Back home, Fang Qiao soaked the mackerel in water to thaw, planning to add braised mackerel to her dinner menu that evening.

The weather outside was cold, and Fang Hai must have delivered the mackerel not long after he received it, so the inside of the mackerel was still hard and needed to be soaked for a while to fully thaw.

Fang Qiao took this opportunity to put the steamed pork with rice flour, braised pork with preserved mustard greens, and glutinous rice with eight treasures into the steamer.

Celery leaves only need to be steamed for eight minutes to cook. If you steam them for too long, they will become sticky and won't taste good. You can steam them separately later.

Stir-fry the remaining celery stalks and dried tofu together. The celery and dried tofu are delicious and won't go to waste.

In the evening, Gao Ping and Wang Yun came over together, bringing a bag of rice and a bucket of oil.

Fang Qiao came out of the kitchen and couldn't help but laugh when she saw them: "You've come all this way, why are you bringing rice and oil? What's going on here?"

Wang Yun, with her protruding belly, smiled and said, "With rice and oil, you'll have no worries about food and clothing. Moving to a new house is a good omen."

"Okay, okay, then I'll accept it."

Wang Yun and Gao Ping were living well and their family didn't lack these things, so Fang Qiao didn't stand on ceremony with them.

Then, several of Cheng Baidong's assistants arrived, some bringing apples, some peanuts, and some soda; none of them came empty-handed.

Sweetie and Chen Yan had already become friends. Before dinner, Chen Yan's parents, Chen Jingrui and Jiang Ling, came over with a bag, which looked like it contained alcohol.

Jiang Ling smiled and said, "Sorry, I just finished tidying up the house, so I'm late."

Fang Qiao replied, "It's not late, it's just in time. The food is ready, please take a seat."

Everyone was seated, and Fang Qiao and Xiao Jing began serving the dishes.

The meal was very plentiful, with four meat dishes: steamed pork with rice flour, braised pork with preserved mustard greens, braised mackerel in soy sauce, and crispy fried fish; two vegetable dishes: stir-fried celery with dried tofu and steamed vegetables with scrambled eggs; and a dish of sour soup meatballs.

Six dishes and a soup—that's considered a feast these days.

Fang Qiao then placed the peanuts and soda that Cheng Baidong's assistants had brought on the table, and arranged the cut fruit into a fruit platter, instantly filling the table to the brim.

A banquet naturally needs wine. Just as Cheng Bodong was about to take out some baijiu, Chen Jingrui took out a bottle of Moutai from the bag he had brought and handed it to him, saying, "Minister Cheng, let's drink this today."

“Moutai, huh? That’s not easy to buy.” Cheng Baidong raised an eyebrow slightly.

Chen Jingrui smiled but remained silent.

“Then I’ll drink yours today.” Cheng Bodong took the Moutai from his hand and joked with a smile, “Moutai is a famous liquor all over the country. Compared to your Moutai, my Red Star is really not presentable.”

"When visiting for the first time, you have to bring out all the best things you have hidden away."

Jiang Ling smiled and continued, "Besides, Hongxing is quite good; it's very famous in Beijing."

Once the conversation started, everyone gradually got to know each other, introduced themselves, and became familiar with one another.

Cheng Baidong opened the bottle and poured a glass for each of them.

Besides Wang Yun being pregnant and unable to drink, Fang Qiao and Xiao Jing also had half a glass of wine poured in front of them.

After all, it's a famous liquor, Moutai. Even those who don't drink alcohol would like to try it.

After pouring the drinks, everyone ate some food first to fill their stomachs, because drinking on an empty stomach can easily upset the stomach and make it easier to get drunk.

"Come on, everyone, pick up your chopsticks and taste what I made today."

Fang Qiao urged everyone to eat, and once everyone had picked up their chopsticks, she smiled and asked, "How is it? The taste is pretty good, isn't it?"

Sweetie, Chen Yan, and the other children eagerly gave a thumbs up: "Delicious!"

"As good as ever!" Wang Yun also gave Fang Qiao a thumbs up, praising her: "Your skills are as good as ever."

Jiang Ling also gave her face and said, "It's delicious. This braised pork with preserved mustard greens is fatty but not greasy, and it tastes even better than what I had at the Corner Tower Restaurant during the Chinese New Year."

The Corner Tower Hotel is located on the corner tower of the Forbidden City. It is the best state-run hotel in Beijing, and its chefs are top-notch, second only to those who cook for state banquets.

Jiang Ling's praise of Fang Qiao shows how much respect she has for her.

For a chef, nothing is more delightful than hearing praise from diners.

Fang Qiao knew that Jiang Ling's words were mostly just polite talk, but she was still very happy. She smiled and said repeatedly, "Sister Ling, if you like it, eat more."

Jiang Ling asked, "Xiao Qiao, you have this skill, did you learn it specifically?"

Fang Qiao nodded: "I studied it for a few years when I was a child."

"A child prodigy's skills!" Jiang Ling exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Fang Qiao waved her hand modestly and said, "That's not quite right."

Wang Yun said with a smile, "The Qiao family had a lineage of imperial chefs."

"Wow! That's amazing!" Jiang Ling exclaimed in surprise. "Xiao Qiao, it's a real shame you're not a head chef at a state-run restaurant with such skills."

Fang Qiao felt completely comfortable after being praised by Jiang Ling, and a blush spread across her pretty face. It was hard to tell whether it was from being drunk or from being praised.

After several rounds of drinks and the food was almost gone, the men gathered together, chatting and boasting, mostly about national affairs.

Fang Qiao heard this and felt her already dizzy head spin even more.

She couldn't hold her liquor; after just one glass of Moutai, she felt dizzy and her limbs went weak.

When the party finally ended, she almost fell over just standing up, let alone cleaning up the leftovers.

Jiang Ling held her arm and said, "Oh, Xiao Qiao, don't bother tidying up, go inside and rest."

The world spun before Fang Qiao's eyes. She blinked blankly, not hearing a word Jiang Ling was saying.

Jiang Ling readily made the arrangements: "Xiao Yun, it's inconvenient for you to be pregnant, so come inside with Xiao Qiao. Xiao Jing and I will tidy up the things on the table."

Wang Yun helped Fang Qiao up, but drunk people don't walk in a straight line at all. Fang Qiao walked unsteadily, so much so that Wang Yun, who was supporting her, also swayed along with her.

Xiao Jing watched with trepidation, afraid that Fang Qiao would lead Wang Yun astray again. Wang Yun was pregnant and couldn't afford to fall.

She quickly stepped forward to help.

Just as she was about to support Fang Qiao's arm, Fang Qiao's slender waist was embraced by a pair of large hands first.

"I'll do it."

After saying that, Cheng Baidong bent down, supported Fang Qiao's legs, and picked her up horizontally.

Fang Qiao didn't know how she got upstairs in the end; when she came to her senses, it was already the next morning.

The curtains weren't fully drawn, and sunlight streamed through the gaps, shining on her face and stinging her eyes.

Fang Qiao turned over and felt that the touch on her body was not right. She then realized that she was not wearing any clothes.

Fang Qiao: "..."

No wonder my skin felt so slippery; I always felt like the blanket was going to fall off when I was sleeping.