Chapter 47 Straight ball
"Ding!" The elevator reached the 11th floor.

When Chen Mo walked out of the elevator, he no longer felt the nervousness he had in the garage.

At this moment, Chen Mo's heart was very clear and determined; he knew what he wanted.

"Hongdou, come over for dinner later." Chen Mo said as he looked at Xu Hongdou who was opening the door.

"No thanks," Xu Hongdou wanted to refuse out of habit.

"I have something to say to you." Chen Mo said.

"If it was what happened in the car just now."

Xu Hongdou thought that Chen Mo was still "brooding over" the phone call from Jiang Congwen.

"It's not this matter, but I will also make it clear by the way." Chen Mo shook his head and said.

"Then just tell me." Xu Hongdou was also curious about what Chen Mo was going to say.

"Let's talk about it while we eat later." Chen Mo said.

"Why do we have to do it during the meal? Can't we just say it directly?" Xu Hongdou frowned.

"Because I haven't figured out what to say yet, I need to think about it carefully while I cook." Chen Mo said seriously.

Xu Hongdou stared at Chen Mo for a while, and found that Chen Mo didn't look like he was joking, so she nodded: "Okay, then I'll change my clothes."

"Don't worry, I'll call you when it's done." Chen Mo said with a smile.

The two of them went back to their respective houses.

Chen Mo washed his hands first, took out a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator, took a big gulp, and then let out a long breath.

"Hu~~"

Chen Mo finally recovered from the series of coincidences that happened in the car and in the elevator.

Some of Jiang Congwen's words in the car disrupted Chen Mo's original rhythm.

Originally, Chen Mo just wanted Jiang Congwen to indirectly confirm the fact that "it's a bit strange to go to the amusement park alone" so that he could "reasonably" join the two-person trip to the amusement park tomorrow.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Congwen told Chen Mo about their previous conspiracy, and he did so while the call was being played out loud. When Xu Hongdou was nearby, this was tantamount to making Chen Mo passively "bomb himself" on the spot.

Jiang Congwen just hung up the phone, but what could Chen Mo do?
Jump off the car?

He jumped out of the car from the driver's seat, and I guess the two of them ended up committing suicide for love.

But it's not bad. After a round of wild thoughts in the garage, at least now Chen Mo is clear and sure about what to do next with this relationship.

Chen Mo didn't delay any longer and immediately started preparing dinner.

Chen Mo took out the ingredients from the refrigerator and prepared to make the soup first.

Originally, Chen Mo was too lazy to make soup by himself, but Xu Hongdou was coming over, and Chen Mo felt that Xu Hongdou's stomach should drink some soup.

First of all, it can warm the stomach.

Secondly, it can also help Xu Hongdou drink less alcohol and beverages.

Chen Mo is preparing to make bitter melon and pork ribs soup.

First blanch the ribs to remove blood and foam, wash them with warm water, and then stew them with ginger slices.

After washing the bitter gourd, remove the pulp and cut into pieces for later use.

Bitter melon has a bitter taste, and some people can't stand this taste. However, Chen Mo is used to drinking it because his family has made a lot of soup since he was a child.

But Chen Mo didn't know whether Xu Hongdou liked the taste.

After thinking about it, Chen Mo added some salt to the hot water and blanch the bitter gourd to remove the bitterness.

Then Chen Mo prepared to make cola chicken wings.

Cut the chicken wings into pieces, put them in cold water, add onion, ginger and Huadiao wine and blanch them until cooked.

Then don’t add oil, just fry slowly over low heat, because the chicken wings themselves are fat, and adding oil will make them greasy.

Fry the chicken wings until both sides are browned, add ginger slices, and pour the cola in batches along the edge of the pan. This will create a buffer between the cola and the chicken wings, making it less likely to become burnt.

Finally, add salt, and if you like it sweeter, you can add some sugar.

Chen Mo thought about it, then took out a lemon, removed the seeds and sliced ​​it, and put it in.

The lemons should be deseeded, otherwise they will be bitter.

Also, although lemon is sour, it is actually alkaline and can make chicken wings more tender.

If he was eating by himself, Chen Mo would not bother to be so particular. At most, he would just pour some lemon-flavored cola and treat it as adding lemon.

Finally, simmer over low heat and cook over high heat until the sauce thickens. The cola chicken wings are ready.

While the chicken wings were stewing, Chen Mo skillfully processed the shrimps: cutting out the shrimp cavity, removing the shrimp whiskers, shrimp legs, and shrimp tail tips, and finally picking the shrimp thread from the second section of the shrimp back.

After the cola chicken wings were out of the pot, Chen Mo simply washed the pot and prepared to make the braised prawns.

Put the shrimps in the pan and fry them until they are a little crispy. Add shredded ginger and scallions. After the scallions and ginger become fragrant, turn to high heat and add some cooking wine and a little water, as well as salt, sugar, white pepper and other seasonings.

Change to medium heat, cover and simmer for two minutes to reduce the sauce. A plate of bright red braised prawns is ready.

Then Chen Mo added bitter melon to the soup, added some salt for seasoning, and continued to simmer.

During the cooking process, Chen Mo's restlessness gradually calmed down, watching the prawns gradually change color under the oil temperature, watching the ribs in the pot gradually emit the aroma of fat in the boiling water. Delicious food requires time to wait, and so does love.
Finally, Chen Mo fried another dish of vegetables.

The doorbell rang when Chen Mo brought the three dishes to the table.

Chen Mo took off his apron and went to open the door.

"I'm here." Chen Mo saw Xu Hongdou as soon as he opened the door.

Xu Hongdou changed into a set of purple home casual clothes and wore a purple headband. Without the delicate makeup she wore at work, she looked fresh and elegant.

The hibiscus comes out of the clear water and is carved naturally.

This is the poem that emerged in Chen Mo's mind at this moment.

Chen Mo felt that Xu Hongdou gave people a sense of competence and propriety when she was at work, but now without her gorgeous attire, she seemed more approachable.

"Come in quickly." Chen Mo called Xu Hongdou into the house.

As soon as Xu Hongdou entered the door, she saw a cute lucky cat on the shoe cabinet at the entrance.
This lucky cat has red ears, a golden bell around its neck, a gold ingot on its head, one hand holding a golden coin and the other holding the word "peace".

Chen Mo opened the door for Xu Hongdou, then turned to the kitchen and said, "We still need some soup. Please sit for a while. It will be ready soon."

"Well, OK." Xu Hongdou closed the door herself. It wasn't the first time they came here, so neither of them was so polite. Instead, they were very natural, or maybe they were used to it.

Whether it is eating or cooking.

When passing by the shoe cabinet in the entrance hall, Xu Hongdou couldn't help but touch the smiling face of the lucky cat with her hand and smiled knowingly.

As Xu Hongdou walked in, she smelled a fragrance, and then saw three tempting dishes on the table. She couldn't help swallowing.

"Goo~~"

Xu Hongdou quickly held her stomach and looked quickly at Chen Mo in the kitchen. After confirming that Chen Mo didn't hear the noise, she breathed a sigh of relief and playfully stuck out her tongue.

She was indeed a little hungry today, and the food on the table was much better than the takeout she ate every day, so she couldn't help herself.

Xu Hongdou also saw another lucky cat on the dining table. She had seen this one in the photo that Chen Mo sent her a few days ago. It was similar to the one at the door, but the two words on this one’s hand were "Joy".

Xu Hongdou remembered that there were four in the bag in Chen Mo's hand that day. After looking at Chen Mo who was busy in the kitchen, Xu Hongdou started walking around the house.

On the coffee table and TV cabinet in the living room, Xu Hongdou found two other lucky cats. The two words on their hands were "lucky" and "fortune".

These four lucky cats are obviously from the same set. They look similar, but their postures are either sitting upright, leaning back, lying on their sides, or lying forward. Also, the words on their hands are different.

Someone said that she should be able to see lucky cats everywhere when she enters the house.
Xu Hongdou couldn't help but think of what Chen Mo said to her that day. Looking at the lucky cats in the room, Xu Hongdou touched each one of them.

"The soup is ready, we can eat now." Chen Mo brought out the last soup from the kitchen, and the dishes were ready.

Three dishes and a soup for two people, just right.

"Hey." Xu Hongdou responded and put the "lucky" fortune cat in her hand back on the coffee table.

"You've done so much?" Xu Hongdou came to the dining table.

"Not much. Eat more later. I believe in your fighting ability." Chen Mo said with a smile.

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me." Xu Hongdou gave a fake smile.

When girls are told they can eat a lot, most of them don't think it's a compliment.

Because in the girl's mind, "being able to eat" and "gaining weight" are causally related.

"Being able to eat is a blessing." Chen Mo said with a smile.

"It's a blessing to get fat, right?" Xu Hongdou said unhappily.

"How could that be? You're not fat." Chen Mo said as he took a bowl and served Xu Hongdou a bowl of soup: "Try this soup."

"Thank you." Xu Hongdou took it and took a bite.

"How is it? The bitter melon is not too bitter, right?" Chen Mo asked expectantly.

"No, this bitter gourd is not very bitter and tastes good." Xu Hongdou nodded and praised.

"That's good." Chen Mo felt relieved.

Watching Xu Hongdou sipping the soup in small sips, Chen Mo felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Xu Hongdou noticed Chen Mo's gaze.

"Nothing." Chen Mo smiled and shook his head: "I'll serve you a bowl of rice. You won't be full just by drinking the soup."

"I can do it myself." Xu Hongdou quickly stood up and said.

"It's okay. I'll serve myself too. It's easy. You sit down." Chen Mo motioned Xu Hongdou to sit down.

Seeing that Chen Mo was already serving the soup, Xu Hongdou did not argue anymore and sat back to drink the soup. Suddenly, she felt warm in her heart.

It must be because of the soup, Xu Hongdou thought.

Perhaps this is why it is said that if you want to keep someone, you should first keep her stomach, because warming the stomach often warms the heart as well.

Chen Mo quickly served two bowls of rice.

"You can say what you wanted to say just now." Xu Hongdou took the rice in her hand and asked.

"No rush, eat your fill first." Chen Mo said as he picked up a big shrimp for Xu Hongdou.

"You're not just trying to trick me into coming over for dinner when you don't have anything to say, right?" Xu Hongdou asked suspiciously.

"Haha, how could that be." Chen Mo couldn't help laughing: "Then what do I want?"

"How should I know what you want? As the old saying goes, if someone shows you kindness without any reason, he is either a villain or a thief." Xu Hongdou curled her lips.

"Hey, hey, hey, you are drinking this hot soup, eating this delicious meal, and saying these cold words. Do you think it's appropriate?" Chen Mo's face was full of black lines.

"Hehe." Xu Hongdou looked at the bowl in her hand and smiled embarrassedly.

"Then why did you call me over for dinner?" Xu Hongdou asked.

"I'll tell you after dinner."

"Why? You haven't figured out what to say yet?"

"That's not the case. I've already thought about it." Chen Mo shook his head slightly.

"Then just tell me." Xu Hongdou urged.

"I'm afraid that after I finish talking, you won't eat anymore. Wouldn't that be a waste of the food?" Chen Mo said.

"If you don't tell me now, I can't eat anymore." Xu Hongdou put down her bowl and chopsticks.

Chen Mo looked at Xu Hongdou opposite him, and Xu Hongdou also stared into Chen Mo's eyes.

"Don't worry, I've been in the hotel for so many years, I've seen everything, no matter how bizarre things are, they won't affect my appetite." Xu Hongdou waved her hand and said, "Just speak up."

"A weird thing?" Chen Mo's eyes twitched.

"Isn't it? Otherwise you would have been hesitating since we were in the garage downstairs just now." Xu Hongdou said.

"That was me..." Chen Mo didn't know how to explain.

"Forget it, I'll just say it straight." Chen Mo looked at Xu Hongdou and said seriously.

"Yeah." Xu Hongdou nodded, listening to what Chen Mo had to say with curiosity.

Chen Mo didn't drag his feet any more and said directly:
"I want to chase you."

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(End of this chapter)