At the Yu family's residence.
On the dining table, various colorful vegetables, along with savory meat dishes emitting spicy aromas, were a feast for the eyes.
Elder Mr. Shen picked up his chopsticks and gestured to Li Zhengguo and Tian Jing, "Little Li, Little Tian, these dishes were clearly brought by you. Please try the nanny's cooking and tell me how it is?"
He led the way by taking a dish first, prompting Li Zhengguo and Tian Jing to pick up their chopsticks.
Shen Jianrong also chimed in, "I'm not accustomed to serving dishes to others, as I worry about picking something guests might not like. Please don't be shy."
"Don't worry," Tian Jing said as she reached for a dish in front of her, "I'm the type who is least polite."
"Being polite would starve my stomach."
"That's right, that's right," Shen Jianrong chuckled, "When I visit anyone's home, I never wait for the host to invite me; I just eat my fill first."
"We were all hungry in our youth. Once we're full, no matter how big the matter, as long as my stomach isn't rumbling, I'm fine."
Tian Jing nodded with a smile, "Yes, that's exactly it."
After a brief exchange, they noticed Elder Mr. Shen had already scooped the remaining half of the scrambled eggs with tomatoes in front of him into his own bowl. "Since you're all not being polite, I won't be either. I'll finish this dish first."
Shen Jianrong quickly reached for another plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. As soon as it touched her tongue, "Wow!" The intense flavor of tomatoes combined with the rich aroma of eggs was soul-stirring.
Without bothering to entertain her guests further, she hurried to try other dishes. *I mustn't let Dad get ahead of me. Yes, the stewed pork and clay pot pork are what I should try first.* But she still couldn't match her father's speed. If not for Xiao Tian, the first guest at the table, Elder Mr. Shen would have finished both those dishes as well.
Li Zhengguo busily served his wife. Yu Jinghai also helped himself. Yu Ziyu passed the plate to her boyfriend, "Do you know why my appetite is so big now?" "With a grandpa and mom like this, plus a dad who only cares about himself, if I don't eat quickly and grab more, I'll starve."
"You little rascal," Elder Mr. Shen said a few words while stealing a moment from eating, then went back to his meal.
"You girl, you sell out your parents without any guilt," Shen Jianrong also said, stealing a moment.
Yu Jinghai waved at Li Zhengguo, "You need to speed up."
Li Zhengguo looked at the nanny and Xiao Wang, who were not participating in the food grabbing, "You two? Are there more dishes in the kitchen?"
Xiao Wang nodded, "This is a rule set by the old leader. He told us to leave food in the kitchen. If we can grab it at the table, we eat it there. If not, we eat in the kitchen."
Li Zhengguo asked curiously, "Have you ever managed to grab any?"
Xiao Wang shook his head, "Nanny Jie's cooking is excellent. Madam hired her at a high salary, and the leader often comes."
Nanny Jie nodded modestly to Li Zhengguo and Tian Jing, "Xiao Wang's words are a bit exaggerated. It's the ingredients you brought that are so good. It's my first time using such fine ingredients."
Tian Jing tasted the dish, "Xiao Wang isn't exaggerating. Big Sister's skill is good, bringing out the full flavor of the ingredients. Besides salt, there are no other seasonings in this dish. Excellent."
Nanny Jie was surprised, "You understand our traditional cooking?"
Tian Jing nodded, "What is Big Sister's surname?"
Nanny Jie hesitated, looking at Shen Jianrong, and said word by word, "My surname is Yuan."
Tian Jing sighed. Was she destined to have ties with people surnamed Yuan?
Shen Jianrong put down her chopsticks in surprise, "Big Sister, why did you conceal it? I saw your sincerity and honest face, so I believed you and didn't investigate your background. You..."
"I investigated," Elder Mr. Shen waved his hand, "After tasting her cooking for the first time, I investigated. She is a descendant of the Yuan family."
"Eat, eat. We'll talk about this after the meal."
Shen Jianrong looked at her husband, "You knew too?"
Yu Jinghai nodded, "You don't like trouble, and Big Sister is very well-behaved."
Nanny Jie stood up and bowed to Shen Jianrong, "I'm sorry. If you don't like it, you can dismiss me."
Shen Jianrong waved her hand, "It's fine. It's just a moment of unpleasantness, being kept in the dark. It will pass."
Tian Jing smiled, "Sister Shen, this attitude of yours is excellent. No wonder Ziyu is taught so well. I like her very much."
"This time, we are here to discuss the marriage of her and Xiao Bo."
"Everything else is a minor matter, just put it aside. Brother Yu is protecting you."
A smile returned to Shen Jianrong's face. She picked up her teacup, "Tian Jing, your temperament suits me perfectly. Come, let me toast you with tea instead of wine."
Tian Jing also raised her teacup, "Cheers!"
They both finished the tea in their small porcelain cups and smiled at each other. Shen Jianrong picked up her cutlery, walked over to Li Zhengguo, "You go talk to your old comrade. Tian Jing and I will chat."
Li Zhengguo could only step aside. Shen Jianrong sat next to Tian Jing and served her food with serving chopsticks, "Come, I'm not afraid to serve you food anymore. If I happen to pick something you don't eat, you'll just say it directly."
Tian Jing accepted the bowl, "Sister Shen, I'm not picky. I eat sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty."
"Unless the cook's food is truly unpalatable, then I won't eat it."
Shen Jianrong agreed, "Yes, yes, I'm the same. As long as it's edible, I'll eat it to avoid wasting food. However, with the improvement in our material lives, the flavor of ingredients isn't as rich as before, and my appetite has decreased. Yu Jinghai asked me to hire a chef, but I searched for a long time without finding anyone I liked. So I asked Ziyu for help. Ziyu posted small advertisements in some alleys, and that's how we found Nanny Jie. As soon as I tasted Nanny Jie's cooking, I loved it. Just as you tasted, only salt, and the ingredients' flavors were fully evident. She said her surname was Long, her husband had passed away, and her in-laws wouldn't tolerate her, so I kept her. The next day, I called my father over to try it..."
Tian Jing glanced at the apologetic nanny, and comforted Shen Jianrong, "Are you feeling better now?"
Shen Jianrong nodded, "Just talking about it once makes it like smoke passing by."
"Some people have unavoidable difficulties," Tian Jing said, speaking for Nanny Jie, then picked up her chopsticks, "Come, let's continue eating. The food is indeed delicious."
"Eat, eat." Shen Jianrong picked up her chopsticks and started eating.
Except for Nanny Jie and Xiao Wang, everyone else ate until they were stuffed. Nanny Jie and Xiao Wang cleared the table, brewed some tea, and then went to the kitchen to eat.
Elder Mr. Shen sipped his tea, "Little Yuan's tea-making skills are also good."
Shen Jianrong glared at her father, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Elder Mr. Shen was unconcerned, "She only concealed her surname and background. I already investigated, so why tell you? If I told you and you sent her away, where would I get delicious food to eat?" He then looked at Tian Jing, "Do you know other members of the Yuan family?"
Tian Jing nodded, "I know them, but I don't want to meddle. I'm worried Sister Shen will lose her chef."
"You don't think so?" Elder Mr. Shen and Shen Jianrong both didn't believe it.
Tian Jing chuckled lightly, "My praise was only 'excellent'."
Elder Mr. Shen immediately looked at his granddaughter, "You, you've tasted more delicious cooking in the Kushan Mountains?"
Yu Ziyu was stunned. What she ate in the Kushan Mountains was all cooked by Grandma Li! Li Weibao answered for his girlfriend, "Ziyu didn't have the chance to taste it. The scenic area wasn't open yet."
Elder Mr. Shen clapped his hands, "I understand now."
Shen Jianrong asked her father what he understood. Elder Mr. Shen didn't answer. He asked Tian Jing if they could speak privately.
Tian Jing nodded.