Zhang Guoqing drove the car, keeping a close eye on the old lady. He saw her smile silently as she glanced at the bamboo baskets and bags in the back. Seeing this, his nose was sore.
Seeing the old lady's age, what was hidden in her smile, so sad? What else had happened in the Zhou family that made Mr. Zhou plot against his father-in-law? There was no such thing as a father and son in the world. Their relationship was so distant, worse than strangers. Even Zhao Chuangguang knew that Zhou Jiao would never return to the Zhou family. He really wanted to ask the old lady if his father-in-law was her father, but the words were on his lips and he couldn't say them.
He saw many things too clearly. Ever since his father-in-law returned, his only biological sister hadn't come back to see him. While his uncle, Zhou Xiaocun, was at the police station, the woman often traveled around the village, seeking connections. It was only because Zhou Jiao was Zhou Xiaozheng's daughter, and with the Lin family's support, that a woman wouldn't have the energy to find Zhang Zhifeng.
Zhang Guoqing sighed secretly and said, "Grandma, how are you feeling now? Let's go to the county hospital first, and then I'll take you to see my dad."
Old Mrs. Zhou waved her hand. "Don't bother, I'm fine. Xiaowu, I think you should know by now. Your grandfather asked me to pretend to be sick to force your father to come back. Sigh... never mind. Let your father do everything he can and then go back. You two should persuade him not to come back unless he's fine. Even on the day I die, don't come back. My heart is broken. He doesn't owe the Zhou family anything. The Zhou family is sorry for him and sorry for Jiaojiao."
Zhang Guoqing watched the old lady talking, and her mind wandered off. He didn't try to remind her, but drove slowly, not knowing where to go.
Zhao Dashan and his wife should be in his courtyard. He had no intention of disturbing their enjoyment with the old lady's gloomy face, nor did he plan to take her to see Jiaojiao. If she wanted to see Zhou Jiao, she would have gone to his house long ago. There would be no need to talk. He could only wait for the old lady to wake up and then go to see his father-in-law happily.
Zhang Guoqing slowly led the way towards the fat master.
The old lady, who came from a wealthy family, quickly regained control of her emotions. Seeing him driving east toward the county town, she curiously asked, "Why are you driving here? Which village is your father in? I don't know anyone here."
"Grandma, there's a royal chef's heir here, everyone calls him Fat Master. I'm going to ask him something. My dad drove out to another province early this morning, and when he came back he asked me to give you the food. He should be talking to his comrades at home right now, so we'll be back soon. I'll be out soon, and my mom is cooking at home, so I won't bring you here for dinner. I'll bring you and Jiaojiao next time. Jiaojiao hasn't been here yet."
"Okay, then be careful. Don't be in a hurry, talk to them slowly. I'll be waiting for you in the car."
The car pulled up to the gate of the Fat Chef's large courtyard. Zhang Guoqing asked Mrs. Zhou to wait for a moment and walked inside with the lunch box. There were not many customers during the day. Zhang Guoqing shouted and went straight to the kitchen. Just then, the Fat Chef heard the sound and came out to greet him.
"Master Fatty, I'll keep this lunch box. Are you free now?"
The fat master nodded and said with a smile: "What do you want to say? Tell me."
"I'd like to ask you, are there any taboos regarding seafood during confinement? We have large yellow croaker and prawns at home, but I'm not sure if my wife can eat them? I only know that crabs are cold and shouldn't be eaten."
The fat master pulled him to sit down, handed him a pen and paper, and said, "I happen to be free during the day, so please write it down. Your child is still being raised by your wife, right? Seafood doesn't have to be expensive to be nutritious. The best ones are sea cucumbers and fish maw. People who don't understand these things don't want to eat them. These two are the most affordable and good value. Yellow croaker is made into a soup with rice wine and thin noodles. This is what women in fishing villages eat during confinement. They call it yellow croaker noodles. Seafood is usually cold in nature, so it's better to avoid it if you can.
Avoid prawns yet. Children are more susceptible to eczema and seafood allergies. Shrimp and crab are irritants and can easily cause diarrhea in children, so wait until your child is no longer breastfeeding. Avoid crabs and shellfish in general. No one knows if your child might be allergic to seafood, especially if your child is very young.
We don't eat seafood often here, so if my stomach isn't used to it, I'll just eat less. This is also for the sake of the child. Besides fish maw and sea cucumber, once the child starts solid food, you can make some yellow croaker soup for him. It makes him smarter. We can eat more walnuts and red dates here. I'll tell you about the rest when I think of it, but I can't think of anything else right now."
Zhang Guoqing felt a chill run down his spine when he heard this and looked at him anxiously, "My wife just ate some crab roe. Is that okay? It wasn't much, just two crab shells. Will it affect my son?"
The fat master comforted him, "It's okay, it's not a big deal. If she really wants to eat, you can make some buns with crab paste for her, two or three at a time, and make some mutton soup to go with it. Mutton soup is warming and nourishing, and so is last night's pigeon soup. If you think pig's trotters and old hens are too greasy, don't you have a stove at home in the middle of winter? You can make bone soup. If there is insufficient qi and blood, and a weak constitution, add some astragalus, angelica, codonopsis, red dates, and wolfberries. If conditions permit, it would be better to add a few slices of ginseng to replenish qi. Remember to change them when stewing, astragalus today, codonopsis tomorrow, and ginseng the day after tomorrow. Don't be stupid and pour them all in. Finally, go ask an old Chinese doctor, they are more proficient in cooking than I am."
Zhang Guoqing laughed heartily and thanked him. "Don't worry, old man. I'm not stupid. I understand what you mean. My wife knows a little bit, but I don't dare to trust her. Thank you so much today. There are elders waiting in the car outside. I'll go back first and come back to trouble you in a few days."
"Go ahead. If you meet someone you don't know, come over to my place and chat with me. I'm free during the day. Don't come late at night unless you're here for dinner. I won't be free then."
"Okay, I'll go first. See you later, Fat Master." After saying that, Zhang Guoqing put the note in his pocket and said goodbye to him, refusing his farewell, and walked out quickly.
A little girl came over and asked the fat master curiously, "Master, this guy has only been here once, why do you tell him everything, and he didn't do anything?"
"Haha, it's rare that he is so loyal and cherishes his wife. Tell him what you know. Why do you need to hide it?" The fat master laughed secretly. The little girl said that the other party was fine. Most people can't compare to Zhang Guoqing.
He's a place where people come and go, from all walks of life. Lately, everyone at the dinner table has been gossiping about the young couple, Jinwawa and Zhou Guoqing. Everyone knows they're no ordinary couple. Last night, not to mention Zuo Lin and Zhao Dashan from the county, the few people who came in last night were extraordinary. They must have a very close relationship.
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