Nothing good could come from a dog’s mouth.

Having Western food was Xia Xiaolan’s suggestion, just for a change of pace. Had she known they’d run into Ji Ya, Xia Xiaolan would have preferred eating at a roadside restaurant to avoid ruining their appetite.

Ji Ya’s contemptuous words made Xia Xiaolan’s temples throb. They were all adults, but some people just had nasty mouths. Xia Xiaolan wanted to knock Ji Ya’s brains out:

“We’re in the Reform and Opening-up era now. I thought Chinese people had learned to stand tall, but some still prefer to be fake foreigners, kowtowing to outsiders! Does it matter whether we can use knives and forks? This is Pengcheng, Chinese territory. Even if it’s foreign-owned, they must respect local customs. I’m paying to eat, and if I choose to use a knife and fork for steak, that’s me respecting their food culture. If I don’t want to, they’d have to bring me chopsticks. Isn’t that right, Uncle Tang?”

Pengcheng didn’t yet have those ultra-high-end restaurants that dared to turn away customers.

If it were some private club, Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t argue – Ji Ya might have a membership, but wouldn’t it be embarrassing if she didn’t?

But this was a public restaurant – no one could force Xia Xiaolan out.

More importantly, they were with Director Tang, and this land still belonged to Pengcheng!

Xia Xiaolan wanted to see how Tang Hongen would handle this. If he wanted to be with her mother, he couldn’t avoid dealing with this crazy Ji Ya. Would every encounter inevitably end with her mother being humiliated?

Xia Xiaolan watched Tang Hongen, as did Ji Ya.

Then Tang Hongen did something nobody expected.

Liu Fen wasn’t afraid of Ji Ya, but she wasn’t as quick-witted as Xia Xiaolan. Before she could formulate a response to Ji Ya’s insult, Xia Xiaolan had already spoken up and passed the choice to Tang Hongen.

And Tang Hongen?

Surprising everyone, he directly took Liu Fen’s hand:

“Xiaolan is right. Where we eat isn’t important, what utensils we use isn’t important. What matters is who you’re eating with. If you don’t like using a knife and fork, I’ll use chopsticks with you.”

Tang Hongen didn’t even bother looking at Ji Ya and led Liu Fen inside.

The restaurant manager, who had been observing from the side, hurried after them.

While Ji Ya was trembling with anger, Xia Xiaolan, before even having dinner, was force-fed a mouthful of dog food. She approved of Tang Hongen’s response but felt a bit conflicted – this wasn’t just taking advantage, this was openly holding hands!

Xia Xiaolan’s mind was filled with: They’re holding hands, they’re holding hands…

Liu Fen was led by Tang Hongen to their reserved table. The manager hadn’t figured out their relationships, but that lady had upset the leader.

“It’s our fault for not doing our job properly, allowing people without proper manners to dine here. Don’t worry, we’ll ask her to leave—”

Wasn’t this making too much fuss? What business was it of Ji Ya’s what utensils did the leader’s guests want to use?

The manager would’ve loved to tear Ji Ya apart. Director Tang wasn’t visiting their restaurant for the first time, though this was his first time in the Western section. Someone he would openly hold hands with in public must be Director Tang’s wife.

Hearing they wanted to ask Ji Ya to leave, Liu Fen moved her hand, pulling away from Tang Hongen:

“That’s not necessary. This is a restaurant, open to everyone.”

The manager waited for Tang Hongen’s nod before promising not to expel Ji Ya.

When they were alone, Tang Hongen remarked curiously: “You don’t need to fear trouble. People you don’t like can be kept at a distance, now and in the future.”

What was Ji Ya anyway? Tang Hongen hadn’t wanted to quarrel with the Ji family before, not because he feared them.

He maintained a face for the Ji family, paying proper respects every year even after the divorce, not because he couldn’t forget Ji Ya, but because he wanted to see Ji Yuanyuan. He felt guilty for not fulfilling his fatherly duties. This guilt once extended to Ji Ya too – he, a poor boy, had married the Ji family’s young lady, and his choice to be sent to the cattle pen during the Cultural Revolution had endangered her family.

But Ji Ya’s constant behavior had long since dispelled his guilt.

Any face he saved for Ji Ya was solely for his son Ji Yuanyuan’s sake.

But Liu Fen didn’t need to show Ji Ya any courtesy, not now, and especially not if they truly got together in the future!

Liu Fen shook her head: “It’s not about avoiding trouble. I want her to watch.”

Watch what?

Xia Xiaolan, a step behind, had just heard her mother’s words.

“Please don’t get angry with people like her. If you get angry, she achieves her goal.”

Ji Ya and George sat at another table.

Xia Xiaolan had to admire Ji Ya’s strong mentality.

What was there to provoke? Did a divorced ex-husband have to pine for her forever?

The world doesn’t revolve around one person; separated people and past feelings rarely return. There was no reason why Ms. Ji Ya could live a splendid romantic life after divorce while expecting Tang Hongen to live like a monk… After all, Ji Ya had initiated the divorce, unwilling to share hardships with Tang Hongen during the Cultural Revolution.

Even so, if Tang Hongen had to treat her as his ‘moon goddess’, that would be a plot even romance novelists wouldn’t dare write!

Were there people without dignity in relationships?

Certainly, and quite a few!

But Tang Hongen wasn’t one of them.

Someone blinded by love probably couldn’t have reached his current position!

At first, neither Xia Xiaolan nor Tang Hongen knew what Liu Fen wanted Ji Ya to see.

Their dishes arrived quickly. The manager had indeed prepared chopsticks and had considered having the kitchen cut up the steak but didn’t dare make the decision. The waiter stood just steps away, ready to cut the steak smaller if Tang Hongen showed any indication, allowing the three to use chopsticks.

Meanwhile, Ji Ya and George’s table remained unserved, not from negligence but from waiting for others.

“Do you need chopsticks?”

Tang Hongen asked Liu Fen, his hand touching the chopsticks:

“I’m not very comfortable with knife and fork either. Chinese people have Chinese stomachs. When dining with foreign guests, seeing the steak cut open and bloody, I dare not eat it.”

Liu Fen shook her head: “No need for chopsticks. I can use a knife and fork, Xiaolan taught me.”

She was nervous.

She knew Ji Ya was watching.

What was wrong with hands that cut pig feed?

Being able to cut pig feed, kill chickens, and clean fish – how hard could using a knife and fork be in comparison?

Ji Ya wasn’t born knowing Western dining etiquette either. Though her background wasn’t as good as Ji Ya’s, she could learn gradually.

Liu Fen struggled to stay calm, not only holding the knife correctly but cutting the steak without scraping the plate noisily. From any angle, her dining posture might not have been textbook perfect, but it was certainly acceptable.

Liu Fen brought a piece of meat to her mouth.

Xia Xiaolan was stunned.

She remembered teaching her mother to use a knife and fork only once when her mother had been very nervous. How was she using them so skillfully now?

Tang Hongen smiled – so this was what she wanted Ji Ya to see!