Chapter 83 Xia Qianqian Amazes Everyone

Looking at the pork on the cutting board, Wang Xueying had an idea.

Nowadays, everyone's stomachs are lacking in oil and fat. As long as you're willing to add oil and sugar, there's no reason why your braised pork won't taste good.

The thought of shining brightly in front of everyone with this dish made Wang Xueying's cheeks flush with excitement. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to get to work.

Just then, Xia Qianqian walked over carrying a full load of ingredients.

She saw someone standing by the stove from afar and thought she was seeing things, but when she got closer and took a closer look, she was surprised to find that it was indeed Wang Xueying standing there.

Xia Qianqian didn't think Wang Xueying was kindly helping her with the work.

She had heard before that Wang Xueying had met Huang Zhaodi. Although she hadn't caught anything substantial wrong with her, her woman's intuition made her very wary of Wang Xueying.

She frowned slightly, her tone tinged with doubt and wariness, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Wang Xueying turned around when she heard the voice and saw that it was Xia Qianqian. She was overjoyed.

She was just worried about not finding an opportunity to trample Xia Qianqian underfoot in front of everyone, but unexpectedly, Xia Qianqian delivered herself to her doorstep. It was like someone delivering a pillow when she was sleepy; even God was helping her.

A slight upturn of her lips revealed a calculating smile.

"I came to help with the cooking, and Brother Lu personally agreed to that! What, you're not afraid I'll steal your thunder, are you?"

In her eyes, Xia Qianqian was nothing more than a destitute and helpless woman. The Lu family was so well-off, so Xia Qianqian must be desperately trying to curry favor with them.

Xia Qianqian said calmly, "Now that I'm back, I don't need your help here."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xueying immediately became agitated and shouted, "Xia Qianqian, do you know that your cooking skills are not as good as mine, so you're trying to kick me out? You're being too petty!"

Just as the two were at an impasse, Li Aiqin heard the noise and came over.

"Wang Xueying, stop talking nonsense! With your meager skills, you dare to compare yourself to Qianqian?"

Li Aiqin recalled the dishes Xia Qianqian had made before, and the taste still lingered on her tongue. At the youth center, she had also eaten Wang Xueying's dishes, but the taste was so ordinary that it was like comparing heaven and earth compared to Xia Qianqian's.

Wang Xueying didn't believe Li Aiqin's words at all.

She felt that Li Aiqin was just trying to support Xia Qianqian. With her hands on her hips, she challenged, "Oh, since you say she's a great cook, how about she competes with me? I want to see just how good she is!"

Looking at Wang Xueying's arrogant demeanor, Xia Qianqian knew perfectly well that she was plotting something again.

I hadn't found a chance to teach her a lesson before, but now that she's practically shoving her in the face, I'll show her what's what and let her know why flowers are so red.

Xia Qianqian's lips curled into a cold smile: "Fine, let's have a competition! What if you lose?"

When Wang Xueying heard that Xia Qianqian had accepted the challenge, she was overjoyed.

She thought to herself: You were eager to show off, and now you've taken the bait. Once you're in my trap, the rest will be easy. I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't use you as a stepping stone to climb up the ladder.

But Wang Xueying's joy was short-lived; she soon became anxious and uncertain again.

She was afraid that if she made too many demands, Xia Qianqian would not agree, and all the harsh words she had said before would have been for nothing.

Wang Xueying's eyes darted around, and after a while she finally spoke: "If I lose, I won't visit your house again for a year. But if you lose, you have to give all that basket of vegetables to our youths."

Xia Qianqian was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then laughed in exasperation.

"So you didn't lose anything at all? It's not hard for you to get my basket of vegetables, you'll have to give me something of equal value in exchange."

As she spoke, her gaze fell on the watch on Wang Xueying's wrist.

This watch was Wang Xueying's most valuable possession; she had shown it off countless times back in school.

Wang Xueying noticed Xia Qianqian's gaze and quickly covered her watch with her hand: "How could you be so greedy!"

She had long planned to sell this watch on the black market if she couldn't marry into the city.

With this money, she could bribe the production team leader and perhaps even become a minor official in the village, or even have the opportunity to take the college entrance exam.

If she loses the watch to Xia Qianqian, her entire plan will be ruined.

Seeing Wang Xueying's expression, Xia Qianqian couldn't help but sneer, "If you don't want to, fine. I wasn't the one who proposed the competition. Are you just all talk and no action, but when it comes to actually showing your skills, you start backing down?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xueying panicked. If she missed this opportunity, it would be difficult to have another chance to trample Xia Qianqian underfoot in front of everyone.

She glanced at her watch with a pang of regret, her eyes filled with reluctance.

But when I think about how Xia Qianqian doesn't even know how to use a traditional earthen stove, how could she possibly cook?

She was definitely bluffing, trying to scare him off with the watch.

I almost fell for her trick!

Wang Xueying silently cursed herself for being foolish.

She puffed out her chest, a fierce glint in her eyes, and said to Xia Qianqian, "Fine, let's compete! I'll use this watch as the wager. But these things alone aren't enough."

As she spoke, she pointed to the basket full of ingredients at Xia Qianqian's feet, her eyes gleaming with greed.

"If you don't want to, then forget it." Xia Qianqian didn't tolerate Wang Xueying's behavior at all.

Wang Xueying couldn't bear to miss the opportunity to suppress Xia Qianqian, so after some back and forth, Xia Qianqian added another 50 yuan as a bet.

The two immediately started cooking, and soon the aroma of food wafted out of the kitchen. Wang Xueying pretended to stir-fry, occasionally stealing glances at Xia Qianqian, but the lid on the pot was tightly closed, so she couldn't see anything.

"Is the food ready?" Peng Fei ran over to help.

Xia Qianqian said, "Perfect timing, why don't you help bring the dishes to the table?"

Looking at the snow-white dishes, Peng Fei asked curiously, "Sister-in-law, what is this?"

Xia Qianqian said, "This is hibiscus chicken slices, it tastes fresh, fragrant and tender."

This time, she added river clams to enhance the flavor, making it even more delicious than before.

Seeing that Xia Qianqian had stolen the show, Wang Xueying hurriedly squeezed next to Peng Fei, pointed to the braised pork she had made, and showed off, saying, "Peng Fei, look at the braised pork I made!"

Peng Fei looked in the direction she was pointing, and his brows furrowed slightly.

The Lu family didn't have dark soy sauce to color the meat, so the braised pork was dull and lackluster, making it look unappetizing. Moreover, the large chunks of meat were piled together, lacking any aesthetic appeal, and were worlds apart from Xia Qianqian's exquisite hibiscus chicken slices.

Peng Fei said frankly, "I still prefer what my sister-in-law makes; what you make doesn't look appetizing."

"You!" Wang Xueying stomped her feet in anger.

She still held onto a sliver of hope, wishing that others would recognize her talent, but reality was like a bucket of ice water poured over her head.

As soon as the two dishes were served, everyone reached for Xia Qianqian's food with their chopsticks, enjoying it immensely and praising it highly.

But the braised pork was ignored.

I could still faintly hear Lu's mother's voice: "Sigh, isn't this just wasting things..."