Ren Yu simply said she hadn't decided yet and would tell Liu Chen when she did.
During dinner, the hot pot from lunch was replaced by a white ceramic plate holding a large, round cake adorned with peony patterns and wave-like borders.
Ren Yuanying poured a glass of red wine for each child and said with a smile, "You're in for a treat today. The mooncakes your Aunt Liu Fang made used to sell better than those from the master chefs in the shops back then."
Huh?
Mom made mooncakes?
Even Liu Chen couldn't hide her surprise. Her mother knew how to make mooncakes? In her previous life, she was almost thirty and had never heard her mother mention it.
Hearing Yuanying Jie's praise, Liu Fang emerged from the kitchen and quickly smiled, "What do you mean selling well? Most of them were bought by you, Yuanying Jie. Besides, I haven't made them in so many years, my skills are rusty. If they don't taste good, don't force yourselves, just try a bite."
As she spoke, Ren Yuanying had already divided the mooncake evenly, placing a triangular piece on everyone's plate.
The freshly baked mooncakes carried a rich aroma of sesame and peanuts. Taking a bite, it was warm and sweet. Unable to resist, she took a few more bites. Before she knew it, one slice of the mooncake was completely gone.
Ren Mo was the first to finish. He was already devouring his second piece, giving Liu Fang a thumbs-up as he praised, "Godmother, they're really delicious!"
Dinner started early, and everyone finished by 5:30 PM. Teacher Lai received a call, sighed, and apologized to Liu Fang and Ren Yuanying, "My old mother is acting up again. She says she won't eat if I don't go back. I'm sorry, I have to leave early today. Let's get together again next time."
Ren Yuanying waved her hand, "Go quickly, there will be plenty of opportunities to gather."
Liu Fang also helped retrieve the coat Lai Jing had left on the sofa, handing it to her with a smile, "Yes, it was nice meeting you, Jingjing."
With Teacher Lai leaving, Lai Jielun and Mi Zhuzhu had to leave as well. Once the three of them departed, the house grew quiet.
Liu Fang and Ren Yuanying were clearing the dishes when the phone in Liu Fang's pocket suddenly rang. As Liu Fang was holding a plate, she had to lift her arms and called out to Liu Chen, who had just retrieved "Sansan" from the living room, "Chenchen, can you get that for Mom? My hands are oily."
Liu Chen opened her phone and saw the caller ID was Hu Min. She immediately pressed the speakerphone to answer. It turned out her aunt had taken Wang Dong to meet his prospective in-laws that day. As soon as they arrived, Luo Meihong demanded a bride price of 300,000 yuan, saying if they couldn't produce it, there was no point in discussing further.
Before Wang Dong could say anything, Hu Min exploded. She took back the gifts Wang Dong had brought, grabbed him, and left.
After they got back into the car, Hu Min finally couldn't help but burst into tears.
Liu Chen thought, no wonder her aunt's voice on the phone sounded a bit muffled. She had thought she had a cold, but it turned out she had just had a good cry.
Liu Fang, hearing Hu Min, whom she had practically raised, crying so hard, was about to tell Yuanying Jie that she was leaving, when she heard Yuanying Jie say, "Let the two kids come straight here. I met them last semester when school started, and they're both good kids. Fang Mei Zi, aren't you off from the market tomorrow? Tonight, we'll accompany your sister and have a good drink!"
Liu Fang tried to refuse several times, but in the end, she couldn't overrule Ren Yuanying, who had decades of experience in the business world. Just after six o'clock, before it was even dark, Hu Min, with eyes swollen like walnuts, arrived with Wang Dong.
"Sister-in-law!"
As soon as she entered and saw Liu Fang standing before her, Hu Min couldn't hold back. The word "sister-in-law," which she had called out countless times, escaped her lips, and tears began to flow again.
Liu Fang hugged Hu Min, patting her back gently. "Silly girl, getting yourself sick with anger is bad for you." She then looked at the three children still standing in the living room, looking bewildered. "Chenchen, you and your brother go play. This is adult business, don't get involved."
Ren Yuanying took a case of beer from the refrigerator and instructed Liu Chen, who was heading upstairs, "Yes, yes, your room has been tidied up by your godmother. Sleep if you're tired. There are clothes prepared by your godmother in the wardrobe."
Upstairs, Ren Mo obediently escorted Liu Chen to her room before leaving.
Earlier that afternoon, when they were looking at the photo album, Liu Chen hadn't actually entered the room. Now, stepping inside, she was met with the familiar pink princess-style decor.
How to put it? Godmother and god-grandmother were indeed cut from the same cloth!
However...
While playing games in the afternoon, Liu Chen suddenly thought of a PC game that would become incredibly popular for over a decade.
League of Legends.
Compared to the then-popular DotA, League of Legends would eventually gain even greater fame. If not for the subsequent widespread adoption of smartphones and the incredibly cheap mobile data that allowed Honor of Kings to capture a majority of the player base, it might have remained popular for even longer.
Standing in front of the wardrobe, lost in thought, she heard a knock on the door from outside.
"Knock, knock."
Two knocks, about a second apart. Liu Chen's heart leaped into her throat. This wasn't Ren Mo's usual way of knocking.
And the only people left on the second floor now could only be Ren Yu.
Should she open the door?
As she thought this, Liu Chen's feet didn't hesitate. She walked directly to the door to open it.
Ren Yu stood outside the door, dressed in a gray loungewear. Perhaps it was the red wine, but Ren Yu, who usually appeared rather impassive, now had slightly red eyes after taking off his glasses. Liu Chen couldn't help but glance at him a second time.
"You have something to tell me."
Still a statement of certainty, her words carried a faint, sweet aroma of wine, and her breath felt slightly warm.
Liu Chen thought that perhaps it was the beautiful moonlight that night, or maybe she had drunk too much red wine. She actually found herself opening up a conversation about making League of Legends.
Ren Yu listened as Liu Chen spoke about developing a game. A hint of annoyance flickered in his eyes, though perhaps even he didn't know what he was annoyed about.
The two stood by the door, one inside, the other outside, speaking in hushed tones about game development. One was full of confidence in the game, while the other felt that the market for such games was indeed substantial.
As they talked, the moon outside grew brighter. Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the corridor, casting Ren Yu's shadow longer and longer, until it overlapped with Liu Chen's shadow, which was cast by the bedroom light from inside the door.
Liu Chen, noticing this, couldn't help but a slight upward curve forming on her lips.
If her future romantic partner were someone like Ren Yu, she would surely be very happy.
As for Ren Yu himself, Liu Chen still didn't quite dare. She always felt he had too many complex thoughts in his mind, and being with him, she felt she would be intellectually outmatched and involuntarily feel insecure.
"Happy birthday, Brother Ren Yu." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Thank you."
The grandfather clock in the living room chimed. In the last moment of his birthday, Ren Yu received Liu Chen's well wishes.