Chapter 832: Consistent Aesthetics

Everyone sat down in the living room, and Wang Yinghao took Yuke's hand: "This girl is getting prettier and prettier, even better-looking than our Xuanxuan."

"Thank you, Auntie." Yuke smiled very brightly.

She liked it when others praised her for being pretty, especially when it was more than her younger sister, which made her even happier.

"Auntie, you look a lot like my mother. Since my sister calls you Mother, can I call you Mother too?"

Wang Yinghao:...

Yuke was "innocent and outspoken," but Wang Yinghao found it difficult to answer.

"Mother" is not a title to be used casually.

Agreeing wouldn't be appropriate, but disagreeing—the person in front of her, while an adult in age, had the mentality of a child.

"Yuke, don't be impolite. You can't just call people 'Mother' randomly; call her Auntie." Shi Yucheng darkened his face to discipline his daughter.

"It's fine, don't take what a child says to heart," Wang Yinghao said politely, though she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This was the first time his in-law had come to visit, and Shi Yucheng couldn't afford to lose his temper; he treated his in-law like a neighbor, telling her not to be a busybody and not to interrupt when he was disciplining his daughter.

So he said to his daughter: "Yuke, go to the kitchen and help out; see how your husband is doing."

"Okay, I'll go help."

Yuke left happily.

She wasn't very willing to do other things, but she was very willing to help her husband.

The kitchen was already very lively; Sheng Zichen and Shi Ran were both there.

Although Shi Ran had no interest in the kitchen, her younger brother had described it so miraculously last time that she wanted to see it for herself.

It wasn't just the two children who wanted to see Gu Zhihao's culinary skills; the couple Shi Youxuan and Sheng Hanyu did too.

However, Sheng Hanyu hadn't stood there for even a minute before being chased out by his wife.

The reason was simple—his presence made Gu Zhihao nervous.

"Husband, I'm here to help... Oh, you're all here? Xuanxuan, come with me, let me show you the jewelry my husband gave me; it's so, so pretty." Her attention was easily diverted, and she pulled her sister away.

"Hey, slow down, I can't walk fast." Shi Youxuan shook off her sister's hand.

"Oh right, you're pregnant and can't walk fast, or you'll tire out the Baobao in your belly. Baobao, I'm sorry, I didn't think of that. Don't cry if you're tired; Dad says crying often doesn't make for a good child..."

In Yuke's room.

She opened her jewelry box like she was presenting a treasure, taking them out one by one to show Shi Youxuan.

"This necklace was a gift from my husband. Look, do I look pretty wearing it?"

She took off the necklace around her neck, put on the new one, and her face was full of happiness!

This necklace was just a thin, very ordinary platinum chain, and the pendant was a Xiaojin fish; it was a style from several years ago, and the gold pendant paired with the platinum chain looked very strange.

It must be said, if it were before, Yuke wouldn't have even glanced at such a necklace.

But now she was very happy and liked it very much, not just because the necklace was a gift from her husband, but also because of a very important point—her current aesthetic level had lowered to match Gu Zhihao's.

It wasn't just the necklace, but also all kinds of cheap and unattractive rings, bracelets, ear studs... a whole pile of them.

They were piled up in a full box.

It was a dazzling array of everything, and the large table was almost unable to hold it all, looking like a street stall.

Yuke tried them on one by one, and Shi Youxuan patiently accompanied her, praising her for looking good.

Praising her for being pretty, and saying that every piece of jewelry here was very pretty.

Whether it was pretty or not, the standards were different!

Beauty and attractiveness do not have a fixed standard.

The standard mainly depends on oneself; as long as one feels there is no problem, even wearing a broken straw hat on one's head is pretty.

"Time to eat!"

"Yuke, are you showing off your jewelry again? Hurry up and put it away, let your sister eat. She's eating for three people now, she can't afford to be hungry."

Shi Yucheng urged.

"Coming, coming right away."

Hearing her father call her, Yuke didn't dawdle for even a second; she "swiped" all the jewelry on the table into the box and then ran outside!

Shi Yucheng's discipline was very successful.

She ran to the door and remembered her sister.

So she came back to pull Shi Youxuan... but halfway through, she pulled her hand back and carefully supported her arm: "Sister, don't rush, walk slowly."

"It's fine, you go down first, I'll be right behind."

"Alrighty."

Before the words had even faded, she had already vanished like a puff of smoke.

In the dining room.

Everyone took their seats as guests and hosts.

The dishes were very sumptuous.

Gu Zhihao knew the Sheng Family had come to his home to taste his cooking, so he had very seriously prepared a table of dishes.

Pan-seared Pork Knuckle and Steamed Meatballs were must-haves.

In addition, there were White Crispy Meat, Braised Pig Trotters, Stir-fried Shrimp Segments, Braised Tendon, Old-fashioned Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, Deep-fried Yellow Croaker, Stuffed River Snails, Braised Pork with Preserved Bamboo Shoots, Scrambled Eggs with Crab Roe, Rose Sugar Rice Cake, Braised Peach Soup, Steamed Deer Shadow, and West Lake Beef Soup.

These were not all taught to him by his father, but were made according to the Gu Family Recipe.

Back then, his father had a deep hatred for the profession of a chef, but he hadn't burned the ancestral recipe, leaving it to him instead.

Today's dishes were basically meat-based, with mostly savory dishes.

Heavy on sugar and oil, they weren't necessarily very healthy, but they were delicious!

Sheng Jiang is very attentive to his health, and he always eats until he is seventy percent full.

But today he made an exception, eating until he was stuffed!

Especially the Pan-seared Pork Knuckle and White Crispy Meat, which are his favorites.

He almost ate until he was in tears.

It wasn't just that it was delicious; the important thing was that he had found the taste of his childhood.

Later, even his wife couldn't watch anymore and told him to eat less white meat, as at his age, it is easy for his blood lipids to exceed the limit if he is not careful.

"It doesn't matter, I'll go back and get on the treadmill to burn off the extra fat from this meal."

Wang Yinghao:...

Since her husband had already said so, she couldn't say much more.

"I never imagined I would be able to taste the flavors of the past again in this lifetime; it's too blissful, I wouldn't even dare to dream of it..."

Sheng Jiang was a bit emotional and said to Gu Zhihao, "You should pass down the Gu Family's craft and reopen the private kitchen. Jiangzhou today is not the Jiangzhou of over half a century ago; it's not that chaotic, and it would be a pity for your craft to go to waste."

Sheng Jiang urged him, and everyone else also felt that Gu Zhihao should carry forward his family's ancestral craft.

He did not agree.

"It won't work. I know you mean well, but I swore an oath before my father that even if I were to die of poverty, I would never work in this industry."

"If I were to break my oath, I fear he would not be at peace in the afterlife."

He is a man who keeps his word, even though he loves and enjoys the culinary profession very much.

But once a promise is made, one must keep it to the end.

"This child is good; he is a good child."

The old man felt he was doing the right thing, but it was truly a pity that the Gu Family's craft could not be passed down.

"Xi Fu, if you say you will take me as your apprentice, that wouldn't count as breaking your oath, right?" Sheng Zichen had been silent until now, but suddenly blurted this out.

The little guy's gaze was firm, yet it also revealed a hint of unease.

"It doesn't count, it doesn't count. Don't worry, I will definitely do what I promised you."

Sheng Zichen patted his chest and said like a little adult, "That's great, now I can rest easy."

Everyone laughed out loud, teasing Sheng Zichen for only being truly attentive when it came to food.

At that moment, no one expected that this casual promise would later have a very important influence on Sheng Zichen's life.