Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Yue Ming 22
Of course, if Liuu Yuming wanted to get married, Tan You wouldn’t object. Parents should respect their children’s choices instead of forcing their own ideas on them.
Xu Jia had said he would just be helping out, which was truly him being modest. When the food was served, Liuu Yuming looked at the few stir-fried dishes, and her gaze fell on Liuu Jun.
Liuu Jun threw up his hands. "Sis, my specialty is stews."
Liuu Yuming smiled. "Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Xu. We agreed on a simple home-cooked meal, yet we had you cook yourself. I’ll treat you to a meal some other day."
Xu Jia naturally wouldn’t pass up this opportunity. "Okay."
Watching this gave Liuu Jun a headache. ’How can my sister be so clueless?’ He had said he wouldn’t help Xu Jia, but he never said he wouldn’t cause a little trouble. And so, Liuu Jun made his move. "Sis, have your classes been busy lately?"
Liuu Yuming thought for a moment. "They are a bit busy, and the students are very enthusiastic."
"I heard from Sister Mei Li that there’s a makeup competition coming up... Anyway, it sounds like you have a lot going on."
Liuu Jun put a piece of pork belly on Liuu Yuming’s plate. "She wants you to be a judge? President Liu has always been so shrewd."
"I suppose so. I can also see if there are any talented makeup artists. If they’re willing, they could come work for us." Liuu Yuming took a big bite of the braised pork, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction. "It’s just so much better when it’s slow-simmered over a low flame. Besides Little Min, you make the best."
Liuu Jun deliberately fanned the flames. "My mom makes it pretty well, too."
"Auntie is used to being frugal," Liuu Yuming said with a laugh. "She can’t bear to waste the gas money on slow-simmering, so her braised pork always turns out a bit dry and doesn’t taste quite as good."
Liuu Jun smiled. "People from their generation are all like that, very frugal. Anyway, I’ll be here for a while. Sis, if there’s anything you want to eat, just let me know. I’ll try to fatten you up by a few pounds. You’re too thin right now."
Liuu Yuming replied, "I couldn’t ask for more. Speaking of which, I wonder how Little Min is doing at home. I also don’t know when the college entrance exam scores will be released."
"What’s there for you to worry about?" Liuu Jun said, busy looking after Liuu Yuming. "Little Min’s grades have always been excellent. She’s very steady, so she definitely did well on her exams."
"And in the worst-case scenario, even if Little Min really bombed the exams, we have options now. If it comes to it, we can just have her manage the company."
Liuu Yuming said, "I just feel that college is very important. Do you think if I had studied hard back then, I could have gone to college and seen what it’s like?"
A sip of water went down the wrong pipe for Liuu Jun, and he coughed so hard it was gut-wrenching. When he finally recovered, Liuu Jun wiped a tear from his eye. "Sis, you sure have a lot of confidence in yourself."
Liuu Yuming wrinkled her nose. "Can’t I even dream? Auntie was right. All the academic talent in our family went to Little Min. It doesn’t matter that I’m bad at studying. My daughter is brilliant!"
"The more brilliant she is, the more I can leech off my kid with a clear conscience in the future."
Liuu Jun was long used to Liuu Yuming’s "leeching off her kid" theory, so he didn’t argue with her. "Yes, leeching off her kid. You probably don’t know this, Brother Xu. My sister’s greatest wish used to be for my little niece to grow up quickly so she could drop all her responsibilities, leech off her, and be a freeloader at home."
Xu Jia concealed his smile. "That’s an interesting thought. But I think Yue Ming is just all talk. If she were really given free time, she wouldn’t be able to sit still."
"You hit the nail on the head," Liuu Jun said with a laugh. "She’s the classic type of person who talks about wanting to rest but works harder and more seriously than anyone else when she gets started."
Liuu Yuming felt a little embarrassed by Liuu Jun’s praise and placed a piece of lean meat from the pork knuckle onto his plate. Then she glanced at Xu Jia. "Do you prefer the fatty part or the lean part?"
Xu Jia could also see that Liuu Yuming had a preference for these kinds of high-calorie foods. He smiled. "I prefer the lean part."
Liuu Yuming immediately dropped all pretense of politeness and picked up the entire piece of pork knuckle skin, placing it in her bowl. Alternating between a bite of meat and a bite of rice, her eyes squinted in satisfaction.
He was now certain Liuu Yuming had no romantic interest in him. Otherwise, a woman would at least try to be a little more reserved in front of a man she liked. But that was okay. Mutual affection was great, of course, but if he did manage to win her over, the prize would be all the sweeter.
Just as Liuu Yuming polished off the piece of pork knuckle skin and her chopsticks were eagerly moving toward the pork belly, Liuu Jun stopped her. "It’s been a while since you’ve eaten something this greasy. What if you eat too much and get an upset stomach?"
"Eat some bitter bamboo shoots. They’re lighter." He placed a piece of the bitter bamboo shoots on Liuu Yuming’s plate and watched her eat it before his brows relaxed into a smile. It was as if their roles were reversed now, with him acting like the older brother by several years.
Xu Jia watched this scene play out and was suddenly struck by how good the siblings’ relationship was. They had been partners for so many years and had never had any disagreements. The fact that they still got along so harmoniously showed that Liuu Jun was indeed a man of good character.
Perhaps it was precisely because she was surrounded by such family that Liuu Yuming could still maintain such a pure heart. Of course, he wasn’t saying that Liuu Yuming was some clueless ingenue. Liuu Yuming understood everything she needed to, but she could still face the world with sincerity.
In truth, that was the rarest quality of all.
If Liuu Yuming knew what Xu Jia was thinking, she would definitely argue vehemently. The reason she could face the world with such confidence, without worrying about material things, was because she had her mom.
As long as her mother was around, regardless of whether she was with Liuu Yuming herself or with Little Min, Liuu Yuming felt incomparably at ease. Her mom was her backbone, the source of her confidence to face the world independently.
After the three of them finished dinner, Liuu Jun didn’t ask for Liuu Yuming’s help, cleaning up the kitchen spotless with Xu Jia. Just as Xu Jia was about to take his leave, he saw Liuu Yuming suddenly detour into an inner room and quickly emerge with a bag.
She glanced at Xu Jia’s damp shirt, hesitated for a moment, but finally handed the bag to him. "I saw your shirt got wet. If you don’t mind, you can change into this before you go."
Seeing Xu Jia remain silent, Liuu Yuming added an explanation, "No one has worn it. It’s a sample I made, originally intended to be paired with the formal dresses in the shop."
Liuu Jun also came out of the kitchen. "I can vouch for her. My sister has a bit of an obsession. Whenever she sees a formal dress, she feels the need to make a matching sample garment. The shop has a lot of clothes like this."
"I was just thinking, you’re usually so busy, how do you find the time to do this? Making formal wear is so demanding."
Liuu Yuming said, "I don’t really like going out anyway. I find it quite interesting to stay home and make these things by myself. I’ve already washed the clothes. If you mind..."
"Of course I don’t mind," Xu Jia said quickly. "I’ll just use the restroom."
After Xu Jia went to the restroom, Liuu Jun nudged Liuu Yuming’s arm. "So generous?"
Liuu Yuming shot him a glance. "You say that as if I’m usually stingy. Didn’t I make all of your formal suits? His clothes got wet; this is just basic courtesy. Besides, he brought us tickets. I’m just returning the favor."
