Chapter 6 The Golden Finger

The food was so delicious that not only Xu Jinnian was completely impressed, but Xu Chenglin was also left wanting more.

"I never expected your wife to have such culinary skills. In my younger days, your father traveled all over the country and tasted countless delicacies, but none of them could compare to these three home-style dishes."

Whether it was because his appetite had returned or because he was in a good mood, Xu Chenglin felt that his illness seemed to be improving.

When he first woke up this morning, he felt tightness in his chest, shortness of breath, and weakness in his limbs. Now, he can talk so much in one breath without panting, and he can even move his hands and feet a little.

Hearing his father praise his wife so highly, Xu Jinnian's lips curled up slightly: "I was also surprised."

Although his wife admitted that she was the reincarnation of a culinary god, he knew she was joking.

However, it is a fact that my wife is exceptionally talented in cooking, just like those geniuses who can remember everything they see.

The father and son exchanged a few words with a smile, and Xu Chenglin then gave his son some instructions:

"Tomorrow is the day your wife returns to her parents' home. You need to go to the market early to buy meat and two packets of pastries. When you get to your wife's family home, be observant and make sure your wife's parents feel at ease."

Xu Jinnian replied gently, "Your son understands."

With the bowls and chopsticks given to Xu Jinnian, Sheng An had nothing to do and felt a bit bored, so she wanted to go back to her room and lie down.

Xu Jinnian came out of the kitchen and saw her squatting on the ground watching ants with a bored expression, like a child who never grew up. He couldn't help but laugh.

Hearing his laughter, Sheng An turned her head and glared at him: "What are you laughing at?"

Xu Jinnian put away his smile, stepped forward and helped her up: "My wife, how about I teach you to read?"

Literacy?

Sheng An's eyes lit up.

Yes, how could she not have thought of such an important thing?

"Come on, teach me now!"

Sheng An grasped Xu Jinnian's hand and eagerly pulled him toward the study.

When she went to the market in the morning, she discovered that the characters on the shop signs were the same traditional Chinese characters from her previous life.

I can recognize some things by guessing, but writing them is difficult; I definitely need to learn them systematically.

Xu Jinnian's desk is spacious enough to comfortably seat two people.

"Let's learn the lady's name first. The first character is pronounced 'sheng,' which means flourishing and beautiful; the second character is pronounced 'an,' which means peaceful and well. Together, they mean a prosperous and peaceful world."

Xu Jinnian wrote Sheng An's name on the paper with vigorous and flowing strokes, perfectly embodying the saying "the handwriting reflects the person."

Sheng An listened quietly to the man's gentle explanation, staring at her own name in silence for a long time.

In her previous life, she was abandoned by her parents at birth. Because she didn't cry or make a fuss and was quiet like a child, the orphanage named her Sheng'an.

Sheng is the common surname of the children in the welfare home. To be precise, they don't actually have a surname; it's just that the character has a good meaning, so it was chosen as their surname.

This life is different; Sheng is her original surname, and An is her grandparents' beautiful blessing for their granddaughter.

I don't ask my granddaughter to be outstanding; I only hope she is safe and sound and has a smooth life.

Sheng An suddenly smiled, her eyes crinkling: "This name is very good, I like it very much."

With her calloused fingertips gently tracing the characters "Sheng An," she felt no longer anxious about returning to her grandparents' home the next day.

If the original owner of this body cannot return, the two elderly people will be her closest relatives.

Since they were her closest relatives, she had nothing to panic about when facing the two elders.

Xu Jinnian was a good teacher and very patient with Sheng An, explaining the meaning and stroke order of each character he wrote in detail.

Sheng An had no intention of pretending to be a genius. After recognizing about ten characters and becoming familiar with their strokes, she left the study without disturbing Xu Jinnian's studies.

Even so, Xu Jinnian was still amazed by her learning speed and comprehension ability, and a sense of pride welled up within him.

Sheng An didn't sit idle; she went to the kitchen and started making bread and wontons to cook for dinner.

She had more than three pounds of pork left, so she made a bowl of minced meat and wrapped about a hundred wontons.

With the remaining pork, Sheng An cut the lean meat into strips and the fatty meat into small pieces.

Rendering the fat from the pork yields a small bowl of fragrant lard. Stir-fry the shredded pork and add it to the lard; in this kind of weather, it can be stored for a long time.

In the evening, Sheng An cooked all one hundred or so pure pork wontons.

The soup base is made by boiling wonton water with salt, adding a small spoonful of soy sauce, a little lard, and sprinkling a few chopped green onions, making it exceptionally delicious.

As the plump, white wontons, with fillings almost seeping through the dough, are dropped into the soup, the aroma of the dough and the meat blend together perfectly, making it hard to tell whether the dough or the filling is more fragrant.

The fresh, fragrant, and tender wontons once again won over the stomachs of the Xu family father and son.

If Xu Jinnian hadn't stopped him, Xu Chenglin could have eaten another bowl.

After the meal, Xu Chenglin's spirits were even better than during the day.

After Xu Jinnian cleaned her father up and gave him a full-body massage to help him fall asleep, she returned to her own room.

Seeing Sheng An huddled on the inside, leaving most of the bed empty, he paused for a moment before walking to the bedside, pulling back the thin blanket, and lying down.

Sheng An's eyes were closed, but she was not sleepy.

The commotion beside her was magnified infinitely, and for some reason, she felt a little nervous, with a bunch of chaotic images rushing through her mind.

Although the two had slept together the night before, in Sheng An's mind, Chun Chun was an unexpected surprise.

She admitted that she couldn't fulfill her marital obligations for the time being.

Despite the irresistible allure of the man beside her.

Just as Sheng An was lost in thought, the man's gentle, clear voice rang out:

"Thanks to you, my wife, my father's appetite has improved a lot today, and his physical condition is much better than yesterday."

Sheng An rubbed his ears, his throat slightly dry: "We're family, no need for formalities."

Good heavens! Not only is she good-looking, but her voice is also so beautiful.

Fortunately, she remained resolute and did not pounce on him like she did the night before.

Sheng An took a deep breath, reminding herself to stay calm.

She would never tell her cheap husband that she possessed a culinary genius.

Having obtained a senior chef's certificate in her past life, a golden opportunity suddenly fell upon her—

Any food she cooks herself can be given a super buff, unleashing all the energy contained in the ingredients.

Healthy people find it incredibly delicious, while patients benefit from its health benefits, proving that dietary supplements are worse than medicinal ones.

"No matter what, thank you, my wife."

Xu Jinnian moved closer to Sheng An, and before she could react, he stretched out his long arm and pulled her into his embrace, gently kissing her smooth forehead.

Go to bed early, you need to get up early tomorrow.

Sheng An froze, nestled motionless in the man's arms.

A low, pleasant chuckle reached my ears: "Sleep."

Sheng An: "..."

With such a handsome man beside her, how could she possibly sleep!

A moment later, someone closed their eyes and fell asleep like a log.

The following morning, the couple told Xu Chenglin what they had bought and then returned to Huai Shu Village with the pork and pastries they had purchased.

Huai Shu Village is a village under the jurisdiction of Qingzhou City, only three or four miles away, so the two of them did not hire an oxcart and walked there.

As I approached the ancient locust tree at the village entrance, a sharp, shrill female voice rang out:

"Hey, our village's golden phoenix is ​​back! Hmm, didn't she say she was going to marry into the city and live a good life? Why can't she even afford to hire an oxcart?"

Sheng An stared intently at the person who spoke, and upon seeing their face clearly, she slowly wiped the smile off her face.

It was her.