The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Chapter 111 Living in such dire straits

Zhou Zihang was a few years older than Zhou Yanruo and had lived alone overseas for so many years, so his self-care ability was much stronger than Zhou Yanruo's. It's just that he used to live in the dormitory and eat in the cafeteria. He had a heavy workload and tight schedule. Besides, he was too lazy to make fancy food when he lived alone.

Seeing Zhou Yanruo, a young girl from my hometown, eating this all the time, I feel sorry for her.

So I asked, "Do you have any other ingredients at home?"

Zhou Yanruo picked up the brown paper bag and said, "There are also two cucumbers and ten eggs. Oh, right, there's also an onion and a chicken breast from yesterday."

Zhou Zihang thought for a moment and then asked, "Hmm, is there any staple food? Noodles or rice?"

"There should still be some rice left. I rarely cook; I usually eat bread." Zhou Yanruo said, taking out a small bag from the cabinet under the bar. There was only a handful of rice left in it.

Zhou Zihang glanced at it and said, "Okay, now you go organize the documents, I'll cook."

Zhou Yanruo stared wide-eyed: "Is it possible? You know how...?"

Zhou Zihang said, "It should be better than just being well-prepared. Go read a book, don't waste your time."

Zhou Yanruo glanced at Zhou Zihang with a suspicious look. Judging from his appearance, he really didn't seem like someone who could cook. Then, she hesitated and said, "I'm not going to manage this? I'll go look at the reference books?"

"Go."

......

About forty minutes later, Zhou Zihang asked Zhou Yanruo to put away her books and study materials, clear the table, and prepare for dinner.

Zhou Yanruo quickly cleared the table and watched as Zhou Zihang, as if by magic, served dinner to the table, plate by plate and bowl by bowl.

Her eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape, as she stared in astonishment at the sight on the table: chicken and potato soup, scrambled eggs with onions, and two bowls of cucumber and white porridge.

"I never expected that the PhD would actually be able to cook."

"I was forced into this, so I came over and sat down to try it out," Zhou Zihang said, still admiring his masterpiece as he stood by the table.

Zhou Yanruo went to the cabinet and took out chopsticks and a spoon, sat on the edge of the bed, and said to Zhou Zihang, "You sit down too."

He sat down and began to share his cooking tips: "I peeled the potatoes you just cooked, minced the chicken breast, and made chicken and potato soup. How do you like it? I tasted it when it came out of the pot, and it was pretty good."

Zhou Yanruo scooped up a small spoonful, put it in her mouth and smacked her lips. "Mmm, delicious."

"Hehe, it's alright, isn't it?" Zhou Zihang then added, "You must be so hungry that even chaff tastes sweet as honey."

Zhou Yanruo scooped up another large spoonful of chicken and potato soup and put it in her mouth, slurping her words, and said, "It's really delicious, extremely delicious."

Zhou Zihang then said with satisfaction, "I've never done this before, and it was quite successful on my first try, hehe."

He pushed the bowl of porridge towards Zhou Yanruo, "I didn't have enough rice to cook rice, so I made porridge. I added some peeled cucumber pieces, which have a refreshing aroma and are quite delicious."

"Hmm, I'll eat a couple of bites of food first." Zhou Yanruo picked up a piece of scrambled eggs with scallions with her chopsticks and chewed as she said, "Oh, this is delicious too. It's been so long since I've had Chinese food. My Chinese stomach is really suffering."

Zhou Zihang thought to himself, "It seems I have a talent for being a culinary master. Cooking is quite stress-relieving. Especially when I see others eating my food and praising it, I feel exceptionally happy."

Three months later, after Zhou Yanruo successfully passed her graduation thesis, Zhou Zihang's cooking skills also improved rapidly, and he was able to make more than ten signature dishes.

......

As Shang Yibo listened to Zhou Yanruo and Zhou Zihang's vivid retelling of this interesting experience, his eyes involuntarily welled up with tears. Zhou Yanruo, once such a proud and arrogant young girl, how could her life abroad have become so difficult? What exactly did she go through during the time he was away?

Jian Zheng pursed her lips, looked at Shang Yibo across from her, raised the half-full glass of sparkling water in front of her, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp.

Only Ding Jiajia found it particularly interesting, saying, "You two are really funny. Sister Yanruo is so lucky. Dr. Zhou's Chinese cooking skills are top-notch, not only in the United States, but also in China. Do you often have various gatherings abroad? If you can show off your culinary skills every time, everyone will fawn over you, especially overseas, where there aren't many authentic and delicious Chinese restaurants."

"I'm not a universal bodhisattva, I only cook for Ruoruo," Zhou Zihang said with a smile. "You're all benefiting from Ruoruo's kindness today."

Zhou Yanruo smiled and said, "You can't say that. You invited all the guests today."

The phone on Shang Yibo's desk rang, but he hung up without even looking at it.

Zhou Yanruo, who was standing nearby, reminded her, "It's rung several times already. Could it be that they really need to talk to you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shang Yibo's phone rang again. He glanced at the caller ID, which showed "MA".

Shang Yibo swiped to answer the phone, "Mom, is that you looking for me?"

Fang Xichen's voice came through the phone: "Yibo, Hong Yun called you but you didn't answer. She said she's at the entrance of your apartment complex. Did you arrange to meet her at your place?"

Shang Yibo said, "No, I'm not coming to my house. I'm at a friend's apartment right now."

Fang Xichen said, "Then you should call her back."

"Okay, got it. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."

Shang Yibo hung up the phone and was about to turn on his phone when his microphone rang.

He pressed the answer button, and a girl's shrill voice came through the phone: "Shang Yibo, why didn't you answer the phone? I've been standing on the street for almost half an hour."

Upon hearing the name Hong Yun, Shang Yibo frowned and asked, "Where are you?"

"The main entrance of Shangqing Jiayuan residential community."

What are you doing here?

"Didn't I just tell you? I'm here to have dinner with your friends."

"You said it, but did I agree?"

"Alright, why are you dawdling again? I'm already here. Just tell me which floor and door it is," Hong Yun said impatiently. "What kind of lousy community is this? They won't let my car in. I parked at the gate and made a phone call, but the stupid security guard came over eight hundred times to urge me to move my car."

When Shang Yibo's phone rang, Zhou Yanruo accidentally glanced at the caller ID and saw that it displayed the letter "H". She was sitting next to Shang Yibo, and the girl on the phone was speaking loudly, so she could hear most of their conversation.

Zhou Yanruo reached out and poked Shang Yibo, mouthing to him, "Let her come."

Zhou Zihang overheard the gist of it; it seemed that Shang Yibo's friend was coming. He called out loudly, "Come on over, it'll be more fun with more people. A3 building, 11th floor, room 01."

After saying that, he stood up and walked to the balcony.

Standing on the balcony, you can see the main entrance of the residential area. There, a girl in a red dress is standing in front of a red Porsche 911. The midday sun shines directly on her and the car, making them appear reddish.