Chapter 21: Eat First, Talk Later

How could he possibly believe it? Zhou Chengxi’s cryptic eyes were filled with doubt.

“Second Brother, Third Brother, can I eat these snacks?” Unlike his brooding Third Brother, Zhou Chengbei cared far more about the food.

Since moving to the urban village, Chen Liyang had never bought them anything to eat.

Looking at the array of snacks on the table, Zhou Chengbei had lost count of how many times he had swallowed hard.

He wanted so badly to eat the potato chips, the teddy bear biscuits, the candy, and the fruit. He wanted to eat all of it.

Chen Liyang had never had children of his own. In the past, whenever there were social gifts to handle, his parents had always bought them.

As a result, he didn’t know what each of them preferred, so he mostly bought things that kids generally liked.

Hearing their younger brother mention food, Zhou Chengnan and Zhou Chengxi both turned their eyes toward the fruit and snacks Chen Liyang had bought.

The treats tempted them shamelessly, as if calling out, “Come eat me! Come eat me!”

Zhou Chengxi’s body was more honest than his mouth. Even though he knew this was Chen Liyang’s honey trap, he figured it was rare for the man to buy food for the house, and it would be a waste not to eat it.

So he pulled a bag of tomato-flavored potato chips from the shopping bag, tore open the package, and shoved a chip into his mouth.

“Eat! Why shouldn’t we? If we don’t eat it, it’ll just go to his nephew and niece.”

The chips crunched noisily between his teeth, a look of pure enjoyment on his face.

Seeing him enjoy it so much, Zhou Chengnan and Zhou Chengbei threw caution to the wind and dug in as well.

Remembering their little sister hadn’t had anything yet, Zhou Chengnan quickly grabbed a lollipop for her.

While they were happily munching on snacks, Chen Liyang and Zhou Chengdong had already entered Aunt Zhao’s courtyard gate.

In the yard, Aunt Zhao’s child was sitting on a small stool doing homework, while their dog lay at its young master’s feet, eyes narrowed in quiet contentment.

But the moment it spotted Chen Liyang, it immediately leaped up, arching its back and baring its teeth.

Aunt Zhao’s son was in his third year of middle school, in the same class as Zhou Chengdong.

The two boys had originally been on good terms, but Chen Liyang was always picking fights with his parents over the dog.

So he had gradually distanced himself from Zhou Chengdong, wanting to avoid any connection to his family.

Deep down, though, he was just as afraid of Chen Liyang.

Truth be told, hardly any of the neighbors in the neighborhood weren’t afraid of him.

The man was a lunatic who acted without care for consequences. Provoking him brought zero benefit and only got you covered in filth.

Seeing Chen Liyang now, he instantly grew tense. “W-What are you doing here?”

Chen Liyang offered a gentle smile. “I came to drop off some things. Are your parents home?”

Liu Ziheng looked as if he had seen a ghost and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Dad, Mom, someone’s looking for you!”

Before long, Aunt Zhao and Liu Puping stepped out of the house.

“Who’s looking for us…” Before Aunt Zhao could finish her sentence, Chen Liyang greeted them with a smile. “Sister Zhao, Brother Liu, it’s me!”

The moment Liu Puping set eyes on Chen Liyang, his eyes widened with rage. “What are you doing here? Our house doesn’t welcome you!”

“Brother Liu, don’t get worked up. I bought some milk and bananas to thank Sister Zhao for taking care of my kid this afternoon. It isn’t worth much, but it’s a token of my appreciation. Please don’t turn it away.”

With that, he gestured for the oldest boy to hand the gifts over.

“A weasel paying a New Year’s visit to a chicken is up to no good! We don’t want your stuff. Take it away!” Liu Puping said with a dark face.

Even though Chen Liyang seemed very different today, after knowing him for so many years, Liu Puping refused to believe he could change overnight.

The original host and Liu Puping harbored deep resentment toward each other, and Liu Puping made no effort to hide his hostility and disgust.

Chen Liyang could only turn his gaze to his wife. “Sister Zhao, look, the boy is already holding it out. If you don’t take it, he’ll think you hate him!

I know this small gesture can’t make up for the wrong things I’ve done in the past.

But like I said, I’ll do my best to make amends for my past mistakes from now on.

Please, just accept the gifts!”

His demeanor was sincere, his tone warm and polite.

Just as Aunt Zhao was about to speak, she noticed something off about Chen Liyang’s leg. “What happened to your leg?”

“When I came out of the supermarket this afternoon, I got hit by an electric scooter. I was delayed at the hospital for a bit, which is why I came back late.

Aunt Zhao, you’ve taken care of Wanning for so long. I really don’t know how to thank you properly.”

At first, Aunt Zhao had thought Chen Liyang stayed out late on purpose because he didn’t want to return early. She never expected that he had actually been injured.

She had almost misunderstood him, so she promptly asked about his injuries with concern.

Hearing that Chen Liyang had only suffered minor superficial injuries, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, he was the backbone of the household. If something happened to him, those children would be left completely helpless.

“Looking after Wanning was no trouble at all. Don’t go wasting money like this again. Raising five kids on your own isn’t easy.”

With that, she reached out and took the items from Zhou Chengdong’s hands.

Seeing Aunt Zhao accept the gift, Chen Liyang was genuinely delighted.

Liu Puping, on the other hand, was baffled by his wife’s actions. Daring to accept his gifts, isn’t she afraid he’ll try to scam us later?

Either way, he would never believe Chen Liyang had turned over a new leaf. The day would come when she regretted this bitterly.

Just as Chen Liyang was preparing to head back, he suddenly remembered something. “Oh right, Sister Zhao, I’m planning to host a dinner at my place this Saturday for you, Brother Liu, and the kids.

Is there anything you’d like to eat? Just let me know, and I’ll go buy it at the market.”

“Inviting us to dinner? Isn’t that just a Hongmen Banquet?” Liu Puping scoffed sarcastically.

Eating Chen Liyang’s food might shorten his life.

“Puping, don’t talk so harshly. Liyang is inviting us out of goodwill!” Aunt Zhao chided her husband before turning back to Chen Liyang. “Liyang, we appreciate your kindness, but there’s really no need for dinner. We’re neighbors, so helping each other out is only natural.

If I may offer a word of advice, be nicer to the kids from now on. They’re already pitiable enough without a mother.

If even you don’t care about them, who else in this world will?”

Zhou Chengdong couldn’t help but perk up his ears, eager to hear how Chen Liyang would respond.

Just now, despite Uncle Liu mocking him repeatedly, he hadn’t lost his temper once. He had even spoken from the heart, making everyone view him in a whole new light.

At this moment, he was eager to see how he would answer Aunt Zhao’s question.

Chen Liyang gave a firm nod. “Rest assured, Sister Zhao. I’ll take good care of them, make sure they’re well-fed and warm, and help them grow up strong and healthy.”

“Alright, I’m holding you to your word. If you fail to do it, I won’t acknowledge you ever again.”

Aunt Zhao was easily swayed, believing whatever people told her.

Besides, no one was a saint; everyone made mistakes at times.

But there was no greater virtue than recognizing one’s mistakes and making amends.

As long as Chen Liyang was truly remorseful, she was willing to give him a chance to turn over a new leaf.

“Great, then it’s a deal…” Chen Liyang said with delight.