Chapter 565 - 561: Incense
In her past life, Gu Jiaojiao suffered from insomnia. No amount of medication seemed to help. Later, after studying many things under her master, she began to formulate her own incense.
It wasn’t just medicinal decoctions that could treat ailments; incense could, too.
Incense could lift one’s spirits, sharpen the mind, calm the heart, and promote restful sleep and wellness. Regular use could help regulate the body, keeping a person in optimal condition.
Zhu Wanqi was like an inquisitive child, once again pestering Gu Jiaojiao with questions about the incense. Gu Jiaojiao was generous with her knowledge and began to explain.
After all, Zhu Wanqi was her biggest customer. She had spent several hundred on skincare products alone, so her after-sales service had to be on point.
No matter what strange questions Zhu Wanqi came up with, Gu Jiaojiao answered each one without a hint of impatience.
Zhu Wanqi was satisfied.
Seeing how much she liked it, Gu Jiaojiao went ahead and packed a few sticks of incense for her.
"These are for promoting relaxation. You can light one when you go to sleep at night. As for the invigorating kind, I’m all out. I’ll give you some the next time I make a batch."
Zhu Wanqi immediately put them away with great care. To her, they were a precious treasure.
Zhang Tianming looked on with an air of resignation. But what could he do? His wife loved it!
’Looks like my rule about not accepting gifts is about to be broken.’
While they were talking, Chen Jianshe had already started setting out the bowls and chopsticks.
The two of them had arrived after eleven, by which time Gu Jiaojiao had already finished cooking. She had just gone back to her room to change, leaving Leng Yuan in the kitchen to handle the finishing touches.
Now that everything was ready, it was time to eat.
Since three more people had joined, the group had grown from six to nine, so they used the large round table.
This round table was reserved for entertaining guests. It was very large and completely unnecessary for the usual household of two adults and two children.
The folding frame was unfolded, the tabletop was placed on it, and then a turntable was set in the center.
The design was just like something you’d find in a modern-day hotel. It was Gu Jiaojiao’s idea, and Leng Yuan had been the one to build it.
It wasn’t just Lu Yuanbin and Chen Jianshe; even Zhang Tianming and Zhu Wanqi were marveling at the table.
Once the meal started, everyone realized just how convenient it was.
If you wanted to eat something, you just spun the table, and the dish would come right to you. There was no need to even get up.
Gu Jiaojiao had prepared a generous spread. There was pre-made braised meat, cured sausage, and steamed dishes—all things that could be prepared in advance and simply reheated before serving.
This was especially true for the pork belly with preserved greens, which tasted even better after being reheated a couple of times.
Seeing the exquisite dishes spread across the table, Zhu Wanqi was practically floating with joy.
"Jiaojiao, your cooking is incredible!"
Your skill, your knife work, your presentation... it’s all better than the veteran chefs at the state-run restaurants.
Gu Jiaojiao just smiled and told her to eat more.
’Of course my cooking is good. In the future, with more development, there are far more ingredients available. Take decorative food carving, for example—that’s a skill honed by practicing with a lot of food.’
’But in this era, when people are still struggling to find enough to eat and wear, who could afford to waste food like that?’
While Leng Yuan and the others were talking, Lu Yuanbin and Chen Jianshe had already started piling food into their bowls.
Although Zhu Wanqi’s mouth was watering, she still had a firm grasp of table etiquette. She always ate gracefully, and the people she usually associated with were well-educated and would never scramble for food.
Seeing the way Chen Jianshe and Lu Yuanbin were acting now, she scoffed under her breath. She looked down on them completely, even shooting them a disdainful glare.
Clearly, she was still holding a grudge about the two of them locking her out.