Chapter 20

It was almost time for lunch. Hu Xianglan ate a few mouthfuls of egg custard and called Xu Ning from the upper courtyard: “We’re going to have saozi noodles for lunch. You come and help with the cooking while I knead the noodles.”

It was not long since she had finished breakfast, but Xu Ning felt that she was fine again!

She has no talent for kneading dough, but she knows a little bit about cooking. As long as it is not intentionally difficult for her, she doesn’t mind doing some work.

In order to save money, she once bought a bag of noodles and prepared to make her own noodles. Later, she ate that bag of noodles in dumpling soup for more than three months.

Tomato and egg dumpling soup, oyster sauce dumpling soup, soy sauce dumpling soup, spinach dumpling soup, celery leaf dumpling soup…

It was a heinous experience.

Hu Xianglan had already taken out the dishes and placed them on the dining table, including cabbage, potatoes, tofu, kelp, and a piece of pork belly.

In Xu Ning’s understanding, the “sauerkraut” in “sauerkraut noodles” should be made by dicing all the vegetables and then stir-frying them…

For a moment, she suspected that her mother-in-law was deliberately making things difficult for her.

Her knife skills are questionable. She can cut into cubes, but she can’t guarantee the speed.

Xu Ning was not one to hide her feelings, so she told her mother-in-law about her predicament directly: “Mom, I might be a little slow in dicing.”

Hu Xianglan was scooping noodles out of the noodle bowl with a noodle ladle. When she heard Xu Ning’s words, she just turned her head and looked at her, not taking it seriously. “It’s okay to go slowly, just make it in time for dinner.”

She thought, could anyone be slower than she was in kneading the dough?

Kneading the dough, rolling the noodles, and cutting the noodles all take a lot of effort, and finally cooking the noodles also takes time.

It would be fine as long as the vegetables are fried before the noodles are cooked. She is not the kind of wicked mother-in-law who is always fussy and will not deliberately make things difficult for her daughter-in-law.

Since her mother-in-law said so, Xu Ning found an apron, put it on, and started washing and cutting vegetables.

While Hu Xianglan was kneading the dough, Xu Ning was cutting vegetables.

While she was rolling the noodles, Xu Ning was still cutting vegetables.

While she was cutting noodles, Xu Ning was still cutting vegetables.

While she was scooping water into the pot to boil, Xu Ning was still cutting vegetables.

Seeing that the water was about to boil and the noodles could be cooked, Hu Xianglan finally couldn’t help it and stepped forward to push her away, “Go sit aside and don’t get in the way.”

She really didn’t dare to urge her because she was holding the kitchen knife, for fear that she would put the knife down in her hands in a hurry.

There was still some pork belly left on the chopping board that hadn’t been cut, but the rest had been cut into small cubes.

Holding the kitchen knife and chopping the meat skillfully, Hu Xianglan asked curiously, “Don’t you cook when you’re at home?”

Being pushed aside, Xu Ning watched Hu Xianglan cutting vegetables, and her fingers imitated the way she grabbed meat and held the kitchen knife.

Without even thinking, he answered, “My family is poor, and we rarely eat such fine food.”

The original owner’s memory was full of steamed buns made with wild vegetables, and she was only able to eat white flour a few times. Her mother was afraid that she would eat it behind their backs, so she never allowed her to get close to the kitchen.

When Grandma Xu Ning was alive, she was still young. The old lady didn’t want her to work, and every time she wanted to help, she was driven out of the kitchen. After her grandmother passed away, no one taught her how to cook. There are cooking tutorials on the Internet, but the cost of a meal is far less than a packet of instant noodles that costs one dollar.

Cooking is too expensive for Xu Ning, who is in financial difficulty, but she can cook instant noodles, and when she has some extra money she will be generous enough to stir-fry a dish.

Hu Xianglan took a moment to glance at Xu Ning and said nothing. She was afraid that if she continued to ask, her daughter-in-law would cry poor and ask her for a dowry.

Seeing her mother-in-law’s skillful and even beautiful movements, Xu Ning felt a little envious. She would definitely learn how to cook when she gets divorced and lives on her own.

“Mom, can I learn to cook from you in the future?”

Not only did Xu Ning want to learn how to cook, she also wanted to try their cooking skills. There will definitely be unpleasant things during the divorce, and she will definitely be embarrassed to come over for dinner. If she can do it herself, that would be great.

I don’t plan to become a great master, I just want to learn the basics and cook for myself.

“You wish.” The pork belly was already diced in her hands. Hu Xianglan didn’t even raise her head as she chopped green onions. “The He family’s ancestral teaching says that the craft cannot be passed on to outsiders unless you have a son or have been married for twenty years.”

It is said that there was a woman in the ancestor who married into the family just to learn from the master. This ancestral precept was set by the ancestor who was deceived and cheated of the recipes.

“······”Do you have a son? Married for twenty years?

Even Xu Ning can’t do it, forget it, I won’t learn it anymore! Can’t you find a good cook even if you have money?

Seeing that she was silent, Hu Xianglan turned around to cook and said with a smile: “It has been so many years, and people are not so strict about following the rules anymore. If you want to learn, take some time to ask Bei’an and let him teach you.”

Hu Xianglan’s cooking skills were taught by her husband. When she first got married, she could only stir-fry vegetables. Later, she slowly learned from her husband and became as skilled as he was.

“…Okay.” Xu Ning sat on a stool beside the dining table and watched her mother-in-law cook. Although she agreed, she didn’t think of asking.

She and He Beian knew that they were just a couple in name only. If she really asked someone if he could teach her how to cook, He Beian would probably give her a big slap and call her shameless.

After the water in the pot boiled, Xu Ning helped put the noodles in, doing his best to help.

Only the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law had lunch. The simple home-cooked meal had a different taste. Xu Ning ate two bowls. After eating, her lower abdomen was flat and it was not noticeable at all.

Hu Xianglan was surprised but happy. She was not afraid of eating a lot, the important thing was to gain weight. It’s better to be a little fatter. If you are in good health, you can get pregnant earlier.

After dinner, Xu Ning washed the dishes on her own initiative to give her mother-in-law a chance to rest.

While she was washing dishes, Hu Xianglan was waiting anxiously and swept the yard at the same time.

The house was tidied and the clothes were suitable, so the two finally locked the door and set off.

Xu Ning told Hu Xianglan Qian Sanhong’s address, and then she followed her for the rest of the journey.

The address was south of their home and north of it, so they had to take two buses to get there. Xu Ning had no money, so the travel expenses were paid by her mother-in-law.

Before leaving, Hu Xianglan wondered whether she should tell the other people who had been cheated. After careful consideration, she decided not to tell anyone. She would get her money back first and then tell others.

If she told them, and if they came back empty-handed, who knows, they might even blame her for giving the wrong address.

After getting off the bus, they walked four or five minutes to find the alley Qian Sanhong mentioned, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looked around the alley.

There is no No. 15 as Qian Sanhong mentioned. There are only about ten households in the alley.

Coming out of the alley, Hu Xianglan cursed with gnashing teeth: “This old liar never tells the truth. The address is a lie. He is so old, but he does such a wicked thing. Isn’t he afraid of retribution?”

“Hmm?” Xu Ning was puzzled and looked at her mother-in-law in confusion, feeling that something was wrong. “Did I remember the address wrong? Isn’t Aunt Qian a matchmaker? How can you say she is a liar?

Also, Mom, how come you don’t even know the matchmaker’s address? ”

Hu Xianglan, who was so angry that she wanted to curse, stopped breathing and a guilty look flashed in her eyes. She couldn’t tell Xu Ning that Qian Sanhong was a human trafficker. What if Xu Ning called the police and asked for a divorce?

He quickly excused himself, “Of course I know her address. It’s not because I’m old and my memory is bad that I forgot it. I heard you say you knew it, so I thought maybe I could remember it by following you. I didn’t know the address you said was wrong.”