Serendipity - A Chance Encounter 216 Food Critic

The mansion where Grandfather Cho lives is located in the countryside. There were trees all around and a huge garden on its right. The house is maintained pretty well making it look very comfortable and pleasant. According to Daniel, they used to live there until he was five years old before they moved to their own home where his parents are now living.

Inside was mostly made of wood and it had an earthy and cool vibe. Samantha liked how it was decorated and it made her miss her Grandfather Kim's home.

Inside the well-kept kitchen, Samantha started to prepare the food that she brought with her. She had actually already cooked it before she left the cliffside villa that morning. The food was kept in an insulated container, keeping it nice, hot and ready to eat.

"Young Madam, please let us help you." Said one of the servants.

Smiling politely at them, she declined their offer, "Thank you, but it's okay. I would like to do it myself."

The servant felt uncomfortable letting her do the job in the kitchen when she was a guest. Since it was the first time that they were meeting her, they did not know how she was yet. And judging by how Grandfather Cho was acting earlier, they were not sure if she was liked by him. The servant tried once again, "But-"

"How about you help me set the table instead?" Samantha asked politely in which the servants gladly moved right away, following her request.

She transferred the stew in a bowl and carefully arranged the different kinds of vegetables on it. When she was satisfied with the presentation, she wiped the edges of the bowl making it look presentable. Samantha had always loved working in the kitchen. Although she was more interested in baking cakes and pastries, she was also fond of cooking.

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Grandfather Cho was sitting on the armchair in the living room. He was carefully tr.i.m.m.i.n.g his bonsai plant on the table when he suddenly thought about something. He placed the cutting tool aside and looked up at his a.s.sistant, "Jiang, what is she doing in there?"

"The Young Madam is preparing your lunch, Master." Mr. Jiang replied.

Grandfather Cho was silent for a moment, he was not feeling angry but he was not happy either. "What did she bring?" He asked.

"It seems that the Young Madam brought your favorite beef stew." Mr. Jiang answered while he was carefully observing his master.

The old man's brows were raised as he was surprised by what Samantha has prepared. 'How did she know?' He wondered. 'Even if she does, I doubt that it will be that good anyway.'

Beef stew was Grandfather Cho's favorite food. But he does not like just any beef stew, as the only one that he really enjoyed eating was the dish that his late wife cooked. For him, it was the best.

Although Grandfather Cho was being unreasonable with Daniel and Samantha because of what happened in the past, it did not mean that he did not love his late wife.

Truthfully, Yong-Hee was indeed his first love, but he also loved his wife. Maybe because his pride as a man was stepped on when things didn't turn out well for him and Young-Hee that caused him to make a biased decision. And it was because of Samantha's grandfather that he remained bitter about it.

Especially when at that time, he was still in love with her. Not knowing that during the time that he was working very hard to make a living and to establish himself, he had created one of his best works in jewelry making. And that piece of jewelry was actually for Young-Hee, except that he was making it for his rival. And he made it without knowing that he helped them get married. How ironic was that?

When he first met Samantha during the Cho Corporation's anniversary celebration, he truly liked her as he found that she was a very sweet, jolly and polite lady; very much like her grandmother.

But the second time that they met, he had discovered that she was Young-Hee's granddaughter. He would have been okay with that thought but then his ego did not allow him to accept her as the granddaughter of that man, Samantha's grandfather.

While he was reminiscing the past, light footsteps were heard that was coming from the kitchen. Turning his head to the left, he saw the young woman in white carrying a bowl in her hands and walking towards the dining table. He gulped as he stretched his neck to watch and his nose wiggled slightly when he smelled the delicious aroma not far from him.

Mr. Jiang slightly smiled at the sight of his master because without realizing it, he had actually already antic.i.p.ated Samantha's cooking.

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Grandfather Cho was sitting at the end of the table, in front of him was a plate, a bowl of rice, a bowl of beef stew and some other vegetable side dishes. Samantha stood on his right while Mr. Jiang was on his left, they were both waiting for the old man to start eating.

Despite already knowing the obvious, Grandfather Cho asked in an expressionless tone, "What is this?"

"It's beef stew, grandfather. I… heard that it is your favorite, so I wanted to make one for you." Samantha answered politely.

"I don't just eat any beef stew."

Samantha glanced at Mr. Jiang and pursed her lips, unsure of what to reply. Mr. Jiang just closed his eyes and nodded once as if he was saying, 'It's going to be okay.'

Even with his initial comment, Grandfather Cho looked at the beef stew in the bowl and observed it as if he was a judge of a cooking show who loves to give critics. At that moment, Samantha's heart almost leaped out of her chest when she suddenly felt the pressure. She swallowed in antic.i.p.ation and clenched the skirt of her dress as she waited for him to try her food.

Judging by the color of the dish, it doesn't look far off from how his late wife used to cook it. The stew looked very appetizing with the huge chunks of beef, carrots, peas, and potatoes. It looked simple but it was definitely mouth-watering.

Samantha took the initiative to serve Grandfather Cho, so she stepped forward and scooped some rice on his plate and gave him a portion of the stew.

Disregarding the rice, the old man aimed to taste the beef stew first. His mouth was already waiting for him to try out the… "Mhm" A faint sound was heard from him as he started chewing.

It was almost inaudible but Samantha and Mr. Jiang had unexpectedly heard it. Two of them looked at each other and Samantha swore that she wanted to dance silly right then and there.

Realizing that he may have made a mistake, Grandfather Cho opened his eyes and composed himself. He was trying so hard not to look affected by what he just tasted but he wasn't aware that he just exposed himself.

He stared at the food on his plate again while there was still food in his mouth. The beef was very tender and the taste was almost exactly like his wife's cooking. Though there was something different in it, he wasn't sure what it was. The sauce was very creamy and savory, it was definitely on par with his wife's beef stew.

"Grandfather, how is it?" She asked fearlessly.

The old man scoffed, "It's okay." He commented indifferently as if he just ate a mediocre tasting dish.

She pursed her lips, wanting to ask some more to know if there was something that she needed to change in the recipe for it to suit his taste.

A crease formed on his head, Grandfather Cho looked up at her and spoke in a rather annoyed tone, "What are you doing just standing there? You said that you came here to eat with me, are you not going to sit?"

Panicked, Samantha nodded as she moved towards the chair, "ah, right. Yes, Grandfather."