We moved to Golden Courtyard

Xu Qi understood and said, "Oh, Theresa was in Guangzhou before, and only recently was she able to transfer to Shanghai for work. Before that..."

I've been considering letting her get used to the work and the city, so... for now, we're just officially dating.

Even the relationship itself still feels somewhat ambiguous.

But the moment Theresa agreed to transfer from Guangzhou to Shanghai, Xu Qi knew that he would never let go of this girl.

Lin Lai nodded, amused.

After all, this is indeed... enough to make one feel a little disoriented.

Sometimes even Theresa herself would think that the height difference was a bit too much.

"Then you'd better hold on tight. I think Theresa is very cute. If you don't hold on tight, she might run back to Guangcheng."

This time, Theresa answered first: "No!...No, Auntie! I'll always be here..."

where?

Of course, she'd be next to Xu Qi...

Holding Theresa's petite body in his arms, Xu Qi's eyes were full of gentle smiles.

He gently patted her head, bent down slightly, and kissed Theresa on the forehead.

"Okay, go to the living room and say hello to my dad, then find a place to sit for a while."

"Oh……"

She ran away with her little face flushed.

Lin Lai sighed, "These girls are really good to you."

"I know, Mom."

After everyone had entered the house, Xu Qi walked into the living room and was left speechless by the scene before him.

Both sofas in the living room were full, so we had to find several small stools to use.

Fortunately, Xu Qi's house is quite large, otherwise he really wouldn't be able to accommodate more than ten people coming to visit.

"Huh? Where's Dad?"

Mei pointed to the kitchen.

“He’s been in the kitchen the whole time. I told him not to prepare any more food, but your dad still insists on cooking himself.”

Xu Qi understood.

At this moment, Lin Lai also brought a tea tray into the living room, and Mei quickly stepped forward to take it.

Then several girls came up together to help pour the tea.

Mei took Lin Lai's hand, and Sakura quickly made room for Lin Lai to sit on the sofa.

"Mom, please don't bother with your work. Come sit down and chat with us. Many of you are here for the first time. You're either Xu Qi's friends or..."

"We have some special relationship, but we all want to get to know you."

Now, Mei is getting more and more used to calling her "Mom".

Lin Lai looked satisfied as she circled the customer room—she hadn't noticed before, but now she realized... Good heavens, where did her son find so many beautiful girls?!

Both plump and slender women possess their own unique charm.

At that moment, she saw a woman with long, wine-red hair standing quietly to the side, smiling without saying a word.

That unique charm immediately caught Lin Lai's eye.

She couldn't help but ask, "You... are you Eden?"

Eden was taken aback, clearly not expecting that her aunt's first words after sitting down would be to her.

But... Eden is Eden, and no matter what, he always remains calm and composed, handling everything with ease.

She nodded with a smile and said, "Auntie, I am Eden."

“My son often mentions you, saying that you helped him a lot when he first left home. Oh! And Ellie, she also often says that she has a friend named Eden who takes good care of Xu Qi.”

Sitting on another sofa, Ellie blinked her big eyes, scratched her head, and said shyly, "Mom, so you remembered all that..."

Ellie now calls her "Mom" very naturally.

Eden clearly hadn't expected that, despite his own people not showing up, he would receive so many assists.

Glancing at the boy's retreating figure as he headed towards the kitchen, Eden understood why Xu Qi had specifically mentioned her.

"It's nothing. I really like Xu Qi. Ever since I met him, I've considered him my younger brother. Since he's my older sister, it's only right that I help him out."

······

As soon as Xu Qi entered the kitchen, he saw Xu Youde, wearing an apron, cooking in front of an iron wok.

"Dad, are you still busy?"

"What else can I do? Now look what's happened, the living room is full of women, how can I stay here?"

Xu Qi couldn't help but laugh.

"They all came into my kitchen just now and said hello. I counted... 15 of them. They weren't all your girlfriends, were they?"

"It's not that exaggerated. Some of them are my roommates. They were making a fuss over there, so I just brought them all. Didn't you see Gretchen? A little girl that small can't possibly be my girlfriend, right?"

Xu Youde had an impression of it.

“Indeed, I almost thought I was a grandfather.”

The father and son looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"You still can't cook?"

Xu Qi gave a wry smile.

"Dad, I'll never learn your cooking skills in this lifetime. Mei usually cooks for me; she's a good cook. Should I have her come in and help you?"

"no need."

As soon as he finished speaking, a plate of simple home-style dishes was ready, and then covered with a heat-insulating cover.

Are you spending New Year's Eve here tomorrow?

"Yeah? What's wrong, Dad?"

Xu Youde turned around and glanced at his son. His face, already showing signs of age, was lined with wrinkles. And, he couldn't quite place when, his once jet-black hair had turned half white.

"It's nothing, I'm just thinking about when I can hold my grandson."

Xu Qi chuckled.

"Almost there, almost there, we're working hard..."

Xu Youde shook his head.

“You… you still haven’t grown up. Your mother and I are always worried if there’s no one around to look after you. Fortunately, you’re married now.”

"Your mom and I both approve of Mei and the others. They're perfect in every way, except they spoil you too much."

Xu Qi smiled sheepishly.

"I used to treat you like a child and forced you to do a lot of things..."

"Dad! It's all in the past now..."

Xu Youde waved his hand, "Let me finish... What happened before was our fault. As for your uncle's family, I didn't invite them over this year."

Xu Qi remained silent.

"Perhaps the relationship between the two families will fade from now on... It doesn't matter."

Every cloud has a silver lining. If that incident hadn't happened, you wouldn't have run away from home, and probably... you wouldn't have met those girls in the living room, right?

Everything's fine, except your uncle got slapped by you, and he probably still remembers it.

Xu Qi grinned, looking completely unrepentant.

Xu Youde was delighted; after all, he was one of his own, and his heart would always be with him.

Can I drink alcohol?

"Yes!" Xu Qi patted his chest. "If you ask, I definitely can!"

"You brat...go and serve the dishes!"

575. Even little Greta feels sorry for Xu Qi.

The family dinner that evening was much more lavish than I had imagined.

A large round table, seemingly found from nowhere, was placed in the center of the living room, just enough to seat about ten people in a circle. Even if some dishes were further away, there was no need to be polite.

You can simply stand up and grab it, or ask someone to pass it to you.

Since it's a family dinner, there's no need for many formalities.

Moreover, the taste of the dishes was excellent; even Mei couldn't help but praise them after taking a bite.

"Not bad..."

Xu Qi couldn't help but say, "When my dad was young, he ran a small restaurant, and his cooking skills were famous. Even when I was little, he often cooked for me."

Xu Youde was naturally very pleased with his son's praise.

"You little brat, I haven't even mentioned your past troubles yet, and you're already bringing up me."

Upon hearing this, Mei couldn't help but glance sideways at Xu Qi.

"But you don't seem to be very good at cooking..."

"Um...but you're here for me~~"

So, I've become the housewife?!

Everyone laughed.

I always felt that the titles "Mei" and "cook" were very fitting.

During the meal, Xu Youde took out his treasured Shaoxing wine, which the older generation of Shanghainese people love. The father and son each warmed a bowl.

Eden then had Anna bring up a bottle of red wine.

It has a low alcohol content; at most, it can only make people slightly tipsy, somewhat like a soft drink.

But Greta Thunberg absolutely cannot drink it, so Xu Qi took a bottle of coconut milk out of the refrigerator.

"Brother Xu Qi, just one bite of Greta..."

Children are always curious about everything.

However, Xu Qi still firmly shook his head and said, "Gresh, you should listen to me. If you can avoid alcohol, then don't, especially since you're still young."

Xu Youde added with a smile, "Gresh, if your brother Xu Qi had dared to drink alcohol when he was a kid, I would have beaten him with a feather duster."

As soon as Xu Youde finished speaking, Greta put her hands on her hips and frowned.

"Grandpa Xu, even if you are Xu Qi's father, it is still wrong to hit someone."

The little girl's soft voice, carrying an undiminished childlike innocence, became the most tender yet touching words at the dinner table.

Xu Qi stared blankly at Gretchen, then walked over with a smile and picked up little Gretchen.

Seeing this, Mei smiled and gave up her seat so that Gretchen could sit next to Xu Qi.

Xu Youde couldn't stop laughing.

It's like... it's like I really already have a granddaughter.

At this moment, Gretchen sat between Xu Qi and Mei, and Mei couldn't help but feel a surge of maternal love, thinking—they really are like a family...

"Little Greta feels sorry for Xu Qi, which really touches me."

Xu Youde slapped his forehead and suddenly got up and went back to his room.

When he came out again, he was holding a jade pendant in his hand.

"Gresh, Grandpa was wrong. Grandpa shouldn't have hit or scolded your brother Xu Qi. Look! Isn't this jade pendant pretty?"

Her eyes, like stars, sparkled with starlight.