Chapter 242 Eating Zongzi

In the pavilion, Old Mrs. Qiao and Old Mrs. Cai were wrapping rice dumplings together, and Qiao Shuyi, the eldest aunt of the Qiao family, was helping the two old ladies.

Mrs. Qiao said with emotion: "Children nowadays don't want to learn how to make zongzi. When I'm gone, I'm afraid they won't be able to eat Ningbo alkaline zongzi anymore."

"Mom, you can still support the children for another 30 years." Qiao Shuyi hurriedly comforted the old lady.

"Now that you have Ningning in your family, are you still worried that you can't eat authentic Jiangnan rice dumplings?" Old Mrs. Cai said with a smile as she looked at Yue Ning who was walking over.

Yue Ning walked into the pavilion, bent down and kissed Mrs. Qiao on the face: "Hello, Grandma." Then he turned to Mrs. Cai and called sweetly: "Hello, Grandma!"

The Qiao family and the Cai family are not only relatives by marriage, but also have a deep relationship from the previous generation. Qiao Junxian has always followed Cai Zhiyuan in calling the old lady of the Cai family "Grandma", and Yue Ning followed suit.

Afterwards, Yue Ning greeted Qiao Shuyi again: "Hello, aunt."

Looking down, I saw two old ladies, one was wrapping zongzi with bamboo shoot shells, and the other was wrapping zongzi with bamboo leaves. The rice in the basin was light yellow, and Yue Ning couldn't help asking, "Grandma and grandma are wrapping zongzi with alkaline water? Is this alkaline water the bean shell ash from Jiangnan or the yellow broom leaf ash from Chaozhou?"

Qiao Shuyi smiled and said, "Mom, look, the professionals are here, right? You were worried that the children wouldn't be able to eat authentic zongzi in the future."

Old Mrs. Qiao smiled and said, "This is alkaline water soaked with the ashes of the yellow broom leaves. Where can we find soybean shells here? Your grandfather doesn't like red bean paste dumplings and big meat dumplings. He only likes the alkaline dumplings from his hometown. When I arrived in Gangcheng, I couldn't find soybean shells, so I learned from your grandma Cai to use the ashes of burned yellow broom leaves to soak glutinous rice." As she spoke, the zongzi in her hand was wrapped. It was a triangular zongzi wrapped with bamboo shells.

Grandma Cai used rice dumplings leaves to wrap them into pillow shapes. She complained, "It's the same in our family. Only the old man loves to eat this. Nowadays, many of the alkaline rice dumplings bought outside are added with baking soda and tea water. He can tell when he eats it."

Compared with meat dumplings, red bean paste dumplings, and sugar dumplings, alkaline water dumplings have always been a niche existence. But unexpectedly, Chaozhou and Ningbo, thousands of miles apart, have dumplings with such similar flavors.

At this time, Qiao Junxian came over with two freshly-cooked, still-hot dumplings in his hand. After identifying them, he handed one to Yue Ning: "The egg yolk and meat dumplings you asked for."

Yue Ning took the zongzi, peeled off the leaves, and took a bite. The glutinous rice wrapped a large piece of pork belly, with a greasy and salty aroma, and the oil seeped into every grain of rice. He took another bite, and the soft egg yolk "popped" on the tip of his tongue. The salty and fresh oil mixed with the glutinous rice, plus the fragrance of the zongzi leaves, made him extremely satisfied.

Yue Ning took a bite and looked towards Qiao Junxian. He was surprised to find that the zongzi in his hand was different from his own: "Hey, why do you have a double-cooked zongzi? I didn't hear Aunt Lan say there were double-cooked zongzi just now!"

Double cooked zongzi, half salty and half sweet, half is dark brown salted egg yolk, dried shrimp and three layers of pork belly, the other half is red bean paste mixed with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds, and the surface is embedded with a shiny candied date. While many places are arguing about whether zongzi should be eaten salty or sweet, Chaozhou people have combined sweet and salty zongzi into one.

"Do you like double-cooked rice dumplings, too?" Qiao Junxian said, "My mother and I are the only ones in my family who like to eat double-cooked rice dumplings. My grandmother is from Chaozhou, and my mother has been eating Chaozhou rice dumplings since she was a child. My grandmother was afraid that the rice dumplings wouldn't taste Chaozhou enough, so she asked Grandma Cai to come over and make them together."

"I like them all." said Yue Ning.

Qiao Junxian stood up and asked, "Shall I get another one?"

Yue Ning held up the zongzi in his hand: "I still have this! I can't finish it."

Qiao Junxian handed the zongzi to her mouth: "Here's a bite for you."

"I'll eat the bean paste side." Yue Ning said. Qiao Junxian changed the angle, and Yue Ning opened his mouth and took a bite, biting into a corner of the bean paste, which was mixed with the oiliness of pork dregs and a hint of the salty taste of the rice dumpling.

"Is it delicious?" asked Mrs. Qiao.

"Delicious." Yue Ning nodded.

Old Mrs. Qiao said to the servant, "Put some double-cooked rice dumplings in there for Ningning."

"Yes!" the servant replied.

Although the Qiao family was wealthy, Old Lady Qiao was like an ordinary grandmother, remembering the tastes of the children and making cakes and food for them. She would ask Qiao Junxian to bring food to Yue Ning every now and then, and Yue Ning would accept it without hesitation.

Old Lady Cai looked at the young couple feeding each other rice dumplings and sighed, "Now I don't know what Zhiyuan, that bastard, is thinking. He didn't know how to cherish a good girl and let her slip away. Now he thinks I'm nagging him when I say a few words to him."

Mrs. Qiao was also upset: "I also think that Miss Su is a very nice person. They have been together for so many years. Wouldn't it be best if they could be together? Now, whenever someone tells Zhiyuan to get her back, he won't listen."

These words touched Mrs. Cai's heart. She said, "Yes! I have always liked Miss Su and told Zhiyuan a long time ago..."

"Mom, you two don't have to think about it. Miss Su already has a new relationship." Qiao Shuyi said.

Yue Ning was thinking about how to explain to the two grandmothers that it was not that her brother didn't want to pursue Sister Sophie, but that Sister Sophie didn't want to be with her brother. Suddenly, her aunt told her such a bombshell news. How come she didn't know that Sister Su had found a partner?

Facing the gazes of the two old ladies and Yue Ning, Qiao Shuyi said, "Yesterday, I was inspecting stores in Central and ran into Miss Su. There was a boy with her who was considerate and caring towards her. Although the boy was not a nobleman, he was handsome and generous. If Miss Su has no intention of marrying into a wealthy family, it would be a good choice for her to find a boy from an ordinary family who has studied like her and work hard together."

"There's nothing we can do about it." Old Mrs. Cai said with regret.

Mrs. Qiao turned around and asked Yue Ning: "Ningning, do you know who Miss Su's boyfriend is?"

Yue Ning shook his head: "I don't know, I'll go back and ask."

"I was just talking casually, don't disturb others." said Mrs. Qiao.

Mrs. Cai said helplessly, "So the Yuntong couple can see clearly. After returning from the war to rebuild the film company, they returned to the United States. Now their children are all doctors or investors. In the entertainment industry, there are so many dazzling people, how many people can have the determination?"

The servant came over and reported: "Madam, it has been prepared for Miss Yue."

Qiao Junxian stood up and said, "Grandma, grandma, aunt, Ningning hasn't been back to the company for a week. I'll take her back."

Yue Ning took Dahei home. She had been busy outside these days, so she planned to take a shower and have a good sleep before going to the company. But her gossipy heart urged her to go to the company. Along the way, she thought about whether to ask her sister directly if she had found a boyfriend, or to ask indirectly.

It was not yet ten o'clock, but most of the people in Ning Yan's kitchen had already arrived. When they saw Yue Ning, they all greeted him.

"Thank you all for your hard work these days." Yue Ning said to the kitchen staff.

Seeing that Chen Jinying was there but Lu Peide was not, she asked, "Sister Jinying, where is Brother Lu?"

"Miss Su went to the office to ask Ade to go." Chen Jinying replied.

Yue Ning went to the office. When she passed the conference room, the door of the conference room opened and Lu Peide stuck his head out: "Ningning, let's discuss the progress of the decoration here."

Yue Ning went in and Su Fei was discussing with the construction party. Seeing her coming in, everyone stopped discussing. Su Fei reported the basic situation to Yue Ning: the decoration of the management company's office has been completed, and now they are stuck on the small details of the final decoration of Ning Yan Lu Mansion, and they still can't achieve the effect that Yue Ning requires. So Fei and Lu Peide are unwilling to give in.

“Ms. Yue, it’s really hard to find a carpenter with such skills,” said the construction party.

"How many channels have you looked for?" Yue Ning asked.

"Such stained glass windows are really not popular nowadays. I found a carpenter who built costume scenes for film companies, but the result was not good." The construction party explained. The scenes of costume dramas of this era are very rough, and it is really difficult to do such delicate carpentry work.

Yue Ning listened quietly and was still trying to think of a solution when the construction party said, "Ms. Yue, I also know that this won't work. I suggested to Ms. Su and Chef Lu that we hire Japanese craftsmen to create this effect at a high price."

"Japanese craftsmen bring Japanese style, which is very inappropriate to put in a Chinese scene. Ningyan Lufu is a purely Chinese-style restaurant. I don't accept Japanese style replacing Chinese style."

Yue Ning thought that someone in Uncle Mo's family was a master of architectural design, and they might have connections. "I'll try to look for it myself first."

Since Yue Ning said so, the matter has been resolved for the time being. Lu Peide went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Yue Ning went to Sophie's office and listened to Sophie's report on the past few days. With Sophie around, she certainly didn't have to spend too much time on daily management. She was thinking about how to ask Sophie about that matter, and just then the phone rang, so she picked up the phone: "Mr. Cai, are you looking for Ningning?"

Yue Ning picked up the phone, and Cai Zhiyuan said, "I've talked to Aunt Baoer, and she's very interested in this matter. I originally wanted to take you to her office in the afternoon, but she said that if you go there, the whole city of Hong Kong will think you're in big trouble. So she wants to accompany Aunt Meiyue to Ningyan for dinner in the evening, and I'll be there."

Yue Ning said in surprise: "Okay, okay. Brother Zhiyuan, what do Aunt Baoer and Aunt Meiyue like or dislike?"

"Nothing special, they both eat more Western food. Aunt Baoer has been in London for more than ten years, and Aunt Meiyue also usually eats Western food. They also eat Chinese food, so it would be best if you could combine Chinese and Western food." Cai Zhiyuan said.

Yue Ning quickly agreed: "When my brother comes, I will be ready first."

"Six thirty." Cai Zhiyuan said, and then said, "Ningning, tell Sophie for me. I'm happy that she has a new beginning."

Yue Ning was just worrying about having no excuse to ask Sophie, when Cai Zhiyuan's sour words came at the perfect time. She pretended not to know: "Ah?"

"Just say that." Cai Zhiyuan said and hung up the phone.

Yue Ning hung up the phone, looked at Sophie who was reading the documents, and said, "Sister Sophie, Brother Zhiyuan asked me to tell you that he congratulates you on your new start."

Sophie looked up and smiled: "Boring!"

Yue Ning asked slyly, "Sister, do you have a partner?"

"Object?" Sophie asked.

"It's my boyfriend!" Yue Ning's eyes sparkled with gossip.

Sophie supported her chin with her hands crossed, smiling: "I'm considering it."