Wang Ying: "...You live here?"
Cheng Yu shrugged: "I haven't been back for so long, I almost forgot about it."
Wang Ying was speechless. Cheng Yu was only thirteen or fourteen when he left. Now seven or eight years have passed. It is impossible that he can't remember it. He probably just doesn't take it to heart. This is enough to show Cheng Yu's attitude towards his family.
The group stood at the door of the house. Xu Shuang was silent for a while and then said, "I wonder if we have come to the wrong place. All the houses here have the same facade. Look at the words on the door: No. 18 Yinsi Hutong South Courtyard. The house we want to see doesn't say it's South Courtyard."
Wang Ying took a closer look and found that it was true. He suddenly slapped his head.
“It’s true!”
That was what they said, but no one moved.
Cheng Yu stood there indifferently, while Wang Ying and Xu Shuang also held Taotao and looked around.
It was not until an angry roar was heard that several people focused their attention on the gate of the South Courtyard.
Cheng Yu's mother, wearing a smock and holding a spatula in her hand, looked at Cheng Yu, who had grown into a beautiful young lady, and came up to her and started to yell at her to beat and scold her.
"You damn girl! How dare you come back!"
"Weren't you very tough at the time? You said you would never recognize us again?"
"Get out of here! We don't want a loser like you! Get out with your slutty teacher!"
…
Wang Ying and Xu Shuang looked at each other. As expected, Cheng Yu was rehabilitated by his teacher, and Cheng Shufen had resumed her original job and treatment. Cheng Yu's family had no idea about this.
Cheng Yu looked coldly at his mother, who now had a lot of white hair, making a fuss. His younger brother, who had grown up, was leaning against the wooden door not far away and watching the show.
Her eldest and second sisters are missing.
There are many old courtyards here with many people living there. When they heard that there was something exciting going on, a group of people gathered around in an instant.
Cheng Yu's mother was being watched and became even angrier.
"I worked so hard to raise you, but you are so bad that you don't even go home to take care of your brother just for a teacher who cheated on you. You just want to go with her!"
"If I had known you were like this, I should have drowned you when I was born!"
"Your eldest sister is at least obedient. She married in the city and can help the family. Your second sister went to the countryside and also contributed to the family. But you are the only one! You raised me to this age, and you are here just to collect debts!"
"He grew up eating nothing, and now he doesn't recognize his parents!"
"You should be locked up!"
…
After leaving the countryside, this was the second time Wang Ying encountered someone who cursed and treated her daughter as an enemy.
Cheng Yu's mother chattered incessantly, almost pouring out all her resentment towards her daughter.
Xu Shuang frowned and covered her daughter's ears.
Wang Ying held Cheng Yu's hand tightly.
Cheng Yu was scolded, but his face didn't even turn red.
She interrupted her mother's heavy breathing and said steadily and ruthlessly: "Since you blame me so much, then it's just right. Move my household registration out. I just happen to be tired of being a family with you guys."
She looked at the old neighbors who had lived there for many years. Unlike her mother, many of them looked at her with excitement in their eyes.
After being scolded by his mother, Cheng Yu remembered all the past events almost instantly.
This is also where she grew up.
Cheng Yu's behavior undoubtedly made her mother even more angry.
Just at this moment, Cheng Yu's father stood up.
He waved away his irritable wife and said, "Xiaoyu, when did you come back?"
He had just been eavesdropping outside for a while, and had thought that the return of this unfilial daughter had brought shame upon him, so he asked his wife to chase her away.
But he listened carefully, and the more he looked at it, the more he felt something was wrong.
Cheng Yu is now in her twenties, and she was accompanied by a young couple and a little girl.
Not only were the couple outstanding in appearance, but their attire was also much better than that of others.
Cheng Yu was also dressed brightly, and the clothes he was wearing were brand new, and it was obvious that they were not cheap.
As soon as Cheng Yu saw her father like that, she knew what he was thinking. She sneered, "Even if you don't want to give me the household registration, I can still move away."
She has already reached adulthood, and I have never heard of a case where her family would still withhold her household registration even though she is already an adult.
Cheng Yu's father's face turned blue and red. If he still couldn't see it now, he would be a fool.
This damn girl must have become rich.
Otherwise I wouldn't be so confident.
Cheng Yu took Wang Ying's hand and was about to leave, feeling that his visit today was nothing unexpected.
Her mother is still as hunched over as ever, working hard for the family and her brother. Her brother is still a coward and a loser, as expected. Her father is still the same, smiling but hiding a knife.
When something good comes, he gives it to his son under the pretext of being honored, and usually hides behind the scenes and waits for benefits.
Cheng Yu's father became furious and was about to come forward to stop his unfilial daughter, but was glared back by Xu Shuang.
Watching his daughter leave, Cheng Yu's father was so embarrassed by the neighbors.
He kicked his wife and said, "What are you looking at? Go back now!"
Let’s go back and discuss how to find out the news.
At the beginning, I said that I would not recognize my daughter after she left, but I couldn't bear that daughter who was as stupid as a stick and knew nothing and was as stubborn as a donkey. Not the beautiful daughter now who is looking at her prosperity!
…
After all this commotion, Wang Ying got a discount on the house she wanted to see, but she was not very happy about it.
After going to see it, it turned out that they couldn't reach an agreement.
Although this two-story courtyard is large, each household has its own ideas. The prices they offer are higher than the others, and what's even more outrageous is that they don't agree on the same thing and even try to trip each other up.
Wang Ying was convinced. The property rights of this yard belong to several of your families. You are trying to trip each other up. If she can't buy all of them, she will definitely not buy it!
Cheng Yu: "It's like this in the compound. When I was still here, there were fights every day. Either for a head of garlic or a little onion."
Wang Ying and her family went to see another courtyard.
Well, I don’t like any of them.
Wang Ying: "If only I had more money..."
There are big houses with complete title, but they are hard to buy. The asking price is definitely high.
Xu Shuang seemed to be thinking about something.
The family wandered around for a whole day and found nothing.
After dinner in the evening, Wang Ying told Cheng Yu: "Tell your teacher about your family affairs when you go back. Don't hide anything."
Although Cheng Yu still calls Cheng Shufen "teacher" now, everyone knows that she has changed her last name, so of course she regards Cheng Shufen as her mother.
Once these two sides collide, it would be inappropriate to not handle it properly and then let there be grudges in people's hearts.
Cheng Yu waved his hand: "Don't worry!"
Even if she didn't tell him, she was afraid that the attentive master would ask her about it when she returned...
A few days later, when Wang Ying was thinking about how to ask Cheng Yu about her household registration problem, Xu Shuang brought back an explosive news.
"You said you were going to participate in a competition on behalf of your hotel?"
Wang Ying never expected that the cooking competition that Chen Dong mentioned would come so soon.
Xu Shuang: "It's not just a cooking competition, this time we're also selecting the backup team for the state banquet."
Xu Shuang's rank is not high enough to be directly responsible for state banquets, but there is always a catering team for foreign entourage for every foreign affairs interview.
If Xu Shuang wins the award this time, it is possible that her hotel will be responsible for catering for the accompanying personnel in the upcoming foreign visits.
Wang Ying was overjoyed: "That's great!"
Xu Shuang: "After this competition, if everything goes well, my level will be raised and the hotel will have a bonus."
Wang Ying finally understood: "Do you think your family doesn't have enough money to buy a house?"
Xu Shuang neither nodded nor shook her head: "I just think we can buy a bigger house."
Wang Ying obviously liked a house near the Houhai Lake, with a large courtyard with three entrances and three exits, but the asking price was over 10,000 yuan.
Wang Ying hugged Xu Shuang: "It's okay, I can make money too."
Xu Shuang is already busy preparing to move forward, so she can't fall behind.
…
For the next period of time, both husband and wife were busy.
“This is lychee fish.”
"We use large yellow croaker, debone it and cut it into pieces of moderate size so that it can naturally curl up into a lychee-shaped ball after being put into the pan. Then we deep-fry it twice until the fish meat becomes a small ball."
"Prepare a sauce, thicken it and wrap the fish meat..."
The steaming hot, sauce-colored lychee fish came out of the pot. Wang Ying waited by the side with a bowl of rice. Her eyes lit up when she tasted it.
The fish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the sauce is rich, sweet and sour.
While she was eating, Xu Shuang started working on another dish.
Hibiscus pigeon pine.
Remove the bones from the pigeon and chop the remaining meat. Then chop the Hericium erinaceus, green peas, ham, and other ingredients. Control the heat and stir-fry the pigeon meat and the side dishes until fragrant. Finally, place it in the middle of the shape made with lotus fish fillet.
It's like a steaming fine brush painting.
Wang Ying picked up the small spoon, tasted it, and gave it a thumbs up.
This dish is considered a fusion dish, taking parts of squab floss and hibiscus fish fillet.
Lotus fish fillet is a traditional dish made by deep-frying the fish fillets until they are firm and crispy. The fish meat itself is crispy and not greasy, and there are some flower stamens on the edge for shape, which makes it even more delicious when paired with the fish fillets.
The pigeon pine is full of fragrance in your mouth, and various ingredients are blended together. Occasionally, you can chew a green pea, which is like finding a rare surprise.
…
The days when Xu Shuang tries dishes at home are the happiest days for Wang Ying and Taotao.
But at the same time, these are also the most difficult days for the neighbors around.
Getting the neighbors to come out and ask around has become the most basic operation.
Wang Ying thought that her family should buy a bigger house.
If they continue to live like this, I'm afraid people around them will think they are a nuisance.
This is because adults can still endure it, but children cannot. There are always children who cry and make a fuss for food and are scolded by their parents.
Taotao licked the sauce on her mouth and said, "Dad, can I take this fish ball to kindergarten tomorrow?"
A few months later, Taotao had successfully become a member of the kindergarten. As for the little fat boy, he was shaken by the food her father cooked in a few days. He brought strange-shaped chocolates to Taotao to exchange for food.
Xu Shuang naturally agreed to her daughter's request.
The family enjoyed themselves happily until May, when the competition began.
This kind of competition is not open to the public, so Xu Shuang went with her master Chen Dong.
After several days of competition, Xu Shuang returned home feeling a little tired but still excited.
“Guess what place I got?”