Dragon Raja: I practiced Naruto ninjutsu next to Lu Mingfei.

Page 322

Zhang Qiong glanced at Gu Ran and laughed, "Him? He can't cook. I've never seen him cook before. These days, he's been going to Nuwa's place for meals every day. You don't need to say nice things about him."

Gu Ran used to be unable to cook; she couldn't even cook noodles properly, and she always cooked them half-cooked.

Su Xiaoqiang was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say. In her impression, Gu Ran had always been good at cooking, and her cooking was super delicious.

Gu Ran said modestly, "My cooking is nowhere near as good as the food at the top-floor club."

“You can’t keep taking advantage of Nuwa; you still have to pay her.” Zhang Qiong said.

Zhang Wanjun, who was drinking soup nearby, ruthlessly revealed the truth behind Gu Ran's behavior: "He's been going to Nuwa's place to eat these past few days because Nuwa promised him he could eat as much as he wanted at the club for a year... So, he's going there to get his money's worth..."

Gu Ran performed exceptionally well in the wedding building incident, so Nuwa promised him that he could eat and drink as he pleased in the top-floor clubhouse for a year.

Gu Ran has a big appetite, so... the top-floor clubhouse became his dining hall.

Gu Ran said confidently, "I've been eating pork knuckle, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut at Kassel College all year round. I'm sick of these German dishes. I'm only back for a few days, and the chef at the top-floor clubhouse cooks delicious food for free, so of course I have to eat to my heart's content!"

Everyone chuckled and shook their heads with smiles.

Just then, the doorbell rang outside the door.

"I'll open the door!" Gu Ran stood up, went to the door, opened the security door, and found that it was Zhang Zhenqi.

"Hi!" Zhang Zhenqi, carrying a thermos, carefully squeezed in. "I... I made chicken soup to visit Aunt Qiong..."

Zhang Zhenqi comes from the Zhang family, so it's only natural that she calls Zhang Qiong "aunt".

However, her blood relationship with Gu Ran goes beyond four or five generations.

However, her arrival at this moment was rather awkward. She glanced at the table and deduced that it was a family dinner.

She had come right at mealtime, bringing chicken soup, thinking that people would usually invite her to stay for a meal.

Although her behavior was a bit rude, it allowed her to stay for a meal and thus strengthen their relationship.

But unexpectedly, Zhang Qiong hosted a family banquet today and specially invited Su Xiaoqiang, so her presence here is rather superfluous.

"You've come at this hour, haven't you eaten yet?" Gu Ran asked, staring at her.

Zhang Zhenqi dressed up today, wearing a camel-colored Peter Pan collar coat that looked quite understated, giving her a sweet and girlish look.

She hadn't expected Gu Ran to speak to her first, so she nodded and said, "Yes, I haven't eaten yet!"

"That's perfect!" Gu Ran laughed. "Why don't you take the chicken soup downstairs and buy a bowl of rice to eat at home? You won't have to cook lunch."

After hearing Gu Ran's words, Zhang Zhenqi stood stunned in the entryway.

He actually kicked her out?

The three women at the table covered their mouths and chuckled.

Zhang Zhenqi stood there, unsure whether to leave or stay.

Su Xiaoqiang stood up to defuse the situation, saying, "Why don't you stay and eat with us? It's just one more person and one more pair of chopsticks."

After saying that, she looked at Zhang Qiong, who was the true mistress of the house.

"Okay, come and sit down," Zhang Qiong said with a smile.

Gu Ran moved closer to Su Xiaoqiang: "Why did you let her sit down? Aren't you afraid she'll steal your husband?"

“I call this the composure of the empress!” Su Xiaoqiang pinched his waist. “Besides, I’m afraid you’ll be resented by her. You know, a woman who wants to hold a grudge and take revenge on a man can stop at nothing!”

"Have you been watching too many TVB palace dramas lately?" Gu Ran asked with a smile.

With Zhang Zhenqi joining the meal, the atmosphere wasn't as harmonious as it had been at the beginning, since there was now an outsider present.

Zhang Zhenqi realized she had miscalculated; she had come at a really bad time.

"Zhenqi, which branch of your family are you from?" Zhang Qiong asked.

Chapter 363 Wrist Wrap Double Jumper

“My grandfather is the Fourth Elder,” Zhang Zhenqi answered truthfully.

"Oh... so it's that old man." Zhang Qiong said thoughtfully, finally understanding why Zhang Zhenqi had approached her eldest son.

She told Zhang Zhenqi, "When I have time, I'll go back to the Zong family and have a good chat with those old folks. You don't have to stay here; you can do what you want."

Zhang Zhenqi glanced at Zhang Qiong, then at Gu Ran, and finally lowered her head to eat her rice without saying anything.

Gu Ran was completely baffled, thinking to herself that meeting people like you who are full of riddles was like never having been rich in eight lifetimes.

After finishing the meal, Zhang Zhenqi knew she was superfluous, so she hurriedly said goodbye and left as soon as the meal ended.

In the end, Su Xiaoqiang acted like the lady of the house and personally escorted her to the door.

As expected of the Empress, she is composed.

"Not even staying to wash the dishes, just eating and leaving, how rude!" Gu Ran complained, then very sensibly went to wash the dishes.

Zhang Wanjun seemed to have something to do and went back to her room to make a phone call.

"I'll do the washing!" Su Xiaoqiang returned from the doorway, ready to help with the chores and show off her domestic skills.

“No need, let him wash them,” Zhang Qiong told Gu Ran to go wash the dishes, and then said to Su Xiaoqiang, “Come here and have a chat with me.”

"Oh." Su Xiaoqiang obediently sat down next to her future mother-in-law.

The kitchen in the house is an open kitchen, so Gu Ran can hear the conversation in the living room while she is washing dishes.

Zhang Qiong put her arm around Su Xiaoqiang's shoulder and carefully examined her.

To make a good impression, Su Xiaoqiang didn't wear makeup today. She just moisturized her skin with toner and lotion and didn't even draw her eyebrows.

So today she looks very youthful, but her captivating eyes can't hide her charm, and the glow of love makes her even more alluring.

Zhang Qiong affectionately pinched Su Xiaoqiang's cheek: "What a beautiful and lovely girl. Ranran is so lucky to have married you."

Gu Ran finished washing her hands in the sink and complained, "To be honest, I'm not bad either. I inherited my mother's good looks, so it's Su Xiaoqiang's good fortune to marry me. We're a match made in heaven!"

These words completely won over Zhang Qiong and Su Xiaoqiang.

Zhang Qiong looked at her son with amusement: "I haven't seen you for over a year, how come you've become so good at sweet-talking people?"

"How can I find you a gentle and virtuous wife if I don't know how to coax people?"

Su Xiaoqiang smiled shyly as her boyfriend praised her in front of his future mother-in-law.

Zhang Qiong was both amused and exasperated, thinking that it was better for her son to be like this than before.

She suddenly noticed the rings on Su Xiaoqiang's left and right ring fingers, and curiously took her hand to examine them closely.

"This ring...was it a gift from Gu Ran?"

"Yes." Su Xiaoqiang nodded and said sweetly, "It's an engagement ring."

Zhang Qiong was a master alchemist, and she could tell at a glance that the ring was a product of alchemy.

"He does have some talent. He can make a strange metal from ordinary silver that is neither gold nor silver, and it won't corrode, while retaining the special luster of gold and silver." Zhang Qiong said with some pride, "He truly is my son!"

Gu Ran laughed and said, "I'm thinking that if we ever run out of food, I'll buy some iron ore, refine it into gold, and sell it. What do you think?"

Zhang Qiong said irritably, "I've heard that you have more money than me now. You even made 300 million US dollars from the Gattuso family two months ago. You're the best at making money."

Gu Ran said, "Isn't this money meant for your retirement? Otherwise, how will you have money to enjoy your golden years with your grandchildren?"

Zhang Qiong held Su Xiaoqiang's hand and asked Gu Ran, "So, how many grandchildren do you plan to have for me in the future?"

Su Xiaoqiang lowered her head slightly, a little shyly.

Gu Ran said, "My wife is so beautiful, sometimes I can't help myself... I might have five, six, seven, or eight kids!"

Zhang Qiong laughed and scolded, "You rascal!"

Su Xiaoqiang, standing to the side, didn't know how to react when she heard this. In front of her elders, the blush on her face spread from her earlobes all the way down to her neck.

Looking at her shy appearance, Zhang Qiong felt a pang of pity. Girls who blush often know right from wrong, and she was a good girl.

Gu Ran finished washing the dishes and watched Su Xiaoqiang blushing on the side. He thought to himself, "This crazy girl used to be the naughty kid who would write cheat sheets on her thigh during exams."

Now that she is about to get married, she has become more mature and composed.

Zhang Qiong then went back to her room, took out a square brocade box, and returned to the living room, sitting down next to Su Xiaoqiang again.

"Since this is your first visit, I don't have much to give you, but these jade bracelets look quite clear, so I'll consider them a small gift for you."

Su Xiaoqiang took the jade bracelets and glanced at them. She didn't know much about jade, but she could tell at a glance that the bracelets were very valuable because they were pure white with scattered light green spots and were very translucent under natural light, without any flaws.

Moreover, the jade bracelet felt very delicate and smooth to the touch. Su Xiaoqiang, who never wore it before, fell in love with its smooth texture after touching it.

Just as she was about to accept the jade bracelets, she noticed that Zhang Qiong's eyes were also fixed on them, and she seemed reluctant to part with them, showing that she also really liked them.

But it wouldn't be right to refuse a gift from her future mother-in-law, so she said, "I... I'll just take one, and you can have the other bracelet..."

"No." Zhang Qiong shook her head, smiled, and thought to herself that this girl had noticed her reluctance.

"How can we express our deep bond? By wearing a pair of jade bracelets around our wrists." Zhang Qiong put the pair of bracelets on Su Xiaoqiang's left wrist. "You have to wear a pair of these jade bracelets."

"How can I express my longing? Only with a pair of jade bracelets encircling my wrist." This is a poem of love written by Fan Qin, an official under Cao Cao during the Eastern Han Dynasty. The poem means, "What can I use to express my longing? Only with a pair of jade bracelets encircling my wrist."

Therefore, wearing a pair of bracelets also signifies a commitment to each other. Zhang Qiong gave Su Xiaoqiang this pair of jade bracelets in the hope that they would be committed to each other for life.

Gu Ran and Su Xiaoqiang, those two scoundrels, didn't understand the meaning of Zhang Qiong's blessing at first, but they later looked it up and realized it was a blessing.

At this moment, Su Xiaoqiang touched the jade bracelet on her wrist, quite fond of it: "Thank you, Auntie."

Seeing that she liked it, Zhang Qiong knew she would cherish it, and she was happy too.

Gu Ran laughed and said, "Isn't it wrong to wear one jade bracelet on each wrist? It looks like you're wearing handcuffs..."

Zhang Qiong said irritably, "You little rascal, why do you keep talking nonsense when you're happy? You're such a grown man, why are you still so improper?"

And so, the family dinner was a joyous occasion, and Su Xiaoqiang gained Zhang Qiong's approval. As for the two little ones' secret engagement, she turned a blind eye.

*……*……*

With the new year comes a new look, and everyone is busy with their lives. However, some people are feeling down, as nothing seems to go their way.

For example, Ma Qianyan.

Ma Qianyan was very upset because she was fired for not doing her job properly during work hours and then attempting suicide by jumping off a building.

Ma Qianyan couldn't reason with this at all, because... she really did jump off the building during work hours. So many people at the school saw it, and it even made the news. She couldn't deny it.

Moreover, the milk tea shop was unattended at the time, and she was not at her post, which was indeed a major oversight and mistake on her part, so it was reasonable for her to be dismissed.