The Handsomest Man Among the Square Dancers

Liu Chang'an pushed open the door, and it seemed as if the scene he had seen earlier was replaying. Shangguan Dandan was still holding a thermos and staring at the TV with her eyes squinted. Her eyes slowly turned to Liu Chang'an, and Zhou Dongdong crawled out from under the electric heating table.

"They've started cooking upstairs, we'll eat soon, I'm a little hungry." I've only eaten Jinling and Huaiyang cuisine for two days, and I already miss Zhou Shuling's strong flavors.

"Brother Chang'an, those guests upstairs who didn't like me have left." Zhou Dongdong was also a little hungry, so she rubbed her stomach and snuggled up to Liu Chang'an.

"They're gone." Liu Chang'an nodded. "They don't seem to like me either."

After speaking, Liu Chang'an glanced at Shangguan Dandan and gave her a meaningful look.

"Then they definitely don't like me either." Shangguan Dandan snorted lightly. If she were in the era when she controlled the Imperial Seal, she would have ordered their execution.

In fact, Shangguan Dandan could have used her Little Coffin to suck them to death, but she was, after all, the Empress Dowager, radiating benevolence, kindness, uprightness, and Lux. She could not act recklessly like the emperor before her, who appeared peaceful and refined but was actually cruel and tyrannical, disregarding human life.

"Why don't they like any of them?" Zhou Dongdong's eyes widened, and she clenched her fists and bounced them around her sides, asking in confusion.

"I don't know... But you see, they don't like me, they don't like Dan Dan, and they don't like Dongdong either. Do you think there's something wrong with us that makes them dislike us, or is there something wrong with them?" Liu Chang'an asked casually.

"They've got a problem!" Zhou Dongdong shouted, skipping and hopping around the living room.

Liu Chang'an nodded... It's a pity Zhou Shuling didn't see this scene, otherwise she would have looked at him with admiration, revealing an expression and eyes that said, "I really am a stupid mother. He's so good at educating children."

Making Zhou Shuling realize that she is a foolish mother is just like Liu Chang'an's fondness for letting Zhou Dongdong radiate foolishness—it's one of Liu Chang'an's little hobbies.

"Brother Chang'an, during the final exam, there were so many questions I couldn't answer. Was there something wrong with the questions?" Zhou Dongdong stopped jumping around and looked at Liu Chang'an expectantly.

"No, that's a different matter; it's your problem that you're so stupid."

"I'm clever and brave... Aww..." This wasn't something Zhou Dongdong cared about much, so even if it was Zhou Dongdong's problem, it didn't matter. She was hungry, so she called out twice for food.

Shangguan Dandan stood up, carrying the water bottle in one hand and holding Zhou Dongdong's hand with the other, and walked upstairs. For the past two days, Shangguan Dandan had been worried about Dongdong's mother's blind date, and had lost her appetite. This morning, she only ate five meat buns and a bowl of beef and vermicelli soup with a poached egg, and she was very hungry now.

Liu Chang'an glanced around casually; all the household appliances were in their normal places. It seemed that Shangguan Dandan had finally realized that even if she took away his household appliances while Liu Chang'an was away, he would eventually take them back. So she stopped trying to take all his household appliances for herself.

Upstairs, Zhou Dongdong and Shangguan Dandan stayed in the kitchen, showing their serious concern about what to eat for lunch.

Liu Chang'an shooed them out and helped Zhou Shuling with the chores, but when it came to mixing sauces and stir-frying vegetables, Zhou Shuling naturally switched to the assistant position, standing beside him and handing him things.

"I wonder how much weight I'll gain from eating this lunch," Zhou Shuling said with some worry. Actually, she had never cared about her weight and figure before. It was Liu Chang'an who kept saying that she was not good-looking and had gained weight, which made Zhou Shuling rebellious and always want to prove herself, so she became particularly concerned.

But since so much food was prepared, she should eat more, otherwise it would be a waste.

"Take Dongdong and Dan Dan to square dancing in the evening. They always huddle next to the electric heater, they're practically hibernating. This isn't a good thing," Liu Chang'an suggested.

"Are you going?" Zhou Shuling looked at Liu Chang'an expectantly. "I can't dance, can you teach me?"

"I know how to do it?"

"You definitely will." People don't usually associate young people with square dancing, but Zhou Shuling felt that if Liu Chang'an went to square dancing, it wouldn't feel out of place at all. He might even be the most handsome man in the square dancing crowd.

"Okay, I'll take you sometime."

Zhou Shuling was very happy.

I made a three-sauce braised pot for lunch. When you've bought too much meat, vegetables, and vegetables, making a braised pot is a great option, as it saves a lot of trouble.

The most important part of making braised pot is the sauce, which must be prepared by Liu Chang'an. Zhou Shuling always likes to add chili sauce or chili powder to the sauce.

Zhou Shuling wasn't idle either. She peeled the cardamom, extracted the seeds, ground them in a mortar, chopped up the outer skin, mixed it with cardamom, pepper oil, salt, and vinegar, and made a cold dressing.

Liu Chang'an deboned the pig's trotters, cut them into small pieces, boiled them, rinsed them in water, squeezed out the water with gauze, and then mixed them with Zhou Shuling's cold dressing. The result was crisp, refreshing, and not greasy, making it perfect for drinking with alcohol.

The key to this dish is to cut the pig's trotters into small pieces, just cooked through. If cooked for too long, they will become tough. Also, you need to squeeze out the water in time, otherwise it will greatly affect the taste.

"After the New Year, we can officially start preparations for our new store in River West. I plan to create a signature dish at the new store to differentiate it from the old store, to establish a unique character, and to build a reputation that every store should try it at least once." Zhou Shuling tasted the cold pork trotters and had a flash of inspiration.

"Hmm." Liu Chang'an nodded.

"Let's have this dish then." Zhou Shuling thought it was quite delicious, and since it was a dish she and he had made together, it was quite meaningful, symbolizing the close relationship between the two founders of the Hong soup la rooster brand, just like the delicious pig's feet.

"Hmm... You could provide a separate dipping sauce for customers to choose from, since many people aren't used to it. You could offer Sichuan peppercorn oil, Sichuan peppercorn oil, red chili oil, or sesame oil, and let customers add their own. Then you can mix it for them." Liu Chang'an thought for a moment.

"Okay. So, what's the name of this specialty dish?"

"Zhou Shuling's hooves."

"Ugh! You're the pig's trotter!"

"Little Ling's pig's trotters."

"You keep insulting me! Do you really think I'm fat?!" Zhou Shuling was worried that Liu Chang'an was implying that she was as fat as a pig.

"Smart." Liu Chang'an laughed, but seeing her serious frown, he still explained, "Don't worry about dieting, I was just teasing you. You're just the right size."

Zhou Shuling carefully assessed whether he was serious and then laughed.

Unexpectedly, Zhong Qing came over at lunchtime. She was a normal and polite person, so she brought quite a few gifts when she came to pay her respects for the New Year. She was followed by four men in black carrying gifts, and the sofa area was filled with gifts.

It was lunchtime, Liu Chang'an invited Zhong Qing to stay for dinner, as he had some matters he wanted Zhong Qing to handle.