Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
âWouldnât it be too much trouble for you?â Li Meng asked.
âNot at all. Itâll be ready in two minutes. Letâs eat together!â
âAlright. Thank you so much.â Li Meng sat down with the children.
Doudou was still hiding behind Li Zekai. She peeked at her mother. âMom, I was wrong. I am sorry. I didnât do it on purpose,â said Doudou.
âMy mother is the best!â said Doudou.
Li Meng sighed. Doudou was so naughty! She couldnât even stay angry at her daughter.
âAlright. Donât do it again,â said Li Meng. âStop hiding behind Li Zekai. I donât bite.â
[Hahaha⦠this is so funny! Who can resist Doudouâs sweetness?]
[Doudou, youâre too good. Youâve got Li Meng completely under your control.]
[Mengmeng loves Doudou more than cooking.]
[How dare you make a comparison between Doudou and cooking?]
[Is Mengmeng a foodie? She was moved by Lawyer Taoâs delicious food.]
[She must be. Doudou is pitifully admitting her mistake, but Li Meng isnât angry anymore. The lunch invite completely changed her attitude.]
Doudou saw that her mother wasnât angry anymore and walked out from behind Li Zekai. She hugged her mother. âMom, did you see our paintings?â
Li Meng picked up the papers. Some of them were very colorful and others were simple. However, it was well done! She could instantly recognize that all the paintings were of the village.
âVery nicely done!â said Li Meng.
The children talked with Li Meng.
âAuntie Li, I heard that youâre a famous author. I heard you write a lot of books!â said Tutu.
âWhatâs so great about it? Anyone can write it as long as theyâre willing,â Li Meng said humbly.
âYou can publish a book just by casually writing it? It isnât that easy! I wrote a story for a competition, but I didnât even get selected, â said Li Zekai,
âUhâ¦â Li Meng was a little flustered by the childrenâs questions. âYouâre still young, Jiejie. Iâm sure you will be writing great articles in a few years from now.â
âThank you! Iâm afraid of writing. I feel like Iâm no good at it. But I have to keep doing it if I want to be better at it. I wonât quit!â
âThatâs the spirit!â Li Meng ruffled Li Zekaiâs hair.
[In college, I was always afraid of writing classes. I admire Li Meng for being able to write so many books.]
[Count me in as one of the struggling writers. I get headaches as soon as I have to write anything.]
[I feel that Iâm quite well-read, but it comes to writing, I feel like an illiterate.]
[My son is in the third grade. When he turns his oral composition into a written one, I see him scratching his head in confusion. Iâm afraid heâll go bald at a young age, but I canât help him. I sometimes search for things online to help him write, but the teacher can always tell.]
[Going bald at a young age? Thatâs hilarious!]
[Same here. Writing is a matter of life and death for my child. I have no idea how to help him.]
Li Meng shared some of her tips for writing.
âI donât know if my methods are applicable to everyone, but⦠When I was young, I loved reading books. I would read anything. Fairy Tales, newspapers, etc. I used to note down quotes and phrases I liked the most. Whenever I was given a writing task, I would try to use the words and phrases that I had noted down. Gradually, that helped. My word usage and sentence construction began to improve. Even now, I still maintain that habit. I read something for an hour or so every day. Although most books are in electronic format now, I still prefer physical copies of books. It feels nice to hold them in my hands.â
âDoudou likes reading books, just like me. She often reads phrases or new words aloud to me. Her coherence and sentence construction had improved a lot from the past.â
[See? Children copy what their parents do. If parents arenât reading themselves, how do you expect your kids to do that?]
[Parents need to pay attention and teach by example. What Li Meng says makes sense. Writing isnât something you can improve overnight. You have to keep practicing.]
âItâs time to eat.â Tao Jingyuan finished cooking.
The children offered to set the table.
Tao Jingyuan hadnât known before that Li Meng would be joining them for lunch, so she had only prepared food based on the childrenâs preferences.
âLi Meng, I donât know if youâll like these dishes. I only prepared the dishes that the children loved because I didnât think adults would be joining us. Iâm so sorry.â
âThatâs alright. Iâm already grateful that you invited me. It smells divine. Iâm not a picky eater. Iâm sure I will love the dishes as much as the children,â said
Li Meng. âOh⦠Iâll call my husband and tell him Iâll be eating here with Doudou.â
Zheng Kuo came out of the kitchen holding a plate. âJust call him over. He must feel bored eating alone.â
âWould that really be okay?â Li Meng was a little embarrassed. It was her first day in this show, and she was already freeloading at other peopleâs houses. âOf course,â said Zheng Kuo. âYou know, itâs better if I go and get him myself.â Zheng Kuo put down the bowl and headed to Doudouâs house.
Pei Lingfeng had just finished cooking shredded pork noodles. He was about to call his wife when he saw Zheng Kuo arrive in the courtyard.
âHi,â said Zheng Kuo. âIs that your lunch?â
âYes. Shredded pork noodles and there are some eggs too. Just a simple lunch,â said Pei Lingfeng.
âLi Meng and Doudou are having lunch at my house. Letâs go. We can take your noodles and eggs too!â
âHuh?â Pei Lingfeng was a little surprised.
âWe made a lot for lunch. Itâs enough for everyone. Your daughter even teased Li Meng on the livestream, saying she canât cook at all.â Zheng Kuo chuckled.
âYou donât have to feel awkward. Letâs go.â
Pei Lingfeng felt that it would be impolite for his whole family to eat at Zheng Kuoâs place. âThatâs alright. I can eat here. â
âOh, come on! Itâs perfectly okay. If you donât come, I think Doudou and Li Meng will also feel awkward,â said Zheng Kuo.
Pei Lingfeng hesitated, but Zheng Kuo carried the pot of noodles and walked out.
Pei Lingfeng had no choice but to follow him.
In Feifeiâs courtyard, the children sat together at one table, while the adults sat at another.
Both tables were filled with dishes. It was indeed a lavish spread.
Pei Lingfeng was hungry.
âDaddy, youâre here too!â Doudou happily ran over to her father with her arms wide open for a hug.
âWhv didnât you come back for lunch?â said Pei Lingfeng as he lifted hisdaughter into his arms. âWe are being troublesome.â
âItâs okay. We can invite Auntie Tao and Uncle Zheng to our house for a meal,â said Doudou.
âOkay, itâs settled then. Weâll eat dinner at my house,â said Pei Lingfeng. The six families had been divided into two groups that day for lunch. Only Nannan and Michael werenât present.
[Itâs so lively! Zheng Kuo is so funny! He just picked up the pot and rushed here to make Pei Lingfeng follow him.]
[He was genuinely happy to invite them. Everyone should learn from this..]