1993, Pengcheng Police Affairs

Chapter 50 Family Banquet

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of hurried footsteps came from the kitchen.

Zhou Huifen ran out of the kitchen wearing an apron and holding a spatula in her hand.

As soon as she saw Gu Huai, she slapped his arm. "You brat, you've become wild since you came to Pengcheng. You haven't called me once in the past few days."

"Mom, it hurts." Gu Huai rubbed his arm and laughed as he moved to the side.

"What pain? I haven't even used my strength yet," Zhou Huifen retorted, but her smile grew even brighter.

Just as she was about to continue berating Gu Huai, she turned her head and saw Hou Hao, pausing for a moment before asking, "And who is this?"

"Mom, this is my colleague, Hou Hao."

"Brother Hou, this is my mother."

Hou Hao quickly stood at attention and respectfully greeted, "Hello, Auntie."

Zhou Huifen looked him up and down, then nodded with relief. "Okay, okay, come in quickly."

Hou Hao smiled awkwardly, changed his shoes, and followed Gu Huai into the living room.

"Xiao Hou, don't be shy, make yourself at home." Zhou Huifen led Hou Hao to the living room and took the peanuts out of the box.

Hou Hao, who hadn't experienced this scene in a long time, stood there as reserved as a child.

"Ah Huai, you and Xiao Hou sit here for a while. There are still vegetables in the pot. I'll go and get busy." After saying that, Zhou Huifen hurriedly ran to the kitchen.

At this moment, Gu Huai's father, Gu Guoliang, came downstairs.

"Dad," Gu Huai called out, "this is my colleague, Hou Hao."

Hello, Uncle.

Gu Guoliang nodded and waved to Hou Hao, "Sit down, sit down, don't be shy."

Hou Hao nodded, responded, and then sat down.

Gu Guoliang walked over to the two men and sat down. "Ah Huai, how's it going at the bureau? Are you settling in?"

"It's good." Gu Huai grabbed a handful of peanuts from the table and stuffed them into Hou Hao's hand. "I just finished a case and only got a break today."

"What case?" Gu Guoliang asked casually.

Gu Huai smiled slightly, "I've only just reported for duty. What big cases could I possibly be involved in? I'm just running errands."

Gu Guoliang then realized that he couldn't talk about the case carelessly; everything should be based on the official report.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the living room fell silent.

"Brother! You big liar, you actually came back after all."

A clear shout came from the stairs.

Gu Ya, wearing a white sweater and with her hair in a ponytail, skipped and hopped down the street.

Gu Huai stood up and quickly went to meet her, winking at her as he walked, telling her that there were outsiders present and asking her to give him face.

Following Gu Huai's gaze, Gu Ya noticed Hou Hao sitting there somewhat awkwardly, and then made a face at Gu Huai.

Seeing that Gu Ya was still giving him face, Gu Huai pulled her to the sofa and introduced her to Hou Hao: "Brother Hou, this is my sister, Gu Ya. She is studying design at the Academy of Fine Arts."

Hou Hao nodded somewhat awkwardly, "Hello."

Gu Ya walked confidently up to Hou Hao, extended her hand, and said, "Hello, Brother Hou. Did my brother cause you any trouble at work?"

"No, no," Hou Hao quickly said. "Ah Huai is very capable. If it weren't for Ah Huai, this case wouldn't have been solved so quickly."

"Really?" Gu Ya's eyes lit up, and she asked curiously, "Is my brother that amazing? Brother Hou, tell me, what did my brother do?"

"Ahem." Gu Huai coughed. "Aya, don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

"Hehehe." Seeing Gu Huai's serious expression, Gu Ya didn't ask any more questions. She stuck out her tongue at Gu Huai and said, "Fine, I won't ask. Let's eat. I'm starving."

Zhou Huifen's voice came from the kitchen, "The food is ready, come and help serve it!"

Gu Huai stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

As soon as he entered, Gu Huai saw seven or eight dishes laid out on the stove.

Braised pork belly, steamed sea bass, garlic cabbage, pork rib soup, and a plate of stir-fried cured pork with garlic shoots.

All of them were dishes from his hometown.

Gu Huai looked at the table full of dishes and asked, "Mom, can we finish all this?"

"Take the leftovers home and eat them slowly." Zhou Huifen brought out the last dish. "Alright, don't get in the way here, go call your friends for dinner."

"Okay."

At the dinner table, Gu Guoliang opened a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor).

"Little Hou, want a drink?" He held up the bottle and shook it.

Seeing Hou Hao hesitate, Gu Huai chimed in, "Have a drink, it's alright, we don't have to get up early tomorrow."

At this time of day, the regulations on drinking are not strict, and since Hou Hao was clearly preoccupied today, Gu Huai encouraged him to have a drink.

Hou Hao nodded and handed the cup over.

Gu Guoliang poured him a full glass, and then poured one for Gu Huai as well.

"Come on, let's have a toast first." Gu Guoliang raised his glass. "Welcome, Xiao Hou, to our home."

After clinking glasses, Hou Hao very honestly tilted his head back and downed the entire glass of baijiu in one gulp.

"Drink slowly." Gu Huai knew he had something on his mind today, so he didn't urge him not to drink. Instead, he put a piece of braised pork on his plate. "Have something to eat."

As he spoke, Gu Huai picked up the wine bottle again and poured Hou Hao a glass.

Zhou Huifen sat to the side, constantly serving Hou Hao food, piling braised pork and fish maw into a full bowl.

"Auntie, that's enough, that's enough." Hou Hao's bowl was already overflowing.

"Enough? You young people need to eat more." Zhou Huifen ladled another spoonful of pork rib soup for him. "Xiao Hou, how old are you this year?"

"Twenty-four."

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?

Hou Hao paused for a moment, then shook his head: "No."

"That's perfect. Auntie knows a few girls who are pretty and have good jobs. Would you like to...?"

"Mom," Gu Huai interrupted her, "Do you think this is a blind date?"

"I'm just concerned about Xiao Hou," Zhou Huifen rolled her eyes at her son. "Look at you, you're already in your mid-twenties and still haven't found a partner. When your dad was your age, you were already running all over the yard."

"I just started working, how can I have time to date?"

"No time? With so many women in your department, aren't there any suitable ones?"

"mom……"

"Alright, alright," Gu Guoliang stepped in to smooth things over. "Let him worry about the child himself. Why are you meddling so much?"

Zhou Huifen snorted and then put another piece of food on Hou Hao's plate.

Seeing the happy family of Gu Huai, Hou Hao lowered his head and dared not look up.

He was afraid that if he looked up, tears would fall.

He hadn't had a meal like this in a long time.

It's not that the food is particularly good.

It's that feeling of sitting around a table, with someone serving you food and asking if you're cold or hungry.

He hasn't had one since his father's accident.

People in the bureau usually treat him politely, but that's all there is to it.

That politeness carried a clear sense of distance, with the unspoken message, "You're the son of a murderer, I have to keep my distance from you."

Of all the people in the bureau, only Wu Feilin was kind to him.

But Wu Feilin's kindness was strict and restrained, like disciplining a son.

Today's meal reminded him of his childhood.

Back then, his mother was still alive, and his father hadn't had the accident yet. The three of them sat at a table, and his mother would serve him food like this.

Hou Hao swallowed hard, trying to suppress the sour taste.

Gu Huai noticed Hou Hao's bitterness and quickly broke the silence with a joke, "Brother Hou, eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you here."

Hou Hao looked up, a grain of rice still clinging to the corner of his mouth, and said with a smile, "Mmm!"