Forgotten Parents

This weekend, Zhou Xiaowu invited three people for dinner. Among the three, two are his bosses, and the other is a friend he has known for many years, all of whom are very important to him. Zhou Xiaowu called them a day in advance, and everyone said it was fine. So, Zhou Xiaowu booked a private room in the hotel and arrived early.

The waiter introduced that the hotel has a hot pot set meal, divided into three levels: 180 yuan, 380 yuan, and 680 yuan. Without hesitation, Zhou Xiaowu chose the 680 yuan one. When entertaining these people, the most important thing is face.

Zhou Xiaowu works in the new district, but his parents still live in the old district. Although it's not far from home, he rarely goes back because there are endless things to do. Even on weekends, he has to learn Korean, computer skills, and international trade, as well as make various phone calls, invite others for meals, or be invited by others... It is through such continuous efforts that his career has gradually developed.

After a while, none of the invited guests arrived, so Zhou Xiaowu called one of his bosses to ask where he was. The boss was stunned at first on the phone, then said in a suddenly enlightened tone, "It's really unfortunate that an important client just asked me to come over. It's a big deal, and I can't come..."

Zhou Xiaowu said, "No problem, you're busy." After that, he called the waiter over and said, "Please change the set meal to the 380 yuan one. One friend can't come..."

At this time, a call came, and it was from the other boss, saying that something suddenly came up and he had to stay at home to deal with it, so he couldn't come...

Zhou Xiaowu couldn't help but feel disappointed and asked, "Do you have to handle it yourself?"

The boss said, "Yes... How about this, I'll invite you tomorrow or next weekend."

At this point, Zhou Xiaowu had no choice but to accept it. He called the waiter again and awkwardly asked, "Can it be changed to the 180 yuan one?"

The waiter was a bit unhappy, and Zhou Xiaowu quickly smiled apologetically, explaining that another friend couldn't come and he didn't want to waste it.

Only the good friend he had known for many years was left. Zhou Xiaowu thought, such a good buddy, could have a good meal at the street food stall for 60 yuan, and this meal was somewhat unnecessary. But it was already this time, and his friend must be arriving soon, so he asked the waiter to serve the dishes quickly.

The dishes were served quickly, and the pot on the table began to boil. The waiter pointed to several plates of raw meat and lettuce and asked, "Shall I put them in the pot now?"

Zhou Xiaowu nodded, and the waiter poured several plates of dishes into the pot.

Unexpectedly, at this time, his friend also called to say that he was very uncomfortable and had to go to the hospital for an IV drip. He was really sorry and would make up for it another day.

Zhou Xiaowu was quite depressed for a while. After the depression, he was in a dilemma: how could he eat this full table of dishes by himself? Pack up? He doesn't even have a stove to heat food in his dormitory, and besides, many dishes have already been put into the pot and can't be packed up.

At this time, the phone rang again, and this time it was his father who called and asked Zhou Xiaowu, "Today is the weekend, are you coming home?"

Zhou Xiaowu said, "I'm busy, I won't be back."

His father said, "When you're free, come back and have a look. It's been more than a month since you've been home, and your mother is always talking about you."

Zhou Xiaowu chuckled and said, "I'm really a bit busy."

His father asked again, "Where are you now?"

Zhou Xiaowu said, "I'm at the hotel... Oh, right, have you and mom eaten yet? If not, you guys come over and have dinner with me. I'll wait for you here."

His father was stunned for a moment on the other end of the phone, then asked Zhou Xiaowu, "Did you just say you're inviting us to have dinner with you?"

"Yes, yes, I'm inviting you and mom to have dinner."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Xiaowu remembered that he had invited countless people for countless meals, but he had never invited his parents for a meal!

His parents arrived in a short while, apparently by taxi. Their faces were full of smiles, and they didn't think about why their son suddenly invited them out for dinner. The family had their first meal together outside the home, eating the lowest-grade set meal.

Zhou Xiaowu toasted his father and mother respectively. When he drained the glass, he suddenly felt an urge to cry.

After dinner, Zhou Xiaowu went home with his parents and stayed overnight...

On Monday, a colleague who lived in the same community ran over and told Zhou Xiaowu, "Yesterday, your parents were talking to everyone in the community, saying that you invited them to have a high-end meal in a big hotel, and that you toasted them, wishing them health..."

Zhou Xiaowu was moved to tears.

Subscribe to stay updated, and the next episode will be more exciting.