This time, Cheng Ran didn't stop him from speaking. He stopped halfway through his sentence, swallowed, and asked cautiously.
"Can I tell my sister-in-law about this?"
He almost let something slip in front of Qiao Xuemei and got his foot pressed down, so he'd better be more careful.
“Your sister-in-law knows,” Cheng Ran replied.
"Phew, that's good. As expected, the battalion commander and his wife can talk about anything. No wonder the brothers all say that you two have a good relationship."
He breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't forget to add fuel to the fire with the two of them.
"Do you have a good relationship?" Cheng Ran couldn't suppress his joy when he heard these words. He really liked this evaluation, or rather, this description.
"Stop talking, Hung Hing, come stay for dinner. I've made a few dishes, they won't taste good if they're not hot."
They then noticed that the table had four dishes and a soup, including a boiled sliced pork dish. Although it wasn't all meat, with bean sprouts and cabbage mixed in, it still looked and smelled delicious.
Another loofah soup, a blanched bok choy, and another fried dish that looked golden yellow but I couldn't tell what it was, Hung Hing pointed to.
"Sister-in-law, this dish is interesting. It smells delicious. What is it?"
"This is fried chicken."
"Fried chicken? I've never heard of that before."
"I learned it from a book; this way of eating is popular abroad."
Jiang Wanqing explained that she originally planned to make shredded chicken, but she didn't have enough chicken. It was just a small half-chicken that her neighbor had given her, so she could only process it into fried chicken.
"Then... I'll try it?"
He couldn't wait to take a bite. The food in the cafeteria wasn't bad, but he was tired of it. Changing the taste occasionally was a nice change.
He didn't have high expectations for the taste, but after one bite, the chicken was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, bursting with juice. It was so delicious that he wanted to swallow the bones!
"How about it?"
"It's so delicious!" Hongxing gave a thumbs up: "Sister-in-law, you're so talented! Not only are you beautiful and knowledgeable, but you can also cook so well!"
Cheng Ran thought he was exaggerating and flattering him on purpose, praising the delicious food as divine.
He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. After chewing, his eyes changed from calm to surprise, and even more so, astonishment.
"It's really delicious, Wanqing. This dish should be perfect for kids."
"Yes, I plan to make some for the children in the courtyard another day, to build a good relationship with them, so that we can help each other out in the future."
Although most of the people in the residential compound are not particularly hostile, they are not very friendly. Apart from a few women, like Sister Zhang, who thanked her for tutoring their children, there is no other contact. It is harder than climbing to heaven to get any information out of them.
"Okay, just tell me if you need anything."
"Okay, let's eat first."
...
Within two days, Jiang Wanqing started "bribing the children." The fragrant fried chicken made the boys and girls lose their bearings, and they all crowded around.
"Sister Jiang, what did you make... this chicken is so delicious! I'll ask my mom to make it when we get back!"
“It’s fried chicken,” Jiang Wanqing corrected.
"I've never eaten anything so delicious before. Sister Jiang, you're amazing. You're not just all show and no substance as they say."
Children tend to say things from the heart after eating, and Jiang Wanqing listened, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh? What else did they say about me?"
"They say you're scheming, sister. You seem unassuming on the surface, but you're actually very calculating. That's not true at all. You've been giving us free lessons."
"Exactly, adults love to talk nonsense."
"Who said these things first?"
Jiang Wanqing gently squatted down and helped a little girl with her hair down to tie it back up. She patted the girl's head and asked softly.
"It was Dr. Qiao and Aunt Liu who said it. They said my sister didn't even attend her own sister's wedding, she doesn't want any relatives, and she won't go far with Battalion Commander Cheng. My mom made a bet with them in private about how long my sister could stay here. My mom said at least one or two years, and Dr. Qiao said at most one or two months, and by then you'll have nothing left..."
The little girl relayed the story perfectly, and it wasn't surprising that it came from Qiao Xuemei's mouth. One or two months... How could she be so sure? Something must have happened during that time.
She lowered her gaze, gathered the children together, and distributed the fried chicken to each of them.
"I'll cook even more delicious food in the future, please come often!"
"Great!"
Children are very innocent; they talk more to those who are kind to them. Many adults don't even try to hide their conversations from children. Trying to get information out of older women is not as effective as getting information from the children's few words.
Jiang Wanqing was absolutely not going to Jiang Xiu's wedding, but Molly told her over the commune phone that in order to put on a good show for the Jiang family and cover up the recent scandals, they had gone so far as to use Cheng Ran's name to invite all the leaders they could get their hands on.
Upon hearing this news, Jiang Wanqing suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. Rural society is based on personal connections, and people are expected to show respect to their elders. No matter how bad the relationship between the two Jiang brothers was, they were still brothers. Cheng Ran was Jiang Xiu's brother-in-law, and because of this relationship, quite a few people actually agreed to attend.
This made Jiang Wanqing think of four words: turning a funeral into a celebration!
This family is stupidly shrewd. If she doesn't keep an eye on things, she has no doubt that Jiang Xiu's family will ruin her and Cheng Ran's reputation at the wedding banquet.
Since it concerned Cheng Ran, Jiang Wanqing told him about it. Although he was angry, it wasn't directed at her.
"They've done something utterly foolish! I'll send a telegram immediately to inform them!"
"Wait a moment……"
Jiang Wanqing took his hand and pursed her lips slightly. It wouldn't be good to shatter their illusions too soon.
What do you want to do?
"Hmm... Tell them not to go, but don't refuse until the wedding starts."
Her eyes flashed slyly. She had already suffered a loss once in her life when dealing with Jiang Xiu, and she would never suffer another loss. She wanted Jiang Xiu to experience the feeling of lifting someone up to the highest point and then throwing them down hard!
Cheng Ran understood what she meant through her eyes and stroked the back of her hand.
"We'll do it your way."
"Thanks."
This was originally her own family matter, and involving Cheng Ran was not her intention. However, the matter had to be resolved, and she did not want to use his name, but she still did. A simple thank you felt very insignificant to her.
"You don't need to thank me, just tell me what you need."
"good."
Because of this little incident, Jiang Wanqing thought it over and over again and still had to go back. Before leaving, she even carefully selected a "gift".
Cheng Ran wanted to go with her, but she refused. He thought Jiang Xiu's family would be overjoyed if he went, but she deliberately went against their wishes. She even rejected the suggestion to have someone take her.
She specially arranged for a fellow villager's tractor, but before getting on the tractor, she ran into Qiao Xuemei, who was also going to a wedding.
"Oh, you're not doing a very good job as a battalion commander's wife. When you went back to your cousin's wedding, Battalion Commander Cheng didn't even prepare a car for you. Humph."
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