Chapter Forty-One: This Is Unfair

Because business had been so brisk last week, Chen Zhou and his family had been quite busy. Consequently, when the intelligence refreshed this time, he didn't bother with any targeted settings. He decided to let things happen as they may, intending to spend the weekend accompanying his children. Lin Yifan had also mentioned wanting to take Taotao to see her grandparents; regardless of whether there was anything urgent to attend to, a visit was long overdue.

At 7:30, the intelligence refreshed. It was the usual scene: clear blue skies with a few drifting white clouds.

[Ingredient News (Rare)]: To achieve a porridge with a perfectly thick and smooth texture, it is recommended to use Japonica rice with a higher amylopectin content. Among these, the single-season, short-grain pearl rice is the most suitable. The local brand "Jin Jin Le Dao" carries this variety and is available in major supermarkets and grain stores across Seaside City. Due to its origin, it currently offers the best value for money.

Much like how there is a clear difference in quality between pork cuts at the market, there is undoubtedly a difference between various types of rice. The key information lay in the "amylopectin ratio," "single-season harvest," and "value for money." The type of rice required for claypot rice, regular steamed rice, or porridge is likely different. However, constrained by geography, most people simply eat whatever rice is locally available. From now on, whenever he needs to cook porridge, he would stick to this brand and variety.

Next was:

[Diner Dynamics]: Zhao Yilin would be very happy to have a meal of steamed buns; it would be even better if she could have some chili oil to dip them in. If there were also a bowl of thin rice porridge, that would be even better.

Seeing his junior sister apprentice in the diner dynamics was reasonable enough, as the intelligence refresh generally didn't stray too far from Chen Zhou’s own life. But why was the content so long-winded? Wouldn't "Zhao Yilin wants to eat buns and porridge" have sufficed? Chen Zhou added the condensed information to his notes.

Finally:

[Market News]: Recently, the Guangming District branch of the Tuanyuanfu Supermarket is holding a five-year anniversary celebration, with genuine discounts reaching up to 5%!

Genuine and practical. Chen Zhou had long been skeptical about the actual savings offered by such promotions. He had originally expected the diner dynamics to mention his parents' favorite foods, but if they didn't, so be it—the old couple surely cared more about who they were eating with than the food itself. Chen Zhou decided to visit this supermarket to pick up some items to bring to them, and he could also grab a couple of bags of "Jin Jin Le Dao" rice while he was at it.

...

Because it was agreed that they would visit the grandparents today, Chen Taotao woke up earlier than she usually would on a weekend. Seeing Chen Zhou sitting on the sofa, she trotted over and stared blankly for a while. After reviewing the intelligence, Chen Zhou turned his attention to his daughter: "What nice things do you want to buy for Grandma and Grandpa?"

Chen Taotao replied, "Let me think..."

The little girl began to ponder with great seriousness. Seeing her expression, Chen Zhou couldn't help but laugh and advise, "You don't need to overthink it, don't strain yourself." Whenever he brought something for his parents, the old couple would either complain that it was too expensive or not practical. But if Taotao brought something, even if it were just two tomatoes, they would praise her for being "so sensible." It was unfair.

The route to the Tuanyuanfu Supermarket was a bit out of the way; Ms. Lin didn't understand why Chen Zhou had to choose this specific one, as she preferred time-saving and efficient route planning. After buying the items, Chen Zhou insisted, "Didn't you notice that the discount at this Tuanyuanfu Supermarket was around 5%?" His wife replied that she hadn't felt it at all.

Driving, silence...

The little family of three arrived at the grandparents' house before lunch. Chen Zhou had intended to show off his cooking, but the grandmother had already prepared a full table of food, leaving him no chance to shine. While eating, Ms. Lin remarked that she finally understood why Chen Zhou’s cooking was so good—it was because his mother was such a skilled cook; it must be hereditary. She wasn't the type of daughter-in-law to fawn over the elders; she simply spoke her mind. Chen Zhou knew her well, and the old lady was quite pleased to hear it.

Taotao’s grandmother held relatively traditional views and had initially preferred a grandson. But now that Taotao was older, she looked very much like her grandmother, who adored her to pieces. Consequently, the last lingering regret she had about her daughter-in-law eventually vanished into thin air.

As for Chen Zhou’s father, he had always been stern, or at least sparing with his words around Chen Zhou. There was never much conversation between father and son. However, he was completely indulgent toward his granddaughter, laughing even when she climbed onto his head.

"Taotao, get down quickly, Grandpa wants to eat." Chen Baichuan glared at her.

This was also unfair...

When Chen Zhou returned home the next day, he could only bring back more supplies from the old couple. "I shouldn't have bought the rice beforehand; it takes up too much space."

...

The next two days of business went on as usual. On Monday, Chen Zhou prepared the breakfast he had promised his junior sister early in the morning and rode his electric scooter to his former workplace. Looking at the familiar scenery, Chen Zhou felt a sense of nostalgia; this was, after all, where he had come from. Arriving at the office building, he bumped into several colleagues.

Because the business had been quite a hit online for a while, his colleagues were still quite impressed by Chen Zhou’s entrepreneurship.

"Engineer Chen, you really made a go of this business, didn't you?"
"Any good projects to recommend?"
"We'll have to find time to come and taste it."

Chen Zhou exchanged a few brief pleasantries to end the conversation. As the old saying goes, "Even if the deal isn't made, the goodwill remains." He wondered if he shouldn't have received this group of former colleagues.

After wasting a few minutes in the hallway, Chen Zhou arrived at Zhao Yilin’s administrative office. Although the company was strict with attendance, she was the only one in the room.

Chen Zhou called out, "The buns are here."

"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Zhao Yilin accepted them happily. It was a thermal container with two layers; both the buns and the porridge were piping hot.

After receiving the breakfast, the junior sister began to hesitate, her mind torn between processing Chen Zhou’s resignation paperwork and wanting to taste the buns first. As a result, she ended up holding both the chopsticks and the documents. Seeing this, Chen Zhou laughed and said, "No rush, eat your breakfast first."

"Mm-hmm." Zhao Yilin ate contentedly. For one thing, she hadn't eaten breakfast and was very hungry; for another, the buns Chen Zhou brought were genuinely delicious. She gobbled them up.

"Finally got to taste them! Senior Brother, your buns are really good, just like they said online."

"You're just hungry," Chen Zhou said, taking the documents from her and reminding her not to talk while eating. "Eat slowly, don't choke."

"Mm-hmm, there's still porridge, right?" Zhao Yilin took a sip of the millet porridge. With the grains settled at the bottom of the bowl, each mouthful was warm and smooth.

"The buns are great, and the porridge is wonderful too. You're quite thoughtful, Senior Brother."

"Your sister-in-law reminded me."

"Oh, I haven't seen her in a long time."

At that moment, Chen Zhou noticed she was using a small pair of chopsticks with cartoon patterns on them and couldn't help but comment, "Those chopsticks are quite cute."

"Right?" Zhao Yilin swallowed a bite of bun. "I specifically looked for them."

Chen Zhou nodded. "They look a lot like my daughter's. Hers are Peppa Pig."