Chapter 838: Chapter 711: "Is Hu Niu Here?

The reason it’s called a high-priced private restaurant is not only because of its serene environment, but also because the dim sum here, like shrimp dumplings and various desserts, are highly sought after. In recent years, some ingredients have been scarce, otherwise, there would be more variety.

Generally, people have to obtain a number in advance so they can dine here the next day. And even if they manage to dine here, it’s not certain that Master Fan will personally cook for them.

At this moment, Yi Zhe came and directly mentioned Master Fan’s and his own name, and shortly after, a small, lean old man came running out.

Master Fan has close ties with the Yi family and was a childhood friend of Mr. Yi. Back in the day, a family with an inherited chef had a good foundation. If this old man didn’t have this skill, he might have followed Mr. Yi to fight against the invaders back then.

"Little Hu Niu is here?"

Zhou Jiao quickly lowered her head upon hearing this tone, fearing she would lose control and laugh out loud. This nickname has such an impact!

"Grandpa Fan..." Yi Zhe shook his head helplessly, "When do you plan to retire? My grandfather wants you to go to Beijing, why haven’t you left yet?"

Master Fan immediately turned around to lead the way, "I’ll find you a seat, follow me." While walking, he changed the subject, "Guests are here? What would you like to eat? Today I’ll show you a skill or two."

Yi Zhe glanced at Zhou Jiao and laughed, "You decide, keep the flavors mild, and serve more desserts and snacks."

"Alright, have a seat first, I’ll have someone serve you desserts."

After seating the three of them, Yi Zhe went out again for a bit.

"Auntie, aren’t you going to tell us the story of the Red Tassel Musket?" Zhou Jiao curiously asked after he left, eager for gossip.

Cheng Ruzhu gave a sidelong glance at the two little gossips and smiled, "I spent my childhood at the rear with Little Hu Niu’s mom. Later, after Hu Niu’s maternal grandfather passed, we parted ways. When we returned to Beijing and reunited, Hu Niu was already born. On my wedding day, her mother gave me my childhood favorite, the Red Tassel Musket, as a wedding gift."

Hearing this, a trace of doubt flashed in Zhou Jiao’s eyes. If the relationship was so good, why didn’t her aunt visit her old friend during two trips to the Northeast?

Cheng Ruzhu glanced outside, seeing Yi Zhe hadn’t returned yet, and said in a low voice, "Her mom was quite intriguing, um, how should I put it? She loved wielding weapons, do you know Hua Mulan?"

Yi Jiefang nodded continuously, "That’s indeed the case. If she hadn’t married my uncle, she might still be in the military now. When I was a child and visited my uncle’s home, what impressed me most were the many weapons my cousin’s family had, all kinds of swords and knives."

Zhou Jiao covered her mouth to suppress her laughter, recalling the smiling fox and her dad. Their tastes in partners were worlds apart. She was curious to see if such an interesting woman was as she imagined.

Yi Zhe returned just as the dishes were being served.

"Brother, hurry up, we’re just waiting for you."

Hearing Yi Jiefang say this, he laughed, "Why didn’t you start first? Little Aunt, there’s no need to be formal with us."

"Just had some desserts." Cheng Ruzhu pointed to several hot dishes on the table, shaking her head with a smile, "These dishes are so exquisite, I can’t bring myself to eat them."

Zhou Jiao nodded in agreement. After being in the Northeast for so long, she was used to large bowls and plates, and found these small dishes really familiar, especially with the carved patterns...

"Last time in Hai City, they also claimed it was Cantonese cuisine. Let’s not even discuss the taste, just the pineapple carving was vastly different. This is how it should be!"

Seeing Zhou Jiao give a thumbs-up, Yi Zhe couldn’t help but laugh, and placed sweet and sour pork on a small plate in front of her.

Zhou Jiao noticed he used public chopsticks, a detail that made her happy, so she smiled at him and thanked him.

When dining with others, she was always worried someone would use personal chopsticks to help themselves to food, leaving her in a dilemma whether to eat it or not. Refusing would embarrass the person.

Yi Zhe was momentarily taken aback by her smile and quickly averted his gaze, continuing to serve dishes to Cheng Ruzhu.

Whether he hid it well or everyone was focused on the food, no one noticed this scene, allowing Yi Zhe to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

The dinner passed amidst a harmonious atmosphere filled with soft laughter. By the time they left, it was already dark, and under the streetlights, people were strolling around, and the nearby Victory Mall gathered quite a few customers.

Under the same sky, it might be snowing up north, but here a gentle breeze blew without a hint of chill. Such weather made Zhou Jiao think of Hong Kong... and Mr. Zhang...

"Little Aunt, where are you headed next? I’ll drive you there before leaving."

Cheng Ruzhu shook her head, "You’re stationed far from here, head back early. We’ll stroll to the guesthouse slowly. Be home early for the New Year’s festival."

Yi Zhe nodded with a smile. It was indeed late; he still needed to check on his wife who bore him children.

"Brother, if we get a chance to your camp’s vicinity, we’ll definitely visit you."

"Alright, recently I’ve mostly been on duty in the office. Call me immediately if anything comes up," Yi Zhe said, then retrieved a yellow-green military bag from the car and handed it to Zhou Jiao.

Zhou Jiao tilted her head, blinking, looking at him with curiosity.

Yi Zhe resisted the urge to reach out and touch her head, smiled and said, "This is for Xiao Wu, giving it to you is just the same."

Hearing it was for Zhang Guoqing, Zhou Jiao didn’t hesitate. She knew these two occasionally exchanged letters and local specialties from various places.

The two mocked each other in their letters, like true friends who love to tease. She had seen Zhang Guoqing curse at people while smiling and sending things in return countless times.

Men’s friendships, forgive this little woman for failing to grasp the nuances!

Yi Zhe gave her a deep look before getting into the car, waving them off, and driving away.

"Little Aunt, it’s still early now, where would you like to go? I can take you."

Cheng Ruzhu casually pointed forward and then glanced at Zhou Jiao. Why did she feel something was off? She shook her head, maybe she was overthinking.

"Auntie, let’s walk along the riverbank. We ate too much at dinner, so I need a good stroll."

Yi Jiefang disdainfully gave her a sidelong glance, "Do you know how far it is to the riverbank? Fool! Aren’t you afraid of exhausting yourself? Beg me, my brother gave me a lot of coupons."

"Look at you! Are you really my brother?"

Cheng Ruzhu watched the two bicker and laughed heartily.

"Hmph, let you have your way this time."

Zhou Jiao wouldn’t take him seriously, waved her hand, and laughed, "Let’s just stroll around here to my aunt’s guesthouse, and head back early."

"Silly! You finally get out and want to head back, don’t get too close with those three girls in your room."

Zhou Jiao listened to his words and nodded earnestly.

Yi Jiefang felt uncomfortable discussing others behind their backs, thought a bit, and explained, "This afternoon, those girls were asking about Little Aunt. Intentional or not, they have too many little schemes."

Surrounded by smart people, Yi Jiefang could see through it easily. Zhou Jiao understood it must be something someone said, which annoyed him.

"Understood." Zhou Jiao didn’t express thanks, she knew who in the Big Courtyard was genuinely kind to her family. Thanking Yi Jiefang would insult this friendship.