It was lunchtime.
Mother made a small pot of chicken and mushroom stew, along with three simple, country-style side dishes. Although it was not much, it still felt wonderful when everybody ate together.
Chen had not tasted his mother's cooking for a very long time and was enjoying himself at the table.
Luo was not eating. She may appear to look very calm on the outside, but she was actually having a very hard time accepting the truth, that her investigation was not going as well as she expected. Chen noticed this and tried cheering her up by putting some food on her bowl for her, but she rejected him again and again.
Father and mother did not know what was going on and simply thought that they both were having a lovers' quarrel.
While they were cleaning up after the meal, mother pulled Chen aside. "You bad boy! What did you do to make Miss Luo angry? You better quickly make it up to her! If she runs away, you will have to answer to me!" Mother said sternly.
"Ugh... They say that mothers and daughters-in-law are always enemies. But you! Even before she's married to me, you're already coercing your own son to be nice to her... Are you even my real mother?" Chen pouted unhappily.
"I don't want to hear any of that! Either you get her to smile by today, or don't call me Mother!" Chen's mom gave her ultimatum.
Chen was sweating when he heard that. The Ice Cold Demon Queen was being awkward because of her investigation, so making her happy meant solving the case for her. That meant Chen turning himself in. That was an outrageously crazy idea."Hmm? Wait! I've got a better idea!" Chen's eyes lit up. He ran out to the car and pretended that he was retrieving something from the trunk. He was actually using his phone in secret and taking out the three honey peaches from Mount Huaguo!
"Dad! Mother! Honey! Let's have some peaches!" Chen cradled the peaches into the house and everyone turned their attention to the fruits.
"Wow! Such beautiful peaches!" Mother and dad exclaimed at the same time.
Luo hid her shock and continued acting indifferently. She was from Dragon City and had been through many different kinds of encounters and experiences, but never has she seen such beautiful peaches in her life! Big and round, pinkish in color with a tinge of red, they looked more like a man-made sculpture made with extremely skilled craftsmanship. Just by looking at them alone told her that it was the peach of all peaches! Enticing everyone just with its looks!
"These peaches are 100% organic, no chemicals or pesticides were used, and you can eat them, even with the skin on!" Chen rinsed them with water, and took two of them and handed one each to his parents. He took the last one and turned to Puti, "My beautiful sweetie, here's one for you, so cheer up ok?"
"I don't want it!" Luo pushed it away.
"Are you sure?" Chen held the peach up and brought it closer to her. Luo could smell just how fragrant the peach was, and soon, her ice-cold demeanor gave in, as she was dying to have a bite on the inside. They say that inside every woman was a small little glutton, and Luo was no exception to this rule. She started licking her lips uncontrollably, and her stomach kept sending signals to her brain, telling her to eat that peach!
"No Puti you can't! If you eat this, then it means that you have are an accomplice to Chen, that little devil! You definitely cannot eat this!" She clenched her fists tightly, struggling hard to overcome her appetite. Even if it was the most delicious tasting thing in the world, her dignity was much greater. How could the Ice Cold Demon Queen submit to a nobody like Chen Xiaobei? Over a fruit!
"MY GOD!!! This peach... This peach is just too damn tasty!" Mother and dad both exclaimed at the same time. Looking at his parent's expressions, it was obvious that they were completely taken aback by the wonderful taste of the peaches. It was as if what they were having were not just peaches, but the most delicious thing in all of existence! It was not just about the taste! After ingesting the peaches, a mysterious stream of energy flowed through their bodies, making them feel energetic and refreshed!
"This... Is... Too... Delicious!" They both said with trembling voices. They both looked at the peaches in their hands as if it was the most valuable item in the world. Seeing their reactions, even Chen himself was surprised! But he remembered how the Red Envelope group members had reacted to his spicy snacks, and realised that this is normal. Watching how his parents reacted to the peaches, Chen could now imagine how it was like when Yanwang first tried the spicy snacks. It had to be exactly what he's watching now!
"Then... I'll have some..." Luo finally gave in. She snatched the last peach out of Chen's hands and quickly took a bite with her sexy lips."Mmm! This tastes really good!" Luo exclaimed while chewing, with a very blissful expression on her face. In just one bite, she was already intoxicated by the taste of the peach. She stuck her tongue out and licked her lips. The Ice Queen had been instantly reduced to a happy little girl!
"What a cute little glutton!" Chen smiled. He finally found the Ice Queen's weakness.
"Why aren't you eating?" Luo suddenly asked.
"These peaches are very rare, and I've only managed to get three. You guys can have them." Chen replied in a gentlemanly manner.
"There's only three?" Puti bit her lip. She did not expect the peaches to be this rare, and Chen to be so generous either.
"Go get a knife, I'll give you half of mine," Luo said. Her generosity threw him off. He had never seen her this nice when she had been snapping at him, accusing him of various allegations all this time.
"Hahaha! That's great! To be honest, I really wanted to try some too!" Chen happily obliged and hurriedly took a knife from the kitchen. "Just a small slice will do. You should eat more."
Luo handed a small piece over to Chen and continued eating the rest in small bites.magic
"What the hell! This peach really tastes awesome!" Chen had only taken one bite and was already screaming in surprise. He quickly finished his slice in a manner of seconds. "Puti...Can I have some more? Just a small piece will do!" Chen begged with puppy eyes.
"NO!"
Luo merely shot him a cold look, turned away, and ate faster. Chen stared helplessly at his parents, but they had already finished their peaches and were holding on to the seeds like they meant the world to them.
"Mother, dad, Why are you still holding on to the seeds? Just throw them away. If you like them very much I'll ask my friend for some more, next time." Chen said with a smile.
"Silly boy! If we keep the seeds, we can plant them ourselves! We can plant them here in our own backyard, and when they bear fruit a few years later, we can plant even more trees and make some cash!" father smugly explained.
"By then, we may even be able to start our own farm! With these seeds, a lot of people will be able to make money later!" Mother added.
"WHAT!" Chen was surprised! He never knew that his parents were this business-savvy!