Edited by Relendria
Meng Yao hated hearing the sadness in his Jiajia's voice. His wonderful wife had been forced to live such a painful life! Meng Yao stood up and swept Jia Yi into his arms.
"Don't worry, Jiajia, you have me now. I'll sleep with you every night and in the future, we'll have little ones to join us - but I'll kick them out since I'm a jealous man who wants his Jiajia to himself," Meng Yao coaxed.
Jia Yi smiled gently at both Meng Yao's coaxing and his silly jealousy towards their unborn children. He leaned contentedly on Meng Yao's shoulder. He had been very lucky the day the village chief and doctor forced him and Meng Yao to marry!
And the two stood like that for a while.
The next day an unexpected guest visited the restaurant.
"So, what do you want Xiaobo?" the man asked the child gently.
"I want to pick for Daddy too," the boy grinned.
Fa Enlai looked at little boy who was grinning at him with missing front teeth. The child looked so adorable! Fa Enlai smiled gently as he rested his elbow on the table and supported his chin with his palm thinking that he really was attached to this little boy.
"Then can you order for the both of us," Fa Enlai agreed indulgently.
The little boy nodded as if he had just accepted an important mission and turned his attention to the menu; his expression serious.
Meng Yao, who was watching from a quiet corner, was amazed to see the she-man and happy for him at the same time. He turned to the waiter and said, "Their meals are free. Just tell the she-man it's from a good friend."
The waiter nodded and gave a brief bow before heading over to take their order.
"Mashed potatoes with fish for Daddy and mashed potatoes with beef for me," Xiaobo told the waiter, feeling very grown-up as he did so. "Also, I want grape juice for both of us and don't forget to bring us the sauces!" He smiled, feeling very proud of himself for completing his mission well.
The waiter nodded and left to get their food started. Fa Enlai looked at Ming Xiaobo, who was looking around the place with a happy smile. Enlai smiled as well as he noticed the peaceful aura around the restaurant. It was a busy, cheerful environment with the quiet clink of chopsticks on plates, the rustle of servers' clothes as they waited on tables, and the buzz of pleasant conversation as people ate the delicious food. Thinking about it, he realized that this would have been a nice place to take Hong Jia Yi and Liang Meng Yao to apologize for the trouble he had caused them back in the village.
"Daddy, are you okay?" the little boy asked, noticing Enlai's melancholy expression.
"Yeah, I was just thinking of an old friend," he told the boy, ruffling his hair.
In the kitchen Meng Yao was driven out by the odor of the fish being prepared for lunch. The smell wasn't didn't trigger his allergy but it still bothered him.
"Okay fellow friends, who wants to gamble?" he grinned, approaching the regular crowd relaxing in one corner of the restaurant.
One after another the people declined. After all, they could never win and they never saw through his cheating method. No one felt the urge to lose their money today.
Enlai noticed Meng Yao and was shocked to see him. He seemed to shine even more than he had in the village. His hair was wrapped in a neat ponytail, his skin glowed with health and vitality, and his yellow and white, light-colored clothes made him seem radiant. Enlai wanted to call out to him but he bit back the greeting, remembering his promise. Still, Enlai was glad to know Meng Yao was happy and well.
"Hmph, I'm not stupid enough to gamble with that sly man again!"
"He is too tricky! Reminds me of an old fox!" another man grumbled.
Enlai chuckled quietly. Liang Meng Yao always managed to leave an impression on people!
"Daddy, is something funny?" Xiaobo asked when he heard the chuckle.
"No, just a passing thought," Enlai told the boy.
"Fa Enlai, since when you became a daddy?" Meng Yao's teasing voice attracted their attention. They hadn't noticed his approach. "You could have informed an old friend!"
"Liang Meng Yao!" Enlai exclaimed, surprised at Meng Yao's sudden appearance beside their table.
"So, little one, is Fa Enlai your daddy? When did this happen? How old are you?" Meng Yao teased the little bun as he sat down.
"Ping, bring us wine," he commanded the server.
"Liang Meng Yao?!? ... Um ... what are you doing here?" Enlai asked with a hint of nervousness.
"Reuniting with an old friend, of course," Meng Yao answered casually.
Enlai felt awkward but there seemed to be no hostility coming from Meng Yao, even though Enlai had been so bold and rude to him before he left the village.
Soon the waiter served them the wine. Meng Yao looked awkwardly at the fish and his upper lip twitched with discomfort.
"I shall order you some if you'd like?" Enlai offered, thinking he wanted some.
"No, thank you. I'm allergic to fish."
Enlai looked at him strangely - as if he'd said something incomprehensible. Meng Yao was about to ask him what was wrong when suddenly a strange man approached them with displeasure written on his face.