279 Calligraphy and Painting

Before he entered the courtyard, Zhou Sheng shouted from the door, "Xia Zhe, can you come out quickly?"

Xia Zhe put down what he was doing in the house and ran out in a hurry. When he opened the door, he saw Zhou Sheng standing there with a picture frame that was even taller than him.

"Grandpa Zhou, what is this?" Xia Zhe asked as he hurriedly took the picture frame from Zhou Sheng.

"The last time Mei Mei came to my house, I didn't give her anything. I don't have anything valuable, and I only like to write. I thought that I'll give both of you a calligraphy piece which I wrote previously. Hopefully it will bring good tidings to you," Zhou Sheng said while panting.

When Zhou Sheng entered the house, Qiao Mei finished cooking at the same time.

"Grandpa Zhou, you've come at the right time. I've just finished cooking. Eh? What's this?" Qiao Mei looked curiously at the thing that Xia Zhe was holding.

"It's a calligraphy piece by Grandpa Zhou. He said it's for you," Xia Zhe said.

Qiao Mei liked things like antiques, paintings and calligraphy the most.

"Thank you, Grandpa Zhou. I love these things the most. Grandpa Zhou, quickly come in and eat." Qiao Mei held on to him and helped him into the house.

Xia Zhe took the calligraphy into the study and hung it up. Previously, Qiao Mei had thought that the study looked ordinary and did not feel like a study at all. Once the calligraphy was hung up, the room suddenly had a more scholarly feel.

When everyone sat down, they saw a table full of nice dishes. There were only five of them but the food was enough for twelve people. There were eight dishes and one soup, plus a cold dish.

There were a total of 10 dishes.

"Are we celebrating any festival today? Why are there so many delicious dishes?" Zhou Sheng asked curiously.

"It's because our elder sister is back. Besides, I didn't make any delicious food at Grandpa Zhou's house the last time. Everyone can try my cooking this time!" Qiao Mei said with a smile.

"Mei Mei is nicest to me. She even makes me so much delicious food when I'm back." Xia He smiled happily.

In the letter that Xia He received from home, Xu Lan had mentioned Qiao Mei's family background. Therefore, Xia He thought that if Qiao Mei was from a small family, she must be a petty person. She did not expect Qiao Mei to be not only capable, but also very eloquent.

"Alright, alright, everyone. Stop praising me. Hurry up and eat," Qiao Mei said.

Xia Fang was used to Qiao Mei's cooking, so she felt that it tasted normal and was not surprised by the spread.

However, the other three people had shocked looks on their faces. They could not believe that Qiao Mei's culinary skills were actually comparable to that of a chef from a five-star restaurant.

"Mei Mei, your culinary skills are really fantastic. Xiao Zhe really has it good with a girl like you around," Zhou Sheng said with a sigh.

Xia He also felt the same way. There was nothing that tasted like this at the Kong family residence. She did not know how to cook and just ate whatever that Old Madam Kong cooked.

At the art troupe, there were usually meals provided. If she had to go back at night, she would find something else to eat or go to a restaurant. Ever since Old Madam Kong came to live with them, she had to eat the food that the old lady cooked.

The issue with the food made by Old Madam Kong was that it was not a matter of whether the food was edible or not, but more a matter of whether the food was safe enough to eat without getting poisoned.

Even with such food, Kong Li could still become so fat. When Xia He first got married, Kong Li did not look like this. Later on, after the mother and daughter took all her money, Kong Li started to eat and drink so much that she became obscenely fat.

The Xia family had a helper to do the chores. After Xia He got married, she did not do any housework at first. After Old Madam Kong came, the old lady asked her to wash the dishes every day.

Xia He often needed to perform in front of the camera and sometimes, there would be close-ups of her hands and face. If she washed the dishes often, her hands would not look as good as before. She had a longstanding argument with Old Madam Kong over this matter.

She originally thought that Kong Lu would back her up when he returned, but not only did he not help her, he even said that it was a woman's duty to do these chores. In the end, she had no choice but to wash the dishes while wearing gloves.

After dinner, Xia Zhe rushed to wash the dishes and clear the table, making Qiao Mei feel embarrassed.

During that era, these chores should be done by women. If a woman did not do the cleaning up and other people saw it, they would gossip about her.