After washing up, the family sat at the table for dinner—a feast of five dishes and one soup: a big fat chicken, a plate of duck, braised pork belly with lotus root, a dish of greens, and spicy cabbage stir-fried with cured meat, topped off with ribs soup.
Cheng Su glanced at the fatty meat in the soup, then gave Qi Taiguo a meaningful look, as tonight's meal was on his dime.
"Here, have a chicken drumstick. Look how skinny you've gotten—are you not eating meat usually?" Mother Qi placed a drumstick in Qi Taiguo's bowl with a look of sorrow, then turned to Cheng Su with an accusatory gaze, her meaning clear: she was blaming her for being a negligent wife.
Qi Taiguo laughed, "Mom, I'm all grown up now, what do I need a chicken leg for?" Then he passed the drumstick to Cheng Su, "Here, you must be tired today."
