Peerless Martial Expert in the City
Chapter 185 - 184: Visiting

Chapter 185: Chapter 184: Visiting

Wang Qingqing’s aunt’s house was indeed quite far from Z University. After riding for a while, Xiao Yi quickly realized that setting the time at three o’clock was indeed a foresight. Previously, he had thought that this time might be a bit too early.

Even without traffic jams, it would take roughly an hour to get there from Z University, including a bus transfer. He estimated that the distance must be tens of kilometers. And in G City, especially during the weekends, except for a few suburban routes, experiencing no traffic congestion was obviously a luxury that could only be encountered by great luck.

Xiao Yi and Wang Qingqing didn’t have such luck, so when they arrived at their aunt’s house, it was already past five o’clock, which was neither too early nor too late.

Wang Qingqing’s aunt, who was Li Xiaomei, the one Xiao Yi had treated for kidney stones before, hurriedly and warmly ushered them into the house when she saw Xiao Yi and Wang Qingqing carrying a bunch of fruits. She then kept pouring tea and offering water enthusiastically, behaving as if they were the most honored guests. This enthusiastic behavior made Xiao Yi feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Li Xiaomei’s husband, also Wang Qingqing’s second uncle, was at home that day. He was a man in his forties, looking simple and reticent. Seeing Xiao Yi and Wang Qingqing coming, he just smiled warmly at the side, talking very little.

"Second Aunt, where is Erhu? Didn’t you say he didn’t have any extra classes?" Soon, after some small talk, Wang Qingqing noticed someone was missing—her cousin, Wang Xiaohu, who was attending high school in G City. Everyone in the family called him Erhu. She asked Li Xiaomei with a hint of surprise.

"Oh, he can’t sit still at home. He ran out right after lunch, and I don’t even know where he went to hang out. This little rascal, I told him you were coming today and asked him not to go out. Still, he insisted on going out, saying he had planned to join his classmates in some team battle. But he should be back soon."

Li Xiaomei explained a bit annoyedly yet affectionately as Wang Qingqing asked about her son.

"Oh, that’s alright. Boys need to unwind and go out now and then, which is quite good. Second Aunt, you shouldn’t always be too strict with him; it’s still important to give him some time to socialize with his classmates," Wang Qingqing convinced Li Xiaomei with a gentle smile.

"It doesn’t matter what I do, unlike you, who has been well-behaved and studious from a young age. You don’t know, if I don’t keep an eye on him, he’d completely go wild. He wouldn’t even look at his books. Just a few days ago, his school’s mid-term test scores came out, and his grades dropped a few places. At this rate, let alone Z University, he wouldn’t even make it to those second-tier schools," Li Xiaomei said nonchalantly.

"Take it easy, Erhu is only in his second year of high school, isn’t he? He still has more than a year to go."

Wang Qingqing said smilingly.

"Without a good foundation, it will be hard to improve later," Li Xiaomei retorted, having her own opinions on these matters.

Wang Qingqing knew her aunt’s personality. She laughed and didn’t say anything more. After all, how someone teaches their son is their own business. Besides, she was just a college student herself. What she said was merely her personal opinion and she wasn’t even sure if it was correct.

The two discussed Wang Xiaohu’s studies and life for a while. Although Li Xiaomei had endless things to say when it came to her son, seeing Xiao Yi smiling beside her, she suddenly remembered the main purpose of the day. She stopped talking, stood up with a smile, "Classmate Xiao, Qingqing, you guys keep chatting. I’m going to start preparing dinner."

With that, she was about to turn around and head into the kitchen.

"Auntie Erhu, I’ll go with you."

Upon hearing her aunt’s words, Wang Qingqing quickly stood up and said she had already prepared to show her cooking skills today, and had even had Auntie Erhu get the ingredients ready.

"You, cooking by yourself? Well, this time, we are really lucky to have Classmate Xiao here to enjoy it."

Li Xiaomei had known Wang Qingqing was planning to cook herself, and upon hearing her words, she didn’t stop her but only gave her a warm smile, then turned to Xiao Yi with a grin and said, "Classmate Xiao, let me tell you, our Qingqing’s cooking skills are truly exceptional. We hardly ever get her to cook."

"Auntie Erhu, what are you talking about? Don’t make a joke at my expense! My ability to whip up some home-cooked dishes is just passable, nothing to speak of as real culinary skill."

Wang Qingqing blushed shyly, modestly interjecting, but despite her humble words, Xiao Yi noticed there was an unmistakable pride and confidence on her face indicating that she was quite confident in her own cooking skills.

"Who would have thought Classmate Wang also excels in this? Now I’m really looking forward to it."

Xiao Yi, slightly surprised, glanced at Wang Qingqing and chuckled.

"I just hope it won’t be hard to swallow later."

Wang Qingqing laughed.

After exchanging a few polite jokes, Li Xiaomei and Wang Qingqing headed towards the kitchen ahead.

The house of Wang Qingqing’s uncle was an old, two-bedroom second-hand apartment. It seemed to have seen many years, with a rather outdated layout where the kitchen and living room were completely separate, a typical style from over two decades ago.

After Li Xiaomei and Wang Qingqing entered the kitchen, only Xiao Yi and Wang Qingqing’s second uncle, Wang Dawei, remained in the living room.

Wang Dawei was not much of a conversationalist. As the two women left, he gave Xiao Yi a simple grin, seemingly unsure what to say, and the atmosphere turned silent. After a while, feeling the quiet was inappropriate, he awkwardly started a conversation by asking about Xiao Yi’s life at school, moving onto some everyday questions.

Xiao Yi, smiling, answered his questions and sensing his discomfort in conversation, didn’t want to make it difficult for him and started steering the conversation to make it easier for him. As they slowly talked, Xiao Yi began to learn more about his situation.

Wang Dawei had two brothers, with Wang Qingqing’s father being the eldest and himself the middle child. While her father had always stayed in their hometown, he had moved to G City over two decades ago to try his luck. In the early days, he heard driving could make money, so he gritted his teeth, learned to drive, and it turned out to be the right move. As G City rapidly grew, drivers became a scarce resource. Being naturally mature and having driven safely for years, combined with his wife, Li Xiaomei, being a careful and thrifty planner, they managed to save enough over the years to buy their current 80-square-meter, two-bedroom apartment. (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, we invite you to come to qidian.com to cast your recommendation or monthly votes; your support is my greatest motivation.)