Daddy's Gourmet Shop-Chapter 246 - 238: This Is a Good Start!

In the morning, Lin Xinjie tidied up the house and then went out to the nearby market.

She bought some ingredients and brought them back.

As soon as she opened the door, before she had a chance to change her shoes, she shouted toward the living room, "Honey, help me with this, it’s too heavy!"

"Alright, coming~"

Hu Jinlin, who was quietly sitting on the sofa reading a comic book with his son, quickly got up and went to meet her. He took the plastic bags filled with ingredients from Lin Xinjie’s hand, peeked inside, and said with a smile, "Wow, you bought so much! And what’s with the lotus leaves?"

"Yes!"

Lin Xinjie nodded and replied, "I’m going to make steamed ribs with lotus leaf and sticky rice later."

The words "steamed ribs with lotus leaf and sticky rice" immediately caught Doudou’s attention.

He promptly lifted his head from the comic book.

His big, shiny eyes looked toward where his mom and dad were...

And he kept staring at what Hu Jinlin was holding in his hand.

This little action made Hu Jinlin curious.

Curious about what his son was looking for at his hand.

After watching his son pursing his lips and silently turning his head back to continue reading his comic book, he carried the ingredients into the kitchen and placed them on the sink counter.

Seeing that his wife followed him in, he couldn’t help but share his earlier puzzle with her, "Hey, honey, did you notice? Our son Doudou kept staring at what I was holding. What do you think he was looking at?"

"Well, I was busy changing into slippers just now, so I didn’t notice anything different about our son!"

Saying this, Lin Xinjie’s eyes fell on the lotus leaf in the food bag, and she suddenly realized, her eyes lit up, "Could he be looking for the lotus leaf sticky rice ribs you mentioned making?"

Hu Jinlin thought about it and agreed with his wife’s idea, "It could be! After you mentioned making steamed ribs with lotus leaf and sticky rice, our son looked at what I was holding. Maybe he thought you went to Delicious Restaurant to buy the same dish he had last night?"

"This kid, he really remembered it, huh!"

Lin Xinjie shook her head with a smile, feeling both helpless and amused.

The meal at Delicious Restaurant last night was indeed very flavorful.

But as a mom, whenever possible, she always hopes to cook meals that satisfy her child by herself.

Since Doudou loves steamed ribs with lotus leaf and sticky rice, she went to the market today to buy lotus leaves, sticky rice, ribs, and some seasonings, planning to make the dish herself for Doudou.

Immediately, she got busy in the kitchen.

Although Hu Jinlin was also craving the food from Delicious Restaurant and wanted to go there again for lunch,

since his wife suggested cooking herself this morning, he agreed and didn’t want to reject her gesture.

He helped out on the side.

Handling washing and cutting the vegetables.

After a morning of their efforts,

they finally prepared lunch close to mealtime.

Lin Xinjie brought out a bowl of steamed ribs with lotus leaf and sticky rice and placed it on the dining table, calling her son, "Doudou, go wash your hands and come eat. Mommy made your favorite steamed ribs with lotus leaf and sticky rice today."

She clearly saw her son’s eyes light up, like stars twinkling.

She knew this time it was going to be a hit!

Her son would surely love it!

To give her son time to come over to the table, she happily turned back to the kitchen.

She went to get the other dishes.

In the meantime, she shared her joy with Hu Jinlin, "Honey, when I called our son to come eat the steamed ribs with lotus leaf and sticky rice I made, guess what, his eyes lit up!"

"Really! That means he likes it! It’s a good start!"

He immediately felt that their efforts didn’t go to waste. Smiling with satisfaction, he said, "I bet the boy is eating by now."

However, while the imagination was beautiful, reality was a bit harsh.

When the couple brought out the other dishes and the rice, they noticed their son’s eyes had returned to their usual calm and indifferent state.

"Doudou, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating? Isn’t this your favorite steamed ribs with lotus leaf and sticky rice?"

Lin Xinjie coaxed Doudou gently.

But just like usual, Doudou didn’t respond.

He just scooped some plain rice into his bowl, poured some of his special children’s soy sauce on it, and ate it as is.

"This child..."

Seeing this, Lin Xinjie felt a wave of frustration surge inside her.

Recognizing the situation was turning awkward, Hu Jinlin quickly intervened, "Honey, Doudou is still young! Don’t scare him, and don’t get upset with him. Be careful not to upset yourself."

She didn’t say anything further.

She just sat down and ate the steamed ribs with lotus leaf and sticky rice she had made especially for Doudou in silence.

Feeling that her good intentions had gone to waste.

All her efforts were in vain.

She took big bites of the steamed ribs with lotus leaf and sticky rice. Although it wasn’t as tasty as last night’s, it wasn’t so bad it didn’t deserve any acknowledgment!

So disappointing!

Hu Jinlin, trying to console his wife, also shared the meal.

It just shows, without comparison, there is no harm!

No wonder their son wouldn’t even give it a try!

...

Close to eleven o’clock.

A silver Audi A4 parked in the reserved spot on West City Old Street.

As the car door opened...

Gu Zhihao, dressed in a black leather jacket over a white shirt and black ankle boots, stepped out from the driver’s seat.

From the passenger seat emerged a woman of similar age, wearing a beret, a long camel coat over a light camel turtleneck top, and deep camel high-waisted wide-leg cropped pants, gracefully draped the coat over her shoulders, elegantly composed, with a mix of light and deep shades elevating its high-end feel effortlessly.

"Look, this is the Delicious Restaurant. It’s owned by my friend, and business is really good. Look at the long line in front of the store,"

Gu Zhihao approached Zhang Linya, glanced at the Delicious Restaurant not far away, and nodded his chin.

Zhang Linya glanced at the long line in front of the Delicious Restaurant and was genuinely surprised.

All these people in line, wow, that’s a lot!

If she hadn’t heard from Gu Zhihao on the way over about how busy his friend’s restaurant was, and how many people lined up during each meal, she might have instinctively thought the line was just a marketing ploy.

She glanced at the store’s decor, which was quite different from what she had imagined.

It’s the weekend, and Gu Zhihao invited her out for a meal.

Honestly, she had a decent impression of Gu Zhihao, plus she didn’t have plans for lunch, so she agreed to come out.

At the time, Gu Zhihao mysteriously told her that his friend opened a shop with amazing food.

But the restaurant’s decor before her eyes made it hard for her to associate it with the "amazing food" description.

However, since she’d already arrived and with such a long line at the restaurant’s entrance, she didn’t think too much and didn’t say much.

She merely smiled and agreed, saying, "There are indeed a lot of people in line!"

"Let’s go in then!"

Gu Zhihao smiled and invited her.

The two, shoulder to shoulder, headed toward the entrance of the Delicious Restaurant.