Drip—drip—drip—
This is the signal that the rice is cooked.
"What are you standing there for? Set up the table!"
That's the voice of Hong Ying in command.
Hongying was a one-woman band, playing a resounding melody that lingered for days. Shang Yechu felt as if she had returned to the film set, back to the days when she was tormented by Xu Hanwen. Her eardrums were throbbing.
Shang Yechu had to start looking for topics to ease the pressure on her brain from Hongying's loud voice: "Grandma, Uncle Hong drives a taxi, what does Sister Hong do?"
Amidst the noise, Grandma Hu shouted, "She doesn't work; she just stays home taking care of the children and doing housework."
"Oh," Shang Yechu also called out, "How's Xiao Chuan's studies?"
"She's alright, she'd rank in the top ten in her class," Grandma Hu said. "She's just too playful! Too playful!"
The two chatted at the top of their lungs for a long time. Hongying finally completed her mission, pushed open the door, and warmly invited Shang Yechu to have dinner.
A sumptuous feast was already laid out on the table. It consisted of three meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, and a soup, all beautifully presented and exuding a fragrant aroma.
Hongying gestured for Shang Yechu to sit down at the head of the table, then quickly picked up a slightly blackened dish in front of Shang Yechu and swapped it with the dish in front of Hongtu, saying, "You cooked it yourself, so you should eat it!"
Grandma Hu's grandson hadn't finished his homework and was therefore denied the right to eat at the table. Hongying took a tray with many compartments, picked out some vegetables for him, served him a bowl of rice, and brought it over.
Shang Yechu, with her sharp eyes, noticed that while Hongying was in the kitchen getting rice, she quietly poured two tempting-looking braised chicken legs from a plate and buried them under the rice. She must have saved them especially for Qiao Chuan.
Shang Yechu found it amusing.
Even at the dinner table, Shang Yechu's ears couldn't get a break. Hongying was like a one-woman debate team, constantly pouring out her grievances:
"This bookstore was originally opened by my father-in-law, and after my mother—your grandma—retired, the two of them ran it together. The shop doesn't make much money; it's all memories..."
"The developer is heartless! They just evicted us like that!"
"The mortgage is 8,000 a month, damn it, all my retirement savings are going into it. Your Uncle Hong is going to be exhausted from driving his car!"
"Xiao Chuan needs to attend tutoring classes and extracurricular activities; doesn't that cost money?"
“I don’t have a job. If I did, would I be stuck at home in this smoky mess every day? Look at me, I’m only in my forties, but I look like a fifty-year-old hag…”
Shang Yechu smiled and nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, yes..."
"Yes, yes, it's really not easy for anyone."
"That's outrageous!"
"Xiao Chuan looks promising..."
Hongtu was probably used to this situation by now, eating his meal with a blank expression. Old Mrs. Hu kept leaning on her chopsticks, casting glances repeatedly, before finally unable to resist gently tapping the table: "Just eat! Why are you saying all that?"
The dinner table quieted down a bit.
Shang Yechu finally caught her breath and picked up a piece of stir-fried lotus root slices with her chopsticks to cool down.
Although Hongying's attitude was much warmer than in her previous life, Shang Yechu's annoyance towards her did not diminish in the slightest. If she weren't Grandma Hu's daughter-in-law, Shang Yechu would have disappeared the moment Hongying's hand touched his arm.
People you hate will always be hated. I really don't know how Grandma Hu has managed to put up with it all these years.
Crack.
Taking a bite of the lotus root slice, I experienced a refreshing and flavorful taste, along with the crisp sound of the slice breaking. This lotus root dish was cooked to perfection.
The familiar taste entered his mouth, and Shang Yechu was slightly taken aback.
The texture and taste of this stir-fried lotus root slices, whether by coincidence or not, are very similar to the cooking of the aunt Ji Juntao hired for Shang Yechu. It might even be tastier.
The nanny that Ji Juntao hired had a monthly salary of 20,000 yuan.
Suddenly realizing this, Shang Yechu looked up at Hongying sitting opposite her. The woman picked up some food and began to complain indignantly, "Vegetable prices are getting more and more expensive! Luckily, I managed to snag some discounted vegetables today—the mushroom stems are a bit dry."
Hongying has been cooking in this family for over ten years.
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