Chapter 424 - Days among his grandchildren were just so awesome. (1)
Xiao Jie apologized to Tong Xuelu. “I am sorry, Comrade Tong. I won’t do that again.”
Tong Xuelu nodded and scooped the beef ribs into the bowl.
The aroma of the food made Xiao Jie hungry.
He walked over, took a look, and couldn't help but whistled. “You are, indeed, the chef who took first place. This dish truly comprised look, color, and smell!”
“You are too nice.”
Xiao Jie asked, “Oh right. What is your name, Comrade Tong. My name is Jie……”
An indistinguishable loud screech came from the outside when Xiao Jie shared his name.
Tong Xuelu frowned a little and said, “I am Tong Xuelu. Xue like snowflakes and Lu like the color green. What did you say your name is again? I didn’t catch it.”
“Oh mi. What a nice name you have! Green is my favorite color and it represents hope. I even have a green hat!”
Tong Xuelu, “……” Kid, are you for realz?
When Xiao Jie was done talking, he thought maybe it was his accent. As such, he pulled out a pen and a piece of paper from his pocket and wrote his name down.
Tong Xuelu cocked her head to look at his name. Her lips twitched violently and she asked, “You have an English name as well, right, Comrade Jie?”
Xiao Jie said, “Yes. My English name is Jason. That’s Jie-sen in Chinese.”
“I’ll just stick with Comrade Xiao Jie,” said Tong Xuelu.
Jie Sen shrugged indifferently. “Either or.”
Tong Xuelu did not comment. She had Guo Weiping carried the food out.
When Jie Chengzhou walked down the stairs, he immediately picked up the domineering and familiar smell. That made him feel emotional all over again.
He couldn’t wait to have a spoonful of Yangzhou fried rice and his eyes moistened again. “This taste…… it was exactly the same as how my mother made them. It had been 29 years. It had been 29 years since I have tasted it.”
He had dreamed about having his mother’s fried rice so many times.
He thought he would never be able to taste it again in his lifetime. He never would have thought that he would be able to taste the dish that he had dreamed about countless times on his first day back to his home country. How could he not be emotional?
Jie Chengzhou tried a few of the other dishes and he couldn’t stop his compliments. “Comrade Tong’s cooking is simply amazing. Now I understand how you became the manager of a restaurant at your young age.”
Jie Sen’s favorite was the plate of beef ribs.
The fatty part of them was fatty but not overly so. The meaty part was soft and aromatic. Just one bite and the sauce would explode in one’s mouth. It tasted incredible!
Both father and son were very pleased with the meal.
Tong Xuelu picked up to return to the restaurant after dinner. Those from the Municipal Foreign Affairs Office would be the ones responsible for keeping the Jie father and son company. Tong Xuelu only needed to return to prepare dinner for the two of them.
And that was the same routine for the next few days.
As Jie Chengzhou was very pleased with Tong Xuelu’s cooking, he praised her many times in front of Director Gao and Director Lin. All of the upper management now knew Tong Xuelu’s name.
She received a reward came Chinese New Year.
She received two mugs with the wording “Women hold up half the sky” on them and also a monetary reward of 50 yuan.
50 yuan was the equivalent of half a month’s salary to her. Tong Xuelu was very pleased with her reward.
***
It was finally Chinese New Year.
The factories were all out and the restaurants closed. Even so, the streets were far from being empty. Kids could be seen playing up and down the streets.
Kids were always happy around New Year’s time. Not only do they get to wear new clothes, they also have a lot of yummy food to eat.
Commander Xiao returned to Capital City before New Year’s eve and the supplies that he prepared for Chinese New Year had also arrived.
This was the first time all of them spending New Year together and also the first Chinese New Year since Tong Xuelu’s transmigration.
It was snowing outside and one breath could turn into ice. Nevertheless, it was very harmonious inside the house.