Everyone on Fu Street was an ordinary person who ran a restaurant, living by their craft and labor, with no one being particularly rich or noble, and they had always been far removed from high society, which was similar to the overall atmosphere of Jin City's old town.
Of course, in such an ancient old town, with such ancient citizens, there naturally wouldn't be any expensive, resource-rich famous schools nearby. Yu Lian and Feifei had always grown up in ordinary public schools, receiving basic education, and then both successfully enrolled in Central Defense University. The level of shock was comparable to two students from a small county middle school in a ninth-tier county getting into Tsinghua or Peking University.
Yu Lian and Feifei became the heroes of Fu Street, or rather, the children that other parents wished their children were.
“Other people's children” has always been a mixed bag of a term, and Yu Lian really couldn't judge his own popularity, but at least among the elders, it should be mostly positive.
As they walked side by side down the street, uncles and aunts would always stop what they were doing and greet them with a smile.
“Yu'er is back! Come, try the crispy pork Auntie just fried! Take a bowl.”
“Mmm, still that taste! Thank you, Auntie Huang!”
“Feifei is even prettier! Come, this is the crystalized sweet potato Grandad just developed, try it and give your opinion.”
“Too sweet, Grandad Hu, my teeth are going to fall out.”
“Come, Yu'er, Fina, you two hold this and smile together.”
“Uncle Jiu, I'm not going to be a free model for you!”
“Oh, Yu'er, little Fina, when are you two getting married?”
Feifei smiled gracefully, while Yu Lian chuckled awkwardly. And so, the uncles and aunts burst into laughter, and the entire street was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
The two of them, while dealing with the adults' warm welcome, walked towards their home. During this, Feifei even took out a Moon Surface Military Academy specialty, battleship candy—which was actually lollipops shaped like various famous Commonwealth battleships—and sent away a group of mischievous children who were following them and making a ruckus.
In the center of the street, there was a three-story Chinese-style building with a sign that read “Rongxia Restaurant” hanging at the entrance. It had a strong sense of everyday life, yet also a certain grandeur. One always felt that there might be one or two super important figures inside who could both administer medicine and cook glowing dishes.
This was Yu Lian's home.
As soon as they arrived at the door, they saw two neatly dressed men walking out from inside.
They were impeccably dressed and looked like business elites, clearly belonging to the South City New District or even the cyberpunk Pearl City, but they were completely out of place on this Fu Street.
The two men bowed at the door and said to the middle-aged woman who saw them out, “We will visit again, and we hope you will seriously consider it.”
“Don't come again!” The seemingly delicate, elegant, and refined middle-aged woman put her hands on her hips and said loudly, “The head of the family will definitely not agree, and I will never agree either.”
“Well, no one can say for sure what the future holds…” The leading man smiled very humbly, but his smile also carried a hidden meaning. He was about to leave, and just as he turned his head, he came face to face with Yu Lian and Feifei.
Two good-looking young people were nothing special, but two young people in military officer uniforms seemed to surprise him. A hint of gloom flashed across the man's face, but he instantly switched to a harmonious, standard businessman's smile, nodded to the two, and left with his assistant.
“Aunt, this is…” Yu Lian asked.
“Oh, who knows what kind of salesperson from some big company, it's just those same old annoying things.” Yu Lian's aunt, Lena Wintour, who had changed her name to Lena Liu after marrying her uncle, pouted, then grabbed Feifei's hand and said to Yu Lian, “Never mind, it's good that you're back. Yu'er, your uncle is in the kitchen. Feifei, your dad has disappeared again, who knows how many days it will be until he comes back. Have dinner at home tonight! Hehe, tonight it's all your favorite dishes.”
“Aunt Lena, I at least have to put my luggage down first.”
“Then just leave it at Auntie's house, your room is always kept for you. Why go back there, such a big dojo, there's no one there at night, it's so scary!”
Feifei, who was like a queen in the academy, was helplessly pulled away by the seemingly powerless Aunt Lena.
Yu Lian shrugged, put down his luggage, and then went straight into the back kitchen.
At this moment, Mr. Liu Dachang, the 88th generation heir, owner, and “executive chef” of Rongxia Restaurant, Yu Lian's uncle, was skillfully scaling a large carp more than half a meter long. Then, with a splash, the carp fiercely flicked its tail, Mr. Liu Dachang's hand trembled, and he was grazed by the kitchen knife, and blood immediately appeared on one of his fingers.
For a special-grade, no, a dragon-grade chef who had won the Huaxia Culinary Competition four times, this was truly a loss of composure.
“Your mind is in turmoil! Go wrap it up first.” Yu Lian said, taking over the large fish and cleaning it even more skillfully than his uncle, then began to gut and eviscerate it.
The large carp twitched twice with its last strength, deciding to die for Yu Lian to see.
His uncle snorted, took out a medical spray and sprayed his finger, and the wound quickly sealed up.
He then grumpily pulled a large bottle of iced cola from the refrigerator, gulped down half of it, and only then did he slightly calm down.
Yu Lian looked at his uncle's bulging belly and thought that if it weren't for the fact that the medical standards in this world were also somewhat sci-fi, where a tube of nanobots could make any arteriosclerosis disappear, he would have definitely forced him to quit alcohol, cigarettes, and soda, and also make him lose weight. So he smiled and said, “What's wrong, those previous guests couldn't have shaken you that much, could they?”
“I'm just angry, they stick around like a hanged ghost every day, I can't even do business.” His uncle said grumpily.
“Where are An'an and Lele?”
“One went to play soccer, one went to the art studio, they'll be back soon… Oh, wait, who told you to season it like that! You can't put bean paste like that! The fire is too high! Have you forgotten everything I taught you?!”
“Trust me! I brought back some new seasonings from New Yumen, stir-frying the bean paste a bit more and pairing it with this will make it taste even better!”
“Our Liu Family has been cooking for fifteen hundred years, and I've never heard of such a thing!”
In short, Yu Lian and his uncle kept fighting over the stove and spatulas, while also complaining to each other and cooking, but they actually managed to prepare a large table of dishes within half an hour.
“Xiao Wen, Ah Qi, tonight's kitchen is yours!” His uncle then instructed his two apprentices.
His nephew was back, so he was hosting a family dinner tonight and planning to take a night off.
The two quickly patted their chests in assurance, looking eager and full of morale, ready to go into battle at any moment.
“No problem? Aren't you afraid of ruining our Rongxia Restaurant's fifteen-hundred-year-old reputation?” Yu Lian secretly asked his uncle.
“No problem, their skills have long been good enough to start their own businesses. It's just that, given the current market, I don't know where they could open their own shops, so they'll probably have to stay with me for a few more years. I guess I'm taking advantage.”
As the two chatted, they carried the prepared dishes to the backyard. A large round table and chairs had already been set up in the yard, and his aunt was pulling Feifei to sit and chat. Two twelve or thirteen-year-old boys and girls, as cute as porcelain dolls, were also busy setting out tableware and pouring wine.
These dragon-and-phoenix twins were named Liu Ping'an and Liu Xile, very auspicious names, and they were Yu Lian's cousins.
“Brother~~~~” Liu Xile sweetly called out when she saw Yu Lian coming in with a plate.
Yu Lian put down the dish and took out a silver bracelet adorned with gems and crystals. Its design was unique and ancient, a style never seen on Earth. It was crafted by a skilled artisan from the Sand People, and it was said to be a national treasure of some city-state.
“Yu'er, that's too valuable!” Aunt Lena recognized its worth at a glance.
“Daughters need to be raised richly, you know.” Yu Lian smiled, “Besides, Lele is at the age where she should have some nice jewelry.”
“She's only twelve…” His aunt was torn between laughter and tears, and then said to her daughter, “Mommy will put it away for you and give it to you when you're older!”
“Ah, how can you do that?”
Liu Ping'an gloated at his sister, then looked at Yu Lian with anticipation, but the latter said unequivocally, “There's another saying, boys need to be raised poorly…”
“Ah, how can you do that?!”
They truly were twins! From their reactions to their lines and expressions, they were identical!
Feifei glared at Yu Lian playfully and smiled at An'an, “Your brother prepared a gift for you, big sister has already put it in your room. It's a Hyperion model with 800 parts! But you'll have to assemble the rest yourself.”
The boy let out a cheer and wanted to run to his room to check, but his uncle, who came out with a large plate of spicy chicken, stopped him.
“It's time to eat, what are you looking at? Talk after dinner.”
An'an reluctantly said “Oh” and sat down sullenly, but seeing the table full of delicious food, his stomach, which had been active all day, immediately rumbled, and so he waited eagerly for dinner to begin.
After everyone was seated, his uncle placed two sets of bowls and chopsticks and two cups on the main seat, filling them with white wine. He paused, then poured a glass for himself and Yu Lian as well.
Everyone Present, including the youngest twins, knew what this meant, and they all fell silent.
Feifei looked at Yu Lian and bit her lip.
And Yu Lian just quietly watched his uncle's actions.
“Sister, brother-in-law, you see… Yu'er has grown up, so rest assured.” His uncle murmured a few words as if to himself, then picked up the wine glass, squinted his eyes, and drank it all in one gulp.
Yu Lian was silent for a moment, then also poured an entire glass of white wine into his mouth.
“So, Yu'er, when are you and Feifei getting married? Have a child soon, that will make your sister and brother-in-law even more at ease.” His aunt said abruptly.
Yu Lian, a first-ring spiritual energy user, coughed from the strong liquor, almost coughing out tears.
