Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Taking Measurements, Quarreling Sweethearts

The banter between the two actually helped ease Zhong Zijun’s nerves—she even felt like laughing.

She sat down on a small stool.

“Old Master Ji, I’ve heard so much about you. How’s your health these days?”

Old Master Ji sat down as well, smiling cheerfully. “Thanks to your daughter, ever since I recovered from my illness, I’ve been getting stronger and stronger. Living another twenty years won’t be a problem!”

As he spoke, he playfully knocked on the muscles of his arm to show off his strength, making Zhong Zijun laugh.

“That’s wonderful to hear.”

While they were chatting, Ji Linhai came in carrying a bowl of brown sugar water.

He scratched his head a little embarrassedly and said, “It’s usually just the two of us rough men at home, so we don’t have any proper cups. You’ll have to make do with this bowl—I washed it several times.”

Zhong Zijun, of course, had no objections.

“Thank you.”

The bowl, which fit perfectly in Ji Linhai’s hands, looked huge in hers—bigger than her face, even.

It was quite a funny sight.

Ji Linhai seemed to notice too, and said awkwardly, “This is the smallest bowl we have.”

Zhong Zijun quickly took a sip from the bowl.

“It’s great, thank you for the trouble.”

After a few sips, it was finally time to get down to business.

Thanks to the sincerity of the Ji father and son, Zhong Zijun felt much calmer.

“I’m sorry to bother you this time—I mainly wanted to thank you for all your help. I don’t have much to my name, so there’s not much I can do to repay you.

Winter is coming soon, and I noticed your cotton-padded jackets don’t seem very warm. How about I make you both new ones?”

She said “not very warm” to save Ji Linhai’s face. He was always running around in the woods, and his clothes were full of holes from branches. Combined with his rugged hairstyle and scruffy beard, he looked just like a vagrant.

Ji Linhai never cared much about appearances—partly because he couldn’t sew, and partly because he preferred looking shabby to keep a low profile and avoid attention.

Now that Zhong Zijun brought it up, he felt a little embarrassed, realizing how sloppy he must look.

“That would be great! I’ve been worrying about this myself. Neither of us is any good at these delicate tasks.

I’ll buy the fabric and cotton. If you could help us each make a jacket, that would be wonderful. Does that work for you?” Ji Linhai didn’t even dare raise his voice, afraid he’d scare Zhong Zijun.

How could a grown man be so careful, as if even speaking a little louder would frighten a young girl? Ji Linhai could only try his best to keep his voice down, worried he’d startle this little white rabbit.

Zhong Zijun waved her hand. “No, no, I can’t let you pay for it. I already have everything prepared at home, so don’t worry about it.

I came over today just to take your measurements, so I can make sure the jackets fit.”

Seeing how insistent she was, Ji Linhai didn’t argue further. He just thought to himself that he’d send her more game later—he couldn’t let her suffer a loss.

Old Master Ji watched his son suddenly become all soft and careful, speaking in a low voice and tiptoeing around, and a lightbulb went off in his head.

Could it be that this kid has taken a liking to the girl’s mother?

To be honest, Zhong Zijun looked very young, with a baby face. After some time of good nutrition and drinking spring water every day, her previously tanned skin had recovered. With a bit of dressing up, she looked no different from a young lady.

No wonder the local rascals had their eyes on her.

If these two could end up together, he’d die happy, whether people called him old-fashioned or stubborn. He just couldn’t bear to see his son grow old alone, with no one to keep him company in his later years.

He’d lived his whole life like that—putting on a brave face for others, but only he knew how hard it was.

Zhong Zijun and Ji Linhai had no idea what was going on in the old man’s mind.

Zhong Zijun took out the measuring tape she’d brought and seriously started taking their measurements, starting with the old man.

Old Master Ji cooperated fully, letting her measure him without any fuss.

But when it came to Ji Linhai, things got awkward. He was tall and broad, and Zhong Zijun practically had to lean on him to take his measurements—it was incredibly embarrassing.

Ji Linhai seemed to notice, but with a mischievous streak, he didn’t stop her, finding her flustered look quite amusing.

Zhong Zijun could only hurry and finish as quickly as possible.

By the end, her forehead was covered in sweat and her face was flushed. Thankfully, the oil lamp wasn’t very bright, so it wasn’t too obvious.

Old Master Ji didn’t help—he just sat nearby cracking pine nuts and enjoying the show.

Ha! His pig finally knows how to root for cabbage.

He’d thought Ji Linhai would never find a woman, but now it seemed even an iron tree could bloom. Good, very good!

He knew a bit about Zhong Zijun’s situation too—her man had betrayed them, which was why she’d been sent down here. She must have cut ties with that man by now. If she and his son could end up together, it would be perfect—neither would look down on the other.

Of course, all this was just his wishful thinking. Clearly, Zhong Zijun and Ji Linhai weren’t at that stage yet.

Once Zhong Zijun finished taking their measurements, she quickly said her goodbyes. She didn’t know what was wrong with her today, but if she stayed any longer, she felt like she might explode.

Ji Linhai, of course, wouldn’t let her go home alone. He insisted on walking her back to Duanjiatun, only leaving after seeing her safely inside.

—

When Gu Qinghuan got home with a roast duck in hand, the house was empty.

Xu Huaian had left a note saying he’d taken the two kids out to the temple fair and would be back for dinner.

They’d been here for days without going out, cooped up inside all the time. The kids were at an age where they needed to move around—it must have been hard for them.

There were still two hours until dinner, so Gu Qinghuan started preparing.

She was determined to pull out all the stops today and make a feast to reward everyone.

The three fridges in the villa were already more than half empty. Gu Qinghuan planned to use up the frozen food quickly and buy fresh supplies—after all, eating too much frozen food isn’t good.

There was still a box of frozen shrimp—she’d just steam those and serve them with dipping sauce.

A three-yellow chicken—quite a big one. She’d use half for hand-shredded spicy chicken, and the other half for diced chicken with double peppers.

Some beef tripe and duck gizzards? She could make a simple version of “Mao Xue Wang” (spicy hotpot).

There was also a big black fish. She hadn’t had Sichuan boiled fish in ages—time to make that too.

She’d stir-fry some greens and make a seaweed and egg drop soup to round out the meal.

Today was basically a showcase of hearty, spicy dishes—just thinking about it made her mouth water.

Hand-shredded chicken was the simplest to make and tasted even better cold, so she started with that.

She put half the three-yellow chicken into boiling water with scallions, ginger, and cooking wine, simmered it for fifteen or twenty minutes until chopsticks could pierce through, then took it out.

She cooled it in cold boiled water to improve the texture, drained it, and shredded it into strips.

Then came the soul of the dish—the sauce.

Chili flakes, minced garlic, white sesame seeds, and chopped scallions, all doused in hot oil, then mixed with soy sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, and sugar. That was basically it.

She could also add lemon and cilantro for a more unique flavor.

This sauce was no joke—it could make even shoe soles taste good.

She poured it over the shredded chicken, and the mouthwatering hand-shredded spicy chicken was done.

The diced chicken with double peppers was a quick dish—she’d prep the ingredients now and stir-fry it when everyone got back.

The key was to marinate the chicken first, then fry it until crispy outside and tender inside—delicious and satisfying.

With the other dishes prepped, she started on the Sichuan boiled fish. Black fish had few bones, so she sliced the fillets and marinated them with white pepper, salt, cooking wine, and starch.

This would be cooked last—just a quick blanch to keep the fish tender and fresh.

She heated oil in a wok, added scallions, ginger, garlic, dried chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns, then stir-fried doubanjiang (bean paste) and hotpot base over low heat until fragrant, then added water to bring it to a boil.

She added seasonings—salt, chicken essence, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar.

First, she cooked the fish bones, bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, and tofu skin, then scooped them into a serving bowl as the base.

Finally, she added the fish fillets, separated them in the broth, cooked for a minute, then poured everything into the bowl, along with the remaining broth.

For the finishing touch, she sprinkled on scallions, minced garlic, dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and white sesame seeds, then poured hot oil over everything to release the aroma.

A bowl of fragrant, spicy, and beautiful Sichuan boiled fish was ready.

Gu Qinghuan set aside a bowl of less spicy fish fillets for Dabao and Beibei—the main dish was too spicy for them.

The “Mao Xue Wang” was made much the same way as the boiled fish, just with different ingredients for a different flavor.

She was just cooking the beef tripe when Gu Lanting came home.

“Jie, I’m back!”

Another girl’s voice followed: “Sister, I’m here too!”

Judging by the voice, it was Ming Ruxue. This girl was quite outgoing—after just one visit, she was already calling her “sister.”

It made sense, though. She’d lived abroad for years, so she was more open and direct.

Gu Qinghuan felt a bit sorry for her—her parents were always busy, whether in China or abroad.

Even if it was for the country, she’d still been neglected. Luckily, she understood her parents’ choices and was proud of them.

The next second, Ming Ruxue darted into the kitchen, carrying a nice slab of pork belly—it was pretty funny.

A fairy-like girl holding a big piece of pork belly—it just looked out of place.

“Sis, I’m here to mooch a meal again! How’s my pork belly? Pretty good, right?

Wow! It smells amazing—what’s the occasion? So much good food! I’m so lucky!” She chattered like a machine gun, barely stopping for breath.

Gu Qinghuan smiled and took the pork belly, setting it on the counter, then fed her a piece of boiled fish with chopsticks.

“Wow! So spicy!” Ming Ruxue yelped, but her eyes lit up the next second.

“It’s so good! Sis, from now on you’re my real sister. What would I do without you?” She took the chopsticks and grabbed another piece, muttering to herself.

Gu Qinghuan just let her be—she was still a kid, after all.

Gu Lanting came in after washing her hands. Seeing Ming Ruxue’s greedy look, she couldn’t help but smile slightly, though her words were sharp.

“Ming Ruxue, you keep coming over to mooch food. You’re going to eat us out of house and home.”

Ming Ruxue, cheeks stuffed, protested as she ate, “Xiao Tingzi, shut up! Sis hasn’t said anything—who are you to talk?

Besides, I brought this big piece of pork belly—doesn’t that shut you up?”

“Just eat your meat! I hope you get so fat no one will want you,” Gu Lanting retorted, face full of mock disgust, but her hands unconsciously pushed the hand-shredded chicken closer to Ming Ruxue.

Ming Ruxue stuffed a mouthful of chicken in and rolled her eyes. “I’m going to be a scientist, fighting for the great rejuvenation of our country. If I can’t get married, so be it—I don’t want to get married anyway!”

That’s the power of education—this girl had grown up with her parents’ positive influence and had a patriotic heart.

Gu Lanting’s expression softened. “Well, great scientist, eat more, okay?”

Ming Ruxue stopped after a few bites.

“Why aren’t you eating? Go ahead, it’s fine. Lanting’s just teasing you,” Gu Qinghuan said with a smile.

“Sis, I’m saving room for later. It’s more fun to eat together! If there’s anything I can help with, just tell me.” Ming Ruxue, used to living alone, was a very considerate child.

She could be playful at times, but she knew her boundaries.

“Hmph, as if your stomach’s a bottomless pit and you need to save room.”

“Gu Lanting, are you looking for a fight?” Ming Ruxue karate-chopped her on the shoulder.

Watching these two bicker, Gu Qinghuan couldn’t help but laugh. Maybe all kids were like this—the more they liked someone, the more they wanted to tease and argue with them.

She saw through it but didn’t say anything. Who could say what the future would hold?"

"Chapter 116: So Poor That All I Have Left Is Money