Chapter 124 is so great!

Jin He suspected that the Zhou family might have a background in the catering industry, otherwise how could their cooking be so delicious on weekends!

"This was just stewed in an iron pot. It contains green beans, potatoes, corn, and pork ribs. It's a Northeastern Chinese dish, and it's especially fragrant. You should try it."

Jin He, a native of Haicheng, had never eaten Northeastern cuisine before. When he saw that Zhou Mo had served him a large bowl, he assumed it was for everyone to share, so he placed the bowl in the middle of the table. Zhou Mo glanced at it and then pushed the bowl back in front of him.

"You eat it yourself."

"There's too much, we can't finish it," Jin He said.

"Believe in yourself, you can do it." Zhou Mo gave him an affirming look, then turned to An Yi and said, "Keep an eye on him, I don't know how much he can eat."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me."

Since it was a meal for three people, he went all out with cooking on the weekend. Before, when he ate alone, he would restrain himself from cooking too much because he was worried about wasting food. This time, he really went all out and cooked, even flipping the wok right in front of Jin He.

Jin He looked on with starry eyes.

"I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I made some home-style dishes." On the weekend, she put the last dish, steamed sea bass, on the table and served Jin He a bowl of rice. "I like to cook when I have nothing to do. Today, when Mr. An Yi said that you didn't have an appetite and wanted to eat the wontons I made, I was so happy!"

"I can't possibly trouble you."

"Oh, no trouble at all." Zhou Mo picked up a piece of stewed potatoes and green beans with his chopsticks and put it into Jin He's bowl. "Try it and see how it is."

Jin He lowered her head, took a bite, and her eyes lit up: "Delicious!"

"If it smells good, eat more. And these spare ribs, let me tell you, the meat inside the green beans is completely different from regular meat, it's so fragrant."

Seeing Jin He's troubled expression, An Yi was about to help him out when he saw Jin He with a look of grim determination as he took a bite of a small pork rib.

"How about it?"

“It’s not quite the same.” Jin He took another bite. “It’s not disgusting.”

"Hmm, I removed all the fat when I put them in the pot, and the ribs and green beans are really fragrant when cooked together. Do you want some more? I'll get you another piece."

"Yes, I want the small one," Jin He said, holding up her bowl. "That one doesn't have any fat on it."

"There's no fat in it, that's just tendons and fascia. It's stewed until it's very flavorful, so there's no meaty taste at all. Try it yourself if you don't believe me."

Jin He ate two more pieces of pork ribs, and An Yi, no longer caring about his own meal, rested his chin on his hand and watched Jin He eat without saying a word, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Eating it in tiny bites, it's truly heartwarming.

"I'm planning to grill some steaks at home tomorrow, do you want to come over?"

Jin He swallowed the potato in her mouth: "I couldn't possibly accept that."

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to eat so well by myself. I'm afraid of wasting food. With you here, I have an excuse to cook more delicious food."

"Then, shall we go buy the ingredients and you cook it?"

I glanced at the two of them over the weekend, knowing they might feel uncomfortable if I didn't agree, so I said, "Of course, I'll make whatever you buy."

Jin He's culinary output tonight: four pieces of spare ribs, a bowl of green beans and potatoes stew, two mouthfuls of rice (which she scooped out of An Yi's bowl), and a palm-sized steamed bun. Although it's a normal person's appetite, it's equivalent to Jin He's usual daily meal.

So after dinner, Jin He and An Yi decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to help with digestion. An Yi had given Jin He two digestive tablets at home over the weekend to prevent him from getting indigestion and feeling unwell.

Jin He was still savoring the taste: "It was so delicious! If I wasn't already full, I would have wanted another bowl. It was so fragrant and flavorful."

"Then let Jiang Xiubai recommend a Northeastern restaurant for us sometime, and I'll take you there." An Yi couldn't help but laugh as he looked at Jin He's rosy complexion after her meal.

"What are you laughing at?" Jin He found him inexplicable. Why did he start laughing in the middle of a conversation?

“I just feel so good,” An Yi said. “Seeing you eat so well today makes me really happy.”

"That's how everyone eats," Jin He said, touching his nose.

So it turns out there really are people who are happy just because he ate a few extra bites at dinner.

"It's different. Eating more is good for your health. How about we eat like this every day from now on?"

Jin He remembered that there was a time when Yang Jia Hui refused to eat. It must have been during puberty when boys grow taller, which worried his aunt and uncle. But Jin He knew that he was using his allowance to eat his fill at school.

That evening, when he returned home from evening self-study, he could smell the aroma of rice coming from the kitchen. He stood outside the window and looked out. His aunt was sitting in front of him, resting her chin on her hand, watching him eat with a loving expression. After Yang Jiahui finished his bowl of fried rice, she reached out and pinched his cheek: "Oh my, our baby is so amazing! He finished such a big bowl of rice. How about eating this much every day from now on? Eating more will help you grow taller."

Yang Jiahui said reluctantly, "I'm so full, I'm going to have milk tea with my classmates tomorrow."

Although Jin He sometimes really disliked his uncle's family, he had to admit that he first learned about paternal love from them. Their love for Yang Jia Hui was genuine; otherwise, they wouldn't have given him such a name, wouldn't have supported his art exams despite their modest income, and wouldn't have given him a large sum of money for plastic surgery even though they knew they were about to default on their mortgage.

Although Jin He disagreed with the family's way of doing things, he had to admit...

Jin He envied him.

"What's wrong? Are you tired?" An Yi bent down and looked down at him, noticing that he seemed a little distracted. "Come on, I'll carry you back."

"Huh?" Jin He was a little flustered when he was suddenly carried on someone's back. He instinctively wrapped his arms around An Yi's neck. After a long while, he said in a muffled voice, "An Yi, am I eating too much?"

"What are you saying? You don't even eat as much as I do in one meal. Eat more in the future, gain some weight, and maybe you can even grow taller."

"How old am I, and I'm still growing taller?!"

“Why not?” An Yi bounced Jin He up a little. “You can still get some supplements at twenty-five. You’re exactly twenty-five this year, so you can still grow at least three centimeters taller.”

“I’m only 1.78 meters tall,” Jin He said. “I want to grow to 1.8 meters.”

"Okay, you've grown to 1.8 meters tall, so you'll have to eat two bowls of steamed egg custard tomorrow morning!"

"Mmm! I'll eat two bowls!"