Zhang Shouyi was in a very good mood, and the smile on his face didn't disappear until he got off the bus at his doorstep.
Zhang Hongmei is still unaware of her identity, but it's about to become worthless; the fall in value is too rapid.
An hour later, Gu Chuanming was waiting for them. Seeing Zhang Shouyi's smiling face, he knew that the matter had been settled.
Sitting next to Gu Chuanming, Zhang Hongmei said leisurely, "Grandpa, my value has plummeted. As the bride's parent, you no longer have a chance to be assertive."
Gu Chuanming slapped his thigh and realized that this was indeed the case; he had no experience in marrying off his daughter and had miscalculated this time.
"Zhang Shouyi, let me tell you, I regret it now," Gu Chuanming shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Hehe, Grandpa, you have no chance to regret it. Don't worry, I will treat Zhang Hongmei better than myself for the rest of my life."
Gu Chuanming knew it was too late for anything he said now.
"Hmph! You got off easy. I'm so regretful now. My Hongmei has been wronged."
Zhang Shouyi smiled to himself, knowing he had gotten a great deal. If Zhang Hongmei had a female elder, he wouldn't have been able to win her over so easily.
"Alright, let's talk about that when we get back. Come on, the three of us will go see Zhou Shixiong."
"Grandpa, can I go too?"
"Of course you have to go. He claims to be your great-uncle, and you're married now, how can you not tell him?"
"Alright, let's hurry up and go, we still need to come back for dinner."
Wang Xinyi snapped out of her daze after hearing the news of their marriage. When she heard Zhang Hongmei say that it was time to eat, she said, "Hongmei, I made some ox-tongue pastries. I'll bring you a few. I don't know when I'll be back."
"Alright, I'm actually starting to feel like eating. Bring some more so the three of us can have some."
"Hehe, no need to rush, let's eat first and then go."
Upon hearing Zhang Shouyi's words, Wang Xinyi immediately went to the kitchen to fetch the ox-tongue pastries. Aunt Li followed her, and the two of them brought not only the ox-tongue pastries but also a large pot of honey water.
Zhang Hongmei was having a good time, so she ate one piece and then stopped, instead happily drinking her honey water.
By the time the three arrived at Zhou Shixiong's official residence, it was almost ten o'clock.
Zhang Hongmei knew she should appear shy and embarrassed; neither expression was difficult for her. She simply lowered her head and smiled with pursed lips at the right moment.
But when Zhang Hongmei saw Zhou Shixiong, she was shocked. How could he have become so thin? Zhang Shouyi squeezed Zhang Hongmei's hand. He had no choice but to proceed.
"Why have you become so thin? Did the cook not cook to your liking? What would you like to eat? I'll make it. I may not be good at other things, but I can make home-style dishes." Zhang Hongmei bent down beside Zhou Shixiong and asked with concern.
"Hehe, you haven't come to see me for months, you deserve a beating. And speaking of which, I'm really craving some noodle soup, do you know how to make it?"
"Hehe, this time, the only problem is that the skills might not be very good."
"It's nothing, I just want to eat something home-cooked."
"Alright, I'll make a fool of myself then, but you have to eat it no matter how good or bad it is."
"Hehe, okay, I'll have a bowl."
"Okay, Grandpa, Brother Zhang, do you want some?"
Gu Chuanming sat to the side, his eyes crinkling with a smile. "Eat, I don't like it too thin."
“I’ll eat it, any kind is fine.”
"Okay, I'll go make it right away. Is one egg enough for each person?"
All three nodded, and Zhang Hongmei then followed Zhou Shixiong's secretary downstairs.
As soon as Zhang Hongmei left, the atmosphere in the room immediately became a bit tense.
"Zhang Shouyi, should I congratulate you on your marriage?" Zhou Shixiong had become so thin that there was hardly any flesh on his face, so his expressionless face looked a little eerie.
"Hehe, thank you so much. I came here today to share the good news with you. Although this girl is still too young, we are husband and wife after all. How could I not come and receive your blessings on such a joyous occasion?"
"Yes, we just got our marriage certificate, and I brought two younger relatives over. How about that? Isn't my old friend being a good friend?"
"Hehe, you two are really great."
"Hehe, of course," Gu Chuanming replied with a forced smile.
Zhou Jianwei came downstairs, greeted the two men with a smile, and considerately sat down next to Zhou Shixiong.
"Boss, congratulations! I didn't expect you to act so quickly!"
"Hehe, is it fast? Actually, it's not fast. We were betrothed since we were little, and this girl is going abroad. I need to hurry up and make it official, otherwise she won't come back, and I won't have a wife."
"Haha, is the leader really that insecure?"
"Hehe, that's right. I'd better hurry, or someone else will snatch it away!"
"Haha, the boss is really humorous."
When Zhang Hongmei and her companion entered, everyone in the kitchen stopped what they were doing and looked at them.
"The Chairman wants to have a noodle soup for lunch today. Please have this person make it. You can wait for further notice." Everyone remained silent on one side, but no one went out.
Zhang Hongmei, however, in the kitchen managed to keep Zhou Shixiong's secretary there.
"Secretary Lin, you should stay. After all, this is cooking for the big boss. You can keep an eye on things and tell me if anything goes wrong. We can't afford any mistakes."
"Hehe, no problem, just do it with peace of mind. I'll be watching from the side and I'll let you know if there's anything I shouldn't do."
I looked at the food in the kitchen and chose a tomato, a cucumber, some cilantro, some scallions, and six eggs.
I used three eggs to make the dough. Because I was short on time, I didn't wait for the dough to rise, so I had to knead it for a longer time than usual. I covered the dough bowl onto the board.
Wash the tomatoes and cucumbers thoroughly. Peel the tomatoes, as peeled tomatoes are easier for the two elderly people to digest. Chop them into small cubes, julienne the cucumbers, mince the cilantro and scallions, and set them aside.
I chose a small pot and washed it again. The stove had a fire ready, so I put the pot on, added peanut oil, and then added diced tomatoes, stirring constantly until it became a tomato sauce. Then I added water, cracked in three eggs, and waited for the water to boil.
The dough made with eggs was very elastic, making it particularly difficult to roll out. After rolling it into a large sheet, I used a knife to cut it into wide strips, waiting for the soup to boil. I picked up each strip one by one, stretched them into thin sheets, and set them aside. Because Gu Chuanming wanted them thicker, three of the strips were noticeably thicker than the others.
The soup boiled, and the poached eggs floated to the surface. Only then did I put the stretched slices into the pot. After it boiled twice, I added the shredded cucumber, took the pot off the heat, added chopped green onions and cilantro, and drizzled a few drops of sesame oil.
The aroma immediately filled the air, and Secretary Lin thought to herself, "This young lady's cooking is quite delicious."
Zhang Hongmei found three large bowls and deliberately put the thicker one into one bowl.
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