"Aunt Xiuping, I don't have time to go out and play. I have to help my mother with the chores. My mother is making a big meal today, and she can't manage it all by herself."
When An Xiuping saw the slaughtered fish, ducks, and chickens in the Yang family's kitchen, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva. Her own family never had such a meal during the New Year. She also remembered her mother saying that if she helped Yang Cui, Yang Cui would definitely invite her to stay for a meal.
An Xiuping said, "Then I'll help you too."
An Xiuping immediately went into the kitchen, eager to help Er Ya start the fire: "Er Ya, you go and do other things, I'll start the fire for you."
Yang Cui, unaware of An Xiuping's thoughts, said, "Xiuping, don't bother with this. It's hottest when you're tending the fire. Go sit over there and play."
"It's alright, Sister Cui, I'm just idling around anyway." An Xiuping felt that if she worked harder and cooked more, she would definitely be able to eat a couple of pieces of meat.
Seeing this, Yang Cui didn't say anything more.
Everything was ready. Yang Cui set up the pot and poured in the oil. An Xiuping saw Yang Cui pour a jar of oil into the pot with a splash.
An Xiuping was dumbfounded.
Many families in the village don't use oil when cooking; they mostly boil the vegetables in water, because it saves oil and allows them to drink as much soup as they want.
This was the first time she had ever seen someone cook like this.
"Cui... Sister Cui, do you put so much oil in your cooking?" An Xiuping couldn't help but ask.
"Of course you don't need to use this much oil when stir-frying, but I'm going to make fried chicken later, and fried foods use a lot of oil."
What is fried chicken?
"You'll see in a moment. Don't add any more firewood, keep the fire small."
After the oil was heated, Yang Cui put the prepared chicken into the oil. As soon as the chicken went in, there was a sizzling sound.
This was my first time frying chicken over a wood fire, and I didn't control the fire very well. The first chicken was a bit too dark, but the next three turned out much better.
The chickens used for making fried chicken weren't very big, so Yang Cui fried a lot of them.
The room was filled with a wonderful aroma, and people both inside and outside were taking deep breaths.
An Xiuping swallowed hard.
"Qiuqiu, come here and take this fried chicken to your great-uncle."
Yang Cui picked out a nice-looking one and asked Yuan Qiu to deliver it to An Dafu.
Dao Ba couldn't sit still any longer and walked to the kitchen door to look around: "Miss Yang, it smells so good! My mouth is watering."
"Dinner will be ready soon. The fried chicken is still a little warm. I'll stir-fry a couple more dishes and that should be enough."
Yang Cui poured out the remaining oil, washed the wok, and stir-fried eggplant and green beans, sweet and sour fish, blood duck, braised tofu, and spicy and sour chicken and duck offal—all dishes perfect for eating with rice. Finally, she made an egg drop soup, making it a very generous portion.
The table was piled high with food, all of which looked and smelled delicious.
Su Murong saw the sweet and sour fish on the table and said in surprise, "Miss Yang can actually cook Shandong cuisine."
"So this is Shandong cuisine!" Yang Cui pretended to suddenly realize. "I saw the recipe for this dish in a storybook before, and I've always wanted to try it. It seems to be a famous dish! Come on, everyone, don't be shy. I don't know if these dishes will suit everyone's taste. Try this fried chicken first, because fried chicken doesn't taste good when it's cold."
"I smelled the aroma when they were frying them, and I've been wanting to try them for a while now." Dao Ba didn't stand on ceremony and used his hand to make a gesture.
"So this is how you can eat chicken," Su Murong muttered to herself, before reaching for the fried chicken herself.
"Delicious! So fragrant and crispy!"
"It's delicious!"
"Miss Yang, this is your skill!" Dao Ba gave Yang Cui a thumbs up and chuckled.
"It's delicious, everyone should eat more. If it's not enough, I'll make more. Please don't be shy."
Seeing that no one was questioning her about why she knew how to cook out-of-town dishes, Yang Cui breathed a sigh of relief. Little did she know that Cen Xiao had seen her relief.
Yang Cui led the children to sit down next to Cen Xiao, and only then did she realize that An Xiuping had not yet returned.
At that moment, An Xiuping stared at the table full of dishes with shining eyes. Yang Cui felt embarrassed to send her away, since she had just helped her start the fire.
"Xiuping, you can eat here too. Erya, go get a bowl and chopsticks for your Aunt Xiuping."
Er Ya ran to the cupboard and grabbed another set of bowls and chopsticks.
An Xiuping didn't stand on ceremony, after all, she had been lingering for this meal. Earlier, she had been watching Yang Cui invite everyone to eat, and she had been waiting for Yang Cui to invite her to stay and eat with them, but Yang Cui hadn't said anything. Now that she had finally gotten the chance, she certainly wouldn't be polite.
Yang Cui had specifically taught Er Ya, San Ya, and Yuan Qiu table manners, so they didn't behave impolitely today even with guests present. But An Xiuping was different.
As soon as it was placed on the table, it began to wolf down its food. Not only did it not use serving chopsticks, but it also choked on its own food because it ate so fast that it sprayed food everywhere.
Su Murong frowned slightly, showing a hint of disdain.
However, his composure prevented him from saying anything unpleasant.
"Eat slowly, and don't cough in front of the guests or the food on the table," Yang Cui said to An Xiuping.
An Xiuping picked up the meat that had been spat out and put it in her mouth, saying, "Sister, your cooking is so delicious!"
Seeing this, Su Murong pushed the dish in front of her to An Xiuping: "If you like it, you can have this dish."
The handsome young man spoke to me and even pushed some delicious food towards me!
An Xiuping's face flushed red instantly.
Yang Cui could tell from her appearance that the little girl was probably experiencing the stirrings of first love.
At this moment, Su Murong spoke up: "Miss Yang, the food is delicious, especially this fried chicken. Could you sell this cooking skill?"
Yang Cui paused for a moment, then said to Er Ya and San Ya, "Xiu Ping, Er Ya, San Ya, Qiu Qiu, you guys go play somewhere else. I need to talk to my uncles about something."
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