The sweetest in the entertainment industry

Chapter 302 Sheep

"The weather is so unpredictable; it turned cold so suddenly. Just two weeks ago, it was full of autumn colors, and we were happily taking the kids to the farm for the harvest. Now, in the blink of an eye, everything's turned bleak. The leaves have all fallen, the grass is withered and yellow, and even the sky is gray and gloomy. It's really hard to feel good at all!"

While instructing the housekeepers to prepare dinner, Mrs. Lu would occasionally glance up at the seashell-inlaid gemstone wall clock on the wall, estimating when her son and daughter-in-law would return.

When you're bored, you can't help but complain a bit.

When the weather is bad, the scenery is bad, or you're in a bad mood, nothing seems right.

“Madam, there are wintersweet and plum blossoms in the garden, but they won’t bloom because it’s not cold enough. There’s also an Eighteen Scholars tree, a rare and precious variety. It will surely be very beautiful when it blooms. I also have quite a few potted plants, including clivia, cymbidium, winter cymbidium, daffodils… all of which are very ornamental varieties.”

With the weather getting colder, there's less work to do in the garden, and Old Ding, the gardener, often stays indoors.

She was honest, and when she heard Zhang Ruolan complain about the winter scenery, she immediately began to report it cautiously, afraid that she had not done her job well.

It's no wonder she was cautious.

The young couple were both very busy. Apart from keeping a tight grip on the family finances, Gu Lanxi rarely interfered in family matters. Often, when the family encountered trouble, it was Zhang Ruolan who would take charge. Since Lao Ding and the other three were all from the Lu family, they naturally cared about her feelings.

As for the others, they are all very emotionally intelligent and don't say what they're thinking directly.

Old Ding makes a living with his skills and is a truly honest man, though sometimes he isn't so tactful in his words and actions.

To be honest, even though winter has arrived, the young couple has done a very good job with the landscaping here.

Gu Lanxi likes to grow orchids, and there are quite a few blooming in her house right now. She also likes plants that bring good fortune, such as money trees, and they are all growing lush and green.

"No," Zhang Ruolan said, both amused and exasperated by her serious expression. "I'm just worried about them. Look how late it is, why aren't they back yet? They said they were on their way a long time ago, but they've been so busy they haven't even had dinner! And the weather forecast says it's going to snow tonight..."

Old Ding then understood and felt embarrassed.

Scratching his head, just as he was about to say something, the elevator doors opened, and the long-awaited young couple finally returned.

"Aunt Xiao—Mom? You're here? Why didn't you tell me beforehand? Have you eaten yet?"

Gu Lanxi didn't like eating out. Thinking that she was only giving a short speech and would be back by eight o'clock at the latest, she hadn't eaten dinner. Now she was starving. As soon as she entered the door, she raised her voice, ready to ask Lao Xiao if dinner was ready.

As soon as he started, he saw Zhang Ruolan, immediately let go of Lu Nanting's arm, and ran over quickly.

Zhang Ruolan is usually very busy, so Gu Lanxi really didn't know she would be coming today.

Lu Nanting carried Gu Lanxi's bag in one hand and two coats in the other. When Aunt Chen came over, he handed her the coats and reminded her, "I ate dumplings yesterday, and there's a little sweet vinegar on my sleeve." He put the bag on the sofa and went to the kitchen.

Old Chen nodded, said nothing, and took the clothes to the laundry room.

The young master has been a pampered child since he was little; he won't wear clothes if they're not clean.

Zhang Ruolan glanced at her youngest son, and seeing that he was in good spirits after being abroad for a few days, she ignored him.

"Say it in advance? You're speaking halfway through, then you stand up and leave, telling people, 'No, I have to go home and be with my mom!' Is that reasonable?"

Gu Lanxi was amused by her: "I'm not that kind of person!"

She's always been very dedicated, okay?
The most consistent assessment of her by those who have worked with her is that she is extremely meticulous in her work.

Zhang Ruolan smiled and went to the restaurant first: "Go wash your hands, we're having hot pot tonight."

Gu Lanxi washed her hands first before asking her, "Where did the sheep come from?"

On days when the family reunites, Zhang Ruolan would bring delicious food to feed them. Since it was hot pot with mutton, it couldn't be an ordinary sheep.

“Every year, my family sends someone to raise a batch of animals in Ningxia. They eat organically grown grass and grains, are cared for by dedicated people, and are fed scientifically. You can’t buy them outside.”

The Zhang family is in the catering business, and Zhang Ruolan is a well-known food expert in the industry who loves tinkering with these things. However, Gu Lanxi had only been to that farm on the outskirts of Beijing, back when Lu Nanting took her to see the roses. Hearing that the sheep were raised there, she couldn't help but ask a few more questions.

Lu Nanting personally prepared the dipping sauce and gave it to the two of them. In the copper pot with charcoal burning, the clear mutton bone soup was boiling, with goji berries, red dates, shiitake mushrooms and white radish chunks constantly bubbling. Soon the restaurant became steamy and inviting.

The aunties had all left, leaving only the three of them. Zhang Ruolan's words carried a hint of instruction:
"When doing business, you can't be too selfish. These safe and reliable things, though not expensive, require a lot of effort to obtain. They're perfect gifts; everyone loves them. We can give small things like chickens, ducks, fish, and rabbits to foster relationships. On holidays or when someone hosts a family feast, we can give a sheep, a pig, a donkey, or even a cow. What is friendship? Friendship is like eating watermelon in summer, thinking of you, and sending you a basket; it's like eating hairy crabs in autumn, scooping out a basket and sharing half with you; it's like picking shepherd's purse and toon sprouts in spring, and smilingly sending you a basket..."

As a fellow Cantonese, Gu Lanxi particularly understood the value of such a gift.

It won't be too expensive, so that people feel a sense of obligation to accept it, yet it's thoughtful enough to leave a lasting impression.

Lu Nanting didn't interrupt, he just kept cooking the meat in the hot pot, and after it was cooked, he first gave it to the two of them before putting some into his own bowl.

Gu Lanxi picked up a slice, blew on it while pouting, and gave her a thumbs up.

So hungry that his vision was blurry, and with delicious food in front of him, he couldn't even speak.

"Eat slowly, no rush. There's plenty more at the farm after you finish eating."

Zhang Ruolan laughed as she spoke to her:

"This is the first batch this year, it was just delivered yesterday. They're being raised on our farm, all of them are lively and energetic. We've already notified the families we know, so their cooks can go and pick them out themselves. After that, they can either be slaughtered at the farm or someone can go with them to help with the processing before coming back."

Every detail is very thoughtful.

Gu Lanxi said she had learned something.

Zhang Ruolan then told her, "You can also try giving this to your business partners who you are close to this year. In previous years, we used the extra ones at home to give to our employees in a raffle."

For ordinary employees, such a sheep is just a tastier sheep; they might feel that cash is more tangible than a sheep.

It's more than enough to give as a gift to Gu Lanxi.

“In previous years, I would send tea, dried tangerine peel, fish maw, abalone, and the like. It’s good to change things up.”

"These things are wasted if no one knows how to eat them; but if they do, every household has a whole basketful."

"Mom is right, I'll send you a copy of the list later."

After saying that, he silently showed off.

She practices martial arts year-round, which takes a lot of energy, so her appetite is much larger than that of other female celebrities.

"Mom, when are we going to eat donkey meat? I want to eat donkey meat sandwiches and braised donkey meat."

"Let's wait a while. I've hired a chef to make donkey-hide gelatin. Buying it from outside makes me hesitant, so making it myself is more reliable."

Donkey-hide gelatin nourishes yin and blood, beautifies the skin, and can also improve immunity. Most importantly, it can be used to stop bleeding and stabilize pregnancy.

The eldest daughter-in-law doesn't plan to have a second child, but the second daughter-in-law might be a different story. The youngest daughter-in-law has just entered the family, so we have to prepare supplies every year in case we can't find a reliable one when we need it.

If she said these things, people would probably think she was pressuring her to have a child, so Zhang Ruolan didn't mention them at all, only saying that she was getting old and needed to take care of herself.

The "Eighteen Scholars" doesn't mean that eighteen different colored flowers bloom on the same tree; there are pink, white, and red flowers.

It has a typical hexagonal corolla, with the petals of adjacent corners arranged in eighteen whorls.

The ones with good quality have a particularly mathematical beauty when they're opened.

It's the kind of girl Gu Lanxi would like.

The mother knew they hadn't eaten and that they were on their way back; she found out from the aunties. The young couple didn't know she was there.