Daddy! Come Home for Dinner!

Li Xiaoyun couldn’t hear.

"I would like to, but not quite yet." Zhao Dingli didn’t answer directly, but it was tantamount to admitting.

Honestly, the old man was truly surprised that Zhao Dingli agreed so readily.

He really thought Zhao Dingli would deny it, and then explain a bit.

This response actually left the old man stunned for a full minute, unable to speak.

Then, the old man asked, "So, is it true then?"

The old man was thrilled.

Zhao Dingli quickly glanced at Li Xiaoyun and wasn’t too blunt in front of her.

He had to say, "I’m working on it, hoping it will be soon."

The old man laughed and said, "Why? Is the girl beside you making it inconvenient for you to say?"

"Yes." Afraid of being too obvious and scaring her off, "I’ll tell you next time."

"Alright then," the old man said, "But you should hurry, even if she’s not yet your girlfriend, bring her home for a meal so I can meet her."

The old man trusts Zhao Dingli’s taste.

He is not easily fooled.

They’re both foxes; no one can play tricks on him.

For Zhao Dingli to take this long to find someone he likes, his taste and standards are high.

Although never explicitly stated, he has a clear mental standard like a measuring stick.

Therefore, the old man is not asking Zhao Dingli to bring her home for his approval.

He’s simply curious to see what kind of girl Zhao Dingli likes.

Last time during the cooking competition finals, the old man didn’t go due to mobility issues, so when Li Xiaoyun dined at the old house, he wasn’t there and missed meeting her.

The old lady implied that she had met her.

And also expressed that the girl seemed nice.

The old man is even more eager to meet her.

"Alright, I’ll find a time." Zhao Dingli agreed.

Of course, he would bring Li Xiaoyun home to meet them.

But he couldn’t say it outright right now.

Although the old man wished Zhao Dingli would bring Li Xiaoyun home right now, he didn’t truly expect it.

That Zhao Dingli agreed so readily made the old man quite happy.

"Alright, alright, alright." The old man laughed heartily and hung up the phone with joy.

After a while, the old lady’s call came through too.

Zhao Dingli: "..."

"Aunt." Zhao Dingli helplessly called out.

"Dingli, you’re still on the road, haven’t had dinner yet, right?" The old lady asked.

"Yes, we’re still on the road." Zhao Dingli replied.

Li Xiaoyun listened nearby, not daring to make a sound.

She sensed something was off.

How come after finishing the call with Ye Fei, Zhao Dingli received two calls from elders?

Could the elders have misunderstood something?

"Since you haven’t had dinner, why don’t you come here? Xiao Fei is here too, and it’s been a while since Xiaoyun and Xiao Fei met, right? It’s the perfect opportunity for them to catch up," the old lady suggested.

Let Ye Fei probe into how Li Xiaoyun and Zhao are progressing, and at what stage they are.

The old lady was plotting ingeniously.

Who knew Zhao Dingli would say, "Xiaoyun just mentioned she wants to go to the supermarket to buy ingredients to make soup for me, so we won’t come over today. We’ll find another day."

Given how eager the old lady is, if they went over tonight, he feared she might ask too much and accidentally reveal everything.

Just from how the old lady called the old man directly, Zhao Dingli knew Ye Fei must have asked many questions over the phone.

Even if Li Xiaoyun didn’t admit it, Ye Fei might have speculated quite a bit.

Otherwise, how would the old lady know so much?

It must be from Ye Fei.

If they went over now and Ye Fei asked again.

Even if the old lady doesn’t reveal it, Ye Fei might.

However, the old lady is quite adept at noticing details.

Even though Zhao Dingli was cautious, the old lady still found clues in his words.

She exclaimed excitedly, "Hmm? Making soup for you? Xiaoyun is in your car right now, so are you two going to the supermarket together?"

"Going to the supermarket together means you’ll have dinner together, right? Is Xiaoyun cooking herself? Then you’re having dinner at home." The old lady analyzed step by step.

From the soup, she analyzed deeper and deeper.

Even though Zhao Dingli’s words didn’t explicitly mention this, the old lady extended it to this extent.

"Are you having dinner at Xiaoyun’s place or yours?" The old lady asked.

Zhao Dingli: "..."

Conversing with the old lady was much more difficult than with his father.

Zhao Dingli sighed and said, "We’ll have dinner at my place."

"Oh dear, it’s already seven o’clock! It’ll be eight by the time you get home and tidy up. Making soup takes time," the old lady said, "A good hour at least."

"Xiao Fei told me that the recipes she wrote for Xiaoyun say the soup should simmer for two to three hours, gently infusing nutrients from the ingredients. You’re looking at midnight soup here?" The old lady beamed, "Is Xiaoyun staying until midnight, or are you staying at Xiaoyun’s until then?"

Zhao Dingli: "..."

The old lady was too hard to deal with!

Knowing this, the old lady certainly wouldn’t have them come for dinner.

If it interfered with Zhao Dingli and Li Xiaoyun’s time together, it wouldn’t be good.

"Alright, alright, you two don’t have to come over." The old lady said, "Spend quality time with Xiaoyun. If you’re at her place, stay longer. If she’s at your place, find a way to keep her longer."

Zhao Dingli: "..."

"Of course, keep her longer, but you can’t use this opportunity to take advantage of Xiaoyun," the old lady reminded.

Zhao Dingli wearily replied, "Would I do such a thing?"

"Who knows. You’ve been single for so long; upon finding someone you like, it’s easy to lose control." The old lady said.

"Haven’t you heard? If not endured in bachelorhood, erupts post-couple," the old lady stated.

Zhao Dingli: "..."

"I really haven’t heard," Zhao Dingli’s mouth twitched.

Feeling like Mr. Zhou’s coffin lid won’t stay closed.

"Of course, it’s not saying you mustn’t do anything. Flirting a bit is okay, but it needs to be moderate," the old lady added.

Zhao Dingli: "..."

Did Zhao Gushen consult the old lady when moving on from singlehood?