Chapter 18: Is Her Cooking Really That Good?
Chapter 18: Is Her Cooking Really That Good?
The texture beneath his hand was as soft and boneless as a cloud, and Zhou Chenglei quickly withdrew his hand, stepping back.
Jiang Xia acted as if nothing had happened and started flipping the vegetables in the large iron pot.
Grandma chuckled, "Oh, I didn’t expect Ah Lei to be so considerate of his wife. Xia, let him do it."
Zhou Chenglei insisted, "I’ll do it."
This time, he didn’t reach out.
Jiang Xia didn’t look at him. "No, it’s fine. I’ll do it. You can go wash the clams for me."
She was worried about sand in the clams and needed to rinse them before using them to make a garlic-steamed zucchini.
Zhou Chenglei, feeling a bit embarrassed, obediently went to wash the clams.
Alone in the kitchen, Jiang Xia used two iron pots and set up two small stoves. Since the seafood was easy to cook and there were many helpers, it took her about two hours to prepare ten dishes and a soup.
The men chatting outside had been drawn in by the appetizing aromas wafting from the kitchen, their stomachs growling with hunger.
The brothers—Guangzong, Yaoyu, and the others—had been out tending to the cattle and ducks. When they returned at dusk, they came over to eat. The children, lured by the delicious smells, gathered around the kitchen door, praising their young aunt for the delicious food.
Tian Caihua scolded them a few times, but they refused to leave.
Eventually, Jiang Xia laughed and sent them out to pick some flowers for garnishing the dishes. They eagerly ran off.
When the food was served, everyone was amazed by the beautifully presented, aromatic dishes. In her past life, Jiang Xia had worked in the kitchen of a five-star hotel. She used the purple eggplant flowers picked by the brothers to decorate the plate of braised pork. The boiled tiger prawns were arranged in a circle with a small red carrot flower in the center, resembling a blooming peony. The tiger grouper was sliced and steamed, garnished with green onion threads and red pepper, and a zucchini flower was placed at its mouth, creating a stunning peacock-tail effect.
Everyone usually just cooked the food, put it on a plate, and called it a day. They never bothered to arrange it so neatly or add decorations.
Zhou Father: "Did Xia make this? It’s so beautifully arranged, I’m almost too afraid to eat it."
Zhou Mother smiled, "How do you know it was Xia?"
Zhou Father gave her a meaningful look, "What do you think?"
His wife and elder daughter-in-law only cared about cooking the food properly and avoiding food poisoning; they wouldn’t bother with such elaborate presentations.
Zhou Mother secretly kicked him.
Zhou Chengxin exclaimed, "Fourth Brother’s wife has amazing skills, hidden in plain sight!"
Great-Grandfather: "This isn’t just good; it’s better than any state-owned restaurant!"
Grandma chuckled, "I’ve lived a long life, but I’ve never seen dishes presented like flowers before. Today, I’ve learned something new."
Zhou Yongguo gave Jiang Xia a thumbs-up, "Grandson’s wife, you have great skills!"
He then turned to Zhou Chenglei, "Grandson, you’re so lucky!"
Zhou Jie followed his father, "Little nephew, you’re so lucky!"
Zhou Chenglei ignored their compliments, his attention fixed on the dishes. He had attended state banquets and suspected that if she had more ingredients, she could easily prepare a full state banquet.
But could her cooking really be that good?
In her previous life, Jiang Xia had lived to 28, often going hungry after the age of three. She worked to pay for her meals and medical bills, often eating irregularly. It wasn’t until she finished university and paid off her debts that she started to enjoy cooking, focusing on making the dishes look and taste great. Arranging the food beautifully was her only pleasure during her free time.
But the original Jiang Xia couldn’t have cooked this well.
Noticing Zhou Chenglei’s scrutinizing gaze, Jiang Xia had already prepared an excuse. She smiled, "My grandfather’s family had someone who worked as a royal chef. He was a great cook, and I learned from him when I was young. It’s been a long time since I cooked, so I don’t know how it tastes. Please bear with me."
Everyone around the table chimed in with their praises:
"Looks delicious!"
"Smells so good, it’s making my mouth water! It’s definitely going to be delicious!"
...
Zhou Chenglei knew that Jiang Xia had indeed lived with her grandparents for a while when she was young, but that was before she started elementary school, right?
Jiang Xia picked up her glass and tugged at his sleeve, whispering, "Shall we toast to everyone as a couple?"
Zhou Chenglei snapped back to reality.
The words "as a couple" felt like a feather brushing across his heart. He looked down at her delicate hand gripping his sleeve and then at the glass in her other hand, adorned with a Double Happiness symbol, which they had bought for their wedding.
They were indeed a couple, even if they were about to get a divorce.
He lowered his gaze, picked up the glass with the Double Happiness symbol, and stood up.
Zhou Chenglei raised his glass and said, "Thank you all for coming today. Jiang Xia and I would like to offer our gratitude. Thank you for your help."
Jiang Xia stood up as well. "We’re so grateful. Without your help, the house wouldn’t have been repaired so quickly. Thank you!"
Good food and dishes were always accompanied by good wine. Zhou Chenglei had brought back some wine, and Jiang Xia had already poured glasses for everyone before the meal. She had asked Zhou’s mother, who said that none of the women drank, except for the great-grandmother, who enjoyed a small glass. Jiang Xia had prepared watermelon juice for the non-drinkers and the children.
The watermelon had been brought by Zhou Jie's mother, grown in her hometown. It was a large, stony variety that was very sweet. It had been chilled in well water, making it even more refreshing.
Everyone stood up, raising their glasses of wine or watermelon juice. They clinked their glasses together and said, "May your new home bring good fortune and prosperity. May you all be healthy!"
Jiang Xia downed her glass in one go, not leaving a single drop.
Her graceful and confident manner of drinking was a pleasure to watch.
Zhou Chenglei glanced at her.
The two ounces of high-proof liquor burned his throat, yet she, so delicate, drank it without a flinch, as if she had done it countless times before.
The great-grandmother laughed heartily as she finished her glass of wine. "Xia is a wonderful girl! She can handle both the front of the house and the kitchen. She’s someone who can achieve great things, Ailei. You’re a lucky man."
Zhou Chenglei picked up the wine bottle to refill everyone’s glasses but said nothing.
Jiang Xia playfully responded, "Great-grandmother has the sharpest eyes. She can see that I’m a wife who brings good fortune!"
Everyone at the table laughed at Jiang Xia’s boldness.
Hearing everyone praise Jiang Xia, Tian Caihua looked at the table full of oily dishes and pursed her lips. Whether or not she brings good fortune is unknown, but she’s certainly wasteful!
Who would be so generous with oil when cooking?
They had only split a half-jar of oil, and she had used almost all of it in just one meal.
No matter how capable Zhou Chenglei was, he couldn’t possibly afford her extravagance.
Zhou Yongguo raised his glass to Zhou Chenglei. "Ailei, you’ve married a wife who brings good fortune. We must drink to that, grandson. And you, granddaughter-in-law, join us!"
Jiang Xia smiled and agreed, but Zhou Chenglei didn’t pour her any wine. Instead, he took the wine bottle away and placed a glass of watermelon juice in front of her. "This wine has a strong kick. Drink the watermelon juice."
Zhou Yongguo protested, "No, no, no! When the grandfather offers a toast, it must be with wine! Not watermelon juice!"
He had heard that the two of them hadn’t consummated their marriage yet.
His grandson was having a tough time. At twenty-eight, he hadn’t even tasted a woman.
Out of gratitude for all the times his grandson had helped him in fights since childhood, he decided to give him a hand tonight!
(End of Chapter)
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