Mother Xiao took out a few tomatoes and told the three, “We don’t have much, but these tomatoes taste good. Why don’t you try them?”
The three’s eyes lit up when they saw the tomatoes.
Ning Weiyi immediately said, “Auntie, you’re too kind. We’re good brothers with Ye. His family is our family. His mother is our mother, so we will act like we’re home.”
Xiao Lingye kept rolling his eyes, secretly scolding them for being shameless. ‘My sister became their sister, and now my mother became their mother. How shameless.’
But, he still added, “Mom, he’s right. You don’t need to be too polite to them.” Xiao Lingye looked at the tomatoes and said, “Mom, they don’t like tomatoes. You should put them away. They like sunflower seeds.” He hadn’t even enjoyed enough tomatoes. How could he give them to these gluttons?
Mother Xiao looked at Xiao Lingye with suspicion when she heard that. Xiao Lingye’s friends immediately said, “Auntie, we can eat anything. Tomatoes are fine!”
Ning Weiyi went forward and took the plate of tomatoes from Mother Xiao. They came all the way for the tomatoes, so how could they miss out?
Ning Weiyi popped a tomato into his mouth. The other two saw this and stopped following the decorum. They grabbed the tomatoes from Ning Weiyi and shoved them into their mouths.
“Wow…” They ate happily, “This is the taste. It’s amazing!” They had missed this taste. The tomatoes were like a sweet dew on their tongues.
Xiao Lingye saw the almost empty plate, and he immediately rushed to grab one for himself.
Yang Baolin countered, “Xiao Lingye, you’re the host. How can you steal food from the guests?”
Xiao Lingye retorted, “You guests are shameless enough to snatch the food from the host, so why can’t I snatch them back?”
Mother Xiao was dumbfounded by their actions. She soon laughed. “Kids, don’t fight over food. There are more.” Mother Xiao then reprimanded Xiao Lingye, “Ye ‘Er, as the host, you really shouldn’t fight for food with our guests. Treat your friends well. I’ll go make dinner.”
Xiao Lingyu also said, “Mom, I’ll help you!”
Mother Xiao said, “Yu ‘Er, you should rest. Your hair is still wet. They’ll become oily again if you enter the kitchen. You can help your brother entertain our guests.”
Ning Weiyi said, “Auntie, there’s no need to prepare anything fancy. We’re not picky eaters.” However, internally, he was curious if the other vegetables were as delicious as the tomatoes. Of course, out of politeness, he couldn’t order Mother Xiao to make specific dishes.
Mother Xiao decided to treat the three guests with the vegetables and fruits Xiao Lingyu’s friends brought. She made a cabbage noodle soup, an eggplant steamboat pot, a stir-fried beef, a stewed mushroom chicken, a fried fish, and a tomato fried egg.
When they had a guest, it was custom for the villagers to welcome them with the best food. They would slaughter the chickens and geese to serve the guests.
Even though Mother Xiao told Xiao Lingyu to stay in the living room, she needed her daughter’s help with the amount of food Mother Xiao planned, or else she might not be able to finish them on time.
Mother Xiao slaughtered the chicken, and Xiao Lingyu helped prepare the vegetables. Mother Xiao stewed the chicken with wild mushrooms. The Xiao Family had an earthen stove with two cooking pots. While one pot was stewing the chicken, Mother Xiao fried the vegetables in the other pot.
The three students, I mean, four students retreated to Xiao Lingye’s room after they finished the tomatoes. They talked mostly about…
“Ye, our sister is really beautiful.”Yang Baolin entered the room and saw a photo of the siblings on the table.
At that time, Xiao Lingye was only six years old, and Xiao Lingyu was twelve years old. Xiao Lingyu didn’t wear glasses in the picture. Despite her age, she was already a beauty. Xiao Lingye’s friends were really captivated by the fairy on earth.
Xiao Lingye’s face darkened. He sternly corrected, “I’ll say this one last time. That’s my sister, not your sister.” He reminded them, “Plus, don’t you all have your own sisters?”
Ning Weiyi shook his head and sighed. “My younger sister is a bit crazy. No one can control her other than my big brother.” But his face still carried a hint of love.
Yang Baolin sighed, “I also have a bigger sister, but we don’t have a good relationship.” He sounded disappointed. This problem was caused by his mother’s preference for sons over daughters!
Yang Baolin’s elder sister hated him for it because he was the reason why that had happened.
Kang Le shook his head and said, “I don’t have any siblings, so I envy you guys.” Especially Xiao Lingye, who had a caring big sister. Of the four, he was the only child.
Then, Kang Le’s eyes lit up. He asked Xiao Lingye, “Ye, do you think our sister will take me as her stepbrother?” He thought this was a fabulous idea.
Xiao Lingye rolled his eyes. “Don’t even think about it!” His sister was his alone.
Just as Kang Le was about to say something, he suddenly sniffed and asked, “Do you guys smell that?”
“Yes,” Yang Baolin said, “It smells like chicken. It smells so good. What kind of dish is this?”
The three immediately stared at Xiao Lingye with burning eyes and said, “Ye, what kind of dish is Auntie cooking? Why does it smell so good?”
“Other than that, I smell cabbage, eggplant, and eggs.” Ning Weiyu frowned, “But, are these things normally that fragrant?”
As they were wondering, Xiao Lingyu shouted, “Little brother, it’s time to eat. Invite your friends too!”
The three didn’t even wait for Xiao Lingye. They got out of bed and ran to the dining room.