Chapter 71

The new day began with the sound of clanging and banging in the kitchen.

"Such a noise... Big Brother, what are you doing so early in the morning..." Guan Ying was hanging by the kitchen door frame, but she couldn't get her feet in. Two large bags of things she had brought back from the market were completely packed under the refrigerator, blocking the kitchen entrance. "Where did this come from?"

Zheng Juyong was wearing an apron and standing by the wok, stir-frying bitter melon with chili peppers. On the chopping board next to him was a steamed grouper and chopped green onions and garlic cloves.

"Why did you sleep in the living room last night? Don't you see what time it is now? Are you a pig?" While he was cooking, he put one hand on his waist, looking quite imposing, with his apron tied like a battle robe.

Guan Ying turned around and opened the living room curtains. The sunlight suddenly shone in, dazzling. It was already noon? He went out, but why was there no sound?

"When did you get up? Why didn't you wake me up?" Guan Ying put the things in the bag into the refrigerator one by one. "Why did you buy so much? Aren't you going to Daman Port? I can't stay here for a few days. After the matter between Nangang and Kassim is settled this afternoon, I should go back to Seattle for school..."

"Cough cough!" Zheng Juyong cleared his throat loudly because of the choking smell of the chili pepper.

"Oh, can you do it? You come and fix the refrigerator!" Guan Ying stopped what she was doing and walked over to the pot to change hands with him. "Your fragile bronchi can't stand this. Go away, go away. Why did you buy chili peppers? You're really a nobody. You can even buy bitter melon here! Did you put salt in it just now?"

Zheng Juyong moved to the doorway while coughing, buried his head in the refrigerator, took a deep breath, and replied to her suffocatingly: "Put it aside...it's still...to help you cool down!"

Guan Ying lifted the pot more skillfully than he did. Seeing him sticking his butt out in the refrigerator, he sneered, "Oh, thank you, brother, you're quite irritable!"

Zheng Juyong insisted on not leaving the kitchen: "I didn't expect it to be so spicy... ahem!"

Guan Ying said disdainfully, "Don't cough in the refrigerator, isn't that disgusting?"

Zheng Juyong pulled his head back out and gradually filled the refrigerator with fruits, vegetables, and drinks, slowly catching his breath. "If I hadn't come back in time, would you have been able to get away?"

Guan Ying didn't hear clearly: "Ah? What?"

He changed the question: "I'm asking you, how many days until school starts?"

While Guan Ying was stirring the soup to collect the juice, she casually replied, "There are still three or four days left. I mean, what are you saving these chopped green onions and garlic cloves for?"

Zheng Juyong closed the refrigerator door, walked over to her, sprinkled chopped green onions and garlic cloves on the fish's back, turned around and asked her, "Do you dare to add oil?"

Guan Ying: "That's not difficult, but when did your taste become so strong?" As she spoke, she had already poured the spicy bitter melon into the dish and turned to wash the pot in front of the sink.

Zheng Juyong approached from behind and said, "Let me do it."

The space between the sink and the countertop was narrow. In an instant, Guan Ying's mind flashed with the awkward intimacy she had experienced here before. She dug her toes into the ground, turned around quickly, took a big step back, and threw the pot into the sink with a "clang".

Zheng Juyong looked at her sideways, puzzled by her exaggerated reaction: "What's wrong? Did you burn your hand?"

"Hmm? Oh, hiss, it's so hot!" Her mouth and brain followed the action, but her hands were a little slow. By the time she suddenly curled up her fingers, she was already exposed.

He raised his eyebrows and stared at her for three full seconds before finally turning back to wash the pot. After these three silent seconds, the climax of the momentum once again shifted back to Zheng Juyong.

"Were you hiding from me last night?" He turned his back to her, quickly wiped the bottom of the pot dry, placed it back on the counter, and bent over to light the fire. Naturally, his neck flexed with firm muscles. He never worked out, so it was probably the thin muscles he'd gained from his time in Daman Port, and he'd just gotten a few shades darker in Yunnan. At first glance, he looked quite toned.

Guan Ying was in a daze, trying to avoid suspicion, yet unable to resist a few more glances. It was hard not to, after all, she had never smelled the scent of male hormones on him. She briefly wondered if it was because she had been staying indoors and eating only plain noodles for three days.

"Just don't tell me." He set the pot and slid past her to make room for her. "The pot is hot. Pour some oil on it. It's too strong. I can't handle it."

It really added fuel to the fire, he ordered her in a matter-of-fact tone.

Guan Ying picked up the wok, pointed it at the fish's back, and sizzled as hot oil poured in. A burst of fresh aroma rose, stirring her taste buds like fireworks. Oh, he couldn't stand it, and even did all this. Could it be that he was just trying to give her a treat? Humph, this time he had a conscience.

Zheng Juyong pushed aside the books and documents on the coffee table, made room for a seat, and quietly arranged the dishes.

It wasn't much, just a piece of oil-fried grouper and a plate of spicy stir-fried bitter melon, but it was enough to quietly pique Guan Ying's appetite. Guan Ying couldn't wait, and before her chopsticks were even in her mouth, she reached out and pinched a piece of bitter melon.

“Bang!”

Zheng Juyong tapped the back of her hand with chopsticks: "Have you washed your face and brushed your teeth?"

It was simply a bit of a reversal of fate! Before she even put a piece of bitter melon into her mouth, he mercilessly knocked it away. How could she bear it? "No, what! The dishes are already cooked, and you remember that I was disgusted by my dirty hands?"

Zheng Juyong took off his apron and sat across from her, looking like the troublesome Tang Monk. No, Tang Monk didn't have a beard, and wasn't as dark as he was now... He looked more like Sha Monk. Oh well, forget it. Sha Monk was miserable, and who knew what kind of disaster he had endured in Yunnan. Besides, he had gotten up early to go to the market to buy this meal. If he argued with him now, it would seem a bit like bullying.

For the first time ever, Guan Ying listened to him. Although she was still mumbling, she still went to the bathroom.

"I won't be back tonight."

"What did you say just now? I didn't hear it clearly." Guan Ying held a toothbrush in her mouth, opened the half-open bathroom door, and leaned in to ask him.

He sat upright on the sofa, not starting to eat, chopsticks in his hand, waiting for her: "After dinner, I'm going to drive away and go to Eric's law firm to meet up with Dong Zhiqiao and the others. Don't worry about Kassim's affairs. I may be busy until the evening, so I won't be back."

It's time for him to take over.

Guan Ying brushed her teeth and thought for a moment: "Are you going back to Daman Port with them tonight?"

"If the negotiations go smoothly, I need to maintain Kassim's relationship. He's not a bad person, he's just too good at business..." Zheng Juyong suddenly turned to look at her and changed the subject. "I heard from Manager Zhao that Uncle Guan bought a house in Seattle. Are you planning to immigrate?"

Guan Ying was stunned for a moment. She had never thought about this before, but after he asked her, she began to wonder if Old Guan really did plan to settle down long-term. Actually, her parents were already retired, and if they found Seattle convenient for them, then as their daughter, she had no reason to object.

"Immigration? Probably not. Old Guan will just get a visa at most, and we'll take turns living there... Hey, I haven't asked him about that. My mom's in charge of how the old man spends his money, so it's not my place to worry." Guan Ying replied, but she wasn't entirely sure. She retreated to the sink, staring at the mirror, and pondered, "My parents have taken a liking to Mike. Could it be they really want me to stay in the US long-term? But she's still a registered employee at West City Steel. Wasn't that why she chose to study law?... In this matter, her parents are more willing to sacrifice for her than she is. This makes her feel bad, and a sense of confusion and entanglement that she's never thought about in detail... Zheng Juyong thought of this first. Will he feel like he's betrayed Uncle and Aunt Zheng?"

"So what do you think personally?" Zheng Juyong asked her from outside the door. "Is Seattle good?"

Guan Ying washed hurriedly, sat back at the coffee table, picked up a piece of fish, hmm~ delicious!

"Why should I immigrate? It's very troublesome."

Zheng Juyong lowered his head and flicked at the fishbone, then tentatively said, "You have a student visa. If you plan ahead and find an overseas investment agency, it won't be a problem."

Guan Ying stabbed a piece of fish he had just cut with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth without hesitation. He took a sip of beer and said happily, "Ha! I can't give up Chinese food."

He didn't blame her for getting something for nothing, and continued to pick at the fish bones with his head down: "Aunt Guan will cook for you. There are Chinese restaurants over there, and you can also hire a nanny..."

Guan Ying slammed his chopsticks down. "Are you afraid that I'll go back to Xicheng Steel in a year and snatch your shares? Or are you blaming my dad? My dad cashed out a little, but that was earned through his lifelong wandering and hard work. Even if Uncle Zheng hadn't signed an agreement with the government, even if the steel mill went bankrupt and liquidated, he should have gotten his share. He didn't take a penny more! How many brothers have broken up, only to end up falling apart and ignoring each other. Uncle Zheng and my dad handled it well, which is rare. Why are you, a junior, being so jealous?"

He was now much more relaxed in dealing with her. He silently picked up a bunch of bitter melon segments and put them in her bowl: "I was asking you, and you brought Uncle Guan into this. Why are you blaming me? You're so angry..."

Guan Ying glared at him. "What do you mean? Uncle Zheng and I already agreed to go back in a year. What advice do you have, Mr. Zheng? Will my going back bother you? You keep asking me to immigrate. Are you trying to get me to leave?"

Zheng Juyong picked up a large piece of fish and ate it, shaking his head. "Oh... have you discussed it with my dad? Haha, I don't know. My dad and I are in a cold war. We haven't been in touch for... a year... Haha, that's okay..."

Guan Ying thought that he had just moved out Uncle Zheng, so he gave in and said angrily: “Okay, I’ll leave tomorrow!”

Zheng Juyong laughed cheekily again, "No! You should stay and meet Dong Zhiqiao and Cui Shanshan. You've helped them so much. How sad will everyone be if you leave without saying goodbye? Eat some bitter melon quickly to cool down, hehe."

Guan Ying was upset: "Who wants to eat bitter melon? You selfish bastard! Fish, you just took such a big piece, I saw it all!"

He pushed the fish plate towards her: "...I only ate a quarter...Here, the rest is all yours. It's just a fish, isn't it? You are the little bully of West City after all, how come you are so scared when you meet Daniel that you can't even eat? Without me, would you starve to death here..."

He brings up all the topics that are not related to the topic. He is really worthy of being called that.

This bitter melon is very bitter!