Shuishui called Mu Ziyu as soon as she left and asked if he was free for dinner at her place. She told him she was planning to go to the imported supermarket before she went home because she wanted to buy a few groceries.
She paid her fare, got out of the taxi, and strode into the department store.
Somewhere nearby, a black car stopped. The man inside watched as Qian Shuishui walked into the department store. "I haven't seen her for a long time," he said.
"Investigate about this woman. Tell me any information you get about her tomorrow," the man said to someone seated beside him. He had met Shuishui for a few times, but he been thinking about her. Although she was young, she behaved quite maturely. He had no idea why he didn't see her again, but he did get her name. It was Qian Shuishui. It was a very cute name.
Shuishui went straight to the imported goods section of the supermarket. She wanted to buy a specific sauce. She knew she had to change her cooking style a bit so Anzhi would stop complaining about it.
She tried to call Mu Ziyu, but her call couldn't get through. She sent him a text message. Just as she had chosen the sauce, Mu Ziyu called her. "Shuishui, I'm sorry. I was dealing with something just now."
"I wanted to know if you're free tonight," Shuishui said.
"Yes, baby, where do you want me to go?" Ziyu smiled lazily. It was Friday, so it was a pretty good day.
Shuishui felt butterflies in her stomach as he listened to his sexy voice. "My house," she said.
"En, where are you now?" Ziyu asked. He couldn't hear Shuishui clearly because her line was noisy. Ziyu wondered if she was outside.
"I'm at the imported good section of the supermarket now. I bought a few bottles of sauce. I'm actually preparing to go home." As soon as she stepped out of the department store, she suddenly remembered that there was a delicatessen there. She went back inside and made her way to the delicatessen.
"Then wait for me. I'll pick you up," Ziyu said. He got up and left his studio, ready to pick up Shuishui.
"Okay." Shuishui felt that Ziyu would arrive just in time.
Shuishui walked up to the deli. She immediately saw that they had barbecued pork. She told the shop assistant her order for takeout. "Barbecued pork for takeout, please. How much would that be?" Shuishui asked.
"For the large portion, 58 yuan, and for the small portion, 28 yuan," the shop assistant said as she took out a menu. "Our barbecued goose is also a favorite. Half of it costs 68 yuan, and one whole goose costs 130 yuan."
Shuishui thought for a moment and said, "I'll take a large portion of barbecued pork and half of the roast goose."
"All right. Please take a seat. It'll be ready in a few minutes." The shop assistant accepted Shuishui's payment and quickly prepared her order.
With her change and receipt, Shuishui sat for a while. In less than five minutes, her order was ready. Shuishui took the bag and made her way out. She waited outside for Mu Ziyu's call.
Mu Ziyu was about to leave when he was pestered by a woman. "Ziyu, come and have dinner with me tonight."
"Sorry. I have an appointment. Just make yourself at home," Mu Ziyu said. He rushed to fetch Shuishui. He was getting a little impatient, but this woman had been pestering him. They were at a family gathering, and his family's relatives had been trying to set them up.
He knew that the others wanted him to be with this woman, but he was not interested in her at all. His parents never imposed anything on him. They simply let him make his own decisions.
His parents actually liked Shuishui very much. Their only concern was that Shuishui was too young. They felt that Shuishui and Zilin were more suitable. Still, they never said anything about it. They trusted their sons to make their own decisions on such matters.
Mu Ziyu was very determined. He was not the type whose feelings for someone would easily change. He also made it clear to the woman that he already had a girlfriend. Still, she had been shamelessly pestering him about going out with her. She was from the Murong family. He initially thought she wasn't too bad, but he later realized how petty she was.
"Mu Ziyu! Are you trying to find an excuse to avoid me?" Murong Xi stared at Mu Ziyu. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that Mu Ziyu was lying to her about having a girlfriend. She had never seen him with anyone before. She felt that he was simply coming up with excuses. To persuade Mu Ziyu to go with her, she had already booked a reservation at a restaurant.
She stubbornly believed that if she would not give up, she would reap good rewards. Her parents liked Mu Ziyu very much, and so did she. She had admired Mu Ziyu from the moment she first saw him. She had been telling others that she was Mu Ziyu's girlfriend. Many of her friends, however, mocked her because they had never seen Mu Ziyu with her.
She reached out to hug Mu Ziyu's arm, but Mu Ziyu avoided her. There was a trace of impatience in his eyes. He walked towards the elevator and went in. He was in a good mood and was excited to see Shuishui, but Murong Xi's presence annoyed him. Murong Xi followed him into the elevator. "Ziyu, how about today? I've already booked a reservation for us," she said coyly.
Mu Ziyu remained quiet as the elevator descended. He then strode out, walked to the parking lot, and walked to his car. Murong Xi was still following him. She stubbornly wanted to sit in Mu Ziyu's car. However, Mu Ziyu only opened the driver's door. He then got in and quickly drove away, completely ignoring Murong Xi.
Murong Xi was dumbfounded. She couldn't believe he left just like that. She stomped her feet angrily. "Damn it! It's always like this. I don't believe it!" she shrieked.
She called her parents and asked them if they could visit Mu Ziyu's house that night. She had been to their house many times, but Mu Ziyu was rarely there. She rarely saw the other members of the Mu family. Mu Ziyu's parents had no impression of her yet. They had only heard about her from a few relatives.
Murong Xi thought that the Mu elders liked her. In truth, Mu Ziyu's parents had no idea who she really was. They had not paid attention to her since Mu Ziyu was not interested in her.
However, when Murong Xi and her parents visited the Mu family that night, they were treated quite warmly. The Mu family prepared food for their visit.
Mu Zilin knew that Mu Rongxi was that woman who had been pestering his brother. "Mom, Ziyu won't be having dinner her tonight. He's going to Shuishui's place," Zilin told his mother.
"Okay." Auntie Mu was already used to it. "Invite Shuishui here for dinner tomorrow. It's been a long time since I've seen her. She doesn't have classes on weekends anyway. We can go shopping together."
"Mom, why do you always ask Shuishui to go shopping with you? She doesn't really like to go shopping. Because you're an elder, she can't directly reject your invitations." Zilin felt that his mother was making things too difficult for Shuishui. He also thought of how his brother and Shuishui weren't able to spend much time together. His mother could be getting in the way.
Auntie Mu pinched Zilin. "How can that be? Shuishui is very sensible. Did Shuishui tell you that she doesn't like going shopping with me?"
"Uh, she didn't say that." Mu Zilin scratched his head.
"Then that's it. Why are you blindly making decisions for Shuishui? Call Shuishui later and tell her that I haven't seen her for a long time. Let her come to the house for lunch, and tell her to bring her brother along," Auntie Mu said as she walked to the kitchen to check on the food.
His mother was so persistent. Mu Zilin felt a little embarrassed for Shuishui. Jiang Li also said that his mother liked to go shopping with Shuishui. Shuishui seemed to be a favorite among their mothers.
He tried not to think too much about it. He was only annoyed that Murong Xi would be visiting their house that night. He hung out with her a few times before, but they didn't talk much. She was quite pretty and had a soft personality. What a pity. After a while, the Murong family arrived. Mu Zilin helped to entertain the guests. As soon as Murong Xi entered the house, she looked around and asked, "Where's Ziyu?"
"My brother and his girlfriend are dining out. They won't be here for dinner," Mu Zilin explained.
Murong Xi's eyes widened. "Mu Ziyu really has a girlfriend?"
"My brother has told you several times that he has a girlfriend, right?" Mu Zilin placed the fruit platter on the table and, with a wicked smile, waited for Murong Xi's reaction.
Murong Xi shook her head. "But Uncle Mu said that Mu Ziyu doesn't have a girlfriend."
"The Uncle Mu you're talking about isn't Dad, right? He's not even part of my family. You can't just believe whatever someone says, especially if they're not a member of my family," Mu Zilin said.
They were a little embarrassed, and Auntie Mu walked out and sat down with everyone. "Come, let's drink some tea and have some snacks. The food will be served in a while. Coincidentally, my husband will be back soon."
"Auntie Mu, who is Ziyu's girlfriend?" Murong Xi was a little direct.
Her straightforwardness annoyed Auntie Mu. She answered, "She's a good child. I like her very much."
Auntie Mu's answer showed that Ziyu really did have a girlfriend and that the family liked this girlfriend for Mu Ziyu.
Murong Xi looked at her parents. They told her before that Mu Ziyu's mother liked her for Mu Ziyu.
Murong Xi's parents shook their heads at their daughter and told her to behave herself. If the Mu family had a bad impression of her that night, then her chances of ending up with Mu Ziyu would be completely gone.
"Aiya, look at how anxious this child is. This child has taken Ziyu a little too seriously," Murong Xi's mother said to smooth things over.
"Hmm. We allow our children to choose for themselves, especially on such matters. Moreover, Ziyu's girlfriend is close to us, and she is an outstanding girl," Auntie Mu said casually. She looked at Murong Xi. She was a girl with a delicate aura, and she actually looked pretty good. However, there was a stark contrast between her and Shuishui. She was biased towards Shuishui, especially because they had known her for quite a while. Besides, she was one of Mu Zilin's closest friends.
"In that case, we definitely can't interfere in their relationship," Murong Xi's mother said as she tugged at Murong Xi's sleeve to stop her from talking nonsense. It was clear that Mu Ziyu's mother liked his girlfriend.
They began to eat when Zilin's father arrived.
Mu Ziyu, meanwhile, fetched Shuishui and brought her home. She had bought a lot of groceries. In addition to what she had at home, she decided to cook the delicacies of her hometown that night. There weren't any restaurants she could just order the specialty dishes from, so she decided to cook them herself.
"Yak meat is not easy to cook," Mu Ziyu said when he saw what Shuishui had bought.
"Don't you trust my cooking?" Shuishui smiled faintly. She had already bought the ingredients anyway.
He looked at Shuishui lovingly and said, "I'd like to eat whatever you cook."
Shuishui prepared the ingredients in the kitchen. She had already tried cooking the dishes before, and they were not bad. She had also invited the Jiang family for dinner at seven thirty, and they accepted.
Mu Ziyu walked out of the kitchen, while Shuishui started to get busy. Qian Anzhi and Jiang Li soon arrived. The two boys had been hanging out together every day, and they didn't seem to be getting tired of it. Of course, they got along well because of their good personalities. Shuishui was happy that they had found good friends in each other.
"It smells so good in here. Sister, are you going to cook today?" Qian Anzhi asked as he walked through the kitchen door.
"Yes, Uncle Jiang and the family will also be coming today. There are about nine of us, including Jiang Li's twin brothers will also come. You can set the table outside," Shuishui instructed Anzhi.
Qian Anzhi nodded. He and his sister were the hosts of the dinner, and although Jiang Li and Mu Ziyu were there as well, they were guests after all, so Jiang Li got to work and did as Shuishui instructed.
Because of what had happened to his father, Anzhi seemed to have matured sooner than expected.
Jiang Li remembered that Shuishui often cooked fans. "Brother Mu, do you think Sister Qian will cook fans tonight?"
Mu Ziyu smiled and shook his head. "The reason why she likes to cook fans is because she thinks they're convenient and easy to prepare. It seems like she's going to cook a big meal today."
Jiang Li occasionally peeked into the kitchen. He turned to Ziyu and said, "I think Qian Anzhi is a good kid. He made the right decision coming with Sister Qian."
"Yes, but he's also very smart in choosing to go with Shuishui." Ziyu thought that Anzhi had made a smart move in not choosing to go with his mother and sister.
If he had chosen to go with his mother, perhaps he and Shuishui would become two different people in the future. For some reason, Shuishui was very indifferent towards her family. However, since Qian Anzhi chose to go with Shuishui, she treated him well and cared for him like any older sister would.
Shuishui washed the beef thoroughly, cut it into pieces, and stir-fried it a little before putting it into the pot. She added three bowls of water to the pot. Then, she added the rose slices and mint slices. Finally, she added anise and cinnamon to improve its flavor. Finally, she added soy sauce and let the soup simmer for a while until the beef became soft and tender.
When the liquid had reduced, she added the carrots. The dish could be served once the liquid turned into a light sauce. The dish would smell faintly of rose and mint. The addition of cinnamon and star anise would stabilize the tenderness of the beef and neutralize its pungent beefy odor.
The second dish was fried chicken wings. She had already soaked them in the boiling mint water. She personally preferred mint, also because it was a famous ingredient back in her hometown. She put in salt and stirred. When she felt that it was almost ready, she prepared the breading mix, tossed the chicken wings in the breading mix, and began to fry the pieces. She arranged everything on a large platter with salad dressing.
Next was the most famous dish in her hometown, pan seared foie gras with soy sauce. She noticed that many French restaurants in the capital served foie gras as well and used it as one of the main components of their specialty dishes.
Then, she made five simple stir-fried dishes.
Shuishui was very efficient. After nearly three hours, the food was ready. She brought out the takeout food she had bought at the deli earlier because she had only prepared eight dishes, which might not be enough. With these two dishes to supplement it, she thought for a while and finally prepared eight-treasure rice for dessert. She exhaled and looked at the time. It was only seven twenty. She walked out and said, "All right. I'm going up to change and take a shower."
Qian Anzhi quickly went to the kitchen to clean up. "It smells so good. The dishes look so appetizing."
Jiang Li was a little hungry. He followed Anzhi to the kitchen and saw the dishes. He was excited to eat. He called his father and asked them to hurry.
Shuishui quickly took a shower and went downstairs. By the time she arrived downstairs, Jiang Yuan arrived with the family. Shuishui welcomed them. "This is the first time I've officially invited Uncle and Aunt over. I've been tidying up the house recently, so I haven't been able to prepare dinner for you," Shuishui said.
Jiang Yuan laughed. "What's the big deal?" he said as he walked in big strides while patting his stomach.