Returning to Taiwan in 2000 as a patriotic artist

"She just finished training and came here to be a nude model."

Yang Wanqing's eyes were unfocused, her fingers tracing the lines of her muscles.

You're already low on health and you still dare to seduce me?

Gu Bei grinned mischievously and wrapped his arm around her waist. "How about you reward me?"

Yang Wanqing glared at him, about to say, "There are other people here."

Her mouth was instantly sealed shut.

After struggling for a moment, she ignored everything and responded fiercely.

Xiaoyun, who followed behind, paused for a moment, then turned around with a blush on her face.

Zhou Huimin noticed that Gu Bei was secretly glancing at her, so she glared at him irritably and hummed in dissatisfaction.

"Cough cough, that's enough, you two." She pretended to cough, a sour feeling rising in her heart.

The two separated.

A blush crept onto Yang Wanqing's face. "I asked Xiaoyun to buy some groceries. Why don't you stay here for dinner tonight?"

"Okay, Sister Yang." Gu Bei looked at Xiao Yun curiously.

I've discovered this girl is truly an all-rounder...

Bodyguards, assistants, accountants, drivers, and now a chef...

Are bodyguards really that tight-lipped?

"I'm going to take a shower." He turned and walked towards the shower room on the second floor.

A few minutes later, Gu Bei walked into the kitchen, looking refreshed, to help.

The kitchen was steaming.

Xiaoyun stood in front of the cutting board, holding a knife in her right hand and pressing down on a pork chop with her left.

The blade fell, precisely tracing the gaps between the bones, and in less than ten seconds, the entire rib was completely removed.

Her movements were fluid and graceful, as if she had done them thousands of times.

"Da da da"

The rhythmic clanging of the cleaver against the cutting board filled the air as the chopped ribs were almost all the same size.

Gu Bei stood by the door frame, lost in thought.

This girl's knife skills are amazing!

Is there anything she can't do?

"Xiaoyun, did you study to be a chef before?" He went in and turned on the tap to wash his hands.

"I learned it from my dad." Xiaoyun didn't even look up, her lips still bearing a professional smile. "I want to find a man who can cook in the future."

"Oh, what a coincidence." Gu Bei put on an apron.

However, the apron was a bit small and not very fitted, and it was pink, making it look somewhat comical on him...

He didn't mind, picked up a white radish, peeled it in his hand, washed it, and then used a knife to slice the radish into the pressure cooker.

Xiaoyun paused for a moment, then put the cleaned ribs into the pot.

Gu Bei casually put the pot lid on and turned on the gas stove.

The two cooperated tacitly.

Xiaoyun picked up a toothpick and removed the shrimp vein.

Gu Bei had already picked up a knife and cut open the belly of a grouper.

"Your swordsmanship is excellent." Xiaoyun only glanced at it and had no intention of helping.

"Then you'll be my assistant today."

"You?" Xiaoyun frowned.

She was worried that Gu Bei wouldn't do a good job, and they would have to eat out, which would be troublesome.

"What? Don't you believe me?" Gu Bei laughed. "For Chaoshan men, cooking is just a basic skill."

He wasn't exaggerating.

In most Chaoshan families, women are good at cooking simple home-style dishes.

During holidays and festivals, it's always the men who have to step up.

Xiaoyun didn't say anything more and stepped aside to help.

However, she silently added in her mind, "My dad is also from Chaoshan."

Gu Bei's technique for handling fish was equally skillful.

Scale, gut, and clean—all done in one go.

He made several cuts on the body of the grouper, stuffed in ginger slices, placed scallion segments on top, sprinkled with salt and MSG, and then drizzled some oil on it.

"Steamed grouper is all about controlling the heat," he said as he put the prawns into boiling water.

"We'll take the prawns out and eat them with wasabi later."

The grouper was set aside to wait for the salt and MSG to dissolve.

Gu Bei picked up the soaked noodles, spread them flat on a plate, then placed the crab on top, and sprinkled it with seasonings, scallions, and ginger.

"We'll steam the crab first, then the grouper, and finally stir-fry the kale with beef."

Xiaoyun stood beside him, looking at his profile with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

While Gu Bei was processing the crab roe.

She had already removed the small pot from which she was boiling the shrimp and placed a steamer on top.

Boiled shrimp is the simplest way to cook them. Just put them in boiling water and cook until the shrimp bodies curl up and turn red. Then take them out and rinse them in ice water to make the shrimp meat springy.

However, Yang Wanqing was not feeling well, so the two of them skipped the step of rinsing her in ice water.

Instead, the shrimp are kept warm in hot water.

On the other side, Gu Bei had already put the crab-topped noodles into the pot.

With nothing to do for the time being, the two leaned against the kitchen wall and silently counted down the time.

"Gu Bei," Xiao Yun suddenly spoke.

"Um?"

"My dad always said that a man who can cook can't be too bad at it."

Gu Bei looked up and found the little girl staring at him intently.

"But I just noticed something's off between you and Sister Zhou!"

Xiaoyun frowned, doubting for the first time what her father had said. "I heard you breathing heavily outside the door, and you were very close together."

"That scene... must be a kiss!"

No... you can tell from that?

Gu Bei was taken aback.

He glanced furtively at Yang Wanqing and Zhou Huimin, who were picking kale in the living room, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your dad is right," Gu Bei smiled. "Doesn't the more women a man has around him prove that he's a better man?"

Seeing Xiaoyun frowning and lost in thought, he suddenly pointed to the refrigerator and said, "Help me take out the milk, and there's another dish to make."

If this girl wanted to complain, she would have said so long ago; she wouldn't have waited until now.

Xiaoyun turned around, opened the refrigerator, and took out the milk.

Gu Bei then rummaged through the cabinet and found red dates, tender ginger, and brown sugar.

Remove the shells from the red dates and grind them into small pieces using a blender.

Slice the ginger, put it in a pot, add water and bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

Once the broth has thickened, add brown sugar, milk, and chopped red dates, stir well, and cook for two minutes before turning off the heat.

Then set it aside and wait for it to thicken.

"What is this?" Xiaoyun looked at the gradually thickening paste in the bowl, somewhat puzzled.

"It's a yin-nourishing ointment," Gu Bei explained. "Women can drink it during their period to relieve discomfort."

Xiaoyun's gaze changed.

What started as curiosity turned into...some kind of indescribable emotion.

"You even know this?"

"I saw it online," Gu Bei casually made up an excuse.

The two brought the prepared food to the table.

"Wow, it smells so good!" Yang Wanqing came over following the aroma.

Seeing the table full of dishes, she paused for a moment, "Did Xiaoyun make this?"

Why does it feel a little different from usual?

I remember Xiaoyun had a bit of OCD; she always had to arrange things perfectly on the plate...

"No," Xiaoyun shook her head, "Gu Bei did it."

"Gu Bei?" Yang Wanqing's face was full of disbelief.

Vivian Chow also came over, and her eyes lit up when she saw the steamed grouper, crab roe noodles, boiled prawns, stir-fried beef with kale, and pork rib and radish soup on the table.

"Gu Bei, you can cook?"

"Basic stuff." Gu Bei pulled out a chair and sat down. "Try them all."

Yang Wanqing picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth.

The fish meat is white and tender, melting in your mouth, with the salty and savory flavor of fermented black beans perfectly blended with the natural sweetness of the fish.

"It's so delicious." Her eyes lit up, and her gaze towards Gu Bei sparkled with excitement.

I feel like I've struck gold.

Zhou Huimin picked up a noodle and put it in her mouth.

In an instant, the flavor of crab roe mixed with the aroma of noodles assaulted the taste buds.

She opened her mouth slightly and took a deep breath.

"It's so delicious!"

"Try this too." Gu Bei brought everyone a bowl of Yin-nourishing paste.

Yang Wanqing blushed slightly when she saw what was in the bowl.

Of course she knew what it was.

Xiaoyun just told her secretly.

"You've got a kind heart." She muttered under her breath, then lowered her head and sipped her drink.

The warm liquid slid down my throat, carrying the sweetness of red dates and the slight spiciness of ginger, instantly warming me up.

Zhou Huimin took a sip, glanced at Gu Bei, and said nothing.

The four people sat around the dining table, creating a rare and warm atmosphere.

"Oh, right." Yang Wanqing remembered something, took out the remote and turned on the TV, "There should be a rerun of 'Super Sunday' today."

The TV screen lit up, but it wasn't showing "Super Sunday".

On the screen, a man wearing a baseball cap is standing on the stage, his mouth opening and closing, making indistinct sounds:

"I want a helicopter~ I want to fly to space with you~"

The person deliberately sang in a very low voice, with almost no movement of their mouth, as if their throat was stuffed with cotton.

When singing the chorus, she deliberately sang off-key, turning "lovely woman" into "pitiful woman".

The audience below the stage laughed so hard they were doubled over.

Seeing that the show was very well received, the host continued to tease, "You can release a song like this? Your singing sounds like a mosquito's buzz."