“I…” He Yu Zhu was taken aback.
“What, are you not willing?” Yang Xuan asked.
He Yu Zhu shook his head: “I am willing.”
Ran Qiu Ye was also a bit stunned: “Isn’t this a bit too fast?”
“Fast? You’re thirty years old. Silly Zhu, do you think it’s too fast?” Yang Xuan asked He Yu Zhu.
He Yu Zhu chuckled: “It’s quite suitable. As long as Teacher Ran is willing, I have no objections.”
In front of He Yu Zhu, Teacher Ran couldn’t bring herself to say she wasn’t willing. But she didn’t dislike He Yu Zhu either. After all, he was a kind and reassuring person. If she were to find someone, it would be better to choose him.
Her family situation was like this, finding someone else might not be reliable.
Ran Fu and Ran Mu looked at He Yu Zhu and Yang Xuan. Although Yang Xuan was better, he was not suitable; he was only sixteen years old, ten years younger than Ran Qiu Ye. He Yu Zhu, though a chef, was dependable.
If Ran Qiu Ye were only twenty years old, they would definitely want her to find a talented young man like Yang Xuan. Now, they just wanted to find someone who could be trusted.
“This matter, father and mother-in-law, don’t rush to make a decision. Good things take time. Silly Zhu and I will go back first today.” Yang Xuan knew the Ran family wouldn’t make a hasty decision.
Ran Fu quickly said: “Since you’re here, stay for dinner before leaving.”
Ran Mu also quickly said: “You two chat with Old Ran first. Qiu Ye and I will go to the kitchen to prepare dinner. You have to eat before you leave today.”
No matter if they would reach an agreement or not, they had brought so many things, naturally they couldn’t let them leave on empty stomachs.
He Yu Zhu heard this, an opportunity came. Wasn’t this a chance for him to show off his talent?
“Okay, Yang Xuan and I will have dinner here. But cooking is our specialty. Let’s take care of this meal ourselves today. Mother-in-law, you wouldn’t mind, right?” He Yu Zhu said.
“No, no, not at all. The banquet you two prepared last time was so delicious. I’ll help you.” Ran Mu led He Yu Zhu and Yang Xuan into the kitchen.
Ran Qiu Ye naturally couldn’t sit in the living room waiting to eat, so she also went to the kitchen.
“We didn’t know you two would come today, we haven’t prepared any dishes.” Ran Mu said apologetically.
“No worries, no worries. Home-cooked meals, just eat whatever you have. The key is to have a good atmosphere.” Yang Xuan said.
He Yu Zhu chuckled: “Yang Xuan has been eating a lot of meat at the factory these days, let him have some home-cooked dishes, he’ll be happy.”
He Yu Zhu briefly explained about Yang Xuan’s recent work at the factory on technical improvements.
Ran Mu looked at Yang Xuan, and sighed in her heart, if only he were a bit older, and Qiu Ye a bit younger, they would be such a good match. Too bad!
He Yu Zhu didn’t think so much, just kept praising Yang Xuan.
Even Ran Qiu Ye felt something was wrong. Did you come to my house to introduce Yang Xuan to me? What a simpleton.
However, Ran Qiu Ye had a good impression of He Yu Zhu. He was reliable and sincere. At her age, she was no longer hoping for a perfect love, she just wanted a stable home. Perhaps He Yu Zhu was a suitable choice.
He Yu Zhu specialized in Sichuan and Tan family cuisine. These home-cooked dishes didn’t have so many requirements, ordinary families didn’t have that many seasonings. To make home-cooked dishes stand out in an ordinary family kitchen wasn’t easy.
In this regard, He Yu Zhu’s culinary skills were naturally not as good as Yang Xuan’s.
But Yang Xuan naturally wouldn’t steal He Yu Zhu’s thunder, he just gave some pointers from the side. He Yu Zhu’s cooking was already good, with Yang Xuan’s guidance, the home-cooked dishes he made were naturally much better than usual.
Ran Mu was a bit confused. Didn’t they say He Yu Zhu was the head chef in the canteen? How come Yang Xuan’s cooking skills were better than him?
He Yu Zhu said: “Yang Xuan, you’re really a pity. You’re an engineer wasted! If you were a chef, you’d definitely become a state-level master.”
Ran Qiu Ye smiled: “He’s an engineer now, are you going to let him be a chef?”
He Yu Zhu chuckled, scratching his head.
Ran Mu smiled: “There are thirty-six lines, each line has its own top talent. It’s all work, all contributing to the country.”
The few of them prepared several home-cooked dishes, making full use of the ingredients in Ran’s family kitchen.
There were several dishes on the table, which didn’t look shabby at all.
“These dishes are so delicious. They’re even better than the state banquets we had when we returned to China.” Ran Fu said.
When they returned to China, Ran Fu and Ran Mu were quite well-regarded. However, later they were classified according to their social status, and because they had overseas connections, their social status was not very good. So, they were somewhat constrained in their work unit. They had suffered some injustice over the years.
However, they didn’t expect that the worst hadn’t come yet. The situation would become increasingly worse in the days to come.
“Ran Father-in-law, what kind of work did you do abroad?” Yang Xuan asked.
“Your mother-in-law and I were both engaged in the theoretical research of mechanical automation. When we returned to China, there was no suitable place to assign us. So, we could only go to middle school to be teachers.” Ran Fu said.
“Father-in-law, mother-in-law, are you interested in working on automation research at the steel mill? I’ve been working on technical improvements recently. Improving the processing accuracy. But this is only a small improvement. After all, the machines we are modifying are relatively outdated machines from the Soviet Union. Automated high-precision machines are the future trend. After we complete the technical improvements, the next step may be to develop our own automated machines.” Yang Xuan said.
Ran Fu was very interested, but he was already over forty years old, and he didn’t have the same drive as he did when he returned to China. So, he hesitated about Yang Xuan’s invitation.
Yang Xuan could see Ran Fu’s hesitation: “Father-in-law, mother-in-law, you are now being constrained everywhere in your unit, and your knowledge is useless. This situation is getting worse. It may be even more difficult in the future.”
Ran Fu sighed: “Yes.”
Yang Xuan continued: “It’s possible that the situation will be even worse in the future. Our steel mill is a production unit. And it’s a key unit. The situation will be much better. Moreover, with me and Silly Zhu’s care, you will not be wronged, no matter how bad things get.”
Ran Mu was a bit moved: “Old Ran, why don’t we seriously consider Yang Xuan’s suggestion? The salary at the steel mill is much higher than our school.”
Ran Fu also softened a bit: “Little Yang, you’re still so young, can you really have a say at the steel mill?”
Yang Xuan said: “Not yet, but after this technical improvement is completed. There should be no major problems. At least, I should be able to get the factory to approve my proposal to develop automated machinery. Then, it will be no problem to bring in two experts in the theoretical research of automated machinery. Anyway, you are not being valued in the school now.”
He Yu Zhu said: “If the factory really doesn’t agree, we can still find a high-ranking leader from the department.”