Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Food-Loving Mother (Part Two)

Tao Ming gazed at her parents and daughter lying on the bed, her heart brimming with happiness and joy. While her parents conversed with Ruanruan, Tao Ming greeted Doukou and Qingdai as well. Both of them had reddened eyes, sighing at how Tao Ming had grown up.

After chatting for a while, Tao Sisi began to think about hotpot again. She sat up, preparing to get out of bed. Tao Ming hurriedly supported her, asking, “Mother, are you well enough to get out of bed?”

Tao Sisi replied with a playful laugh, “I feel like if I have hotpot two more times, I’ll be completely healed.”

Tao Ming was speechless.

Qin Siyu also got up, and Tao Ming couldn’t help but ask, “Were you two pretending to be ill?”

Tao Sisi coughed twice and said, “No, no, we were truly injured.”

Then she instructed, “Doukou, go to each courtyard and call everyone—hotpot in a while.”

Doukou responded and left the bedroom, only to return shortly, saying, “The young master is still sitting in the main hall.”

With that, Doukou left again—after all, notifying everyone about hotpot was more important than the young master.

Tao Sisi was surprised. “Young master?”

Tao Ming pointed at Ruanruan. “Her real father—my husband.”

Tao Sisi’s astonishment grew. “How could he come to Weishui?”

“His name is Su Nanxing, son of Su Yanfeng.”

Qin Siheng was equally shocked. “How did you end up involved with the Su family?”

Tao Ming now found it odd as well. “Didn’t Grandfather tell you about this?”

Tao Sisi seemed a bit embarrassed. “I was annoyed that he’d eaten everything I brought back, so I haven’t spoken to him in ages.”

Tao Ming was at a loss for words.

Tao Sisi slipped on her shoes and quickly went outside. In the main hall, she saw a young man sitting with a white cat in his arms. She commented, “You’re quite affectionate, eh? Bringing your cat wherever you go?”

Su Nanxing was rather embarrassed. Facing this lively and playful mother-in-law, he didn’t dare call her ‘Mother’ for fear of being scolded, nor could he bring himself to call her ‘Auntie.’ So, he held Nuonuo in both hands and awkwardly replied, “This is the Sacred Beast White Tiger.”

Hearing this, Tao Sisi took Nuonuo, stroked her fur a few times, and asked, “She’s so small, what could she possibly do?”

Nuonuo was displeased: “I’m one of the Four Divine Beasts—Ruanruan’s little sister!”

Tao Sisi burst out laughing. “I think ‘Ruanruan’s little sister’ is an even grander title than one of the Four Divine Beasts!”

Tao Ming, holding Ruanruan, stood behind them, and upon hearing this, she couldn’t help a headache. How could her own mother seem even more childish than herself?

Ruanruan declared proudly, “I am grand indeed!”

Tao Sisi approved, “Ruanruan is right.”

Handing Nuonuo back to Su Nanxing, Tao Sisi sized him up and said, “You look even older than me, yet you had the nerve to abduct my daughter. How could you do such a thing?”

Qin Siyu thought to himself, “Isn’t she scolding me too?” He coughed and said, “Sisi, weren’t we going to have hotpot?”

Tao Ming felt her hunger as well. She asked, “Mother, where are we eating? How do we do it? I’m hungry too.”

Tao Sisi glanced at the door. “They should be here soon.”

Not long after, they heard Qin Youchuan’s voice at the entrance: “Sisi, I heard from Doukou we’re having hotpot?”

Tao Sisi instructed Qin Siyu, “Go talk with Father.”

Then she returned to the bedroom, purpose unknown.

Qin Siyu left, smiling. He saw Qin Youchuan waiting at the entrance and went over to say, “Father, Mingming brought hotpot base and ingredients—enough for the whole family.”

Qin Youchuan was elated. “Let’s go, let’s go! Those divided hotpots haven’t been used in ages.”

...

Su Nanxing stood off to the side with Nuonuo in his arms, supremely awkward. He had never expected Tao Ming’s mother to be like this, and a sense of powerlessness crept into his heart.

He sidled up to Tao Ming and whispered, “Your mother doesn’t seem to like me much. What should I do?”

Tao Ming teased him, “Aren’t you the expert at winning women over?”

Su Nanxing replied aggrievedly, “I only know how to win you over.”

Tao Ming rolled her eyes. “I don’t care; figure it out yourself.”

Su Nanxing nudged Ruanruan and winked at her. Ruanruan immediately declared, “Mommy, this isn’t right!”

“What’s not right?”

“You’re always bullying Daddy—and you bully me too! If you keep it up, we won’t love you anymore!”

Oh my, was this a rebellion?

Tao Ming shoved Ruanruan into Su Nanxing’s arms. “Fine, don’t love me then!”

Ruanruan clung to Tao Ming’s neck, refusing to let go. “You can’t say that!”

Tao Ming suppressed a laugh. “If you don’t love me, why are you still hugging me?”

“But I do love you! If Daddy doesn’t love you, then we don’t need this Daddy anymore.”

Su Nanxing saw the laughter in Tao Ming’s eyes and knew she was just playing with Ruanruan. He handed Ruanruan back to her. “Dear wife, say a few nice things to Mother-in-law for me, won’t you?”

Tao Sisi happened to emerge from the bedroom just then and retorted, “Who is your mother-in-law? Call me Auntie.”

Tao Ming turned at the sound, only to see Tao Sisi’s face deathly pale, her eyes dull and lifeless. Startled, she asked, “Mother, what’s wrong?”

Leaning on Dingxiang, Tao Sisi feigned frailty. “I’m seriously injured.”

Tao Ming thought, “Do you take me for a fool?”

Just a moment ago, she was bounding about, eager to eat the world; now she was ‘seriously injured’?

Tao Sisi let Dingxiang help her outside, moving slowly. “Let’s go, let’s go, time for hotpot.”

Tao Ming threw a flirtatious glance at Su Nanxing. “Come on, it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t like you—so long as I do.”

Su Nanxing tensed up, and Nuonuo in his arms complained, “Daddy, you’re squashing me!”

After a quarter of an hour’s walk, they arrived at a small courtyard. Tao Ming entered and found only a single, square house within. The walls were lined with many windows, the main door stood wide open, and a lively clamor came from inside.

Someone inside spotted Tao Ming’s group through a window and called out, “They’re here!”

Following behind Tao Sisi, Tao Ming entered and was struck by the sensation that she’d walked into a workplace cafeteria. The space was large, filled with many long, rectangular tables, each seating six.

As she drew closer, she saw that each table had a round opening in the center, into which was set a divided hotpot, filled with clear water already lightly steaming.

Tao Ming laughed. “Mother, this is so professional!”

Tao Sisi replied in her feigned weak voice, “It’s all about the atmosphere.”

Qin Youchuan called to her, “Mingming, come, come, sit with Grandfather.”

Tao Ming’s first instinct was that it wasn’t proper; she was the grandchild, after all, how could she sit with the head of the family? But glancing around, she saw men and women freely mingling at the tables, and no one objected, so she went over.

At that table sat Qin Youchuan, Qin Siyu, and Tao Sisi. As Tao Ming set Ruanruan on a chair, Qin Youchuan called out to the room, “Send one person from each table to collect the supplies.”

He then turned to Tao Ming. “I heard from Fifth Uncle you have a special kind of liquor—packs quite a punch. Do you have any left?”

Tao Ming laughed. “I have plenty.”

Sons sent sons, daughters sent daughters, those without children came themselves—everyone lined up in order before Tao Ming.

Tao Sisi couldn’t wait. “Mingming, give some to your mother first!”

Tao Ming took out the hotpot base and ingredients, distributing them to each person. Those who received them hurried back to start cooking.

Once every table was supplied, Tao Ming noticed Su Nanxing still standing, not seated. She asked, “Why aren’t you sitting?”

Su Nanxing whispered, “Nuonuo says she wants some too.”

Tao Ming looked around the room, thinking that sooner or later, everyone would have to know that Nuonuo could transform into a human.

So she took Nuonuo from Su Nanxing’s arms and raised her voice to address the crowd, “Let me show everyone a little magic trick.”