Uncle Chen gave a meaningful look. "Cost equals loss. I heard the company has a newcomer working with your father on a government contract, planning to sell the tempered glass at a high price to the government."
So in her previous life, Jing's Dad, who hadn't blocked anyone's profit, was fine. In this life, because Jing Shu requested the tempered glass, did it trigger a butterfly effect?
Uncle Chen exhaled a smoke ring. "The best outcome is to get extra profit from the tempered glass and settle the matter. After all, refunding the share is temporary, but dividends are long-term. Go persuade your father to admit a small mistake. President Wang still has some affection for him."
It was truly a case of accidental luck. Jing Shu had originally wondered how to get her father to withdraw from the shares. After all, Jing's Dad had been involved for more than twenty years. Unexpectedly, fate had arranged for him to be expelled from the company and get a sum of money to buy supplies.
"Okay." Jing Shu tried to look sad, careful not to let a smile slip out. She might just be the perfect fake daughter.
After finishing tasks at the villa, Jing Shu returned home early to prepare a shrimp feast to comfort Jing's Dad's wounded pride.
She took out more than a hundred large shrimp over 8 centimeters from the Cube Space and transferred them into a 1-cubic-meter independent space. Using her absolute control over anything in the Cube Space, Jing Shu quickly cleaned and deveined the shrimp. She peeled some shrimp, marinated others in cooking wine, soy sauce, and salt, and prepared auxiliary ingredients: scallions cut into flowers, ginger into strips, and smashed garlic.
In the real world, cleaning and deveining shrimp would take at least an hour or two. In the Cube Space, Jing Shu finished in five minutes.
She cooked a large pot of rice porridge, fried shrimp heads for shrimp oil, and sautéed the shrimp in the oil with seasonings. At the same time, she stir-fried the garlic until fragrant, brushed oil on the baking tray, skewered the shrimp, sprinkled garlic, and baked them for ten minutes.
After frying the shrimp in oil, she removed them from the pan, then sautéed ginger and garlic, added ketchup to make red oil, put the shrimp in with seasonings, boiled on high, then covered and simmered on low. After two minutes, she added scallion segments and reduced the sauce on high heat. Jing Shu tasted it, nodded, and plated the oil-braised shrimp.
For the boiled shrimp, she brought water to a boil with ginger and scallions, cooked the shrimp for one minute, then plated them with dipping sauces.
The remaining marinated shrimp were coated in starch, egg wash, and breadcrumbs, then fried on low heat until golden brown. They were plated as crispy fried shrimp.
Six Cube Space eggs were beaten with water and salt, mixed with shrimp, wrapped in plastic wrap, and steamed. Once done, she drizzled fish soy sauce and sesame oil to make steamed egg with shrimp.
The oven beeped. Jing Shu took out the final dish, garlic-baked shrimp, and set it on the table. Her shrimp porridge, rich in fragrance, would be ready to serve once her parents came back and she sprinkled scallions on top.
Jing's Dad opened the door and immediately smelled the aroma filling the house: baked shrimp, fried shrimp, and rich seafood broth. Jing Shu peeked out with sauce on her lips. "I cooked."
But Jing's Dad wasn't alone. Three others followed behind him.
"Wow, I knew it wouldn't be Aunt Su cooking. Smells too good." Sun Zijian, with a face full of acne, led a girl in a super short skirt and leather coat inside.
"Sun Zijian?" Jing Shu exclaimed. At this moment, Sun Zijian was tall and heavyset, unlike the skin-and-bone figure he would be ten years later.
"Jing Shu, this is my girlfriend, Xiao Cao. Dad said he'd make up for my birthday and take us out to eat." Sun Zijian grabbed a piece of fried shrimp and stuffed it into his mouth. "Damn, this is so damn good! Dad, let's just eat at Uncle Jing's place."
Jing Shu clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and tried to stay calm. If she fought Sun Zijian here, Jing's Dad would be put in a passive position, giving them more reason not to return the money.
"Fine. We'll eat wherever you say." Ten years ago, Uncle Sun was fair-skinned, with a standard beer belly, unlike Jing's Dad, who kept fit with exercise.
"Hello, sister." Xiao Cao's cutesy voice made Jing Shu shiver. She held Sun Zijian's arm with both hands, swaying slightly, showing a timid expression, as if only Sun Zijian could make her feel safe.
Sun Zijian enjoyed that very much.
"Then let's eat. How is this shrimp so delicious?" Sun Zijian had already picked up a shrimp skewer, calling Xiao Cao to act like it was her home. He behaved as if he were the host.
"My mom isn't back yet!" Jing Shu felt disgusted. Her carefully prepared meal was being devoured by unrefined people, and her small universe was about to explode. She had to hold back!
Jing's Dad invited Uncle Sun to sit. "Your mother worked late tonight. Don't wait for her."
"I'll save a portion." Jing Shu grabbed the pot, serving each plate carefully while telling herself to stay calm.
"Hey, hey, there wasn't much to begin with. If you take more, there'll be none left. Aunt Su can't eat this much anyway." Sun Zijian tugged on her arm, dissatisfied, but Jing Shu's fierce glare made him retreat. "It's just for my birthday, right?"
In her previous life, this ungrateful family conspired together. Jing Shu wanted to beat them up immediately but didn't bother to act friendly.
Each person received a large bowl of fresh shrimp porridge. Everyone devoured the juicy shrimp at lightning speed. Jing Shu was fastest, taking shrimp from the plate, tearing it gently with her hands into her mouth, eating a spoonful of shrimp steamed egg, biting a fried shrimp tail, all while preparing another shrimp with her other hand.
Delicate Xiao Cao also abandoned appearances, focusing only on picking shrimp from the steamed egg. Sun Zijian peeled shrimp with his hands covered in red oil, frustrated, and directly scooped the steamed egg with a spoon, finishing both egg and shrimp in two mouthfuls.
Jing's Dad wanted to mention repayment but had to deal with the company forcing overdue payments to be settled. With the possibility of being fired, his mood was frozen at zero.
"Burp. Dad, bring some for Mom." Sun Zijian, having devoured three bowls of shrimp porridge, finally gave up.
He even packed leftovers from someone else's house. Jing Shu admired his audacity.
Jing's Dad, obsessed with money, ignored Sun Zijian. In the past, he would have willingly packed some for him.
"You'll have to ask Jing Shu about that." Uncle Sun, messy with oil around his mouth, had never tasted shrimp so fresh, especially shrimp porridge.
"Jing Shu, set aside a portion for mom." Sun Zijian teased.
"Aunt Wang will surely enjoy such delicious food." Xiao Cao added shyly.
In their previous life, this was always how it was. Because Jing's Dad and Jing's Mom treated them as family, they truly acted like it. Jing's Dad had always been grateful and never thought it was wrong.
"My mom is even more eager to eat a meal I cooked. This is homework. No sharing." Jing Shu refused flatly.
Sun Zijian grumbled, "First time at someone else's house and you can't get enough. Xiao Cao, let's go eat barbecue."
"Okay, Brother Zi Jian, I'm still hungry too."
===
I suddenly felt so stupid for the past two days. You know that feeling when your brain just lags behind, but your body feels… somewhat fine?
Because of the last cosmic event, I started feeling suspicious. And yes, when I checked, a lunar eclipse was happening again—or more precisely, a total lunar eclipse on September 8. I was left completely speechless =_=. My Yin constitution really feels the effects of these things.
At least this time it's not as bad as a while ago, when multiple cosmic events happened simultaneously over a long period. That was rough…