RYEY -Chapter 453 You Are a Hero’s Child

Li Huan went to the restaurant. There were quite a few people tonight. He needed to place the order first; otherwise, Boss Deng’s small kitchen wouldn’t manage.

Seeing Li Huan, Boss Deng tensed. This man looked more delicate than a woman. Luckily, his wife was also beautiful; otherwise, the local unmarried women and widows would be all over him.

“Boss, many people are coming to dine tonight. Should you start preparing?”

“How many?”

“About fifteen to twenty. You’ll need to set up two tables. Also, several kids and three elders. Make plenty of soft, sticky dishes. Here’s 100 yuan; manage as you see fit.”

“100 yuan? Isn’t that too much? The dishes in my shop aren’t even worth that. You’re giving me a hard time.”

“No problem. I brought some game meat; consider it your processing fee.”

Only then did Boss Deng notice the snakeskin bag Li Huan was carrying. Opening it revealed two pheasants, three rabbits, a piece of what seemed like roe deer meat, and, surprisingly, two bear paws.

“My goodness! Where did you get these?”

“Friends from my hometown gave them to us. Can you cook them?”

“Of course! My ancestors worked in the imperial kitchen. I’m an expert with game.”

“By the way, these are seasonings from my wife, brought from the capital.”

“Oh wow! Your wife must be a great cook. That’s exactly what I was missing.”

Boss Deng had already grown familiar with Cheng Qiao, Li Huan, and the others, and he spoke more openly now. Suddenly, he thought of someone and asked anxiously:

“Is that girl called Hantong coming? If she comes, you’ll need to double the portions.”

“Of course she’s coming. Double it, then.”

Boss Deng glanced at the hundred yuan in his hand and the wild game on the ground. That hundred yuan was well spent.

When Li Huan returned to the guesthouse, he could already hear a woman’s crying from outside, mixed with a child’s sobs. No need to guess—he knew that the eldest sister-in-law had brought her nephew.

Unsure whether he should go in, he first went to Ye Jun’s room. When the door opened, Cheng Li rushed over—so Cheng Liguo and Cheng Li had also arrived.

The brothers all sat on the pushed-together double bed, talking around Xiao Nuan. All four children were exceptionally pleasant to look at, especially Cheng Li, who seemed to have inherited the best features of both Cheng Qiao and Li Huan. From any angle, flaws were nearly impossible to spot.

“Daddy, Li Chen is so pitiful. He can’t even have candy now. I’ll give him all the candy I brought later.”

Li Ming’s face showed a mock lament. In the grocery store, he could eat anything he wanted, and he was a bit tired of candy, but Li Chen’s eyes lit up at the sight of it.

“You can give him some, but not too much. Candy isn’t good for his teeth. If he damages them, his grandmother will come after you.”

The children were already aware of Li Chen’s grandmother, and they thought thoughtfully about why this child had been abandoned by his own mother.

“Don’t meddle too much. Get ready. When Guoqing and the others arrive, we’ll have dinner. Tonight is a big family reunion, and we all need to be happy.”

Guoqing and Xiao Dan had arrived, and even Qin Daqiang came, bringing a bottle of Maotai that Zhao Hui had asked Guoqing to deliver as a gift.

“Everyone’s here? Let’s eat. Tonight we have bear paws—everyone try them properly.”

Li Huan clapped his hands. The bear paws had been kept by Cheng Qiao for over a year. Fresh bear paws, if cooked immediately, might be too moist to cook properly, and even when cooked, the taste could be unsatisfactory. They needed time to rest and heal naturally so that no blood or off-flavors would appear during cooking.

“Oh… bear paws! I heard that steamed bear paws are a delicacy in a Manchu-Han banquet. Finally, we get to try them.”

Li Ming clapped happily. His good mood spread to everyone in the room, and they all began to look forward to the bear paws.

The room was filled with laughter, but the atmosphere in the neighboring room was tense. Seeing Mother Li, Jiang Meili couldn’t help but cry; she had endured so much recently.

“Mother, do you know that without Cheng Qiao, I really wouldn’t have made it? Cheng Qiao helped my mother with good intentions, yet it caused a great grievance. She gave birth to her own son badly but blamed my sister-in-law instead.”

“Meili, don’t be too angry. Your mother might have been overly upset and lost her composure. Why don’t you leave Cheng Cheng with me for now? I’m his grandmother—I won’t treat him unfairly.”

“Thank you, Mother! That’s exactly what I hoped for. Cheng Cheng, would you like to stay with your grandmother and Second Aunt?”

Li Chen had been happy, but Meili’s sadness affected him. Now, hearing that he could stay with his grandmother and Second Aunt, his tears were still in his eyes, but he grinned.

“Good grandson, you’re the only child of the eldest. Stay with grandma. Grandma will cook delicious food for you every day and make you plump.”

“I love eating delicious food. Thank you, grandma.”

“Come on, let’s go eat delicious food. Tonight there’s plenty for you to enjoy.”

Mother Li stood, holding Li Chen with one hand and Meili with the other. She sympathized with her eldest daughter-in-law—life was indeed harder when the husband wasn’t around.

Tonight the lights shone brightly. Boss Deng even posted a notice outside: Tonight, there’s a private reservation—no walk-ins accepted.

When Mother Li and the others arrived, the small restaurant already had two large round tables set with cold dishes—favorites of children and the elderly.

There were dishes like crispy ginger century eggs, Beijing-style kidney balls, deep-fried crucian carp, and phoenix-eye kidney—classic dishes. Boss Deng clearly had some skill.

Guoqing, Lele, Xiao Dan, and Chen Xiaoniu naturally took the children to a side table. Cheng Qiao wanted to join them but was stopped by Qin Daqiang.

Jiang Meili sat beside Cheng Qiao. She had wanted to ask Qin Daqiang about Li Bing but realized he didn’t even glance at her, so she understood she wasn’t welcome and took Li Chen to the side table.

Li Chen was exceptionally clever. Seeing his mother’s disappointment, he ran over to Qin Daqiang, grabbed his hand, and pitifully asked:

“Uncle Qin, when is my daddy coming back? Look, my brother has his dad here at dinner, but I don’t. I miss my dad.”

Qin Daqiang’s face darkened. His first thought was that Jiang Meili was using the child to extract news about Li Bing. Jiang Meili froze—she hadn’t even spoken about this topic to the child.

Li Huan couldn’t stand it. Li Chen was his nephew; no child should be sad. He scooped him up and comforted him:

“Xiao Cheng Cheng, you’re the son of a hero. Your father almost risked his life to protect the country. Right now he’s in a critical mission. Once he wins, he’ll come back to have dinner with you.”