Chapter 47

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  Once the dishes were served, silence reigned in the private room. The table was piled high with Tian Xia Restaurant's signature dishes, and Jiang Zhi Zhou had ordered egg fried rice especially for Xia Wei.

  "Want some fried fish?" Jiang Zhi Zhou picked up a small, golden-brown fish and placed it on her plate.

  "Thank you." Xia Wei spooned in a bite of egg fried rice. Although she felt that the craftsmanship of the current chef was hardly equal to the man sitting beside her, Tian Xia Restaurant had access to superior ingredients so it still tasted different from home-cooked food.

  His aunt smiled, watching them, before asking Xia Wei: "Miss Xia, do you cook?"

  Before Xia Wei could open her mouth, Jiang Zhi Zhou interrupted: "I can."

  Xia Wei, her mouth full of rice, cocked her head at Jiang Zhi Zhou. She had actually just been about to say that she could cook.

  Jiang Zhi Zhou's father added: "What's this, don't I do all the cooking in our family?"

  Once that had been said, neither Jiang Zhi Zhou's mother nor his aunt spoke up again.

  After the meal, Jiang Zhi Zhou's father took out a red envelope as a meeting gift for Xia Wei. She declined, embarrassed, but when Father Jiang saw her refusal, he merely stuffed it into the Jiang Zhi Zhou's hands. "Then take it to cook a few good dishes for others to eat."

  Jiang Zhi Zhou did not refuse. "Thank you, Dad. Do you have plans for later? Want to play mahjong?"

  "Unfortunately not, I'm going fishing this afternoon."

  "Then should I drive you there?"

  "What driving? Your car will hardly fit all four of us. You should go have fun with Xia Wei, and when you next have a chance, come home for dinner. I'll be cooking."

  Jiang Zhi Zhou laughed. "I haven't tasted your craft in a long time. I'm pretty envious of Mom."

  When Mother Jiang heard him, she smiled. "You know you can come home to eat anytime you like! Yet when you don't come back, you blame us." Looking at her sister beside her, she said, "Shall we be off?"

  "I hope I'll have a chance to eat together with you again next time," his aunt bid farewell, picking up her bag and leaving with Jiang Zhi Zhou's parents.

  Jiang Zhi Zhou and Xia Wei headed to the elevator. When the doors closed, Xia Wei collapsed against the walls. Jiang Zhi Zhou picked up her hand and asked, "What's wrong?"

  Xia Wei looked up at him and said, "I can finally take a breath!"

  Jiang Zhi Zhou pulled her up with a smile, tidying her hair. "I'll take you home first to nap."

  "Sounds good." Xia Wei felt exhausted. She hadn't slept well last night, and had been scrambling around all morning today. She might even fall asleep next to her pillow. Following Jiang Zhi Zhou to the parking lot, Xia Wei sat down in the passenger seat and looked at the person next to her. "Does your family not like me very much?"

  Jiang Zhi Zhou started the car and turned to look at her. "They just don't know you yet."

  "Oh..." Xia Wei felt that she really wasn't that interesting. "To tell the truth, our families are really different. Your parents want to find you a..."

  "They may have a lot of conditions, but the most important criteria is that I must like her."

  Xia Wei eyed him for a while, then smiled mockingly. "Indeed, you having a girlfriend at all is completely out of charity."

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