I love you, I won't kill you

"Hey, what's up?" Susan asked as Julie returned to the dining table.

"It's okay, I met a Yale alumnus." Julie picked up the cloth napkin on the table, folded it and put it on her lap.

"Really, from the law school?"

"No, it's a Chinese friend of Angie Chen who is studying electrical engineering at UCLA."

"Hmm. Look, here's our main course."

Under Teresa's careful selection, several hot Chinese dishes with Chinese characteristics and a combination of Chinese and Western dishes were presented to the ladies one by one by the waiters.

When Julie was still stuck on Highway 101, Teresa started her "research work" on ordering food.As the main signature dish of the restaurant-Yangzhou specialties, she ordered the iron plate platter of beef and scallops, lemon chicken and fried clams for her American friends and herself.

After ordering, she paid special attention to the ninth dish in the menu: "General Zeng Guofan's Chicken".The raw materials of the dishes are nothing special, just common diced chicken, black mushrooms and bamboo shoots.However, Teresa could not recall which Chinese general this General Zeng was referring to.

She wanted to ask the Chinese waiter about the specific origin of this dish, but everyone in the restaurant was busy at the moment.Every Chinese present was busy with how to spend the New Year's Day in 2010 lively at the dinner table.

She once asked Susan for her opinion on the third-ranked soup, "Sweetheart, what kind of soup do you think we should order?"

Susan took the recipe and looked at the unfamiliar names of the soups, and just stated according to the English recipe, "Three-flavored iron plate rice soup, wonton soup, hot and sour soup, spinach black tofu soup, pork slices and cucumber soup, Yangzhou dry tofu soup, fish soup, corn soup, egg drop soup."

She didn't know what the first three soups were, and the tofu soup and sliced ​​pork soup in the middle were naturally out of consideration.Then, among the remaining three soups, she can only choose vegetable ones, "It doesn't matter. Well, just corn soup."

Then Teresa directly skipped the fourth pork dish series, and looked at the fifth poultry series.There are as many as 17 kinds of chicken dishes arranged in sequence, which is indeed dazzling and overwhelming.In desperation, she had no choice but to order fried sliced ​​chicken breast and broccoli chicken that everyone could accept.

Regarding the following dishes, she also ordered shredded beef with black mushrooms, snow peas, and carrots.After considering other people's opinions, I chose scallops and oysters with seasoning sauce for seafood dishes; I chose snow peas with water chestnuts and mixed vegetables for vegetable dishes.

Theresa and others are almost in agreement on the Chinese tofu series dishes that occupy the majority of seats in the vegetable category.She believes that tofu, an oriental food, certainly has certain nutrients in it, but this kind of food cannot maintain the daily energy and calorie requirements.

The last few in the recipe read: Noodles, Rice, Noodle and Rice Plates, Family Dinner.Teresa stared at the noodles and fried rice with various names, "Honey, do you think what I ordered is enough for the five of us?"

"The previous 2 appetizers, and the current 9 dishes and 1 soup. Do you think it is not enough?"

"Well, that's about it, I suppose. Oh, and aperitif, red and white wine, mineral water, and orange juice."

....................

No matter what kind of purpose Chinese people come to the United States for the first time, they always sigh when they celebrate the Spring Festival in Los Angeles, why they can’t feel the steamy atmosphere of the mainland when they celebrate the Spring Festival here.Of course, this is inseparable from the natural climate of California, which is warm in winter and cool in summer, with abundant sunshine.

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, but the sunshine after two o'clock in the afternoon still makes people very happy, and there is a feeling of celebrating the Spring Festival in summer.Eat and drink well, relax, wear spring and summer clothes, happily with family, friends and colleagues, look around and chat in the bustling and crowded Chinatown, it can indeed give people the illusion of returning to their hometown.

"Friends, do you know Chinatown in Soho, London?" Theresa asked, leaning on Susan's shoulder.

"No. But I think it might be similar to Chinatown in Los Angeles?" Julie said, sipping a cup of English black tea.

"Indeed, the fiery red lanterns, tall archway, and golden coiled dragon pillars all show unique Chinese elements." Teresa nodded.

"Okay, you want to say that there is no Golden Dragon Parade in Los Angeles in Soho, right!?" Susan smiled lightly.

"Golden Dragon Parade, it's a great event! Every year on this day, many non-Chinese people in Los Angeles will participate in it. This year's parade seems to be the 111th." Joanna said.

"Hmm, do you know when this year's event will be held?" Teresa asked.

"The Golden Dragon Parade here is usually held on the sixth day after the Chinese New Year. Today is the first day of the first lunar month. Well, it should be held on the Saturday of next week, February 6th." Julie replied seriously .

"Are you sure? Well, friends, what do you think?" Teresa said excitedly.

"Of course, no problem." Lorraine and Joanna nodded in unison.

Theresa glanced at Julie, who was to Susan's right, "Hey, acting attorney, how about you?"

Julie looked at her, "What?"

"Please, if you can't bear the absence of your lover, I can lend you Susan for one night." Teresa drank the orange juice, showing a puzzled expression.

"Are you kidding?! Forget it, don't worry about me. Well, I will join you in the Chinatown event on the 20th." Julie said after finishing her black tea and putting down her cup.

When the Chinese waiter brought the bill for meals and tips, Julie was the first to take out her wallet.Susan stopped her, "Okay, I'll pay for this lunch. At least, give me a reason to allow Teresa to come to Chinatown for dinner."

Julie shook her head, "No matter what, I hope you can find your love with Theresa."

Lorraine, who was at the dining table, suddenly whispered to Joanna, "Wow, the ex-girlfriend pays for the current girlfriend, Susan is so jealous. Look, there will definitely be a good show tonight."

Joanna glanced at her, "Shut up. The person Julie loves is suffering in hell right now."

"Okay, I can shut up. Um, Amanda still serving in Afghanistan?"

"Yeah. Of course, she has four months to go back to the United States."

After Julie finished paying the bill, the group laughed at each other in satisfaction, discussed and walked towards the restaurant gate.Just as Julie, Susan, and Teresa walked out of the gate, a thin figure suddenly appeared in their sight.

"Hey, that Chinese man is looking at us." Teresa said.

"It's okay, he is Angie Chen's Chinese friend." Julie said.

"Hmm, it seems that he has something to say to you." Joanna said alertly.

"Then, let's go to Thean Hou Temple first, are you sure you can catch up with us?" Susan asked Julie.

Eddie Zhang said to the ladies with shame on his face, "I'm very sorry, I won't take up a lot of your friends' time."

When Joanna passed by his side, she said intentionally or unintentionally, "Enjoy yourself."

When everyone was walking towards Tianhou Temple in Chinatown, a block away, Julie strolled on the sidewalk with her briefcase, "Zhang, are you okay? It seems that you have been waiting outside the restaurant for a long time."

"No, I just came out a few minutes earlier than you."

"Okay, what do you want to say?"

Eddie looked at the crowded Chinatown, "I really didn't expect to meet you in Los Angeles Chinatown on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Miss Julie Mitchell."

Julie smiled thoughtfully, and said in Chinese, "Well, there are two words in Chinese that I think can describe your mood at this time. 'A long drought meets sweet rain, and an old friend meets an old friend', what do you think? "

"Well, very good. But what surprised me even more is that Miss Mitchell's Chinese is so good."

"Thank you. Then, the last two sentences, I think you know what they mean better than me."

"On the night of the bridal chamber, when the gold medal is signed." These two famous sentences are well-known to Chinese people all over the world. How could Eddie, who was born as a Chinese, not know.

After thinking for a while, he smiled softly, "Miss Mitchell, you are indeed a very smart girl."

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