Chapter 212 Forgot to Add Salt
Every dish proclaims "health preservation," yet simultaneously bears the mark of "tastelessness."
Twenty dishes, all light and simple.
At a glance, there are almost no dishes with strong flavors.
Even braising has become "stewing," and deep-frying has completely disappeared.
There was only a small dish of soy sauce on the table, obviously to control the salt content.
This "scientific diet" approach gave her the immediate illusion that she had been thrown into a health club.
There wasn't a drop of oil, not even a hint of chili.
She stared wide-eyed, scanning the table again and again, trying to find even the slightest trace of spiciness.
As a result, even the ginger slices were cut extremely thin, clearly to remove the fishy smell rather than to enhance the flavor.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt completely deflated.
"Um... Lanlan, I'm really not hungry anymore..."
Her voice was weak, tinged with a hint of hesitation and retreat. As she spoke, she took a half-step back, her eyes darting around as if searching for an escape route.
She could already foresee how difficult this meal would be.
She turned to leave.
As soon as I lifted my foot, I prepared to quietly back away, thinking I would find an excuse to go upstairs to rest and wait until they finished eating.
She had even prepared her excuse: "I'm a little tired, I'm going to lie down for a while."
Cheng Lanlan grabbed her arm: "No! How much have you been eating lately? Pregnancy is tough, you need to eat more!"
Cheng Lanlan's tone suddenly became stern, and she tightened her grip, as if afraid that she would really run away.
She stared wide-eyed, her brows furrowed slightly, as if to say, "I have to eat this today."
"You're not alone now, there's a little baby living inside you! If you eat less, the baby will miss out on nutrition!"
For the first time, Sheng Tingzhou didn't refute, but nodded directly: "She's right."
He sat in the main seat, his suit jacket off and his tie loosened, but his expression remained calm.
He didn't look at Song Zhiwei, but instead looked down at the prenatal checkup report on his phone, his tone calm but unquestionable.
"Your current nutritional intake is clearly insufficient; you are deficient in iron, calcium, and folic acid."
He sat down in the chair, looking at her: "Yanyan, come and sit down."
Those eyes were deep and focused, as if they could see through all her attempts to escape.
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, like a doctor giving a prescription rather than urging someone to eat.
Just as Song Zhiwei was about to decline, he added, "I'm a doctor, listen to me."
She opened her mouth, but the reason she had prepared got stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say it anymore.
Of course she knew he was a doctor, and the most meticulous kind at that.
But every time he said "Listen to me," she always felt a sense of being controlled and oppressed, yet she couldn't refute him.
...
She chickened out.
She lowered her head silently, her lips slightly pursed, like a small animal that had been poked, feeling wronged and helpless.
Finally, she dragged her feet to the table, slowly sat down, and unconsciously twirled a corner of her napkin with her fingers.
Sit down obediently.
She sat up straight, her hands on her knees, like a student awaiting trial.
With my eyes lowered, I dared not look at the dishes that were "health hell," and silently prayed that the meal would end soon.
Just then, Lu Baize strolled out from the backyard, looking delighted: "Is dinner ready?"
He was wearing a dirty work vest with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his face covered in sawdust, and he was holding a half-empty bottle of iced cola.
His hair was soaked with sweat, strands of it sticking to his forehead, making him look both disheveled and dashing.
As soon as he entered the door, he smelled the aroma of food, and his eyes immediately lit up.
He had just been dragged by Cheng Lanlan to help Sheng Tingzhou build a children's playground.
For the entire afternoon, he was either carrying wooden planks or tightening screws, and he had to follow Sheng Tingzhou's instructions, such as "This plank needs to be two centimeters higher" and "The angle of this slide needs to be adjusted," making him look like a construction site supervisor.
But he couldn't refuse—Cheng Lanlan said, "If you don't help, I'll tell Miss Shen that you secretly bought her three cats."
He immediately raised his hands in surrender.
The child isn't his; he's so exhausted his back is about to break.
He walked towards the dining table while rubbing his lower back, muttering, "Next time you have a baby, I'll just give you a red envelope; I won't lift a finger."
Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Lanlan glared at him, and he immediately shut up.
Thinking of this, he glared fiercely at Sheng Tingzhou: "Once the amusement park is finished, you have to bring me a car."
His tone was fierce, but his eyes clearly held a hint of a joke.
He knew that Sheng Tingzhou was wealthy and powerful, so he said this partly to make amends and partly as a joke.
Sheng Tingzhou was peeling shrimp with his head down, not even lifting his eyelids: "When you have children, I'll help you too."
With practiced skill, he gently pinched the shrimp shell off, revealing the translucent shrimp meat.
He didn't even look up, his tone as calm as if he were talking about the weather.
Lu Baize imagined Sheng Tingzhou carrying cement and moving planks, and immediately laughed: "Okay, deal!"
He imagined Sheng Tingzhou wearing a suit and tie, looking at blueprints while directing the workers, looking like a domineering CEO who had traveled to the construction site.
The scene was so comical that he couldn't help but laugh out loud, even choking on his cola.
He sat down happily, picked up his chopsticks, and was about to eat some food.
As soon as his chopsticks touched the plate of steamed fish, his expression was still expectant, thinking that it was a main dish, so it should have some flavor, right?
Just picked it up—
I picked up a piece of fish with the tip of my chopsticks; it was white, tender, and had a wonderful aroma.
He eagerly put it in his mouth and chewed it with hope.
"This... is too bland, isn't it?"
His brows furrowed instantly, and his mouth opened slightly, as if he had been startled by the bland taste.
He looked up at Cheng Lanlan, his face full of disbelief: "Did you forget to add salt?"
Cheng Lanlan rolled her eyes at him, her eyes filled with disdain and impatience: "This food isn't for you, so don't interfere."
Turning her head, she immediately put on a gentle and considerate smile, her lips curving like a crescent moon, her voice so soft it seemed to drip with honey: "Yanyan, eat quickly, don't be shy, I can make whatever you want to eat."
"good."
Song Zhiwei nodded, a faint smile appearing on her face, her eyebrows curving, her expression gentle.
She picked up her chopsticks, gently took a bite of food, and put it into her mouth with delicate and elegant movements.
The room was bustling with activity, the warm yellow light reflecting on everyone's faces.
The two girls sat at the dining table, chatting about this and that without any restraint.
They talked about which celebrity recently announced their relationship, and who in the entertainment industry had broken up; they also talked about how their mothers found out they secretly hid candy under their beds when they were little, and how they exchanged homework with their deskmate for snacks when they were in elementary school, laughing so hard they were doubled over.
She usually has a small appetite and feels full after eating half a bowl of rice, but today, for some reason, she was infected by Cheng Lanlan's gentleness and atmosphere and unknowingly ate half a bowl of rice, which surprised even herself.
After finishing her meal, she gently put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth with a tissue, and said softly, "I'm full. Thank you for cooking, it was delicious."
Cheng Lanlan immediately turned to look at Lu Baize, who had been sitting to the side without touching his chopsticks, and her tone suddenly turned cold: "Alright, it's your turn, Lu Baize. Don't play dumb, it's your turn to eat now."
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