Chapter 235: Chapter 235: Agreed to Participate
After Liu Zheng took a bite, he couldn’t help but give a thumbs up and began to speak.
"My goodness, this is so delicious, you really have a talent for this."
Li Yanling, who was standing by, was also very happy, glad that her son was able to cook such a good meal.
"Yes, Xiao Kai, I didn’t expect you to do so well on your first try, this is so much better than what I had before."
When Xiao Kai heard the two of them praising him, he felt very happy inside.
How could this not be a good thing for him?
At that moment, his eyes also carried a trace of a smile.
Then, facing the two of them, he spoke.
"Thank you."
But honestly, the two of them were indeed giving heartfelt compliments.
They weren’t saying these words just to comfort Xiao Kai, but because they really found the meal delicious.
So, at that moment,
the two of them immediately said seriously,
"You shouldn’t overthink it, we are saying this because you truly deserve it, not because we want to flatter you."
"Yes, your filial piety and the fact that you can cook so well really makes me very happy and incredibly proud of you," said his mother.
And upon hearing this,
Xiao Kai’s smile naturally grew even wider.
The recognition he received for all his efforts, how could he not be happy?
This, too, was a good thing for him.
While eating, he was completely different from before, sharing with Liu Zheng and Li Yanling the interesting stories from school.
Seeing her son start to share his life, Li Yanling was truly moved, because the boy had never been one to talk much to her before, whether it was something that happened outside or at school, she was mostly in the dark.
Sometimes she really wanted to understand her son better, but no matter how she asked, he was unwilling to tell her, which made her feel helpless.
How could this not be considered torture for her?
But now, seeing her son willingly share everything, she was also really happy.
After a while, the meal was finally finished.
Soon, the person in front of her spoke up,
"Mom, thank you for not being too hard on me when I was ignorant before and for always silently standing by me. No matter what, I will certainly change for the better and never let you suffer again."
Upon hearing these words, Li Yanling was truly happy.
She raised her hand to gently rub Xiao Kai’s head and then spoke tenderly,
"Silly child, Mom might never have blamed you."
Although Xiao Kai had indeed done some not-so-good things to her before, no matter what, he was her own child, and she couldn’t really hold him to blame.
"Although I only made this meal today, I will definitely often cook for you when I have free time in the future; Uncle Liu, you are welcome to come over if you are free as well."
"I know you’ve really been good to me, and I’ll definitely remember this kindness. I’ve always expressed it verbally without much action, but now I’m formally showing it."
Liu Zheng was surprisingly pleased to see the child so enlightened, and he nodded immediately.
"Right, right. Since you’ve said that, how could Uncle Liu possibly refuse? You must let me taste more of your cooking next time; it’s much better than mine."
And Li Yanling also added a remark.
"Yes, but no matter what, Mom still hopes you’ll prioritize your studies. Mom hopes you’ll do well in the future, have your own career, and develop it properly."
After hearing Li Yanling’s words, how could he not know what he ought to do? He couldn’t possibly let down his mother’s painstaking efforts.
So, no matter what, he was determined to be more sensible, more obedient, and to strive even harder in the future.
"Don’t worry, Mom, I will be exactly as you wish."
Soon, the meal was finally finished.
Just then, as if struck by a sudden thought, Xiao Kai raised his hand to his head and then turned to look at Liu Zheng and Li Yanling.
Liu Zheng and Li Yanling had been discussing something else, but seeing the expression in his eyes, they were naturally curious, wondering what could have happened.
"What’s the matter, son? What happened?"
After hearing this, he hesitated, and it took him a while to gather the courage to speak.
"Mom, Uncle Liu, there’s a parent-child sports meet at my school next week. Could you both come to my school with me..."
Although it felt a bit awkward to ask, he truly longed for them to say yes.
Since his father left, he had never really participated in a parent-child sports meet, always watching other kids play with their parents while he looked on from the sidelines.
Back then, he didn’t have a great relationship with his mother, so he hadn’t told her about it.
Now that he and his mother were getting along better, and with Uncle Liu around, he hoped they would agree.
Seeing the two in front of him remain silent, he felt anxious, unsure if they would accept his invitation.
He was also afraid that he might have been too abrupt, which really wasn’t good.
But just then, Li Yanling nodded without hesitation.
"Of course, no problem. Mom would love to come with you. It’s just that I don’t know if Uncle Liu will be available. We can’t force him if he’s busy."
Hearing this, Liu Zheng also smiled and nodded.
"Don’t worry, I should be free. Just let me know two days ahead, and I’ll go with your mom."
He had thought they might refuse, but to his surprise, they agreed so readily.
At that moment, their acceptance genuinely thrilled him.
His smile burst forth spontaneously.
Just moments ago, he had seemed rather tense.
He rushed forward to give his mom and Uncle Liu an excited hug, exclaiming,
"That’s great, that’s really great."
