Chapter 260: Xiao Mo Treats Guests

When Xiao Mo led seven or eight kids inside, Xu Ning had already set the table. The children saw her and shouted, “Sister Ning!”

Xu Ning smiled and said, “Come on in and sit down.”

The children handed her what they were carrying—some had two eggs in their hands, while others brought dried vegetables and homemade pickles.

She happily accepted everything. “Xiao Mo, take your brothers to sit in the back room. I’ve already set the table.”

To make the kids feel more comfortable, Xu An and Xu Ning decided not to eat with them at lunch. Instead, they let the children sit in Xu An’s room to enjoy their meal.

Niu Pi Tang also wanted to join them, but Xiao Mo coaxed, “You guys behave; Uncle has something to do today. I’ll take you out to play tomorrow, okay?”

Xiao Wang chimed in, “Brother Mo, they are so cute; let them play here!”

The other kids also joined in, insisting that Niu Pi Tang stay.

With a sigh, Xiao Mo said, “You can play here, but you mustn’t make any noise! It’s not easy for me to gather with my brothers like this; who knows when we’ll get to meet again next time?”

Niu Pi Tang quickly nodded, “Little Uncle, we won’t make noise; we’ll be good.”

Xu Ning brought the dishes to the table and smiled at the kids. “Go ahead and eat. There’s plenty of food left in the pot. Once you’re done, I’ll serve you more.”

The group of boys stared at the four large bowls of dishes set on the table, their mouths watering.

Xiao Mo looked at the spread and felt a sense of pride; his Second Brother was quite reliable after all.

He picked up his chopsticks first and served each of his brothers a tofu meatball.

“Go ahead and eat! This is specially prepared for us by my sister and Second Brother. Don’t be shy; fill your bellies!”

The kids had already been craving such delicious food, and upon hearing Xiao Mo’s words, they eagerly grabbed their chopsticks and began to eat.

The table wasn’t very large, and it was already crowded with eight or nine kids.

When Xu Ning went in to bring water, she saw Niu Pi Tang sprawled across half the table, so she coaxed the three kids outside.

Xiao Mo poured a cup of water for each person and said, “Brothers, I’ll be going back to the capital in a couple of days. Who knows when we’ll meet again? Let’s have a drink together today.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Wang and Da Chui started to sob, “Brother Mo, we don’t want you to leave!”

Xiao Mo’s eyes also turned red, but he held back his tears and comforted them, “You all need to study well. In the future, if you get into the capital like Brother Da Lin and Brother Jianmin, we’ll be able to see each other again.”

“Don’t cry! I’ll write to you all in the future.” With that, he couldn’t help but start crying himself.

Hearing the sounds of crying from the room, Xu An put down his chopsticks, preparing to go check on them. Were the kids fighting?

Xu Ning stopped him with a smile. “Don’t go; they’re just sad because they’re parting ways. If you go in, they might feel even more embarrassed.”

Xu An sat back down. Not just Xiao Mo, he himself felt reluctant to leave this place as well.

The siblings remained silent. Niu Pi Tang continued to shovel rice into their mouth while glancing between their mother and Second Uncle.

They were very curious about what was happening. They had seemed fine at first, but now no one was talking.

Hearing the cries from the next room, Niu Niu and Pi Pi put down their bowls, preparing to check on their little uncle.

Xu Ning pulled them back and said, “What are you two doing? Hurry up and finish your meal.”

Niu Niu pointed at the room and said, “Mom, Little Uncle is crying.”

“Where are they crying? They’re not crying; your little uncle is laughing,” Xu Ning said.

Pi Pi rebutted, “No, they’re crying, not laughing.”

Laughter sounds like “hahaha,” while crying sounds like “wuwuwu,” he explained seriously to his mother, differentiating between laughter and crying.

Xu Ning picked up a piece of meat and fed it to him. “Alright, Mom understands now. Let’s eat!”

After Pi Pi finished the piece of meat, he wanted to say something, but Xu Ning quickly gave him a pair of bean sprouts.

Niu Niu quickly finished the rice in his bowl. Seeing that his mother and uncle were still eating, he prepared to sneak out along the wall.

Just as he was about to reach the door, Xu An pulled him back. “Stay here and eat properly.”

Niu Niu kicked his short legs and shouted, “Second Uncle, I’m full! Let me go; I want to play with Little Uncle!”

His voice was loud, and the kids in the next room, who had been crying, quickly wiped their tears when they heard Niu Niu was coming to play.

Xiao Mo said, “Hurry up and finish your meal; otherwise, the food will get cold. If you all study hard and get into a university in the capital, we’ll be able to see each other again in a few years.”

The kids all nodded vigorously. “Brother Mo, don’t worry! We’ll study hard and come find you in the capital!”

After the meal, the group didn’t go back but stayed there to chat with Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo took out his sketchbook and gifted each of them a copy.

In the afternoon, Xu An had prepared dinner early, using the leftover dishes from lunch. He reheated them and added some pancakes, letting the kids eat before they went back.

Xiao Mo accompanied his brothers back home.

Turning to Xu An, he said, “Second Brother, thank you for today. When I heard you talking yesterday, I thought you were making fun of me.

I was wrong to blame you. I’m sorry for that.”

Xu An ruffled his little head and smiled, “Alright! Stop acting all weird; go inside and play with the little ones!”