coobybook Chapter 246 Old Mrs. Zhou's Eating Habits
Chapter 246 Old Mrs. Zhou's Eating Habits
Master Zhou nodded slightly in agreement. Then he coughed lightly and slowly began to recount the whole story in detail.
Since the beginning of winter last year, for some reason, Old Mrs. Zhou's appetite has become extremely poor.
He eats very little at each meal and often appears listless.
Occasionally, they would involuntarily reminisce about the wonderful days they spent in Hangzhou.
Perhaps it's true, as people often say, that once people get older, they tend to feel nostalgic for the past.
Master Zhou naturally saw it all and felt deeply pained.
He secretly thought that when the weather warmed up, he would personally accompany Old Mrs. Zhou back to Hangzhou for a revisit to ease her homesickness.
However, plans never keep up with changes.
Not long ago, Mrs. Zhou unfortunately caught a cold. The illness came on very suddenly, causing Mrs. Zhou's already frail and sickly condition to deteriorate rapidly.
The Zhou family was in a frenzy, searching everywhere for doctors and medicine, and finally managed to cure the stubborn cold.
But who could have predicted that although she recovered from her illness, Old Mrs. Zhou's appetite did not improve at all; on the contrary, it became even worse.
These days, she can barely eat anything at each meal, just a few sips of hot soup. As for other food, no matter how exquisite or delicious, it immediately triggers a vomiting reaction as soon as it enters her mouth, making it impossible to swallow.
In just a few months, Mrs. Zhou lost a lot of weight. Her once round face now had prominent cheekbones, which was heartbreaking.
Let alone traveling such a long distance to Hangzhou, even just walking a few extra steps wouldn't be feasible for her body.
Everyone in the Zhou family was filled with deep concern for Old Mrs. Zhou's health.
Just a few days ago, something unexpected happened. Grandma Zhou's grandson, who was also Grandpa Zhou's youngest son, excitedly brought back a bowl of steaming hot and fragrant chicken soup wontons.
This bowl of seemingly ordinary wontons seems to possess a magical power.
When the rich aroma of chicken soup wafted through the air, Grandma Zhou, who had previously had no appetite, suddenly perked up and seemed to regain her appetite.
She carefully picked up the bowl, gently inhaled the enticing aroma, and then slowly began to drink the delicious chicken soup. To everyone's surprise, Grandma Zhou finished the entire bowl of soup in one go!
Then, with the patient persuasion of her family, she reluctantly ate two more wontons.
When they saw that Mrs. Zhou had finally started eating, the whole family was overjoyed and believed that her condition was gradually improving.
However, their good fortune didn't last long. When they tried to give Mrs. Zhou other food, the unfortunate situation occurred again—no matter what delicious food was placed in front of her, Mrs. Zhou would vomit up everything she ate, showing no improvement whatsoever.
This greatly worried everyone in the Zhou family, especially the servants who were responsible for taking care of Old Madam Zhou's daily life.
Seeing that Mrs. Zhou had a particular fondness for that bowl of chicken soup wontons, they all went to Mr. Zhou's youngest son and eagerly inquired about the origin of these delicious wontons.
Upon hearing the news, the old lady's maid asked the kitchen to prepare chicken soup wontons, but to her surprise, the old lady couldn't even stand the smell of them, let alone eat them.
Therefore, they could only buy chicken soup wontons from Shen's restaurant every day.
Although Mrs. Zhou doesn't eat much each time, at least she no longer vomits as frequently as before.
For the Zhou family, even this small improvement brought them immense comfort.
Just then, Mr. Zhou began to ponder: Could it be that the dishes cooked by the family cook did not suit his mother's taste?
Thinking of this, Master Zhou made a decisive decision to replace batch after batch of chefs.
However, unexpectedly, despite such a significant effort to change the staff, Old Mrs. Zhou's condition did not improve. She still showed no interest in the food served, and would even vomit repeatedly after eating it.
This greatly worried Mr. Zhou. How could he possibly get his mother to eat?
After some observation and thought, Mr. Zhou suddenly discovered a strange phenomenon—only when eating chicken soup wontons did Mrs. Zhou not only not vomit, but she could also eat some with relish.
This small discovery was like a ray of light in the darkness, bringing hope to Mr. Zhou.
So, Mr. Zhou began to wonder: Could it be that his mother only didn't dislike the food prepared by the chef at the Shen family's restaurant?
Master Zhou hurriedly asked around to inquire about the Shen Family Restaurant, hoping to invite the restaurant's head chef, Shen Cao, to come to his home and cook a delicious meal for his mother, hoping to solve her poor appetite.
Upon hearing this news, Shen Cao and the others finally felt relieved, and each of them breathed a long sigh of relief.
Even Shen Cao, who is usually very meticulous, couldn't help but feel a little surprised at this moment.
She never imagined that she would have such a wonderful connection with that old lady Zhou.
Recalling what happened at the dock, they had already given up all hope for Old Mrs. Zhou.
After all, the situation was complicated and difficult, and they had to make a tough decision to temporarily put aside the affairs of Old Mrs. Zhou.
However, to everyone's surprise, Mr. Zhou was able to find her and beg her for help.
In fact, if Mrs. Zhou was unwilling to provide a guarantor for them, then Mr. Zhou would undoubtedly be a very good candidate.
Based on the information we have so far, he is much more reliable than the group that Wei Siyu found.
However, what puzzled Shen Cao the most was why Grandma Zhou was so fond of the chicken soup wontons she made herself, and why she didn't vomit after eating them.
After listening to Master Zhou's detailed account, Shen Cao began to ponder it in his mind.
Gradually, she seemed to have some initial thoughts and judgments about this matter...
She nodded to Mr. Zhou, "Mr. Zhou, I can go to the Zhou family and cook a meal for Mrs. Zhou."
"The younger generation has great respect for Mrs. Zhou."
When Master Zhou heard that Shen Cao had agreed, his face lit up with joy.
"But I can't guarantee that Grandma Zhou will eat the other dishes I cook."
Mr. Zhou nodded. "I know. I'm very happy that you can go. I just want to give it a try."
After saying that, his face darkened, and it was clear that he was very worried about Old Madam Zhou's health. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so desperate as to seek help from Shen Cao.
"Then I'd like to ask about Old Madam Zhou's usual eating habits." Since she had already agreed to cook at the Zhou residence, Shen Cao would definitely cook Old Madam Zhou's favorite dishes.
Mr. Zhou described Mrs. Zhou's eating habits in detail.
Shen Cao frowned. Something was wrong. According to Master Zhou, this Old Madam Zhou had a strong palate. Why would she like to eat the chicken soup wontons she made?
"Has Grandma Zhou always preferred strong-flavored food?" Shen Cao continued to ask.
Master Zhou frowned in thought, and his butler reminded him, "Master, I remember that when we were in Hangzhou, the old lady liked the local food."
Mr. Zhou seemed to have thought of something. “Yes, yes, my mother used to prefer the light and refreshing local cuisine when she was in Hangzhou.”
"Ever since we came to Xin'an County, for some reason she seems to have developed a liking for strong-flavored foods."
Just as Shen Cao had expected, she smiled and nodded.
"Then I know."
"When should I go to the Zhou family?"
Master Zhou was very pleased. "Anytime is fine. When would be a good time, Miss Shen?"
Shen Cao thought about it carefully; she would need to prepare some of the materials for a few more days.
"Then let's do it in three days!"