Chapter 466 - To Live in the Lap of Luxury (2/2)

“Hehe! You don’t say; this lady will treat you to good food today!” Yu Xiaocao suddenly remembered that the kitchen had been able to procure a deer this morning and smiled, “I’ll treat you to mala hotpot. Will you honor me, Royal Prince Yang who is always busy?”

“Even if I’m busy, I still won’t miss your cooking!” ‘Fourth rule in the Code of Conduct for the Pursuit of a Wife: Recklessly throw compliments—men who are sweet talkers get the prize!’

At lunchtime, General Fang braved the wind and snow and made it back home, and the whole family, along with a freeloader (Royal Prince Yang), enjoyed venison hotpot in the parlor room. The pot had been specially made according to the style and shape of Beijing hot pots, with a divider in the middle so as to accommodate Fang Haolin's tastes. One side of the pot used clear, black chicken soup for its soup base, while the other used authentic, old Chongqing mala hotpot ingredients as its soup base.

Plates of thinly sliced venison, lamb, various meatballs and fish balls, as well as tofu skin, tofu, spinach and other green vegetables were on the table. This was paired with a dip made by Xiaocao that had the entire family stuffing themselves full. Even Little Linlin ate a lot of meat and fish balls!

While helping her son to cook the lamb, Lady Fang pretended to ask casually, “Cao’er, are you going back to Dongshan Village this New Year’s, or are you celebrating in the capital?”

“Er...I think I’ll still go back to Dongshan Village. My family is there, so it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t go back.” It had been a long time since Yu Xiaocao returned to Dongshan Village, and she missed her relatives who stayed there, as well as the simple Dongshan villagers.

“What’s wrong about it? You've already spent a dozen New Year's with Brother Dahai, but you've never spent a New Year with me and your godmother! Don't go back this year, the four of us will have our own celebration!” Fang Zizhen was really treating Xiaocao like his own daughter. His daughter was such a lovely person, not to mention that she understood his temperament! It was a pity that Yu Hai kept trying to steal his daughter from him. It was so displeasing!

He didn’t seem to recall that Yu Xiaocao was still surnamed Yu, after all, and she was Yu Hai's own flesh and blood. At first, Yu Hai pitied him because he had no children of his own, so he shared his daughter with him, but now it had become a case of Yu Hai stealing his daughter from him. Ai! You really couldn’t reason with such a crude person!

“Er…” Both front and back sides of her hand had flesh on it, and both her godfather and biological father were still her fathers. Yu Xiaocao was put in between a rock and a hard place.

Even just his movements of cooking the ingredients in the soup was so pleasing to the eye. Zhu Junyang helped the little lass blanch a bowl of venison and lamb, then refilled her empty cup with fruit tea before he leisurely said, “What’s there to argue about? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just bring Xiaocao’s family into the capital for New Year's?”

Upon hearing this, Fang Zizhen slapped his thighs and loudly concurred, “That's a good idea! Brother Dahai wasn’t able to take a good look at the capital the last time he was here! It's much more lively in the capital than in Tanggu Town during the New Year! Cao’er, you should bring your siblings over, and when the time comes, you can bring them to the temple fair and enjoy the lanterns. Everybody can have fun together!”

“Father, Older Sister, Linlin also wants to see the lanterns!” Fang Haolin quickly jutted in after swallowing the piece of tofu that his mother fed him.

“Okay! When the time comes, I’ll bring Linlin and your older sister to see the lanterns together, and buy Linlin a bunny lantern…” Fang Zizhen pinched his son's chubby little face, grinning so widely his eyes had turned into slits—as if the matter was already settled.

“Linlin wants a big tiger lantern, not a little bunny!” Ever since he heard his older sister’s story of the mighty tiger, tigers had become the object of affection for our little friend, Fang Haolin, because it was the best of all the animals!

“Very well, we’ll buy both the tiger and the bunny!” Fang Zizhen’s laughter resounded within the parlor room.

Looking at her godfather's exuberant expression, Yu Xiaocao really couldn't bear to spoil it for him. However, if the entire family was to spend the New Year in the capital, disregarding all the effort it would take, it would already be a difficult challenge in itself to find a place to fit the entire family. If they lived in the Fang Residence, her family would definitely not feel at ease. Did she have enough time to buy a house now?

Sigh...why hadn’t she thought of buying a yard of her own in the first place? She seemed to have had the intention at the beginning, but then her godparents were afraid that she would move out of the Fang Residence after she bought her own residence, so they had strongly opposed her, and that was the end of it.