Chapter 498: The Pig-Headed Boy is Quite Pleasing to the Eye

Just as Qin Tian was stir-frying the second dish, the doorbell rang.

"I'll go open it!"

Xia Nuannuan, who was standing on the side stealing techniques, said hurriedly, then trotted over to open the door.

Xiatian, who had been circling around their feet, also happily followed along.

After confirming through the peephole that it was Lao Xia, Xia Nuannuan opened the door and greeted him with a sweet smile.

"Dad, you're here!"

"Yeah, it smells so good. Is the food ready? I'm starving!"

Xia Zhengping walked into the house, rubbing his stomach and shouting that he was hungry.

"Almost, there are still a few dishes left. You go sit and rest for a while."

Xia Nuannuan took a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet, placed them on the floor, and answered with a smile.

"Woof!"

Xiatian looked up at this strange fat man and barked vigilantly.

"So this is the stray dog you two adopted? You've raised it well; it's much fatter than in the photos you sent back then."

Xia Zhengping looked at the dog and said with a chuckle.

He was a total carnivore, and having been hungry for a day, his gaze—which looked like he was eyeing reserve rations—made the dog instinctively retreat, and its look toward this fat man became even more vigilant.

"Dad, don't scare it."

Xia Nuannuan picked up the dog from the floor and gave Lao Xia a look of annoyance.

"Hahaha... that's not my fault, this dog is too timid."

Xia Zhengping laughed happily.

Walking over to the kitchen, seeing the two dishes already set on the dining table, Xia Zhengping couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

The two dishes looked very good in terms of presentation, so naturally, he didn't know they were made by his precious daughter, thinking they were made by Chef Qin.

"Uncle, you're here!"

Seeing Lao Xia, Qin Tian hurriedly took the initiative to greet him.

"What else are you cooking? That's about enough. Three people can't eat that many dishes, don't make too much and waste it."

Xia Zhengping said with a chuckle as he approached.

"Alright. There's carrot and mutton stewing in the pot over there, I'm stir-frying some pig head meat here, I just finished the leek and eggs, the pork rib soup in the pressure cooker is almost done, and there's a fish to pan-fry, and then we're all set."

Qin Tian said while skillfully tossing the wok, stir-frying the pig head meat inside over high heat.

"Good, good, good, this is a real feast!"

Lao Xia nodded happily and asked: "Do you have alcohol? Let's have a little drink together later."

"Yes, I'll go get it later!"

"Alright!"

"You go to the living room and sit for a while to watch TV. I'll call you when the food is ready."

"Okay, okay, you go ahead and get busy, I'll go over and sit for a while."

Lao Xia nodded, rubbed his round belly, and went to the living room to watch TV with full anticipation.

Xia Nuannuan helped carry the finished leek and eggs to the dining table, then came over to continue standing on the side to steal techniques.

Before long, five dishes and one soup, all with great color, aroma, and taste, and in generous portions, were all set on the dining table.

Bowls and chopsticks were also prepared. After inviting his future father-in-law to sit down, Qin Tian went to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of good wine, opened it, and without a word, filled a glass for Lao Xia, then poured one for himself.

"Uncle, come, let's have a toast!"

After sitting down, Qin Tian smiled and raised his glass to toast Lao Xia.

"Alright, let's toast!"

Lao Xia also clinked glasses with him quite readily.

Both of them only took a small sip, then put down their glasses and picked up their chopsticks.

"I can't take it anymore, I'm so hungry I'm dizzy. I'll start with a piece of this pig head meat first."

Lao Xia's gaze was burning, and his chopsticks went straight for the plate of stir-fried pig head meat with garlic sprouts.

"Wait a minute!"

Xia Nuannuan suddenly called out.

Lao Xia's chopsticks stopped above the plate of pig head meat, and he cast a puzzled look at his daughter.

"What's wrong?"

"Dad, you should taste this tomato and egg first, and this stir-fried pork with chili."

Xia Nuannuan pointed to the two dishes she had made on the table.

"Is there any difference? Aren't I going to eat them all anyway? Can't I eat a piece of meat first?"

Lao Xia looked at his daughter, completely confused.

"Oh, just don't worry about it, taste these two dishes first."

Xia Nuannuan insisted with a serious face.

Lao Xia cast a suspicious look at Qin Tian, but Qin Tian just smiled without saying a word, showing an expression of great interest.

"Dad, hurry, hurry, taste it and see how it is."

Xia Nuannuan urged.

"I've already eaten these two dishes he made!"

Lao Xia was baffled and, quite helplessly, picked up a chopstick of stir-fried pork with chili.

Compared to the tomato and egg, he clearly liked this one more.

After putting the chili and pork into his mouth, a look of surprise immediately appeared on Lao Xia's face. He looked up at the expressions of the two children and guessed something.

"This dish... it wasn't made by you, Xiao Qin, was it?"

"Mm, these two dishes were made by Nuan Nuan."

Qin Tian nodded with a smile.

"I knew it, how come... the taste is so different!"

Lao Xia originally wanted to say why it was a bit salty, but seeing his daughter's expectant gaze opposite him, he suddenly realized and made a sharp turn.

"Dad, how do you think it's different? Can you give me some suggestions for improvement?"

Xia Nuannuan asked with a smile.

"I mean, the dishes you and Xiao Qin make taste different, but they are both delicious. Why improve? No need to improve, I love eating this."

Lao Xia picked up another chopstick of egg and stuffed it into his mouth, nodding in praise: "Not bad, this stir-fried tomato with egg is also spot on, the taste is already very similar to what your mom makes. As expected of my daughter, you really learn everything fast!"

Xia Nuannuan was so praised that she felt a bit embarrassed. She blushed and moved the plates on the dining table, moving those two dishes in front of Lao Xia.

"Brother and I even thought it was a bit salty. Dad, as long as you like eating it, eat more, don't waste it."

"Ah?"

Lao Xia was stunned. He glanced at the pig head meat and red-braised mutton that were now further away from him, and suddenly felt a sense of having lifted a rock only to drop it on his own feet.

Qin Tian quietly ate his food and watched the show, secretly happy in his heart.

The dining table was long, and the three sat facing each other, so even if the dishes were a bit far, it wasn't to the point where he couldn't reach them.

It was just that his precious daughter's happy appearance made Lao Xia really unable to bear not giving her face, so he could only frequently reach for the two barely-satisfactory trial works in front of him, occasionally picking up a large chopstick of pig head meat and red-braised mutton.

"Uncle, you've worked hard coming from so far away, eat more meat."

Qin Tian stretched out his arm and put two large pieces of mutton into Lao Xia's bowl.

"Good, good, don't worry about me, I can do it myself."

Lao Xia nodded repeatedly with a bright smile, feeling so moved he almost cried.

At this moment, he only felt that this pig-headed boy he used to find displeasing now seemed just like his own son.

"Brother, stop putting meat in his bowl, I feel like Dad has gotten fatter again. This can't go on, he should eat more of the tomato and egg I made, this won't make him fat!"

Xia Nuannuan interjected out of the blue.

The smile on Lao Xia's face stiffened, he felt too aggrieved to speak, and buried his head in eating the mutton. ===== CHAPTER 499 =====