48: The scam was exposed, Lou Xiaoe wanted to buy a book

After work, Sha Zhu rushed home in a hurry.

As soon as he entered the house, he dashed towards the wardrobe like a gust of wind, skillfully pulling out the new clothes he usually treasured and was reluctant to wear, his face beaming with uncontrollable joy as he happily changed into them.

Immediately after, he found shoe polish and a brush, sat down on a small stool, and meticulously shined his leather shoes, his focused expression as if performing an incredibly solemn ceremony.

He Yushui returned from school, gently pushed open the door, and upon looking up, saw Sha Zhu wearing brand new clothes, intently polishing his shoes, which immediately piqued her curiosity.

"Brother, what are you doing? Why are you suddenly so particular?"

He Yushui asked, blinking her watery eyes, her face full of confusion and curiosity.

"I'm going to Brother Long's house for dinner later; he invited a girl, and I'm going to meet her as well."

Sha Zhu looked up, a smile on his face, and explained to his sister without reservation.

"Oh? Brother, are you going on a blind date?"

He Yushui's eyes lit up upon hearing this, her curiosity growing even stronger.

She never expected Long Feiyang to proactively introduce a potential partner to her brother; this was a novel experience for her.

"Don't guess wildly, it's not a blind date, it's just dinner, everyone getting to know each other."

Sha Zhu immediately waved his hand upon hearing the words "blind date," anxiously denying it.

After all, Li Wenting had explicitly stated that it was just a casual gathering.

"Then I want to go too."

He Yushui didn't believe her brother at all, intent on going along to join the fun and see what kind of person her brother's potential blind date was.

Moreover, she was still thinking about the delicious food at the Long family's house; although her brother had the Complete Culinary Collection, the taste of the food he made still couldn't compare to Long Feiyang's.

"No, you stay home, Brother will make you something delicious when he gets back."

Sha Zhu didn't want his sister to be a "third wheel" and spoil his good intentions; he was eagerly anticipating making a good impression on the other party tonight.

"Brother, Long Feiyang's cooking is better than yours, I want to eat at the Long family's house!"

He Yushui immediately threw a tantrum when told she couldn't go, crossing her arms and pouting, looking just like an angry little rabbit.

Sha Zhu couldn't win against his sister, so he reluctantly agreed to let her come along.

Thus, Sha Zhu gained a "little tail" behind him.

"Remember, this is just dinner, not a blind date. Don't say anything out of line when we get there, understand?"

Sha Zhu instructed He Yushui sternly as they walked, his eyes full of worry, afraid his sister would say the wrong thing and ruin his important business.

After all, this was an important occasion concerning his lifelong happiness, and there was no room for error.

"I know."

He Yushui replied perfunctorily, but in her heart, she had already planned to carefully observe her future sister-in-law once they arrived at the Long family's house.

Sha Zhu looked at his sister's nonchalant expression, feeling helpless, and could only secretly pray that she wouldn't cause any trouble.

At this moment, across from the Long family's house, Third Uncle and Third Aunt were standing at their doorway, staring at the backs of Sha Zhu and his sister, whispering.

"Sha Zhu is going on a blind date and bringing his sister? Isn't this just messing around? Isn't he afraid of ruining things?" Third Uncle said, frowning, his face full of worry.

Third Aunt quickly chimed in: "Exactly, this child, he doesn't even know to be careful about such an important matter."

The two shook their heads as they spoke, as if they had already foreseen that this blind date was surely destined to fail.

"Brother, I brought my sister; I really couldn't get her to stay."

As soon as Sha Zhu entered, he immediately explained to Long Feiyang, his face full of helplessness, and he shrugged apologetically.

Long Feiyang and Li Wenting exchanged glances, both their hearts sinking slightly, vaguely feeling that things might be heading in a bad direction.

As soon as He Yushui entered the room, her gaze was drawn to the youthful, beautiful, and fashionably dressed Lou Xiaoe.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement, a brilliant smile on her face, and she proactively stepped forward to greet her.

"Hello, I'm He Yushui, He Yuzhu's sister."

As she spoke, she stared intently at Lou Xiaoe with the gaze of someone scrutinizing a future sister-in-law, her eyes full of curiosity.

Long Feiyang, Li Wenting, and Sha Zhu heard this and were so embarrassed they wished they could find a hole to crawl into.

Who greets someone like that upon first meeting? They should at least wait until Long Feiyang finishes introductions before speaking.

Sha Zhu stood there somewhat awkwardly, his face flushed red, and he gave Lou Xiaoe an embarrassed smile.

Although Lou Xiaoe's appearance couldn't compare to Li Wenting's, she still made Sha Zhu's eyes light up, and a hint of admiration arose in his heart.

He looked gratefully at Long Feiyang, thinking that regardless of whether this blind date succeeded, he would remember this favor.

In fact, Lou Xiaoe had already known she was being "tricked" into a blind date when she chatted with the children earlier.

However, to exchange for the Complete Culinary Collection from Sha Zhu, she temporarily endured it, forcing a slight smile as she responded.

"Hello everyone, I'm Lou Xiaoe, here as a guest at Long Feiyang's house today."

She specifically emphasized the words "as a guest" and gave Sha Zhu a cold glance.

That glance made Lou Xiaoe's heart wonder: This Sha Zhu, why does he look almost thirty?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, feeling that she had been deceived by Long Feiyang, and she glared fiercely at Long Feiyang.

Long Feiyang noticed Lou Xiaoe's change in attitude and secretly chuckled.

He felt it was time to formally introduce everyone.

"Let me introduce everyone. This is Lou Xiaoe, 19 years old, single. This is He Yuzhu, 24 years old, single, a chef in the Steel rolling mill cafeteria. This is He Yuzhu's sister, He Yushui, 15 years old, still in school."

Long Feiyang emphasized the word "single" when he said it.

"I invited Lou Xiaoe today to avoid misunderstandings. My wife has agreed, and she can come to me with any problems she has in the future."

Long Feiyang emphasized this with a serious expression, but his tone seemed to be hiding something.

"Only 24? Why does he look like 30?"

Lou Xiaoe was surprised to hear Sha Zhu's age and examined him carefully again.

She had originally thought Sha Zhu was much older than her, but she didn't expect him to be only five years her senior.

However, she knew very well that she was there as a guest and had no particular feelings for Sha Zhu.

"Alright, everyone, please sit. My wife and I will go bring out the dishes."

Long Feiyang finished speaking, then pulled Li Wenting into the kitchen.

Li Wenting looked back at the living room, then obediently followed Long Feiyang into the kitchen.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, she was surprised to see Long Feiyang conjure up plates of steaming, fragrant dishes out of thin air.

She paused, then said helplessly, "Husband, so you don't know how to cook; all these dishes just appeared."

"Hehe, wife, this is my special ability. I store cooked food by the ton, so whenever you want something, I can just take it out."

Seeing that he couldn't keep it a secret, Long Feiyang stopped hiding and vaguely covered all his secrets with "special ability."

In the living room, Sha Zhu felt somewhat at a loss, thinking that he and Lou Xiaoe weren't very familiar yet, and he felt awkward sitting too close, so he planned to sit on the opposite side.

But before he could sit down, He Yushui, like a little monkey, nimbly darted to sit beside Lou Xiaoe, staring intently at her as if she were a rare treasure.

Lou Xiaoe ignored He Yushui's gaze, her eyes fixed on Sha Zhu, pondering how to get the Complete Culinary Collection.

Sha Zhu felt uncomfortable under her stare, his face flushed red, and he awkwardly lowered his head.

"Sha Zhu, I have something to tell you."

Lou Xiaoe unceremoniously called out the nickname "Sha Zhu," not even mentioning He Yuzhu's name.

Her attitude showed that she was in a bad mood. At this moment, she only wanted to solve the book problem and didn't care about anything else.

That "Sha Zhu" made both Sha Zhu and He Yushui freeze.

[How does she know my brother's nickname?] He Yushui was full of doubts, muttering to herself.

[How does she know my nickname? Did Long Feiyang tell her? Impossible, he's my good brother, he wouldn't trick me. So who told her?]

Sha Zhu also looked depressed, unable to figure it out no matter how he thought about it.

"How do you know my nickname?" Sha Zhu looked up, asking Lou Xiaoe with confusion.

"Never mind the nickname. Let me ask you, did Long Feiyang give you a Complete Culinary Collection?"

Lou Xiaoe didn't answer his question but went straight to the point, her eyes showing urgency.

Sha Zhu subconsciously nodded: "Yes, Brother Long gave me one. What about it?"

"Sha Zhu, I won't beat around the bush. I want your Complete Culinary Collection. Name your price."

Lou Xiaoe directly stated her purpose, staring intently at Sha Zhu, waiting for his reply.

"I won't sell it."

Sha Zhu shook his head without hesitation, his attitude very firm.

He knew how important this book was to him; it could help him improve his cooking skills, and he would absolutely not sell it easily.

"A watch, a bicycle, will you trade?" Lou Xiaoe saw that Sha Zhu didn't agree, but she wasn't discouraged and directly offered a price.

She thought that Long Feiyang wanted a pair of watches and two bicycles, and Sha Zhu only had one book, so half the price should be enough.

Moreover, she felt that Long Feiyang was foolish and wanted to take advantage of Sha Zhu.

"I won't trade."

Sha Zhu refused again, his gaze towards Lou Xiaoe changing from initial admiration to wariness.

He felt that this woman definitely had ulterior motives and was here to snatch his culinary heritage.

[This woman's intentions are impure; I can't have her.] Sha Zhu thought to himself.

He Yushui watched their conversation from the side and felt that Lou Xiaoe's attitude was too domineering, and she couldn't help but worry.

She thought, if Lou Xiaoe married into their family, would she be strictly controlled by her in the future?

[I need to persuade Brother; he can't have a sister-in-law like this.] He Yushui secretly made up her mind.