The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

The five people rushed to "Cuixuanlou" just in time for lunch. The restaurant was bustling with people coming and going.

Sunlight streamed through the half-open window, casting dappled shadows on the antique wooden dining table. The air was filled with the enticing aroma of delicious food.

They strode into the restaurant, where they were immediately greeted by enthusiastic staff. The staff, with smiles, greeted them politely: "Young Master Cheng, you've arrived! Would you like to sit outdoors by the lake, or perhaps in a private room?"

Cheng Zhi waved his hand, "The large private room on the second floor that my dad often uses is probably empty now."

Waiter: "Mr. Cheng's private room is always empty when he's not using it. I'll take you upstairs."

The group followed the staff through the bustling lobby, up the wooden stairs, and arrived at a private room on the second floor.

The private room was elegantly and comfortably furnished, with green plants by the window adding a touch of life. The five people sat around a round table. Cheng Zhi invited everyone to sit down and then ordered several of Cui Xuan Lou's signature dishes. Soon, one delicious dish after another was served, and everyone eagerly began to savor them.

Among the group, Xue Jiang is not a local, while Zhou Yanruo was born in the capital but spent her childhood here. In addition, her ancestral home is Xichuan, so she can be considered a semi-local.

Cui Xuan Lou specializes in Huaiyang cuisine, but is renowned for its fresh lake delicacies, with its most famous dish being "wine-braised shrimp".

As soon as the dish was served, Jian Zheng suggested, "Let's play a game."

He scooped up a spoonful of "wine-boiled shrimp" and placed it on the cloth plate in front of him, then said, "Let's have a competition to see who can eat the fastest and the most neatly."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhi immediately became excited, "I'm an expert at this. Eating crystal shrimp is as easy for me as cracking sunflower seeds."

Xue Jiang scoffed, "What's the big deal? Anyone can eat shrimp. I grew up in the inland and I'm not necessarily worse than you."

Zhou Yanruo laughed and said, "Xue Jiang, don't be fooled. Eating shrimp isn't as simple as peeling it by hand. These small river shrimp are quite difficult to peel even by hand."

Wang Jie chimed in, "You can eat shrimp too?"

"Yes, I can, but I'm not very skilled at it. I can't crack open a whole shrimp shell, and I'm slow."

"What does it mean to 'crack' out a whole shrimp shell?" Xue Jiang was completely confused. "It's just eating shrimp, anyone can do that, why are there so many tricks to it?"

Cheng Zhi smiled and said, "I'll set an example for everyone."

As he spoke, he popped a whole crystal shrimp into his mouth, closed his mouth, gurgled it a few times, and then spat out a whole shrimp shell with the head still attached, while he had eaten all the shrimp meat.

Xue Jiang was dumbfounded. "This is really a skill. Cheng Zhi, how many shrimp did you eat to develop this amazing technique?"

“What’s so special about that? Anyone who’s eaten this since they were a child can do it. The key is speed.” Jian Zheng was unconvinced and suggested again, “How about a competition?”

Wang Jie laughed and said, "I can't do that, I'll be the referee."

Zhou Yanruo was also eager to try, "I know how to eat like this, but I'm not good at it and I'm not fast enough. But it's all about participation, so count me in."

Xue Jiang chimed in, "It looks like a lot of fun to 'crack' shrimp like that, I'd like to try it too."

Xichuan is an important town in the Jiangnan water towns. The lake is rich in fish and shrimp, and this dish can be found on the dining table of almost every household all year round.

These 'crystal shrimp' are smaller than an adult's little finger, yet they are a common dish that locals have been eating since childhood.

Once everyone reached a consensus, the competition officially began.

Cheng Zhi and Jian Zheng performed about the same in terms of technique, but Cheng Zhi was slightly faster.

Knowing that her skills were inferior to Cheng Zhi and the others, Zhou Yanruo, driven by her enthusiasm for participation, tried to "crack" shrimp in her own way.

Xue Jiang tried to imitate Cheng Zhi's actions, putting shrimp into her mouth again and again, chewing a few times, and spitting out the shrimp shells and meat together, eating in a very messy manner.

Wang Jie sat to the side, enjoying the spectacle, loudly announcing the numbers and constantly encouraging Xue Jiang and Zhou Yanruo, acting as both referee and spectator.

The competition was in full swing, with the four contestants concentrating intently on cracking open the shrimp shells.

“My son brought his friends over to play?” A gruff male voice rang out from outside the private room.

Then, the door to the private room was pushed open, and a burly man with dark skin appeared in the doorway.

"Dad, what brings you here?" Cheng Zhigang spat out the shrimp shell in his mouth and called out crisply.

Upon seeing this, Wang Jie and Jian Zheng quickly stood up and greeted in unison, "Hello, Uncle!"

The two girls quickly grabbed napkins to wipe their mouths and, with a touch of shyness, greeted each other, "Hello, Uncle."

"Please sit down, everyone, don't be shy," Cheng Zhi's father said warmly. "Is the food you ordered enough? Would you like to order a few more? My son rarely brings friends home, so it seems you all have a really good relationship. I always encourage him to make more friends."

"Dad, let me introduce you. Xue Jiang and Zhou Yanruo are in the same training class as me." Cheng Zhi pointed to the two girls and introduced them. "The one with short hair is Zhou Yanruo. She's the one I asked you to help find out about the test results yesterday."

"Wang Jie and Jian Zheng, they're both amazing. They're both top students from Sunan University. They're Zhou Yanruo's friends, and now they're my good friends too," Cheng Zhi proudly introduced to his father.

"Jian Zheng? Could he be Mayor Chang's son?" Cheng Zhi's father asked in confusion. "He looks very familiar. I've been to your house before and met with your mother a few times. If I may be so bold as to say that Mayor Chang and your mother are friends, hahaha."

Cheng Zhi's father, Cheng Agen, is a household name in Xichuan. He was one of the first batch of professional breeders in the city to receive support.

In his early years, driven by government policies, his aquaculture business developed rapidly and expanded daily. Today, he not only leads the aquaculture industry in the city, but has also successfully ventured into the hotel and catering industries.

Cheng Agen welcomed his only son, Cheng Zhi, when he was forty years old, and naturally doted on him, almost to the point of spoiling him.

Cheng Zhi had a passion for the arts since childhood and dreamed of becoming an actor when he grew up. Cheng Agen and his wife unconditionally supported their son's dream and paved various paths for him.

Even though Cheng Zhi insisted on dropping out of high school before graduating to attend the training program, Cheng A'gen still respected his wishes. Although he himself didn't have much formal education, he had built a successful business through hard work, so he believed that as long as his son was happy, everything was fine.

Growing up in such a family environment, Cheng Zhi is confident and lively, but he can also occasionally show a willful and unruly side, and he exudes an innate sense of superiority when interacting with others. However, since meeting Xue Jiang and Zhou Yanruo in the training class, his spoiled young master temper has been greatly tamed.

Cheng Agen felt gratified watching his son mature. That's why, as soon as he entered the door, he expressed his hope that "Xiao Zhi will make more friends."