On the rectangular dining table, Li Zhengguo sat at the head, with Tian Jing to his left.
Li Weixin sat to his mother's left.
Li Weili and Han Lushi sat to Li Zhengguo's right.
Han Lushi pushed Li Weili to sit above him, regardless of his status in the Li family; he respected his wife.
After taking their seats, Li Zhengguo and Tian Jing raised their drink glasses, congratulating their daughter and son-in-law on a lifelong union and eternal love.
Han Lushi and Li Weili stood up to express their thanks.
Li Zhengguo asked them to sit down, saying they were family and there was no need for such formality.
Han Lushi still insisted on standing: "Dad, Mom, from now on, I am also part of a family."
"I have always longed for a family and imagined how I would get along with my family members."
"But imagination is just imagination. In the future, if I do anything wrong, you two must point it out to me, point it out to me directly."
"I will change, and I will integrate into my family well."
"Good, good, good."
The slight awkwardness in Li Zhengguo's heart had vanished when he saw Han Lushi push his daughter to sit above him.
Hearing these words now, he genuinely felt like he had gained a son.
Tian Jing nodded: "We are all family now, so speak freely, no need to be so polite."
"Sometimes, when we speak, it might not be intentional. If you hear something and have thoughts about it, speak up and ask, don't let unnecessary misunderstandings arise."
"Our common hope is for Lili's happiness, and her happiness depends on our collective efforts, so we need to communicate more with each other."
Han Lushi nodded: "I understand, I will."
He held Lili's hand, and they both took a sip of their drinks before sitting down.
"My turn." Li Weixin picked up his drink: "Sister, brother-in-law, I wish you a happy wedding and a long, happy life together."
"Thank you, brother."
Han Lushi and Li Weili raised their glasses to clink with him and took another large sip of their drinks.
"Alright, let's eat, eat." Tian Jing beckoned, "Lili, serve food to Lushi."
"I'll do it myself." Han Lushi not only served himself but also served Li Weili: "Lili, I don't know what you like to eat and what you don't. If you encounter something you like or dislike, you must tell me."
"Mm-hmm, you too." Li Weili replied, and also served Han Lushi: "When you have time off, I'll take you home to try our home-grown vegetables and the dishes my grandma cooks. That's the real deal. My dad's cooking is amateurish."
"Lili." Li Zhengguo feigned anger: "I cook for your mother. You should feel lucky to get any of it."
"Yes, yes, I am very lucky." Li Weili replied perfunctorily.
Then she laughed and said to Han Lushi, "You need to get used to the family atmosphere quickly. Bickering is common."
"Respecting elders doesn't require formality. Respect them in your heart and show it through your actions."
"Okay." Han Lushi nodded, "When you have time, tell me more about the family."
"Mm-hmm."
Seeing his sister's constant smiles, Li Weixin was envious. His sister and second brother had found happiness. What about him and his elder brother?
...
It had been two days since she joined the specialty team, and Li Wanting had quickly familiarized herself with her work scope.
In the past two days, she had relaxed considerably.
This was not only because the place was spacious and sparsely populated but also because the atmosphere was very relaxed.
There were no fixed training times or meal times. She could eat whenever she wanted, as the canteen was open from seven in the morning to ten at night.
The team provided a subsidy for three meals, and if a member ate more, they paid extra.
During meals, they ate and drank boisterously, with no assembly afterward, no evening roll calls, and no lights-out times. Everything was casual and leisurely.
When she woke up on time, she would go for a run on the grass outside. After washing up, she would go to the canteen to eat.
After the meal, she would start cleaning the administrative building.
Secretary Jiang Lin had told her that she didn't need to finish it all at once. She could divide the floors and rooms, and after cleaning everything for the week, she could repeat the process.
While cleaning, she could also take breaks. She didn't need to complete all her tasks at once because cleaning was an endless task.
Therefore, during her breaks, she would wander on the grass outside the administrative building again.
"Whine."
Suddenly, an animal's low whine made her turn her head.
A wolf with shiny fur appeared in her line of sight.
Her first instinct was to adopt a defensive posture. She suddenly remembered Zi Yu's words and relaxed her muscles, asking the wolf, which didn't intend to attack her,
"Are you Xiao Xiao Hei?"
"Whine."
"Where is your owner?"
"Whine."
Li Wanting thought for a moment, then slowly approached Xiao Xiao Hei: "Are you lost?"
"Whine."
Xiao Xiao Hei took a step back.
Li Wanting stopped: "Xiao Xiao Hei?"
"Whimper."
"Huh?" Li Wanting was surprised, "Are you answering me?"
"Whimper, whimper."
Xiao Xiao Hei suddenly turned and walked away. After a few steps, it looked back at her.
Seeing that she wasn't following, it walked back and whined at her twice.
Li Wanting understood; it was asking her to follow it.
She followed Xiao Xiao Hei and soon arrived at the canteen.
Wang Huan, seeing Xiao Xiao Hei and Li Wanting behind it, asked in surprise, "Xiao Xiao Hei, where is Ran Ran?"
"Whimper, whimper."
Xiao Xiao Hei's voice was very aggrieved.
Wang Huan smiled, "Ran Ran went out to do something, didn't she? Then why did you bring this beautiful sister here?"
Xiao Xiao Hei raised its front paws and leaned onto the counter.
Wang Huan was surprised: "You haven't eaten?"
"Whimper, whimper." Xiao Xiao Hei's voice was still aggrieved.
Wang Huan looked at Li Wanting, then at Xiao Xiao Hei, and a guess formed in her mind:
"Xiao Xiao Hei, do you want this beautiful sister to treat you to a meal?"
"Whimper." Xiao Xiao Hei lowered its front paws and walked to a table to sit down.
Wang Huan looked at Li Wanting: "Wanting, Xiao Xiao Hei doesn't like to be fed by others, not even me."
"It wasn't like this before. Ran Ran taught it not to eat things randomly given by others."
"Ran Ran might be on a mission. It's hungry. Since it's asking you to feed it, you can feed it for a few days. Once its three owners return, it won't bother you anymore."
"It's okay," Li Wanting shook her head, "I like it."
Li Wanting was still a bit shy when interacting with people.
Wang Huan gave her two large bowls of rice and dishes and handed Li Wanting a clean plastic basin:
"This basin will be Xiao Xiao Hei's food bowl for now. Give it half a bowl of rice first, and then slowly add more dishes, feeding it like you would a child. This is how Ran Ran spoils it."
"If it doesn't eat enough, it will look at you, and you can keep adding food for it."
"If it's full, it will jump off the stool, bite the basin, and go to the sink. Then you can wash the basin for it. I'm sorry to trouble you."
"It's okay." Li Wanting shook her head, took the rice and dishes to the dining table, then turned back to get the basin and chopsticks and spoon.
Xiao Xiao Hei looked at Li Wanting with expectant eyes.
Li Wanting placed the basin in front of it, poured half a bowl of rice for it, and then used the chopsticks and spoon to add dishes for it.
"Whimper." Xiao Xiao Hei let out a low whimper and began to eat.
It ate very quickly, and Li Wanting suspected it had been hungry for a long time.
After finishing one bowl of rice and one bowl of dishes, Xiao Xiao Hei continued to look at her.
She picked up the two bowls and asked Wang Huan to refill them.
Wang Huan refilled them with two large bowls of rice and dishes.
After finishing again, Xiao Xiao Hei jumped off the stool, grabbed the basin in its mouth, and walked away.
As it walked, it looked back at Li Wanting.
Li Wanting followed it to wash the basin. Wang Huan found it strange.
Why had Xiao Xiao Hei fixated on Li Wanting?
A moment later, Li Wanting brought the plastic basin back to Wang Huan: "Wang Huan, I'll pay for the food tonight."
Wang Huan waved her hand: "It's okay, it's the same if I treat Xiao Xiao Hei."
"No." Li Wanting refused, "Xiao Xiao Hei recognizes me, so I'll treat it."
"That's fine too." Wang Huan didn't argue. Xiao Xiao Hei's temperament had been spoiled by Ran Ran.
What if it refused to eat if she treated it, and Ran Ran didn't come back for a while? Wouldn't Xiao Xiao Hei starve to death?