Chapter 173 Mr. An: So I am the outsider._2
"Nuannuan, are you feeling better?"
An Shanhai walked over, looking at An Nuannuan who could now walk a bit with the help of crutches, his eyes filled with excitement and relief.
"Yes, pretty good."
An Nuannuan nodded, "Dad, why did you come back today?"
In other families, the question is usually why dad hasn't come back yet.
But in their case...
An Shanhai felt a bit bitter, but even more so, he felt guilty.
"Dad came back especially to see you."
An Nuannuan nodded, she patted Nannan's little head: "Nannan, say hello to dad."
An Nannan pouted her little mouth, she usually listened to her sister very well, but now she looked a bit aggrieved.
"It's okay, it's okay, I'm not going anywhere these few days now that I'm home."
An Shanhai immediately changed the subject when he saw his younger daughter's expression.
"I'm back, let's all go inside."
At this moment, grandma also walked over, looking at the three of them standing there, she called out softly.
In the room, the family chatted with each other off and on.
An Shanhai always felt like his daughter didn't seem to like the gifts he brought, which left him feeling a bit down.
An Nannan couldn't sit still, and she ran out into the yard, muttering two words under her breath.
But in the end, she didn't say them out loud.
She was somewhat downcast, looking at the claw machine in the yard, she had no interest in playing with it. She twirled a little stick in her hand, creating a few flourishes like gun tricks, trying to distract herself.
"Ding-dong~"
The doorbell rang.
An Nannan walked over sluggishly: "Who is it?"
"It's a handsome guy who can bring you candied hawthorn sticks."
Xu Musen's voice, full of cheerfulness, came through.
This was the first time An Nannan felt so happy to hear his voice.
She walked over and opened the door a crack.
Xu Musen indeed was holding a bag, and in his hand, he also held two candied hawthorn sticks, shaking them at her.
"Hello there, Nannan the little beauty."
An Nannan was now in middle school, about the same age as when Xu Musen first met An Nuannuan in the hospital.
After all, they were sisters, and they did indeed look very similar.
At this age, she also knew what beauty and ugliness meant.
And little girls, well, there were none who didn't like to be praised.
Being called a "little beauty" made her quite happy.
"Hmm, you sure have a way with words. Out of my great magnanimity, I'll let you in!"
An Nannan spoke with the astuteness of a little adult, but her gaze never left the candied hawthorn sticks in Xu Musen's hand.
"Here, take these. One is for your sister, don't you dare eat it, not even a lick."
"I wouldn't eat it anyway."
An Nannan huffed with a flushed face, retracting her eager little tongue, still bouncing happily off to call her sister.
"Sister! He's here!"
In the room, An Shanhai's heart stirred instantly.
What had to come, had come.
Xu Musen followed An Nannan into the living room, first greeting the elderly lady: "Hello, grandma."
"Xiaosen, come, have a seat."
The grandmother had a very good impression of this young man, smiling and beckoning him to sit.
An Nannan ran in with the candied hawthorn sticks and handed them to her sister.
But at this moment, An Nuannuan only had eyes for Xu Musen, the corners of her mouth lifting uncontrollably.
On the side, An Shanhai witnessed the whole scene.
A sense of defeat rose within him for no apparent reason, wondering why his daughters seemed so much happier to see this young man than their own father.
Xu Musen also noticed An Shanhai.
"Xu Musen, this is my dad."
An Nuannuan spoke up at this moment, the solemn and serious tone of her voice didn't seem like she was introducing just a casual friend.
"Xu Musen, I've heard about you from my family."
An Shanhai called his name, extending his hand.
"Uncle, nice to meet you for the first time."
Xu Musen took a step forward and shook his hand as well.
An Shanhai didn't let go of his hand, in fact, his grip had become a bit firmer.
Xu Musen also looked at him with a slightly lowered stance, actually feeling that the other person looked somewhat familiar.
But in this lifetime, he should have never met him, yet this sense of familiarity was extremely real.
"I've heard about the situation, thank you for taking care of Nuannuan at school."
An Shanhai released his hand and looked at Xu Musen.
If he were judging from the standpoint of scrutinizing a prospective son-in-law, he would certainly be extremely picky.
But from his daughter's perspective, he really needed to thank this young man.
"It's only right, in fact, Nuannuan has also helped me a lot, I'm very happy to have such a friend."
Xu Musen smiled in response.
An Nuannuan swung her little feet joyfully on the side, even without eating candied haws, she felt exceptionally sweet.
An Shanhai looked at Nannan, who was happily eating the candied haws, and Nuannuan's delighted expression.
He sighed softly in his heart, his own gifts had not drawn even a glance from his daughter.
But a string of candied haws could make them so happy…
Ready to eat, Xu Musen took the ingredients he had prepared, ready to go into the kitchen and stir-fry a couple of dishes.
An Shanhai was somewhat surprised, "They're even letting him cook."
The old lady said with a smile, "This young man is quite a good cook, the few dishes he stir-fried the last time he came over for a meal, Nuannuan and Nannan, these two girls, really enjoyed eating."
An Shanhai was momentarily at a loss for words, he looked into the kitchen, Nuannuan was helping to pass vegetables, Nannan was eating her candied haws, and occasionally she would share a piece with her sister.
The last piece, she even generously fed to Xu Musen, urging him to make the food taste even better.
It was a scene full of joy and harmony.
"How come I feel like I'm the one who's here as a guest…" An Shanhai muttered to himself.
The grandmother sighed, "It's because you don't come back often, you see? What matters isn't the expensive gifts but the companionship you can offer when they need it."
An Shanhai gave a bitter smile, "But I can't let Nuannuan make decisions lightly, this is a big deal."
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"That's up to you, the father. As children grow up, they will inevitably face these situations. You have your considerations as a parent, but you also have to consider from the child's perspective. There are some gaps between you and your daughters, but I think the appearance of this young man is a good opportunity to bridge those gaps."
The grandmother spoke earnestly.
An Shanhai also nodded for a long while.
Before long, Xu Musen brought the dishes to the table, all of them were homely, but complete with color, aroma, and taste.
An Shanhai too was surprised by his cooking skills.
A dish of sweet and sour ribs.
Nannan was happily eating, her little mouth shiny with grease.
An Nuannuan picked up a rib and almost instinctively tried to give it to Xu Musen.
But Xu Musen cleared his throat.
"Uncle An, my cooking skills are limited to a few home-style dishes, please try some."
With that, Xu Musen gently touched An Nuannuan's arm.
An Nuannuan blinked and placed the rib she was holding into the eager hands of her father beside her.
"Dad, try this, Xu Musen's cooking is really tasty."
An Nuannuan offered the food to her father, but the tone of her voice was proud as if boasting about her man's capabilities.
"Ah, alright, I'll try it."
An Shanhai nodded, he had seen Xu Musen's subtle gesture and felt a bit uncomfortable.
But he also acknowledged the thoughtful little act.
And eating the food his daughter offered washed away some of his sourness.
"Indeed, not bad. It's rare for a guy to be able to cook such good dishes."
An Shanhai commented as he nodded.
"I'm glad you like it, and when there's a chance, I will try other cuisines for you to sample."
Xu Musen answered humbly.
But to An Shanhai's ears, these words seemed a bit awkward no matter how he listened.
"Sure."
"Yay!"
And when he said that, An Nuannuan and An Nannan's eyes sparkled, eager to get their father's agreement on his behalf.
As a father, he felt a bit melancholy.
It was as if he had complimented a street racer, telling him his racing skills weren't bad.
Then the street racer said, given the chance, he'd take his daughter out racing every day.
And it would have been one thing if only Nuannuan had reacted, but seeing Nannan get excited too was just too much.
An Shanhai looked at Xu Musen, surrounded by his two daughters, one on each side.
Suddenly, the taste of the ribs in his mouth wasn't appealing at all.
Fine, fine, so I'm the only "outsider" in this house, huh?