Chen Lan and Xiang Xi, with their hands and mouths both busy, were engaged in a lively banter as they worked. Just then, Xu Mingxuan pushed the door open and returned, with Er Zhuang following closely behind him into the room. Upon seeing Er Zhuang enter, Xiang Xi immediately greeted him with great enthusiasm, "Er Zhuang, you're here! Come on up to the heated brick bed and sit! Here, take this and help us with the work quickly."
Without waiting for Er Zhuang to settle down, he eagerly extended his hand and passed the scissors he was holding to Er Zhuang. Chen Lan, a step ahead of him, handed her scissors to Er Zhuang.
Xiang Xi shouted loudly, "Xiao Lanzi, how could you snatch it! Er Zhuang, you take my scissors, I offered them to you first!"
Chen Lan ignored him and retorted, "Snatch? Xiao Xigua, why don't you say I'm stealing your set! Am I playing Mahjong too?"
She then added, "You three men, listen up. You all work hard, and I'll prepare a grand feast tonight to reward you. Oh! By the way, what do you all want to eat tonight? Any requests? You can bring them all up now, so I can prepare in advance. No latecomers!"
Hearing Chen Lan's words, Xiang Xi immediately changed the subject and eagerly exclaimed, "I'll go first, I'll go first, Xiao Lanzi, I want to eat meat."
Chen Lan asked with a smile, "Xiao Xigua, there are many kinds of meat, what kind do you want?"
Xiang Xi immediately replied, "I'm not picky, any meat will do."
Chen Lan then looked at Xu Mingxuan and Er Zhuang and asked, "Mingxuan Ge, Er Zhuang, what do you two want to eat?"
Xu Mingxuan replied with a chuckle as he took off his snow boots, "I thought the seafood medley we had last time was quite good. Since it's cold now, let's have a seafood hot pot! Xiang Xi likes meat, so let's get some beef and lamb for him to satisfy his cravings."
Er Zhuang, with his head down, worked quickly with his scissors. Hearing Chen Lan ask him, he replied with a smile, "Da Sao, I'm not a picky eater. I like all the dishes you make, Da Sao."
Xiang Xi snorted and muttered, "Flatterer, you're so sweet-mouthed."
Xu Mingxuan continued working and smiling, "Xiao Xigua, you don't understand this. A man with a sweet tongue can get full meals, you know? This is a sign of a good man."
Seeing Xiang Xi's indifferent expression, Xu Mingxuan decided to give him a good lesson today.
He then said, "Come, come, Xiao Xigua, listen carefully. Today, I, as someone with experience, will give you a good lesson. The lesson is about what makes a good man."
Xiang Xi immediately refused, "Mingxuan Ge, I'm not listening! How many days have you been home? You don't even have the right to call yourself a good man? And you want to teach me a lesson?"
Xu Mingxuan was stunned into silence by Xiang Xi's retort, and he chuckled, "You brat, you're really impossible to deal with! Don't you want to learn from me and Er Zhuang, two experienced men? Don't you want to have a happy and fulfilling family in the future? Let me tell you! If it weren't for helping you avoid detours in the future and to live a happy life as soon as possible, who else would tell you this? Think about it, isn't that right? As I said, there's no shop after this village! Say something, are you listening or not? Think carefully before you answer."
Xiang Xi, uncharacteristically embarrassed, mumbled softly, "Mingxuan Ge, if you have something to say, just say it!"
Xu Mingxuan looked at Xiang Xi's awkward demeanor, skillfully snipping medicinal pills, and began to speak.
Chen Lan, preparing ingredients in the kitchen, listened to the three men chatting and found it quite amusing!
Then she heard Xu Mingxuan say, "Xiao Xigua, let's start with the benefits of a man having a sweet tongue and making his wife happy. First point, a sweet tongue and making your wife happy can reduce the number of arguments with your wife. Do you agree, am I right?"
Seeing Xiang Xi stop his work and nod, Xu Mingxuan continued, "Second point, pleasing your wife, although it doesn't cost money, requires a lot of thought. Do you agree, am I right?"
Xiang Xi still nodded without speaking, continuing his work. Xu Mingxuan didn't mind and continued, "Xiao Xigua, think about it. If you habitually spend a lot of thought making your wife happy every day, you won't bear to make her angry. In this way, won't your own thick skin gradually become thicker, and won't your performance in front of your wife improve? This way, your wife will be happy every day. If your wife is happy, won't your small family be happy?"
Xiang Xi retorted, "Mingxuan Ge, are men who know how to please their wives necessarily good men? I don't think so, right?"
Xu Mingxuan chuckled and scolded, "You brat, you're really stubborn! Let me tell you! A man who doesn't know how to please his wife is definitely not a good man. As the saying goes! Leaves don't turn yellow in a day, and hearts don't turn cold in a day. Xiao Xigua, listen to me! A man who knows how to please his wife will surely have a happy family. If you don't believe me, look at our home, mine and Lan'er's, and Er Zhuang and Mingwei's small home. Aren't they all like this?"
Chen Lan also chimed in, "Yes, Mingxuan Ge is right. There's a saying! Good girls are praised into being, and good wives are coaxed into being! Xiao Xigua, don't you disbelieve, these are all golden words!"
Xiang Xi reluctantly replied, "Mingxuan Ge, asking me to spend thought on pleasing my wife every day, I'm afraid I can't do it."
Hearing Xiang Xi say this, Xu Mingxuan was at a loss, so he shouted into the kitchen, "Lan'er, Xiao Xigua is too stubborn, I'm out of ideas. You come and enlighten him properly."
Chen Lan smiled and said, "Mingxuan Ge, forget it. Don't try to persuade him anymore. We can't manage this matter. It depends on himself. Xiao Xigua hasn't woken up yet. If he meets a woman he truly likes one day, he will naturally find ways to please the girl he likes."
Hearing Chen Lan's words, Xu Mingxuan stopped trying to persuade him. He asked softly with some uncertainty, "Lan'er, why do you say Xiao Xigua hasn't woken up yet? He's already over thirty this year, it shouldn't be like this!"
Chen Lan smiled and said, "Mingxuan Ge, let's not talk about it. Look, Xiao Xigua's face is almost as black as the bottom of a pot."
Xu Mingxuan looked up at the dark-faced Xiang Xi and said, "Xiao Xigua, you can't be that upset, can you!"
Chen Lan quickly intervened to smooth things over and changed the subject, "Mingxuan Ge, come and help me quickly, it's too slow for me to do it alone."
So Xu Mingxuan put down his scissors, got off the brick bed, put on his shoes, and walked out, coming to the kitchen to help.