Chapter 8
Wang Cuilian was only thinking about taking the person away. Lighting the fire and cooking was one thing, but there were already two large basins of dirty clothes piled up at home.
In the past, these household chores were the responsibility of her and Ma. Later, Jiang Wanning was bought, and now Wang Cuilian had someone she could order around and oppress, so of course she didn't want to get involved anymore.
Who would have thought that no matter what she said, Lu Shang would not let her go. When she got anxious, he even asked coldly, "A Ning still wants to take care of me. Second Mother sent her away. Are you leaving me alone?"
"I had a high fever last night. Thanks to Aning who found me in time and took care of me all night long, I recovered a little in the morning."
"Second Mother, you called Aning away. What if I have a headache or fever again, and no one is around? Do you want to attend my funeral again?" These words were really harsh. As soon as they came out, Wang Cuilian's face changed.
"No, forget it if you don't want to. I won't call her."
Wang Cuilian turned around with a sullen face and was about to leave when she heard Lu Shang say from behind, "Second Mother, go back first. It's just cooking. We'll go later."
Wang Cuilian: "Oh." She left angrily and did not notice the subtlety in Lu Shang's words.
After seeing Wang Cuilian off, Lu Shang closed the door.
He glanced at Jiang Wanning, then slowly walked to the table and sat down. He poured himself a glass of water and said, "Go to sleep. I'll keep you company."
Jiang Wanning opened her mouth, unable to bear the sleepiness in her eyes. After hesitating for a long time, she finally nodded: "...Okay."
She slowly retreated back to the bed, glancing at Lu Shang from time to time. However, after observing several times, she never saw Lu Shang raise his head. Even after she lay down, she was unable to meet his gaze once.
Jiang Wanning was still nervous and pressed herself against the wall. If her eyes could not bear it any longer, she would still stare at Lu Shang, for fear that he would change his mind and she could go down quickly.
But she didn't know that not long after she fell asleep, Lu Shang moved a bench to the yard.
He found a shady place, holding a glass of water, seemingly distracted, but actually paying attention to his room.
If someone at home was making noise, they would quickly receive his gaze. He would smile gently, but his words would not be rejected: "A Ning is catching up on her sleep, so keep your voice down, okay?"
Stared at by those narrow eyes, the person who made the sound trembled and ran back into the house in panic, only sticking his head out of the window and looking outside furtively.
Lu Shang knew someone was looking at him, but he didn't care at all. When Lu Guangzong passed by, he even called him over and said, "Guangzong, come here and give Big Brother a glass of water."
Lu Guangzong had just been beaten because of him yesterday, and was afraid to talk to him. He ran away when he heard the words, went straight into the house, took out the kettle, threw it on the ground, and simply ran away from home.
Leaving behind Lu Shang, who was laughing non-stop, he leisurely picked up the kettle and threw the small cup at his feet.
With Lu Shang in charge outside, the younger generations in the family dared not run around and make trouble. When Wang Cuilian came back from washing clothes, she almost thought that no one was at home.
"Light--"
"Second Mother is back." The voice coming from under the locust tree startled her. Turning around to see who it was, Wang Cuilian became even more confused.
Before the two of them could exchange greetings, another person came in at the gate. This time it was Grandma Lu, carrying a basket on her back. Although she couldn't see what was inside, she could hear the clucking of a rooster.
As soon as Grandma Lu came in, she saw Lu Shang at first sight, and her wrinkled face relaxed immediately.
"Shang'er, why are you in the yard? Come and see what delicious things grandma bought for you. Let's stew a big rooster for noon today!" As she spoke, she pretended to take off the backpack.
As soon as she came in, Lu Shang stood up, went over to help take off the backpack, opened the lid and took a look, and said flatteringly: "That's great, I've been wanting to eat meat for a long time. Grandma, where did you buy it? You must have had a hard time on the way."
"Oh, it's not hard, not hard at all. As long as Shang'er likes it." Grandma Lu was so happy that she couldn't contain her joy at pleasing Lu Shang.
She just felt sad that her family's financial situation was limited and she couldn't give her eldest grandson more or better things.
"What about Wan Ning? She's the best cook in the family. It's a rare opportunity to have meat. Let her show off her cooking skills to everyone. Shang'er, how do you want to eat it? Grandma will go find Wan Ning and tell her right away."
Lu Shang was still smiling, but he took Grandma Lu's hand and politely declined: "Grandma, you don't know, I was sick last night, and Aning took care of me all night. In the morning, her eyes were red. So, I told her to have a good sleep so that she can be refreshed if there is an accident at night."
"Ah? Sick?" Grandma Lu suddenly became nervous. "What's wrong? Is it serious?"
Lu Shang said: "It's not serious. Thanks to Aning's care, I'm fine now."
Grandma Lu was still frightened. "You're right. Wan Ning should have a good rest. Only after she rests well during the day can she take care of you at night. It's just a meal. It doesn't matter if Cui Lian cooks it."
Wang Cuilian stood aside and pointed at her nose: "Me?"
Lu Shang said, "There's no need for Second Mother. Grandma said that it's rare for us to have meat at home, so we have to cook it well. That way, we won't let Grandma down."
"But..." Grandma Lu hesitated, "Ma and I are not as skilled as your mother."
Lu Shangdan smiled without saying anything, took Grandma Lu's hand and led her to the kitchen.
"Grandma, do you know where the chicken-killing knife is at home?"
Grandma Lu nodded and took out a knife from the cupboard.
She didn't know why Lu Shang wanted the knife. It wasn't until Lu Shang cut off the rooster's neck with a knife and personally went to fetch the freshly boiled water that Grandma Lu suddenly realized: "Shang'er, you don't want to cook, do you?"
Lu Shang nodded with a smile: "That's right."
"...That won't do!" Grandma Lu shuddered and immediately refused, "Shang'er, listen to me. It's not that I can't bear to part with a chicken, but you're not fully recovered yet, so you're not suitable for a place like the kitchen."
"Besides, don't you always say that a gentleman is good at cooking? Ordinary men don't cook, let alone a scholar like you. Shang'er, give the knife to grandma, and grandma will do the rest. Be obedient."
In the old woman's eyes, Jun Ziyuan's cooking was one thing, but on the other hand, she really didn't trust Lu Shang.
After all, she had gritted her teeth to buy the chicken. She couldn't just use it all to please her eldest grandson without eating a single piece of meat, right?
It's not that she looked down on Lu Shang, but since Lu Shang was born, she had taken better care of him than a virgin. Not to mention lighting the fire and cooking, she had never let him do even the simplest tasks of washing vegetables and dishes.
Not to mention that Lu Shang was a scholar, even in ordinary families in the village, few men did housework.
Lu Shang responded, but he had no intention of putting down the knife.
He was worried about getting hurt by the knife during the fight, so he simply held Grandma Lu's shoulders. He bent down and looked into her eyes: "Grandma, you really can only cook this meal for me."
Lu Shang has been in a high position for many years. If he really wants to do something, it is impossible for one or two people to persuade him.
Grandma Lu couldn't stop it and had to retreat.
"Well, then, can grandma just watch over here?" That way, if the chicken gets spoiled, maybe she can still salvage a little.
The big rooster that I bought for sixty cents was gone just like that.
Grandma Lu sighed deeply and couldn't help but think of Jiang Wanning's kindness: "...If Wanning were here, everything would be fine."
She lowered her voice, muttering entirely to herself.
Lu Shang was very sharp-eyed and sharp-eared, and when he heard this he did not refute it. He curled his lips and smiled, waiting for the facts to speak for themselves.
So, Grandma Lu soon saw——
Her eldest grandson, who had never touched the kitchen stove, skillfully cleaned the chicken feathers, cut the whole chicken into small pieces with a few slashes, and then poured it all into the iron pot.
“…” Grandma Lu hesitated to speak, wanting to say that the chicken cooked in this way was fishy and tough, but seeing that her eldest grandson was in high spirits, she ended up saying nothing.
But soon, Grandma Lu was completely speechless.
Before Lu Shang became successful, he worked odd jobs in a hotel kitchen for two years and also learned cooking skills from a chef for a period of time.
His cooking skills may not be as good as those of experienced chefs, but in these ancient times, he was still known as "Chef Lu".
There were limited spices at home, and he didn't think of coming up with much new ideas. He just mixed various spices together, stir-fried them with soy sauce, etc., and made a big bowl of marinade.
After the chicken in the pot boiled, he took it out, tested it for doneness, and put it into the marinade to continue simmering.
Lu Shang wiped the sweat from his head, turned around and asked, "Grandma, are there any vegetables at home?"
"Wh-what dish?"
"Anything. It would be even better if there were carrots and potatoes."
Grandma Lu was confused: "What do you mean by 'earthy'?"
Lu Shang was stunned.
At this moment, the voice of a third person came from the door: "There are no radishes or potatoes, but there are cucumbers and beets, and a small pot of mushrooms." Turning around, it was Jiang Wanning.
Lu Shang cast aside the doubts in his mind and asked with a smile: "Did you sleep well?"
Jiang Wanning blushed a little: "Yeah."
She walked in and didn't make a fuss about why Lu Shang was cooking. Instead, she went to the corner to find the vegetables stored there and asked, "Let me do the rest?"
This time, Lu Shang didn't say no. He honestly gave up his seat in front of the stove and said, "That's great. Grandma always says you cook the best."
Jiang Wanning said nothing and rolled up her sleeves silently.
But just as she was about to wash the vegetables, Lu Shang strode over and said, "I'll wash the vegetables."
"I've braised the chicken in the pot. When it's almost done, just add the vegetables. I only cooked the chicken. Do you think I need to add anything else?"
"Then stir-fry two more vegetarian dishes? Should we heat up the steamed buns, too?"
"Just watch."
"Then let's stir-fry three vegetarian dishes. There are many people at home, and I'm afraid two dishes won't be enough."
The two of them asked and answered questions and quickly decided on today's meal.
Grandma Lu stood at the door and felt that she had been excluded since Jiang Wanning came in. She looked out of place in the huge kitchen.
But looking at the tacit understanding between the young couple opposite her, she really couldn't say anything bad.
After a while, Grandma Lu retreated from the kitchen. Listening to the quiet discussion behind her, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepened: "Hey, this is also good."
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