Um, Uncle, if... if you don’t like it, you can eat something else first," Lin Ruoxi said in a low voice, glancing at Xue Rui after she finished speaking.

Xue Rui shot his father a look, somewhat dissatisfied with his response. He slid the plate directly in front of Xie Jianfeng and said with a grin, "Dad, don’t forget what you taught me."

Xie Jianfeng’s chopsticks paused. He had taught his son so many things; how could he possibly remember which lesson Xue Rui was referring to?

"When you go to someone else’s house to eat, especially..." Xue Rui dragged out his words, giving Xie Jianfeng a hint.

Xie Jianfeng narrowed his eyes in thought. He had indeed taught Xue Rui that when you eat at someone else’s home, you have to praise the food whether it’s good or not, and you can’t leave a single bite, regardless of whether you’re hungry!

This was especially true when visiting a girlfriend’s family. You had to behave so impeccably that they couldn’t find a single fault. Even if there was a pebble in the rice, you had to pretend you didn’t notice and swallow it...

"They say to lead by example. You have to be a role model for me," Xue Rui said with a sigh.

Xie Jianfeng’s brow twitched. ’Great, the boomerang’s come right back at me!’

He said with a smile, "Thank you, Xixi. This is just what I like."

As he spoke, he pulled the plate closer. The young lady had made this specially for him; no matter what, he had to finish it today.

But looking at the huge plate of wood ear mushrooms and the full bowl of Tijian noodles, he felt his stomach was in for a rough time.

’This girl is really something else!’

’This massive bowl looks like it was prepared for a hardworking village laborer...’

He glanced up and saw that Lin Ruoxi’s bowl was just as full, but Xue Rui’s was much smaller...

Xue Rui smiled. After two years of recuperation, the little lass’s appetite had grown bigger and bigger...

It couldn’t be helped. The little lass wasn’t like other girls. Other girls would only eat a little during proper meals, then snack on all sorts of desserts and treats afterward. The energy from their main meals and snacks was split almost fifty-fifty.

But Lin Ruoxi’s snacks were mostly for him to eat. The little lass herself relied mainly on meals for energy. Plus, with all the mental and physical work she did every day, she burned a lot of calories and ate a lot. Even though she had already eaten his share of breakfast, she probably used up most of that energy just now while cooking, so she could eat another full meal.

The little lass tilted her head, not understanding what the two men were talking about. She just focused on putting Xue Rui’s favorite dishes onto his plate.

Xue Rui glanced at Xie Jianfeng from time to time, prompting the little lass to follow his gaze.

Every time Xie Jianfeng was about to say he couldn’t eat anymore, he would meet Lin Ruoxi’s timid gaze, which made him feel a pang of guilt.

He glanced at Xue Rui and tapped the plate lightly, signaling for his son to help him with some of the wood ear mushrooms.

However, Xue Rui frowned and said, "Dad, you’re the one who said not to tap your plate when you eat."

Xie Jianfeng glared at Xue Rui. ’Can’t you stop guarding your bowl when you talk, you brat?’

Xue Rui actually moved his bowl further away, as if terrified his father would put food in it!

’Whose side are you on?!’

He couldn’t help but think of the saying: a son forgets his mother once he has a wife.

Helpless, he could only grit his teeth and scrape the entire plate of food into his own bowl.

Xue Rui squeezed the little lass’s hand. "Look, see how much my dad is enjoying it? Hurry up and get him another bowl."

Lin Ruoxi was bewildered. Just a moment ago, Xue Rui’s father had seemed unhappy with her cooking, but now he seemed to have a great appetite.

Seeing Lin Ruoxi stand up, Xie Jianfeng hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, that’s enough."

If he were younger, this one bowl definitely wouldn’t have been enough. But he was middle-aged now, a boss who hadn’t done manual labor for years. His appetite had shrunk drastically along with his physical activity. This bowl of noodles alone was enough to fill him to bursting...

Xue Rui saw that his dad’s face was turning red from eating so much, so he pushed his own bowl in front of the little lass.

Xie Jianfeng raised his head curiously. He thought Xue Rui had finished and was about to ask Lin Ruoxi for another bowl, but his bowl was still half full?

Just as he was wondering, Lin Ruoxi picked up Xue Rui’s bowl...

"Mm, you don’t like Tijian noodles? I’ll make you something else next time," Lin Ruoxi said softly, then began to quickly finish off Xue Rui’s leftovers.

Xie Jianfeng almost spat out his food. Xue Rui had just lectured him about not leaving any food behind...

’And besides, what kind of girl eats a man’s leftovers?’

’You brat, you’re doing this on purpose for me to see!’ Xie Jianfeng cursed inwardly, stomping on Xue Rui’s foot under the table.

He was already struggling to eat, and now Xue Rui was deliberately leaving food to show him. He had been thinking that with Xue Rui setting the precedent, he could leave some food behind too. But Lin Ruoxi actually ate Xue Rui’s leftovers, which changed everything...

’This feeling of having your hopes raised only to be immediately crushed is really bad for the appetite.’

Xue Rui actually wanted to add, ’If you can’t eat it, then don’t.’

But he was afraid his old man would really lose it...

In the end, under the "supervision" of Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi, Xie Jianfeng forced the entire massive bowl of noodles and plate of wood ear mushrooms into his stomach.

Now, Xie Jianfeng couldn’t even stand up straight. He was afraid that one wrong move would send the food back up his throat. He carefully lay down on the sofa to rest.

When he saw Lin Ruoxi go to the kitchen to wash the dishes, he let out a long sigh of relief. "Phew~ That was a close one. I was so stuffed I almost threw up."