Chapter 268: The Little Girl Grows Up
Xu Xiaoyue returned from shopping, dragging Xu Ba along for the ride.
“Just a quick rest will do. You can’t really keep someone outside forever,” she thought.
As soon as they opened the door, they were greeted by the sight of Xu Xiaoya with both hands deep in a basket, as if she were on a treasure hunt.
Seizing the moment, Xu Ba darted over, “Xiao Ya, what are you looking for? Let Dad help you!”
Xu Xiaoyue was about to grab him and pull him back, but then thought better of it. Today was a rare chance for her dad to bond with little Ya.
So, she decided to sit back and enjoy the show.
“Hmm? Father? No need, no need! I found it!” Little Ya said, yanking out a massive table single-handedly.
“Uh, Dad, move aside!”
“Ah? Oh…”
With a thud, Little Ya set the table down with such force that it startled Xu Ba, who stumbled back a step.
Then, with another couple of thuds, two chairs flew out of the basket.
Xu Ba: “…”
He stood there, jaw dropped, processing the scene before him, before giving the table a nudging shove.
It didn’t budge…
Incredulously, he hoisted it up with all his might.
“Is it really… this… heavy…?”
“Father? What’s wrong? Did you get stuck under something?” Xu Xiaoya approached, worry written all over her face, and effortlessly lifted the table again.
“…”
My little girl has grown up—her strength could topple mountains!
“Pfft! Hahaha!” Xu Xiaoyue leaned against the door, clutching her belly in laughter. “Hahaha, Dad, don’t underestimate Xiao Ya! She could punch a cow into the next county with one hand!”
Xu Ba looked up at the ceiling, completely dejected: “Maybe I should just head back outside.”
His heart shattered—where’s the strong man he thought he was?
“Hey now, don’t go! Just sit here a bit and chat with Xiao Ya. It’ll be good for you! I’m off to help Mom in the kitchen.”
Xu Xiaoyue slipped into the kitchen, leaving Xu Ba on the couch.
Meanwhile, little Ya began returning everything she’d ‘borrowed’ from the house—she had taken nearly sixty percent of their belongings!
“Xiao Ya, tired? Want some water?”
“Oh, sure!”
With a wave of her hand, a cup floated over, and she gulped down a few sips.
Xu Ba observed his own cup, pondered, and then took a sip as well.
After a few failed attempts to strike up a conversation, an idea struck Xu Ba.
“Xiao Ya, tell me about that game you all are playing. I tried it too, but it was way too hard for me to keep up!”
“I can teach you!”
Teaching was Little Ya’s specialty! Initially, Xu Xiaoyue learned everything from her, and now she was one of the top players on the Huaxia Server.
The two sat side by side on the couch, glued to their phones, chatting away.
Before long, Xu Ba’s face lit up with a goofy, proud smile.
Ah, this feels good.
Time flew, and soon enough, Xu Xiaoyue called out, “Dinner’s ready!”
Little Ya shot her head up, disappeared in a blink, and reappeared at the dining table with an apron on!
Just to clarify, it was not that Little Ya was greedy; it’s just that Xu Ma’s cooking was so good that anyone would lose their mind over it.
Xu Xiaoyue was the second to sit down, closely followed by Xu Ba.
What was Xu Ma’s secret to maintaining absolute control over family affairs, keeping everyone in line?
Her cooking prowess.
Back when the four of them lived under one roof, even when quarrels erupted, they had a strange truce—no matter if Xu Ma booted Xu Ba out or gave Little Wind a proper walloping, come meal time, the three would be back at the table right on time, waiting for Xu Ma to bring out the last dish and declare it chow time.
Once the food was served, all grievances vanished.
Soon, Xu Ma presented the final dish.
The three awaited her call, expectant.
But Xu Ma coughed lightly instead: “You two, tidy up your faces; dinner will begin shortly.”
Xu Ba & Xu Xiaoyue: “Who? Which two?”
“Heh!” Xu Ma tossed her head. “Xiao Ya, you go first, we’ll wait.”
“Mom! No way!” Xu Xiaoyue sprang up. “Absolutely not! If she goes first… it’ll be a disaster!”
Xu Ma frowned. “Xiao Yue, stop messing around. Xiao Ya’s at the perfect age to grow. We definitely need to accommodate her.”
Xu Ba thought it over. Though reluctant, he gritted his teeth and conceded, “Fine, I can wait.”
“It’s three against one. That settles it!”
“Well… then I’ll dig in.”
“Okay.”
And before anyone could say another word, Little Ya dove in like a ravenous beast.
The spoon was too small, so she tossed it aside and snatched food out of the air instead.
“Uh…”
“Yikes…”
“Mom, we can’t wait any longer!”
“It’s fine, just observe. Xiao Ya, take your time.”
In no time, half the nine bowls on the table were cleared.
“Mom!”
“Stop yelling.”
Only two plates remained.
“Mom!!!”
“Alright, you can start.”
Little Ya considered for a moment, then set down an airborne plate. “There’s still half left here.”
In the next instant, both pairs of chopsticks dove in, and the plate was emptied.
“What are you two thinking? Have you not eaten for days?”
“I…” Xu Xiaoyue glanced at Xu Xiaoya and nodded. “Right! It’s been ages since I’ve had Mom’s cooking!”
“Your mother hasn’t been in the kitchen lately…”
“Ah, fine, we’ll stay here a couple more days.”
This chapter isn’t over yet! Please click to the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
“Yay!” *3
“Xiao Ya, is that enough? If not, we can buy more ingredients later and cook again.”
“Enough, enough, Mother dear. Tomorrow, I’ll be busy reminiscing about this meal!”
Some flavors just need time to savor and enjoy.
“Okay, Xiao Ya, you’re such a sweetheart.”
Little Ya sat there obediently, watching the three devour dinner and occasionally passing a tissue.
It was a warm feeling she never noticed before.
Perhaps when others watched her eat, they had a similar feeling.
After dinner, Xu Xiaoya and Xu Xiaoyue invited their parents to join them in a game. They learned that maintenance would finish in less than an hour, and the servers would be back up.
Their persuasive skills worked well, mainly thanks to Xiao Ya’s charm, and the old folks decided to join in the fun.
Xiao Yue dashed out to buy the necessary gaming gear.
Even though each player was tied to a specific account, the game equipment could be swapped out—just a supporting tool, really.
Each player’s game data was closely linked to them personally.
Yet, a set of equipment could only be bound once; if you changed gear, the old setup became useless.
The two sisters knew that Xu Ba had secretly splurged over a thousand on gear, but they chose to keep it a secret, not wanting their parents to fret over a small expense.
A thousand bucks? Just pocket change now; the family was doing well financially.
To be precise, they’d hit the jackpot.
They had a “black card” for pocket money with the phrase, “Come find me if you need more.”
