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"You're just talking big."
Gu Zheng sneered as she placed a pile of bowls on the table and looked at her mother with disdain, "Go wash your hands quickly. You will face reality after dinner."
"Really? Who is bragging?"
Miao Yan'er's smile remained unchanged, with a hint of provocation in her eyes. The two people's gazes collided in the air, and there seemed to be invisible sparks flashing.
Just then, Han Zhou carefully walked out of the kitchen carrying the soup and greeted Miao Yaner with a smile.
"Hello Auntie."
Miao Yan'er was unhappy when she heard this. She immediately turned her head and looked at him dimly, saying with a sad face, "I've told you so many times, don't call me auntie, just call me Sister Miao, I'm still very young."
Han Zhou's smile froze as he looked at the beautiful woman in front of him who looked somewhat similar to Gu Zheng.
Miao Yan'er is in her forties this year, but she looks very young. She has shoulder-length hair like her daughter, but she dyed it burgundy. She has two big earrings on her ears. Her facial features are bright, her makeup is very light, her red lips are sexy, and her figure is much more curvaceous than Guzheng's. She exudes the charm of a mature woman.
The way she smiles is very similar to Gu Zheng, with the same curved eyebrows and eyes, but compared to the latter's youthful brilliance, her smile is like a fox with evil intentions, giving people a cunning feeling.
Facing the request of the Gu family's emperor, Han Zhou did not dare to be negligent and quickly changed his words and said, "Sister Miao!"
He looked so terrified and fearful that he looked just like a minion who had just met his superior, the only thing missing was standing at attention and saluting.
Guzheng rolled her eyes and thought to herself that this guy was a loser.
To be honest, Han Zhou was indeed very afraid of Miao Yan'er, and in his heart he had already silently given her the nickname "Miao Cuihua".
Apart from anything else, this woman's fighting ability has been acknowledged by Gu Zheng herself. Even though she is tough on the outside, she only dares to say harsh words behind her back: "If I was born ten years earlier, this guy would never be my opponent."
A simple translation is: Even ten years later, I may not be able to beat her.
Its strength can be seen from this.
Like her daughter, this mother's physical strength also reached a terrifying seven points. What's more terrifying is that she has never had the reserve of an elder. Although she smiles on weekdays, she is ruthless when it comes to fighting. Han Zhou has suffered from this before.
Of course, Gu Zheng's father has more say in the matter of being beaten, but it's a pity that he doesn't seem to be here at the moment.
Seeing Han Zhou being so sensible, Miao Yan'er nodded with satisfaction and said gently, "You should have listened to what Xiao Zheng said. Today I'll have to trouble you to be the referee. You must uphold the principle of fairness and justice. Feel free to speak out your true feelings. Don't be afraid of Xiao Zheng threatening you. I will support you."
Han Zhou laughed dryly and thought to himself, "I can handle Guzheng, I'll be thankful if you don't threaten me..."
Gu Zheng looked around the living room and asked in confusion, "Mom, didn't Dad come back with you?"
"No, he still has to be busy for a while. Just eat a few bites of the lunch box outside. He won't starve to death. There's no need to wait for him."
Miao Yan'er looked indifferent. She covered her mouth and yawned, preparing to go wash her hands. Suddenly, she paused, glanced at the photo album on the coffee table, and quickly looked away, as if she hadn't seen it, and walked into the bathroom calmly.
At the same time, Han Zhou felt a little depressed as he looked at Gu Zheng who was serving rice with her head down.
This guy just said "I don't look like a heroine" and kept silent. He never answered his questions directly and was always vague. Then he slipped into the kitchen and didn't allow him to go in to help.
He said that no third person was allowed to interfere in this competition, but in fact he just didn't want him to continue asking questions.
Gu Zheng had never hidden much from him. Not wanting to tell him meant that deep down in her heart she was probably avoiding this matter, or even wanted to forget it.
Actually, this was all a thing of the past, and there seemed no need to delve into it. Logically, Han Zhou shouldn't have asked too many questions, but on second thought, he felt strange - that wasn't right. Since Gu Zheng didn't want him to know about this, why did she show him the photo album?
There’s something wrong with this graduation photo at first glance!
So is it possible that the other party actually wanted him to pay attention to this matter on purpose, and deep down in her heart she actually wanted him to take the initiative to ask about it?
Given Guzheng's strong personality, it would be impossible for her to complain proactively, not to mention that she doesn't have any friends to complain to. So could this guy have intentionally brought up this topic in order to find an opportunity to complain to him?
The more Han Zhou thought about it, the more he felt it was possible. Unfortunately, no matter how he asked, Gu Zheng refused to say anything.
As a result, Han Zhou was confused now. It was really hard to guess what a girl was thinking. He didn't know whether to ask or not. He was very conflicted.
Unfortunately, Gu Zheng's father hasn't come back yet, otherwise I might be able to ask him for some information.
If it wasn't necessary, Han Zhou would never dare to ask Miao Yan'er. Who knows if this woman would say with a grim smile, "How dare you ask about our little Guzheng's sad story", and then drag him to the balcony to give him a good scolding.
Han Zhou's mind was full of messy thoughts, and he saw Miao Yan'er walking out of the bathroom slowly, urging him, "Let's sit down and eat. We've been busy all day and we're starving."
Gu Zheng pushed a huge bowl filled to the brim over, looking confident of victory, holding the equally huge bowl, and said proudly: "Give it up, without the support of my father, the number one lackey, you have already lost half the battle."
"Winning or losing is not up to you, but depends on Han Zhou's judgment." Miao Yan'er slowly sat down on the chair and said with a smile, "I believe Han Zhou will give the most fair evaluation, right?"
Han Zhou pretended not to hear anything, as the two were now confronting each other, and as someone who was only worthy of having a normal-sized job, he really didn't want to be a judge at all, especially when Uncle Gu was not around.
Usually at times like this, it was Uncle Gu who bore the main pressure.
Gu Zheng thought he was afraid, so she patted his shoulder quickly, still staring at his mother, and encouraged him seriously: "Don't be afraid of her! You just need to praise me without worry, she won't dare to hit you in front of me."
Han Zhou almost vomited blood. Aren’t you worried that she will beat me behind your back?
Also, why do I have to praise you?
Since we have agreed to be fair and just, then please stop playing tricks...
He hesitated to pick up his chopsticks so as not to be asked for the final vote right away.
Miao Yan'er and Gu Zheng were not in a hurry to pick up their chopsticks.
The two men held huge rice bowls in their left hands and chopsticks in their right hands, their eyes confronting each other in the air, like two warriors holding swords and shields about to duel, trying their best to find each other's weaknesses.
After a while, Miao Yan'er took the lead and took a piece of chicken to taste it. She did not give any comments, but smiled and said, "You always need chips to make a bet, right?"
Gu Zheng slowly stretched out her chopsticks, picked up a piece of chicken and put it into her mouth to chew, squinting her eyes and said, "There's no need to bluff. This is obviously delicious. You're doomed to lose."
"Really? Oh, there's one thing I forgot to tell you. Your dad has voted for me. He said that my cooking skills have reached the pinnacle and there can't be anyone better than me, so I have the advantage of one to zero now."
Gu Zheng was stunned for a moment, then she looked annoyed and said through gritted teeth: "He hasn't even eaten yet, how can he be qualified to vote? This isn't a shady deal!"
"I don't need any shady dealings for you to win, and this is the established rule. It doesn't say you can't vote if you don't eat." Miao Yan'er said leisurely.
Gu Zheng became angrier the more she thought about it. She looked at Han Zhou sullenly, then ate half a bowl of rice viciously.
Han Zhou shrank his head, trying to reduce his presence as much as possible. He thought that the atmosphere today seemed a bit tense. He didn't want to get involved, but suddenly he saw a task prompt -
[Temporary task has been triggered: Please give the target character Guzheng a little preference, limited to 10 minutes, you can get points]
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 45 Elite Licking Dog Status
[Temporary task has been triggered: Please give the target character Guzheng a little preference, limited to 10 minutes, you can get points]
A little preference?
Seeing the temporary task that suddenly appeared, Han Zhou was delighted at first, but then he was puzzled.
This task seemed easy, but it was somewhat vague. He understood the meaning of preference, but the question was, in what form and what kind of things could be considered as giving preference?
Not everyone may have the same preferences, and this doesn't give me a general direction or anything. Do you want me to just play with my imagination?
While thinking, Han Zhou suddenly felt two strong gazes falling on him, one from the smiling Miao Yaner, and the other from the cold-faced Gu Zheng.
The two people who were arguing with each other seemed to have finally remembered that there was such a "referee" in the room. They stopped arguing at some point, stared at him, and asked in unison:
"Han Zhou, who do you think cooks better?"
Han Zhou's expression froze.
Miao Yaner glanced at her daughter with a smile and said slowly, "Han Zhou, I was the one who cooked all the meals you ate at our house before. If you suddenly say that they are not tasty... then I will be sad."
Her tone was gentle, but it was not difficult to hear the threat hidden in her words.
Gu Zheng secretly thought her mother was mean, but she was not willing to be outdone. Without saying a word, she put a piece of meat into Han Zhou's bowl, and said viciously with a look of a child in anger, "Think carefully about whether I was good to you in the past!"
Hiss, this guy actually played the emotional card, how rare, it seems he is not very confident in his cooking skills...
Han Zhou easily saw what the monitor was thinking.
Under the gaze of the two, he sat upright and said carefully: "We are all family, there is no need for you to compete over this matter..."
"Is necessary!"
The mother and daughter's eyes met in the air, and they said in unison again, "Don't worry about anything else, just be a fair and just referee!"
fair?
Han Zhou's mouth twitched slightly. These two guys, one was smiling but hiding a knife, and the other was digging up old scores, but they didn't seem to want him to be fair and just at all...
He felt a little strange. He thought that it was okay for Guzheng, but he didn't know why Sister Miao would also join in the fun. You know, although she often made bets with Guzheng before, they usually stopped at a certain point.
Seeing that Gu Zheng was sulking, Han Zhou wanted to say something, but suddenly an idea came to him and he thought of a way that might be considered to give the other person preference -
"If I support Gu Zheng with all my heart in the following judging session, and even insist that her cooking is delicious even if it's not, then this should be considered a small preference, right?"
This method may not be feasible, but Han Zhou thinks it can be used as a direction. He secretly thought to himself, "I can try it, but I have always been objective and fair. Now I have to make a judgment without considering the facts. It seems to violate my principle of fairness and justice..."
After a hard battle with his conscience that lasted for a full second, he took a deep breath and said resignedly, "I can be fair and just, but you must promise not to retaliate against me afterwards."
Here it specifically refers to a lady named Miao.
Miao Yan'er and Gu Zheng looked at each other, forced a smile, shook their heads and said, "You think too much, it's not true."
He didn't even bother to hide the perfunctory tone in his words, and never mentioned his promise not to retaliate.
Han Zhou knew this would happen. He sighed and picked up his chopsticks, his eyes moving back and forth over the dishes on the table, intending to find the best-looking dish to try, so that even if the taste wasn't good he could still praise the appearance.
At this moment, Gu Zheng suddenly stood up and scooped a bowl of steaming hot soup and placed it on his table, saying smugly, "Try this. It took so long to make it, it must be delicious."
Han Zhou took a look and found that this was the black chicken soup that Gu Zheng had been cooking for the whole afternoon. It seemed that no one had drunk it yet after it was served on the table. The aroma was rich and fragrant, and the color was quite attractive. It looked pretty good.
Seeing that Gu Zheng seemed quite confident about this bowl of soup, Han Zhou was a little overjoyed. Although he was ready to do everything he could to support Gu Zheng, it would of course be better if he could win by relying on Gu Zheng's own strength.
Miao Yan'er watched this scene and reminded with a smile: "Xiao Zheng, you don't seem to have made soup before, do you really intend to challenge me with this?"
Gu Zheng turned a deaf ear to him and watched Han Zhou with anxiety and a little anticipation as he blew the soup in the bowl to cool it down, and then watched him drink it.
Just as Miao Yan'er said, she really had no experience in making soup, and she hadn't had time to taste the soup, so she didn't know what it tasted like, nor did she know what Han Zhou would say about it.
Under the gaze of the mother and daughter, Han Zhou put down the bowl of soup. The soup passed over his lips and tongue and went into his stomach. He savored it for a while, pondered for a moment, and looked at Gu Zheng with a strange expression: "This soup is not worthy of your knife skills."
Gu Zheng was stunned for a moment, but based on the other party's expression, she quickly understood what the other party meant. This was a disguised way of saying that the soup was not tasty.
She gritted her teeth, her expression darkening a little.
Miao Yan'er glanced at her daughter, smiled without saying anything, then narrowed her eyes, thinking that Han Zhou was an ignorant boy.
Han Zhou was actually quite depressed too.
It's not that he didn't want to praise Gu Zheng, it's just that the soup was a little too bland. It wasn't unpalatable, but it was definitely not delicious either. It would be a bit forced to praise it.
If she could still say that the soup was delicious, not only would Sister Miao be unhappy, but Gu Zheng would probably also feel that this was an insult to her, rather than feeling that she was being favored.