Don't get married if you're reborn.

Chapter 284 Fried Eggs

Zeng Wenjie has been staying at school ever since he went home for the last National Day holiday. His family thinks that he is studying hard as a college student.

Upon seeing his grandmother, Zeng Wenjie grinned and said, "I came back especially to see you since it's the weekend!"

Mu Qingyang looked at Zeng Wenjie's grandmother, lowered his head slightly, and seemed a little hesitant to greet her.

"Oh, this is my classmate, Grandma, you can just call her Xiao Mu," Zeng Wenjie said with a smile.

"Little Mu? Hmm, she's really pretty!" Grandma glanced at Mu Qingyang, was immediately surprised, and then praised her repeatedly.

Mu Qingyang couldn't understand what they were saying.

Zeng Wenjie then said, "My grandma praised you for being pretty, aren't you going to respond?"

Mu Qingyang quickly said, "Thank you, Grandma. I am Mu Qingyang, Zeng Wenjie's classmate."

Grandma asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

Zeng Wenjie said, "I haven't eaten yet. I'll just have a bowl of noodles. Where is my grandpa?"

"He went out to find people to play chess with. Since he quit drinking, he's been going around looking for people to play chess with all day long," Grandma said with a kind smile.

Then, she waved to Mu Qingyang and said, "Little Mu, sit inside, it's cold outside."

"Oh, okay!" Mu Qingyang smiled and hurriedly followed.

She clearly rarely comes to the countryside, so she was quite curious when she saw the large wooden house.

As soon as you enter through the door, you are greeted by a somewhat faded portrait of a great man, clearly showing the marks of time.

Grandma walked quickly and said, "I'll go make you some hot rice noodles. Come sit over here."

There is a small storefront on the left side of the house, through which you can walk straight.

Grandma skillfully grabbed a handful of rice noodles and threw them into the pot to cook. Then she took two large bowls to prepare the sauce. Without even asking Mu Qingyang if he could handle spicy food, she directly added several large spoonfuls of chili-fried pork belly sauce.

When the noodles were served, it was a huge bowl full, and it was soaked in chili peppers.

"It looks so spicy!" Mu Qingyang thought to himself, but it was very appetizing, since he hadn't eaten much on the way here.

"However, why is this noodle dish so bumpy and uneven? It's not as smooth as the one I ate in Fengzhou at all?" Mu Qingyang couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

Zeng Wenjie laughed and said, "Because this is made by my grandma herself every day by grinding rice and drying it. She doesn't use any special technology or fancy techniques, so it will have this irregular shape. Don't worry, I've been eating it for over ten years!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingyang felt relieved and put a piece of meat in her mouth. The rich flavor of the meat broth mixed with the spiciness of the chili made her blush instantly.

Seeing that she was indeed not afraid of spicy food, Zeng Wenjie also started eating.

Then, Grandma came up with a small bowl in her hand. With a quick flick of her chopsticks, she transferred the poached eggs from the small bowl into each of their bowls.

Mu Qingyang stared blankly at the poached egg lying in the bowl.

"Have a fried egg, and there will be more if you're not full." After saying that, Grandma turned around and went back to her work.

Zeng Wenjie also looked at Mu Qingyang's bowl, hesitated for a moment, but still didn't say anything.

Mu Qingyang slowly picked up the poached egg from the bowl, took a small bite, and the yolk flowed out through the opening.

Then, her tears began to fall.

Zeng Wenjie pretended not to see it and silently lowered his head to eat his noodles.

After finishing his noodles and putting down his chopsticks, Zeng Wenjie wiped his mouth and instinctively reached into his pocket for a cigarette, but as soon as he touched the cigarette pack, he timidly withdrew his hand.

If he smokes, Grandma will probably just say a few words, but if Grandpa finds out, he'll definitely get a beating!
Mu Qingyang finished her noodles, her eyes red and still glistening with tears.

"What's wrong?" Grandma was startled when she came back to collect the dishes.

"I guess he was brought to tears by the spiciness, haha..." Zeng Wenjie laughed heartlessly.

Grandma then said, "I'll put less chili next time."

Mu Qingyang raised his hand to wipe the corner of his eye and said, "It's okay, it's delicious, the taste is especially good!"

Grandma smiled and said, "I should go prepare dinner. You take Xiao Mu inside to warm up by the fire. We have important guests today, so we need to make an 'Eight Big Bowls' dish." The "Eight Big Bowls" that Grandma was referring to was a dish only served at high-end banquets. It consisted of a large bowl filled with braised eggs at the bottom, then a layer of braised pork belly, then a layer of ribs, then egg dumplings... layer after layer, until a total of eight layers were completed.

"Don't we need to prepare the Eight Big Bowls in advance?" Zeng Wenjie asked.

"There was a banquet the day before yesterday, and I went to help cook. I brought back some leftover dishes, which are just right for cooking," Grandma said happily, glancing at Mu Qingyang frequently.

Mu Qingyang felt that her grandmother's smile was as warm and sweet as honey.

Zeng Wenjie snapped his fingers at Mu Qingyang and said, "Come with me, I'll take you to warm up by the fire."

The brazier is a four-legged wooden frame with a hollow center. A pot-shaped iron pot is placed on top of it, and charcoal is burned inside for warmth. Every household uses this.

"There are only wooden benches and chairs in the countryside, no sofas, okay? Will you be able to get used to it?" Zeng Wenjie asked.

"It's okay, I'm used to it," Mu Qingyang quickly replied.

Zeng Wenjie pulled her hand to the fire. He had to admit, little Mu's little hands were really smooth and soft to the touch, with excellent skin elasticity.

"I couldn't help myself just now." Mu Qingyang looked at the burning charcoal fire, his tone slightly desolate.

"What does it matter? Shedding tears for loved ones is nothing shameful," Zeng Wenjie said calmly, rubbing her slightly cold hands.

"The fried egg is delicious," Mu Qingyang said softly.

“Don’t keep hiding. You still have to face it. Don’t worry, my grandma likes you a lot. She’ll make you lots of poached eggs in the future,” Zeng Wenjie said.

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingyang smiled and stopped feeling sorry for herself, feeling a warm glow in her heart.

The fried egg she just ate must have tasted exactly the same as she remembered—not oily at all, with a crispy shell, and the yolk would ooze out when she bit into it.

"Why are you back?"

Grandpa rushed over upon hearing the news, entered the house, and immediately asked.

"Oh, I brought my classmates here for a bit, we'll go back tomorrow," Zeng Wenjie said, pointing at Mu Qingyang.

Mu Qingyang quickly stood up and said, "Grandpa, hello, my name is Mu Qingyang!"

Grandpa smiled and nodded, saying, "Hello, hello! Please sit down, no need to be so polite."

Immediately, he looked at Zeng Wenjie with a hint of surprise. Where did this grandson come from to bring such a beautiful girl?

Then, he noticed a scar on Zeng Wenjie's forehead, frowned, and asked, "Did you get into a fight?"

Zeng Wenjie said, "Someone was bullying my employee, and then a fight broke out..."

He explained the situation, and his grandfather nodded and said, "You did the right thing."

"Speaking of which, Grandpa, I hardly used any of the moves you taught me. I only used a few groin kicks and chokeholds! I feel that in real combat, boxing is simpler and stronger," Zeng Wenjie complained.

Grandpa said calmly, "How long have you been practicing martial arts? If martial arts were truly useless, would Du Xinwu have been Sun Yat-sen's bodyguard?"

Zeng Wenjie could only manage an awkward laugh.

"You don't even know to bring some fruit to entertain guests, you just sit here doing nothing. I think you have no manners at all," Grandpa said coldly.

Mu Qingyang grinned at Zeng Wenjie, but Zeng Wenjie glared at him fiercely, scaring him so much that he immediately shrank back.

Zeng Wenjie said, "Grandpa, let's play a couple of games of Go!"

Grandpa frowned and said, "You?"

His words were full of disdain.

“Her.” Zeng Wenjie pointed at Mu Qingyang.

"Alright, then I'll give Xiao Mu some pointers." Grandpa looked like a wise old man.

Zeng Wenjie grinned and happily went to fetch the chessboard and chess basket.

(End of this chapter)