Chenchen ran to the bed, picked up the brown Winnie the Pooh stuffed toy, unzipped the back, and there it was—the Pill Splitter Su Zhu had been looking for.
"Sigh…" Chenchen let out a grown-up-like sigh as she looked at the Pill Splitter. "Grown-ups are such a hassle. Silly Mommy, can't you just take the initiative and invite Uncle Ouyang Yunjian for dinner? Even the boys in my kindergarten know to treat girls to food. Silly Mommy!"
She hugged the bear and whispered, "Little Bear, you know what? I really want Uncle Ouyang Yunjian to be my dad!"
After zipping up the bear and placing it back on the bed, she bounced cheerfully out to the courtyard.
In Ouyang Yunjian's room, Meng Yu was racking his brain to come up with a suitable excuse to get Ouyang Yunjian to visit Su Zhu, but the harder he thought, the more his head hurt. In the end, he flopped down on the bed and started throwing a tantrum.
"I don't care, I want to eat beef! I must eat it tonight!"
"You're sick or what? Where am I supposed to get that for you?" Ouyang Yunjian snapped coldly.
"It's simple—just call Su Zhu and ask her!"
No sooner had Meng Yu said this than Ouyang Yunjian's phone rang. He glanced at the screen and froze. "Su Zhu?"
Meng Yu sat up in bed like a spring-loaded fish, smacking Ouyang Yunjian on the arm excitedly. "Answer it, answer it! Talk about the beef! Why are you hesitating?!"
Under Meng Yu's frantic urging, Ouyang Yunjian finally answered the call.
Meng Yu snatched the phone, pressed the speaker button, and handed it back with a glare from Ouyang Yunjian.
"...The Pill Splitter? Yes, I have a spare one in my office. I can call my colleague and have them bring it down for you..."
Meng Yu urgently pinched Ouyang Yunjian's arm and mouthed: I'll deliver it myself!
Ouyang Yunjian shook his head, but Meng Yu pointed downstairs, his face full of threat.
Resigned, Ouyang Yunjian gave in.
"Miss Su, I just remembered—it's actually locked in my drawer. Tell you what, I'll swing by the hospital and drop it off for you later."
Meng Yu gave him a thumbs-up with a grin.
"No trouble at all, I happen to have something to take care of over there anyway."
"Yes, yes, exactly."
"Around six o'clock sound good?"
"Great, see you then."
"Bye!"
"Yesss!" Meng Yu fist-pumped in place. "I can already smell the heavenly aroma of braised beef!"
Ouyang Yunjian had barely hung up when Meng Yu cheered like a little kid.
"Happy now?" Ouyang Yunjian said with exasperation.
"Bro, don't act like it's such a burden. I've got a great eye for people—marrying Su Zhu would never be a loss!"
"Yeah right," Ouyang Yunjian scoffed. "You're the one benefiting here—selling out your brother just for beef."
But despite the complaint, there was no anger in his tone—if anything, a trace of quiet delight.
"Don't play the victim. How about this—I'll give you a hundred million, and you hand her over to me!"
Ouyang Yunjian raised a brow. "Not happening."
"Tch, you're such a tight-lipped romantic."
…
The noodle shop closed at 2 PM for its break before reopening at 4 PM. As soon as it opened, customers began lining up again.
Now that Zhao Bing, Chen Shuyun, and the others had fully adapted to the shop's fast-paced rhythm, though they were run off their feet, everything moved smoothly and efficiently.
This gave Su Zhu time to handle her own tasks—like making beef and celery dumplings.
You couldn't use beef shank for the filling—it was too dry. The best was lean-heavy ribeye, which had just enough fat to lock in the celery's moisture and give the dumplings their juicy, savory flavor.
As for the celery, it had to be de-leafed, thoroughly washed, and chopped—not minced—into rice-sized bits. That way, the fragrance stayed intact, and the texture was more satisfying.
"Master, you even know dumplings? This filling smells amazing!" Zhao Bing leaned in to sniff, marveling.
Wu Xianming, who was boiling noodles, chimed in, "Master's like a culinary wizard. This morning's steamed buns—ugh, don't even get me started. I'm drooling again."
"Yeah, those steamed buns were divine—what's that saying? 'Food fit for the heavens; rarely seen by mortals!'" Zhao Bing, always the poetic one, added.
"Alright, back to work." Su Zhu chuckled. "Dumplings are all about hand technique. No use rushing it—you'll only stumble if you try to run before learning to walk."
"Yes, Master!"
"If I can learn even half your skills, I'll never have to worry about food again in this life."
…
By 5:30 PM, Su Zhu had made a huge batch of dumplings—at least seventy or eighty.
Ouyang Yunjian had said he'd arrive around six, so there was still time. Su Zhu called over Zhao Bing and the others and asked them to keep an eye on Chenchen at the cashier counter.
The noodle shop's booming business was largely due to Su Zhu's culinary skills—but Chenchen's adorable charm played a role too.
Perched behind the counter, she was like a living lucky cat. Everyone who came to scan their QR code would chat with her a little.
Especially the girls from the nearby teachers' college—they were obsessed with Chenchen. While waiting for their noodles, they'd crowd around her at the counter.
Chenchen was fearless around strangers, entertaining them with jokes, songs, and riddles. Her cheeky little grin had them squealing nonstop.
"Sigh, big sisters, since you couldn't guess any of my riddles, I'll give you an easier one—a brain teaser, okay?" Chenchen sighed as she looked at the girls surrounding her.
She couldn't help it—they'd failed to guess five riddles already. How could they be so dumb?
"Yes yes, tell us!"
"This time we'll get it for sure!"
"I'm great at brain teasers!"
"Come on, let's hear it!"
"Alright, listen carefully!" Chenchen pressed the lid on her water cup and grinned.
"Who's the Rice's mommy?"
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。