Fox in the Penalty Area

At the dinner table, Li Qingqing happily greeted Hu Lai to sit beside her. This small detail made Xie Lan smile, while Li Ziqiang's hand paused a little.

Hu Lai, who had eaten the plane meal all day, looked at the sumptuous meal in front of him, drooling happily, and raised his chopsticks to pick up the food.

But it was blocked by my mother.

"You have a special World Cup package."

After finishing speaking, my mother turned around and walked into the kitchen again.

Hu Lai had a bad feeling when he heard the name.

Sure enough, the next thing he saw his mother bring out a plate for him from the kitchen and put it in front of him, which contained boiled chicken breast, boiled beef, boiled shrimp, and boiled broccoli...

"What kind of World Cup package is this?" Hu Lai protested. "This is a traditional French set menu!"

"Oh, don't you want to go to the national team for training in two days? I'm afraid that you will be too greasy at home these two days, which will affect your physical condition, so the athlete's recipes specially made for you... These dishes are all from the Internet. It was searched." Xie Lan explained.

"Mom, do you have a misunderstanding about what athletes eat? Athletes can't eat this every day? Besides, it wasn't like this last time I came back..."

"Isn't the World Cup going to be played soon? Let me tell you Hu Lai, you are not my son now..." Xie Lan said with a serious expression.

"So Mom, you are finally going to tell me that I actually paid for the phone bill?"

Xie Lan raised his hand and made a gesture: "Nonsense! I mean you are the hope of the fans all over the country. I have to take care of you, lest there be any mistakes...or you can ask your coach!"

Hu Lai Xunsheng cast his eyes on Li Ziqiang, only to see that the latter looked at Hu Lai with a calm expression on his face: "Don't be so exaggerated, sister Xie..."

Hu Lai breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on his face.

"It doesn't have to be like this every day. But the first meal when you come back should really be light, so let's leave it like this for today's meal."

The smile froze on Hu Lai's face before it fully bloomed. He looked at the delicious meals on the table, and then at the plate in front of him. It's like the dishes taken with a domestic mobile phone and an American mobile phone. The former makes people appetizing, while the latter doesn't want to eat...

Li Ziqiang looked at Hu Lai's deflated look, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

With the endorsement of Li Ziqiang, a professional coach, Xie Lan clapped his hands: "Okay, then let's eat! Come on, let's raise our glasses first! Oh, Hu Lai, you can only drink plain water..."

"I know..." Hu Lai rolled his eyes and picked up the glass with boiled water.

After exhorting his son specifically, Xie Lan held the wine glass with one hand on his hip, and continued:

"Today's meal... is very meaningful. First of all, of course, it is to welcome Qingqing and our family Hu Lai to return from abroad with great reputation. This is a welcome banquet! Second, congratulate Qingqing and Lao Li on their housewarming. We will be neighbors in the future. As the saying goes Well, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. Since we are neighbors, we should communicate more and help more. Lao Li, if you have anything to do, just ask, and we will definitely help!"

Li Ziqiang saw that the other party spoke so enthusiastically, and quickly waved his hands: "I don't need to bother you..."

"Hey, no trouble, no trouble!" Xie Lan waved his hand.

Hu Lixin also explained to Li Ziqiang next to him: "Xie Lan is right, Lao Li. We are all neighbors, and it's not just as simple as ordinary neighbors. You are Hu Lai's coach, and you should take care of each other..."

"That's what the old nonsense said. In fact, we have met a few times before. Who knew you were Hu Lai's high school coach. I mean, Lao Li, you look good, but you really didn't dare to think about it..." Xie Lan turned to everyone again: "The third point, I have told Lao Li before that since Hu Lai went to Europe to play football, he has not been able to come back every Spring Festival, so we will celebrate the Spring Festival earlier at this time every year. Therefore, the first Three o'clock is of course the Chinese New Year! The fourth o'clock is that the World Cup is coming, and this meal is a cheer for Hu Lai to see him off!"

Hu Lai murmured in a low voice: "Good guy, you gave me the wind two paragraphs ago, and this is going to send me away... My butt is not hot yet..."

"Hu Lai, what are you talking about?" Xie Lan glanced at him.

"No, no, on behalf of the big guys of the national team, I would like to thank my mother for cheering!" Hu Lai quickly stood up, held the cup in both hands, and offered a toast to "wine".

Seeing this, Li Qingqing, who had been sitting next to Hu Lai and watched Hu's mother's speech with a smile, also stood up and picked up the glass of juice: "Thank you auntie for making this big table of delicious dishes, auntie for your hard work!"

Xie Lan said with a smile: "Half of the dishes on this table are your father's specialty dishes, Qingqing."

Li Qingqing turned to her father again: "Dad, you have worked hard too!"

Li Ziqiang looked at his well-behaved daughter with a gratified smile on his face.

He could tell that his daughter was very happy after Xie Lan and the others came, perhaps because the family finally became lively...

Although being a neighbor with Hu Lai was beyond his imagination, it made him feel like he was stabbed in the back. But seeing his daughter so happy, Li Ziqiang didn't care so much anymore.

After his wife passed away, his daughter was his only one, and when his daughter was happy, he, the father, was also happy.

He then picked up his glass.

Hu Lixin also toasted beside him.

Five people sat around the table and clinked the glasses together, making a crisp sound: "Cheers!"

"Come, come, twist whatever you want. If you can't reach it, stand up and stretch out your hands. Qingqing is your home, so don't be polite!" After drinking the first cup full of ceremonial sense, Xie Lan greeted her like a master everyone.

"Old Hu, treat Lao Li well!"

"Hu Lai, eat your World Cup set meal. Let me tell you, eat this love set meal made by your mother, and keep you scoring more goals in the World Cup!"

Hu Lai gave his mother a dead fish-eyed look, deader than the boiled chicken breast he was chewing.

※※※

The dinner party was going on, and the laughter and laughter in the restaurant gave this usually quiet house more breath of life.

Li Qingqing had already finished eating, but she was still sitting at the dining table, listening to Hu Lai's mother tell about Hu Lai's embarrassing things when she was a child, and hearing Hu Lai's angry refutation and denial, she was amused and laughed.

As for her father, he and Hu Lai's father have already drank to the point where they put their arms around each other's shoulders and whispered to each other...

It was the first time she had seen her father drink so much.

No, when her mother was sick, she also bumped into her father getting drunk by himself...

But after being smashed by her, she never saw her father drunk again.

I don't know if Dad really doesn't get drunk anymore, or if he only gets drunk when he can't see him.

In fact, she was not afraid of her father getting drunk, she even felt that under such circumstances, it would be a good thing for her father to get drunk, at least it could vent all the depression in his heart.

So now she is quite happy to see her father drinking too much - such a father is a normal father!

Don't always be so bitter and bitter. My daughter has grown up, and you have fulfilled the promise you made before your mother's bedside, and your mother will be happy for you too!

Li Qingqing looked away from her father, turned to Hu Lai's mother, and laughed again when she heard what she said.

After Li Qingqing looked away, Li Ziqiang, who was whispering with Hu Lixin, suddenly raised his head and looked at his daughter.

Seeing her smiling like a flower, Li Ziqiang also smiled slightly.

Then he lowered his head again and clinked glasses with Hu Lixin.

※※※

After Xie Lan, Li Qingqing and Hu Lai worked hard in the dining room and kitchen, they finally cleaned up the mess after the meal.

Xie Lan didn't refuse Li Qingqing's offer of help this time. After all, both men were too drunk to move, and she really couldn't do it alone and needed help.

Of course, she didn't just ask Li Qingqing to help, but called Hu Lai up to the kitchen to help her.

The three of them were chatting while washing dishes in the kitchen, and they didn't find it difficult to deal with the piles of pots and pans.

When it was time to say goodbye after busy work, Xie Lan asked Li Qingqing: "Qingqing, are you alright by yourself? Do you want Hu Lai to help you?"

Li Qingqing shook her head with a smile: "No, auntie. I'm fine. You are also quite tired, so go back and rest early."

"Hey, how tired can it be? Besides, it's so convenient to go home, turn right when you go out and take a step to get home, what do you think is such a hassle? Do you really want to help?"

Li Qingqing said firmly: "It's really unnecessary, Auntie. Thank you."

Xie Lan didn't force it: "That's okay, anyway, they are next door. If there is anything you can't do, just come and knock on the door. Don't be afraid of any night, there will always be someone knocking on the door at any time. Auntie usually sleeps very late."

After she finished speaking, she asked Hu Lai to help his father up, and the three of them went out together, turned right, and walked into the gate of their own house.

After closing the door, Li Qingqing turned around and walked towards Li Ziqiang who was lying on the sofa, and asked softly, "Dad? Are you okay?"

Li Ziqiang, who had been keeping his eyes closed before, opened his eyes when he heard the sound, saw his daughter, and suddenly asked, "Qingqing, before you planned to buy this house, did Hu Lai tell you that his home is here?"

Li Qingqing shook her head in surprise: "No. I just know that he bought a house, so I want to buy a house too. But I don't know where he bought his new house..."

Li Ziqiang looked straight at his daughter, and after two seconds, he laughed: "I believe in you."

After speaking, he struggled to get up from the sofa.

Li Qingqing wanted to come up to help him, but he waved his hand and refused: "I'm not drunk."

He staggered to his bedroom alone.

"Go to bed early, you have been on a plane all day..." After leaving such a sentence to his daughter, Li Ziqiang closed the door and entered the bedroom.

Li Qingqing was not in a hurry to return to her room, but turned around and walked to the balcony, then looked to the left from the balcony, and saw light coming from the balcony on the left.

The orange light is like a small orange light in the dark night, which makes people feel warm and peaceful at a glance.

That was Hu Lai's house.

※※※

Xie Lan settled Hu Lixin with great difficulty, and came to his son's room and knocked on the door: "Are you asleep?"

"No. The door is not locked."

Xie Lan opened the door and saw her son lying on the bed and playing with his mobile phone. She immediately smiled: "Where are you chatting with Li Qingqing?"

"No, talk to Brother Huan and the others."

"Oh..." Xie Lan was obviously disappointed, and his smile disappeared instantly.

Hu Lai could also see the change in his mother's expression, and he couldn't understand: "We've been chatting all night, and we're still talking... how can there be so many things to talk about!"

Xie Lan really wanted to give his son a look: "You don't understand, there are so many things to talk about."

Hu Lai felt that he couldn't make sense with his mother. His mother was the best stalker he had ever seen in his career, so it was best not to tangle with her when encountering a situation. The correct response was to quickly confess: "Okay, okay ,I don't understand."

Xie Lan remembered that he had business to do, so he lowered his voice: "I have a question, I have never had the nerve to ask them in front of their father and daughter... Where is Qingqing's mother, why haven't I seen her?"

"Oh, Li Qingqing's mother died of cancer when she was ten years old."

Hu Lai said it lightly, but Xie Lan's eyes widened: "Ah... Qingqing is such a cheerful girl, I didn't expect it... I really can't see it!"

"Yeah, I was also surprised when I first heard the news. I can't imagine her appearance at all. She is still quite strong."

"It's not just strong? Ten years old, a ten-year-old child has no mother... It's still a girl, how pitiful it is!" Xie Lan said with red eyes, and his voice choked up.

Seeing that his mother was about to cry, Hu Lai was a little at a loss. He sat up from the bed, wanting to comfort him but didn't know how.

Fortunately, Xie Lan quickly adjusted her emotions. She raised her hand and wiped her eyes, then said to her son viciously: "You kid, you should treat Qingqing better in the future!"

Hu Lai:? ? ?

He didn't expect that he could get shot in this way.

Mom, your son owes others food so much that he will sell himself, isn't that good enough?