Xu Huo turned his head, a little confused.
A crab’s claw was tightly gripping Han Xiao’s finger, pulling at it, and its mouth was weakly opening and closing…
Han Xiao had two tear streaks at the corners of her eyes.
She pursed her lips, attempting to gain assistance with a pitiful demeanor.
This scene inexplicably struck Xu Huo’s funny bone.
“Hahahahahahahahahahaha…”
His laughter was unrestrained and boisterous.
“What are you laughing at?!”
Hearing Xu Huo’s laughter, Han Xiao became “angry,” silently covering her face with her other hand.
She already felt embarrassed, and now she felt even more so.
“Exactly!”
The old man also angrily echoed, getting up and conveniently kicking Xu Huo, “Such a big person, standing here not helping… Do I have to do it?”
Xu Huo immediately became displeased, “Old man, what do you mean? Is it my fault it wasn’t steamed thoroughly? I’ve lived this long and it’s the first time I’ve seen someone get their hand pinched by a crab in a steamer… And you won’t let me laugh?”
“Exactly, you’re not allowed!”
“Then I remembered something happy…”
“Your wife gave birth?”
“Yeah.”
“Get lost!”
The old man turned to rescue Han Xiao.
Fortunately, the crab was already half-dead from steaming, so it didn’t have much strength, only leaving a shallow mark.
Just as Han Xiao was pitifully rubbing her finger, a soft chuckle suddenly came from beside her again.
***
She bit her lip tightly and turned to look.
The old man and Xu Huo were in perfect sync, both looking up at the sky…
The scene was incredibly awkward.
“Old man,” Xu Huo whispered, “Isn’t this a bit rude of you?”
The old man shook his head lightly and said bitterly, “You shut up!”
Then, the grandpa and grandson seemed to suddenly remember Han Xiao was still beside them.
They both looked at her, revealing sheepish smiles.
By the stove, Han Xiao was quietly putting the lid back on the pot, preparing to sneak away from the side…
So the old man continued to look up at the sky, pretending not to notice.
Xu Huo closed his eyes in contemplation, practically writing “perfunctory” on his forehead.
How could Han Xiao not know that these two were trying to protect her pride?
Her lips moved for a while, but she couldn’t make a sound.
“Cough… Everyone… no one is allowed to laugh. It’s my first time steaming, so it’s normal to not have experience.”
“Yes, yes, it’s normal, very normal…”
The old man echoed repeatedly, the wrinkles on his face crinkling with laughter.
Xu Huo immediately added insult to injury, “Then what were you laughing at just now? Old man, I’m not criticizing you, but if you want to laugh, just laugh directly. What kind of operation is it to comfort first and then laugh? If I were Han Xiao, I couldn’t stand it. If it were Ranran, she’d definitely go complain to Grandma Qin.”
“Can you shut up!”
The old man glared fiercely at Xu Huo, then turned to comfort Han Xiao again.
But things were already like this; the more he comforted her, the more it felt like “protesting too much.”
Han Xiao turned her back to the two of them, her small mouth pouting, looking wronged.
I’m crying, Grandpa Chen, I’m really crying, Grandpa Chen…
She took a breath and “casually” asked, “Grandpa Chen… Xu Huo is clearly instigating trouble, aren’t you going to do something?”
“Exactly.”
“Damn Xu Huo.”
“Is there any reason not to kill him to appease the heavens?”
“Holy cow! Old man, what are you doing? She said it, and you’re actually doing it?”
In the kitchen.
Xu Huo circled the table, keeping his distance from the old man, and shouted, trembling.
The old man, holding a rolling pin, fiercely chased Xu Huo, “Don’t you like instigating trouble? I’ll let you taste what it’s like to instigate trouble too.”
Xu Huo was agile after all; how could he be caught?
He kept circling the table, finally hiding behind Han Xiao, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her out, “You can’t be so biased, I’ve been here more times than her…”
“Every time Xiao girl comes, I’m happy. What do you do when you come besides talk back to me?!”
“Oh! So all my work just now was for nothing? I understand now, men, no matter their age, forget old friends when they have new ones. Initially, it was ‘young man,’ now it’s ‘little rascal.'”
“Otherwise, should I call you Xu Huo?”
The old man suddenly revealed a gentle smile.
Xu Huo stiffened all over, almost fainting.
What was he trying to do?!
He just felt the old man’s tone was full of ill intent.
Gulp!
Xu Huo couldn’t help but swallow, his face conflicted, feigning fear, and stepping back half a pace.
“Old man, it was just a joke, don’t you think?”
Hearing this, the smile on the old man’s face grew wider and wider, finally making his eyes crinkle.
He suddenly walked over, swung the rolling pin, and hit Xu Huo’s backside.
Xu Huo let out a scream, and Han Xiao immediately pleaded for him.
“Grandpa Chen, I was just joking too!”
“Xiao girl, this has nothing to do with you. How dare he laugh at you on my turf, let me help you get even!”
Clatter, clatter
But no one would think he was really trying hard.
Han Xiao silently breathed a sigh of relief.
Although she covered her face beside them, unable to bear watching, she still secretly enjoyed the strange sight through the gaps in her fingers.
Hmph hmph!
That’s what you get for laughing at me.
It’s truly satisfying!
The old man was hitting enthusiastically, and with each swing of the rolling pin, he gritted his teeth and spat out a sentence, “Xiao girl is a girl, shouldn’t she get some encouragement for cooking for the first time?”
“If it’s not thoroughly steamed, it’s not your fault, so is it hers?”
“Couldn’t you just say to re-steam it, why laugh?”
“If you didn’t laugh, would I have laughed?”
After only thirty or forty whacks, the old man still felt unsatisfied.
He grabbed Xu Huo’s ear and dragged him outside the door.
The moment they stepped out, his face instantly changed.
He lowered his voice and scolded, sounding disappointed, “You little rascal, you really don’t know how to get along with girls! I created such opportunities for you, can’t you be more proactive? Gentler? You just do annoying things! If I were young, we’d have already planned where to go on dates this weekend!”
Xu Huo rubbed his ear.
Hitting means affection, scolding means love—that’s something you tell kids.
Believe that old… cough cough.
“Let me tell you… Xiao girl is really a good girl. I took a liking to her at first glance. I was originally thinking of finding an opportunity to introduce you two, but I didn’t expect you already knew each other. So why aren’t you paying attention? If someone else snatches her away, you’ll have nowhere to cry from regret!”
Xu Huo looked helpless, “How do you know she doesn’t have a boyfriend right now?”
“Nonsense. It’s so late. If she had a boyfriend, wouldn’t he be with her?”
“So you’re saying people can’t have a long-distance relationship?”
“Don’t even start. I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice. Xiao girl clearly looks single,” the old man said huffily.
“Besides, I don’t see her being that unfamiliar with you, you can chat and laugh.”
“That’s why I have even fewer ideas,” Xu Huo said, spreading his hands.
“What she’s doing is ‘politeness,’ it’s ’emotional intelligence.’ If you take it seriously, you’ll end up in a lot of trouble. Take what just happened, for instance, if you weren’t there, she definitely wouldn’t have said more than three sentences to me… She’s just trying to amuse an old man like you.”
“Then at least try?”
Xu Huo sighed softly, “Old man, you’re doing a fine job as a security guard and chef, why are you starting to play matchmaker now? She’s in the entertainment industry; think about the kind of people she usually interacts with… As for me, I’m still worried about the college entrance exam. You want me to pursue her? How is that different from asking for humiliation?”
The old man sneered, “It’s not that complicated! Trust me, it’ll be fine!”
“Oh?”
Xu Huo widened his eyes and looked at the old man, smiling.
“I didn’t know you were such a master of romance, tell me more.”
“It’s simple. ‘Love at first sight’ seems difficult for you two, so go for ‘love develops over time.’ Back then, your Grandma Qin was also a rich family’s daughter. The people pursuing her could line up from Chongming to Jinshan, but in the end, didn’t we still end up together?”
The old man lowered his voice, “From now on, I’ll ask her to call me before she comes over, and then I’ll call you. You two can ‘casually’ meet more often, chat, go shopping, go on dates. Over time, it’ll just happen naturally…”
“If you knew how she and I met, you wouldn’t say that.”
“What? You peeped at her taking a bath?”
“Worse than that.”
The old man was stunned, “…Could it be in the restroom? Why do you have that kind of habit?!”
“Bah bah bah! You old pervert! I’m leaving! I’ll go check the front hall, you fry the remaining dishes.”
“Look at how unpromising you are, no wonder you didn’t even have an early romance!”
The old man slapped Xu Huo on the forehead, his face full of disdain, “At this age, thinking so much about dating? If you see someone good-looking and with a nice personality, just go for it… I’m telling you, in this day and age, a good girl is a rare treasure. If you miss this chance, you won’t get another. Then, even if you want to pursue her, you won’t have the opportunity.”
“You’re thinking too simply… You can’t just see a handsome man and a beautiful woman and assume they’ll work out… Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian were also a handsome man and a beautiful woman, and Lu Bu and Diao Chan were too, but none of them had a good end!”
“Is that how you make comparisons?! I’m showing you a clear path to marrying up! If girls actually liked you, I wouldn’t worry. Old Qin is still worried about when Ranran will get married and establish herself…”
“Then go tell Ranran, why are you bothering me?”
“Ranran’s side is probably hopeless, so I can only rely on you?”
“Bah! Bah! Bah! What a jinx! Your sister isn’t unwanted!”
“Brat!”
The old man raised his palm again, wanting to hit Xu Huo’s head, but Xu Huo cleverly dodged.
His hands had nowhere to land, so he could only retract them sullenly.
“Go away, go away, relying on you is truly useless. Watch me assist you.”