Chapter 353 - 353: Passing The Middle School Examination
Li Zexin dished out compliments for Xia Mo.
Xia MO was overjoyed. She thanked Li Zexin with a warm smile.
Xiao Yi sighed. It was the same. Li Zexin’s sweet talk hadn’t changed one bit. He wondered how his mother couldn’t see through it.
Li Zexuan listened to his brother’s attempted flattery for a while and was impressed. His brother could go on praising a person for longer than five minutes.
[Xinxin is so sweet.]
[Why does it sound so good when Xinxin praises her?]
[Maybe this is Xinxin’s sincere opinion.]
[I find it very genuine. What they said is true. Although I can’t taste it, the appearance is indeed good. The food is beautifully decorated.]
Lin Wan knew about her stepson’s flattery.
‘Nice, Xinxin!’ she thought. ‘Keep praising Xia MO and make sure she’s happy!’
She realized that if Xia MO was happy, they could come here to eat anytime. Lin Wan would have jumped on the praises too.
“Alright. Everyone, please take a seat,” said Xia Mo.
Xiao Tianlin and Li Yanchen walked to the table outside to help their wives. The two tables in Xiao Yi’s courtyard were pushed together to make room for everyone.
Ever since the first episode, Li Zexuan had become obsessed with delicious food. He always looked forward to good food. He loved everything about it. The aroma, the presentation, the taste…
“Auntie Xia, can I eat at your house in this episode? I can help out. I’ll exchange my labor for food. I don’t want to go back and forth for meals.”
“Sure,” Xia MO said without hesitation.
Li Zexin cursed at himself inwardly. He wished he could pass the middle school examination and use it as an excuse to eat at Xiao Yi’s home.
“Auntie Xia, please count me in too. I don’t have as big an appetite as my brother,” said Li Zexin.
“Why are you pulling me into this?” Li Zexuan grumbled.
Li Zexuan thought that Xia MO wouldn’t have a reason to refuse them. “I eat very little. You can make less food to reduce your burden, Auntie Xia.”
If it weren’t for the greasy stains on their lips from the food, Lin Wan would have covered their mouths. Why did they have to ask Xia MO if they could eat here for the duration of the show?
They were openly declaring that they despised the food at home! Lin Wan was obsessed with trying out new recipes. Now, she had lost the subjects she experimented on.
“Mr. Li and Wanwan, you can come here to eat. I don’t mind,” said Xia MO generously.
Li Yanchen was speechless.
“But we are such a big family. Won’t it be troublesome to cook for so many people every day? The children are just joking. Please don’t take their words seriously. I want to show off my cooking skills. I invite everyone to my house for dinner!” said Lin Wan.
When the children heard that, they were even more determined than ever to beg Xia MO for a meal.
“Ms. Lin, don’t worry about us. We’ll be at Xiao Yi’s house. This way, you can spend some alone time with our father,” said Li Zexin quickly.
Li Zexuan admired his brother’s boldness.
Lin Wan was not stupid. She knew her stepsons hated the food she cooked.
“What? No! I want my family together at home. Two people only would feel too lonely,” said Lin Wan.
“Ms. Lin, I agree with my brother,” said Li Zexuan. “Auntie Xia has already accepted us. So, you and Mr. Li can have some time together.”
Lin Wan was speechless. On second thoughts, she thought that it would be convenient for them too. She could always fry some rice for her and Li Yanchen. That was good enough for them.
Everyone ate lunch. A tune blared through the loudspeaker. They were aware that a mission would be announced soon.
Sure enough, the tune ended. “Please gather near the large stone at the village entrance at two in the afternoon. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. We have a mission for all of you.”
Xiao Tianlin sighed. “Is it a race again?”
“Maybe. It might be a race to run around the village. They called us all to the village entrance,” said Li Yanchen.
“A race?” Lin Wan sighed.
Lin Wan wasn’t a fan of running. She always felt like she had the worst coordination when running. It sometimes felt like her arms and legs couldn’t keep up with each other when she ran.
Li Zexin and the other kids felt that this mission was boring.
“Such a simple mission? Has the Festival Group run out of ideas?” said Li Zexin.
Xiao Yi nodded. “They could let the viewers brainstorm ideas and accept suggestions. That would be better than assigning boring missions.”
“What if it’s not just a race?” asked Li Zexuan. He felt that things couldn’t be that simple.
“Let’s just deal with the mission later. Now is the time to eat!” said Xia Mo.
“Yes. We need to fill our stomachs if we want to participate in that task,” said Lin Wan.
[I guess it’s a race again.]
[Isn’t there a running track in the village? Why do they need to gather everyone at the village entrance if they want them to run in a race?]
[I think it’s necessary because the tasks need to be done within the village. Many people don’t know what the village actually looks like. Maybe by making the guests run, we can see the village entirely.]
[It’s freezing cold. There are only bare trees everywhere.]
[Bare trees are also part of the scenery.]
[I agree. I think the task is meant to familiarize the guests with the village scenery.]
“Everyone, please stay hydrated. It’ll last for two hours.”
“Two hours? If we have to run for two hours, we’ll collapse!” Lin Wan already wanted to give up..