Chapter 17

When praised by the elders, He Ting greeted them seriously with a formal tone, addressing his aunts. Lu Baiwei quietly observed and noticed that the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch, as if he was trying not to smile.

“The dishes were made by Waiwai, I’m just responsible for chopping the vegetables.”

Lu Baiwei’s two aunts had actually worried a lot when she married He Ting.

Tang Jingchuan, who was in the army, had written home saying that He Ting’s family was very well-off.

Even though the two elders had arranged a childhood betrothal between their families when they were young, the Tang family did not have any daughters, and there was no reason to pass the marriage proposal to the next generation.

Since the family conditions were so good, it didn’t seem necessary to take the betrothal seriously.

But to their surprise, the young man actually came from Beijing to the countryside to be a sent-down youth in Xiangyang village, carrying the token from their exchange years ago.

They feared that a young master from Beijing might look down on Lu Baiwei, but when they heard that she had suffered hardships, not only did he not cancel the engagement, but he also immediately arranged the necessary formalities and married her.

They even worried that he might have been forced by family pressure to agree.

However, seeing him and Lu Baiwei work together in the kitchen—one chopping vegetables, the other cooking—they could tell that they worked in perfect harmony, and their anxieties finally eased.

When the main party from the Tang family arrived with their own tables and stools, and He Ting’s friends from the youth group also gathered, Lu Baiwei announced that the meal was ready and placed the dishes on the table.

Each table had a basin of boiled fish, a bowl of big bone soup with cucumbers, a bowl of braised pork with potatoes, a bowl of stir-fried pork with chili, scrambled eggs with chives, cucumber salad, eggplant and green beans stew, and stir-fried water spinach.

When the fish was taken out of the pot, hot oil with Sichuan pepper and chili was poured over it, and cilantro and scallions were sprinkled on top. In an era when meat was a rare treat, just this one dish made everyone at the table salivate.

Not to mention the two other hearty dishes—braised pork with potatoes and stir-fried pork with chili.

Whether it was Lu Baiwei’s uncles or the young men He Ting had invited, all of them were so hungry they could barely keep their eyes open, and they didn’t even have time to wonder why Lu Baiwei had made boiled fish.

“Oh my gosh! My brother-in-law is so lucky! My sister-in-law is unbeatable in cooking in Xiangyang village. Yesterday, Aunt made fish soup that was so fresh it almost melted my tongue, and today, my sister-in-law’s dishes are going to make my head spin from hunger!”

Zhou Yanfeng kept talking non-stop while reaching for his chopsticks.

He Ting was beyond exasperated: “If you keep talking, how are you going to eat?”

“Yes, yes, yes, I know! Although I’m praising my brother-in-law for his good fortune, and my sister-in-law for being so capable—he’ll be happy about that—if I don’t eat more, I’ll be the one losing out.”

He stuffed a piece of braised pork into his mouth, and it tasted so delicious it almost opened his soul. Zhou Yanfeng quickly stopped talking and buried his head in the food, eating eagerly.

As everyone else was busy with their food, enjoying the meal, a soft, delicate voice came from the door.

“Sorry we’re late, He Ting, Lingling and I just arrived.”

—

“Sorry, He Ting, Lingling and I are late.”

At the door of the health station stood a graceful figure, with her slender form outlined beautifully. She spoke at the entrance, her eyes filled with a smile.

The other girl seemed shy, hiding behind her, almost as if she was reluctant to come, having been dragged along.

Although He Ting lived at the youth station, he rarely interacted with the female youth there.

When he went to the supply and marketing cooperative earlier today, he stopped by the youth station but had only invited a few male youths.

Suddenly, two female youths showed up uninvited, and He Ting frowned in displeasure.

His mouth, on behalf of Zhou Yanfeng, spoke directly: “He Yan, Zhao Lingling, what are you doing here? I remember He Ting didn’t invite you two.”

“Ah, not invited?” He Yan showed no sign of embarrassment.

She remained calm and said, “Today, Lingling and I finished work early, and we thought He Ting invited everyone from the youth station.”

“I guess I misunderstood.”

With a soft smile, He Yan took a red envelope from her pocket and handed it to He Ting: “He Ting is one of us from the youth station, and as youth who came to the countryside to contribute, we should unite. Since we’re here, this is just a small token of congratulations for your wedding.”

Lu Baiwei felt a bit embarrassed for He Yan.

He Ting and Lu Baiwei were married, and Tang Yunling had already automatically considered He Ting part of their family.

Lu Baiwei knew He Yan. She had heard that He Yan often brought food to He Ting at the youth station, asking after him with concern. Rumors circulated that He Yan was in a relationship with He Ting.

Tang Yunling couldn’t stand seeing someone so shamelessly trying to get close to her cousin’s husband, not even stopping after they were married. She put down her chopsticks, ready to confront them.

Lu Baiwei quickly pulled her back, smiling as she stood up: “I was just saying we should have invited all of the youth station people, it was He Ting’s oversight. Come in and have some food. I’ll get some extra bowls and chopsticks.”

Lu Baiwei’s invitation left He Yan stunned.

A country girl, how could she possibly be worthy of He Ting?

He Yan had thought that by showing up uninvited, Lu Baiwei would certainly lose her composure, and when He Ting saw how awkward and petty she was, he would realize that such a narrow-minded village girl was not suitable to be his partner.

However, Lu Baiwei treated her as though nothing was amiss and graciously welcomed her as a guest.

This made He Yan feel like she had punched a cotton ball—her efforts had fallen flat.

—

This left He Yan feeling like she had punched a cotton ball.

She could only join Zhao Lingling to finish handing out red envelopes and sit down to eat.

“Comrade He, you’re right. As youth coming to the countryside to contribute, we should stick together.”

Tang Jinghe smiled kindly: “Come, try the dishes Baiwei made. She grew up with her grandfather and learned to cook really well.”

Zhou Yanfeng, the fool, didn’t catch the hint in Tang Jinghe’s words.

He turned to He Yan: “Let me tell you, you won’t regret coming to He Ting’s wedding. The food you make at the youth station is like pig food compared to what my sister-in-law cooks.”

“My sister-in-law’s dishes are incredible. They taste better than what chefs in state-run restaurants make. You really need to try her boiled fish; it’s so delicious, you won’t find anything like it after this.”

“My sister-in-law is so capable, and she and my brother He Ting are a perfect match. One chops, one cooks, and they work together without getting tired.”

He Ting can cut vegetables?

He hadn’t done anything at the youth station.

He Yan’s face had already turned sour, but Zhou Yanfeng kept praising her: “I’m telling you, you won’t find anyone in the entire Xiangyang Village, or even in the surrounding villages, as capable as my sister-in-law. She knows medicine, and she can cook really well.”

“My sister-in-law is so great. How did she end up with He Ting, though? If it were me, I would’ve waited a little longer; all the suitors would be lining up at his door…”

He Ting: “…”

Who was it that said yesterday that Lu Baiwei wasn’t good enough for him?

One meal had bought him over.

Food lover!

While enjoying the meal prepared by Lu Baiwei, He Ting also took out the alcohol he bought from the supply and marketing cooperative and filled the cups for the two uncles and several cousins.

This wedding banquet prepared by Lu Baiwei and He Ting was even more extravagant than the New Year’s feast. When her father, Lu Jianguo, found out that Lu Baiwei hadn’t invited him to the wedding banquet, he was sulking at home.

Liu Chunhua whispered in his ear: “Baiwei is really out of line. We’re family, and Jiao Jiao just listened to her radio, but she made such a big fuss, calling Jiao Jiao a thief, even saying she doesn’t recognize us anymore.”