My Taoist buddy has practiced surrogacy

Chapter 1252 Power

One morning a few weeks later, Zhou Xing received a call from Ling Xue. Her voice was clear and energetic: "Mr. Zhou, thank you very much for your recognition of our products. I would like to visit you in person to discuss possible future cooperation." Zhou Xing was slightly stunned, then regained his composure and responded politely: "Ms. Ling, you are very welcome. We have a lot to discuss."

When the agreed date arrived, Ling Xue showed up in Zhou Xing's office wearing a simple business suit, carrying several carefully prepared product catalogs and a detailed market analysis report. Her professionalism and enthusiasm left a deep impression on Zhou Xing. During the meeting, the two had an in-depth exchange on topics such as how to further improve product quality and meet market demand.

As the conversation deepened, Zhou Xing was moved by Ling Xue's passion for agriculture and her dedication to quality. He proposed a bold idea: "Ms. Ling, if you are willing, we can sign a long-term cooperation agreement to jointly develop more high-quality products." A hint of surprise flashed in Ling Xue's eyes. She knew that this was a rare opportunity as well as a challenge.

After careful consideration, Ling Xue showed her decisiveness: "Mr. Zhou, I am willing to accept this challenge. I believe we can work together to create more possibilities." The two shook hands, and a new cooperative relationship was born. This is not only an affirmation of mutual trust, but also a common expectation for a better future.

After the cooperation agreement was signed, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue began to work closely together. However, the good times did not last long. A sudden natural disaster disrupted their pace. Continuous heavy rains caused serious damage to the orchard, and many fruits that were about to mature were facing losses. When the news came, Zhou Xing immediately called Ling Xue, his voice full of concern: "Ling Xue, how is the situation? Do you need help?"

On the other end of the phone, Ling Xue's voice sounded a little tired but still firm: "Mr. Zhou, the situation is very bad, but we are doing our best to rescue it. It's just that the supply this season may be affected." Zhou Xing responded without hesitation: "Don't worry about the supply problem, we will get through this together. You focus on resuming production, and I will adjust the procurement plan."

In the following months, Zhou Xing not only paid part of the purchase price in advance to help Ling Xue stabilize her cash flow, but also used his own resources to help her repair the orchard facilities. Ling Xue was also moved by Zhou Xing's sincerity and support, and she led the team to work day and night to minimize the losses.

Finally, with the joint efforts of both parties, the orchard gradually regained its vitality. When the first batch of newly grown fruits were picked, Ling Xue personally selected a box of the best ones and sent it to Zhou Xing.

Zhou Xing looked at Ling Xue's frank eyes and knew that there was no need to hide anything. He asked Ling Xue to sit down, poured two cups of tea, and began an unknown story. "I was originally a disciple of the hidden sect 'Youlan Sect'. By chance, I got an ancient inheritance." Zhou Xing's voice was low and magnetic, as if it could penetrate time and space and return to that ancient era.

In that quiet town, there lived a couple who couldn't be more ordinary - Zhou Xing and Ling Xue. Their home, like countless families in the town, was simple and warm, with laughter and joy coming from the yard from time to time, which was the atmosphere of life flowing.

Zhou Xing is a typical rural man, but unlike other men in the village, he did not go out to work, but chose to stay at home and become a "househusband". This caused quite a stir at the beginning. In the countryside, it is rare for men to cook, let alone those who regard the kitchen as their main battlefield like Zhou Xing. But Zhou Xing enjoys it. Every day before dawn, he gets up to pick a handful of dewy vegetables from the vegetable garden, picks up a few warm eggs from the chicken coop, and then dives into the kitchen.

When rolling out the dumpling wrappers, his hands seemed to be under a spell. After turning the dough twice in his hands, a thin and evenly thick dough appeared. Wrapping the fillings, he pinched and folded the dough with his fingers lightly, and the plump dumplings were neatly arranged. Cooking mutton soup was his specialty. He cut the selected mutton into large pieces, put it in cold water, and slowly blanched it to remove the blood. Then he added his special spice bag and simmered it over low heat for several hours. The whole house was filled with the tempting aroma of meat. When it was time for dinner, the family sat together and tasted the food made by Zhou Xing, and happiness was overflowing on everyone's face.

Ling Xue is a clerk in a township office. She goes to work every day, organizing documents, sending and receiving materials, and receiving visitors. Although her work is trivial, it is also fulfilling. After returning home, she always sees Zhou Xing busy with family affairs, and her heart is filled with guilt and emotion. She also helps with housework in her spare time. The two support each other and live a plain but stable life.

As the days passed, Zhou Xing suddenly had an idea to film his daily life of cooking and decorating his home and post it online. At first, it was just to record his life, but he didn't expect that these videos full of life would unexpectedly become popular. In the video, Zhou Xing was busy in front of the stove wearing an apron, his focused expression, and the moment when the delicious dishes came out of the pot, all deeply attracted netizens. Everyone was moved by his return to the true state of life, leaving comments and likes, and some even found this small courtyard along the Internet cable.

As the attention gets higher and higher, Zhou Xing's "House Cook" series of videos has a first batch of loyal fans. Some of them are impressed by Zhou Xing's superb cooking skills, while others yearn for that simple and pure family life. Fans urge for updates every day, hoping to see more details about Zhou Xing's family life, which makes Zhou Xing both surprised and a little overwhelmed.

One day, a big boss from the city found Zhou Xing and proposed to cooperate with him. He wanted to make Zhou Xing's videos into a brand and promote a new lifestyle. He promised to give Zhou Xing a large sum of money and help him redecorate his home to be more luxurious. Faced with this sudden temptation, Zhou Xing began to murmur in his heart. That night, he and Ling Xue sat under the old tree in the yard and talked for a long time. Ling Xue looked at Zhou Xing and said gently: "No matter what choice you make, I support you. Although our current life is ordinary, we are happy and down-to-earth. If you think that doing this will not lose our original intention, then give it a try."

Zhou Xing thought about it for a long time, but finally rejected the boss. He felt that his life did not need so many commercial things to package it. He just wanted to share the most authentic rural life and did not want to be bound by those rules and regulations. After the news spread, netizens praised Zhou Xing like a tide. Everyone said that he was a person who truly loved life and was not blinded by money.

Later, Zhou Xing still guarded his little world, cooked delicious food, and repaired every corner of the house. Ling Xue still went to work in the office every day, and hurried home after get off work to prepare dinner with Zhou Xing. The two talked and laughed, and occasionally joked about trivial matters. Although their lives were not rich, they were full of warmth and peace, like a trickle, moistening each other's hearts and infecting everyone who saw their story, making everyone believe that ordinary life can also bloom the most dazzling light.

He told the history of Youlan Sect, an ancient sect that focuses on studying the combination of spiritual energy and food. Their ancestor was a powerful reincarnation of the God of Food, who created a unique practice method - using food to heal injuries and to gather spiritual energy. As the successor of this generation, Zhou Xing shoulders the responsibility of carrying forward this heritage. "That's why my mutton noodles are different." Zhou Xing smiled slightly and continued, "The sheep I choose are all spiritual sheep that have absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and the rice noodles are made from specially made spiritual rice. Such food can not only nourish the body, but also help practitioners gather spiritual energy."

Ling Xue was fascinated by what she heard. She had never thought that there was such a profound connection between food and cultivation. She could not help but respect Zhou Xing, and at the same time, she felt lucky to have discovered such a secret.

"So, why did you choose to open a mutton noodle restaurant in this small mountain village?" Ling Xue asked curiously. Zhou Xing sighed, and a glimmer of memory flashed in his eyes: "This is my promise to my master. He hopes that I can integrate this inheritance into the lives of mortals so that more people can benefit from it."

It was late at night, and the moonlight shone through the window onto the two of them. Zhou Xing's words seemed to flow with the moonlight, full of philosophy and wisdom. Ling Xue listened, and an unprecedented respect and desire surged in her heart. She wanted to know more about this world and this extraordinary Zhou Xing.

As time went by, the relationship between Ling Xue and Zhou Xing became closer. One day, Ling Xue proposed a bold idea to Zhou Xing: "Brother Zhou, why don't we join forces to introduce your mutton powder to the world of immortal cultivation, so that more people of the same path can benefit from it." Zhou Xing pondered for a moment, and a hint of approval flashed in his eyes.

The two began to plan how to bring mutton noodles to a wider market. They selected materials, improved the formula, and even opened up a small spiritual field in the backyard of the noodle shop to grow spiritual rice and herbs. After countless experiments, they finally developed several new mutton noodle formulas, each with its own unique efficacy and flavor.

The news spread quickly, and more and more immortal cultivators were attracted by this magical mutton noodle. They came to taste it one after another, and some even traveled thousands of miles for a bowl of mutton noodle. The noodle shop's business was booming, and its reputation spread throughout the immortal cultivation world.

However, the good times did not last long. As the reputation of the mutton noodles grew, it also attracted unnecessary troubles. Some ill-intentioned forces began to secretly covet this unique recipe and the resources of the spiritual field. They sent spies to gather information everywhere, trying to find an opportunity to seize it all.

One night, a group of men in black quietly surrounded the noodle house. Their purpose was obvious - to steal the recipes and control the spiritual field. Faced with the sudden crisis, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue responded quickly. They used the layout of the noodle house to set traps and launched a fierce battle with the invaders. After a melee, the men in black were forced to retreat, but their harsh words before leaving made Zhou Xing and Ling Xue realize that this struggle was far from over.

The disturbance did not subside after a single repulse, but intensified. The defeat of the men in black was only a temporary setback, and their master had not given up coveting Zhouxing Mutton Noodle House. Not long after, late at night, a more powerful force quietly approached the noodle house. This time, the visitors were not simple people from the underworld, but the combined forces of several major sects.

Their goal is not only to seize the control of the recipes and spiritual fields, but also to bring Zhou Xing under their command or directly eliminate him to prevent future troubles. Facing such a powerful enemy, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue knew that they could not fight alone. So they decided to ask for help from other righteous sects.

In the remote and quiet Taoyuan Village, Zhou Xing is like an unpolished jade covered by the dust of time, silently emitting a warm glow. He is tall but slightly thin, with a clear face, revealing a sense of simplicity and perseverance. Every day at dawn, he gets up quietly, puts on his washed apron, and starts his day as a "cook". Mixing dough, chopping stuffing, and making dumplings, his movements are smooth and flowing, as if he is performing a sacred artistic creation. The rows of crescent-shaped dumplings, each of them plump and round, are arranged in an orderly manner on the chopping board, like soldiers ready to go.

The small courtyard at home is Zhou Xing's "battlefield", filled with various tools and materials. An old hammer and a few rusty nails can turn decay into magic in his hands. He took down the old wooden door in the house, carefully polished and painted it, and personally carved exquisite patterns to give the door a new lease of life, like an ancient work of art. The walls were not spared either. The originally mottled walls were painted and outlined little by little by him, and painted with elegant flower and bird patterns, making the whole house filled with a warm atmosphere. The faucet of the neighbor's house was broken, and Zhou Xing went to the door to repair it without saying a word, bringing tools; the legs of the stool of the old man in the village were loose, he raised his eyebrows and smiled, and repaired it in a few strokes, and did not forget to remind the old man to sit slowly.

His wife, Ling Xue, is a pretty woman with a gentle temperament. She works as a clerk in a township office, dealing with documents and materials every day. Her life is regular and dull from nine to five. She always wears a plain shirt and a simple skirt, with her hair neatly tied behind her head. She walks lightly with a hint of bookish air. Although the couple is not rich, they live in harmony and support each other.

The gears of fate began to turn inadvertently. One day, Zhou Xing filmed the process of making delicious food as usual, just to record the bits and pieces of life, and posted it on the Internet. Unexpectedly, this video was like a stone thrown into the lake, which quickly stirred up a thousand waves. The unique rural life scene, Zhou Xing's skilled cooking skills and the simple charm he exudes instantly attracted the attention of countless netizens. The number of video views soared like a rocket, and the number of likes and comments came in like a tide. "It's so healing, this is the life I yearn for!" "This skill is amazing, it looks delicious!" Netizens left messages to praise it.

Zhou Xing was a little confused at first, and didn't know what to do with the sudden attention. But soon, he adjusted himself and decided to continue sharing his daily life as a "househusband".