Li Jianyue didn’t find anything amiss. Happily, she carried on picking food off Li Mosen’s bowl with her chopsticks.

  Out of the blue, Li Mosen tossed a piece of tripe into his bowl. “Ew! I don’t want to eat that!” Li Jianyue protested.

  Li Mosen was about to dip raw vegetables into the soup pot when he heard Li Jinyue. “It wasn’t for you,” he said intentionally.

  “So don’t put it here! It’ll leave a smell.”


  “This is my bowl.” Li Mosen cast her a knowing look. “Your bowl is over there.”


  “Yeah, well, between us, there’s never been a line separating what’s yours and what’s mine. What’s yours is mine.” Li Jianyue giggled as she picked up the piece of tripe. After dipping it in sauce, she held the tripe to Li Mosen’s lips. “Open your mouth,” she told him.

  With a laugh, Li Mosen opened his mouth and ate the tripe. He spooned out some more freshly cooked food and put them in his bowl.

  Li Jianyue’s reflexes were speedy. In the blink of an eye, she had the food in her mouth. Just then, she saw the waiter bringing a platter to the table. When Li Jianyue saw that it was her favorite shrimp cakes, she pulled Li Mosen’s arm. “Brother Mosen, I want to eat that!” she said with her mouth full.

  Li Jianqian couldn’t bear to watch Li Jianue’s antics anymore. “You only care about yourself! Mosen hasn’t eaten more than a few bites!

  “Didn’t I just feed him?” Li Jianyue huffed with righteous indignation. “I saw him eat quite a few mouthfuls!”


  Su Qianci glanced at her daughter too. “Don’t bully your brother.”


  “I didn’t!” Li Jianyue objected, still chewing her food. She heeded her mother’s advice and took the shrimp cakes by herself. “Brother Mosen loves cooking hot pot for me. Hmph, he’s not at all like a certain fake brother who has never cooked anything for me.”


  Li Jianqian laughed in exasperation. “You have the cheek to say that? You’re the one who’s always plastered to Mosen’s side. Since when have you even paid any attention to me?”


  “That’s because you’re always ignoring me! Only Brother Mosen cares about me. That’s why I don’t pay any attention to you!” Li Jianyue huffed in annoyance. “Brother Mosen is the best! You are all bad! Mom, have some prawn cakes.”


  Li Jianyue picked out the freshly cooked prawn cakes from the soup pot and put them in Su Qianci’s bowl. “Brother Mosen is so tasty!”


  Li Mosen’s azure blue eyes slowly darkened when he heard that.

  Brother Mosen is so tasty.

  Li Jianqian caught her slipup. “Hey! Speak properly! What do you mean by ‘Brother Mosen is so tasty’?” He demanded an explanation.

  Li Jianyue realized that she had made a blunder. But she forged on indignantly. “Brother Mosen’s cooking is tasty! If you think you can do a better job, cook something for me. I’ll say your cooking is tasty too!”


  “Forget it!” Li Jianqian waved her away. “It’ll be better for you to go with Mosen. Leave me alone.”


  “Hmph!” Li Jianyue resumed savoring her food. Li Mosen was in a pretty good mood too. “Leave some food for me!”


  “Sure, I’m full anyway,” Li Jianyue said. She took a sip of sour plum juice. “Ah, that was delicious!” she sighed, her stomach satisfied.

  Su Qianci couldn’t contain her smile, even as she admonished Li Jianyue. “You’re quite good at bullying your brother.”


  Yu Chulin had kept his silence throughout the meal. The comment made him look up instinctively at Li Mosen and Li Sicheng. Like Yu Chuli, Li Sicheng had remained silent the entire time.

  Li Sicheng had kept eyes firmly on the food the entire period. Whenever something in the pot was ready to consume, he would pick them up and place them in the bowl between himself and Su Qianci.

  No one could tell from his fathomless eyes what he was thinking.

  After they had finished supper, Li Jianyue had a bout of indigestion from overeating. She clutched Li Mosen’s arm as she struggled to walk. “Ugh, it’s so uncomfortable,” she complained.

  “Why did you have to eat so much?” Li Mosen asked helplessly. He held Li Jianyue by her arm and helped her to walk by herself. “Try to walk it off,” he suggested.