Volume 1 Chapter 11 Sweet Midnight Snack

  In the open kitchen, Tong Jiang was wearing a blue Doraemon apron and wrapping dumplings. Tong Jiang always liked to eat dumplings, so she put more filling in each one when wrapping them. Each dumpling was placed on a tray, looking like little pigs with round bellies.

  "Tan Jieyan?" Hearing the sound of the door opening, Tong Jing was holding a piece of dumpling wrapper in one hand and chopsticks in the other, stuffing the filling into the dumplings. She looked at the clock in the living room with a puzzled expression, wondering why Tan Jieyan would come over so late?

  Thinking of the live recording tonight, the penalty program requires playing the piano. Tong Jing's small eyes widened suddenly, won't it be so accurate? She only thought of him at that time.

  "Hmm." He put his briefcase on the coffee table and looked towards Tong Duan in the kitchen, who was different from what he had just seen on TV. At this moment, Tong Duan's hair was casually tied up with a few loose strands framing her face, wearing an apron, making her look like a 17 or 18-year-old girl, without the bright and dazzling image she had on TV.

  Although they didn't have much contact, Tan Jiyuan still remembered that Tong Jing had almost never called out to him by his full name. She originally didn't talk much and was even excessively quiet, often speaking with her head down. This was also the reason why Tan Jiyuan had been taking care of her for the past five years. However, at this moment, Tan Jiyuan suddenly felt that the Tong Jing in front of him was somewhat different from the girl who had cried sadly on the bed five years ago.

  "Do you want to eat?" Being stared at by Tan Jieyan, Tong Jiang felt a bit flustered and tentatively opened her mouth. Tan Jieyan was very busy, Tong Jiang knew that, it was already past 9 o'clock, he must have just finished his work. Thinking of this, Tong Jiang's face involuntarily added a hint of concern, directly turning the inquiry into an affirmation, "How many do you want to eat?"

  Tan Jieyan took a look at the plump dumplings on the tray, stunned for a moment. The dumplings served in the restaurant couldn't possibly have so much filling, and these dumplings looked more like buns to Tan Jieyan, with fillings that were almost bursting out.

  "I like the filling a lot." Feeling Tan Jieyan's gaze, Tong Jing felt slightly embarrassed, scratched her head, and got flour on her forehead without realizing it. She knew that the dumplings she wrapped didn't look good at all, but since she liked eating them, she didn't care about their appearance.

  "Ten." Tan Jieyan's low voice broke the silence of the apartment, looking at Tong Jing's forehead with white flour, suddenly leaning over, his long fingers stretched out, warm fingertips wiped, then turned and walked towards the living room, leaving Tong Jing stunned for a while before coming back to her senses.

  "Alright, you go ahead and I'll call you later." A mysterious smile appeared on Mo Yan's face. Tong Jiang didn't really care about being lonely or not, but when eating his favorite food alone, he always felt a bit down. However, with someone to share it with now, the flavor of the dumplings suddenly became even more delicious.

  She wrapped twenty-five dumplings, Tong Qiang herself had a big appetite and could eat ten by herself. She felt that Tan Jieyan, a tall man of one meter ninety, must have an even bigger appetite than her own, so she wrapped five more. It didn't matter if they couldn't finish them, but it wouldn't be fun if there weren't enough to go around.

  Tan Jieyan didn't go to the study, but instead took out the documents that needed to be reviewed from his briefcase in the living room. He carefully examined and deliberated on the feasibility of this investment promotion. The aroma of dumplings wafted over from the kitchen, and with a glance, he saw Tong Jing's figure busily working at the stove. The white mist was slowly sucked away by the range hood, and a sense of comfort and tranquility gradually spread from his heart.

  Tong Jiang cut the beef she had bought on the way, and in a small bowl, she mixed chili peppers and sesame oil to make a sauce. Tong Jiang didn't eat spicy food, so she directly poured vinegar into the bowl instead. On the table, there was also a plate of pickled radish strips, and two large bowls of steaming hot dumplings that made one's appetite rise continuously.

  Tan Jieyan didn't eat much at the banquet, and such banquets were supposed to be celebrations of longevity, but in fact, they were mostly social obligations. It was almost ten o'clock now, and he really felt a little hungry.

  Tong Ying was already hungry, to be more precise, she was craving. At this moment, she buried her head and started eating the dumplings wrapped in residual clouds. The dumplings were still a bit hot, so Tong Ying took a big bite, and the scalding soup immediately squeezed into her mouth. Scalded, Tong Ying let out a pained cry, suddenly putting down her chopsticks and lifting her hand to fan cold air onto her scalded mouth to cool it down.

  "Have a drink of water." Tan Jie got up and walked to the sink behind him, poured a cup of warm water and came over. A hint of helplessness flashed across his solemn face, when did she start to change, no longer as dull as before.

  "Thank you." Although it was a bit hot, but didn't reduce her appetite, Tong Jiang took a sip of water, then lowered her head and continued to devour the dumplings she had made herself with great relish.

  Tong Ying can actually sit elegantly in a high-end Western restaurant, just like a well-bred young lady enjoying fine dining. But for Tong Ying, it's all about saving face; she prefers to eat without having to worry about any dining etiquette. However, when she raises her head and looks at Tan Jieyan sitting across from her, Tong Ying finally understands what true elegance and nobility are.

  Tan Jieyan's eating manner is quite elegant, even can be said to be refined. His slow and deliberate movements are like those of a prince from medieval Europe, with every gesture being effortlessly natural.

  Tan Jiayuan himself is a noble, a descendant of the Qing dynasty's royal family. The Tan family entered China's military circles during the Anti-Japanese War and has been a major force for 60-70 years. With their strong foundation, the Tan family can shake the entire city of Beijing with just one move, not to mention that the younger generation of the Tan family has already tightly integrated the three aspects of military, politics, and business together.

  Digression

  O（∩_∩）O~, I went shopping for New Year's goods yesterday, and there were people everywhere, sigh.