The chef hired by the Chen family arrived here yesterday. At night, the Chen family sent someone to the village entrance, saying that he would come early this morning to cook. As a result, no one came after waiting for a long time. They thought he got up a little late and didn't take it too seriously. Seeing that it was getting late, he hurriedly said that he would go outside the village to pick someone up.
The eldest son of the Chen family ran out to meet him, only to find out that today happened to be the day to go to the city. The cook came from another village and took a ox cart. As a result, the ox went crazy for some reason halfway through the journey and overturned the cart, and several people on the cart fell into the ditch.
Fortunately, he was not washed away by the river, but the cook fell and broke his waist. He was carried to the clinic by passers-by.
It's not the cook's fault. He didn't mean to not come to help. The Chen family can't blame him. At this time, the cook has no time to think of a solution for the Chen family. He doesn't know if his waist can still be used. If it can't be cured, he can't cook anymore and will have to lie in bed paralyzed.
After hearing what Xu He said, Chen's mother went out to find Xu Shaochun.
"Ah? The cook can't come?"
Xu Shaochun saw the Chen family coming to her sincerely to ask for her help. Instead of feeling honored to be needed, she was shocked.
"Aunt, it's not that I don't want to help, but my skills are really not up to par. After all, it's not about cooking three or two tables of dishes. Even if I can cook two dishes, I'm not as good as a chef. If the dishes are ruined, wouldn't it ruin my cousin's banquet? I, your niece, really can't bear this burden!"
Mother Chen didn't know that Xu Shaochun was telling the truth, so she just thought it was a modest refusal, and said, "Originally, we came here happily to have fun, but we didn't expect that something happened to the cook. We can't help but ask you to help. I don't blame you, I just want to take care of today's banquet. You said that you would pick up the newlyweds in the afternoon. If we don't have a banquet or miss the time, won't your cousin Yue family be upset?"
"Shaochun, just do your job. I'll let my cousin give you a big red envelope. Even if you're not as good as the cook, the villagers are all reasonable people and will definitely not say anything, right?"
After everyone understood what was going on, they all nodded in agreement and tried to persuade Xu Shaochun: "Good girl, just agree to it."
"Yes, you are a very good cook. If you show some courage this time, maybe you will be the chef for all the big and small events in the village in the future."
Xu Shaochun was fine when dealing with one person alone, but now that everyone asked her to take on the task, she suddenly became overwhelmed and didn't know how to refuse or deal with it. After marrying into the Fei family, she had never cooked for herself. It seemed as if Fei's mother was afraid that she didn't know what her son liked to eat, so she always made her cook for herself.
She usually helped out. Two days ago, when her husband returned to the academy, Fei's mother asked her to cook two simple meals. However, the meals for three people were simple in nature. Moreover, the Fei family ate extremely frugally when the scholars were not at home. They only wanted to fill their stomachs and did not care about the taste at all. Naturally, Xu Shaochun could get away with it easily.
If she cooked in an occasion like this, it would be strange if the secret was not exposed. She asked for help and wanted to ask Fei's mother to say a word for her. She was the wife of a scholar, so there was no need for her to be a cook in the future.
Unexpectedly, Mother Fei said, "Shaochun, just help your aunt."
Xu Shaochun was shocked and didn't know how to end the situation. Fortunately, Liu Xianglan came to her rescue: "Oh, Shaochun has caught a cold. It would be a bad thing if she cooked!"
Hearing this, Xu Shaochun immediately pretended to gasp and cough lightly.
Chen's mother looked unhappy and embarrassed. Liu Xianglan quickly pulled Xu He over and said, "Why don't we let He Ge'er do it? He can cook, too."
Xu He was watching the excitement, but the excitement suddenly fell on his head. He broke free from Liu Xianglan's pull without leaving a trace and did not want to be a shield for his second sister anymore.
Mother Chen glanced at Xu He, frowned and closed her mouth without saying anything. She felt that Liu Xianglan really didn't take their family's affairs seriously. She just randomly picked someone to take the blame. How could she be happy?
"Will He Ge'er know how to do it?"
"Mrs. Chen, why don't you let He Ge'er do it? Please forgive me if it's not done well."
Suddenly, Zhang Fangyuan's voice sounded in the crowd. Xu He tilted his head to look at the man and widened his eyes. He didn't expect that Zhang Fangyuan would also ask him to do it.
Zhang Fangyuan didn't say anything, just responded with a look that said "you can do it".
The Chen family was helpless and felt a little annoyed that the Xu mother and daughter did not help. It was true that distant relatives were not as good as close neighbors. Thinking that although Zhang Fangyuan was a jerk in the past, he had never cheated their family no matter what happened in the past, and this time he was helping them a lot, he gritted his teeth and said, "He'er, I'll trouble you, okay?"
Seeing that her husband had said so and her cousin aunt had repeatedly asked, Xu He agreed, as she also had to consider Zhang Fangyuan's face regardless of Xu Shaochun and Liu Xianglan.
Upon seeing this, Chen's mother happily went to get Xu He a brand new apron. This was something that would be given to the cook or the chef who helped in the kitchen, and it could be used in daily life.
After tying the new lapel around his waist, Xu He took a deep breath.
He was used to doing his own things in obscurity. The last time he acted in public was on his wedding day. However, today was very different from that day.
Seeing that a cook was found, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Today's banquet could go on.
Everyone turned around and saw that the expressions of Xu's mother and daughter were a little strange, but everyone was together and no one said anything to their faces.
Mother Fei was not blind or deaf. She was also a powerful figure in the village. She could see something was wrong. She smiled and pulled Xu Shaochun aside and whispered, "Shaochun, how could I not know that you have caught a cold? Summer is coming soon and the weather is changing quickly. You must take good care of yourself."
Xu Shaochun smiled awkwardly: "I just felt a little uncomfortable on the day of my return home. I didn't expect that mother still remembered it."
Liu Xianglan was always thick-skinned: "Yes, I saw the child coughing that day. It was a happy wedding banquet, and it would be bad for Shaochun to cook while she was sick."
Mother Fei laughed bitterly, her tone somewhat sinister: "It's been a while since I got better, but I'm still not well. I have to go home and pick up some medicine to take."
Xu Shaochun said sweetly, "Okay. I didn't want my mother-in-law to worry."
Everyone started to get busy again. After lunch, Xu He began to cook the main dishes. For a big banquet like this, there are usually fixed main dishes, chicken, duck, fish, braised pork... Xu He can cook all of these. It's just a matter of going from one table of food to dozens of tables.
In fact, there are people to help with stewing and steaming dishes, but the most important thing is stir-frying. The vegetables are already cut and ready. I really just stand in front of the stove and be responsible for adding ingredients and stir-frying. The taste really depends on talent and practice.
When he heard the sound of gongs and drums outside, Xu He knew that the new person had been brought back. While the worship ceremony is going on, the women and boys who are helping will clean up the yard, set up the table and put out the dishes, and first serve two plates of cold dishes and a stack of peanuts and pumpkin seeds. After the worship ceremony, those who are eating in the first row can sit at the table and prepare to eat.
Two appetizers are served first, followed by the main dishes and stir-fried vegetables, and finally ending with soups and kimchi. In other words, Xu He can start cooking as soon as the guests are seated.
"Mrs. Chen, hurry up, the brazier has collapsed, it's time to go to the central hall to watch the ceremony and have the newlyweds kneel down to worship you!"
Mother Chen was very worried about the kitchen, fearing that Xu He would be nervous and the food he cooked would be terrible. It was like forcing her to do something too big. She was worried, but at the same time she could only be grateful for the help. The people in the room came several times to urge him but he was still guarding this end. It was Xu He who said, "Auntie, you can go without worry."
Then he said a few more words to Xu He and returned to the hall.
It wasn't just Chen's mother who was worried. Even the women and their husbands who came to help were muttering that the banquet was not looking good and would be talked about for a long time.
After the ceremony, the yard outside became lively and firecrackers were set off again.
Xu He decisively put oil into the wok, added seasonings and stir-fried them until fragrant. The whole room was immediately filled with fragrance. The woman who was working under the stove stood up first and stretched her neck. The raw cabbage was taken out of the wok. It was fresh, crispy and not dry. The brother who came to serve the dish was intoxicated by the aroma.
Chen's mother came hurriedly, and she breathed a sigh of relief before she even entered the kitchen. When she got there, Xu He was stir-frying lean meat with celery. Chen's mother didn't care about anything else and took a bite straight out of the pot. The meat was fragrant and tender, and the lean meat was juicy. Her heart immediately settled back into her stomach.
"Good! Very good! He'er, with your cooking skills, you should be a chef! It also saves our village from having to hire chefs from other villages."
Mother Chen had a festive smile on her face, and immediately started chatting and laughing with the people in the kitchen, all praising He Ge'er's good cooking skills.
Xu He agreed, said nothing more, and continued to work. Zhang Fangyuan leaned against the kitchen door and took a look, seeing everyone gathered around to watch Xu He cook. He did not go in, but curled the corners of his mouth, turned around and went out to help carry the big basin and add more vegetables.
"Xu He is really capable. I didn't expect that he could handle such a big occasion. The small dishes are cooked so deliciously with just a few shovels, just like a chef. Such a big pot of rice also has good ingredients."
"But I've never heard Liu Xianglan say that Xu He can cook before. I only know that he works hard. Oh, Liu Xianglan is really biased."
"I just asked Xu Shaochun to help, but she is my cousin's niece, and she refused to do it. It's a big deal to marry a scholar. We are all from the same village, so is there any need to be so extreme?"
"What do you mean by extreme? It seems that Xu Shaochun would never do it. Otherwise, given the mother and daughter's love of showing off, why wouldn't they agree to it right away? How could they push He Ge'er out?"
"Hey, what you said does make sense. Many times when I passed by Xu's house, I saw Xu He cooking in the kitchen. I never thought about other people's affairs in detail. Now that I think about it, I really can't say for sure."
Mother Fei was washing her hands by the water vat at one end, listening to the two women who were helping her talking excitedly while washing dishes with their backs to her. Her face looked unhappy.
The Fei family and the Xu family are located in the east and west of the village, respectively, and are actually quite far away from each other. She naturally could not know everything about the Xu family. Today's incident had already made her feel a little unhappy, and now hearing the women's muttering, she immediately had more thoughts in her mind.
After Xu Shaochun got married, the young couple spent every day together. His son should have returned to the academy a long time ago, but he postponed his return for two days. Thinking about how his son wanted Xu He but couldn't get her, he was sad for a long time and lost weight.
She always wanted to nourish her son well. After Shaochun came, her son seemed much better. Although she felt that Xu Shaochun was too obsessed with her son and delayed his studies, she never said much. She only advised her son to return to the academy as soon as possible. She completely neglected to carefully test her daughter-in-law.
I couldn't help feeling regretful, but fortunately it was not too late and my son had returned to the academy. Smelling the fragrance wafting from the kitchen, she felt a little worried. She hoped that what these women said was true, otherwise it would be a huge joke.
She was worried and had barely eaten a few bites of the banquet. She couldn't eat anything more after hearing everyone at the table bragging about Xu He.
When Xu He finished his work and came out, it was already dark. I was cooking in the smoky kitchen and didn't notice how hot I was. I came out for some fresh air and a cool breeze blew across my face. Only then did I realize that my back was wet.
"Thank you for your hard work, Chef Xu."
Zhang Fangyuan appeared out of nowhere, took out a handkerchief from his body and wiped the sweat off the man's face. Xu He looked at the familiar handkerchief and wondered if this man always carried it with him.
He looked at Zhang Fangyuan with a critical look, and even joked for the first time: "It's not hard to be a chef, it's the chef's life that is hard."
Zhang Fangyuan burst out laughing: "Why are you so bitter? Today everyone said that your cooking is great. I will invite you to attend family events in the future. I was just drinking and bragging that my wife cooked a table of dishes. There is no man in the village who is not jealous."
Upon hearing this, Xu He slapped Zhang Fangyuan backhandedly: "You are just bragging nonsense. If you let me go to the kitchen, no one will care about your drinking. And you can still brag to others."
"Unfair! How dare I think so." Zhang Fangyuan said in a low voice: "I just can't stand your second sister and mother still holding on to their good face, and want to let everyone in the village know that you are the powerful one. Just now I saw Madam Fei came back, her face was so good, just wait and see, your second sister will have a hard time."
Xu He frowned slightly. He looked up at the dark mountains outside the yard and murmured, "I don't want to care about them, nor do I want to go against them. I just want to live my life well."
"We are not against them, we just won't be their stepping stones." Zhang Fangyuan said, "In fact, this is good for your second sister. People can't live in appearance and lies all their lives. They have to face reality. Life has only lasted for a few decades, and this is just the beginning. If you wake up sooner, you may have a good life, although the process may be more difficult."
Xu Heshen glanced at Zhang Fangyuan and felt that what Zhang Fangyuan said today made some sense. Of course, he didn't know that this was just based on human experience.
"Zhang Fangyuan, can you still drink? Stop talking to your wife."
"You stinky boy, you actually dared to provoke me. Of course I'll drink so much today that you can't even crawl into the bridal chamber." Zhang Fangyuan turned around and touched Xu He's head: "Hurry up and eat."
Xu He shook her head. On such a happy day, she would not bother to control her husband and just let him do what he wanted.
I'm actually a little hungry.
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