C16 Chapter 16

Liu Wenmei ran into Wang Aixiang and the others halfway there as they were coming back from work. They already knew why she was there, so Liu Wenkai took off to go call everyone over, and Liu Wenmei headed home with Wang Aixiang and the rest.

As soon as they got back, Wang Aixiang rushed up to Huang Guihua and asked, “Mom, does this mean Mei’s good luck finally showed up?”

Huang Guihua clapped a hand over Wang Aixiang’s mouth. “What are you yelling for? Quiet. You know what it means in your heart—don’t go shouting it to the whole world.”

“Grandma, what’d you make? It smells amazing!” Liu Wenbing hadn’t even made it into the yard before he caught the scent. He bolted straight for the kitchen, ready to start hunting for food.

“No manners. Wait. This meal was made by your sister—we’ve got guests tonight.” Huang Guihua swatted Liu Wenbing’s hand away when he reached for a dish. When she mentioned dinner, her face lit up with pride.

“Yeah, my sister’s the best.” With that mouthwatering smell in the air, Liu Wenbing nodded fast.

Before long, Gu Jianjun and the others arrived.

At the table, Huang Guihua kept putting food on Gu Jianjun’s plate as she said, “Gu, thank you so much for today. If you all hadn’t stepped in, our Mei would’ve been treated wrong. Eat up—have more.”

Liu Wenju kept her head down and ate. Liu Wenguang had barely started to speak—“It was just…”—

“Grandma Huang, you’re right,” Gu Jianjun cut him off. “Today it was me, Wenguang, and Wenkai—we were the ones who beat up those guys who tried to mess with Liu. It was the right thing to do. Thank you for inviting us over for dinner.” He took the piece of meat Huang Guihua had given him and started eating.

Huang Guihua shot Liu Wenguang a look, then picked up more food for Gu Jianjun. “Such a good kid. Here, eat more.”

Liu Wenguang had no idea why he’d gotten that look. After one bite, he stopped paying attention to anything else and just dug in. His little sister had it figured out—she showed up and started eating. With meat this good, every second he spent talking was another bite he was missing, and that hurt.

“Sis, this meat is incredible. From now on, can you do all the cooking?” Only after the last of the meat was gone did Liu Wenbing finally look up and whine at Liu Wenmei.

“What’s a boy supposed to look like—have I been shortchanging you or something?” Huang Guihua snapped, tapping Liu Wenbing on the back of the hand with her chopsticks. “You cook every day and wear Mei out—what then?”

“Sure, why not? It’s not a big deal.” Seeing the dishes she’d made get cleaned out, Liu Wenmei felt so happy she could agree to anything.

“Yes! Sis, I knew you were the best.” Liu Wenbing was so excited he nearly bounced right off the stool.

Gu Jianjun set down his bowl and chopsticks and gave Liu Wenmei a look that seemed to carry more meaning than it should.

The hearty dinner was over in no time. Afterward, Liu Wenkai walked the three of them out, and Liu Wenmei helped Wang Aixiang clear the table.

Huang Guihua pulled Liu Mingde back into their room and showed him the ginseng Liu Wenmei had brought home.

Liu Mingde stared at it for a long moment before finally forcing out, “Mei really is a lucky charm.”

“Tell me something I don’t know. My Mei’s always been a lucky charm.” Huang Guihua took the ginseng from his hands and put it away.

“Old man, what are we going to do with this ginseng?” Huang Guihua didn’t know how to store it and was afraid they’d ruin it.

After a long while, Liu Mingde took a deep drag from his cigarette. “Tomorrow I’ll have the oldest write a note. I’ll take Mei into town and look around.”

“Good. Mei’s out of snacks anyway. Bring some money and buy her a few more.” Agreeing with his decision, Huang Guihua immediately went to the cabinet to find the cash.