"An'an, what's that in your hand? Put it down and let your auntie clean it up." Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be pig intestines.

"Wow! Wood ash can be used to wash pig intestines?"

Gu An'an nodded, "Wood ash can absorb the grease on pig intestines and also remove the odor from the intestines."

The village chief's wife looked surprised. She thought Gu An'an was the kind of person who never lifted a finger, since she was fair-skinned and good at handling things, and looked like she had never suffered any hardship. She never expected her to have this skill.

"Oh my, I didn't know you could do it like that. No wonder the pig intestines I make always have a weird smell."

Looking around, she realized she had worried too much; the two girls, though young, had everything in perfect order.

Gu An'an washed the pig intestines again and again with practiced ease, and the water changed from dark to clear. Even the greasy pig intestines became clean and appealing.

With just this one skill, the village chief's wife was already convinced that Gu An'an could cook.

However, she didn't intend to sit idly by and started helping the two of them with their work.

When she saw that they were preparing three meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, the village chief's wife tried to stop them, but she couldn't stop them at all.

However, she didn't think Gu An'an was bad in this respect, and she certainly didn't think Gu An'an was a spendthrift like some women do, or that she would have to discipline her properly after they got married.

On the contrary, she felt quite touched; if it weren't for entertaining them, the child wouldn't have spent so much on a single meal.

Gu An'an, of course, had no idea what she was thinking. If she had known, she would definitely have replied.

Auntie, you're overthinking it. If it weren't for you, I would eat even better.

Once the food was ready, the village chief and Erniu arrived, and Gu An'an went to call Chen Jianguo from the side.

How to describe Chen Jianguo? He's actually a pretty good person, but as the senior member of the educated youth compound, he often has to smooth things over and is rather soft-hearted.

She didn't plan to invite anyone else; they were either unfamiliar with her or had conflicts with her, so it was really unnecessary.

But Chen Jianguo still had to call out, not to curry favor, but mainly because he thought that if there was any news from the educated youth, he could inform them out of respect for the meal.

"Are you inviting me to dinner?"

Gu An'an nodded, "Okay, just a simple housewarming party."

Gu An'an was trying to be friendly, and Chen Jianguo naturally wouldn't refuse. He changed his shoes and followed her out.

"Ha! They only invited Jianguo to the housewarming party, and we even prepared a welcome banquet for them. They don't take us seriously at all." Qian Xiaojun sneered.

Wang Erzhuang scratched his head, "Although we provided food for the welcoming banquet, they also brought out some good things."

He didn't even notice Qian Xiaojun's face suddenly turn cold as he continued, "Besides, they just arrived and they only have so little food. If we really called all of them, I doubt that food would last a month."

"They invited us out of food, but they had food to invite the village chief and the others. I think they just like to curry favor."

Qian Xiaojun continued to belittle Gu An'an and her companion. The two houses were close together, and the smell of cooking had already wafted over, making him quite hungry.

It would be better if no one could benefit from the meal, but now Chen Jianguo can go and enjoy the delicious food while he can only continue to eat dry, bland food. It would be strange if he were in a good mood.

"It seems the village chief's wife brought some pickled cabbage over this afternoon. Gu Zhiqing and the others were probably just returning the favor. If we also send something over, she will definitely treat us to a meal."

Qian Xiaojun: "...Wang Erzhuang, have you taken a liking to Gu An'an?"

Wang Erzhuang's big face flushed red in an instant, and his hands waved so fast they almost left afterimages.

"How could that be! I just think that Gu Zhiqing isn't what you think."

In Wang Erzhuang's world, there are few bad people. "Xiaojun, I know you're craving meat, but you can't talk about a girl like that just for a bite of meat. That's not right."

"If you really crave meat, we can send some over in advance next time. That way, Gu Zhiqing might trust us if he gets something good."

Qian Xiaojun: ...Idiot! He wants to take advantage of others, not be taken advantage of by them.

Qian Xiaojun was completely speechless. In his mind, he was thinking that the two families next to him were really well-off. He had to observe them carefully and see which one was better. That way, once he got them, he wouldn't have to worry about money.

It wasn't just Qian Xiaojun who had objections; others did too.

Zhao Hu looked at the ugly behavior of these people, slightly lowered the corners of his mouth and said nothing. He just sped up his eating, finished eating, washed the dishes and went back to his room in one smooth motion.

However, he has always been like this, doing things his own way and not getting involved in other people's disputes. Everyone has long been used to his reaction and has no complaints.

Unlike theirs, the atmosphere in the courtyard was harmonious and joyful.

When Chen Jianguo arrived, Zhou Yue was serving the dishes. The smell was different from when he first smelled them. Now, looking at these dishes that looked and smelled delicious, he couldn't help but swallow.

"Did you all do this, Gu Zhiqing?"

Honestly, at this moment he felt a little sorry that the two of them had moved out. With their skills, no one in the educated youth compound could compare.

"My aunt helped, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to finish so quickly."

Although I wasn't able to help much, I was still very grateful.

"I wouldn't dare accept that. I only lent a hand; you did everything else."

"All I know how to do is wash vegetables and start a fire; I can't do anything else. But I'm lucky! I can work with Sister An'an, so I'll definitely have enough to eat in the future."

"Zhou Zhiqing is really amazing."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Jianguo received an approving look from Zhou Yue.

"That's right, An'an can do everything, even turn this smelly intestines into a delicious dish."

As she spoke, she took out a bottle of wine, saying, "This is what my dad gave me before he left. I didn't expect it to come in handy so soon."

After saying that, she poured a glass for everyone and said, "Try An'an's stir-fried pork intestines. I was originally reluctant, but I was so tempted that I secretly ate a piece just now."

With Zhou Yue's enthusiastic recommendation, everyone picked up a piece, and their eyes lit up the moment the fatty intestine entered their mouths.

"Is this the same thing I ate before?" The village chief recalled the fatty intestines his family used to make, and then thought about the taste in his mouth now, feeling that so much food had been wasted.

Erniu ate two pieces before he had time to speak. "Although it's very spicy, it's really satisfying. If everyone knew that pork intestines could be so delicious, there wouldn't be enough pork intestines to go around by the end of the year."

Chen Jianguo almost cried from the aroma. After so many years in the countryside, he could only make sure he didn't go hungry, but he couldn't afford to be particular about the taste of food.

Now he has discovered that there is another way to live life.

For a fleeting moment, Chen Jianguo really wanted to move out and share the meal, but then he realized it was unlikely and kept quiet.

Forget it! He can eat whatever he can get; he can't be too greedy.