Chapter 28 028 Graduation Banquet [Second Update]

Mr. and Mrs. Qu also got up early in the morning. Like the Wen couple, they were not locals from the city.

Qu's mother drove to pick up her mother, brother, and sister-in-law, and her sister also brought her family to the city.

Mr. Qu also invited his relatives, but only his mother came.

He had originally thought he didn't have enough cars, so he borrowed a friend's seven-seater van. Now, only an elderly woman came, and there were only three people sitting in the large van.

Qu Qingqing was driving when she picked up the person at the station and started to pout.

Her gray-haired grandmother started nagging as soon as she got in the car. First, she talked about how her uncle's children were doing, and second, she symbolically said that Qu Xiaoyu's exam results were not bad, and that she was at least a college student.

Thirdly...

"Qingqing, how old are you? It's time to think about getting married."

"When I was your age, I already had three kids."

"Girls shouldn't be too picky. If you keep picking and choosing, it'll be harder to find someone when you're thirty."

"I'm doing this for your own good..."

Qu Qingqing slammed on the brakes, and her father in the back seat quickly steadied the old lady, saying, "Qingqing, drive slowly!"

Qu Qingqing said lazily, "Dad, it's not my fault, there was a traffic jam up ahead."

Old Mrs. Qu leaned on her second son's arm, her eyesight failing her. She cursed Qu Qingqing in her heart, but ultimately had nothing to say.

She had three children. The eldest and the youngest are still living in the village. The second son, whom she never really cared about, married a woman who was studying nursing. He first opened a clinic in the village, then in the county, and now he's moved to the city.

She couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

"Second brother, your eldest brother's son, Mingming, has graduated now. He called home a while ago and said he wanted to go abroad to pursue a master's degree..."

Qu Qingqing suddenly shouted, "Dad, look!"

Following Qu Qingqing's gaze, Qu's father looked out the window.

"Tsk tsk, what's going on here? Driving so fast, I was wondering why there was a traffic jam."

Two cars collided outside. Neither driver was hurt, but one car's hood was blown off, and the other's rear bumper was knocked off. They were arguing heatedly outside.

Qu Qingqing: "We can't take Grandma home this afternoon. I saw that the guardrail is damaged, and I don't know when it will be repaired."

Mr. Qu: "Qingqing is right, Mom. Let's leave a little earlier this afternoon. We can't walk here."

Interrupted by Qu Qingqing, Old Lady Qu's original words were stuck in her throat.

Qu Qingqing saw her silent grandmother in the rearview mirror and secretly smiled.

The car soon arrived at the destination, and Grandma Qu was still wondering, "Aren't we holding it at home?"

Qu Qingqing helped the person down: "My mom and I are not very good cooks, let's eat out."

"How much would that cost...?"

Qu Qingqing interrupted, "It didn't cost much. We listened to you and were very frugal. The place isn't big, so we just had a family gathering."

Grandma Qu seemed a little flustered: "Your mother's relatives are here too?"

"That's true, Qu Xiaoyu got into university, of course she has to come. My aunt lives in the next city, and she drove all the way here today."

Grandma Qu was even more embarrassed. When she thought of her eldest son and youngest son, she unconsciously started to try to make amends.

"Your eldest uncle and third uncle are busy at home. It's hot, and they're watering the fields."

Actually, when the two families heard that Qu Xiaoyu had been admitted to a private junior college, the eldest brother said there was no need for her to come, and the third brother said it would be pointless for her to come.

Neither of the two families came, and no gifts were given.

"Second brother, don't eat the heart, your eldest brother and your younger brother..."

Mr. Qu helped her up: "No, Mom, let's go."

The old lady knew that her second son must be feeling unwell after he said that.

Indeed, comparing the two, the other side's maternal and paternal relatives came, while the uncles and elders here didn't really give them much face.

When they arrived at the destination, Qu's mother's family had already arrived. When relatives met, none of them were so tactless as to ask why the others hadn't come.

Grandma Qu, however, was restless, asking every now and then if the food had been served yet.

Mother Wen: "Go on stage once everyone is here."

Grandma Qu nitpicked awkwardly, "This place is too shabby."

I thought the second son would find some fancy hotel, but it turned out to be a run-down little restaurant. This place is even worse than the hotels in town.

Qu Qingqing's maternal grandmother, her hair meticulously combed, pulled Qu's mother along, saying, "The children have it tough too. Living in a big city, you have to spend money on everything. I think this place is pretty good. As long as the food is fresh and delicious, what's there to be picky about among family? Don't you think so, my dear sister?"

Grandma Qu always felt that her in-laws were implying something, but she could only awkwardly smile and brush it off.

Yang Fei and Zhang Shan brought tea, and everyone sat down to chat.

After the usual routine of "giving red envelopes," "declining," and "encouragement from relatives," the dishes were served.

Originally, three tables were prepared, each seating ten people, but now, even with this arrangement, only six or seven people are seated at each table.

Wen's mother didn't press them for details, she just told Wen Fan that the food was ready to be served.

Wen Fan stared at the fire: "Alright, let's serve the cold dishes first."

For the cold dishes, Wen Fan didn't serve the usual ones, but instead made two.

One is Crispy Lotus Root with Golden Threads. Slice the lotus root thinly and deep-fry it until golden brown. Put red oil in a pot, add an appropriate amount of honey, add side dishes and cook the sauce until it thickens. Put the fried lotus root slices into the pot and stir-fry quickly until they are evenly coated with the sauce. Let the honey solidify at room temperature, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and the Crispy Lotus Root with Golden Threads becomes very appealing.

The other dish was a platter with various braised dishes cut into different shapes. Among them was a goose liver, for which Wen Fan specially prepared a different braising sauce, resulting in a particularly dark color. It was placed in the center.

Qu Qingqing urged everyone to start eating: "We're all family, no need to be so formal."

Qu Qingqing's maternal grandmother looked at Qu Qingqing with full approval, then turned to Qu's mother and said, "You are truly blessed to have such a daughter."

Grandma Qu thought, "Qingqing is a generous and filial child." She picked up her chopsticks and winked at her granddaughter.

Qu Qingqing laughed and said, "Grandma, try this foie gras, it's so expensive."

Wen Fan bought only a small amount of the expensive item and even told her about it.

The foie gras has a smooth, savory flavor, and its amber-colored pink color is captivating to the taste buds.

Qu Qingqing couldn't help but gasp in amazement; this foie gras was even better than the braised foie gras she had eaten on a trip before.

"This lotus root is really good."

The crispy lotus root slices have a satisfying crunch, and the sweet and fragrant texture really whets the taste buds.

Following that, the hot dishes began to be served one by one.

First up was a roast duck with osmanthus. Originally, Wen Fan was going to make an eight-treasure gourd duck, but after seeing his new oven, he suddenly decided to make a roast duck.

There are now many ways to cook roast duck, and Wen Fan also saw online that the capital city of this era also has a very famous dish, which is roast duck.

Roast duck served with pancakes and dipping sauce is a common sight these days.

After thinking for a moment, Wen Fan made this Osmanthus Roasted Duck.

Plump ducks are selected, marinated, and then roasted. The most important ingredient is osmanthus. The roasted duck, marinated with osmanthus, is then roasted in the oven, releasing the fragrance of osmanthus as it roasts.

Finally, the crispy-skinned and tender roast duck is paired with a special osmanthus dipping sauce. The rich fat of the duck skin and the sweet aroma of osmanthus blend together in a surprising way. There is no need for the saltiness to stand out; the quality of the duck meat itself is already irresistible.

Qu Qingqing's family never expected that the Wen family could make such a dish.

"Delicious! It's so delicious!"

Qu's father had no time to worry about his resentment; he ate the roast duck piece by piece with great relish.

As I ate, sadness welled up inside me.

"This food is so delicious, why didn't you invite me to eat it before!"

Now that I think about it, my son has been working here for almost half a month, and I haven't even thought of bringing him, his father, any food back home!

Qu Xiaoyu and Yang Tao were enjoying their meal at the third table, but Qu Qingqing instantly understood her father's grievances.

"Dad, don't you realize how many days you've actually spent at home while you're fishing!"

Today one friend says there's a good fishing spot, tomorrow another friend says how to bait the area so you won't come back empty-handed.

He knows the surrounding rivers and streams like the back of his hand all day long, but he doesn't care about anything at home!

Qu Fu was speechless and had no choice but to take a big bite of roast duck.

"I...I'll go less often!"

Looking back now, I realize I was really bored. I went out early and came home late every day, but I didn't catch many big fish all year round. I did, however, spend a lot of money on feed and fishing rods.

Instead of wasting time on this, why not come and have something nice to eat!

After the roast duck, the hot dishes are served even faster.

A dish of embroidered scallops involves mincing several ingredients and scallops together, shaping them into an embroidered ball, steaming them, and then placing the whole thing into a soup. When served in a bowl, the embroidered scallops, resembling beautiful embroidered balls, sway in the rich, fragrant soup.

Qu Qingqing's uncle and aunt took out their phones and started taking pictures.

"This is so rare, we've never seen anything like it before."

I had only ever heard of chrysanthemum tofu before, I had no idea there was such a thing as hydrangea scallop.

One bite, and your mouth is filled with freshness and aroma. You can't tell if it's the freshness of the scallops or the soup.

Immediately afterwards, Wen Fan served up the spare ribs.

The only difference is that the middle bone of the ribs is removed, and fried sweet potato, potato and yam strips are stuffed in. Wen Fan was too lazy to give this dish a name, so he just called it Three-Color Ribs.

With one bite, the outer layer of pork ribs is savory and delicious, while the inside of fried sweet potato, fried potato, and fried yam retains its crispy texture.

"Wow! Delicious!"

Yang Tao and his friends were having a great time eating, and the young people were almost ready to rush over.

"Why am I already a sophomore?!"

Yang Tao wailed in despair.

If he had known this would happen, he would have wished he were a high school graduate now.

After the three-color spare ribs, came the peony fish slices and golden shredded pork rolls...

Finally, Wen Fan served pastries and then sweet soup to conclude the meal.

That sweet soup was made with pear broth and contained several kinds of glutinous rice balls.

Ending with glutinous rice balls is also a way of wishing Qu Xiaoyu a successful and fulfilling academic journey.

Qu Qingqing was already full, but when she saw the glutinous rice balls, she couldn't help but order more.

"Share it so everyone can have a taste."

Despite feeling stuffed, I ate a few more bites of glutinous rice balls.

The glutinous rice balls were also made by Wen Fan himself. Every bite was full of fruity aroma, and the pear soup was refreshing. Even after finishing the soup, I still wanted more.

Qu Qingqing, holding her belly, stared wide-eyed: "I've decided, from now on, we'll handle everything in our family here."

It's so delicious.