"Hui'er, if you don't understand anything, just ask me. I have to go and take care of other things now," Guo Xianjin said.
“Okay, go ahead!” Yu Hui nodded and said.
After Guo Xianjin left, Yu Hui turned his head and looked at the villagers in the red shed.
Several dark-skinned, elderly men were chopping firewood, while women squatted by the tap, filling their cups to wash vegetables.
As Yu Hui approached, he glanced at the ingredients on the table.
There were meat dishes such as beef, pork, lamb chops, and grass carp, while vegetables were packed in burlap sacks and piled in a corner.
Yu Hui stroked his chin, looking at the ingredients thoughtfully.
He had never cooked for weddings or funerals, nor had he ever lived in a village, so he didn't know many of the customs.
For a moment, he was quite worried that he had messed things up.
Why don't we grab someone and ask them?
Those who came to help should have stayed in the village the whole time; you can't go wrong asking them!
"Auntie, can I ask you a few questions?" Yu Hui squatted down and looked at a kind-looking middle-aged woman.
The woman opened her eyes wide and suddenly turned her head.
After seeing Yu Hui's face clearly, the woman smiled.
"Young man, what's wrong with you?"
The village aunties all liked Yu Hui the most—a handsome young man with delicate features, tall stature, broad shoulders, and a slender waist.
Especially for families with unmarried daughters.
Yu Hui is the ideal son-in-law in their hearts!
There is none other than this!
"Auntie, I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me."
“I haven’t spent much time in the village, so I don’t know much about the customs, especially weddings and funerals. Could you give me a crash course in these areas?” Yu Hui asked sincerely.
This is the 80th birthday banquet for Yu Hui's maternal grandfather, Guo You.
On such an important day, he dared not do anything reckless.
"I see!"
Upon hearing this, the woman nodded, thinking to herself, "This boy is quite polite and well-mannered."
The other middle-aged women were also listening intently.
Everyone was very curious about this young man they didn't know very well.
The kind-faced middle-aged woman smiled and began to educate Yu Hui.
“In our village, whenever someone holds a banquet, the neighbors will come to help. Even if they don’t come to help, they will still give a gift of money. This is a rule passed down from our ancestors.”
There's an old saying that goes, "A birthday feast consists of nine dishes, a wedding banquet consists of eight, and a funeral meal consists of seven."
“In the past, birthday banquets typically featured nine dishes, symbolizing ‘longevity.’ Now that conditions are better, many people prepare 12 or 16 dishes, divided into cold dishes, hot dishes, and desserts, in three rounds.”
"Just remember this for your birthday banquet: never serve ten dishes, as ten symbolizes 'death' and is considered unlucky..."
After listening to the old lady's words, Yu Hui instantly felt that he had learned something new.
I never knew there were so many rules for banquets in rural areas!
How come I never noticed this before?
"Thank you, Auntie, I understand." Yu Hui nodded. "I'll go check the ingredients and think about what dishes to make."
"Hey, young man, wait a minute!" another middle-aged woman said.
"What's wrong?" Yu Hui stopped.
The older woman looked at Yu Hui with a smile.
"Young man, do you have a girlfriend?!"
This woman is a matchmaker; she specializes in arranging marriages for the young people in the village.
While Yu Hui was communicating, Wang the matchmaker kept sizing him up.
Wang, the matchmaker, has been a matchmaker for over twenty years.
What kind of people haven't I seen?
Most young people go on normal blind dates hoping to start a family, but it's inevitable that you'll encounter a few oddballs:
Pretending to be a rich second-generation to pick up girls, a freeloader, a gay man swindling in marriage, a scheming woman scamming dowry, finding an honest man to take over...
The moment Wang the matchmaker saw Yu Hui, she knew that this young man must be very popular with girls.
But instead of immediately asking Yu Hui for his contact information, she quietly observed from the side.
After observation.
She discovered that Yu Hui was not only handsome and tall, but also polite and humble.
If I brought a guy like that home, my parents would definitely love him.
"Not yet." Yu Hui shook his head subconsciously.
"Young man, how about I introduce you to someone? With your looks and qualifications, you'll definitely have a long line of girls waiting for you on blind dates." Matchmaker Wang's eyes were practically sparkling.
Upon hearing this, Yu Hui's smile froze instantly.
"What the heck? Why is everyone trying to set me up with someone?"
"Is it just because of my handsome and charming face?"
Seeing that Yu Hui didn't reply, Matchmaker Wang said, "Young man, are you seriously considering this?"
Yu Hui snapped out of her reverie, forced a smile, and changed the subject:
"Auntie, let's talk about this another time, after this birthday banquet is over."
After careful consideration, Wang the matchmaker realized that Yu Hui was the head chef this time, and he must be very busy these days.
So I didn't ask any further questions.
Instead, she smiled slightly and said, "Okay, then you go ahead with your work. Auntie will introduce you to the village beauty later!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Hui's lips twitched slightly.
Good heavens!
Introducing the village beauty right off the bat?
That concludes the topic.
Yu Hui rubbed his temples.
Looking at the large amount of meat and fish on the table, and the vegetables in the snakeskin bag, I felt a little troubled.
What dishes should we make?
There are about eight people at the table. Nine dishes are enough, but a bit too few. Twelve dishes would be just right...
After thinking for a moment, I finally made a decision.
Yu Hui plans to prepare twelve dishes, including cold dishes, hot dishes, and desserts.
Yu Hui can't make desserts.
so.
He plans to replace desserts with fruits, such as watermelon and cantaloupe.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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