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Chapter 38: Eat Soft Rice
Seeing that you're Dad's biological son, you're not being polite at all.
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
The child sulked but didn't give up, so he went to his dad for help.
Qin Feng: "Order something your dad likes."
"What daddy likes is what I like," the child said without thinking.
Qin Feng was momentarily stunned, then smiled and said, "Try ordering."
The child looked at him with hopeful eyes: "Can we have braised pork?" He hadn't eaten any fatty meat for a long time.
"It's too hot. I don't want anything too greasy," Qin Feng shook his head, refusing.
The child immediately understood that his plan for today was doomed.
Rather than going through the trouble of getting nothing and being mocked by the elders, he decided to be a good person. "I don't know what to order. Big Brother, you go first."
Gu Wuyi was surprised by how easily he gave up. "Not ordering anymore?" he asked in disbelief.
"You're the eldest, you go first," Miaomiao said as he handed him the menu.
Gu Wuyi couldn't help but look to his father.
Qin Feng gave a slight nod to confirm that he hadn’t heard wrong.
Gu Wuyi then handed the menu to the older couple.
Madam Zhou laughed: "So polite just to order a dish. But I don’t know what to choose either." She handed the menu to Old Qin.
The elderly couple’s teeth were a bit loose, and Old Qin didn’t think it made sense to order vegetables in a fancy restaurant, so he picked two dishes that wouldn’t tire his teeth: steamed yellow croaker and braised pork.
When Miaomiao heard "braised pork," his eyes lit up.
Grandpa ordered braised pork, so does that mean he could order something he liked?
When the menu came to him, he noticed there weren’t any simple home-style dishes, so he immediately ordered something expensive—braised sea cucumber with pig trotters.
His older brothers all turned to look at him at the same time.
Qin Miaomiao was confused. "Why are you looking at me?"
The four brothers thought to themselves, "Since you are dad’s biological son, we won’t be polite to you at all."
Although sea cucumbers weren’t as precious as they would be decades later, they were still expensive.
Qin Feng smiled and took the menu. He ordered a clam soup and a salted fish pancake. Not wanting his mother to dislike the choice, he added, "How about I also order some mackerel dumplings?"
Old Qin shook his head. "I remember the portions here are quite large." He glanced at the waiter.
The waiter nodded.
Qin Feng handed the menu to him. "Let’s keep it at this for now, we can always order more if it’s not enough."
Gu Wuyi was close to turning twelve, but he hadn’t yet. Gu Xiao’er was eleven, and Fu Qingyun was ten. Although their appetites couldn’t compare to the younger ones who could eat enough to feed their father, they weren’t that much smaller than Qin Feng's.
The salted fish pancakes were nearly finished, but the three older brothers were still eating their dishes at a steady pace. Qin Feng estimated it wouldn’t be enough, so he stepped out to ask the waiter for two more orders of mackerel dumplings.
By the time the dishes on the table were down to three-tenths, the mackerel dumplings were served.
Miaomiao couldn't help but say, "Why do these look just like the dumplings we make at home?"
Qin Feng replied, "Can dumplings really look different? What’s different is the filling. Not eating it is like a fool."
"I'm not a fool," the child mumbled as he picked up one to taste.
Qin Feng served a few to his parents, so they wouldn’t be reluctant to eat, letting the children eat first.
Madam Zhou couldn’t help but say, "We can serve ourselves."
"I’m just worried you can’t reach," Qin Feng casually replied, putting down his chopsticks and serving half a bowl of soup to each of the five children.
Miaomiao immediately said, "Daddy, you drink it."
"Drink!" Qin Feng wasn't going to spoil him.
The child didn’t dare to eat just meat anymore.
After finishing half a bowl of soup, the child couldn’t help but burp.
Qin Feng glanced at him, and Qin Miaomiao had no choice but to put down his chopsticks.
Madam Zhou, looking at her grandson who couldn’t be angry with or scolded, couldn’t help but say, "It's rare for us to go out, just let him eat."
"Who's going to clean up if he throws up on the bus?" Qin Feng asked.
Madam Zhou didn’t dare respond.
The four brothers, who rarely got a big meal, couldn’t help but slow down.
In the end, there was nearly a whole plate of dumplings left.
Before they left in the morning, Qin Feng had already decided to have lunch at Binhai Grand Hotel.
The portion sizes varied, not always just right, so he had taken two lunch boxes.
Qin Feng put the dumplings in one lunch box, and the remaining pig trotters and fish were all placed in the other.
His mother frowned when she saw this. "How are you going to eat this later?"
"You don’t get it. People in the capital call this ‘folding the basket.’ You just heat it up later, add a little celery or any stewed veggies, and it tastes even better than when it’s freshly made," Qin Feng said as he poured some of the broth from the pig trotters and sea cucumber into the box.
The moment he closed the lid, Qin Feng couldn't help but think to himself that if his parents from his past life saw how frugal he was now, they would probably faint from shock.
But what could he do? In this life, he was the son of a farmer, so his life was different.
"Let’s go," Qin Feng put the lunch box into his bag and handed it to Gu Wuyi.
Gu Wuyi slung it over his shoulder, looking a little worried. "Dad, do we have enough money?"
"If not, I’ll just leave you here as a doorman. I think the manager would be thrilled," Qin Feng passed by him and pinched his small face. "Look at how tender he is. You can squeeze out water."
Miaomiao, who was following closely behind, stood on tiptoe and pinched the spot where his dad had just pinched.
Gu Wuyi froze for a moment, then reacted and grabbed him. "Little rascal, you think you can pinch my face too?"
"If Daddy can, why can’t I?" Miaomiao, fearing a scolding, quickly added, "I look exactly like Daddy!"
Gu Wuyi couldn’t help but laugh, though he was also a little annoyed. "That reason is pretty lame. Fine, I’ll let you off this time, but don’t do it again."
"Stingy!" The child skipped ahead and made a funny face at him.
Qin Feng heard this and looked back, noticing he could still hop around. "Looks like you didn’t get stuffed from lunch."
Gu Wuyi remarked, "You shouldn’t have stopped him earlier. If he had just leaned on the wall, he wouldn’t have been so cheeky."
Little Miaomiao felt a bit embarrassed, mainly because, aside from his family, there were a few waiters in the hallway.
"When we get home, I’ll settle the score with you!" The child clenched his fists and made a gesture toward him, but then worried that Gu Wuyi might scold him. After saying this, he quickly ran ahead to Qin Feng.
Qin Feng asked, "Are you going to pay the bill?"
The little one stopped, feeling awkward because he hadn't paid yet.
Seeing him like this, Qin Feng couldn't help but smile. "What else do you want to eat? When I pay, I'll ask the manager; he’s familiar with this place."
Old Qin hurriedly said, "Don’t buy anything else, we won’t be able to carry it all."
The two elders and the four children each had a small bag, but neither Qin Feng nor Miaomiao carried anything, so there was no way they wouldn't be able to carry everything.
It wasn’t an issue to go back after eating. The sun on May 1st wasn’t too scorching, so Qin Feng led them down the street toward the next stop.
They didn’t buy any food, but they did buy something fun— a Chinese national treasure— Mahjong— which caused his mother to keep mumbling about it all the way home.
Since they usually only spent mornings in the staff residence, Qin Feng decided to take the item with them to the village.
At dinner, Qin Feng asked, "Who wants to play?"
Gu Wuyi and the brothers exchanged looks. Then Gu Wuyi spoke on their behalf, "We’ve only heard of it before."
"I'll teach you," Qin Feng said.
The brothers all knew how to play, but they were afraid of being exposed. "How about you play with Grandpa and Grandma first, and we’ll watch?"
"Three, missing one!"
Miaomiao, who was eating steamed buns, said in a muffled voice, "I’ll play."
Old Qin couldn’t help but scold him, "What do you mean, ‘I’ll play’? Do you think your little hands can hold the Mahjong tiles?"
"Why can’t I hold them?" Miaomiao thought he was perfectly capable. "Daddy, why can you all play, but I can’t?"
Qin Feng replied, "When did I say you couldn’t play?"
The child immediately turned to look at his grandfather.
Old Qin furrowed his brows and cast a sidelong glance at his son.
Qin Feng, using the experience of someone who's been through it, said: "Knowing a little about everything, when they go out in the future, no one will dare to deceive them."
Madam Zhou couldn’t help but respond, "What does playing Mahjong have to do with knowing a little about everything? Instead of learning something good, they only learn these random, useless things."
"You don’t understand," Qin Feng glanced at the kids, "These are all boys. In the future, when they interact with friends outside, they're bound to encounter things like this. If they know nothing, they'll get deceived and end up helping others count the money."
Gu Wuyi couldn’t help but nod.
His dad was absolutely right!
Madam Zhou asked, "So, according to you, they have to try everything?"
Qin Feng shook his head. "They can try what they can, but for the things they shouldn't try, I'll teach them."
Miaomiao, who was very curious about Mahjong, said, "Daddy, hurry up, I can’t wait anymore."
Qin Feng nodded.
Madam Zhou couldn’t help but say, "I don’t know how to play."
"Let my dad teach you, I’ll teach Miaomiao," Qin Feng looked at his four older sons. "You guys sit in the back and watch."
Coincidentally, when the Mahjong set was brought to the table, Gu Xiao'er was squeezed to the back behind his grandmother.
Madam Zhou really didn’t know how to play, so Gu Xiao'er couldn’t help but try it after watching for a while.
Seeing his mother was truly clueless, Qin Feng allowed Gu Xiao'er to join.
Madam Zhou went to the kitchen to wash pots and dishes.
Gu Wuyi followed her.
Fu Qingyun and Fu Lingyun exchanged glances and also went to the kitchen.
Madam Zhou pushed them out.
The kitchen was small, with only enough space behind the stove for two people. The three older boys squeezed in, and Madam Zhou couldn’t even scoop water to wash the pots and bowls.
Gu Wuyi realized that sometimes Gu Xiao'er didn’t think things through, so he hurried back with his two younger brothers and secretly reminded Gu Xiao Er to be careful.
He indeed planned to lower himself to Miaomiao's level, but his dad was too skilled, beating them even in games like peanuts, never giving them a chance to hide their weaknesses.
Gu Xiao'er was curious about how Qin Feng's skills were so good.
Old Qin asked first, "Who did you learn this from?"
"Friends!" Qin Feng answered without hesitation.
Old Qin obviously knew it couldn’t be from relatives or neighbors. "What kind of friends?"
"Do you suspect that I haven’t studied properly all these years and only learned these random things?" Qin Feng smiled as he looked at him.
Old Qin shook his head. The factory leaders weren’t stupid, and Qin Feng’s colleagues weren’t either. If he didn’t have true skills, why would they support him? But thinking like this only made him more curious. "Could it be that you have forty-eight hours in a day?"
"Well, don’t worry about it." Qin Feng glanced at the three of them. "Is it fun?"
Miaomiao immediately said, "It’s fun!"
"Really has the potential to be a little gambling addict."
Qin Miaomiao didn’t understand, but he knew it wasn’t a good thing, so he turned to his big brother for help.
Gu Wuyi said, "Many people start with just a few cents, and in the end, they lose everything they have, wishing they could sell their parents to keep playing. It’s because they’re like you, always wanting to win back what they lost."
The child looked scared.
Gu Wuyi smiled and said, "Having a competitive spirit is good, but you also need to know when it’s appropriate."
Qin Feng nodded. "What your brother said is exactly what I wanted to tell you. When it comes to studying, if you compete with others, I’ll reward you. But when it comes to games like this, there’s no end to it, and then your dad will have to teach you a lesson."
When Miaomiao heard "teach you a lesson," he couldn’t help but defend himself, "But I didn’t play with money."
"You’re only six years old, no one will play with you. I’m talking about when you grow up." Qin Feng asked directly, "Do you never want to grow up? When you’re grown, will you be able to earn money?"
Miaomiao didn’t even think and said, "Then I won’t play with money."
Qin Feng was stunned.
He never expected the child’s reasoning to be so baffling, yet amusing.
Old Qin curiously asked, "What if someone wants to play with money?"
"I won't play either. There are so many fun things to do, why play with money?" The child was very confused. "Money is so good, it can buy so many delicious things, so many fun things, new clothes, new shoes. Why play with it?"
The six people were speechless.
The child looked around, even more puzzled. Did he say something wrong?
Gu Wuyi said, "You're right. What dad and I are telling you is that we're worried your willpower might not be strong enough, and you'll be easily influenced by others to play with money."
"I'm not stupid!" The child said confidently.
Gu Wuyi thought to himself, I’m the one who’s dumb, I get it now!
"Then are you still going to play?"
The child nodded, "Yes! I have to win back my peanuts. Most of them were peeled by me, and I didn’t eat a single one!"
Qin Feng said, "Then you probably need to peel some more. Or do you want to swap with your big brother?"
The child immediately stood up and swapped with Gu Wuyi, then worriedly asked, "Will Big Brother play well?" Before anyone could reply, he reluctantly added, "Let’s just play for now. If he loses, we can swap with Third Brother and Fourth Brother. I have so many brothers, I don’t believe none of them can beat Dad." He said this while looking at Qin Feng with some defiance.
Qin Feng held back his laughter and said, "You’re impressive, four older brothers."
The child was very proud, "Our village has so many people, the factory has so many people, no one has more brothers than me!"
As soon as he said this, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.
The child was confused.
Did he say something wrong again?
Gu Wuyi, seeing this, kindly explained, "You’re funny when you speak."
"I'm not funny!" The child doubted this wasn’t a compliment. "Big Brother, you talk so much. When doing things, you have to be serious and not be distracted. That’s what Daddy says."
Qin Feng couldn’t help but glance at him.
The child tilted his head proudly.
— What are you looking at? It’s you who said it!
Qin Feng withdrew his gaze and said, "Go see if your grandma is done cleaning up. If not, help her out."
"Don’t I peel peanuts anymore?"
Qin Feng replied, "It’s almost 7 o’clock. By the time you finish peeling, it will be time to wash our feet and go to bed. You can peel them tomorrow night, it’s not too late."
The child’s eyes quickly darted, and he ran over to his dad, grabbed a handful of peanuts, and dashed into the kitchen, saying, "I’ll help Daddy eat some. Daddy says it’s uncomfortable to eat too much at night."
Qin Feng couldn’t help but mutter, "You only remember things like this."
Old Qin glanced at his son and said, "Isn’t it because he learned it from you?"
Qin Feng pushed the mahjong aside—he won again!
Even though Old Qin wasn’t addicted to playing cards, he still felt a little bit upset from losing, "I’m not playing anymore, it’s boring. Got the skill to play dominoes with me?"
Madam Zhou came in holding the little grandson, just in time to hear this, "Do you still have dominoes?"
Old Qin deflated because he didn’t have any; he usually went to other people’s homes to play.
"Then let’s go home. You all can go chat with people outside. If you don’t want to deal with them, just come with us to watch TV." Today was the 15th of the third month on the lunar calendar, and as the saying goes, "The moon is full on the 16th." The weather was nice, bright enough outside to seem like daytime. Qin Feng suggested.
Old Qin glanced at the clock. The "News Broadcast" was almost over, and he wasn’t interested in the recent TV dramas, so he let Qin Feng take the kids back home.
Qin Feng brought the five kids back home. The kids in the staff residence were still playing around. Qin Feng told his children to go find those kids.
Gu Wuyi couldn’t help but say, "How old am I now?"
"Not even twelve yet, how old are you?" Qin Feng retorted.
Gu Wuyi couldn’t answer and could only force himself to follow Miaomiao.
Xiao'er, Qingyun, and Lingyun were afraid of exposing themselves and scaring Qin Feng, so they joined them instead.
Qin Feng watched as his five children entered the kids’ play area, where they were immediately pulled into a game of "cat and mouse" by the neighbors' children. They even made Gu Xiao'er the cat. He was very pleased—this is how kids should be.
Spending all day at home reading, doing homework, or doing housework while waiting for summer to come and selling popsicles is no good.
If people didn’t know the truth, they might think he was mistreating the little ones.
Thinking about this, Qin Feng shook his head, clicking his tongue. The child was acting more like the parent than he was. If this continued, where would his authority as the father go?
He entered the house, turned on the electric lights, and went to the kitchen to open the stove.
It had been a day since the coal was changed, and only a small fire was left.
Qin Feng quickly placed two small pieces of wood on the coal, poured a little diesel to light the wood, and then added new coal.
In a few minutes, the coal began to change color at the bottom.
After replacing the coal, Qin Feng filled a large pot with water and placed it on the stove to boil.
Fearing that the pot might boil over without him noticing, he decided to bring the TV downstairs into the living room and also move the antenna cable.
After setting up the TV and antenna, the water on the stove still hadn’t heated up. Qin Feng washed up with the water in the thermos.
Then, Qin Feng sat in the living room watching TV—Dream of the Red Chamber—while keeping an eye on the kitchen.
【The Dream of the Red Chamber (1987) is a Chinese historical drama based on Cao Xueqin's classic novel. Set during the Qing Dynasty, the series follows the rise and fall of the aristocratic Jia family, focusing on the tragic love triangle between Jia Baoyu, the family's heir; his sickly cousin Lin Daiyu; and his betrothed, Xue Baochai.】
However, the water in the steel pot hadn’t boiled, and his living room was now filled with children, all there to watch Dream of the Red Chamber, and they were all girls.
They didn’t dare get too close and were stretching their necks by the door.
Qin Feng laughed, "Am I going to eat you all?"
The girls immediately entered.
The bolder ones sat right on the sofa.
When Jia Baoyu appeared on screen, one girl, gathering her courage, asked, "Do you like Jia Baoyu or Lin Daiyu, Engineer Qin?"
【Jia Baoyu is the rebellious and sensitive heir of the Jia family. Born with a magical jade in his mouth, he represents a departure from traditional male roles. He rejects the rigid expectations of his aristocratic family and forms a deep emotional bond with Lin Daiyu. His journey symbolizes the tension between individual desires and societal duties.】
【Lin Daiyu is a delicate, poetic, and melancholic young woman; Lin Daiyu is Jia Baoyu’s cousin and true love. She is intelligent but frail, often expressing her emotions through poetry. Her tragic love story with Baoyu reflects the theme of unfulfilled love and the fleeting nature of life. Lin Daiyu is also a reincarnation of the Crimson Pearl Flower, destined to repay Baoyu for watering her in a past life.】
Qin Feng raised an eyebrow and couldn’t help but size her up.
The girl was puzzled by his gaze. "Do you like both of them?"
"Why would I like Jia Baoyu? Apart from his family background, don’t I outdo him in every other way?" Qin Feng replied.
The girl’s breath caught for a moment. After thinking carefully, she realized he was right.
Even in terms of family background, Qin Feng was better than Jia Baoyu. A few years ago, Jia Baoyu’s family was considered one of the five black categories, while Qin Feng’s background was spotless.
【The Five Black Categories during the Cultural Revolution were: Landlords, Rich peasants, Counterrevolutionaries, Bad elements, Rightists】
"Then do you like Lin Daiyu?"
Qin Feng shook his head.
"How can you not like someone this beautiful?" The straightforward little girl couldn't help but say, "No wonder you're already twenty-eight and still don't have a partner." Then, curiously, she asked, "Miaomiao's mom must be really beautiful."
Qin Feng couldn't help but laugh. Could gossip really be a natural instinct? These kids were just in their tweens, yet one was more gossipy than the other.
"I don't like her not because she's not beautiful, but because she's blind in her judgment, falling for a playboy like Jia Baoyu."
A slightly older girl, already in middle school, couldn't help but defend Lin Daiyu. "There aren't many decent men in Dream of the Red Chamber. Besides, it's not Lin Daiyu's choice to like him. It's the author's decision. Engineer Qin, you have to understand, if Lin Daiyu didn't like Jia Baoyu, the author wouldn't have created her character. This book wouldn't even exist."
Qin Feng nodded, learning from her. "So, I said I don't like Lin Daiyu's character. Got it?"
The middle school girl seemed to understand. "You don't like the character set by the author?"
"Yes."
The middle school girl was puzzled. "But Sister Lin is so good, she's talented and beautiful, with a good family background. How can you not like her?"
"Everyone likes Lin Daiyu. Do we still need the Twelve Beauties of the Red Chamber?"
The middle school girl was stunned, even more curious. "Then do you like Baochai? I don’t like her."
【Xue Baochai is a calm, composed, and intelligent young woman, Xue Baochai is Jia Baoyu's betrothed. Known for her beauty and virtuous nature, she contrasts with the fragile Lin Daiyu. Baochai is practical and dutiful, embodying traditional values, but her love for Baoyu remains unreciprocated as he is devoted to Daiyu.】
Qin Feng: "A woman like Baochai usually does well in life. But I don't like her either."
A group of little girls, now paying more attention to him than to Lin Daiyu, exchanged glances, hesitantly asking, "You wouldn't like Wang Xifeng, would you?"
【Wang Xifeng is a key character in The Dream of the Red Chamber. She is the ambitious, intelligent, and strong-willed wife of Jia Lian, and a central figure in the Jia family’s household management. Known for her beauty and sharp mind, Wang Xifeng is skilled in controlling the family’s finances and operations, often using her power and influence to secure her position. Though charming and capable, she is also ruthless, manipulative, and sometimes cruel, making her both admired and feared.】
"Isn't Sister Feng great? In today's world, she'd be a strong woman."
The little girls were confused.
One couldn't help but say, "My dad says girls being too strong is bad."
"Your dad is talking nonsense."
The little girl dared not speak.
Qin Feng: "That's all feudal thinking from the Qing Dynasty. Next time your dad says that, you just tell him what Engineer Qin said."
The little girl's father was none other than the assembly workshop manager. His title sounded higher than Qin Feng's, but in terms of education, he was far behind. This made the little girl unconsciously believe Qin Feng.
The middle school girl asked curiously, "So not all men like Sister Lin?"
Qin Feng nodded.
"Won't you feel embarrassed if a woman is better than you?"
Qin Feng: "What’s there to be embarrassed about? She’s my wife, and she earns money for me to spend. Where else can you find such a good deal?"
The group of little girls suddenly understood, and couldn't help but say "Oh" while looking at him sideways.
Qin Feng laughed: "Is it that surprising?"
The middle school girl gave him a thumbs up, "To eat soft rice and still say it so confidently, Engineer Qin, you really are the youngest engineer at our Northern Railway Factory."
Qin Feng raised an eyebrow: "Being able to eat soft rice is my skill. Let your dad try eating it and see."
"My dad would rather pay to give it away."
Qin Feng: "So, is there any problem?"
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