Night Rose

"Okay!" Su Jin replied loudly, pushing Zhou Zheng away and straightening her clothes. "You'd better stay with me obediently and don't say anything out of line."

"Grandma still hasn't accepted me?" Zhou Zheng was very self-aware.

Su Jin sighed, "Grandma is old-fashioned. She thinks only older people know how to take care of others, and she thinks you're too young and don't have much of a sense of responsibility. But I think you don't look that young at all."

"She thought that twenty-year-olds were just reckless, youthful college students who couldn't even take care of themselves, so how could they possibly care about me? You know what I mean."

Zhou Zheng nodded. "I understand what Grandma means."

"Okay, if you understand what she means, let's go and meet my family. My dad is still at school and hasn't come back yet, so don't worry about him." Su Jin opened the door, but this time she didn't hold his hand and went out first.

Zhou Zheng was still somewhat disappointed, feeling that Su Jin was definitely still blaming him. But it wasn't wrong for her to blame him; he was the one who had kept it from Su Jin and hadn't told her in time.

Su's mother was sitting on the sofa, next to an old lady with a straight back. Her silver hair was curled into a flower bud, and she was wearing clothes made of fine material. She looked like an old lady who was not to be trifled with.

Grandma listened to Su Ma talk about the handsome guy for a long time, but based on her principle of not believing, she insisted on seeing him in person.

Zhou Zheng and Su Jin stepped in front of her, and Zhou Zheng greeted her, "Hello, Grandma."

Grandma Su's eyes lit up immediately, but she quickly suppressed it and coughed lightly, "You must be my granddaughter's boyfriend."

"Yes, Grandma. I brought you and your aunt and uncle some gifts. I hope you like them." Zhou Zheng looked obedient as he took out two beautifully wrapped silk shawls from the bag and handed them to the two of them.

The two shawls were different in style and color, which suited their age and aesthetic taste perfectly.

Su Ma's dress has her favorite peony design, while Su Grandma's dress has white lotus embroidery.

"How did you know I like Bai He?" Grandma Su finally looked at her properly, and her tone softened a bit.

"Su Jin mentioned it, so I remembered it," Zhou Zheng said.

Su Jin couldn't remember when she had said it. She couldn't hide her feelings on her face, so Grandma Su knew it definitely wasn't this girl who had told him; it was something he remembered himself.

"We appreciate your kind gesture, but regarding your relationship with Su Su..." Grandma Su paused, looking at the young man through her reading glasses, only to find him looking at his clock. She was somewhat displeased. "Xiao Zhou, what are you looking at? I'm talking about serious matters."

"Grandma, I'm checking the time. I just bought some groceries, thinking I'd cook for you." Zhou Zheng casually showed off the ingredients he was carrying, all high-quality meat from a large supermarket.

Su Jin is usually a picky person, so her family must eat well. Since it's his first time visiting, he should buy the most expensive food he can.

"You can cook?" Grandma Su was a little surprised. In her opinion, boys this age should be even less capable than girls. Let alone cooking, they probably wouldn't even know how to do housework.

"Auntie, Grandma, you two rest, I'll go cook." Without waiting for a reply, Zhou Zheng headed to the kitchen. He was determined to show off his culinary skills today and let Grandma Su know what he was capable of.

"Su...Su Su, you go help too." Su's mother quickly nudged her daughter.

Su Jin followed him. She stood behind Zhou Zheng and watched him take out the ingredients. The receipt was underneath. She took it out and looked at it, her eyes widening.

"Mr. Zhou, now that you have money, you're just throwing it away like this? What are you going to do with such expensive Wagyu beef?" Su Jin held up a bunch of cilantro from the bag, looking at it incredulously. "Are you going to stir-fry beef with cilantro?"

"Just tell me where to put the things, and you can go outside and wait. The kitchen is smoky." Zhou Zheng lined up the ingredients and began to process them skillfully.

Su Jin briefly showed him where the things were, and told him to call her if he didn't know anything. Then she walked out of the kitchen and sat on the sofa.

On the sofa, the three women looked at each other in bewilderment.

"He's really good at cooking?" Grandma Su asked softly.

"Won't it blow up the kitchen?" Su's mother wondered.

Su Jin laughed, "Don't worry, he's a great cook. Lu Mingzhou can't cook at all. When we were in New York, he'd rather hire a chef for me than cook a bowl of noodles for himself."

Grandma Su pursed her lips and remained silent.

Zhou Zheng was actually a little nervous. Cooking normally was one thing, but cooking for Su Jin's family was another.

This was a real test of his culinary skills. He was as nervous as if he were participating in a cooking competition. He had to be meticulous in his knife skills when cutting vegetables and in his presentation.

Once the five dishes and soup were served, the three members of the Su family waited at the table.

Before even starting to eat, the aroma was already making my stomach rumble.

No matter how powerful the range hood in the Su family's kitchen was, it couldn't block out the aroma of the food, which tempted Su Jin so much that she secretly slipped in and took a couple of bites.

Grandma Su is a picky cook, and she's still the one who does all the cooking at home. It's because she looks down on other people's cooking skills that her son barely inherited a few of the skills. Her daughter-in-law's cooking is like a disaster, and she'd never let her granddaughter touch a spatula. So, finding a husband who can cook is one of Grandma Su's wishes.

"Grandma, Auntie, please try the food and see if it suits your taste." Zhou Zheng stood to the side like a chef waiting for a judge's score, not daring to sit down.

Su Jin tugged at his sleeve, urging him to sit down. She really wanted to call him stupid; regardless of the food's quality, he wasn't there to apply for a chef's job. Her boyfriend was all she cared about—she just wanted someone who liked him.

Grandma Su took a small bite, "This taste..."

"How does it taste?" Su's mother asked.

"Hmm, not bad, Xiao Zhou's cooking skills are quite good. Who did you learn from?" Grandma Su asked, her frostiness melting away, and she looked much kinder.

"I'm glad you like it. I learned how to make it from my grandfather," Zhou Zheng replied.

Grandma Su nodded and said nothing more, only gesturing for everyone to start eating.

After a meal, Zhou Zheng won over Su's mother and grandmother's stomachs. Neither of them asked him when he was leaving. When Su Jin tentatively asked if she would take him to a hotel, Su's grandmother said that he should stay at home and that it would be inconvenient to stay in a hotel.

That means acknowledging him.

Su Jin talked herself hoarse, but it wasn't as good as the meal he made today. She should have just sent someone over to demonstrate their cooking skills.

Su Jin collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. She picked up her phone and saw that the SIM card was inserted correctly and the signal was full.

She patted Zhou Zheng, who was almost asleep, and asked, "Where did you find it? I've been looking for it for ages."

The person behind her woke up, turned around, and put his arm around her waist.

"Are you tired?" Zhou Zheng asked her with a thick nasal voice.

"Are you tired?" Su Jin turned over and laughed as she looked at his eyes, which were about to close.

Zhou Zheng slowly shook his head and whispered, "Not tired."

"You say you're not tired? Your eyelids are practically touching." Su Jin pulled at his eyelids, forcing him not to fall asleep.

"Explain quickly. This is your last chance tonight. Finish what you have to say now."