"Sorry, Xiao Xia, I forgot I had a cold."
Lu Jingxi quickly let Xu Yanxia go, then excitedly explained to her, "I-I-I was just too happy! You have no idea how hard it's been lately. I didn't dare eat anything for fear of gaining weight, and people online keep saying my face looks big!"
"I haven't had a proper meal in so long. I really never thought I could eat my fill and still lose weight!"
It was clear Second Miss Lu was genuinely overjoyed; as she spoke, her eyes even began to well up.
Xu Yanxia hurriedly explained to her, "You're actually not the least bit fat. The weight you mentioned gaining yesterday wasn't fat, but water retention. The climate there is damp and hot, you caught a cold and drank a lot of water, but the moisture wasn't expelled and instead accumulated in your body, which caused the weight gain. The radish soup I made for you last night helps regulate qi, soothe the middle, and aids spleen and stomach digestion. After drinking it, you expelled the excess water, so of course the weight came off."
"So sometimes you don't need to focus so much on the number on the scale. Fluctuations of one or two pounds in a short time are perfectly normal. And your face is absolutely not big; you shouldn't care so much about what others say."
"I just adore you, Xiao Xia!!!"
Moved, Lu Jingxi wanted to hug her again. "Can I give you a kiss?"
"We'll talk about that after you're better," Lu Jingming reminded her from the dining table. "Xiao Xia got up early specially to make you breakfast. Eat first."
"Alrighty."
In high spirits, Second Miss Lu finally sat down at the table and said with immense feeling, "It really is better to be home! So many delicious things!"
The snow pear and silver fungus soup was clear, sweet, and not cloying; the shrimp steamed egg was tender, fresh, and smooth; the vegetable rolls were even more rich in texture.
Her eyes sparkling as she ate, Lu Jingxi said to Xu Yanxia again, "Xiao Xia, you should just come with me. You're even more reliable than a professional nutritionist!"
"Don't even think about it."
Before Xu Yanxia could speak, Lu Jingming refused on her behalf again. "You're running around all over the place without a fixed location. Not only would Xiao Xia have to endure hardship following you, but she also wouldn't be able to cook for you properly."
"Exactly!"
Third Brother Lu, Lu Jingyao, who had already devoured two beef buns, chimed in from the side, "You have several assistants yourself. Our whole big family only has Sister Xia as our one chef. Don't be so selfish, okay?"
As he spoke, he took another preserved vegetable pancake to eat.
—Good thing I got up, this breakfast is amazing, way better than the school cafeteria, like a whole bunch of breakfast shops rolled into one.
His sister, however, glared at him. "You dare call me selfish? Looking for a spanking, are you?"
Third Brother Lu quickly looked to his eldest brother, Lu Jingming. "Brother, save me!"
Lu Jingming spoke with the authority of the head of the family, "Everyone, eat your meal properly."
Then he asked his sister, "How are you feeling? If you're still not well, go see the doctor later."
"Basically all better,"
said Lu Jingxi, happily digging into her food. "Slept well last night, no coughing. Woke up feeling full of energy today."
Then she asked Xu Yanxia, "By the way, Xiao Xia, are you free today? How about we go shopping? I haven't been out for a proper stroll in ages. My treat today."
"Uh..."
Xu Yanxia was about to speak, but Lu Jingyao cut in first, "Sister Xia has plans today."
"What plans?"
Lu Jingxi immediately asked.
Xu Yanxia then said, "President Lu mentioned there's an event about stray animals at our Hua Nong University today. I'd like to go see it."
"Stray animals?"
Lu Jingxi's eyes lit up. "Great, I've never been to Hua Nong University before, so I'll go too."
Her eldest brother, Lu Jingming, sitting directly across from her, gave her a rather dissatisfied look.
Before he could speak, Xu Yanxia's eyes also sparkled. "That's wonderful! You're a celebrity. If you attend, it will bring a lot of attention to the event and help people notice stray animals. That should also greatly assist in promoting the follow-up project."
As she spoke, she looked at Lu Jingming and asked, "Don't you agree, President Lu?"
"...Mm-hmm."
Lu Jingming took a silent deep breath and looked at his good sister, Lu Jingxi, who was so keen on being a third wheel. "You rarely come home. Don't you want to rest?"
However, Lu Jingxi, completely oblivious to any hint, just chuckled and said, "As long as I'm not recording that stupid show, it is rest for me! It's settled then. After we finish eating, we'll all go to Hua Nong together."
"Then I want to go too."
As soon as the words were spoken, Lu Jingyao, who had been enthusiastically devouring his meal, quickly chimed in.
Lu Jingming, "??? Don't you have other things to do today?"
"Nope,"
Lu Jingyao said with an innocent face. "If you all leave and dump me at home, and Sister Xia isn't here either, I won't even get to eat.
I want to go out with you guys to eat something good."
Then he gave his brother a harmless smile and said, "Anyway, my sister is going, so one more person won't matter. It'll be so much better with our whole family together."
To show his ingratiation, he deliberately emphasized the words "whole family."
"..."
After a moment, his brother finally nodded. "Fine, then you can drive."
...
With the plans happily settled, the family set off after breakfast.
Today's driver was Lu Jingyao. Lu Jingxi pulled Xu Yanxia into the back seat, and Lu Jingming took the passenger seat.
After about forty minutes from the mansion, they arrived at Hua Nong University.
After finding a parking spot, there was still some time before the event started. Xu Yanxia decided to give everyone, who were visiting for the first time, a tour of her alma mater.
"This is the Biology Department. A bit further ahead is the Plant Protection Department. To the left of Plant Protection is the Veterinary Medicine Department, and to the right is the Agronomy Department."
"The experimental fields outside the Agronomy Department are relatively small. There are much larger ones in the eastern suburbs."
...
Xu Yanxia herself was quite eye-catching, and coupled with the exceptionally good-looking and charismatic Lu siblings, even though they were all dressed casually today, they inevitably drew some sidelong glances.
Fortunately, no one had recognized Lu Jingxi yet, allowing the group to move about relatively freely.
"Further ahead is our Food Science Department. It's right next to the Third Cafeteria, which is the largest cafeteria at Hua Nong..."
Hearing Xu Yanxia mention the cafeteria, Lu Jingyao, the foodie of the Lu family and the Third Brother Lu, immediately became interested and eagerly asked her, "Sister Xia, are the dishes and staples in your cafeteria grown in your own experimental fields?"
"If there's any surplus after completing research tasks, then yes, but usually the quantity is very small. However, the drinks, dairy products, and some breads in our cafeteria are all developed in-house,"
Xu Yanxia asked him with a smile, "Would you like to try some?"
"Yes, yes!"
Lu Jingyao nodded immediately. "I've always heard your yogurt here is delicious. I've been wanting to try it."
"You are not allowed to eat!"
Before Xu Yanxia could respond, Second Miss Lu, wearing sunglasses, spoke up.
Lu Jingyao was taken aback. "Why not?"
Lu Jingxi, "Because if you eat it, I'll get tempted."
"???"
Lu Jingyao looked utterly baffled. "Then you should eat some too. No one's stopping you."
Huh? That makes sense.
Lu Jingxi immediately asked Xu Yanxia, "Xiao Xia, do you have any yogurt here that you can eat without gaining weight?"
Xu Yanxia said, "We have sugar-free, low-fat yogurt. A hundred grams is only a hundred calories. You can burn that off by walking a bit more. You can definitely have some."
"Perfect!"
Lu Jingxi jumped for joy and immediately pulled Xu Yanxia towards the cafeteria. "I want some, I want some, let's go!"
"And me!"
Lu Jingyao strode after them.
Bringing up the rear, Lu Jingming, "..."
His family actually had two such foodies?
No choice, he had to follow them as well.
