Chapter 8 Showing Off My Skills to Grandparents
In the main room of the Sheng family home, Xu Jinnian was talking to Grandpa Sheng.
"There was a lot of rain recently, and the fields are all filled with water. We'll be transplanting rice seedlings in a few days, so we'll be busy again..."
Grandpa Sheng has spent his whole life in the village. His greatest skill is dealing with the land. The topics he can talk about are nothing more than the growth of crops, the harvest in the fields, and the recent weather.
Xu Jinnian was very patient, listening attentively to Grandpa Sheng, occasionally asking a question or two, his expression calm and without the slightest impatience.
Grandpa Sheng became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice grew louder: His grandson-in-law was willing to listen.
"When the new rice comes in this year, I'll send you two bags. New rice is the most nourishing."
Inside the room, Grandma Sheng heard her husband's words, shook her head, and complained to her granddaughter:
"That's just how your grandfather is. Once he starts talking, he never stops. Doesn't he care if Jin Nian finds him annoying?"
"It's okay, if he dares to complain, I'll just yell at him."
Sheng An peeled open a peanut, popped it into his mouth, and chewed it while responding to Grandma Sheng's words.
"You child, how come you have such a bad temper after marrying someone?"
Grandma Sheng gently patted her granddaughter's arm in a reproachful tone, but the smile lines on her face deepened:
"It seems that Jin Nian has a good temper, but we can't just act recklessly because she has a good temper. There's a long road ahead."
Since her daughter passed away early, the principles of being a wife could only be taught to her by her grandmother.
"Grandma, I understand perfectly well, so please don't worry about me."
Sheng An popped a peanut into the old lady's mouth and began to recount what he had seen and felt at the Xu family's house over the past two days.
"Good, good, good. If you're comfortable at your in-laws' house, your father and I are relieved!"
I heard that my grandson-in-law takes the initiative to cook and do laundry, and takes good care of his seriously ill father-in-law.
He is also generous and willing to give his granddaughter money to spend, without worrying whether she will squander it.
Grandma Sheng was overjoyed. She held her granddaughter's hand and said a string of "good things" to her.
"Yes, the father and son are both very nice, and the Xu family's relatives are also good. Yesterday, my aunt came over with several pounds of pork and an old hen, saying it was to help me recover."
The pork and chicken that Xu Xiaogu brought were mainly for Xu Chenglin, and wouldn't affect Sheng An's feelings towards Grandma Sheng.
She ate every single bite of the meatball soup and pure pork wontons I made yesterday.
"Good, good, An'an has found the right family to marry into!"
Grandma Sheng's eyes were red, filled with joy at her granddaughter marrying into a good family.
The daughter was unlucky; she married an unkind son-in-law who died young, leaving her granddaughter to grow up without parents.
Fortunately, she and the old man made the right choice in their granddaughter's marriage.
When the marriage was arranged with the Xu family, many people advised the two old men to reconsider.
It's simply a concern that the families are not of equal social standing, and that the granddaughter would be treated unfairly and inferior if she married into such a family.
It was because she and her husband valued their grandson-in-law's character, and because the Xu family was small and there was no mother-in-law to exert pressure, that they felt this was a rare and excellent marriage.
Compared to the Sheng family, their own family's conditions were much worse, but their granddaughter was well-behaved and filial, and could manage the household well. What did they lack in terms of a granddaughter's husband?
Furthermore, since the Xu family was the first to agree to the matchmaker's proposal, it shows that the Xu family does not value social status. What else do she and the old man have to worry about?
"Hehe, it's all thanks to Grandpa and Grandma! They have such good taste!"
Sheng An smiled and flattered the old lady to make her happy, then stuffed another peanut into her mouth:
"My grandparents are so good to me, so I should be good to them too. When I earn enough money, I'll buy a small courtyard near the Xu family's house and bring them to the city to enjoy their retirement."
Given their personalities, it's unlikely they would be willing to move to the Xu family home to live out their retirement.
She didn't want her grandparents to be gossiped about by the neighbors, so she thought it better to work harder and earn more money to buy them a small courtyard house.
"Alright, alright, your grandpa and I will wait."
Grandma Sheng was so pleased with herself that her eyes crinkled with laughter, and she didn't take her granddaughter's words to heart.
She was content with her granddaughter's filial piety and would never burden her with the task of earning money to buy them a yard.
Before they knew it, it was noon. Sheng An decided to show the elderly couple what she could do to convince them that she was capable of taking them to the city to live out their retirement.
Grandpa and Grandma Sheng are both hardworking people, and they grow several kinds of fruits and vegetables in their garden.
Sheng An picked out two cucumbers, four eggplants, a few chili peppers, and a small bunch of scallions.
"Such a big piece of meat, your grandfather and I can't possibly finish it. Cut half of it off for you to take home and eat."
Grandma Sheng weighed the pork, which was at least four pounds, and kept feeling sorry that her granddaughter and grandson-in-law had spent too much money on the meat. She couldn't bear to leave the whole piece of pork behind.
“There’s no reason to take away what you brought. This is a gift from your grandson-in-law to you and Grandpa. You can eat more and it will be finished.”
Sheng An handled the ingredients efficiently, resolutely not giving Grandma Sheng a chance to touch the knife.
Grandma Sheng couldn't persuade her granddaughter otherwise, so she could only watch helplessly as her granddaughter separated the fat and lean meat of the whole piece of pork, cut the fat into small pieces to render lard, and cut half of the lean meat into strips and minced the other half.
"Sizzle—"
A wisp of smoke, mixed with the aroma of oil, rose from the pot, sautéing minced garlic and scallions until fragrant. Then, thinly sliced cucumbers were poured into the pot, and the refreshing aroma instantly filled the entire kitchen.
Grandma Sheng sat by the stove tending the fire, and smelling the enticing aroma, she couldn't help but praise:
"An'an, your cooking skills have improved again."
My granddaughter was able to cook on a stool when she was five years old. She went from burning the food to cooking it half-cooked to earning praise, all in less than a year.
Of all the children in the village, her granddaughter learned the fastest, had the best cooking skills, and made the most delicious food. Even her grandmother felt inferior to her.
"Hehe, I've really improved. I'm planning to set up a food stall to earn money to buy flowers for my grandma."
While busy with his work, Sheng An revealed his grand plan to make money to Grandma Sheng.
Grandma Sheng hesitated upon hearing this: "Set up a food stall? Can this business really work?"
It's no wonder the old lady lacked confidence; in her stereotype, city dwellers were much more particular about food and clothing than country folk.
She worried that city dwellers, used to good food, wouldn't appreciate her granddaughter's cooking skills, and that the food stall business wouldn't be sustainable.
"Grandma, I'll make some wontons for you and Grandpa to try later."
Sheng An prefers to let her abilities speak for themselves, and she didn't bother arguing with her grandmother's concerns.
"Alright, your grandpa and I are in for a treat."
Grandma Sheng smiled and agreed, already planning to give her granddaughter her savings for her funeral so that her granddaughter wouldn't have to worry about money.
Sheng An was unaware that the old lady had misunderstood. After working for half an hour, four dishes and a soup were served one after another.
Stir-fried green peppers with shredded pork, eggplant with minced pork, stir-fried cucumber slices, scrambled eggs with scallions, and sauerkraut and shredded pork soup.
The rich aroma of food wafted through the simple thatched hut, making Grandpa Sheng's mouth water, and he kept glancing towards the kitchen.
“It must have been An’an who cooked. Only An’an’s food tastes so good. Even your grandma, who has been cooking for decades, doesn’t have An’an’s skills.”
Grandpa Sheng proudly praised his granddaughter in front of his grandson-in-law, wishing he could pile all the compliments he knew onto her head.
An-An has been clever since childhood; if she had been born into a wealthy family, who knows how successful she would have been.
Ultimately, it's because those two old folks are useless that their granddaughter has held them back.
Fortunately, the grandson-in-law I chose for my granddaughter is quite good, hehe~
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