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In the evening, Su Yi received the groceries that Xie Xiaojun had delivered ahead of time.
Since the two kids couldn’t handle very spicy food, she made some plain rice for them first, and the three of them ate together.
Then she started preparing the dishes for the dinner Zhou Jinchuan had organized.
To avoid drawing attention, Zhou Jinchuan waited until it was dark before bringing Lu Changzheng and Xie Xiaojun back.
Lu Changzheng, who had been anxiously waiting all day, could hardly contain his excitement. As soon as Zhou Jinchuan knocked on the door, he pushed it open and went in.
Su Yi, with the two kids, came out upon hearing the noise, “Comrade Zhou.”
“Uncle Zhou, Uncle Lu, you’re here!”
Lu Changzheng, who hadn’t seen the kids for a while, quickly walked over and lifted them up, “It’s been a long time. You two have grown quite a bit!”
He then handed over a package of treats he had bought for the kids.
Su Yi took it and smiled, “You must be Captain Lu. The kids often mention you. Please, come in.”
Lu Changzheng took a formal look at her, then was stunned, gasping inwardly, what a beauty!
Earlier in the afternoon, he had boasted to Xie Xiaojun about how he would keep a close eye on Zhou Jinchuan. He had even made thorough preparations before arriving.
But the woman before him completely exceeded his expectations, leaving him momentarily speechless.
When he came to his senses, he realized something was off.
This woman was so fair and graceful—she didn’t look like a country girl at all!
And such a beautiful woman, how could Qin Yunfeng have chosen to break off the engagement and pick Bai Ruolin instead?
Not to mention her natural elegance—such grace isn’t something a rural upbringing could cultivate.
With these thoughts, Lu Changzheng’s gaze became more scrutinizing.
Su Yi, perceptive as ever, could tell exactly what he was thinking from his gaze.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Su Yi turned her attention back to the stove, heating oil.
Xie Xiaojun immediately rolled up his sleeves, “Sister Su Yi, let me help you!”
Lu Changzheng’s eyes widened again as he looked at Zhou Jinchuan, “How old is this girl? Even Xie Xiaojun calls her ‘sister’?”
Zhou Jinchuan shot him a glare, “You should know that ‘soft words’ come with the territory. Even Xie Xiaojun understands that.”
“If you want to enjoy your meal, keep your eyes in check. Otherwise, if you get kicked out later, I won’t be responsible.”
Lu Changzheng, “……”
In the kitchen.
Xie Xiaojun came in to assist.
“Sister Su, don’t mind Lu Changzheng too much. He’s one of those who has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. He actually means well.”
“He and Comrade Zhou have been friends since middle school, and he’s followed Comrade Zhou from Beijing all these years. If there were any real issues, Comrade Zhou wouldn’t have agreed to this.”
Su Yi smiled, “I understand.”
Despite saying it, Su Yi still felt something was off.
Determined to get to the bottom of it, she decided to pry a bit from Xie Xiaojun.
She quickly took out a box from the cabinet, “Xiao Xie, try the mung bean cake I just made. It’s a nice snack.”
Xie Xiaojun eagerly took two pieces and took a bite, “Delicious! No wonder Comrade Zhou is so reluctant to eat it, he hides it away carefully.”
Su Yi generously said, “If you like it, I’ll pack some for you to take home later.”
After a bit of casual conversation, Su Yi subtly asked why they had suddenly come over for dinner.
Xie Xiaojun, having no reservations and just chatting casually, shared everything he knew.
In the end, he even blurted out that Lu Changzheng suspected her of being a spy!
Su Yi gasped, so that’s why he looked at her like that earlier.
You and your whole family are spies!
Fuming, Su Yi threw a handful of chili peppers into the pot.
When the four dishes were ready, Su Yi took the two kids to read books, leaving the three men to their own devices.
Zhou Jinchuan noticed that Su Yi seemed upset when she returned with the meal, but he couldn’t quite figure out why.
Xie Xiaojun was too nervous to breathe freely, focusing on eating quietly.
In contrast, Lu Changzheng didn’t pick up on the tension between Su Yi and Zhou Jinchuan. His attention was entirely on the food.
He had heard Xie Xiaojun rave about how good Su Yi’s cooking was, and now, having the chance to taste it himself, he was eager to see if it lived up to the hype.
He took a piece of the boiled fish and put it in his mouth. The flavor was indeed exceptional!
It was a bit spicy, but the more it burned, the more satisfying it was.
The three men ate eagerly, slurping and gulping down water to cool their mouths.
Su Yi also very ‘considerately’ brought water to the three men.
However, the cup she gave to Lu Changzheng was—hot water!
He had to rush into the kitchen and gulp down a bowl of cold water from the water tank just to cool down!
Zhou Jinchuan and Xie Xiaojun couldn’t help but laugh.
After the meal, Zhou Jinchuan asked the two men to help clean up and wash the dishes.
He then knocked on the door to find Su Yi and said, “Come out for a moment, I need to talk to you.”
Su Yi, puzzled, stepped out.
Then she heard him say, “I checked with the cafeteria, and they said the interview will be the day after tomorrow morning. You should go over early and give it a try!”
“Oh, and if you’re making Sichuan dishes, remember not to put so much chili—most people can’t handle that much.”
Su Yi: ???
“So, you mean, you did put in a good word for me?”
“Actually, no, I just had Xie Xiaojun help you with the registration.”
“……”
[Hmph, a man of mixed messages.]
Zhou Jinchuan cleared his throat, “If there’s nothing else, we’ll head back now. Thanks for today!”
After the three left the courtyard, Lu Changzheng was still savoring the meal, “It’s been a long time since I enjoyed a meal this much! This Su girl is really generous with the chili—she’s spicy herself!”
Zhou Jinchuan snorted, “What do you expect? You suspected her of being a spy. It’s lucky I didn’t throw you out.”
Lu Changzheng felt a bit wronged, “My suspicion wasn’t baseless. Just look at the dishes tonight—she’s not from Sichuan. How could she make such authentic Sichuan food?”
Xie Xiaojun quickly defended Su Yi, “I asked her about it earlier. She said she learned to cook from the cafeteria chefs when she was a teenager.”
“You know, back in those days, the educated youths came from all over the place with various eating habits, so she not only knows Sichuan cuisine but many other types as well!”
This time, Lu Changzheng was finally left speechless and even felt a bit of regret.
After this meal, who knows if there will be another chance!
……
The hard-earned interview opportunity made Su Yi quite happy for a while.
On the day of the interview, she arrived at the cafeteria early to wait.
This time, the cafeteria was only hiring three people, but there were more than thirty applicants.
After everyone arrived, the first round of checks began, mainly focusing on personal hygiene and whether one’s appearance was clean and appropriate.
As someone who always values cleanliness, Su Yi naturally passed this round.
She initially thought that everyone would have paid attention beforehand, but to her surprise, nearly a third of the applicants were filtered out after the first round.
When it came to the second round, a young girl who was behind Su Yi suddenly tapped her.
“Comrade, my name is Xu Xiaoqin. What’s your name?”
—
Su Yi responded with a smile, “My name is Su Yi.”
Xu Xiaoqin grinned and said, “You’re good-looking and your name sounds nice too. I just arrived a few days ago. My family lives in a nearby village. My brother recommended me to come here; he’s serving in this unit.”
Seeing that Xu Xiaoqin was a cheerful and pleasant girl, Su Yi felt more at ease and became a bit more enthusiastic.