Chapter 126
“Sorry, baby, let’s just make do with this for now. For dinner, for dinner, I’ll definitely try harder!” Wei Chengli said, feeling guilty, he picked up the only plate on the table and pushed the meager amount of shredded cucumber, barely covering the bottom of the plate, into the little chubby dumpling’s bowl of Liangpi.
“Let’s share.” Wei Maomao said, picking up her chopsticks and transferring half of the shredded cucumber back into Wei Chengli’s bowl.
The already small amount of cucumber, after being divided between them, barely covered the Liangpi in their bowls, truly a reflection of their last-place ranking.
“It’s because I was too scared… That car…” Wei Chengli said, his guilt and remorse prompting him to explain as he tried to push the shredded cucumber back into the little chubby dumpling’s bowl.
Wei Maomao covered her bowl with her chubby paw, stopping Wei Chengli’s eight hundredth self-criticism. “You said, ‘Safety first.’ People’s safety is the most important, and shredded cucumber is also delicious.”
Wei Chengli clutched his chest, sob, sob, sob, his baby was the best baby in the world!
After dealing with her old father, Wei Maomao didn’t have time for more comforting, she tilted her head slightly, her ears perked up, her attention focused on the Cheng family’s table, one table away.
Earlier, when they came downstairs, the large round table in the hall had been replaced with six small square tables, individual meals had returned, and the dads were already seated at their respective tables.
Wei Maomao, who had gotten used to eating and living with Cheng Tingyan these past few days, naturally pulled her to Wei Chengli’s table.
But… the last-place side dish was just a plate of shredded cucumber, barely covering the bottom, not even enough for three or four bites.
And at the Cheng family’s table, one table away, there were meat and vegetable dishes, several plates piled high, a feast befitting their second-place ranking.
Wei Maomao was too embarrassed to keep Cheng Tingyan there, and Cheng Tingyan also said she would go and eat at the Cheng family’s table, so her chubby paw… naturally loosened its grip. Actually, Wei Maomao could roughly guess Cheng Tingyan’s unspoken words, she didn’t want to share their meager portion of shredded cucumber…
But it was just a meal, it wouldn’t take more than a few minutes to finish, and they were just one table away, nothing unexpected should happen.
This was what Wei Maomao thought, but most of her attention was still involuntarily on Cheng Tingyan.
At the Cheng family’s table, Cheng Feiying looked at the plates of shredded chicken, pork tenderloin, scrambled eggs, fried dough twists, shredded carrots, shredded cucumbers, braised gluten, peanuts, and felt very smug.
Wanting to give up when he lost, being arrogant when he won, this was Cheng Feiying.
At this moment, Cheng Feiying no longer had that “whatever, just get through these few days” attitude. He felt capable again!
Hmph, what baby, what parent, a real parent, a breadwinner, it still depended on him.
Getting second place in the go-karting competition this morning, the dads’ praise reignited his passion, the excitement hadn’t faded yet, his mind was still buzzing.
Seeing Cheng Tingyan first go to the Wei family’s table, then dejectedly return to theirs, Cheng Feiying, after holding back for a moment, couldn’t help but scoff. “What, realizing that the food at home is better?”
Cheng Tingyan looked down at the Liangpi in her bowl and didn’t answer.
Cheng Feiying, dissatisfied with her silence, tapped his knuckles on the bowl and said with a hint of mockery, “Aren’t you always eating over there? Why did you come back when they only have cucumber today? It seems you don’t like it there that much after all. But at least you know to come back when there’s meat to eat, you’re not that stupid after all, eat.”
“I’m just eating Liangpi, not the toppings.” Cheng Tingyan said in a low voice, without looking up. She didn’t even bother mixing the sauce, she just picked up the white Liangpi with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth.
“You…” Cheng Feiying was about to say, “Are you being ungrateful?” when he was interrupted by a soft, childish voice, filled with anger.
“Yan Yan! Let’s go!” Wei Maomao shouted, rushing over like a cannonball, she wished she had longer arms and legs. She had started getting off the stool as soon as she heard the disapproval in Cheng Feiying’s tone, but even with just these few steps, he still managed to say those hurtful words.
She should have! Just shouted from the stool! Anyway, she didn’t need a good image!
Cheng Tingyan turned to look at the little chubby bunny, her warm, soft paw grabbing her waist… The entire bunny looked puffed up, as if she was about to explode.
The inexplicable sadness and grievance in her heart instantly vanished.
Cheng Tingyan wasn’t here for the good food, she only came back because she felt bad about sharing that small plate of cucumber at the Wei family’s table. Now that it had come to this, she naturally wouldn’t refuse the little chubby bunny’s request, she got up, following the force of the chubby paw.
“This is what the program team gave us, one bowl per person, unlimited.” Cheng Tingyan said, taking her bowl of Liangpi, which she had already taken a bite of, she looked at Cheng Feiying seriously and explained.
Cheng Feiying, who had been in a good mood, was now angry again, thanks to these two.
“Go, go, go, go eat your cucumber. You don’t even know how to appreciate meat…” Cheng Feiying said impatiently, waving them away. But looking at the little menace, staring at him with wide eyes, he instinctively swallowed the rest of his words.
What, he was just casually talking to his daughter, was this little menace going to bite him!
Cheng Feiying felt indignant, but he still didn’t provoke her further.
Some people, taking a step back, found peace and tranquility.
Dream on!
“Like owner, like food, the meat here will make you stupid, I won’t let Yan Yan eat it!” Wei Maomao, fuming, first pushed Cheng Tingyan back to their table, then turned around and threw those words at Cheng Feiying, before returning to her seat, still fuming.
“You!” Cheng Feiying, caught off guard, was scolded by a three-year-old little menace.
What was going on! She was just being sarcastic before, and now she was directly insulting him?
“Brother Cheng, Yan Yan went out to sell vegetables, then did piecework, even picked so many sealing rings, to buy you good food, to get you a better lunch and noodles with so many meat toppings, she never said anything like ‘You’re not that stupid after all, eat,’ those condescending words.” Wei Chengli said, standing up before Cheng Feiying could explode, he scooped up the little chubby dumpling, who had just returned to their table and wasn’t far enough from Cheng Feiying, with his long arms. “Yan Yan didn’t go back to your table because she disliked us, nor because we only had shredded cucumber on our table. She… was afraid we wouldn’t have enough to eat, so she didn’t want to stay and share our cucumber. Right, Yan Yan?”
As he spoke, Wei Chengli looked down at the little girl, who was standing by the table, her head lowered.
Cheng Tingyan looked up, her eyes slightly red.
There was no need to nod, no need to answer, everything was in her eyes.
“Director Wei, what do you mean?” Cheng Feiying also stood up. “Maomao is only three years old, I won’t argue with her. That phrase ‘like owner, like food,’ did you teach her that too…”
Just as Cheng Feiying’s outburst began, a soft whisper came from the table in between them. But… the content was far more impactful than the volume.
“If your heart is filled with Buddha, everything you see is Buddha. If your heart is filled with shit… Mmm… Mmm…” Wen Jiangyue, who was thinking of a story, mumbled, her mouth suddenly covered.
Wen Qiming, his hand firmly covering his daughter’s mouth, looked at the left, then at the right, trying to smile without looking too awkward. “Well… Let’s eat quickly? These Liangpi were freshly made by the program team in the kitchen, they can’t be left out for too long in the summer, it can cause… rice yeast bacteria poisoning, with a mortality rate of over 40%, very dangerous. For our safety, let’s eat quickly… Don’t let down the program team’s efforts in making them fresh for us.”
Cheng Feiying: “… “
These families, one after another, were they all crazy!
But Wen family’s interruption made it difficult for Cheng Feiying to continue his outburst.
After all, the unfinished sentence from Wen Jiangyue was probably “If your heart is filled with shit, everything you see is shit,” right? What should he do, scold one family, then scold another? Ahhh! He was even angrier!
Seizing this opportunity, Zeng Huanian quickly ushered the staff members who were serving the sauce, asking about their preferences, teaching them how to mix it, helping them stir… A group of staff squeezed in between the tables, busily creating a lively atmosphere, finally covering up the earlier tension.
“Yan Yan, here you go.” Wei Maomao said, sitting down with puffed cheeks, she immediately transferred all the shredded cucumber in her bowl to Cheng Tingyan.
“No, I’ll just eat Liangpi.” Cheng Tingyan said, grabbing the little chubby paw covering her bowl, she transferred the cucumber back.
“Eat a little.” Wei Maomao said, but quickly transferred the cucumber back again.
Wei Chengli, watching the two little ones go back and forth with those two chopsticks of shredded cucumber, felt… regret.
Sob, sob, sob, he should have tried harder this morning!
If they were second to last, they could have had an extra plate of shredded carrots and an extra plate of scrambled eggs!
He was so useless!
Wei Chengli, teary-eyed, stopped the two little ones’ endless exchange of kindness, he swiftly dumped the shredded cucumber from his bowl into theirs, and even said to Cheng Tingyan, “It’s clean, I haven’t touched it.”
“I don’t…” Cheng Tingyan instinctively tried to transfer it back to Wei Chengli.
A soft voice suddenly came from beside them.
“Well, these are also clean.” Wen Jiangyue said, after watching for a while, she finally found a chance to join this intense situation, she quickly added a spoonful of shredded carrots and scrambled eggs to each of their bowls, then quickly ran back to her table.
This was her first time experiencing such a thrilling food delivery, Wen Jiangyue thought, patting her chest, recalling the scene at the next table, where chopsticks were flying.
Right, speaking of which…
“Dad, you haven’t answered me yet, why did you cover my mouth earlier…” Wen Jiangyue said, dissatisfied.
“Why…” Wen Qiming said with a wry smile. “Don’t you think talking about… shit… at the dinner table is a bit… unappetizing?” Cheng Feiying was already so angry, if she said that about him, he might jump over and hit them, what would he do, an old man, if he couldn’t fight back? Forget about himself, he wouldn’t be able to protect his daughter, even if he wasn’t hit, he would be angered to death.
“It does seem a bit.” Wen Jiangyue said, after thinking for a moment, she agreed, then looked at Wen Qiming, confused. “But we’re about to eat Liangpi, and you’re talking about how eating Liangpi might cause poisoning, with a mortality rate of over 40%, it seems just as unappetizing as talking about shit…”
Wen Qiming: “… “ Hehehe! Who was he trying so hard to change the subject for! It seemed he would be angered to death not by Cheng Feiying’s attack, but by his own daughter!
Wen Jiangyue’s earlier mumbling was quite soft, except for the Cheng and Wei families’ tables next to them, the other families didn’t hear it clearly. But they did hear Cheng Feiying’s yelling and the things Wei Chengli said after standing up.
The battle had just begun, and it was extinguished by Wen Qiming and the program team’s intervention, the other families didn’t have a chance to say anything.
But…
The friendly food sharing started with Wen Jiangyue, then Wen Dongyu, Shen Zilin… Even Wang Zhizhi joined in, albeit a bit late.
No words were spoken, but their actions showed their stance.
The most interesting thing was, the Wei family was at the table on the far right, the children from the other families, when bringing their food over, had to pass by the Cheng family’s table.
They didn’t say anything, they didn’t even glance at Cheng Feiying, they just used their silent actions to anger him again and again.
Cheng Feiying, looking at the food on his table, no longer felt the smugness he had when he first sat down.
What was the point, what was the point of winning!
Did these people have any competitive spirit! Sharing their food! What was the difference between winning and losing like this! He had specifically practiced go-karting for half a month, wasn’t it all in vain! What happened to the promised highlight moment!
When a person was inherently incompetent, even if they knew the task in advance, practiced specifically, and got a good ranking, they couldn’t achieve good results, there was nothing they could do about it.
Cheng Feiying’s displeasure was evident on his face. Cheng Rongrong, after glancing at him a few times, just quietly ate her Liangpi. She knew she should follow the trend and add food to the Wei family’s table. But… Hehe, Cheng Feiying would probably explode if she even suggested it.
Cheng Rongrong couldn’t completely abandon Cheng Feiying yet and just focus on her perfect image, she could only hold back.
Taking a tasteless bite of shredded chicken, Cheng Rongrong couldn’t understand… Did they truly like Wei Maomao and Cheng Tingyan that much?
Shen Zilin even specifically looked at the food on the other tables before bringing sausage and crab sticks over.
Those were dishes only the first-place team had! Now Cheng Tingyan and the others were eating even more luxuriously than them!
So annoying!
Annoying? … Not annoying at all!
Wei Chengli’s heart was melting from the cuteness of these little babies.
“Thanks to you guys, my bowl is overflowing.” Wei Chengli said, looking at the two little ones at his table, feeling touched. He felt a bit embarrassed, but every baby who came over insisted on sharing their food with him, sob, sob, sob, they were truly good children.
“Dad, you said you were good, you should eat.” Wei Maomao said, remembering Wei Chengli’s earlier defense of them, she picked up a piece of sausage and put it in his bowl. “Eat well, say more good things next time.”
Wei Chengli: “… “ He was just caught up in the moment earlier, he couldn’t be so impolite every time, it wasn’t like he was looking for a fight.
“Thank you, Uncle Wei.” Cheng Tingyan also added a chopstickful of shredded chicken to Wei Chengli’s bowl.
Wei Chengli: “… You’re welcome.” Ah, this bowl, this bowl suddenly felt so heavy. He couldn’t hold it, he couldn’t hold it anymore…
But…
“Yan Yan, last time, mmm… that first day in the village, when the dads cooked dinner, and you guys had to guess who made which dish, you seemed to have said that… over there, there should be a portion made by you. Why today… Actually, you could have stayed at that table and eaten freely, you’re not an adult yet, your dad has the responsibility to feed you.” Wei Chengli said, then, feeling a bit angry, he emphasized, “It’s his responsibility!”
Cheng Tingyan lowered her head, mixing the Liangpi in her bowl.
As the little girl lowered her head, Wei Chengli felt guilty again. “Ahhh, I was just saying, I meant you should be more assertive. Of course, you’re happier eating with us, you should be with us… It’s just…”
Wei Chengli didn’t even know what he was saying anymore.
Ah, coaxing children was truly difficult.
“I know.” Cheng Tingyan said softly, looking up at Wei Chengli. “But… it’s not… almost gone…”
“What’s almost gone… Oh.” Wei Chengli said, after a moment, he understood Cheng Tingyan’s meaning.
Was she thinking that the custody was about to be changed, Cheng Feiying would soon no longer have the responsibility to raise her, so she couldn’t eat freely anymore?
They were serious.
Wei Chengli was once again convinced of this.
“Eat, eat more.” Wei Chengli said, not continuing this topic, which was inappropriate for now, he secretly glanced at the little chubby dumpling next to him, who was diligently eating her Liangpi.
This little rascal, she had stirred things up, it wouldn’t be easy to stop now.
But… he had to find a way to keep it on track.
What should he do…
He really had to find a chance to talk to the little rascal again… Speaking of which, although this villa was nice, having the babies and dads live separately made it much more difficult to have private conversations…
Wei Chengli felt troubled.
Some people were troubled because of their children.
And some people, because of their children…
“Eat your toppings.” Wang Qingchuan said, looking at Wang Zhizhi disapprovingly. “Seriously? Wake up, you’re not the parent anymore, why are you still being so fair with the distribution? And I agreed to let them share the food earlier, it’s our food now, why aren’t you eating the toppings?”
“I said it, I was sharing my food.” Wang Zhizhi said, munching on his Liangpi. He already had his own scale, what was his was his, if he didn’t get it, it meant he was being shortchanged, if they took it away, it meant they were stealing from him, if they gave him more, he would return it… During the two days when he was playing the role of his ideal parent, Wang Zhizhi had already found the most comfortable approach.
“What yours, what mine, don’t learn the bad things, learn from Wen Dongyu.” Wang Qingchuan said angrily. “Are you still immersed in the parent role? That Jiang Heye has already left, it’s just the two of us now, stop with the absolute fairness thing, eat if there’s food.”
“Beibei hasn’t left.” Wang Zhizhi said, he had just seen her this morning.
Wang Qingchuan: “… “ She was haunting him!
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