Chapter 90 Yam and Pork Rib Soup.

Zhao Yuanzheng took the rather thick medical report and was a little surprised when he saw the date on it: "Dad, why did you suddenly go for a medical check-up?"

It's essential for elderly people to have a physical examination every year. It doesn't make sense that employees had to undergo physical examinations every year when they were working, but they become lax after retirement.

We were supposed to have a physical exam in March, but my husband suddenly fell ill and had to be hospitalized due to some of his old ailments. The necessary examinations were quite thorough, and since we had just recovered and returned home not long ago, we didn't think about having a physical exam.

Zeng Musi's words also carried a hint of apology: "I'm sorry, Dad, we haven't been caring enough. You should have told us about your medical check-up. If Director Yuan is too busy, I can take time off to go with you. It'll definitely be more reassuring to have a family member with you."

Zhao Yongnian waved his hand dismissively and said, "I just thought my physical exam this year went well and I felt pretty good, so I made an appointment with the doctor myself. Mu Si, you don't need to be shy. The students in your class are all waiting for you. I'm going with Xiao Liu. I'm familiar with the doctors at the hospital, so it'll be fine."

He urged with a hint of anticipation and excitement, "Take a look at my report, I just got it today."

Knowing his own body best, Zhao Yongnian no longer complained about his two friends' comments that "eating more Gu's Private Kitchen dishes is good for your health," and was even grateful to them for taking him to eat Gu's Private Kitchen dishes.

Seeing the medical report today completely confirmed my suspicions. I felt a huge sense of relief and joy, which is why I called my son and his family to come over tonight if they were free, as I had something to discuss with them.

"Okay, let's take a look."

Zhao Yuanzheng and Zeng Musi responded, letting him open the medical examination report in his hand. Zeng Musi leaned over to look at it, and the two of them looked at it carefully.

As Zhao Yongnian watched his son and daughter-in-law examine his medical report as if it were some important document, their expressions shifting from calm and solemn to surprise and then disbelief. A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips, and he felt quite pleased, knowing that this was how they would react.

Zhao Yuanzheng, a deputy director of the Public Security Bureau, and Zeng Musi, a high school English teacher, were both worldly people. Even though they were filled with shock and surprise, they still managed to read through the entire medical examination report.

Then, Zhao Yuanzheng asked excitedly, "Dad, your physical exam results are really good this time! Your high blood pressure is normal, and the other tests didn't show any major problems either. Have you been feeling quite well lately?"

Elderly people often have some problems during physical examinations. For example, his father's physical examinations in the past inevitably revealed problems with the three highs (high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol). His lungs were also quite serious because he had pneumonia two years ago. Previous physical examinations had indicated fibrosis and nodules in his lungs, requiring regular check-ups every year.

Then there's fatty liver, goiter, and kidney stones. For the latter, I need to drink more water to see if it can be excreted on its own, but according to last year's physical examination report, it hasn't been successful yet.

However, this year's physical examination results are ridiculously good!

My blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels are all normal now. My fatty liver is gone, the nodules in my lungs have shrunk, my kidney stones have been successfully expelled and show no abnormalities, and my thyroid issues are only being addressed with regular checkups, with no indication that they are worsening.

You should know that during the tests done when I was hospitalized for the first two or three months, there were still various problems.

Moreover, the elderly person was less mobile due to their age and had been bedridden for quite some time. The doctor suggested a bone density test to check the condition of their bones, which showed osteoporosis. However, during this physical examination, the bone density test showed that all the data were normal.

Everything is so amazing.

Zhao Yuanzheng couldn't believe it. He had only been busy with several cases recently and hadn't been able to come over. How could his father's health have suddenly improved so much?

Zeng Musi was also very happy and asked repeatedly, "Dad, what have you eaten or done recently? The results of this medical check-up look very good."

Two months ago, when the elderly woman was seriously ill and hospitalized, she and her husband were worried and scared. Even after she was discharged, they were afraid that her health would not be as good as before and would only deteriorate. Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, which was a pleasant surprise.

Zhao Yongnian smiled, his face full of pride: "I've been feeling pretty good lately. It's like the things that were weighing on me and clogging my blood vessels have all disappeared, and I feel much lighter all over. I felt that my health had improved recently, and I knew that the test results would be good, so I suddenly thought of getting a check-up to see if it was just my imagination. I didn't have time to tell you guys."

He was as joyful as a child receiving a favorite candy, and as spirited as when he was young and working as a prosecutor, having solved a case with crucial evidence. After a soft chuckle, he said, "Now I know, it wasn't my imagination, my health has improved."

Then, in response to his daughter-in-law's words, he said, "I haven't been doing anything lately. I just often go out to eat with your Uncle Feng and Uncle Xu, which is quite nice."

Zeng Musi nodded knowingly: "That's good. Dad, you know your own body best. Now that you've had a check-up at the hospital, you can rest assured. It's good to go out for meals and walks more often. The air outside is fresh, and it's a good way to relax. It's definitely better than staying cooped up at home all day."

Zhao Yuanzheng also said, "Yes, thank you so much, Uncle Feng and Uncle Xu, for often coming over to take you out for a walk. Are we going to eat at Taoxiangju?"

Taoxiangju is just a few hundred meters away from the Procuratorate's family compound. It mainly serves tea and snacks and has been open since Zhao Yuanzheng was a child. Families and friends usually go there for meals.

"No, Lao Feng and Lao Xu found a really delicious private restaurant on Suli Street in Yunjiang District. They said they'd take me there to try it at the end of last month. I thought it was really good, so I often go there with them now," Zhao Yongnian said.

Seeing that his son and daughter-in-law had steered the conversation toward the topic he wanted to discuss, he said with slight excitement, "This restaurant is called Gu's Private Kitchen. They change the menu every day based on the ingredients they buy, and the dishes are never repeated. The ingredients are fresh, and the meat dishes are delicious. It's very famous online."

Zhao Yuanzheng hesitated for a moment: "Go all the way to Suli Street in Yunjiang District to eat? Is it really that far that Xiao Wu drove you there? I've never heard of this restaurant before."

The old man has always been rather indifferent to food. He's happy to go if someone invites him, but he's perfectly content eating at home. It's rare for him to praise a restaurant like this and say that he eats there often.

Zhao Yongnian nodded: "Your Uncle Feng, Uncle Xu, and I always meet at the entrance of the community. Sometimes we ask Xiao Wu to drive us there, and sometimes we take a taxi ourselves. The restaurant reopened in April, so it's normal that you didn't know."

At first, when he went to Gu's Private Kitchen, he insisted that Xiao Wu drive him there. After trying it out and finding it convenient to take a taxi, he didn't want Xiao Wu to pick him up and wait there for nothing. Most of the time, he would just take a taxi directly to Suli Street.

Of course, he would tell this to his son, deliberately blurring the proportions of the two, so that his son wouldn't nag him later about how taking a taxi wasn't as safe as being driven by Xiao Wu.

Zhao Yuanzheng had no objection after hearing this, and simply nodded and said, "That's fine too. With Uncle Feng and Uncle Xu accompanying you, we'll feel at ease."

Zeng Musi had just heard her father-in-law mention the name of the restaurant she had been frequenting recently, and it sounded familiar. She kept trying to remember where she had heard it before, so she finally spoke up.

Finally, she managed to recall the origin of Gu's Private Kitchen from her memory. She smiled and said, "I vaguely remember this restaurant. It was very popular at our school. Students often praised the food at this restaurant. If any parents went to Gu's Private Kitchen to pack food and brought it to the school for the students to eat, they would definitely become the most envied person in the class for that day or even two or three days."

"Like our grade's teacher, Ms. Lin, and several other teachers are loyal customers of Gu's Private Kitchen. They often go to the restaurant during their breaks and sometimes chat in the office about their dining experience and what new dishes are available."

At first, Zeng Musi didn't pay much attention, but after hearing about it more often, she couldn't help but be tempted and thought that she would go to the restaurant with her family to try it when she had time.

As a result, I got busy with school matters and kept putting it off until now, basically forgetting about it. I didn't expect that my father-in-law had already eaten at Gu's Private Kitchen many times through the introduction of an old friend, and had praised it highly.

Zhao Yongnian laughed and said, "That's because your school's students and teachers have good taste. I dare say there are few restaurants in the entire Jiang City that taste better than Gu's Private Kitchen."

Most importantly, the dishes at Gu's Private Kitchen are nutritious and healthy, with some benefits that are best appreciated through experience.

Zhao Yuanzheng was a little surprised: "This restaurant only opened in April, how come it's so popular?"

Before Zeng Musi could speak, Zhao Yongnian, who had eaten there countless times and was the most qualified to answer, preemptively said, "Of course, if a restaurant uses fresh ingredients, has excellent cooking skills, and the dishes taste so delicious that they are impeccable, it doesn't need the restaurant to advertise. Customers who have eaten there will spontaneously spread the word, and it will become popular as time goes by."

"Let me tell you, some blind people reported Gu's Private Kitchen before. The Food and Drug Administration came to the site for testing and found nothing wrong. Later, they came back to the bureau and tested it again and came up with a detailed report. All the indicators were perfect, and the nutritional elements were also very high, which means that the ingredients used are all fresh and of high quality. The person who reported it never expected that this whole ordeal would actually make the customers who dine there and more netizens trust Gu's Private Kitchen even more."

This is just like a popular sitcom where the protagonist gets slapped in the face. Whenever Grandpa Zhao mentions it, he can't help but laugh, his face full of pride and satisfaction.

After hearing this, Zhao Yuanzheng felt more favorably disposed toward the restaurant: "That means the ingredients used in this restaurant are quite good. No wonder you like to eat there so much. I feel more at ease now."

These days, many unscrupulous restaurants serve delicious-sounding dishes, but the ingredients used are often subpar. The biggest concern is that elderly people might suffer health problems from eating food from these restaurants. Having official testing reports does provide some reassurance.

Zeng Musi nodded with a smile: "I think I've heard the teachers mention this in the office as well."

It was after this experience that she thought of taking her family to try it.

Zhao Yongnian said, "Don't you young people all love using Xiaohongshu and Weibo? Now many official organizations are also operating these self-media accounts. If you are interested, you can follow the official account of Gu's Private Kitchen. They will release the menu of the day at 10 am every day. If there are any dishes you like, you can go to the store to eat. You can invite me to come with you. I am always available."

Zhao Yuanzheng and Zeng Musi laughed after hearing this. The old man had said so much just to recommend this restaurant, so they both smiled and agreed.

Zhao Yuanzheng, who was expected to have Saturday off, immediately suggested, "Why don't we give it a try this Saturday?"

Zeng Mu thought about work for a moment, and nodded in less than two seconds: "I can do it. Dad, shall we pick you up and take you to Gu's Private Kitchen for dinner?"

Zhao Yongnian replied with a smile, "Okay, I'll be waiting. If Lao Feng and Lao Xu ask me out again, I'll just say I have plans for Saturday, haha."

Zhao Yuanzheng suddenly had an idea: "Dad, you know so much about the menus posted on Gu's Private Kitchen's official account, you wouldn't happen to follow it regularly, would you?"

You see, while this old father kept up with his company's pace and used all sorts of modern software at work, he never touched any entertainment apps outside of work, let alone trendy ones like Weibo or Xiaohongshu. But now, it seems like things are a little different?

"Yes, when I first went to Gu's Private Kitchen, your Uncle Feng and Uncle Xu suggested that I download Xiaohongshu and follow Gu's Private Kitchen's official account. They said that way I could see what dishes the restaurant had every day, and if I wanted to eat there, I could just invite them to come over. I thought that made a lot of sense, so I downloaded Xiaohongshu and registered an account on the spot. The first thing I followed was Gu's Private Kitchen. Now I check it out every day at 10 o'clock, and I even discuss it with Lao Feng and Lao Xu in the group."

When Zhao Yongnian first started speaking, he seemed a little embarrassed in front of the younger generation, raising his hand to touch his nose to hide his emotions. But as he put his hand down, he became more and more frank and even quite proud.

It's as if it's saying, "Look, even though I'm old, I can still use apps like Xiaohongshu that young people love, and I still have a passion for food."

After hearing this, Zeng Musi thought to herself, "Wow, I never expected that Gu's Private Kitchen would make my father-in-law download Xiaohongshu, register an account, and follow it. He would check Gu's Private Kitchen's new menus and notes every day and discuss them with Mr. Feng and Mr. Xu in the group."

Zhao Yuan was inwardly thinking how outrageous this was, but he forced a smile and asked, "So, this group wasn't created just for Gu's Private Kitchen, was it?"

He had never heard of the old man and Uncle Feng and Uncle Xu having any group chat before; the work group chat was something from before their retirement.

Zhao Yongnian nodded, taking it for granted, and even praised his son, saying, "Yes, no wonder he's a police chief. Our group is called the 'Sunset Red Rice Group'."

This time, Zhao Yuanzheng and Zeng Musi were truly speechless, utterly impressed. Gu's Private Kitchen was undeniably charming. The couple simultaneously gave a thumbs-up: "Dad, you guys are amazing!"

Zhao Yongnian couldn't quite grasp the admiration in those words, which was mixed with a bit of speechlessness. He chuckled and waved his hand in a show of modesty: "We retirees are just enjoying life now. The biggest contribution we can make is trying not to cause trouble for the country. Our minds are naturally focused on eating, drinking, and having fun. Unlike you, work is more important, so naturally you pay less attention to these things."

Zhao Yuanzheng and Zeng Musi smiled and agreed.

The old man immediately began to talk about how delicious the dishes at Gu's Private Kitchen were, which of course started with the dishes he ate on his first visit. He introduced each dish one by one: perilla winter melon with pork belly, cucumber salad with beef, scallion oil crab, mushroom and scrambled eggs, taro fritters, and so on.

Zhao Yuanzheng and Zeng Musi listened, nodding in agreement from time to time. They would say things like, "It smells delicious," or "It looks like it will taste great." They would also say, "I'm looking forward to going to Gu's Private Kitchen for dinner on Saturday," giving the elderly couple plenty of emotional support.

The couple were both thinking that they had never realized their grandfather was so talented. He described the dishes from every angle, from color and aroma to taste, and he did so with such sincerity that he could write a cookbook or even make a food show.

I don't know when, but Xuanxuan came out of his room with his toys and went to play in the living room. After playing for a while, he stopped touching the toys on the floor and just sat on the floor, turned around and listened attentively to his grandfather talking about what he had eaten. He was so engrossed in listening that his mouth was practically watering.

Zhao Yongnian's mouth was dry by the end of his speech, and he continued while drinking water. He said that he had eaten so many meals at Gu's Private Kitchen recently that it would take a whole day and night to finish talking about it.

Zhao Yuanzheng said, "Dad, it's almost ten o'clock. You should go to sleep early. Let's take Xuanxuan back to rest so he won't be unable to get up for school tomorrow."

Zhao Yongnian then suppressed his overwhelming urge to share and regained his usual composure: "Okay, then be careful on your way back."

Xuanxuan hugged his grandfather's leg and said sweetly, "Grandpa, let's meet on Saturday and go eat at that really delicious restaurant together."

After he finished speaking, he swallowed, clearly drooling from hearing his grandfather describe the delicious-smelling dishes. He looked on with anticipation.

Zhao Yongnian patted his grandson's head and replied with a smile, "Okay, I'll wait for you to pick me up on Saturday."

Then she instructed her son, "Try to come as early as possible. Gu's Private Kitchen opens at 11:00, so we'd better arrive around that time. If we're even a minute or two late, we might not get a table and have to take a number and wait in line."

Zhao Yuanzheng smiled and agreed. Zeng Musi, holding Xuanxuan's hand, smiled and said goodbye to the old man. The family of three left.

Zhao Yongnian smiled as he looked at the now quiet living room, realizing he had been a bit too talkative tonight, but he was just happy.

He originally wanted to tell his son and daughter-in-law that eating Gu's Private Kitchen was good for their health, and that his good medical results were related to his recent frequent visits to Gu's Private Kitchen.

However, with his son being a deputy director of the Public Security Bureau and his daughter-in-law being an educated high school teacher, they probably wouldn't believe him if he said things that sounded a bit far-fetched. They might even think he was just getting old and confused and starting to indulge in feudal superstitions.

Zhao Yongnian had countless opportunities to bring this up all night, but in the end, he only talked about how delicious the dishes were. He thought it would be better to wait until Saturday when they went to eat at Gu's Private Kitchen together. Once they fell in love with the food at the restaurant and experienced its benefits, he could bring it up again, and they might be more receptive to it.

He was also thinking that his son had developed many hidden illnesses over the years as a policeman, and perhaps eating more of Gu's private kitchen dishes could help improve them.

Eating more is also good for the health of my daughter-in-law and Xuanxuan. Who can resist the temptation of good health? Zhao Yongnian is old and doesn't ask for much. He just hopes that his children and grandchildren can live peacefully and healthily every day.

He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, and then went back to his room to rest.

I thought I would have trouble falling asleep tonight because I talked too much and got too excited, but I didn't expect that my consciousness would gradually sink as soon as I closed my eyes and I had a wonderful dream all night.

Saturday arrived in the blink of an eye. After breakfast, Zhao Yongnian stretched at home, practicing the Baduanjin exercise he had recently started.

After performing a set of Eight Pieces of Brocade, he was covered in sweat, but he didn't feel tired. Instead, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.

In fact, he usually goes downstairs to the open space in the community to practice Baduanjin (a form of traditional Chinese exercise) in the morning after washing up, and only comes back to eat breakfast after he finishes exercising.

But today is special, isn't it? He had arranged to have lunch at Gu's Private Kitchen with his son's family. He had been looking forward to it since last night. He woke up this morning thinking that he should eat breakfast early to help digest the food so that he could eat more at Gu's Private Kitchen at noon. That's why he changed the order of his usual exercise and meals.

After exercising, he stood and rested for a while until he felt less hot before going to the bathroom to get a towel, wring it out, and wipe the sweat from his face and neck. Afterward, Zhao Yongnian waited at home for his son and his family to arrive.

Seeing that it was 10:30, he made a phone call to ask his son if he had left yet. After receiving an affirmative answer, he instructed, "Call me in advance when you are almost there. I will come downstairs by myself. Just wait for me at the entrance of the community. You don't need to come up, so as not to waste time."

His words revealed his urgency.

On the other end of the phone, Zhao Yuanzheng smiled and agreed, reassuring the old man not to worry.

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Yongnian couldn't help but mutter, "They told me not to rush, but if there's a queue at the restaurant later, there's no use rushing. It's better to go eat with Lao Feng and Lao Xu; that way, we'll definitely arrive just in time."

He started putting on his socks and shoes, then went to the kitchen to get a thermal lunchbox that he often carried with him recently. After thinking for a moment, he took two more, since everyone was family today.

When his son called again, Zhao Yongnian told the housekeeper and went downstairs. He walked to the gate and got into his son's car.

Xuanxuan snuggled close to his grandfather, chattering about what had happened at school these past few days, and then excitedly announced that they were finally going to eat at that really delicious restaurant.

Zhao Yongnian was delighted to hear this and patted his little head: "Grandpa promises that the food we're going to eat later will be delicious. Today we have preserved vegetable and pork patties, cheese chicken and potato towers, Thai crispy shrimp cakes, stir-fried spinach, and yam and pork rib soup. I'm sure you'll love the cheese chicken and potato tower, right?"

At exactly 10 a.m., he opened Xiaohongshu to see the menu posted by Gu's Private Kitchen for the day. He chatted with Lao Feng and Lao Xu in the group for a long time, showing off that he was going to eat at Gu's Private Kitchen with his son's family, which led to a "cyber beating".

Xuanxuan's eyes lit up as soon as Grandpa mentioned what dishes were being prepared, like light bulbs. He nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "I love these! I also want to eat preserved vegetable and pork patties and Thai crispy shrimp cakes!"

Zhao Yongnian smiled and agreed, "Okay, we'll order them all later!"

Zhao Yuanzheng, who was driving, and Zeng Musi, who was sitting in the passenger seat, both smiled as they listened to the conversation between the grandfather and grandson. After returning home that day, they learned a lot about Gu's Private Kitchen and felt that it was indeed a restaurant with delicious dishes, and they were both looking forward to it.

At the same time, they also had a question in their minds: would going out more often and having meals with old friends really make the old man's health improve significantly?

Around 10 a.m. this morning, Zeng Musi had already seen the menu for today posted by Gu's Private Kitchen on Xiaohongshu and even shared it with Zhao Yuanzheng, so he wasn't particularly surprised.

They soon arrived near Suli Street. After parking the car, the group walked into the street. The old man walked with incredible speed, and Zhao Yuanzheng's family almost couldn't keep up with him.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Zhao Yongnian quickly went over to sit down at a large table. As soon as the waiter approached, he first said he would order everything on the menu, and then asked, "What kind of tea would you like?"

He acted like a regular customer.

Sister Zhou said at the right moment, "We have barley tea, Pu'er tea, Tieguanyin, chrysanthemum tea and lemon water in our shop. Which one would you like?"

Zeng Musi originally wanted chrysanthemum tea so that Xuanxuan could drink it too, but the child's eyes were drawn to the drinks in the standing refrigerator, and he begged for a bottle. So she agreed, and the three adults decided to get Pu'er tea.

The child went to get a bottle of Coke and came back to drink it, happily swinging his short legs, while the adults rinsed the teaware and chatted.

Zhao Yuanzheng looked at the restaurant, which quickly filled up with people, and then at the several customers queuing at the door. He smiled and said, "No wonder you were in such a hurry to come, Dad. Business here is really good. If we had arrived even a minute or two later, we would have been in line."

Zhao Yongnian deliberately snorted: "Would I lie to you? Don't they say 'Those who don't listen to the elders will suffer the consequences'? That's true."

"Yes, yes, you're right," Zhao Yuanzheng replied cooperatively.

Zeng Musi smiled. The customers at the tables ahead of them had already received their dishes, which smelled delicious. She picked up her teacup and drank some Pu'er tea, looking forward to the dishes to come.

Soon, a waiter came over and served a yam and pork rib soup. The soup was milky white and rich, with pieces of yam and pork ribs floating up as the soup was scooped up with a ladle.

Zhao Yuanzheng first made a bowl of soup for the old man, adding yam and pork ribs as well. Then he made a bowl of soup for his wife, Xuanxuan, and himself.

Xuanxuan always only drinks the soup and doesn't like to eat the broth, so he just scooped out the soup as usual.

Zhao Yongnian was the first to taste the soup.

The taste upon tasting is as rich and mellow as the soup color appears, with a strong yam flavor and a meaty aroma. It's probably because it's been simmered long enough to extract all the essence from the ribs and yam. Both the fat from the ribs and the sweetness from the yam combine to create the savory and salty flavor of this soup, which is smooth and slightly thick.

Overall, the soup is clear, sweet, and delicious. After swallowing, you can still feel the salty and fresh taste, followed by a slow, sweet aftertaste.

He scooped up a few mouthfuls of soup with a spoon, smacked his lips, and then simply picked up the bowl and drank it down in big gulps. After finishing most of the soup, he picked up his chopsticks and ate a piece of yam.