The sweetest in the entertainment industry

Why are you suddenly craving donkey meat sandwiches?

The family didn't eat donkey much, but Zhang Ruolan had people raise donkeys mainly to make donkey-hide gelatin.

Seeing that Lu Nanting was about to pull her close, Gu Lanxi couldn't help but smile with narrowed eyes:

“When we went to record a couples variety show a while ago, we made braised beef. When we ate it, we regretted that we didn’t make any pancakes because bread and meat don’t go well together. So I mentioned a kind of pancake that I had in Baoding. He said it was probably a donkey meat sandwich. So we decided to make it at home and try it when we had some free time.”

Unexpectedly, Lu Nanting still remembered this matter after so long. He had only heard his mother mention the word "donkey" when he immediately recalled it.

It feels really good to be constantly remembered.

For Zhang Ruolan, wanting to eat something she liked was a trivial matter, and she agreed without hesitation: "Okay, I'll arrange it tomorrow."

"Neither of us is free tomorrow."

"It's okay, I'll bring it to you both when it's done, or I can make it tonight so you can have something hot when you get home."

Seeing that she didn't understand what he meant, Lu Nanting sighed: "Mom, we agreed to do it together."

"Oh! That's a rare treat. I'll have to get the whole family together to try your cooking."

Lu Nanting did not agree rashly and glanced at Gu Lanxi.

Gu Lanxi agreed without hesitation.

It was one thing to be on set filming before, but I'll be spending most of the next few months at home, so I'll naturally want to spend more time with my two sisters-in-law.

When are you available?

As people get older, the happiest thing is for their whole family to gather together in harmony.

The two then shared their itinerary.

Lu Nanting is going to Shanghai for a concert in a couple of days. After he comes back, he will stay in Beijing until the Chinese New Year.

Although there were many business activities during that time, it was possible to make a round trip within a day.

Gu Lanxi has some scripts she's interested in, but hasn't finalized them yet. She plans to meet with the creative team first and discuss it further.

If I'm going to join the crew, it will have to be next year at the earliest.

Before this, she didn't even plan to walk the red carpets at the end of the year; she just wanted to focus on the projects at hand.

Anyway, she's the boss, so no matter how busy she is, it's still easy to manage.

Zhang Ruolan then set a date for the alternative dates and went to discuss it with her other two daughters-in-law.

The whole family is very busy, and they can't get together except for holidays and festivals. It takes a lot of coordination to make sure everyone has time.

I enjoyed the meal very much.

Gu Lanxi ate half a bowl of meat with gusto before squinting her eyes and praising it with a satisfied smile:
"You have to eat lambs that are a little over a year old, not too old, not too young, not too gamey, not too strong, just right."

"You're like me in that respect—you love to eat!"

Even when Gu Lanxi was at her poorest, she never neglected her food. She also had a good memory and could remember the good things she had eaten long afterward.

She remembered eating this kind of mutton before at the Lu family's house, and her father had said something similar back then.

The three chatted casually, and finished their meal before ten o'clock.

During this time, my two sisters-in-law also replied, setting the date for the gathering as December 5th.

It just so happened that "Walking with Love" premiered that day, so the whole family could watch it together after dinner.

After dinner, the housekeeper cleared away the dishes, and the three of them went upstairs to the living room to chat.

After having mutton for dinner, Lao Xiao brewed them a pot of hawthorn tea. He told them to drink it to aid digestion, and once they were almost done, they could go to the gym to burn off some calories before going to bed feeling great.

Lu Nanting poured the tea and then sat in the corner, staring blankly out the window.

It started snowing while we were eating.

It was very small at first, and it melted before it even reached the ground.

Now there is a light layer of white on the ground.

The lawn was completely withered and yellow, no longer the lush green it had been in summer.

On the persimmon tree, a few persimmons were deliberately left for the birds to eat. They looked bright red, contrasting beautifully with the frost-covered sky, creating a very picturesque scene.

Lu Nanting took out his phone and snapped a picture.

Through the blurry shadows of the window, you could see the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatting animatedly.

For him, having his loved ones by his side, sitting quietly like this, is a rare and blissful thing.

He enjoyed this moment of tranquility.

"By the way, the wedding invitations are ready. We designed several kinds beforehand, and just to be on the safe side, we made samples of all of them. Which one do you two like best?"

Some things look great in the design sketches, but the finished product may not be as good. Like clothes, some are unremarkable hanging on the wall, but look stunning when worn.

Zhang Ruolan opened her handbag and took out the items.

The young couple immediately went over to take a look.

They planned to have a traditional wedding, and the wedding invitations were such an important thing that they had to prepare them carefully.

"Look, this gold-flecked paper and this orange-red envelope, aren't they special support colors?"

Gu Lanxi took a liking to the set at first glance and picked it up to examine it closely.

Their wedding invitations were different from the usual ones; they were designed in an antique style, with no printed words on them. Each sheet of paper was handmade using traditional methods and, if properly preserved, would not decay for hundreds of years.

Every single character above will be handwritten by Lu Nanting using a brush.

Gu Lanxi didn't attend any training classes when she was a child. Her only hobby was playing the suona, which she forced herself to learn in order to survive. Of course, she didn't know how to write calligraphy.

As for Lu Nanting, when his two older brothers were young, his grandfather was still working and was extremely busy every day. But when it was his turn, his grandfather had retired and had plenty of time to take care of him.

At first, he didn't like such a boring thing, but his grandfather was very resourceful. He would occasionally use some interesting gadgets to entice him, and over time, his handwriting became quite decent.

The two women have very similar tastes, and this design holds different meanings for them.

Since Gu Lanxi had already made her choice, Lu Nanting naturally had no objections.

Zhang Ruolan was very pleased to see that the two of them had made their choices quickly.

Many couples argue endlessly when preparing for their wedding, and even the deepest feelings can't withstand the strain. But these two always manage to reach an agreement easily, which Zhang Ruolan sees as the foundation of a stable marriage.

A mother is naturally happy when her son's married life is going well.

"When I got it, my gut feeling was that you two would like this one, and sure enough, you did."

The couple did not plan to hold a large wedding or make the entire event public, so they only invited close relatives, family friends, and their closest friends.

"By the time you two get back from Shanghai, it should be almost done. Son, do you have enough time?"

"I'll set aside a little time each day. There are 520 in total. If I hurry, I can finish writing them in half a month at most."

"Okay, that's settled then! I'm going back."

"It's snowing and the roads are slippery, Mom. Why don't you stay here? Anyway, Dad's away on a business trip, and you'll be alone when you go back."

Zhang Ruolan didn't really like staying at her son's house, but she couldn't resist Gu Lanxi's nagging and had no choice but to agree.

Since we're staying here, it's a bit early to go back to our room.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law simply continued chatting.

How was your day at school?

Zhang Ruolan casually started a conversation.

Given Gu Lanxi's personality, if no one asks her, she'll probably keep it to herself. Expecting her to bring it up on her own is not an easy task.

"It felt pretty good. I could have come back for dinner after the donation ceremony, but they insisted on dragging me to give a speech. I didn't even know what to say, so I just rambled on. I didn't expect the younger students to like it more. I just don't understand."

"Improvisation is more interesting~ I don't like listening to pre-prepared scripts either. If the word choice and sentence structure are measured with a ruler, striving to avoid even the slightest mistake, what's the point? Nowadays, people like authenticity, genuine personality, and no pretense, that's the best."

"Mom, you're so knowledgeable!"

"That is!"

Zhang Ruolan asked curiously, "What's the topic of today's speech?"

"I just talked about me and my university, mostly about my childhood. Didn't you see it online?"

Zhang Ruolan loves to surf the internet when she has nothing to do; she's a true 5G expert and is very well-informed!

"Oh dear, please don't say that! Your fans are devastated! Only a few photos have surfaced online, some of you and some of you together, which has everyone's curiosity about your speech about to explode. They're so eager to know what you'll be saying. But your juniors are really something else—they haven't even provided a written description, let alone a video or audio recording!"

As Zhang Ruolan spoke, her eyes crinkled with laughter: "I saw a popular comment that said, 'The most hardcore fan in history,' haha!"

"My fans exaggerate a lot. Sometimes when I see them praising me, it feels like they're praising someone else. How could I be that good?"

“And there’s something even funnier,” Zhang Ruolan mimicked a human voice, “Does it mean I didn’t want to get into A University?”

Gu Lanxi was both amused and exasperated.

"The host said that recording, audio recording and dissemination were prohibited, and that this was an exclusive benefit for alumni. I thought someone would break the rules."

"That's great. It's an exclusive resource that only hard-working people can access. It can encourage younger children to spend more time studying, which is very helpful for your image."

For children from ordinary families, studying hard is one of the very few ways to transcend social class.

And for children who are obsessed with celebrities, their academic performance often suffers as their focus is distracted. (End of Chapter)