"Today, my senior brother brought two groupers, and I’m preparing to learn how to cook them. Once I’ve mastered it, the restaurant will also offer this dish. Friends who love fish, stay tuned!"
Chen Yan frowned. That darn Yueyue, you’ve actually learned to lie!
Talking about a simple ho-style al, and it’s grouper? How is that considered ho cooking?
She planned to drive to the restaurant to confront her cousin in person and ask her why she had to lie.
Hmph, it’s not like I wanted to eat grouper anyway.
anwhile, as evening fell, the queue for ready-to-eat braised dishes at Lin Ji’s Food’s window started to grow.
A woman in her fifties with slightly graying hair, carrying a handbag, was walking towards the entrance while on the phone. "Old Ren," she said, "dinner will be a bit late. I gave a lecture at Tsinghua University today and it went on a bit too long; I just finished. The other day, when Xiaojie was away on a business trip, wasn’t he praising Lin Ji’s roast chicken on social dia? I looked up the address; it’s quite close to Tsinghua University, so I thought I’d stop by and buy a couple to try..."
That little rascal has been disobedient since he was a child, she thought. I told him not to join the military, but he insisted on going. I told him not to beco a police officer, but he went ahead and applied anyway. The more I forbade him from doing sothing, the more he’d go against my wishes. He’s just infuriating!
Approaching the entrance, she saw a group of people queuing. She was about to see what was going on when she bumped into Geng Lishan, who was coming to support Lin Xu at the restaurant.
"Hey? Mr. Lishan? What are you up to?"
Geng Lishan was carrying two bottles of his family’s aged liquor, mulling over how to help Brother Lin liven things up. When he heard soone call his na, he turned his head curiously, and his expression imdiately froze. "You are... Professor Tian from the Institute of Chinese Languages Studies?"
"Yes, yes, that’s , Tian Qinglan," she replied. "We attended an ancient Chinese seminar together the year before last. You even copied ’Qinyuan Chun - Snow’ in seal script on the spot."
"What a pleasure to et you here, Professor Tian! What brings you here?" Geng Lishan asked.
Tian Qinglan adjusted the glasses on her nose bridge and said, "My son said the roast chicken here is delicious, so I’m stopping by to pick up a couple to try... Are you here to dine, Mr. Lishan?"
Geng Lishan said with pride, "The owner and I are good friends despite our age difference. He’s hosting a al for mbers of the Travel Association today, and I ca to join in and show support. Since you’re here, there’s no need to buy them; I’ll just give them to you."
He then pushed open the door, saw Shu Yun standing at the service counter, and waved his hand.
Shu Yun imdiately trotted over and asked, "What’s up, Mr. Lishan?"
"This is Professor Tian from the Institute of Chinese Languages Studies," Geng Lishan explained. "She’s heard good things and wants to try our restaurant’s roast chicken. Please pack up two chickens quickly, and add so other braised items too, so Professor Tian can have a good taste."
Tian Qinglan took out her phone from her bag and asked, "How much is it? I can’t accept this for free."
Geng Lishan laughed and said, "Professor Tian, you’ve made such great contributions to the field of ancient Chinese studies. What are two roast chickens compared to that? Please, you must take them. This is a small token of my, Geng Lishan’s, respect."
"Mr. Lishan, you’re too kind."
"It’s just so food, not worth ntioning... By the way, Professor Tian, is your husband, Mr. Ren, still teaching Chinese at Beijing University?"
"Yes, he’s still at Beijing University teaching Chinese," Tian Qinglan confird. "This year he was given the sowhat nominal title of Chief Professor, which has unfortunately prevented him from giving lectures at other schools. He’s been quite frustrated about it every day."
Her son was a handful, her husband’s work wasn’t going smoothly, and she had specially co to buy roast chicken today, partly to improve his appetite and lift his spirits.
Geng Lishan chuckled. "One shouldn’t be too hasty with academic pursuits, nor should one keep bottling up frustrations. I was idle at ho for two years, refusing visitors, and I almost developed health problems... How about this: I’ll organize a gathering later on. Those of us in textual studies can all get together. Young people’s trends are all online these days; we also need to find ways to develop our presence on the internet..."
As they were talking, Shu Yun ca out of the restaurant carrying a large bag of packed braised dishes. "Professor Tian," she said, "these braised dishes are for you. If you find them tasty, please co back and visit us again."
"Wonderful, wonderful, thank you so much!" Tian Qinglan exclaid. "No wonder my son posted on his social dia praising how delicious your food is here. Even the service alone is so considerate."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Tian Qinglan headed towards the subway station, planning to take the subway ho.
Passing through Lin Ji’s Food’s parking lot, Chen Yan’s Porsche 911 drove up.
Seeing soone crossing, Chen Yan quickly stopped the car to yield to the pedestrian.
Tian Qinglan waved her hand in thanks. This girl is truly beautiful and kind-hearted, she thought. No wonder she drives such a nice car at such a young age.
After Tian Qinglan passed, Chen Yan drove her car into a parking spot. Seeing Shu Yun and Geng Lishan waving goodbye to the middle-aged woman, she curiously asked, "Who was that?"
Geng Lishan answered, "That’s Professor Tian from the Institute of Chinese Languages Studies, an authority on Chinese, especially ancient Chinese. It’s quite sothing that she ca all this way to the restaurant just to buy roast chicken today. Lin Ji’s Food’s reputation is truly growing!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yan imdiately said, "What a coincidence! I majored in Chinese Language and Linguistics at Fudan University. Perhaps the textbooks I used during my studies were even written by Professor Tian."
Curious, Shu Yun asked, "Ms. Chen, weren’t you supposed to go ho for dinner? Why did you co to the restaurant again?"
"Your lady boss lied!" Chen Yan declared. "She said in the group chat that tonight was just a simple ho-style al. But when I checked the main group chat, whoa, my brother-in-law had already posted about the groupers—two of them, no less! How dare she call that a simple ho-style al?"
Shu Yun covered her mouth and chuckled. She loved watching this pair of cousins bicker.
After Chen Yan grumbled, she looked at Geng Lishan and asked, "Mr. Lishan, are you here to accompany guests today?"
"Yes, I’m here to help host," Geng Lishan replied. "My young friend Lin is starting a Horse Farm, so naturally, I have to show my support. When I received the invitation yesterday, I even wrote a calligraphy piece with the idiom ’Swift Success,’ intending to bring good fortune to the Horse Farm."
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