When they finally returned to the Lu family mansion and parked the car in the garage, the two of them walked toward the living room together.
Chairman Lu, his wife, and the second and third brothers were not at home. Half of the coworkers had also taken time off for the holidays, making the mansion feel somewhat quiet.
Lu Jingming carried the suitcase and casually took out a red envelope, handing it to Xu Yanxia. "This is from my grandfather," he said.
Xu Yanxia was taken aback. "Wait, the old man actually gave me a red envelope?"
And it was so thick? One look and she knew it had to be at least a few thousand.
"No, no, no, I can't accept this."
She immediately tried to decline.
But he forcefully pressed it into her hands and said, "My grandfather gave this to you. He has the same temper as my mother; if you don't accept it, he'll get angry."
"But he is being way too polite!"
Xu Yanxia frowned. "I only cooked a meal, and the ingredients were from the shop. Besides, I'm a staff member there. I'd feel guilty accepting such a huge red envelope from an elder!"
"But it's his way of showing appreciation,"
Lu Jingming thought for a moment and said, "How about you go visit him tomorrow and tell him in person?"
He coughed lightly and added, "He really wants to meet you, too."
Xu Yanxia was speechless.
She actually knew that there was a high chance she wouldn't be able to return the red envelope. It was only right for her to visit the old man and thank him in person.
But...
She looked up at him and asked, "Did you not explain our relationship to him?"
"I did."
Lu Jingming immediately put on an innocent face. "But he didn't believe me and gave me a scolding instead."
Xu Yanxia was full of questions. "Why would he scold you?"
She watched him reply, "I told him you weren't my girlfriend, and he thought I had a fight with you, so he scolded me. Then I said I just hadn't managed to win you over yet, and he called me useless and scolded me again."
Xu Yanxia didn't know what to say.
Fine, that was pretty pitiful.
Lu Jingming looked at her again. "Why don't you explain it to him yourself when you see him tomorrow? After all, he's heading back to his hometown in Yangzhou soon for the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"Alright,"
Xu Yanxia nodded. "Would tomorrow morning work?"
"That works,"
he smiled. "I'll take you there."
Xu Yanxia gave a hum of agreement. Seeing that they had already entered the living room, she bid him goodbye and returned to her own room.
...
The next day after breakfast, she specially made some pastries and took them with her to the nursing home where Old Master Shen was staying.
Old Master Shen had some chronic illnesses common among the elderly, so he regularly stayed at the nursing home every year to recuperate.
Lu Jingming drove her out of the Lu family estate, and after about twenty minutes on the road, they arrived at their destination.
The nursing home was located deep within a local forest park, boasting a very peaceful and secluded environment.
Old Master Shen stayed in a single room on the ground floor that came with a small garden. When they arrived, the white-haired, slightly plump old man was watering the flowers in his garden.
Lu Jingming called out "Grandpa" and led her over. Xu Yanxia also hurriedly greeted the elder, "Hello, Grandpa Shen. I am Xiao Xu."
"Oh, Xiao Xu!"
Old Master Shen quickly put down his watering can to shake her hand, a very kind and affectionate smile on his face. "Welcome, welcome!"
He was just like a grandfather from a neighboring village, completely lacking the airs of a former top official.
Xu Yanxia quickly offered the pastries she had made. "These are some small pastries I made myself, just a little token of my respect."
"Good, good."
Old Master Shen quickly took it, his smile growing even wider. "You are too kind. I heard your restaurant is opening today, yet you still made time to bake pastries and visit me despite being so busy."
Saying that, he pointed to a chair beside him and told her, "Come, sit, sit."
"You are too polite."
Xu Yanxia hurriedly took out the red envelope Lu Jingming had brought her yesterday from her bag and said to the elderly man, "Thank you for the red envelope. I appreciate your kind intentions, but this is too valuable. I cannot accept it..."
"Oh, this child,"
Old Master Shen frowned and waved his hand as expected. "I am an old man who has lived for over eighty years. When have I ever asked for something back after giving it away?"
"Besides, you are not an outsider. You are so busy every day, yet you still cooked two meals for an old man like me. How could I eat for free? Hurry up and take it, take it!"
Xu Yanxia was speechless.
The old man said she wasn't an outsider...
She quickly tried to clarify her relationship with Lu Jingming. "Grandpa Shen, please don't be so polite. I am the Lu family's chef, so it is my duty to cook for you..."
However, before she could finish, Old Master Shen suddenly started coughing violently, which startled the nurse outside into rushing in to pat his back and check on him.
When the old man finally calmed down, the nurse advised, "Grandpa, you shouldn't get too excited. Speak slowly, or you'll choke again."
"Alright, alright."
Old Master Shen waved his hand and said breathlessly, "Sorry for the trouble."
Then he turned to Xu Yanxia and said, "Xiao Xu, I am very happy that you came to see me, and I have never considered you just a chef. Don't be so formal with an old man like me. With my health, who knows how much longer I have to live."
Xu Yanxia was speechless again.
She didn't know if the old man had understood her point.
However, seeing his poor health, it really wasn't a good time to say more, so she had no choice but to say thank you again and put the red envelope away.
Lu Jingming then smiled at his grandfather and said, "You are in great health. Don't think about such nonsense."
Old Master Shen just scoffed at him. "You need to work harder! You and your cousin are only a year apart in age, yet he already has a child. I don't even know if this old man will live to see you get married!"
"Yes, yes, I will definitely work harder and make sure you see me get married."
Lu Jingming hurriedly nodded and helped the old man sit down on the chair.
Xu Yanxia was just about to sit down as well when a few more people walked in through the door.
They appeared to be two married couples. One couple was about the same age as Chairman Lu, and the other was around Lu Jingming's age.
They were also pushing a stroller, which held a chubby, fair-skinned baby.
Lu Jingming greeted them, "Uncle, Aunt, Brother, Sister-in-law."
Xu Yanxia then realized that this was Uncle Shen's family.
"Jingming is here too."
Uncle Shen's family greeted him individually and then all turned their eyes to Xu Yanxia.
Before they could ask, Old Master Shen chuckled and introduced her. "This is Xiao Xu. She specially came to see me today and even brought me pastries she made herself."
As soon as he finished speaking, Aunt Shen and Cousin-in-law immediately began praising her.
"So this is Xiao Xu! You are even prettier in person than in the videos!!!"
"Yes, yes! We've been watching the videos all along, and today we finally get to see the real person!!!"
Xu Yanxia was left speechless.
She wondered what kind of videos they had been watching.
Uncle Shen and his son also hurriedly offered her a seat and brought her water. "Quickly, sit down, Xiao Xu."
"Come and have some water."
Xu Yanxia had no choice but to nod and thank everyone. "Please, don't go to so much trouble."
As she finished speaking, Cousin-in-law specifically picked up the little baby from the stroller and waved at her. "Look, baby! A pretty sister came to visit today."
Xu Yanxia was a soft-hearted person, and she couldn't help but speak to the little baby in a gentle voice, "Hello there, baby."
The little one, who was less than half a year old, immediately smiled back at her, revealing soft pink gums. It was incredibly adorable.
Cousin-in-law let out an excited sound and smiled, "Baby likes the pretty sister, don't you?"
Lu Jingming, standing to the side, coughed lightly. "He should call her 'Auntie.' Calling her 'Sister' messes up the generations."
After all, the little guy was supposed to call him "Uncle."
Cousin-in-law just shot him a glance. "You're such a clueless straight guy. Young girls nowadays don't like being called 'Auntie'."
"No, no,"
Xu Yanxia quickly smiled and said, "I'm fine with anything."
After speaking, she looked at the baby in Cousin-in-law's arms and asked, "Does the baby have a little eczema?"
"Yes,"
Cousin-in-law quickly nodded and said, "We just went to the hospital yesterday. He's allergic to the new formula we recently switched to."
Saying this, she asked curiously, "Xiao Xu, how could you tell? Are you a medical student?"
"No,"
Xu Yanxia explained, "My major is food science, but I know a little bit about traditional Chinese medicine. I can see that the baby has some mild eczema on his forehead and eyebrows."
"That's wonderful!"
Cousin-in-law said eagerly, "We'll be adding solid foods in a little while, and I was just wanting to consult a professional. Would it be convenient to add you on WeChat? If I have any food-related questions in the future, I'd love to ask for your advice."
"No problem at all."
Xu Yanxia took out her phone and added Cousin-in-law on WeChat.
While they were chatting, Lu Jingming looked at his uncle, aunt, and cousin, asking, "Are you here to take Grandpa back to Yangzhou?"
"Yes."
His aunt said, "The baby is too young, so he won't be going back to Yangzhou this year. We just brought him over today to see his great-grandfather. Your uncle and I will accompany your grandpa back."
She then turned to persuade Old Master Shen, "Dad, actually it wouldn't be bad to spend the holidays here. The weather in Yangzhou is a bit chilly these days, and we're worried you might catch a cold."
Old Master Shen waved his hand and said, "You don't understand. As the saying goes, falling leaves return to their roots. When you get older, you just want to go back to your hometown more often. At my age, every trip back is one less trip I have left."
Saying this, he warmly invited Xu Yanxia, who was standing nearby, "Xiao Xu, do you want to come visit our hometown? The scenery is beautiful."
Lu Jingming spoke up for her, "Grandpa, she has to go back to her own home for the Mid-Autumn Festival too. She also has some family matters to take care of along the way."
"Oh,"
Old Master Shen nodded and asked Xu Yanxia, "Where is your hometown?"
Xu Yanxia replied, "Grandpa, I'm from Qingcheng."
"Qingcheng is a great place!"
Old Master Shen nodded and said, "I have a few old comrades-in-arms from there, and your uncle also used to work in Qingcheng."
"Yes,"
Uncle Shen, who worked in politics, also smiled and said, "That was about twenty years ago. Where exactly in Qingcheng?"
Xu Yanxia answered truthfully, "Our home is in the north of Qingcheng, in the Yicheng District. It used to be a small village, but it has been demolished and relocated now."
"Yicheng District, and your surname is Xu?"
Uncle Shen paused in thought for a moment before asking her, "Do you happen to know an old man named Xu Fangshu?"
Xu Yanxia was taken aback. "My grandfather's name is Xu Fangshu."
"He is your grandfather?"
Uncle Shen looked equally surprised. He then asked her, "Then Xu Yunfeng is..."
Xu Yanxia paused for a moment and said, "He is my father. Did you know my father?"
Uncle Shen fell silent for a moment as well, then let out a heavy sigh. "I am so sorry. I only came to know him after he died in the line of duty."
