Grandma Zhang
"Mr. Cheng." A familiar voice called out from the door.
"Auntie Zhang, why did you come here alone?" Zheng Cheng looked towards the door in surprise.
Aunt Zhang came in carrying lots of bags and didn't go into the living room. She just stood at the door and laughed.
"Didn't you ask someone to deliver some dishes? Why did you come here by yourself?" Zheng Cheng quickly stood up and walked over.
"Mr. Lu has a social event tonight, and there's nothing else going on at the Zheng Mansion, so I thought I'd just come over and do it." Aunt Zhang looked at Zheng Cheng and laughed, "Mr. Cheng, a lot of people liked your swimming video, I'm so happy."
"Is Aunt Zhang's internet speed so fast?" Zheng Cheng also laughed and quickly called the two maids waiting nearby, "Don't just stand there, help Aunt Zhang get the things in. Where's Hanyu?"
Hanyu also came from the living room and stood behind him.
"Auntie Zhang, this is Hu Hanyu. I mentioned him last time. He went to Hainan with me." Zheng Cheng pulled him over and introduced him to Auntie Zhang. "He taught me how to fish, and he arranged our meals for the next two days."
"Oh, you are Mr. Hanyu." The little old lady stretched out her hand to Hanyu. "I heard Sisi say that too. I didn't expect such a capable man to be so young."
"Auntie Zhang, I've tried the sweet and sour small yellow croaker you made, and it tastes really good." Hanyu said with a smile, holding Auntie Zhang's hand.
"Oh! I was wondering what Mr. Cheng was going to make that day, especially so you could try it?" Aunt Zhang smiled. "If you like it, you can eat more tonight."
After chatting with the two for a while, Aunt Zhang went to the kitchen to busy herself. Zheng Cheng repeatedly reminded her to ask others to help her if she needed to do something and not to do it all by herself.
"After the accident, Aunt Zhang has been taking care of me." After she left, Zheng Cheng told Hanyu, "Sisi and I both have a good relationship with her."
"I can tell." Hanyu looked towards the kitchen. "She looks like your grandmother."
Yes, grandma, Zheng Cheng’s ancestors passed away early and they didn’t live in Shanghai, so he doesn’t have a deep impression of them.
On the other hand, Aunt Zhang has taken care of all the little things in the family, including their food, clothing, housing and daily life. Although she is the biggest manager in the family, she still cooks their meals herself.
Sisi really called Zhang Ma grandma. Zheng Cheng remembered that Zhang Ma was very happy, but she said that it was not appropriate to violate etiquette, so she didn't allow her to call her that later.
"Then in your heart she is your grandmother." Hanyu said, "There's no need to make such detailed distinctions."
Soon the table was filled with dishes: shredded pumpkin with scallion oil, duck tongue and edamame in fermented rice wine, freshly cooked sweet and sour spare ribs, and loofah and razor clam soup, all with homely local flavors.
"Mr. Cheng, please eat less today. I still have some hairy crab rice cakes and braised June yellow. Ask your friends to try them together later." Aunt Zhang walked away in a hurry, carrying her instructions.
"Add another set of bowls and chopsticks." Zheng Cheng said to the servant who was setting the table, "When Aunt Zhang is done, let her come and eat."
When Zheng Yuan and Chen Min were around, servants were not allowed to eat at the table. Zheng Cheng hated this rule and would ask Zhang Ma to come eat with him whenever the adults were away. If she didn't come, he would go on a hunger strike.
So Zhang Ma knew she couldn't persuade him, so she brought June Huang braised rice cakes, took off her apron, and sat down. She first put a piece of pork ribs on his plate, and then put one for Hanyu as well.
"Here, I won't take the extra, just this one." Aunt Zhang said with a smile, "These are all home-cooked dishes. I don't know your taste, so I made them according to Mr. Cheng's taste."
"I eat everything." Hanyu also laughed, "Did Zheng Cheng like sweet and sour food when he was a child?"
"Yes, I liked sweet food when I was a child, but now I like it a little sour." Aunt Zhang recalled.
"Okay, stop chatting. I'm starving, let's eat." Hearing them chatting, Zheng Cheng unconsciously felt shy and stuffed the pork chops into his mouth.
The three of them were chatting like grandparents and grandchildren, and Zheng Cheng did not forget to talk to Zhang Ma about the dishes cooked by Hanyu.
"Oh~ June yellow stewed eggs are delicious too." Aunt Zhang smiled and said, "Mr. Hanyu is a meticulous cook."
"It's not as good as Zhang Ma's sweet and sour pork ribs," Hanyu replied. "You can't get such a balanced sweet and sour taste anywhere else. Do you have to add vinegar before serving?"
"That's right, the vinegar should be added twice, otherwise it will taste bitter..."
Perhaps because she met someone who can cook, Aunt Zhang was particularly talkative today, discussing the essentials of sweet and sour spare ribs and other dishes with Hanyu.
"The master and his wife prefer a light diet, so I need to pair these rich, greasy local dishes with something lighter." Aunt Zhang looked at Zheng Cheng as they chatted. "When Mr. Cheng was a child, he liked to eat everything with rice. The master always said he was unkind."
Zheng Cheng remembered this incident. When Zheng Yuan came back and saw Zheng Cheng mixing rice with soup, he frowned and scolded Zhang Ma for not following the rules.
But he forgot that Zheng Cheng couldn't even feed himself before. The fact that he could eat well was because of Zhang Ma's hard work.
"He likes it now too." Hanyu's eyes were always on him.
"Okay, okay, you finally found someone who can deal with me, right? Hurry up and complain." Zheng Cheng picked at the rice with sweet and sour sauce with dissatisfaction.
"I didn't say you were being impolite." Hanyu pointed at the hairy crab rice cakes and said, "Try mixing this sauce with rice. It's sure to be delicious too."
"I want to try it, don't be impatient." Zheng Cheng puffed his lips and muttered, "Auntie Zhang, you don't know him, he used to ask me to judge the salt without any words when he was cooking..."
Hearing the two of them exposing each other's shortcomings, Zhang Ma laughed out loud and took the initiative to tell Zheng Cheng's interesting stories:
"He would have nightmares at night and wouldn't sleep the whole night. In the morning, I had to make breakfast for the master and mistress, so I had to take him to the kitchen. He would lie on the table while I cooked some rice porridge. When I turned around to look at him, he had fallen asleep."
Worried that lack of sleep would affect his development, Zhang's mother made breakfast as gently as possible so that he could get more sleep. Hanyu listened in silence, then quietly patted Zheng Cheng's leg under the table.
"It's not easy for you to grow up this big," he said.
"Well, Aunt Zhang had a very hard time back then. I had to torment her at night, and she had to serve those two during the day." Zheng Cheng cleared out all the rice in his bowl.
"It's all as it should be. The most important thing is that you grow up safely." Aunt Zhang took a few pieces of paper and handed them to them. "Now that I see Mr. Cheng getting better and better, I'm happy."
"He will be better in the future." Hanyu looked at Zheng Cheng and said, it sounded like an answer, but more like a promise.
"Okay, okay, eat your crab." Zheng Cheng picked up a hairy crab and threw it into his bowl.
"Yes, for sure." Aunt Zhang looked at Hanyu, then at Zheng Cheng, her eyes full of pity and understanding.
After the meal, the three of them were still reluctant to part after such a short reunion. Hanyu insisted on clearing the table so that Zheng Cheng and the old lady could chat for a while longer.
"Mr. Hanyu, you are quite special." Aunt Zhang sighed as she looked at Hu Hanyu's back with his hands full of plates.
"Yes, he loves to work, so let him do more," said Zheng Cheng.
"Not only is he different from Mr. Cheng's other friends, but Mr. Cheng treats him differently as well." Aunt Zhang smiled kindly.
What was this little old lady talking about, saying she had never been married in her life? Zheng Cheng was stunned.
"Don't be nervous, Mr. Cheng. This isn't a bad thing," Aunt Zhang said immediately when she saw his expression change. "I'm relieved to know that Mr. Cheng will have someone to take care of him in the future."
"He is not as good as Aunt Zhang. He always teases me." Zheng Cheng lowered his head shyly, feeling warm in his heart when he heard Aunt Zhang say that.
When others praised Hanyu, he didn't feel much, and even felt annoyed when his friends teased him. But when Zhang Ma said that, Zheng Cheng was very happy.
"Mr. Cheng..." Suddenly, after a moment of silence, Aunt Zhang held his hand and said, "I will retire starting next month."
Retirement? That word doesn't fit Zhang Ma at all.
"No wonder you talked so much today." Zheng Cheng murmured, "Last time you saw me and Sisi, you were in tears."
"Ah, it's a bit sudden... I wanted to spend more time with you, but my health is not good anymore." Aunt Zhang sighed.
This day will come sooner or later, although Zheng Cheng doesn't want it to be now.
But he didn't want to make Zhang Ma sad, so he quickly calmed down and took Zhang Ma's hand: "We all know your home address. Sisi and I will visit you often in the future."
"Okay, okay, I will still give Mr. Cheng a thumbs up on Station D." Mother Zhang had tears in her eyes, but she still smiled and didn't let the tears flow.
This made Zheng Cheng feel even more uncomfortable than her tears.
The servants in Zheng Mansion come and go, and no one ever cares. If they do a good job, they continue to do it, and if they do not, they are replaced. Zheng Cheng can't even remember the names of the few unfamiliar faces now.
But this is Aunt Zhang, the one who dedicated her whole life to the Zheng family.
"That's great. If you don't become Aunt Zhang, you will be my Grandma Zhang from now on." Zheng Cheng's eyes also became sore. "You don't have to call me Mr. Cheng anymore. You can call me Chengcheng."
Aunt Zhang covered her mouth, her tears drowning out her silent sobs.
The servants feared most that something went against the rules. If anyone in the Zheng Mansion became dependent on the Zheng family, he would disappear completely the next day after being discovered.
But hasn't Zhang Ma done enough to break the rules for Zheng Cheng? What's one more?
Zheng Cheng held the little old lady in his arms and patted her back, just like he did when he coaxed her to sleep as a child.
After seeing Zhang Ma off, Zheng Cheng didn't speak for a long time. He held the controller and played the same two-player game with Hanyu hesitantly.
"Auntie Zhang is really not going to do it next month?" Hu Hanyu saw him in a daze and pushed his little figure in the game forward.
"Yes, today may be the last meal we eat made by Aunt Zhang." The little man controlled by Zheng Cheng began to move forward, but stopped after a few steps.
"What a pity! I would like to learn more from her," said Hanyu.
"Aren't you cooking Japanese food? Why do you need to learn local dishes?" Zheng Cheng took a few steps forward and caught up with Hanyu's little man.
"I want to make it for you." Hanyu's little man pushed Zheng Cheng on his head. "You like it, and her cooking skills are really good. I always want to learn."
"Wow, what are you doing! Let me walk by myself." Zheng Cheng lost control and protested.
"Let me carry you for a while. There's nothing fun here." Hanyu kept jumping and the map flipped upwards quickly.
"You can't rely on me all the time. Who am I? Put me down!" Zheng Cheng hit him.
"Zheng Cheng," Hu Hanyu stopped and looked at him, "This is a two-player game."
"nonsense!"
"So when you can't bear it, don't force yourself. Just leave yourself to me for a while and let me help you," said Hanyu.
Was he talking about the game, or their relationship? Zheng Cheng put down the controller in confusion.
"Do you find me annoying?" he said. "I'm always like this. Sometimes I'm in high spirits and walk in front, but once I encounter something uninspiring, I need others to hold me back."
"No." Hanyu pushed him all the way and jumped. The two little men jumped to the top of the flag and slid down together, cheering for passing the level.
"This is just you now." Zheng Cheng continued, "In the future, you will also be short of energy, just like Aunt Zhang. One day..."
"Zheng Cheng, Aunt Zhang will be your Grandma Zhang from now on. She's not separated from you." Hu Hanyu grabbed his shoulders. "Even if I'm not your employee, I'll always be your boyfriend."
"Always...?" Zheng Cheng stared into Hanyu's eyes, savoring his sincerity. "So it's okay for me to rely on you more?"
"Of course." Hanyu smiled.
"Is it okay even if I get addicted?" Zheng Cheng said, "I'm very addicted, so I don't want to take medicine or drink alcohol. I can't quit coffee anymore..."
"Are you afraid of becoming addicted to me?" Hanyu asked.
"To you, to this." Zheng Cheng rubbed Hanyu's lip with his fingertips and whispered, "You'll get addicted."
Those gentle, drooping eyes were covered with mist, becoming steaming, sticky, and hot, slowly approaching.
"Then maybe you're not the only one who's addicted."
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