After being universally criticized online, he cultivates immortality and farms to lead his motherlan

Chapter 14 Taro and Pork Ribs
Jian Ning was preparing to cook when her phone rang.

She had changed her SIM card, and besides her family, only Zhang Nan knew her phone number.

As soon as the phone is connected.

Zhang Nantian's naturally excited voice came through: "Ningning, I'm finally done with work. I just got off the plane. Where are you? I'll take you to eat something delicious. There's a new hot pot restaurant that's supposedly really good in Shimao International Plaza."

"I've already prepared the ingredients and am about to start cooking rice." Jian Ning asked, "Or you could come find me, and we can go out for hot pot tonight?"

Zhang Nan immediately agreed: "Okay, it's perfect timing since you've moved. I haven't had a chance to warm up your new house yet."

Jian Ning: "I'll send you my location, come over."

"it is good."

Zhang Nan responded.

It was noisy on the other end of the phone.

After a few seconds, Zhang Nan asked, "Ningning, can I bring a teammate over for a free meal?"

"sure."

Jian Ning scooped out half a cup more rice than usual from the measuring cup she was holding.
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Zhang Nan and his teammate Long Wu arrived at the entrance of Huayue Villa.

The dilapidated gate before them stunned the two of them.

The four characters 'Huayue Mountain Villa' are missing; the characters for 'Yue' and 'Zhuang' are nowhere to be found. Only the two characters for 'Huashan' are hanging crookedly on the wall.

Jian Ning was supposed to come pick them up, but Zhang Nan thought it would take too long and told her to wait at home. The two of them then shared their real-time location.

Zhang Nan, based on the real-time location, led his men inside.

Looking at the waist-high weeds along the road and the dilapidated, gray buildings not far away, everywhere was visibly crumbling. Long Wu said incredulously, "Are you sure Jian Ning really lives here? This doesn't look like anyone lives here at all. It's too run-down."

Zhang Nan also felt that the environment wasn't very good, and that Ningning was suffering here. But hearing others say it changed his mind. He immediately felt like a mother hen protecting her chicks and said casually, "This place hasn't been developed for too long. When it's renovated, it definitely won't look like this anymore. Besides, this pristine place is like a park, a natural oxygen bar. It's so comfortable to live here."

"Uh, right?" Long Wu replied in a hollow voice.

Anyway, no matter how she looked at it, this unfinished construction project had nothing to do with a park.

The unfinished building naturally creates a terrifying atmosphere; she wouldn't dare come here alone at night.

I can't believe it, Jian Ning actually lives there, she's really bold.

After walking for about ten minutes, the view suddenly opened up, as if I had suddenly arrived at a new place.

The brand-new villas not far away formed a stark contrast to the unfinished buildings next to them.

The closer you get, the clearer you see.

The villa has a large yard with evergreen lawns, a babbling stream, and ripe grapes hanging on the trellis. The purplish-red grapes immediately evoke images of a sweet and sour taste, making one's mouth water.

The villa's exterior also features a modern and warm style.

Zhang Nan pushed open the wooden door, which was less than a person's height, and walked inside.

"Ning Ning."

Jian Ning had just finished preparing the meal and came out of the kitchen. Hearing the sound, she looked up and saw someone waving and calling out, "Come in quickly."

The two of them entered the house.

Zhang Nan introduced the two to each other.

"Ningning, this is my teammate Long Wu. You can just call her Xiao Wu."

"Xiao Wu, this is my good sister Jian Ning."

Then the two shook hands and politely greeted each other with "Hello." Both were in the entertainment industry, and although they had never met before, they knew each other's names.

Jian Ning greeted them, "The food is just ready. You've arrived just in time. Wash your hands and eat."

The table was set with three dishes and a soup: taro and pork ribs, stir-fried sweet potato leaves, braised pork with potatoes, and a three-delicacy soup.

Long Wu came out after washing her hands and her eyes lit up when she saw the sweet potato leaves on the table.

Ever since Zhang Nan gave her sweet potato leaves, her parents have loved them ever since they tried them once, and they even bought some more later.

But if I wanted to buy it again, it would be gone.

The aroma of the food in the air instantly whetted her appetite.

The three of them sat down at the table, and Jian Ning greeted them, "Eat up."

The two of them had only eaten biscuits and drunk water on the plane and were starving.

Long Wu picked up her chopsticks: "Then I won't be polite."

Jian Ning smiled.

"Mmm, so delicious! This is truly the best sweet potato leaf I've ever eaten." After taking a bite of sweet potato leaf, Long Wu felt much of the discomfort from hunger disappear, and her stomach felt incredibly refreshed.

Zhang Nan proudly raised his head and said, "Of course, our Ningning's cooking skills are much better than those of professional chefs outside."

"That's an exaggeration," Jian Ning said modestly.

Zhang Nan took a bite of the taro and pork rib stew. The taro was stewed until soft and mushy, with a delicate and smooth texture and a rich taro aroma. There was no noticeable graininess, and it melted in his mouth. It wrapped around the tender pork ribs, which fell off the bone with a bite. The taro paste and meat were perfectly blended, yet each had its own distinct layers of texture.

"Ningning, it's not an exaggeration at all, it really is delicious."

Hearing this, Long Wu, who was chewing on her food, nodded vigorously in agreement.

Jian Ning said gently, "Eat more if you like it. You've lost weight."

Zhang Nan patted his thin belly and began to complain about the exploitative company, "This time the company took on a whole bunch of commercial performances, and we also had to rehearse and train. I'm almost exhausted. When I finally had a little time to rest, the company arranged for me to crash a red carpet event. I'm not getting more than five hours of sleep a night."

"No wonder your eyes look like a panda's." Jian Ning teased her, but she also felt sorry for her: "After you finish eating, take a nap this afternoon."

Zhang Nan responded, then, thinking of what had happened recently, asked, "That bastard Gu Yan used his connections to delete your Weibo posts without permission, and you're just going to let it go like that?"

Jian Ning remembered the video. She had planned to delete it three days later, but it mysteriously disappeared the next day.

She's not stupid; of course she could guess that Gu Yan's side was behind it.

It was probably just a matter of one phone call from Director Xie.

Once the mission was complete, Gu Yan, the tool of the mission, lost her value, and she no longer cared about any of it.

"Whatever, it's all in the past between him and me."

Zhang Nan was furious. "Hmph, all the negative comments about Gu Yan online have been wiped clean. He's even going to participate in a dating reality show with Xie Weiwei. He's really shameless. Does he think netizens have no memory?"

Jian Ning's expression remained neither happy nor sad, as if she were discussing gossip about a stranger: "He wants to be Director Xie's son-in-law, then I wish him success."

Long Wu tilted her head forward and gossiped, "Hey, but I heard that Xie Weiwei isn't Director Xie's biological daughter."

"Holy crap, really?" Zhang Nan got excited as soon as he heard the gossip. "Isn't Xie Weiwei always marketing herself as the 'little princess of the Northern Circle' and a rich second-generation? If she weren't his biological daughter, how could she have the nerve to say that?"

"I heard it from my parents' gossip. My mom's sister-in-law, who is also my aunt, is from the Xiao family. People in the top circles of Beicheng, like the Xiao, Xie, Wen, and Li families, all intermarry. The eldest son of the second branch of the Xiao family and Xie Weiwei were engaged since childhood, but the engagement was called off a few months ago. Then rumors spread that the paternity test came back negative, and Xie Weiwei is not related to the Xie family by blood." Long Wu scooped a spoonful of pork ribs mixed with taro paste into a bowl and said with a satisfied smile, "Ningning, the taro pork ribs you made are really delicious. Can you teach me how to make them?"

Zhang Nan, who was engrossed in listening to the gossip, was speechless when he heard the second half of the sentence, "taro and pork ribs."

"No, you big glutton! Just finish what you said. Xie Weiwei has no blood relation to the Xie family, and then what?"

(End of this chapter)