The banquet was set for September twenty-fifth, and on the morning of the twenty-fourth, Li Xiandong’s family got up early and began to prepare.

Madam Wang and Li Xiaohan had been cleaning and scrubbing since morning. The stools and tables had been borrowed from the clan, but since no one had used them in a while, they needed to be thoroughly cleaned.

By about 9 a.m., Madam Zhao, the wife of Li Guiqian, came over with her two daughters-in-law to help.

Madam Zhao herself didn’t really understand why she had to go help her husband’s cousin’s wife. It wasn’t as if Madam Wang had no close sisters-in-law—Li Xiandong had two full brothers, and while they weren’t born of the same mother, they still had the same father.

When Madam Zhao expressed her confusion, Li Guiqian explained, “It was Father’s instruction.”

After thinking for a moment, he added, “The steamed pork and fried small fish from Xiandong’s house are quite delicious. I really like them. Take the other daughters-in-law with you to help out and see if you can learn how they’re made.”

Madam Zhao wasn’t too happy to hear that. She was the one managing all the meals in her household, and no one had ever complained about her cooking. Why was her husband suddenly praising someone else’s food? Was he saying her cooking wasn’t good enough?

But having been married to Li Guiqian for most of her life, she knew he wouldn’t lie. If he said it tasted good, then it truly did. So Madam Zhao went, though still doubtful and a little unwilling.

Even though she came with those feelings, Madam Zhao didn’t let it show. When she arrived, she greeted them with a smile. “Sister-in-law, I’ve long heard you’re quite skilled in the kitchen. My husband pushed me to come early, saying I should help out and maybe learn a thing or two.”

Madam Wang wasn’t someone who socialized much, and hearing Madam Zhao’s praise made her both happy and a little overwhelmed. Holding a ladle, she found herself at a loss for words.

It was Li Xiaohan who stepped in and said, “Aunt Guiqian, Uncle must’ve been exaggerating. When we were building the house, Uncle was always saying how good you are at making stuffed flatbreads. Just hearing him talk about it made me hungry. Since you’re here today, you definitely have to exchange tips with my mother. I’ve really been wanting to try yours!”

Stuffed flatbread was indeed Madam Zhao’s specialty. With limited resources at home, she had mastered the art of making the tastiest flatbreads using the simplest ingredients.

Li Xiaohan had only casually heard someone mention it before, but now she brought it up deliberately, making it sound like Uncle Guiqian had gone around praising it publicly. That made Madam Zhao genuinely pleased, and her smile grew more sincere. “Xiaohan, your words are as sweet as honey. Looks like I really will have to pick up the spatula today.”

“I’ve been waiting to try your flatbread for ages.”

“Aiya, Xiandong’s wife, I really like this girl of yours. She’s so generous and cheerful.”

Madam Zhao was seeing Li Xiaohan in a new light. Not to brag, but she’d always thought Madam Wang and Li Xiandong were the kind of people who wouldn’t say a word even when taken advantage of.

She hadn’t expected those two reserved people to raise a daughter like Li Xiaohan, who clearly knew how to stand her ground. What Li Xiaohan just said was clever: if they wanted to learn how to make her fried fish and steamed meat, they’d have to exchange it for Madam Zhao’s flatbread recipe.

And the way she put it made everyone feel good—it was about exchanging cooking skills.

That’s exactly how it should be. No matter how close the families are, a woman’s kitchen skills are part of her reputation. You can’t just give them away for free.

Madam Zhao felt that Li Xiaohan’s temperament was just like her own. If she had a daughter, she imagined she’d want her to be just like this.

After that round of teasing and chatting, the atmosphere among the women grew more relaxed. Madam Wang also felt at ease—having her daughter praised made her even happier than being praised herself.

Madam Zhao and her daughters-in-law, Madam Ma and Madam Han, were all efficient and straightforward. The women quickly washed all the borrowed bowls, plates, tables, and stools from the clan.

Then the fish and meat were delivered right on time.

There were thirteen crucian carps and over forty pounds of small mixed fish. Cleaning them was labor-intensive. Li Xiaohan clicked her tongue inwardly—thank goodness Aunt Guiqian brought help, otherwise just the three of them wouldn’t have managed.

Everyone had a simple lunch to fill their stomachs. Then by around 3–5 p.m., the real work began.

The oil pot was fired up, and clear lard was rendered out. A large plate of crispy pork cracklings was set aside.

The marinated pork belly was fried until golden brown, releasing a mouthwatering aroma.

Then the cleaned, salted, sugared, and flour-coated small fish were dropped into the oil and fried until they were completely crispy.

“Sister-in-law, come try this. For these fish, the key is to fry them twice so even the bones turn crispy.” Madam Wang picked up a bowl and filled it with the small fish, offering it to Madam Zhao and her daughters-in-law.

In the past half month, although she had gone out to look for Sanqi, she hadn’t found any nearby. As a woman, she hadn’t dared venture deep into the forest alone, so she returned to take charge of the kitchen again.

If Madam Wang had to say it herself, she believed her kitchen skills were still decent enough to be seen by others.

Madam Zhao could tell just by watching Madam Wang’s method that the dish couldn’t possibly taste bad—with that much oil, salt, and sugar, it was guaranteed to be good.

Sure enough, as soon as she took a bite, Madam Zhao could tell—crispy, fragrant, just as expected from being fried twice. Even the bones could be crunched and eaten.

“Sister-in-law, your skills are impressive,” Madam Zhao said.

“You’re too kind. Xiaohan likes it, so I just put in more effort,” Madam Wang replied with a smile.

This fried small fish dish was actually something Madam Wang made based on Li Xiaohan’s wild imagination. For example, at first, Li Xiaohan would say, “Mother, fry them slowly so they don’t burn.” Later, she said, “Mother, fry them again. I don’t think they’re crispy enough yet.”

While it was Li Xiaohan who came up with the idea and gave suggestions, the one who truly mastered the technique—frying the small fish to be crispy but not burnt, fragrant and crunchy—was Madam Wang.

Even Li Xiaohan couldn’t do it as well as Madam Wang. She wasn’t good at managing the fire in a wood stove. But Madam Wang had boiled pig feed for years and was already skilled at handling fire.

Li Xiaohan quietly stepped away as Madam Wang and Madam Zhao started discussing frying techniques. The kitchen was really hot.

Also, her mother didn’t have many close connections in the village. These three from the Zhao family were likely the start of their own social circle.

Based on what she had observed of Uncle Guiqian over the past few days, Li Xiaohan felt that Madam Zhao, as his wife, was also someone worth getting to know.

Sure enough, once Li Xiaohan stepped back, Madam Wang and Madam Zhao started getting along better and better.

For dinner, the main dish was Madam Zhao’s stuffed flatbread.

“Auntie, this flatbread is amazing. No wonder Uncle Guiqian keeps thinking about it,” Li Xiaohan praised as she ate.

It really was quite good. Even though it was made from coarse grains, it didn’t have that rough, doughy texture. Instead, it had layers and was both chewy and fragrant.

“The key is in kneading the dough. It just takes practice,” Madam Zhao said cheerfully. That day, she and her two daughters-in-law had learned how to fry small fish from Madam Wang. So now she was teaching Madam Wang and Li Xiaohan how to make flatbread.

“I could never match you, Auntie. I saw how much effort you put into kneading that dough. I don’t have that kind of strength.”

Li Xiaohan was telling the truth. Women in this era really were willing to use strength if it meant saving ingredients and making food taste better. Madam Zhao had kneaded that dough by hand until it felt like a thousand-layered pastry.

Li Xiaohan simply didn’t have that kind of strength or patience.

“Hahaha, you’ll get it when you’re a bit older,” Madam Zhao laughed. What she didn’t say was—especially after you get married and have kids. Once you carry a child around all day, your strength naturally builds up.

After today, Madam Zhao felt like she was seeing Li Xiandong’s family in a new light. She had always heard that Li Xiaohan and her mother were useless with their hands, couldn’t even weave cloth, and only knew how to cook pig feed.

But after spending time with them, she saw that even though Li Xiandong and Madam Wang didn’t talk much, their firewood shed was fully stocked, their water jar was clean, and their kitchen was neat and orderly.

Not to mention their cooking skills. Every dish for the banquet was well done. It completely contradicted the village rumors.

In Madam Zhao’s opinion, anyone who could patiently fry cheap small fish until they tasted good, like Madam Wang, was someone just like her—willing to put in the effort to knead dough thinly for stuffed bread.

Since both sides were willing to get along, Madam Zhao and Madam Wang had a very pleasant time together. Before leaving, Madam Wang even packed a bowl of small fish for Madam Zhao and said, “Sister-in-law, thank you for all your help today. Take some of these small fish back for the kids to try. You know these little fish don’t cost much. The most expensive part is the oil. The rest just takes effort, so don’t refuse.”

Everyone in Pingshan Village shared the same view: labor didn’t count as valuable.

“Alright, I won’t argue. We’ll be back tomorrow morning,” Madam Zhao replied readily.

The Li family home and Guiqian’s home were quite far apart. The shortest way back was a narrow path behind the houses.

Normally, Madam Zhao and the others wouldn’t take that small path, but since there were three of them and they hadn’t been home all day, they were anxious. Who knew how the kids, the men, or even the pigs and chickens were doing? So they hurried home.

“Mother, let’s fry some small fish when we get home too,”Madam Zhao’s eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Ma, suddenly said while walking.

“Dou-ge will definitely like it.”

Dou-ge, Madam Ma’s son, was four years old. He was tall and skinny and always said he was hungry. He was just at that age where boys ate endlessly, so as his mother, Madam Ma always had him on her mind.

“Alright,” Madam Zhao answered without hesitation.

They were the heads of their own households. They knew how to weigh the value of things. Small fish were cheap and tasty. Once fried, they could be kept for several days. Their family was big, and they could even catch the fish themselves. They didn’t need to spend money to buy them. It was cost-effective.

“Mother, Auntie Wang is really good at cooking. She’s not like the rumors at all,” Madam Ma added.

“She was living under her stepmother-in-law. It’s not easy to shine in that kind of situation,” Madam Zhao said. If someone was going to be praised, it would be the biological daughter-in-law. Someone like Madam Wang, who wasn’t related by blood, would just be used as a stepping stone.

“That’s absolutely true.” Both of Madam Zhao’s daughters-in-law, Madam Ma and Madam Han, nodded repeatedly. Even if it was tiring living under their own mother-in-law, at least they didn’t have to work themselves to the bone and still end up with a bad reputation.

Happiness often comes from comparison. And compared to others, Madam Ma and Madam Han felt very lucky to have Madam Zhao as their mother-in-law.