"What? You're going to prepare six dishes?"
Xia Wenhua had just arrived at Aunt Huang's house and taken a sip of water when Aunt Huang immediately stood up and stared at her.
This was the first time in two lifetimes that Xia Wenhua had ever hosted a dinner party at her own home.
She had no experience in her past life, let alone in this one. The menu she wrote was a rough estimate based on a comparison of her experiences in both lives.
When Sister Huang asked that question, she suddenly became a little insecure.
"Sister-in-law, is it because I didn't prepare enough? If not, I'll think of something else. You can't invite people over for a meal and not let them eat their fill. Sister-in-law, please feel free to tell me anything, don't be shy."
Sister-in-law Huang always knew that Xia Wenhua was definitely not short of money. After all, they had known each other for quite a while, and it's actually quite easy to tell a person's temperament and spending habits.
But it wasn't until she saw this list that she realized Xia Meizi must have suffered.
Hearing Xia Wenhua repeatedly say she wanted to add more, she quickly stopped Xia Wenhua from having this terrible idea.
"Xia Meizi, please don't add any more! Six dishes aren't enough, what do you mean 'enough'!"
Sister-in-law Huang didn't say the rest aloud. When you invite guests to dinner, you just serve a couple of dishes and let everyone eat as they please.
Inviting someone to dinner is just a gesture; these days, who would actually go to someone else's house on an empty stomach and wait to be fed?
But now, looking at the menu in her hand, she felt that she could really eat her fill at Commander Pei's house.
She felt it was a bit wasteful, but one can't always make decisions for others.
Sister Huang smacked her lips, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Xia, how many dishes do you usually have for a meal?"
Look at their dish! They've balanced meat and vegetables, even considering the colors. It's so different from those uncultured haphazard stews.
Aunt Huang's reaction was a bit over the top. It wasn't because there wasn't enough food. Xia Wenhua was completely baffled for a long time.
Only when Sister Huang specifically asked how many dishes they were having did she realize that there were a few too many dishes on her menu.
Xia Wenhua really couldn't believe that having nearly twenty people eat with only six dishes was considered too much, but she cleverly concealed it a little.
"The two of us, Songbai, have a bigger appetite, but not much. Usually, a family of four would only have three dishes."
She genuinely concealed the situation slightly, so it's quite normal for her to cobble together six dishes for a meal now.
After all, staying at home every day is just too boring, with plenty of free time.
Xia Wenhua is also someone who is obsessed with numbers. Every time she prepares a meal, she counts that there are four people in the family. It would be too meager for each person to have only one dish, and the number of dishes cannot be odd. Every day, she ends up preparing six dishes.
This is a bad habit I picked up from ordering food when entertaining guests in my past life, and I've carried it with me when I cook now.
It's easy to imagine that if the truth were told, Mrs. Huang would definitely say: What kind of family eats six dishes in one meal!
Xia Wenhua didn't think it was a big deal. She was a picky eater and wouldn't enjoy her meal if there was only one dish.
She eats each dish with relish, even if you make a little less or a couple more.
Xia Wenhua is a restless person who also pays great attention to the little pleasures in life.
Whether it's planning the yard or cooking several dishes every day, she sees it all as a way to make her life more comfortable, and she thinks it's worthwhile to do these things in her spare time.
Aunt Huang couldn't understand her thinking at all, and clicked her tongue in amazement: "Xia, you are really too diligent. It would be so much better if you could spend more time resting at home. According to you, does your family never cook one dish for everyone to eat together like my family?"
"Yes, sometimes when I'm busy with other things and don't have time to cook, Songbai will cook a stew for us to eat together."
Xia Wenhua felt a little guilty under Sister Huang's gaze; to be honest, she had no intention of showing off at all.
Having grown accustomed to the exquisite lifestyle that constantly appears around her and online in her later life, it's quite difficult for her to fully immerse herself in the present moment.
She finally managed to pick up where Sister Huang was going, but her mouth was faster than her brain, and the words were already out before Xia Wenhua realized it was inappropriate.
As expected, Sister Huang was even more shocked than when she learned that she was going to prepare six dishes.
"Commander Pei can cook at home?"
Based on Xia Wenhua's understanding of Sister-in-law Huang, Commander Wang's ears were probably going to be burning with unease for a while longer.
Not wanting to continue this topic of middle-aged women, Xia Wenhua quickly interrupted Sister Huang: "Sister-in-law, let's not talk about these things for now. These things aren't urgent. I came here today to ask you for help with something."
While Sister-in-law Huang may be a bit of a gossip, she never falters when it comes to serious matters.
Upon hearing Xia Wenhua say that she had something important to discuss, she immediately forgot all about their previous conversation: "Why are you being so polite? Just tell me if you need anything, and I'll definitely help if I can!"
With the help of the kind-hearted Aunt Huang online, Xia Wenhua breathed a sigh of relief; she had truly been frightened by the situation just now.
She didn't beat around the bush and directly told me she wanted to borrow the meat coupons.
Sister-in-law Huang agreed decisively, and even asked, "You're preparing so much meat and vegetables, you'll need two or three pounds of meat, right? Will half a pound of meat coupons be enough? We've been saving up for the past few months. This is important, so we'll prioritize your use first."
Two or three pounds? You can still save up meat coupons that are only worth one pound a month?
Xia Wenhua, who had originally planned to make braised pork with vermicelli and use about five catties of meat, wisely swallowed her words, but secretly thought that it seemed she wouldn't need to borrow the half catty meat coupon from Sister Ye.
Pork requires meat coupons, but chicken does not.
These past few days, Xia Wenhua has been following Sister Huang around, and she's also made some acquaintances from her hometown. If she goes to a fellow villager's house and tells them she can take the item quietly, no one will usually check.
The side dishes are all common local ingredients and don't cost much. We just need to wait for the supply and marketing cooperative to open early in the morning to buy pork.
After leaving Sister Huang's house, Xia Wenhua went to the houses of several other women in the neighborhood to ask if she could borrow a stool when it was time to leave, and everyone readily agreed.
To be honest, compared to the coldness of later generations where everyone takes family or even themselves as the smallest unit of social interaction, Xia Wenhua still prefers the present.
When something happens, everyone helps each other out; when nothing happens, a few people get together to chat. It's so heartwarming.
The downside is that people are so used to being helpful that they don't pay attention to other people's privacy.
Xia Wenhua has been told off more than once that she keeps the door closed when she's home.
Every era has its own appeal; nothing in this world is perfect.
Xia Wenhua firmly believes that accepting the era in which you live is the quickest way to improve your life.
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