Why didn't you tell me earlier that my little sister is still waiting for me?

The taxi soon arrived at Xiyuan Community. Xue Sumei almost half pushed and half pulled Lin Bufan out of the car, and enthusiastically led him home.

"Here we are, right here!" Xue Sumei took out her key, opened the door, and called out, "Qing'er? Are you home? Look who Auntie brought back!"

A gentle young woman in an apron poked her head out of the kitchen upon hearing the noise. Seeing Lin Bufan behind Xue Sumei, a hint of surprise flashed across her face, but it quickly turned into a polite smile: "Auntie, you're back. This is..."

"Come, come, Qing'er, let me introduce you!" Xue Sumei put on slippers and enthusiastically pulled Lin Bufan's arm: "This is Lin Bufan, Xiaolin! I met him in the park today, a very nice guy!" She turned to Lin Bufan: "Xiaolin, this is my niece, Su Qing, a little older than Taozi, you can just call her Sister Qing."

"Hello, Sister Qing, sorry to bother you." Lin Bufan gave a perfect, slightly shy smile and nodded slightly.

"Hello, hello, please come in, you're welcome." Su Qing greeted her quickly, looking at Xue Sumei with a slightly questioning look. Xue Sumei winked at her, indicating that she should be patient.

"Oh, are you cooking?" Xue Sumei smelled the aroma coming from the kitchen and looked over: "Will Xifeng come back for dinner tonight?"

"He just called and said he had something to do at the company and would be back later, so let's eat first." Su Qing answered while secretly looking at Lin Bufan.

Lin Bufan looked towards the kitchen, his eyes lit up, and he immediately volunteered: "Auntie, Sister Qing, how about...let me cook this meal?"

"Ah? Xiaolin, you can cook?" Xue Sumei was surprised, but without waiting for Lin Bufan's answer, she waved her hands again and again: "You are a guest, how can we let you do it! Sit down and have a rest, drink some water, Qing'er and I will do it!"

Su Qing also quickly agreed: "Yes, Xiaolin, sit down and rest for a while, the food will be ready soon."

"Auntie, Sister Qing, please don't be so polite with me." Lin Bufan smiled sincerely, but his tone was filled with enthusiasm that brooked no refusal. "To be honest, I usually like to tinker with food, and my cooking skills are pretty good. I've been so intrusive coming here today, and I'd feel really bad if I just sat there and waited for something ready to eat."

He paused, a look of embarrassment on his face, yet also a hint of sincerity he wanted to show. "And... to be honest, I don't have any great strengths. My cooking skills are passable, though. I thought I'd take the opportunity to... show off a little bit, so Auntie and Manager Yang can see."

Hearing Lin Bufan say this, Xue Sumei's eyes lit up. She thought to herself that this young man was becoming more and more pleasing to the eye. However, she was still polite, "How can I be so embarrassed..."

"Auntie, please give me a chance to show my abilities." Lin Bufan smiled and rolled up his sleeves: "I promise I won't let you down."

Xue Sumei reluctantly agreed: "Okay, Qing'er, take Xiaolin to the kitchen to see what ingredients are needed."

Su Qing nodded and led Lin Bufan to the kitchen, but her heart was filled with confusion. While Lin Bufan was getting familiar with the kitchen, she quickly slipped back into the living room, approached Xue Sumei, and asked in a low voice, "Auntie, what's going on? Why did you suddenly bring back a strange man? And he's so... active."

Xue Sumei grabbed Su Qing's hand and excitedly recounted the whole story: "You don't know, I was so pissed off in the park today! I ran into a crazy woman, she was dark-skinned and looked like a normal person, but she was so uncultured that she actually said our Taozi couldn't have children at 32!"

"Ah? Why is she like this?" Su Qing also got angry.

"That's right! Luckily, Xiaolin showed up at that moment. Not only did he speak up for me, he was also very sensible." Xue Sumei became increasingly excited as she spoke. "Guess what happened? He actually lives in the hotel where Taozi works, and he's even interested in her! Don't you think this is fate arranged by God..."

……

After Su Qing finished listening to Xue Sumei's account of the entire incident, her expression gradually shifted from initial surprise to worry and suspicion. She frowned slightly, took Xue Sumei's arm, and lowered her voice, "Auntie... please wait a moment. What you're saying... sounds quite coincidental. This young man is indeed energetic and speaks in a pleasant way. But..."

She cautiously glanced back towards the kitchen, confirming that Lin Bufan was still busy, before continuing in a low voice: "Don't you think this is... a little too sudden? Think about Taozi's temper! What she hates most is that you arranged these things without her consent. You suddenly brought a living person, a stranger who is interested in her, home, and she ran into him when she opened the door after get off work... Are you sure this is a surprise for Taozi, and not a shock? What if she gets angry and turns her face away on the spot? How ugly would that scene be? By then, let alone good feelings, I'm afraid she won't even want to enter this house!"

Xue Sumei was immersed in the excitement of this "match made in heaven," but Su Qing's response immediately dampened her spirits. But after a moment's reflection, she realized her niece's words weren't entirely unreasonable. Her excitement faded somewhat, but she remained insistent, "Oh, Qing'er, why are you so cautious? Xiaolin is such a genuine guy! He looks like a serious person! How could he be the same as those misfits before? Besides, this is God's will..."

"Aunt!" Su Qing interrupted helplessly, "Even God has to follow the basic law, right? You know Taozi's personality. She's soft-hearted and hates being arranged or attacked the most! Can't we at least... at least give her a call first, let her know, and let her have some psychological preparation? That's better than running into her defenselessly, right?"

After some thought, Xue Sumei nodded and whispered, "You're right... We should give Taozi a heads up first. She's stubborn, so don't let anything backfire. Qing'er, give Taozi a call and tell her... tell her that an important guest is coming home, and ask her to be careful when she gets home from get off work and not make a fuss."

Su Qing received the order and immediately took out his cell phone to make a call. However, at this moment, the sound of a key turning in the lock suddenly came from the door!

With a "click", the door was pushed open.

Yang Tao walked in, bag in hand, looking tired. Bending down to change her shoes, she casually said, "Mom, Sister Qing, I'm back... Eh? What smells so good?" She sniffed, keenly sensing the unusual, alluring aroma of food in the air. It seemed to have a more alluring aroma than the familiar Sister Qing's cooking, and subconsciously headed towards the kitchen.

Xue Sumei and Su Qing's hearts skipped a beat at the same time, thinking to themselves, "Oh no!" They reacted almost synchronously, rushing forward and standing in front of Yang Tao, one on the left and one on the right, blocking her way to the kitchen.

"Hey, hey, hey, Taozi is back! Are you tired? Come on, sit down and rest for a while!" Xue Sumei put on a slightly exaggerated smile on her face and reached out to take Yang Tao's bag.

Su Qing also quickly agreed: "Yes, Taozi, there is a lot of smoke in the kitchen, you should drink some water and take a rest first." Then he pulled Yang Tao's arm and led him to the sofa in the living room without saying anything.

Yang Tao was puzzled by the sudden enthusiasm of the two people. She looked at her mother and then at her cousin in confusion: "Mom, Sister Qing, what are you doing? You are so mysterious... Who is cooking in the kitchen? Is my brother-in-law back?" As she spoke, she tried to peek into the kitchen again.

"It's not the west wind! It's not the west wind!" Xue Sumei waved her hands quickly, her body still blocking the view: "That... Taozi, it's like this... There is a... a guest who came to our house today." She chose her words carefully.

Su Qing quickly added: "Yes, a... um... a very important guest. Mom met him in the park today. We got along really well, so she invited him to come home and have a chat..."

Yang Tao watched her mother and cousin, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy, hesitant to speak, and her suspicions deepened. She knew her mother too well. This posture, this expression... an absurd but perfectly fitting thought suddenly popped into her mind!

Her expression changed slightly, and her voice rose a little: "Mom! You wouldn't... bring home those messy blind dates you found for me, would you?"

"Oh my! What nonsense are you talking about, kid!" Xue Sumei became anxious when she heard the word "chaotic" and raised her voice: "What do you mean by chaotic? Xiao Lin is a serious and handsome man, how come he becomes a mess in your mouth? Do you think Mom is that unreliable?"

At that moment, Lin Bufan, seemingly drawn to the noise outside, emerged from the kitchen, spatula in hand and wearing Su Qing's slightly awkward floral apron. His face held the perfect balance of confusion and a gentle smile. "Auntie, is Manager Yang back? The food will be ready soon..."

Yang Tao looked over at the sound and her eyes met Lin Bufan's handsome face. She initially thought the apron-wearing man looked familiar, but she didn't react immediately. Her gaze subconsciously scanned his calm black hair, his smiling eyes, his high nose bridge... and so on!

The contours of his features... the tone of his voice...

Yang Tao's eyes suddenly widened, her pupils constricted in shock. She raised her hand and pointed at Lin Bufan, her fingers trembling slightly: "You...you you you...you are the one...the one with the colorful head?!"

Seeing this, Lin Bufan raised his hand and touched his now black hair, revealing a slightly embarrassed smile: "Manager Yang has good taste. I dyed it black, and it seems that I still can't hide it from you."

Confirming that the person before her was the confident and outspoken guest, Yang Tao felt a surge of energy. She didn't care that her mother and cousin were still there, let alone politeness. She rushed forward, grabbed Lin Bufan's wrist, and dragged him outside.

Yang Tao pulled Lin Bufan straight towards the door. Xue Sumei hurried forward to stop them: "Hey! What are you doing? You just walked in and haven't said a word yet. Where are you going?"

"Mom, let's talk about something." Yang Tao said hurriedly, trying to bypass her mother.

"Why can't we talk about it here? Do we have to go out and talk about it? Is there more money out there?" Xue Sumei opened her arms to block the way, looking disapproving.

Seeing her mother's insistence, Yang Tao took a deep breath and changed direction, pulling Lin Bufan towards the balcony. Xue Sumei looked at the two of them from behind, opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but was gently pulled back by Su Qing next to her.

With a bang, Yang Tao slammed the balcony door shut. She released Lin Bufan's wrist, turned around, crossed her arms, stared at him sharply, and lowered her voice, "Mr. Lin, please explain why you were... in my house?"

Lin Bufan leaned on the balcony railing, looking calm and even smiling. He spread his hands and said, "Manager Yang, isn't this obvious? It's a blind date."

"Blind date?!" Although she had guessed it, Yang Tao was still very dissatisfied, so she deliberately said: "Blind date with whom? How come I didn't know that there was someone here who wanted to go on a blind date?"

Hearing this, Lin Bufan couldn't help but glance into the living room, only to see Xue Sumei stretching her neck to look towards the balcony, her face full of anxiety and worry, as if she was afraid that this "future son-in-law arranged by God" would suffer any injustice.

Seeing this, Lin Bufan couldn't help but shudder. He quickly turned to Yang Tao, his tone sincere and a little anxious, his voice low but clear enough: "Manager Yang, please don't make such... such ethical jokes. Aunt Xue is an elder whom I respect very much!"

Yang Tao was stunned for a moment, then realized what Lin Bufan meant. She was so angry that her cheeks flushed red. She raised her hand to hit Lin Bufan: "What nonsense are you talking about!"

"Hey! What's going on?" Xue Sumei had been paying close attention to the movements on the balcony. Seeing this, she immediately rushed over, opened the balcony door, and stopped Yang Tao. "Taozi, what are you doing! How could you hit Xiaolin!"

Yang Tao was so angry that her voice was shaking: "Mom! Do you know what he said..."

Xue Sumei didn't wait for Yang Tao to finish and interrupted with a stern face, "No matter what Xiao Lin said, you can't do anything! If you have something to say, talk it over nicely. You're such a grown-up girl, and you don't have the presence of mind at all!"

Yang Tao stamped her feet in anger and pointed at Lin Bufan: "Mom, he just..."

"What happened just now? I think Xiaolin is fine!" Xue Sumei didn't give her daughter a chance to complain. She pulled Lin Bufan back and said, "It's time for dinner. If you have anything to say, let's talk about it after dinner! The meal Xiaolin worked so hard to make won't taste good if it gets cold!"

The table was laden with delicious dishes. Although Yang Tao was fuming and disapproving of Lin Bufan, the alluring aromas in the air whetted her appetite. She muttered to herself, "It's okay to be mean to this irritating guy, but there's no need to be mean to my own stomach." So, with a sullen face, she sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and planned to take a few bites before finding an excuse to leave.

However, when she took her first bite, Yang Tao's eyes widened slightly. This tasted... too good! It was on par with any high-end restaurant she'd ever eaten at, and even more so, with a unique, irresistible, homely flavor and aroma. She couldn't help but take another bite, and the anger in her heart seemed to be suppressed by this ultimate delicacy.