Grandma Qin had gobbled up a mouthful of minced meat with eggplant, her eyes instantly lit up and relaxed, as if she hadn't eaten food this delicious since she had stopped cooking.
"Delicious, delicious," Grandma Qin said eagerly, "Hurry and try some, don't just stand there staring."
And she naturally moved towards another dish.
Gu Qiaoqiao had nothing to worry about; she knew her own cooking skills well.
She had once been an assistant to a head chef at a five-star hotel, and her culinary skills, as well as her extraordinary carving techniques, were highly praised by everyone.
After all, delicious food has always been something that pleases people.
No matter if you are a commoner or a noble, you can't escape the temptation of gourmet food.
Although the Qin family was a respected household with substantial wealth, Old Grand Master Qin had a family rule not to hire servants, so under Shen Manru's bland cooking these past few years, this meal undoubtedly became a rare delicacy.
No one would challenge the delight of tasty food.
With the food being delicious, Qin Xuan also thoroughly enjoyed his drinks.
Qin Yize just smiled and kept his father company.
Shen Manru felt confliced inside, unsure how to assess her daughter-in-law for the first time.
Ignorant, foolish, yet she possessed extraordinary cooking skills.
Tonight, Gu Qiaoqiao didn't eat much but did so very slowly, still digesting the fact that she had been reborn.
The TV was also turned on.
It was an imported big-screen TV, placed on a TV cabinet.
The volume wasn't high, but the music was very festive.
Outside the house, there was the intermittent sound of firecrackers; the Imperial Capital hadn't yet started to ban fireworks, so the festive atmosphere was especially strong.
The Qin family's New Year's dinner was exceptionally harmonious.
Gu Qiaoqiao stood up, deftly picked up the bones from the table, and then smilingly turned to Grandma Qin, "Grandma, you eat first, I'll go feed Da Hei."
"Qiaoqiao, there's no rush, go after we eat," Grandma Qin was truly happy today; the atmosphere at the Qin family had been awkward for the past six months, and despite her efforts, it hadn't improved.
Today clearly marked a good beginning.
She was naturally delighted.
"I'm finished eating." Having said that, Gu Qiaoqiao took her bowl and left the dining table, thought for a moment, then went to the kitchen, picked up two bones with chopsticks, and put them in the bowl.
She went back to her room, put on her down jacket, and left the Qin family's living room.
After Gu Qiaoqiao had left, a brief silence fell upon the dining table.
Grandma Qin glanced around and sighed, "A harmonious family brings prosperity in all matters. Qiaoqiao is young and bound to make mistakes; both of you are university professors, cultured people, you shouldn't stoop to the level of a child."
"Grandma, you're just biased. Just because she's young, she gets away with everything? She's even two years older than me," Qin Xiaoyu expressed her frustration.
"Our Xiao Yu is the most sensible, so for the sake of Grandma, try to get along well with your sister-in-law. She came all this way alone to marry into this family; it's quite pitiful."
"Mom, children will have their own blessings, don't worry. And besides, this child's cooking is really delicious." Saying so, the professor sitting beside the old lady served her a bowl of yam soup, "Mom, this soup tastes really good, you can drink more of it."
Shen Manru let out an almost imperceptible snort.
But she didn't express anything else.
"I'll take her to the research base in Border City after the holidays are over,"
suddenly spoke Qin Yize who had been silent all along.
Everyone was startled.
When Shen Manru thought about her proud and outstanding son, having to be entangled with this country girl for a lifetime, her appetite vanished instantly.
Gu Qiaoqiao squatted on the ground paved with blue bricks, watching two dogs, one large and one small, one black and one white, placing the meaty bones from the bowl into the dog food basin.
Dahei acted quickly, grabbing the biggest bone with a woof, as Gu Qiaoqiao placed a smaller bone in front of the puppy Mao Mao.
Unexpectedly, Mao Mao did not eat it, but ran towards the big bone.
After gnawing on it only a few times, Dahei swept it aside with a paw, securing the two big bones and looking at Mao Mao with triumph.
Mao Mao whimpered pitifully.
Gu Qiaoqiao put the small bone back into Mao Mao's dish, glared at Dahei, then stroked Mao Mao's head and sighed, "You see, even though the big bone is nice, it's sought after by other dogs. What's the point in fighting over it? You've upset Dahei and no doubt will be bullied again. It's better to peacefully eat the bone I specifically picked for you. It might be smaller, but it's all meat..."
As she spoke, Gu Qiaoqiao felt a piercing gaze locking onto her. Alert, she looked up to see Qin Yize's tall figure shadowed in the dim light.
He stared at Gu Qiaoqiao unflinchingly, his expression unreadable, his eyes dark as ink, inscrutable.
Gu Qiaoqiao stood up, pursed her lips, and tried to calm her still somewhat panicked heartbeat as she walked past him and entered the living room.
The dining table on one side of the living room had already been cleaned thoroughly.
Gu Qiaoqiao stood at the doorway, observed the people sitting on the couch, and slowly said, "I want to give my parents a call."
"Go ahead, go to the study, it's quiet there..." Grandma Qin hurriedly said, "Qiaoqiao, don't forget to send our regards to your parents."
Professor Qin, out of politeness, obviously wanted to say something but remained silent.
Gu Qiaoqiao opened the door to the study.
She stood in front of the telephone, her hand trembling slightly as she placed it on the phone.
Her hometown was in a small town in the Northeast, her father a teacher and her mother a housewife; they had a set of twin brother and sister.
The thoroughly memorized number that she had never had a chance to dial again caused Gu Qiaoqiao's hand to shake. She took a deep breath, her fingers resting on the phone's numeric keypad.
Within moments, a crisp voice came from the other end, "Hello, who is this?"
The voice spoke rapidly, like popping beans in a pot.
It was her sister, Gu Qianqian.
Gu Qiaoqiao's body stiffened, her hand gripping the phone tightly. She opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word.
Was this a dream, or was she mute?
"Hello, hello, who are you? Why aren't you speaking?" the voice came again, "If you don't speak, I'm hanging up..."
"Qianqian..." Gu Qiaoqiao blurted out in her urgency.
"Big sister?" Gu Qianqian exclaimed joyously, "Is that you, big sister?"
Before Gu Qiaoqiao could respond again, Gu Qianqian yelled out loudly, "Mom, Dad, big sister is on the phone..."
Gu Qiaoqiao instantly tensed up, and upon hearing the familiar voices from the other end, she started sobbing, "Dad, Mom, I miss you..."
These were tears of longing and guilt that spanned lifetimes, accompanied by the sound of firecrackers outside the window. Gu Qiaoqiao wept without a sound, tears streaming down her face!
Twenty minutes later, Gu Qiaoqiao and her parents had arranged a time for her to come home, and she hung up the phone.
In that moment, her heart that had been suspended all this while finally settled down completely.
The heavens were watching over her; she really had returned to the past!