Fearing Chen Xiao wouldn't understand her good intentions, Chen Qing immediately pulled Chen Xiao closer after speaking, whispering instructions:
"Son, to capture a girl's heart, you must first win over her taste buds. I've been teaching you to cook hand-in-hand all this time for this very day. Nuannuan and Daphne are both exceptional girls, one in a million. You absolutely cannot mess this up. Hurry back to the kitchen and bring out all those signature dishes I taught you."
Just then, Song Nuan finished every last drop of the noodle soup in her bowl. Her gaze then fell upon the two untouched bowls of plain noodles on the table. Her eyes lit up, her mouth watering:
"Qing Yi, Chen Xiao, are you eating? If not, can I have them? I'm still not full..."
Daphne still had half a bowl of plain noodles in front of her. As soon as Song Nuan finished speaking, she quickly snatched the bowl Song Nuan was eyeing. While eating with her hands, she wolfed down the noodles, saying between mouthfuls:
"I... I'm not full either! Dr. Chen, your noodles are... are so delicious..."
"Those are Qing Yi's..."
Song Nuan was furious and looked like she was about to slam the table and throw a spoiled-child tantrum. However, she couldn't resist the temptation of the delicious food. She quickly picked up the last bowl of plain noodles with her fair, slender hand and buried her head in it, eating with gusto.
"Girls in their twenties eating two big bowls of plain noodles? How... how hungry must you be?"
Chen Qing was dumbfounded. She increasingly felt that Song Nuan and Daphne came from poor families and were starving. She quickly urged Chen Xiao, who was returning to the kitchen with a wry smile, "You brat, hurry up! Get the rice cooking, stew the lamb ribs, braise the beef brisket, steam the perch, stir-fry the chicken liver..."
But before Chen Qing could finish speaking, Song Nuan and Daphne, who were still engrossed in eating, suddenly, in unison, repeatedly shook their heads and said:
"Qing Yi, we just want another bowl of plain noodles."
"Still want my son's noodles?"
Chen Qing noticed that both girls had already eaten most of their second bowls of plain noodles. Their exaggerated eating, snatching and grabbing, was like a competitive eating contest, making her suspect they were vying for Chen Xiao's attention.
She then realized her presence was likely that of an unwelcome "third wheel." Amused and exasperated, she wheeled herself into the inner room, deliberately yawning and saying:
"Nuannuan, Daphne, I'm sleepy. I'm going to take a nap. Let Chen Xiao make whatever you want to eat. Don't be shy."
Soon, the nimble Chen Xiao brought out two more large bowls of steaming plain noodles from the kitchen. One was for him, and the other was for Chen Qing.
Seeing that Chen Qing was nowhere in sight, he asked Song Nuan and Daphne:
"Where's my mom?"
Song Nuan and Daphne had already finished their second bowls of noodles and were savoring the noodle soup with lingering satisfaction.
Seeing the two bowls of noodles Chen Xiao brought, Song Nuan, whose belly was slightly rounded, quickly said with longing eyes:
"Chen Xiao, Qing Yi has already gone to sleep. Can I have the bowl of plain noodles you made for her?"
Daphne followed suit, eagerly interjecting:
"Dr. Chen, let me have it. I've always had a big appetite. After eating two big bowls, I'm only three-quarters full! *Burp*..."
As soon as she finished speaking, she let out a loud burp, clearly stuffed to the brim.
"No! The human stomach has limited space. You two have eaten enough. If you don't rein it in, it won't just be a big belly."
Chen Xiao worried that Chen Qing's sudden sleepiness was due to discomfort. Without paying further attention to the two girls, he picked up one of the bowls of plain noodles and began eating while heading into the small adjacent clinic to check on her.
Song Nuan and Daphne stared longingly at the remaining bowl of steaming plain noodles, their eyes growing unfocused and their mouths watering uncontrollably. After only a moment's hesitation, they cast Chen Xiao's warning aside, each taking half a bowl and continuing to devour them with gusto, their joyful expressions as if they were children finally getting their favorite snacks.
However, as they ate, Daphne suddenly felt a sharp pain in her distended abdomen and couldn't help but cry out:
"Ow! My stomach really hurts..."
Chen Xiao, who was applying medicine to the sleeping Chen Qing in the inner clinic, was startled by Daphne's cry of pain. His heart skipped a beat, and he rushed out of the room.
In just a short time, Daphne was covered in sweat, her face pale. She was holding onto the table with one hand and clutching her stomach with the other, looking extremely pained.
Song Nuan, though not feeling any pain, suddenly found the plain noodles in her bowl unappetizing. She was anxiously holding her belly, which looked as if she were six months pregnant.
"Serves you right!"
Chen Xiao noticed that the bowl of plain noodles he had made for Chen Qing had been mostly eaten by the two girls. He felt a pang of annoyance, but as a doctor, his compassion ultimately prevailed. With a stern face, he scooped up Daphne and carried her into the small clinic next to Chen Qing's.