Su Xiaotian, however, wished to avoid Yin Ruyun at all costs, so it was better if Yin Ruyun didn't come.
"I thought you all would arrive a bit later," Su Xiaotian greeted everyone with a smile, ushering them into the courtyard.
"Xiaotian, we felt it wouldn't be right to eat for free, so we came early to help," Chu Yue said, affectionately taking Su Xiaotian's hand.
Su Xiaotian smiled back, "That's wonderful. I'm washing vegetables with my brother right now. My brother's comrades are also coming, and there are many dishes to prepare."
Su Xiaotian's charmingly naive smile, as if she were being pampered, instantly melted the hearts of the young ladies.
"It's alright, it's alright. We're here now. Just tell us what needs to be done," Li Jianhong said, handing her net bag to Su Xiaotian.
Qian Xiaobei and Qi Xiaofang, the two girls, were still carrying net bags filled with fruit and roast duck.
"Xiaotian, this is our first time visiting, and we didn't know what to bring, so we bought some fruit," Qian Xiaobei's voice was muffled, barely audible.
"You didn't need to bring anything just for coming!"
Su Xiaotian said this and accepted the net bags from them without any hesitation.
As soon as Qian Xiaobei entered, she sensed that Su Xiaotian's family was likely well-off, and she worried that Su Xiaotian might look down on the gifts they had brought.
Only after Su Xiaotian accepted the gifts did Qian Xiaobei's heart finally relax.
Su Xiaotian didn't refuse them excessively. In society, it was indeed like this; the elders always said that reciprocity was important.
If someone brought a gift and it was refused, others might think, "Does she look down on me?"
This was especially true for Li Jianhong and Qian Xiaobei, who came from rural backgrounds and carried a sense of inferiority deep within them.
Now that Su Xiaotian had accepted their gifts with only a slight polite refusal, they felt more comfortable continuing to interact with her.
Su Xiaotian had considered this point, which was why she hadn't said much.
If she hadn't thought of this, she would have only considered her classmates' feelings and wanted them to save money.
Conversely, by accepting these gifts and finding a way to reciprocate later, their relationships would improve.
At this moment, Su Wuren, who was washing meat, also stood up.
Su Wuren, wearing his military uniform with his sleeves rolled up and a floral apron tied around his waist, stood straight before the young ladies.
This, however, left the girls bewildered.
Why were they bewildered?
Why did this person in front of them look somewhat familiar?
This was naturally for those who didn't know the relationship between Su Xiaotian and Su Wuren. But even those who knew about their relationship couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.
The handsome young man washing vegetables looked completely different from the instructor who had been so harsh on them; he was much gentler!
Su Xiaotian, watching the two parties facing off, patted her head.
She thought her classmates were surprised to see their instructor at her home.
"Let me introduce you. This is my brother, Su Wuren."
"Xiaotian, I feel like I've seen my brother before?" Qi Xiaofang, the simple girl, suddenly spoke.
After saying it, she realized that perhaps her words were inappropriate.
She quickly explained, "I didn't mean anything else, I just felt like I've seen your brother!"
The more she explained, the more anxious Qi Xiaofang became, wondering why she couldn't explain it clearly.
Su Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh.
"Xiaofang, you already know him. He's the instructor from our first day of military training!"
Seeing Qi Xiaofang's face turn red, Su Xiaotian quickly clarified for her, lest the girl get more confused by herself.
Qi Xiaofang's eyes widened in surprise. Indeed, the person before her was the instructor Su Wuren from the first day.
Actually, Su Wuren had introduced himself during the first day of military training. However, Qi Xiaofang, being so focused on food, had little interest in anything else, to the point that she hadn't even remembered the name of this fleeting instructor.
It was then that Su Xiaotian realized Qi Xiaofang hadn't recognized her brother.
She couldn't help but examine her brother. His features were very handsome and distinguished, he was tall, and he was a soldier. Such a man was naturally destined to be on the minds of young girls. Why was it different for her brother?
Could it be that her brother was naturally unappealing to girls? If so, that would be truly tragic!
Su Xiaotian thought to herself. After a brief greeting to the young ladies, Su Wuren still felt a bit awkward.
With him being the only man among a group of girls, he truly didn't know where to put his hands or feet.
In military school, although there were girls, they were like phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. To suddenly encounter so many at once, it was natural for him to feel flustered!
"Xiaotian, I'm going to get the milk."
After saying this, Su Wuren quickly ran off.
Su Xiaotian suddenly felt that her fifth brother's behavior was like a hasty retreat.
Why was that?
How could she have imagined that her brother was actually shy and thus fled in such a hurry?
"Really, I haven't even asked yet, how should I greet his comrades when they arrive?"
Su Xiaotian muttered.
"Xiaotian, are the comrades you mentioned your brother's comrades, or our instructors?" Zhao Hongmei asked.
"Yes, my brothers are returning tomorrow, so my brother invited his comrades to dinner today," Su Xiaotian said with a faint smile.
"Then we should hurry and prepare the meal," Chu Yue said quickly.
Although she didn't know where everyone else in Su Xiaotian's family had gone, she knew it was impossible for Su Xiaotian alone to prepare meals for dozens of people.
The others clearly realized this problem as well.
"It's alright. My brother went to get them, and my grandmother should have prepared a lot. As for the rest, I've planned for us to have hot pot and barbecue."
Su Xiaotian said, pointing to the two large tables already set up in the courtyard and the large copper pots placed on them.
These two large copper pots of Su Xiaotian could be considered specially made, much larger than ordinary hot pots.
The reason was simple: there were many people in the family, so small pots wouldn't suffice.
And now, they were being put to good use.
Everyone looked, and indeed, it was as she said.
"Hot pot is good, I like it," Zhao Hongmei said with a giggle.
"We've prepared lamb, beef, venison, and some pork belly, as well as two chickens. The rest are various green vegetables and mushrooms."
Su Xiaotian pointed to the large wicker baskets placed nearby. The baskets were filled with fresh vegetables, so tender and juicy, looking very inviting.
"Let's all help wash the vegetables!" Qian Xiaobei, who was observant, immediately started helping.
The other girls were not to be outdone and also began washing vegetables.
Watching everyone work together, Su Xiaotian suddenly understood why people always said that many hands make light work.
Indeed, many hands make light work.
Look, in such a short time, the fruit had been plated, and the vegetables had been washed and sorted into basins.