The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 517: Family of Five " Shopping at the Supermarket
(Thanks to Langrutie83 and appetite for encouraging with their monthly tickets)
During this meal, Liu Banxia was undeniably a big eater. In this household, probably only Tang Dou and Tiggie could compete with him; no one else stood a chance.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, no one bothered them anymore, and those who wanted to play cards did so. Even Tang Dou was carried off by Qiu Mingyuan. Everyone knew the two of them hadn’t been together for a long time and would have endless things to talk about.
"All you know is how to drink, you silly thing. Can’t you just take a small sip?" Qiaoqiao grumbled after pouring Liu Banxia a glass of plain boiled water.
"Why are you so silly? You’re worse than Tang Dou; at least Tang Dou knows to hide some snacks. Do you want another glass? Remember, you have work the day after tomorrow, okay?"
Liu Banxia chuckled and nodded. "Work the day after tomorrow. This counts as a day and a half of rest for us. How about we get our marriage certificate on the ninth or tenth?"
"Who’s getting one with you? Go get it with Tang Dou," Qiaoqiao retorted, rolling her eyes.
"Actually, come to think of it, when the weather gets warmer in a while, we’ll probably need to find a little husband for Tang Dou, right?" Liu Banxia asked.
Qiaoqiao wrinkled her nose. "They say it’s usually in spring or autumn, so it should be around then. But what should we do? I want her to experience motherhood once. But I’m afraid if she has too many puppies, I won’t be able to raise them all."
"And what about her future puppies? I couldn’t bear to give them away; I’d be too afraid they wouldn’t be treated well. But if we don’t give them away, we’ll have to find partners for them too."
"Let’s just take it as it comes. Anyway, the yard here is quite spacious. With this pack of big guys protecting you, you’ll be able to stroll around the residential park as you please," Liu Banxia said.
"Oh, please, I’m not going to bully anyone. What’s the point of strolling around so brazenly?" Qiaoqiao said helplessly.
"I’ll think about it; maybe we’ll let her have just one litter. Oh, by the way, I promised Qing Kewa I’d hang out with her during the New Year holiday. Do you know when her break starts?"
"Hers starts the day after tomorrow, but she’ll have two days off. You can go find her then," Liu Banxia said.
"She has less than five months left before she goes back. Are we really going to visit her country for our honeymoon? I’ve never even been abroad."
"What’s so great about going abroad? You can barely understand what they’re saying, and the food is just so-so," Qiaoqiao said indifferently.
"It’s not as good as being in our own country. Here, if you want to eat something, you just walk into any restaurant, and that’s that. Going to her place wouldn’t be bad, though, since she can be our translator. And their food seems to be quite substantial, so that’s fine too."
"Anyway, I’m not going to worry about it. I’ll just go along with your decision then," Liu Banxia said with a nod.
Qiaoqiao glanced at him; his words sounded quite agreeable.
Although they wanted to be a bit more affectionate, it wasn’t the right time with so many guests downstairs. After Liu Banxia rested for a short while, they both went downstairs.
"How are things going between you and that Xiao family girl?" Liu Banxia sidled up to Qiu Mingyuan, casually patting Tang Dou’s large head.
"Hehe, I’m just trying my best. The college entrance exam is in a few months; I just need to make sure I provide good support," Qiu Mingyuan replied with a smile.
"By the way, Wang Mingxing was asking about you. He wants to know when you’ll be free to come over for a meal; he’s still got it on his mind. I think he wants to apply for medical school as well."
"Really? I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t really paid him any mind. In that case, his studies must be quite tough, right?" Liu Banxia asked.
Qiu Mingyuan nodded. "He’s really been working hard. But you know, this kid is genuinely promising. Who knows what could happen in the remaining few months?"
"I’m truly impressed with him now. If it were me, I definitely couldn’t do it. I’m quite content with just barely making it into an undergraduate engineering program. Anyway, I’m not applying to schools outside the city."
"That’s good. It’s close to home; attending university will be just like attending high school," Liu Banxia said with a smile.
"Tsk, tsk, the competition for medical school will be fierce this year. Even though it’s in our city, there will be a lot of applicants," Qiu Mingyuan said.
"Oh, right, there’s one more thing. Our homeroom teacher wanted to ask if you could come to our class sometime to give a talk or something? To boost everyone’s morale, you know, for the final sprint."
"What qualifications do I have to give a talk?" Liu Banxia said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Why not? Your medical skills are so amazing, and you’ve even been on TV," Qiu Mingyuan said.
"Let me put it this way: there aren’t many in our class who genuinely chase celebrities. But because of you, many people are determined to apply to medical school. Tell me, are you qualified enough or not?"
"Go, you have to go," Qiaoqiao interjected from the side.
"See? My sister has decided. How dare you object?" Qiu Mingyuan chuckled.
"Alright, but I can’t confirm a specific time. I’ll try my best to come during an evening self-study session after your school starts. If there’s a genuine conflict, then I can’t help it," Liu Banxia said with a nod.
"Perfect! I’ll tell our homeroom teacher tomorrow," Qiu Mingyuan said, pumping his fist excitedly.
Liu Banxia could only shake his head helplessly. This would have been unthinkable for him back in the day. Even now, he really didn’t know what he would say to these students. But since Qiu Mingyuan had asked this of him, he had to follow through.
"Mom, when are you planning to go back?" Liu Banxia asked, moving closer to his mother.
"Qiaoqiao said we must stay until after the fifteenth, so let’s make it the sixteenth," Peng Xiuqin said with a smile.
"Make sure Qiaoqiao has less to worry about with you; don’t make her angry. She has so many things to deal with every day, and she still has to worry about you. You get your temper from your father—so stubborn."
"Did you hear that? You have to listen to Auntie," Qiaoqiao said with a beaming smile.
"Absolutely. Let’s have barbecue for supper tonight. I saw the supermarket in the complex was still open when I came back. They should have meat, right?" Liu Banxia asked.
"Of course, they do. They only close a bit earlier on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. They’re back to normal hours on the second day. Otherwise, it would be really inconvenient if anyone here ran out of ingredients," Qiaoqiao said.
"Why don’t we go buy it now? I also bought a little cart; Tiggie and Tang Dou can pull it. It’s actually quite fun; they pull it very steadily."
"Alright, let’s take a stroll over there now," Liu Banxia nodded.
He could clearly tell that Qiaoqiao was just trying to show off, so he decided to indulge her.
Truth be told, the little cart Qiaoqiao bought was quite decent. After leashes were attached to Tang Dou and Tiggie, the two of them obediently walked towards the supermarket without running off.
From this, one could see they were both experienced at this task.
Qiaoqiao walked proudly beside them, occasionally glancing back at Liu Banxia, her face beaming with delight. Liu Banxia was holding Doudou, who also wanted to come out for a walk. This "family of five" looked quite harmonious.
"Tang Dou, Tiggie, good boys. Wait at the entrance, okay? I’ll buy you some beef."
Arriving at the supermarket entrance, Qiaoqiao gave their heads an affectionate pat. The two dogs obediently sat down by the door, not making any fuss.
"You’ve gotten so familiar with Tiggie already?" Liu Banxia asked in surprise.
"Well, of course! I’ve bought him a lot of beef this past month," Qiaoqiao said proudly.
Liu Banxia chuckled. Qiaoqiao’s methods were always so simple and direct.
"Oh, Dr. Liu, you have the day off? What can I get for you today?" Just as they walked into the supermarket, a salesperson greeted them warmly.
"Why don’t you greet me when I come in? He’s only been here a few times," Qiaoqiao asked, feeling a bit glum.
"Sister Qiaoqiao, it’s precisely because Dr. Liu comes so rarely that I greeted him. It’s not easy to catch him, you know," the salesperson said with a smile.
Qiaoqiao was satisfied with that. "I’m holding Doudou, so you go pick out the meat skewers. Don’t forget to get beef for Tang Dou and Tiggie; they did help pull our cart, after all."
"Sure. Is there anything Auntie Tong and Xiaoyu can’t eat?" Liu Banxia asked.
Qiaoqiao wrinkled her nose. "Nothing in particular, you can decide. Buy more green beans and leeks, and also eggplant; I love those."
Liu Banxia received his orders and began shopping carefully.
There were a lot of people today, so he had to buy more. In a short while, he had filled three shopping baskets and was starting on a fourth.
Elsewhere, such a large amount of shopping might seem excessive. But here in Linyu Villa, it really wasn’t much.
There were always gatherings during the New Year period, so people tended to buy more. And hardly anyone shopped outside; they all came to this supermarket in the residential park.
"Here, let me hold her. She gets restless watching you so busy."
As Liu Banxia was selecting items, Qiaoqiao walked over, holding Doudou.
"Looks like she wants to help too," Liu Banxia said. "The little one has grown quite a bit; she’s much heavier than before."
"So, if we have our own child in the future, should they really marry Doudou? What if they don’t like each other? We can’t force them to get married," Qiaoqiao said, frowning. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
"Let’s not overthink it; it was just a casual remark. We don’t even know if we’ll have a boy or a girl yet. But having one to dote on will definitely be nice," Liu Banxia said.
"That’s true, but everyone says the first few months are really difficult to manage," Qiaoqiao said.
"And what if they become troublemakers when they grow up? We’ll have to tutor them, right? I’ve seen videos where kids drive their parents crazy. And I don’t even know how to tutor."
Liu Banxia laughed. "That’s nothing to worry about. There are so many of us at home. Even if the child gets a bit wild, we can take turns looking after them for a couple of hours each. We’ll definitely manage."
"As for homework, we just need to manage it appropriately. If they’re cut out for it, they’ll study even if we don’t push them; we just need to provide the resources. If they’re not, it’s useless even if you stand over them with a knife."
Qiaoqiao thought about it carefully, then nodded happily. She playfully squeezed Doudou’s little hand and then cheerfully continued shopping for seafood.
Qiaoqiao must have spent time thinking about having children, otherwise she wouldn’t have all these questions now, Liu Banxia mused.
Truthfully, he didn’t have strong feelings about whether they’d have a boy or a girl in the future. It was all the same to him; what mattered was having children who were filial. He’d seen too many messy situations at the hospital; it was best to leave such things to fate.
They bought quite a lot of things, filling the little cart to the brim.
But Tang Dou and Tiggie were big dogs. Never mind the two of them pulling together—even one of them could handle it alone.
