Chapter 23

Outside the Matsutake Purchasing Station.

Cha Jiuzhang helped Cha Yonghao load all the matsutake mushrooms into the car, then jumped down and secured the rear compartment door.

“Xiao Liu, when you reach the county tonight, have a good meal with Cha Baiwan before setting off. Take turns driving at night and stay alert.”

He patted his shoulder. “You’ve lost quite a bit of weight recently. Just endure for another half a month—once the matsutake season is over, things will get much easier.”

Cha Yonghao playfully raised his arm, flexing his biceps.

“Bro, don’t worry. I may be thinner, but it’s all muscle!”

Cha Jiuzhang chuckled and squeezed his arm. “Not bad, you’re pretty solid.”

“Tomorrow, after you unload at the airport, I need you to take care of something for me.”

“What is it, bro? Just say the word.”

Cha Jiuzhang handed him a note.

“Go to this address tomorrow and bring back all of your sister-in-law’s belongings—mainly her high school books. Make sure to bring everything back.”

Since she had decided to retake the college entrance exam, it was best to gather all the materials as soon as possible.

“Huh? Didn’t Sister-in-law already graduate from high school?”

“Ahem—”

Cha Jiuzhang looked slightly awkward. “It’s not the same person. The bride changed from the older sister of the Jiang family to the younger one. She’s taking the exam next year.”

Crack!

Cha Yonghao almost twisted his waist. “Wait, you can do that?”

No wonder he was his brother.

Too bold!

He blinked mischievously. “Bro, do you have a thing for younger girls?”

He knew his brother had been engaged to a Jiang family girl since childhood, but he never expected it to turn into a pick one out of two situation.

No wonder the new sister-in-law looked so young.

Turns out, she really was young.

Cha Jiuzhang kicked him lightly, frowning.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Her older sister regretted it. On the wedding night, she secretly drugged her younger sister with sleeping pills and swapped places.”

“She’s still young. When you’re around her, watch what you say. Don’t bring up things that shouldn’t be mentioned.”

Cha Yonghao immediately pieced together the rest of the story and his expression darkened.

“Tch, that older sister has no taste. A woman like that isn’t worth having anyway.”

Ever since seeing what happened to Cha Baiwan, he understood that wealthy city girls would never be interested in country boys like them.

Their backgrounds were worlds apart.

He also felt less impressed with his new sister-in-law. With such an elder sister, the younger one probably wasn’t much better.

And to top it off, she was stunningly beautiful.

But he still said, “Don’t worry, bro. I’ll get it done.”

With that, he stuffed the note into his pocket, punched Cha Jiuzhang lightly on the chest, and said, “I’m off.”

Then, he jumped into the car, started the engine, and drove away.

——

In the Cha Family Kitchen.

The head chef had changed.

Zuo Mingyan watched in fascination as she assisted Jiang Tiantian, who skillfully prepared dish after dish of matsutake mushrooms.

It was simply amazing!

“Tiantian, how did you come up with so many different ways to cook matsutake?”

Normally, outside their place of origin, very few people ever got to eat matsutake mushrooms—many hadn’t even heard of them.

She herself had only seen and tasted them for the first time when she followed Cha Chengye back here years ago.

The locals typically just made soup or stir-fried them.

They certainly didn’t have this many creative ways to cook them.

Jiang Tiantian was currently layering thinly sliced matsutake mushrooms neatly over a partially steamed egg custard.

In a few minutes, she would steam it again.

Once done, she would drizzle a little soy sauce and sprinkle some fresh scallions on top.

The aroma would be divine.

Jiang Tiantian thought to herself—she couldn’t exactly say she had eaten and cooked these before in her past life.

So, she quickly spun a story.

“Mom, I once read about different matsutake recipes in a book. Since today is my first time seeing matsutake in person, I figured I’d try out what I read.”

Zuo Mingyan gave her a thumbs-up, full of admiration.

“Tiantian, you’re so smart! You only saw it once in a book, yet you remembered everything and could even cook it!”

“Mom, whether it tastes good or not, you’ll have to rate it later.”

“No need to taste—I already know it’ll be delicious.”

—-

By the time dinner was ready, Zuo Mingyan had showered Jiang Tiantian with praise for her knife skills, plating, fire control, seasoning, and even her innovative use of kitchen tools.

Her words were exaggerated—

Her expression was sincere—

Jiang Tiantian suddenly felt like she was back in her childhood, when her parents were still alive.

They worked hard outside, and even the smallest bit of progress she made would make them incredibly happy.

“Tiantian is amazing!”

“Tiantian is already so great!”

It was as if she were the best daughter in the world.

She only started cooking years after her parents passed away.

Occasionally, she would cook a feast for herself—it was her way of unwinding and relieving stress.

But unfortunately, her parents never got to taste her cooking.

By the time the three generations of Cha men returned home from their busy day, the table was already set with an All-Matsutake Feast.

Three stunned faces!

Zuo Mingyan proudly introduced the dishes.

“Tiantian made all of these.”

“Matsutake chicken stew, stone-grilled matsutake, charcoal-grilled matsutake, matsutake tempura, stir-fried matsutake slices, matsutake with shredded pumpkin, beef stir-fried with matsutake, matsutake meat rolls, steamed matsutake egg custard, clear matsutake tofu soup, matsutake sausage rice, and matsutake sashimi.”

“I even wrapped matsutake beef dumplings in the kitchen for breakfast tomorrow.”

Cha Jizu: “Tiantian is really capable.”

He was sincerely impressed—it wasn’t easy to come up with so many variations, let alone cook them.

It proved that this girl was not only clever but also highly skilled.

“Tiantian is amazing!”

Cha Chengye was deeply moved. His son had never made him a proper meal, yet his daughter-in-law had already done so much.

Daughters were the best—so considerate and loving.

For years, he had regretted not having another daughter.

But now, he could treat his daughter-in-law as his own.

Cha Jiuzhang looked at the table filled with dishes—some he had heard of, others he hadn’t.

His gaze toward Jiang Tiantian changed.

What kind of foodie genius could think of so many different ways to cook one ingredient?

He already suspected she was a glutton when they went up the mountain today.

As the saying goes, “A good appetite is a blessing, and knowing how to eat is intelligence.”

But in his mind, he silently raised the difficulty level of “raising a wife” by another notch.

At the dinner table—

The Cha family gave the meal the highest rating through their actions:

They wiped the table clean.

After dinner—

The family sat in the courtyard, chatting.

Cha Jizu brewed a pot of digestive herbal tea.

A walk after a meal keeps you fit until ninety-nine.

A daily smile keeps you healthy until one hundred and one.

Jiang Tiantian took the advice seriously and strolled around the courtyard, occasionally chiming in.

The family was in high spirits.

At that moment, San Ya hesitated before finally approaching Jiang Tiantian and asking shyly,

“Sister-in-law Tiantian, are you coming with us to dig for matsutake again tomorrow?”

Jiang Tiantian paused, suddenly realizing—maybe she hadn’t thought things through today.