Chapter 14: Culinary Genius

After a busy morning, a large patch of wild vegetables had been thoroughly dug up.

Wen Wan sent the children home along the way before heading home with half a basket of vegetables on her back.

“Sister-in-law, have you cooked yet?” Wen Wan called out before even entering the house, pushing open the door.

Hearing the voice, Tian Xiaochao came out from the back door of the kitchen carrying firewood, “Xiaowan, I was just about to start cooking. If you’re hungry, have some peanuts to fill your stomach.”

“Sister-in-law, that’s perfect.” Wen Wan walked into the kitchen carrying the basket. “Look at these vegetables, what dishes can we make?”

Tian Xiaochao looked at the full basket of vegetables with surprise, quickly stepping forward and rummaging through the basket.

She thought that her younger sister-in-law was digging vegetables for the first time and couldn’t even tell the difference between tender and old vegetables. But not only was the basket full, but it was also filled with vegetables that were just right for eating.

“Xiaowan, the purslane can be blanched and then mixed with salt, soy sauce, and chili powder. For the shepherd’s purse, add some eggs and it’s delicious in dumplings.”

Wen Wan muttered to herself: Fresh shepherd’s purse with three parts fat and seven parts lean pork makes the best dumplings, but the original owner couldn’t cook, so she nodded in agreement, following Tian Xiaochao’s suggestion.

Seeing Tian Xiaochao, who was heavily pregnant, bending over to pick up the vegetables, Wen Wan stepped forward and took the basket, “Sister-in-law, you tend the fire, I’ll handle the rest.”

“No, no, absolutely not.” Tian Xiaochao shook her head and refused three times. Her father-in-law and mother-in-law didn’t let her younger sister-in-law cook or work in the fields, and she dared not either.

Besides, she didn’t want to eat strangely flavored food; she’d rather work harder herself.

Wen Wan held onto the basket tightly, “Sister-in-law, just let me do it. I’ll follow your instructions step by step. You have to believe in my learning ability.”

“No…I…” Tian Xiaochao was so anxious that sweat beaded on her forehead. Seeing her younger sister-in-law’s eager eyes, the words of rejection she had on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back.

Wen Wan immediately noticed that Tian Xiaochao’s attitude had softened, and with a clever move, she pressed Tian Xiaochao onto a stool, “Sister-in-law, you just tell me what to do. We two sisters-in-law, a perfect match!”

Tian Xiaochao was amused by her younger sister-in-law’s playful demeanor and burst into laughter, tears welling up in her eyes, “Okay, okay, then quickly wash the vegetables. I’ll boil the water.”

Phew… Turning her back, Wen Wan smiled contentedly. A good start.

Tian Xiaochao had just lit the fire, and the water in the pot hadn’t even boiled yet, when she saw her younger sister-in-law skillfully picking, washing, and finally draining the vegetables using a winnowing basket. The whole process was smooth and efficient, without a single pause.

“Sister-in-law, the water’s boiling. Can I add the vegetables?” Wen Wan lifted the pot lid and pretended to ask, feigning ignorance.

Tian Xiaochao closed her wide-open mouth and silently nodded.

My goodness, had her younger sister-in-law really never been in the kitchen before? Could this be the culinary genius her father had spoken of? She only explained it once, and her younger sister-in-law had done everything perfectly.

Half an hour later, a bowl of cold purslane and a bowl of shepherd’s purse with eggs, both full of color, aroma, and taste, were presented before Tian Xiaochao.

“Sister-in-law, how many whole-wheat steamed buns do you want?” Wen Wan took two for herself and asked Tian Xiaochao, whose eyes were shining brightly. The rest would be sent to Wen’s father and mother who were working in the fields after the meal.

Tian Xiaochao held up two fingers, her heart and eyes full of the fragrant and tempting shepherd’s purse with eggs; her mouth watered uncontrollably.

“Mmm…delicious, really delicious…” As soon as Tian Xiaochao sat down, she couldn’t wait to take a bite of the shepherd’s purse and egg. The soft and tender eggs burst in her mouth.

At first, seeing her younger sister-in-law use four eggs, Tian Xiaochao felt a pang of heartache. A pound of eggs could buy half a year’s worth of salt and a month’s worth of oil.

Wen Wan smiled faintly, picking up her chopsticks and eating the vegetables and buns slowly, savoring the taste.

After the meal, Wen Wan didn’t compete with Tian Xiaochao for the task of delivering food. She still had to hurry to tidy up the vegetables in her space and find time to go to the county town to look for business opportunities to earn some money.

The sun gradually set, quietly hiding behind the green mountains and trees, revealing half of its reddish-orange glow. The setting sun’s rays shone on the returning villagers.

“Hey, have you heard? Wen Wan and Chen Jianbing’s marriage seems to have run into trouble.” Sister Jing, holding a small hoe, whispered to those around her.

“Sister Jing, I saw Chen Jianbing’s family entering Wen’s house with a basket this morning while picking vegetables. They must be visiting Xiaowan.” Sister Li spoke opportunely.

Sister Jing looked like she knew the inside story, “You’re wrong. I heard that the Chen family came to break off the engagement.”

Her family was from the same village as the Chen family. Who didn’t know who? The news reached her ears at noon, and she had endured the whole afternoon, eager to verify it.

“What…breaking off the engagement…”

“No way, Wen Wan and that Chen Jianbing had a childhood betrothal, and they even officially got engaged two years ago. I even ate their wedding candies.” Sister Qing didn’t believe it.

Sister Jing immediately became anxious and shouted, “If you don’t believe me, let’s all go and see. The Chen family will come to Wen’s house to retrieve the marriage certificate this afternoon.”

Before she finished speaking, she had already dragged Sister Qing towards Wen Dafu’s house, determined to prove that she was the most well-informed person in the village.

Seeing this, Sister Li tentatively said, “Should we go and take a look? Don’t let it really…” She left the rest for everyone to think about.

No one wanted to miss the excitement, and everyone else nodded and quickly ran forward. When they met acquaintances, they embellished the story.

The crowd grew rapidly. Some were there to watch the excitement, others thought that if there was anything they could help with, they should help their own people. Even Liu Qingliang, the village head, followed along.

Sister Li secretly smiled in the back. She had definitely accomplished what Yulan had asked her to do.

However, thinking that most of the people present were from the Wen family, and few people from Liujiagou village below came, Sister Li felt a little regretful.

In just over ten minutes, a group of people gathered at Wen Dafu’s house.

Chen Dongzi and Chen Jianbing stared dumbfounded at the entrance of Wen’s house, feeling hesitant.

“Are those the Chen family?” Sister Li’s eyes were sharp, and she saw Chen Dongzi and the others stop. She leaned close to Sister Jing’s ear and whispered.

Sister Jing, upon hearing this, became energetic, turned her head to look, and exclaimed joyfully, “Everyone, make way, let the Chen family in.”

Chen Jianbing, with a stern face, stared at the enthusiastic eyes of the people on both sides, and strode forward.

“Chen Jianbing, give me the things.” Wen Dafu, holding a hoe, stood at the entrance of the yard, clearly refusing to let Chen Jianbing enter.