First update

There was a stove in the room, the fire was burning brightly, heating a pot of wine. The air was warm, forming a natural barrier against the cold outside. The air outside was icy, with the scent of ice and snow, while inside the room the aroma of wine was accompanied by peanuts and melon seeds as side dishes.

One, two, three, four, five... Chen Guixiang counted the heads, and there were nine of them, not one less. It was still as lively as before, and the house of more than ten square meters was not too crowded.

Qin Chuanrong coughed, and the air in the room became quiet for a moment, with only sparks from the charcoal basin flying upwards.

"Guixiang, you're back? Didn't you say you'd be late?"

The tall, short, fat and thin men in black clothes around Qin Chuanrong began to look at each other. It was bad, Lao Qin's wife was back, it was a pity, in the future there would be less "private land" for them men.

This gathering was the last moment of silence to mourn the "death of the private plot."

There is no way. The housing in the city is too crowded. Every household has seven or eight people, or four or five people, crammed into a small courtyard or a tube-shaped building. An average family only has a house of 30 to 40 square meters, or 40 to 50 square meters, and three generations have to live under the same roof. Even though many young people have moved out of the courtyards, a large number of educated youth have returned, and even more are getting married and having children, so there is no room for them anywhere.

In the eyes of these people, Qin Chuanrong, the cook, is really a magical figure. He has four sons and one daughter. All his sons have moved out, his daughters are married, and even his wife has left to take care of his grandchildren, leaving him an old man all alone.

You say he is pitiful, but he has a house full of children and grandchildren, a healthy wife, and sons, granddaughters, and grandchildren... It is better to pity myself than to pity him.

Although the eldest and second brothers' families did not return to the compound, they often came over for meals. They lived not far away, so he was not lonely at all.

Not lonely, not pitiful, then... the only thing left is freedom and ease.

One person has a house of 30 or 40 square meters to himself. My God, the per capita area is almost as high as that of state officials. Even the families of high-ranking officials do not have 40 square meters to himself.

When these old friends have dinner or get together, they love to come to Qin Chuanrong's house. Each of them would cut some meat and bring some wine and side dishes, and they would eat and drink together at the table, away from their wives and children at home, away from all their worries, and have a quiet place for an old man.

Hey, now Lao Qin’s wife is back.

"Aren't I rushing back to see you?" Chen Guixiang blew his beard and glared, thinking that all his worries were in vain. This old man lived a carefree life by himself, and he didn't look like someone who was looking forward to his wife coming back.

"Hehehe——" Qin Chuanrong smiled foolishly, trying to fool people. Why was he so unlucky? It was really God's will for him.

"My daughter and son-in-law are back. Come and sit down."

"Lao Qin, your daughter is back, so we won't take up space here anymore. Just enjoy your family reunion, and then we'll be leaving." The other men were good at reading people's expressions. They exchanged glances, packed up their things and left.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave. Sit for a while." Chen Guixiang tried to persuade them to stay, but after making some excuses, the others left one after another.

After everyone left, the place was still a mess. Qin Chuanrong worked hard to clean it up, and Chen Guixiang helped. The two children, Ruirui and Mingming, looked around like little ducklings. Everything they saw was new to them, just like country bumpkins coming to the city.

Qin Yao whispered to Gu Cheng: "Look at your two sons, they are just two little country bumpkins, without any knowledge."

“Like mother, like son.”

Comrade Qin Yao was angry: "What did you say?"

"I praise you for your strong curiosity." Gu Cheng smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. "I recently saw a saying that being curious about everything is a sign of youth. Being calm and composed in everything you do and not having big mood swings only shows that your mentality is old."

"Young people are more willing to accept challenges and new things. Aren't our two children very cute? They are curious about everything. This is a sign of vitality."

Qin Yao: "...Comrade Xiao Gu, you are quite good at talking."

"As an old man, I am full of experience." Gu Cheng said shamelessly with his young and handsome face.

"I have eaten ten years more rice and salt than a young girl like you, do you think I ate for free?"

"So I know that young girls like you like old men like me."

Qin Yao raised her hand to cover her forehead, "Old man, please don't be too crazy, otherwise even I think I have a heavy taste, how can I eat something like this..."

"You eat quite well and you're not picky about food."

Qin Yao: “…”

"I have worked so hard to raise you for so many years. When will you be able to turn you back into the little chubby girl you used to be? Otherwise, every time I accompany you back to your parents' home, I am always afraid that my parents-in-law will think that I, an old man, have treated you unfairly."

"Stop it, Xiao Gu." After taking off his military uniform, a certain Comrade Gu really let go.

If the two sons were not too young, a certain black-hearted father would have wanted to sit on the sled and let his two sons pull the sled in front.

"When the children are four or five, or five or six, we will take them back to Beijing for the New Year. We will prepare a sled in advance and let them pull the sled on the track."

Qin Yao wanted to cover her ears to listen to what was being said. It sounded just like the unscrupulous boss of a black-hearted company.

"Bad dad."

"My dear daughter." Gu Cheng smiled. As soon as he said this, a wave of warmth swept through his body and mind. He suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of pleasure. Pretending to be young was not as pleasant as being an "old man".

When children play around, only some will try to be someone's "grandfather" or "father", and very few will take the initiative to be someone's son.

Actually... it’s okay to be a little older, Gu Cheng smiled gently and raised his hand to touch his wife’s head.

He whispered in her ear with a smile, "You are ten years younger than me, how dare you call yourself sister? I am ten years older than you, so it is not too much for me to call you daughter, right? Daughter, good daughter, but this sounds a bit like Thunderstorm. How about changing it to 'good niece' and calling you uncle?"

"You say 'Hello, PLA uncle' and salute."

Qin Yao said coldly: "Don't be so flirty. I know you are shy. Don't let your shyness turn into open flirting."

"Polluting our two pure and clean children."

"If you keep doing this, I'll have to become the cold-blooded Captain Qin to be able to handle your fierceness."

Qin Chuanrong dotes on children and was extremely fond of his two little grandchildren.

"Grandpa, Grandpa..."

"Grandpa's darlings, what do you want to eat? Grandpa will make it for you. I guarantee it will be something delicious that you have never eaten before."

In the past, he loved making all kinds of snacks for Qin Yao. Now, before his daughter and grandson leave, he must stuff a large sack of delicious food into their mouths.

Qin Yao likes to eat the amber honey walnuts made by Qin Chuanrong. The walnut kernels he picks are all good walnuts, not bitter. The honey is also good wild honey from the mountains, produced by farmers, not fed with white sugar.

It is fragrant, sweet and crispy, with just the right sweetness so you won’t feel sick of it.

Other snacks here, such as candied haws, are not necessarily delicious. Those bought outside are all weird. Only homemade candied haws are delicious. Compared with candied haws, Qin Yao prefers sugar-coated hawthorn balls. The sugar-coated hawthorn balls made by her father Qin Chuanrong are delicious, and some people will specially ask him to make them.

As for other dishes such as bean juice, fried dough sticks, the so-called Qianlong cabbage, and stewed pork belly...if you bring a foreigner to eat them, they might think you have a grudge against him.

Qin Yao doesn't like to eat these either. She thinks roast duck is fatty, but she likes to eat mutton hotpot and drink the mutton offal soup made by her father Qin Chuanrong.

Mutton offal soup is not something that most people can stand. Those who like it find it delicious, but those who don’t like it can’t smell it at all.

Although there are many "descendants of imperial chefs" here, it is a food desert. Those who are really picky about food may not come here to eat if they hear that you are a descendant of imperial chefs. Only those who "want to eat exquisitely" and "eat authentic food" will run over to try it.

Generally speaking, there would not be any good chefs in the palace at the end of a dynasty. Just like the big family described in "Dream of Red Mansions", this can be seen before the collapse of the edifice. The master is weak and the servants are strong. The Grand View Garden was "contracted out", and the family slaves have been connected from generation to generation, and the relationship is complicated. The slaves have long been bullying the masters, and the masters employ people based on their relatives. In the palace, even if they are royal chefs, they will not choose those with good cooking skills, but those with "connections". This is where they make money, not a place to serve the emperor. They have to feed their masters "unfresh" and "untasty" dishes every day to prevent their masters from being "picky".

Therefore, the level of these imperial chefs is complicated. They are more of an imperial chef title and a gimmick, but it is questionable whether the food they serve is delicious.

Qin Chuanrong has learned cuisine from various factions. He is a self-taught person who only cares about deliciousness. He never follows the old ways and likes innovation and improvement. The dishes he cooks are delicious and are well-liked by diners.

Of course, many people who are particular about things will criticize him and call him a "heretic."

"That old Zhang said that my dish was not cooked properly, but he ate a lot of it. If he had the ability, he should not pick up his chopsticks, what a bastard."

Qin Chuanrong spoke indignantly.

He has lived to this age with many children and grandchildren, and he doesn't have too many regrets. The only regret is that he is never recognized. His cooking skills are praised by others, but he is not from a "prominent family" and does not have the tradition of a famous family. He has never studied under a famous teacher, and he does not have the title of a successor of a great chef. It is not impressive to tell others about his skills, and his name is not well-known.

"Dad, you've been holding this grudge for so many years. How about I, your daughter, write a book about you and help you brag about it?"

Even good wine needs no bush. Many famous chefs have become famous through advertising. Without advertising, how could they become famous? They would need a few celebrities to endorse them and help promote them.

Qin Chuanrong's cooking skills were well-known, but outside the city, no one knew his name. The media coverage at that time was very limited. Throughout history, the truly famous chefs and beauties that can be passed down through the ages have to be described in the writings of literati and poets.

Qin Yao thought that the Gu family was just joking. She might not be able to help the old man write a book, but she was very interested in writing such "delicious" food descriptions on a daily basis.

If it is written as a novel, it may not be suitable for publication at this time, but if it is written as an essay and submitted to a local literary magazine, it may really earn my father some fame.

As for writing books and biographies, I have to wait a year or two before there are no problems.

By then, we can open a private restaurant and make a name for ourselves. Let Qin Chuanrong take charge while the eldest and second brothers open a restaurant.

"You, want to write a book for me? Forget it." Qin Chuanrong waved his hands. He felt that he did not have the honor to achieve this.

Qin Yao responded: "Okay then."

"Why don't you give it a try? You don't have to brag to me too much, just write it truthfully!"

Qin Yao: “…”