Chapter 348 - 347: No One Will Laugh
Wei Hanliang noticed Shu Mingbo was looking at him and couldn’t help but smile back, saying, "Hello, I’m Wei Hanliang."
Upon hearing this, Shu Mingbo immediately stood up and said, "Hello, hello, I’m Shu Mingbo."
After shaking hands, they both sat down again.
Old Master Ding, seeing that everyone was seated, smiled at Wei Hanliang and said, "I’m really grateful that you could come to this dinner today. I only found out recently that you saved Yue Jun and Yiyi, otherwise I would have invited you to dinner earlier to properly thank you."
"Old Ding, it was really just something I did in passing. You don’t need to thank me so formally, especially since Miss Ding and I met twenty years ago. Our meeting again in Shangjing is a fate of ours, so of course, I had to help her." Even he didn’t expect to meet Ding Yuejun again, and it amazed him how much her status had drastically changed.
Hearing this from Wei Hanliang, Old Master Ding laughed directly and said, "No matter what, we still need to thank you properly. Let’s have a drink since everyone is relaxing today." Saying that, he raised his glass and toasted Wei Hanliang.
Wei Hanliang naturally stood up and had a drink with Old Master Ding.
Seeing this, Shu Mingbo quickly smiled and toasted Wei Hanliang as well.
Ding Yuejun, afraid that everyone would drink too much right away, immediately urged them to eat something first. "Don’t drink so much on an empty stomach. Have some food first. This fish and vegetable soup just came out and is still hot. You all should try some."
"Sure, I’ll have a bowl then."
Old Master Ding was the first to serve a bowl, and after tasting it, he praised, "Yue Jun, this soup you made is excellent; it’s very fresh and really delicious. You should make it more often."
Seeing Old Master Ding enjoy it, Ding Yuejun couldn’t help but smile, "Dad, I’ll make it whenever you want to eat."
Wei Hanliang, upon hearing that Ding Yuejun made it, also had a bowl, his eyes full of surprise afterward.
"I remember when I was young, I had a similar soup. Back then, when everyone wasn’t eating well, drinking a bowl of fish soup was the greatest happiness. Yet, I haven’t had such a good fish soup since then. I didn’t expect to taste it again today. Your cooking skills are excellent, and it’s authentic Jiang flavors."
"Haha, our Yue Jun really is a great cook. If you ever miss southern cuisine, feel free to come to our home. Yue Jun can make you a few simple dishes, just a few snacks to go with drinks." Old Master Ding, seeing his eldest daughter praised, was overjoyed and thought Wei Hanliang had good taste, agreeing with his opinion.
Ding Yuejun, since Old Master Ding said so, could only smile slightly and say, "Yes, if you want to eat Z province’s home-cooked dishes, you can come over next time, and I’ll make a few simple ones for you."
Seeing Old Master Ding and Wei Hanliang praise Ding Yuejun, Ding Yating couldn’t help but clench her fists.
It’s just about making a few dishes, and Old Master Ding praises her so much. I used to cook noodles for Old Master Ding, why didn’t he praise me? Father is really biased, thinking everything Ding Yuejun does is good, having long forgotten about his youngest daughter.
Thinking of this, Ding Yating’s face was very unpleasant, and the food in her mouth lost all flavor, even her former favorite steamed bass.
Shu Yunfang felt even worse.
She used to be her grandfather’s only granddaughter. Even though her surname was Shu, she held an extraordinary status in the Ding Family. But now everything has changed; grandfather only has eyes for Yiyi and her mother. She and her mother are completely sidelined. And that Mo Yiyi has even become Ding Yiyi; in the future, she might not even have a place in the Ding Family.
Finally, Shu Yunfang lowered her head slightly, concealing the jealousy in her eyes.
Yiyi naturally ignored Ding Yating and her family; at this moment, her focus was on Wei Hanliang and her mother.
Previously, when she wanted to eat fish soup, her mother thought it was a bit troublesome, but today she made such a big bowl of it. Besides this, her mother made several Jiang dishes today. Although they looked simple, the process was very complex, showing her mother’s importance on today’s meal.
But Yiyi soon realized she had overthought it. Her mother’s eyes were clear, and when she looked at Wei Hanliang, there was no additional expression, so she focused on eating without paying attention to anything else.
Old Master Ding was in a very good mood today, so he drank a little more.
Wei Hanliang naturally drank a bit more as well, so after the meal, his face was slightly flushed.
"Xiao Wei, since you just finished eating, take a seat before heading back, and have some time to sober up."
"Yeah, let’s drink some tea later to sober up, there’s no rush to leave," Shu Mingbo also persuaded on the side.
Wei Hanliang didn’t refuse after hearing this, smiling as he went to the living room with Old Master Ding and Shu Mingbo.
Ding Yuejun stayed to help clean the dishes.
Yiyi naturally helped too.
But Ding Yating and Shu Yunfang’s mother and daughter didn’t move at all, just watching Ding Yuejun and Yiyi busying themselves, even making sarcastic comments.
"It seems some people are used to manual labor. Even if their status changes, their inherent servility can’t change. If others saw, they’d think our Ding Family is so humble."
Upon hearing this, Yiyi gave Shu Yunfang a cold glance and sneered, "What do you mean our Ding Family? Your surname is Shu, not Ding. Don’t get confused about your ancestors."
"You..."
Shu Yunfang was immediately choked and couldn’t say a word. Her eyes reddened as she looked at Yiyi and said, "Don’t be so smug. Even if your surname is Ding now, it doesn’t change the fact that you were born Mo. You’re essentially a village girl."
Ding Yuejun initially didn’t want to argue with Ding Yating and her mother, but seeing Shu Yunfang target her daughter, she couldn’t keep silent.
"Yunfang, Yiyi is your sister. Instead of caring for her, you’re slandering her. Is this how a sister should behave? Furthermore, we never denied being from the countryside. What’s wrong with that? Without the hardworking farmers growing rice and vegetables, you all wouldn’t have food to eat, so don’t look down on them."
However, Shu Yunfang, full of mockery, said, "Indeed from the countryside, they’re actually proud about it. The Ding Family is truly unfortunate for taking you back. We might even become a laughingstock in the future."
Ding Yating remained silent, indicating she didn’t oppose her daughter’s words.
Yiyi, seeing the behavior of Ding Yating and her daughter, felt cold, but her peripheral vision caught a figure, and thus, her lips curled slightly, soon lowering her head to hide the smile at the corner of her mouth.
At this moment, a cold voice came from behind a few people, "Diligent farmers should indeed feel proud. Their hard work allows us to have a full meal, so no one will mock them."