SFTD -Chapter 288 Nobody Pays Attention to Me

That evening, the group never ended up going to the Hot Lady restaurant Xu Biao had suggested. Director Liu called and urged Zhou Hai and the others to head straight to Jinzhou after finishing up, so everyone only took a short afternoon rest before setting off.

It was not until July 17 that the three backlog cases in Jinzhou were finally wrapped up. It wasn’t particularly fast work, but being able to clear them at all was already something to feel relieved about.

Early on the morning of July 18, Huang Zhongsheng led the team onward to Mi Gao, while Zhou Hai returned alone to Southeast Province. Xiao Luoluo and Lu’s parents were coming back that day, and he needed to pick them up from the airport.

Without stopping for a break, Zhou Hai rushed home, changed cars, and drove straight to the airport.

When he arrived and checked the time, there were still ten minutes before the flight landed. He instantly let out a sigh of relief. Good thing he made it in time, otherwise who knew what kind of trouble Xiao Luoluo would stir up.

Not long after he started waiting, passengers began pouring out from the exit. There was no way to tell whether they belonged to Xiao Luoluo’s flight, so Zhou Hai could only squeeze forward with the crowd. Thankfully, his height still gave him an advantage, and he craned his neck toward the exit.

The weather was scorching hot. Even though the terminal had air conditioning, with so many people packed together it still felt stuffy.

Perfume, sweat, cigarettes, body odor, and even the pungent smell of salted fish drifting from a huge bag carried by someone nearby—all the odors mixed together in an overwhelming wave.

The chaotic blend of smells was downright suffocating. Zhou Hai frowned slightly. Honestly, it was harder to endure than the smell of corpses. It challenged every one of his senses.

At that moment, the crowd exiting suddenly thickened. Cheers from people greeting family and friends rose one after another. Then Zhou Hai finally spotted a petite figure bouncing sideways out of the gate. She wore a loose white cropped T-shirt and jeans. Behind her, pushing the luggage cart, was Father Lu.

Zhou Hai quickly waved and stepped forward to take the cart from Father Lu.

“Huh? Where’s Mother Lu?”

Father Lu glanced behind him. Only then did Zhou Hai notice Mother Lu, wearing a backwards baseball cap, happily taking photos with a handsome young security officer. She was even making the same old peace-sign pose she had probably used for decades. Seeing Father Lu’s helpless expression from the side, Zhou Hai suddenly felt a little speechless.

“Let’s wait for Mother Lu.”

Father Lu waved dismissively. “Let’s move somewhere less crowded. She’ll find us once she’s done. There are too many people here. Honestly, the smell coming off foreigners is unbearable.”

Zhou Hai instantly burst out laughing and nodded. Pushing the luggage cart, he led them to a waiting area. Once they stopped, he raised a hand and rubbed Xiao Luoluo’s hair.

“After a trip to America, you seem to have gotten a little taller?”

Standing beside him, Xiao Luoluo puffed up her cheeks with annoyance. Still, she gave him some face and didn’t dodge his hand.

“Hmph. Don’t act like you’re only noticing now. I’m just wearing shoes with a tiny heel. What kind of brother are you? We haven’t seen each other for a whole month, and all you care about is pleasing Father Lu and Mother Lu. You don’t pay any attention to me at all!”

Looking at her puffed cheeks, Zhou Hai suddenly had the urge to poke them. Before he even realized it, his hand had already reached out. The soft feeling was unexpectedly nice, and the expression on his face softened a little. Then he opened his arms toward her.

“You brat. Did you have fun?”

Xiao Luoluo pouted. Though she still acted a little stubborn, she had genuinely missed Zhou Hai. The moment he opened his arms, she immediately threw herself at him like a swallow returning to its nest, rubbing hard against his chest.

Her arms wrapped tightly around him, as though the unreasonable girl from moments ago had been someone else entirely.

“I missed you, Zhouzhou!”

Zhou Hai patted her back gently. He knew Xiao Luoluo had buried all her emotions deep inside. Old John’s passing had not affected her as lightly as she pretended. But for the sake of taking care of Lu’s parents, she had hidden everything in her heart. Faced with such a sensible girl, Zhou Hai felt nothing but heartache.

“I missed you too. Very, very much. I missed Father Lu and Mother Lu too. I was worried you’d get tired of American burgers and steaks. After all, once you eat them for too long, they really do become boring.”

Father Lu, who had already been feeling a bit sour, immediately seized the opportunity to speak. His wife had run off to take photos with a handsome young man, and the little girl he doted on had completely abandoned him the moment she saw Zhou Hai.

“Seriously, I never realized Americans eat so simply. The two times I went to America before, everything was arranged for us the whole trip, and we mostly ate Chinese food, so I never really looked into what ordinary Americans actually eat.

This time, once we joined the tour group, the guide would start introducing things as soon as we arrived somewhere: thirty meters to the left is a burger shop, to the right is a hotdog stand and a pizza place. After eating those three things over and over, I nearly threw up.

We finally managed to visit a supermarket, and there wasn’t even a cashier. Xiao Luoluo had to operate everything herself to pay. We bought some cooked seafood there just to barely survive a couple meals, but those seafood portions were huge and tasted terrible. Shrimp without heads loses half the fun of eating it.”

Zhou Hai couldn’t help laughing.

By then, Mother Lu had finally caught up. She shot Father Lu a glare and shoved the only little handbag she carried onto him as well.

“And you still dare complain? Your Father Lu insisted on eating old Beijing zhajiang noodles. We went to a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown and nearly vomited after one bite. It was just noodles mixed with sweet bean paste—absolutely awful. My stomach hurt for days afterward.”

Zhou Hai quickly nodded. “Mother Lu really has gotten thinner.”

Mother Lu’s eyes instantly brightened. She looked herself up and down, then turned toward Zhou Hai with a smile.

“See? Hai Zi can tell I lost weight. I asked you so many times, and you just brushed me off.”

Father Lu looked awkward and muttered quietly,

“I’m not in his profession. How could my eyes be as accurate as a digital scale? You’re always jealous of me too. I want to lose weight myself, but what can I do if I can’t?”

Mother Lu snorted and ignored him, instead pulling Xiao Luoluo over and kneading her cheeks. Apparently Zhou Hai wasn’t the only one who thought they felt nice to pinch.

The smile on Zhou Hai’s face deepened.

Ever since Lu Xi had left, all of them had changed a great deal. Although Lu’s parents still forced smiles at times, they had not looked this relaxed and genuinely happy in a long while. It seemed the trip to America had done them some good after all.

“Forget it, I won’t argue with you anymore. Let’s head home first, clean up, and go attend the wedding banquet tonight.”

As Zhou Hai pushed the luggage cart, he looked puzzled.

“A wedding banquet tonight?”

Mother Lu nodded.

“Mhm. That Vice Principal Zhang from your Father Lu’s Southeast University somehow decided to hold his son’s wedding banquet at night. Their family is Cantonese, so maybe it’s one of their local customs.

I just wonder whether the bride’s family minds. Around here, people believe nighttime weddings are for second marriages, and if the banquet starts after midnight it’s considered unlucky. You should come with us tonight too. Our whole family can help make the occasion look more lively.”

Zhou Hai said nothing further and hurriedly loaded the luggage into the car, driving the three of them back to the Lu residence. On the way, he had already contacted Sister Liu, who had prepared a table full of food waiting for them.

An hour later, the four of them arrived at the Lu house. The moment the door opened, Xiao Luoluo started sniffing repeatedly. The rich aroma of meat filled the entire living room, making all three of them nod in satisfaction.

Pork Knuckle also came charging toward Xiao Luoluo and played with her for a while before eventually returning to squat outside the kitchen door.

Sister Liu hurried out.

“Professor Lu and Teacher Hu are back! I made braised pork with taro, spicy stir-fried young chicken, and a few vegetable dishes. Should we start eating now?”

After everyone quickly washed up, they sat down to eat.

Because they were so happy, no one held back. Having just returned home after going so long without Chinese food, they simply could not resist those familiar flavors, and every one of them ate far too much.

Sister Liu brewed hawthorn tea to help with digestion. After resting for a while, everyone finally felt a little better and all went upstairs to shower and rest.

“Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, Supreme Lord Lao please show your power! I hereby sacrifice a book—Ultimate Bliss Ascension System. Anyone who likes trying unusual stories can give it a look. The writing style is wonderfully bizarre!”