As Zhang Lisheng was engrossed in listening, the door of the living room not far behind him was pushed open. The Lavin family's parent walked in with two huge kraft paper bags in his arms while being surrounded by his children who had also returned from shopping.
"Lili, the frozen food in the supermarket is on sale now. I couldn't help but buy 80 pounds of beef and a lot of eggs and fruits in one go.
Didn't you always want to learn how to cook new dishes to adjust the taste? You can show your skills now, "Sullo said loudly with a smile as soon as he entered the house.
The traditional American family-style party was actually very simple. If the guests were minors, it would be good enough to provide some baked biscuits and drinks. It would be perfect if some exquisite homemade pastries were added.
If the guests were adults, they would just prepare some alcohol in addition to the drinks. However, due to Lili's good cooking skills, the Lavin family's party would often be much more sumptuous.
During peacetime, such behavior that reflected the owner's sincerity would only require more effort but it had become a heavy burden in the era of food shortage. It was apparent that the Lavin family's parent wanted to bear most of the food for his eldest daughter's party but he was afraid of hurting his child's self-esteem.
It was extremely touching for a 'rough' police officer to show his meticulous care for his daughter who had already become an adult and had entered society.
The girl's sensitivity and meticulousness made Riley notice the deep fatherly love hidden behind the calm words. Riley's body froze as an inexplicable feeling of being touched quickly fermented in her heart. Unable to suppress it at once, she threw herself into her father's arms and muttered as if she had returned to her childhood, "Oh, dad … Thank you, thank you. I love you …"
Sullo opened his arms in shock and raised the two bags of food. Looking at the tall girl who was hugging his chest tightly, he only realized what was happening a few seconds later.
His vision blurred for a moment, as if he had traveled through time and space. In his mind, an image of a two or three-year-old girl stumbling along with a cute girl appeared. She hugged his trousers, raised her chubby little face, and looked up at him, shouting, "Dad, dad, dad, dad …"
His heart was filled with love at once and his eyes turned wet. However, the resolute old police officer said, "You're already an assistant producer at NBC so why are you still acting like a child?
Can't you see I'm holding a paper bag in my hand? Let go, it's already afternoon, we still have a lot of party preparations to do. "
Upon hearing her father's words, Riley, who had calmed down, let go of her hand in embarrassment. However, at this moment, even Randy who loved to joke the most didn't tease his younger sister. Instead, he frowned and held back his tears that were about to fall.
This kind of family affection that unintentionally flowed out at a certain moment seemed ordinary, but in fact, it was the most touching emotion in the world. It could touch the softest part of everyone's heart. Of course, this feeling was not fated to be with the gods.
Seeing the Lavin family walking into the kitchen with a warm smile on their faces, his mother also had a touched smile on her face. Zhang Lisheng was just glad that he had a lot of helpers. After he was done washing the lettuce, he no longer had to deal with the pile of onions covered in mud.
There was strength in numbers. Under the leadership of the capable hostess who was proficient in cooking and dessert making, three to four hours later, the preparations for a sumptuous family party were finally completed when it was close to evening.
When the last plate of cut fruit was placed on the borrowed long square table that was covered with a white tablecloth in the living room, Lili let out a long sigh of relief and said while clapping her hands, "Alright kids, everything is ready. I wish all of you a pleasant night."
"As for us," Sullo, who was standing next to his wife, announced loudly, "We'll leave home immediately to enjoy a candlelit dinner at a restaurant outside and watch a romantic night movie. We'll probably only be back after 1 am.
But … "Looking around and seeing the excitement on the children's faces, he straightened his face and raised his finger as a warning," Don't think that you guys can do whatever you want just like that.
You can drink but don't go overboard, especially Randy. Don't forget that you're a police officer now and you're no longer the slutty halfback of the college football team.
And Riley, I know that tonight is your moment, but don't let it get to your head … "
"Oh dear, the children are already in their twenties. If it wasn't for the fact that the apartment rent in New Washington A is too expensive, I'm afraid they would've moved out to live alone long ago.
If you're still so strict, I'm afraid they'll leave this house tomorrow at the risk of being in the red at the end of the month. Don't worry, they're all sensible and good kids. They'll never do anything that they shouldn't do, "Lili, who was by the side, stopped her lover's overly strict words in a timely manner and said softly.
No matter which country or which civilization it was, the simplest and most effective way for parents to discipline their children was to play the good cop and the bad cop respectively.
Upon hearing his wife's words, Sullo nodded tacitly and flashed an 'I trust you guys, don't let this trust down' expression at the children before turning around and walking towards the stairs.
Lili followed behind her lover and also planned to return to the bedroom to change her clothes. However, when she inadvertently saw Zhang Lisheng's indifferent expression that was completely different from the Lavin family's children around him, she suddenly stopped.
After pondering about it, she walked up to the young man and extended her hand. "Baby, give me your room key, car key, mobile phone, and wallet."
"What?" Zhang Lisheng was stunned and asked with his eyes wide in confusion.
"Give me your room key, car key, mobile phone, and wallet, baby," Lili repeated.
Looking at his mother's serious expression, even though Zhang Lisheng was puzzled, he still took out these four things from his pocket and handed them over. "What do you want them for, mom?"
"I want to lock all of them in your room so that you can't go anywhere tonight and can only stay at home to attend the party.
You need to have more contact with your peers, baby. Even a great scientist like Einstein and the father of a monopoly like Rockefeller have a few good friends in their lives.
Your life shouldn't only be filled with work and research, "Lili took the keys, wallet, and mobile phone from her son's hand and said seriously.
"I didn't plan to leave tonight, mom," The young man shrugged and said, "But the life of only work and research that you criticized just now makes me very happy."
"But it's not healthy, baby, whether it's from a psychological or physical point of view." The mother shook her head at her son and turned around to go upstairs.
"Lisheng, looks like Auntie Lili really hopes that you can find a girlfriend and settle down in New Washington A. Tonight is a good opportunity.
There are a few beautiful girls among the reporters from the NBC news department who have agreed to come to the party tonight. You can take your time to choose at that time, dear brother … "Looking at Lili's disappearing back, Rayleigh chuckled half-jokingly and half-seriously. All of a sudden, the doorbell resonated from behind him," Ding dong, ding dong … "
"It's so early! It must be Cathy and Jules!" The girl jumped up in surprise and rushed to the door to open it.
Outside the door, there were two young girls with a similar height of about 170 centimeters. One of them was a healthy wheat color while the other was a pale chocolate color. The moment they saw Rayleigh, they opened their arms at the same time and shouted, "Congratulations again on becoming an assistant producer, dear Rayleigh!" Then, they hugged the eldest daughter of the Lavin family.
"Pū pū …" Rayleigh stuck close to the cheeks of the two girls and kissed them loudly. Then, she shouted back, "Welcome to my promotion party, dear sisters."
Then, she looked at a young white man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a circle of green stubble on his chin, who was wearing a light coffee-colored casual attire that gave off a chic temperament behind them. With a charming smile, she said, "Welcome to my party too, Pierre. Come on in."
"I should be the one thanking you for your invitation, Rayleigh. This is a gift for you. I hope you like it." The white man first handed a bottle of red wine tied with a blue ribbon to the enthusiastic party host.
Then, the girls also hurriedly gave their best friend a gift to celebrate the promotion. It was two realistic paintings of wheat fields sowing in spring and harvesting in summer that contained a beautiful meaning of blessing.
"Oh, Pierre, I was just worried that the wine I prepared would not be enough. Your gift is really timely.
Cathy, Jules, these two landscape paintings are so beautiful! I'll definitely hang them on the bedside table and look at them every night before I fall asleep! " Rayleigh hugged the gift that was not precious but represented her friend's intention in her arms and thanked them before walking into the living room with her colleagues.
When she came to the sofa, the girl first pointed at her brother and the youngest twin siblings in the family. "My brother, Randy, my brother, and my sisters, Harry and Gill, all of you know them." Then, she pointed at Michelle and Zhang Lisheng and emphasized on introducing them. "These two are my sister, Michelle Lavin, and my brother, Zhang Lisheng, who just came to New Washington A not long ago."
US families often adopted Asian orphans. Adding on to the fact that the mistress of the Lavin family was of Chinese descent, her friends were not surprised that there was an Asian face with a completely different surname among Rayleigh's siblings.
The beautiful wheat-colored Cathy said with slight sadness and envy, "You're so lucky, Rayleigh! So many of your family members have escaped to Noah World.
There are only me and my mother left in our family now …
Oh, sorry to be such a wet blanket before the party. Jules and I came early to see if there was anything we could do for you, but we happened to run into Pierre on the way. If there's anything else you want to do, just tell me. Don't look at me in my dress, I'll do anything. "
"Believe me, everything will be fine now that we've started again, Cathy." Rayleigh hugged her friend who was forcing herself to smile and comforted her sincerely before saying with a smile, "There's nothing else to prepare. We just have to wait for the party to start now.
Oh, that's right, our family still has to go upstairs to change. There are biscuits, fruits, and juice on the table. Please help yourselves. I'll be down soon. "
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