While Su Wuliang wasn't paying attention, Su Xiaotian went out. Half an hour later, when Su Xiaotian returned, she was carrying several large baskets.
"Brother, come out and help!" Su Xiaotian shouted from the doorway.
Su Wuliang had been wondering where his little sister had gone so early in the morning. He had initially thought about going to look for her, but then he remembered that his sister was already a university student and had her own freedom. Hearing her call for help now, he immediately went out.
Seeing the several large baskets at the door, Su Wuliang quickly asked, "Where did you go this early in the morning?"
"To buy groceries. Aren't we having barbecue and hotpot?" Su Xiaotian smiled and gestured for Su Wuliang to move the baskets inside.
"With so much stuff, how did you bring it back?" Su Xiaotian was speechless.
"Brother, don't you know there are tricycles for rent?"
Su Wuliang chuckled sheepishly and, under his sister's direction, busied himself with the manual labor.
Meanwhile, at Yiming Pavilion on the other side, everyone was also being bossed around by Grandma Su. Yiming Pavilion primarily focused on lunch and dinner business, so the mornings were not particularly busy. However, today, from the moment they entered, Grandma Su had been bustling about. Not only was she busy herself, but Grandpa Su, Liang Xiu, Li Linlin, and the waiters hired by Yiming Pavilion were all occupied. Her grandson had invited people to their home for a meal, dozens of young men. Grandma Su, considering the situation, worried that the children wouldn't eat enough.
"Old woman, stop being so busy. They're all grown men; they can take care of themselves," Grandpa Su couldn't bear to see it and tried to persuade her.
But Grandma Su just glared at Grandpa Su and said, "What do you know? These kids are defending the country. Their training is so tough! Don't you want to give them a good meal to replenish their energy?"
"Besides, having so many good boys eat a meal at our house is an honor for our family." If it weren't for her grandson and granddaughter disagreeing, she would have truly considered closing Yiming Pavilion for a day to entertain these soldier boys.
Hearing Grandma Su say this, Grandpa Su decided to say nothing more. If he continued, he would seem unpatriotic. Grandpa Su fell silent, and naturally, no one else dared to speak.
Grandma Su then pondered whether to have Liang Xiu go home to help prepare the food for the children. Liang Xiu smiled and said, "Mom, Xiaotian specifically told me when she left that they could handle it and that I didn't need to go back."
Hearing that it was her dear granddaughter's arrangement, Grandma Su, though regretful, didn't say anything further. However, the old lady's hands didn't slow down at all; she was determined to prepare a sumptuous lunch. Grandma Su felt that hotpot and barbecue weren't substantial enough. In the hearts of the older generation, eating heartily was what truly mattered. Since they were hosting guests, meat was essential. This time, Grandma Su decided against small ribs. Although delicious, they weren't satisfying for young men. Grandma Su prepared a large pot of braised bone-in meat. The rich, savory aroma mixed with the scent of meat made even Grandpa Su's mouth water. However, due to his age and poor teeth, he couldn't eat the braised bones and could only smell them. In addition to the braised bones, Grandma Su also prepared several large fish, cooked in the traditional hometown style of sour and spicy fish. The children at home loved this dish, and Grandma Su thought other children would surely like it too. Grandma Su prepared a large basin of stewed beef. Grandpa Su was stunned. The children had said they were having hotpot, and his wife was preparing all this; wouldn't that be enough? Moreover, transporting so much food, even if sent back, wouldn't be easy.
"Old woman, with so much, how are you going to send it back?"
"We'll find a tricycle to send it back later, won't we?" Grandma Su said nonchalantly.
Alright, since his wife made the decisions at home, Grandpa Su was completely silent this time.
"Dad, Xiao Wu said he'd be here around noon. Let's find a car and have Xiao Wu accompany it!" Liang Xiu explained with a smile, "They're all young men; they'll definitely be able to eat it all." The children were finally getting together to play, and it might even last until evening. Preparing this much shouldn't result in leftovers.
In the Su family's courtyard, Su Xiaotian and her brother were extremely busy. Not to mention anything else, washing vegetables and cutting meat had to be prepared in advance. The base broth was already simmering, and the vegetables also needed to be prepared.
"Brother, I suddenly feel like we might have prepared too much." Su Wuliang assessed the situation and said, "They can all eat a lot; don't worry."
"I guess Grandma might have prepared quite a bit of food. You'll know when you go to pick it up later." Su Xiaotian felt that, knowing her grandmother, she wouldn't possibly not prepare a lot of dishes; perhaps it would be a full banquet.
Su Wuliang hesitated and said, "It shouldn't be that much, right? Didn't we say we were having hotpot?" Su Xiaotian giggled slyly and said, "You still don't understand Grandma!" Su Wuliang considered it. It was true, he didn't understand her. Although he had always known that his grandparents were kind and generous people who would never hesitate to help when needed, they were now running a restaurant. As businessmen, shouldn't they have some business acumen?
Su Xiaotian washed an apple and took a big bite. It was almost noon. Su Xiaotian estimated that the time was about right and it was time to send her fifth brother to Yiming Pavilion to check and bring back the food and drinks Grandma had prepared. Before she could say anything, she heard a knock on the main gate of the house.
"They're already here?" Su Xiaotian smiled and went to open the door.
As Zhao Hongmei and the others entered, they saw Su Xiaotian holding a large apple.
"Xiaotian, you live here? This courtyard is really big!" Zhao Hongmei scanned the surroundings, her round eyes filled with surprise. She wasn't uncultured; how could she not tell that this courtyard, a siheyuan, had been best preserved in its original state, with no extra buildings added? It was clear that Su Xiaotian's family lived here. Over the years, a single siheyuan would often house many people, some even housing over ten households. If there wasn't enough space, they would build additional rooms. Consequently, many siheyuan courtyards were densely packed with houses, leaving no room for people to even move their feet, let alone be as bright and beautiful as Su Xiaotian's family's siheyuan.
"Yes, come in quickly. We've been waiting for you!" Su Xiaotian cheerfully tugged at Zhao Hongmei's arm. Following Zhao Hongmei were Chu Yue, Dong Yan'an, Qi Xiaofang, Qian Xiaobei, and Li Jianhong. As Su Xiaotian had guessed earlier, Yin Ruyun did not come along. In fact, Su Xiaotian had been a little worried that Yin Ruyun might come too. If she did, this meal would definitely not be peaceful. Su Xiaotian didn't know what kind of bizarre things were in that girl's head. They lived in the same dormitory, and strictly speaking, they had no conflicts of interest. Why could she cause so much trouble? Zhao Hongmei originally wanted to explain why Yin Ruyun hadn't come, but seeing Su Xiaotian's expectant look, she didn't bother.