"It's because he was provoked. That kid Xiao Liu tells everyone he meets that you found him a great partner. It would be strange if the others weren't anxious."

"So I became a matchmaker?"

Xiao Yuheng nodded, "She's still a very reputable matchmaker."

Gu An'an was both amused and exasperated. She hadn't expected to have such potential at such a young age. However, she was going to disappoint those young men. She was unfamiliar with the area and had no ability to introduce them to anyone.

"By the way, your injury has almost healed, shouldn't we start thinking about eating now?"

The family compound has this tradition; if Xiao Yuheng hadn't been on a mission and injured, they would have had this housewarming dinner long ago.

Now that this matter has been taken care of before Xiao Yuheng goes to work, it's one less thing to worry about.

"Okay, give me the menu and I'll prepare it."

Since he's treating his own brother to dinner, there's no reason for him to act like a big shot on the sidelines.

Gu An'an's menu was based on reason. His family's food was good, but it couldn't be too much better than other families', otherwise it would be easy to worry about inequality rather than scarcity.

Of course, it couldn't be dealt with casually, after all, it represented Xiao Yuheng's reputation.

After deciding on the number of people, Xiao Yuheng immediately began preparing the dishes, and also made sure to give all the necessary greetings.

"Is Sister An'an treating us to dinner? Mom, can I take the day off today?"

"No, didn't you say you absolutely had to get into high school? The exams are coming up soon, so hurry up and eat, or I'll beat you up."

Aunt Zhang is truly devoted to her daughter now, preparing everything perfectly so that she can focus on her exams.

"But I want to try An'an's cooking. Dad says An'an is a great cook..."

Aunt Zhang glared at Commander Zhao; they were both troublemakers.

"If you get into high school and stay at home, are you worried about not having the chance to eat An'an's cooking? You can choose to eat it once today or many times in the future."

Zhao Man wanted both, of course, but she knew that her mother was not asking her to choose. So, when she passed by the Xiao family's house on her way to school, she couldn't help but sniff the air, imagining the delicious food she had already tasted, and then went to study with high spirits.

She refused to believe it; it was just a high school entrance exam, and she refused to believe she couldn't do it.

The groceries arrived in the morning, but neither of them had time to go shopping themselves, so they entrusted the task to a young soldier in the logistics department.

Of course, they didn't skimp on the money; they absolutely didn't take advantage of the military in the slightest.

In these days, inviting someone to dinner is simpler than in later generations. For example, if there aren't enough chairs, guests will automatically bring them to your door. If there aren't enough bowls, plates, and chopsticks, guests can bring their own. You don't even have to worry about manpower. It was only one o'clock in the afternoon when Aunt Zhang and Aunt Zhou came over after finishing cleaning up the house.

"Xiao Gu, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Xiao Gu, your Aunt Zhang and I brought you some homemade soybean paste and scallions. Where would you like to put them?"

Gu An'an and Xiao Yuheng were tidying up in the kitchen when they heard the noise. They quickly put down their things and came out to greet them. "Oh, sister-in-law, you really thought of everything I was thinking of. I had thought of everything, but I forgot to buy these two things."

Upon opening the jar, a rich aroma of soybean paste wafted out. "Sister-in-law's skills are truly excellent. The soybean paste she makes is so fragrant and has such a beautiful color. I must learn from her next year."

When Gu An'an wants to praise someone, she can make them happy without feeling overdoing it.

"You're such a sweet talker, okay! If you want to learn, that's easy, your sister-in-law will teach you anytime."

Gu An'an poured the two of them a glass of sugar water, but they only took two sips before they wanted to go into the kitchen to help.

"Xiao Gu, why did you prepare so much stuff?"

It has meat, fish, vegetables, and seafood.

The family compound has hosted many housewarming parties, but none have ever been this lavish, showing how generous the young couple is.

"I happen to know a girl at the supply and marketing cooperative, so I bought a lot of things. Some of them were brought from home, so I thought I'd let everyone taste the flavors of our hometown."

The two exchanged a glance and liked Gu An'an even more. Having the means was one thing, but being willing to use them to entertain others was another.

"Alright, then we'll go all out today."

Both of them were straightforward people, and they rolled up their sleeves and started helping to tidy up.

These days, many families have a large family, with six or seven people including adults and children. So, there's a common custom that when you go to someone else's house for a meal, you send one or two representatives as a token of appreciation.

Even so, there were still two large tables of people, and in the end, a few people were eating standing up.

"Deputy Regiment Commander, your wife is so kind, she brought so many good things to treat us."

"This boiled pork slices are so spicy and satisfying."

"Isn't this the 'Three Treasures of the Earth' dish that we're tired of eating? Why does your sister-in-law make it even better than the one in our cafeteria?"

The table was filled not only with Northeastern Chinese dishes, but also Sichuan cuisine and other lightly flavored dishes. Almost everyone could find something they liked, and their chopsticks kept going non-stop.

"How could it not be delicious? Xiao Gu didn't skimp on the oil at all to treat us. It really breaks my heart to see it."

As the saying goes, too much oil won't spoil the dish. This time, Aunt Zhang truly witnessed Gu An'an's generosity and understood why her husband, Lao Zhao, wanted to eat more after eating. With this kind of food and flavor, she could eat it for a lifetime and never get tired of it.

Everyone ate very quickly, with no time to eat and chat slowly, afraid that if they were too slow, the food would be snatched up.

Most of the people there were men, and Gu An'an was worried that it wouldn't be enough, so she steamed some more 8-sided steamed buns.

Eight-tenths flour, as the name suggests, is made by grinding 100 grams of wheat into 81 grams of flour. The taste is definitely not as good as white flour steamed buns, but with so many good dishes already prepared, it is more appropriate to bring out this one now.

"Sister-in-law, do you have a younger sister?"

Gu An'an remembered the other person; they had often come to her to try and become familiar with her before. Of course, she knew what the other person meant by asking that question, but she was going to disappoint them.

"No."

Sure enough, the child immediately wilted upon hearing this.

"Sister-in-law, with such good genes, it would be such a pity if you didn't have a younger sister."

That made everyone burst into laughter.

"Zhu Zi, if Xiao Gu had a younger sister, would you still want to marry her and make her your wife?"

Zhu Zi nodded honestly, but when he met Xiao Yuheng's eyes, he hurriedly shook his head, "No, no, even if there were a good girl like my sister-in-law, I wouldn't be worthy of her."

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they all spontaneously helped clean up, and Gu An'an's refusal was futile.

"Xiao Gu, just let them clean up. I think they want to do a good job so that they'll remember them next time there's a good opportunity like this."

Aunt Zhou said it incisively.

"That's right, these rascals weren't this diligent before. It seems they still lack motivation."

That night, everyone was still reminiscing about the delicious meal even in their dreams, and that's how word spread about Gu An'an's excellent cooking skills.