Qiao Wanqing made a peppercorn and sesame oil-flavored shredded chicken.

After boiling the chicken until cooked, she cooled it in cold water, then placed it in a bag and pounded it lightly to loosen the meat before shredding it by hand.

She mixed it with chili oil, sesame paste, red oil, sesame oil, pepper oil, and seasonings.

A squeeze of lemon juice was added to cut the grease, and green onions and cilantro were mixed in.

Finally, she sprinkled sesame seeds on top.

Some people like to add bean sprouts and cucumber strips, but Qiao Wanqing kept it simple.

She also made cold noodles with similar garnishes and a cold tomato salad, preparing a refreshing and appetizing lunch.

As they were about to start eating, there was a knock at the door.

Gu Yanqing was feeding Kou Kou chicken and mushroom soup, so Qiao Wanqing went to answer it.

“Hi, cousin-in-law.”

Qiao Wanqing opened the door to see Lu Yunfei and Lort standing outside.

Lort was dressed in a stylish, casual outfit with large sunglasses, looking like a movie star.

He waved at Qiao Wanqing. “Miss Qiao, long time no see.”

“So it’s you two! Long time no see, come in and have a seat.”

Lu Yunfei had mentioned she was interested in visiting when they were at the Lu family’s house, but she hadn’t specified when.

Qiao Wanqing thought she was just being polite and didn’t expect her to actually show up unannounced.

She wondered if they had informed Gu Yanqing, who might have forgotten to tell her.

“Thank you, cousin-in-law. We’re about to melt out here!”

Lu Yunfei fanned herself with her hand.

It was the middle of the day in mid-August, and the ground temperature could reach over 40 degrees Celsius.

Gu Yanqing frowned slightly when he saw them enter but didn’t say anything.

Lu Yunfei had indeed mentioned wanting to visit this week, but he had been too busy to inform Qiao Wanqing.

He had arranged for Lu Yunfei to call Feng Qi when she arrived in C City, and Feng Qi would bring her over.

Lu Yunfei had only told him she would be coming, not that she would be bringing someone, especially Lort, who seemed to have an interest in his wife!

Gu Yezong suddenly felt a bit unhappy, but he didn’t say anything in front of so many people, making Lu Yunfei feel awkward.

“Have you all had lunch? Sit down and eat together,” Qiao Wanqing poured them water and suggested.

Lu Yunfei hesitated a bit and said, “Not yet, it would trouble my sister-in-law.”

“No problem, I’ll fry a couple more dishes.”

“No need, no need, this is enough, don’t bother.”

There were dishes on the table prepared for three people, and adding two more adults clearly wouldn’t be enough.

They hadn’t cooked lunch today, and there wasn’t enough food.

Qiao Wanqing said, “The dishes are ready-made, it’ll be quick, just sit for a while.”

Qiao Wanqing went into the kitchen, stir-fried three dishes, made two bowls of noodles, and prepared a cucumber soup, along with shredded chicken and cold tomatoes.

That was enough.

Everyone sat down to eat.

Both Lu Yunfei and Lort were having Qiao Wanqing’s dishes for the first time and were immediately conquered by the deliciousness.

The most delicious was, of course, the refreshing and tasty shredded chicken.

Although the home-raised chicken was quite fat and oily, due to the seasoning, it tasted refreshing and not greasy.

Moreover, the meat was tender and chewy. With each bite of chicken, they felt refreshed and spicy, with a hint of sourness mixed with the fragrance of lemon, leaving a lingering taste on their lips and teeth.

For those who had lost their appetite due to the hot weather, it satisfied their craving for meat.

The other dishes, all ordinary home-cooked dishes, were tastier than what they usually ate.

Lort gave Qiao Wanqing a thumbs-up while eating, “Miss Qiao, you’re really amazing, more professional than a chef.”

Qiao Wanqing felt a bit embarrassed by the praise but replied, “Thank you, it’s just hastily cooked, nothing special, I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“No inconvenience at all,” Lu Yunfei chimed in, “It’s delicious. It’s even better than what we had at the hotel yesterday. I think my cousin is really lucky to marry you.”

Gu Yanqing liked hearing this and said, “Don’t envy too much, you might not want it even if you had the chance.”

“…Though it’s true, why do I feel like you’re becoming shameless, cousin? You used to be so aloof.”

Gu Yanqing affectionately embraced Qiao Wanqing and said, “How could someone aloof like me manage to win over your sister-in-law?”

“… That actually makes sense,” she thought.

Lort smiled faintly but didn’t say anything.

After finishing the meal, Lort took out a gift box from his backpack and handed it to Qiao Wanqing.

It looked like some kind of dessert or cookies.

He said, “It’s my first time visiting your home, so I didn’t know what to bring. I just got something random.”

Qiao Wanqing initially wanted to decline, saying it wasn’t necessary, but Lu Yunfei said it was his heartfelt gesture, so she accepted it reluctantly.

Then, Lort took out a shark toy and handed it to Kouko, saying, “This is specifically for Kouko. Do you like it?”

Koko had never seen a foreigner before, and Lort was tall and big, so even though it was their second meeting, he was a bit scared.

But he couldn’t resist the temptation of the toy.

After glancing at his mom and getting her approval, he timidly said, “Thank you,” and quickly ran back to his mother’s side.

Lort smiled broadly, “Such a smart little one.”

Gu Yezong, feeling a bit sour, said, “…”

The toy Lort gave him was a biting shark with a large mouth and a neat row of teeth both top and bottom.

Pressing its teeth one by one with a finger had a chance to trigger the switch, making its mouth snap shut suddenly.

Neither Qiao Wanqing nor Gu Yanqing had ever bought such a toy for Kouko.

He was still young, and such toys could easily hurt his tender fingers or scare him.

Lort probably hadn’t spent much time around children and didn’t know these things.

He just bought what he thought was good. So, it wasn’t surprising he chose such a toy.

Kouko was clearly interested in the toy.

Qiao Wanqing didn’t want to stop him from playing, so to avoid scaring him, she decided to demonstrate herself.

She opened the shark’s mouth wide and Kouko immediately exclaimed happily, “Big mouth, big mouth!”

Now that he was a bit older, his speech was more fluent.

He could express himself without stuttering even when using phrases of two or three words.

Qiao Wanqing, instilling a sense of pride in Kouko, asked him playfully, “Is it Kouko’s mouth that’s big, or is it the shark’s mouth?”

This question puzzled Kouko.

He knew his own mouth was quite big, but the shark’s mouth in front of him was also formidable.

After biting his finger and tilting his head in thought for a moment, he finally said, “Kouko’s… Kouko’s mouth is big!”

Lu Yunfei, not understanding the context of their family dynamics, stood nearby and listened.

He remarked, “…Kouko, do you have some misunderstanding about your own mouth?”

Upon hearing this from his Aunt, Kouko looked up and proudly declared, “Kouko’s big! Big mouth!”

“Really?” Lu Yunfei exaggerated his expression and said, “Let your Aunt see how big it is.”

“Ahh—!” Koko really opened his little mouth, revealing a set of small white milk teeth.

He had already grown ten tiny teeth, all neat and incredibly cute.

“Wow, it’s really big! This is the biggest mouth Auntie has ever seen.” Lu Yunfei watched as Kouko struggled to keep his mouth open, his face turning red, and he quickly praised him.

Feeling encouraged by the praise, Kouko closed his mouth and smiled shyly.

Qiao Wanqing demonstrated how to play with the shark toy to Kouko to prevent him from being scared.

She squatted down, hugged Kouko in her arms, and with her other hand, pressed down on the teeth, saying, “We press down on the shark’s teeth. It hurts. When it can’t stand the pain anymore, it will snap shut and eat mommy’s hand.”

As Qiao Wanqing spoke, she pressed down on the teeth one by one.

She was actually a bit scared of this toy because you never knew when it would suddenly snap shut, which was too thrilling.

By the time she pressed the ninth tooth, Qiao Wanqing suspected she had to press them all before it would snap shut.

But when she lost focus and pressed the tenth tooth, the shark’s mouth snapped shut with a “click,” startling her.

Kouko was also startled.

Just as Qiao Wanqing worried he might start crying, Kouko immediately started dancing happily, as if he had discovered something fun.

He grabbed Qiao Wanqing’s hand and said, “Again, again!”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Qiao Wanqing said, “Good boy, let’s go find your dad to play with you.”

“Daddy!” Kouko ran off to find Gu Yanqing, saying, “Play with Kouko, play with Koko~”

It seems like Gu Yanqing really didn’t want to play with the toy Lort bought, but being a responsible father figure, he had to show a broad heart.

He walked over, took Kouko’s hand, and said, “Come on, baby, let’s press it together with Daddy.”

“No, no, Daddy press!”

“It’s okay, Daddy will hold Kouko’s little hand. Daddy won’t get bitten.”

“Kouko scared~” Kouko pouted.

“Daddy’s scared too.”

Kouko looked disappointedly at his dad, as if he sighed, then turned around to find Qiao Wanqing, saying, “Mommy, mommy press~”

Gu Yanqing: “…”

He was certain this time he was truly being looked down upon by his son…