Shen Qingqing sat with Chen Man. Chen Man had also attended banquets before and knew that only a professional chef could prepare a beautiful and delicious banquet.
But today, she didn't see the Shen family's chef at all!
But the dishes on the table in front of him were not much different from the banquets he had seen before!
Chen Man, holding chopsticks, leaned closer to Shen Qingqing: "Qingqing, does anyone in your family know how to prepare a feast?"
Shen Qingqing was picking up a golden-fried flatbread to dip in wasabi when she heard Chen Man's question. She glanced at Li Yuxing, who was chatting with Li Huifen and Chen Man's mother, and whispered, "My grandmother used to be a chef."
"Wow!" Chen Man looked at Li Yuxing with admiration.
This year, when the village held its traditional Labor Festival [Note 1], her family also held a banquet. It happened to fall on a weekend, so she could watch the chefs prepare the banquet from home.
At their doorstep, the chef and his assistants set up a makeshift stove and a long, wide table, and then the chef sat down and began to work.
Chen Man did not see the fire under the stove go out until she took her seat.
However, the chef had helpers who prepared the ingredients for him: picking vegetables, washing vegetables, peeling vegetables, cutting vegetables into small pieces... every step was done by someone else, and the chef only needed to turn on the fire and cook.
However, Qingqing's maternal grandmother didn't have many people to help her; she only had Aunt Xunli.
While Chen Man was still marveling at the moment, a crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside flatbread dipped in wasabi was stuffed into her mouth.
Chen Man chewed it subconsciously, and the pungent spiciness that hit her head made her eyes water. "Ah—spicy, cough cough cough cough..."
Shen Qingqing was startled and quickly shoved Chen Man's Sprite into her hand: "Please take care of it!"
However, the strong bubbles of Sprite combined with the spiciness of wasabi did not relieve the spiciness at all; instead, it made Chen Man's eyes and nose run with tears.
The coconut juice that Li Xunli brought over was a step too late.
Shen Qingqing froze for a moment, then took the coconut juice somewhat guiltily, poured out a small cup, and brought it back to Chen Man's lips: "Drink this, drink this, it's not spicy anymore."
Chen Man hurriedly poured the entire small cup of coconut juice down her throat, which finally reduced the intense spiciness that shot straight to her head.
"Qingqing!" After finishing the drink, Chen Man shouted angrily, her nose and eyes red.
Shen Qingqing felt incredibly guilty. "I just thought it tasted good. I ate it, uh, and thought it was pretty good, so I wanted you to try it too..."
Sitting on her other side, Shen Yangyang glanced at Shen Qingqing discreetly, her eyes revealing a hint of disdain. Who was it that had been so spicy that their mouth couldn't close for so long?
However, Chen Man was too easy to coax. Because Shen Qingqing said that she thought it was delicious and wanted her good friend to try it, she was so touched that she put the matter aside and even tried it again on her own initiative.
Shen Yangyang watched in stunned silence.
Afraid that Chen Man would try to get her to continue eating, Shen Qingqing quickly picked up two crab shells with crab roe, then picked up the noodles soaked in broth from under the crab and put them into the crab shells, stirring them a few times with the crab roe. "Do you want some?"
Chen Man looked at Shen Qingqing's way of eating in surprise, saying "I've never eaten like this before," but her hands honestly pushed the bowl over to her.
Shen Qingqing placed the crab bowl into Chen Man's bowl. The next second, Chen Man couldn't wait to pick up a noodle and put it in her mouth. The deliciousness of the crab roe, along with the noodles soaked in crab juice, created an amazing sensation that exploded in Chen Man's mouth.
Chen Man had never tried eating like this before. She would either eat the noodles at the bottom as a main dish and be full, or she would peel off the crab pieces one by one and eat all the crab meat.
Next, Chen Man followed Shen Qingqing and ate the entire meal in a new way.
The meal took almost an hour and a half to finish!
Chen Man patted her stomach and saw a small pile of bones next to her bowl and chopsticks. She never thought she could enjoy a banquet so much!
She used to go straight to the main course and eat until she was full, then she would leave the leftovers with shells because she thought they were too much trouble.
She thought with some regret how many delicious things she had missed out on before...
Shen Qingqing next to her was in the same position, her belly round and full, making her feel a little uncomfortable.
Soon the adults finished eating, and the men moved to the coffee table and sofa to make tea and watch TV, leaving the women to chat and clean up the tables on both sides.
Fortunately, a plastic film had already been laid on the table. All you had to do was remove the bowls, chopsticks, plates, and bowls, and then simply remove the film and throw away the remaining kitchen waste.
It's too hot, so the children are forbidden from playing on the balcony to avoid getting heatstroke.
Fortunately, the house is big enough. The inner side of the living room is where the adults drink tea and chat, while the outer side, near the dining room, is where the children gather and play.
Play whatever you want: one, two, three, freeze!, eagle catches chicks, hopscotch, etc.
It was almost time, and those who were supposed to leave had already left.
Only the Li family and the Shen family remained, along with Chen Man, who was planning to sleep with Shen Qingqing tonight.
The children's appetite remained strong even at dinner, after playing energetically all afternoon. Because Li Yuxing and the others were in the kitchen preparing the two tables of food for dinner, they didn't even get to have afternoon tea, and their stomachs were completely empty.
Although there was a disagreement with Zhang Mingxian and his family when the porcelain factory opened, Li Yuxing gradually stopped helping her fourth uncle's family with everything as Shen Qingqing brainwashed her every week or two.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com