He Ning beckoned to Huo Gao and said, “Put the money to one side, then come and have dinner.”
He Ning was behaving like he was the master of this house. He went about it so naturally that even Xia Wen was too embarrassed to criticize him and could only feel awkward.
Even Xia Mao found it difficult to say anything, being an elder. Moreover, in the past, Xia Jun and Old Master He could be considered to know each other quite well. He felt a tinge of regret as he thought of Old Master He. Back in the days, he was a very wise and capable person. Unfortunately, his health was poor and he passed away early. Without their father around to bring them up properly, his sons had all grown up with questionable morals.
Gradually, the He family and the Xia family became strangers.
Feeling embarrassed, Huo Gao walked over and greeted the Xia family members before sitting down next to He Ning.
It was only when Xia Jun asked everyone to dig in that they all lifted their chopsticks. Then, It was as if a whirlwind had swept past the dining table. The Xia family members were all from the military, so they had a habit of eating fast. They ramped up their speed intentionally at this moment.
He Ning had only finished half a bowl of rice when all the Xia family members finished eating and put down their chopsticks.
He Ning looked at his surroundings and put down his chopsticks with some regret. No matter how thick-skinned he was, he could not bring himself to continue eating while so many people from the Xia family were staring at him.
“Mmm, this is really some culinary skills,” He Ning said as he took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of his mouth.
Xia Zhe looked at He Ning proudly and said, “You’re welcome.”
He Ning looked at Xia Zhe and said, “Actually, my family’s Xiao Mei has better culinary skills.”
Huo Gao glanced sideways at He Ning and wondered how he could say something like that against his conscience. One time, He Mei had almost poisoned her dog to death when she cooked at home.
He Ning might not know it, but Xia Zhe had actually tasted He Mei’s cooking. One time, He Mei had made a lot of food for Xia Zhe but it was not during a private meeting between the two of them. He Mei knew that Xia Zhe did not want to see her, so she brought the food to the camp for Xia Zhe and his comrades to eat together.
At that time, no one knew that the food was made by He Mei. They thought that the enemy had sent spies to infiltrate the camp and they scolded the cookhouse staff for it.
Later on, when the cookhouse staff said aggrievedly that the food was from the He family’s He Mei, everyone suppressed their anger and stopped talking about the matter. No one wanted to offend the He family over a meal.
That day, everyone had no choice but to starve for the entire day. The entire troop still remembered the incident till this day.
“Oh? I see. If it’s so delicious, you should eat more then,” Xia Zhe said while holding back his laughter.
When He Ning saw how Xia Zhe answered him, he knew that he did not manage to fool Xia Zhe and the joke was on him instead. He thought that when he returned home, he should really find a professional chef to teach He Mei so that she could learn how to cook well. Her culinary skills should not be too far off from Qiao Mei’s. Otherwise, when Xia Zhe and He Mei got married in the future, it might affect their relationship.
He Ning had never planned to give up on making Xia Zhe the son-in-law of the He family. As long as He Ning wanted to do something, he would never give up halfway.
As for Qiao Mei… after she got a divorce, she could go to his place to replace the cook at his house and make medicinal cuisine for him every day. He felt that this was really a good idea, one that would kill two birds with one stone.
At the thought of this, He Ning’s mood improved and he left the Xia family with a smile.
As Xia Wen watched He Ning leave, he frowned and said, “He must be up to something since he’s smiling so widely. He Ning doesn’t give up on anything.”
Xia Wen also knew that the three-year agreement was only a temporary measure. The agreement was not enough to hold He Ning back and prevent him from attacking the Xia family. At most, he would just avoid brazen attacks that directly targeted the Xia family.
If the He family had such intentions, so did the Xia family.
The Xia family also did not intend to let He Ning off just like that. They had yet to settle scores with him with regard to the earlier incidents, so they had no intention of sitting back and leaving it. After getting bitten by a vicious dog, even if they did not want to beat the dog to death, they would have to punish it and teach it a lesson. How could they let the vicious dog go home in perfect condition?
Otherwise, the Xia family could forget about staying in the capital. They would become a joke in the eyes of others and be laughed at before their backs.
“How’s the situation over there?” Xia Mao asked.
“Eldest Aunt is on her way back. She’ll be here soon,” Xia Wen said.
Xia Mao looked at the big bag of money from He Ning and said, “Xia Zhe, take half of the money and give it to your wife, then send the other half back to the He family. Tell your wife that we’ll owe her 50,000 dollars first and we’ll give it to her later.”
“Yes, I understand,” Xia Zhe said.
