Chapter 41 – Saving the Scene

Aunt Chun sent someone to the village to invite the cook, but the village cook had gone to another village to help with their cooking.

This left Aunt Chun anxiously pacing, and Xia Tian was equally worried.

Unable to stand watching any longer, Xia Tian walked over, pulled Aunt Chun aside, and whispered, “Aunt Chun, are you sure the cook isn’t coming?”

“Yes, someone came to notify me just now!” Aunt Chun’s face was so dark with anger that it seemed like it could drip water.

She had originally wanted to hold a grand banquet for her grandson, to show off to her daughter-in-law’s family that her grandson was well-off, but now everything had turned into a disaster.

“Have you found another cook?”

“No, the village cook went to another village. I heard they have a wedding there.”

“Would you let me give it a try?”

“You?” Aunt Chun was surprised.

“Yes, I can cook. How about I fry a dish for you to try?”

Aunt Chun hesitated for a moment and then gritted her teeth, “Fine, give it a try.”

It was a last-ditch effort.

Xia Tian quickly heated some oil and made a braised meatball dish. After serving it, she asked Aunt Chun and the people nearby to taste it. Everyone unanimously nodded, it was delicious.

Aunt Chun’s gloomy mood instantly lifted, “I didn’t expect that, girl. Your skills are better than even a restaurant chef’s. It’s settled then. After the event, I’ll give you a big red envelope.”

“Then I’ll be waiting!” Xia Tian laughed, joking.

Aunt Chun had, of course, tasted food cooked by professional chefs at restaurants, but after tasting Xia Tian’s dish, she felt it was even better.

As the sound of the wedding bell rang, “The auspicious time has arrived, let the feast begin!”

Xia Tian, on her side, was also busy starting to cook according to the menu.

For the banquet in the village, most of the food was prepared in makeshift kitchens set up in the yard because the kitchen wasn’t large enough to accommodate the volume of food required.

At Aunt Chun’s house, two large stoves were set up near the southern wall of the yard.

In front of the stoves was a long row of tables. The helpers saw Xia Tian standing at the stove, wielding a large iron ladle with precision. The two stoves were working simultaneously, and she looked as skilled as if she had done this over a hundred times.

With her swift movements of taking the pot off the fire, heating oil, stir-frying, plating, and cleaning the pans, everyone watching was amazed.

Xia Tian didn’t have time to worry about what the others were thinking. At Aunt Chun’s house, it was a flowing banquet, with twenty tables served at the same time. Without two stoves running in tandem, they would never manage the speed. If it weren’t for her strong arms, she probably wouldn’t even be able to wield the ladle.

Before long, plate after plate of food was served.

After tasting the dishes, the guests couldn’t help but marvel. The taste was far better than that of the village chefs, and many didn’t even realize that the cook had changed.

Hearing everyone’s praise of her food, Aunt Chun finally relaxed. At least she had saved face in front of her in-laws.

If it weren’t for Xia Tian stepping in, her family would have been embarrassed today.

After two rounds of feasting, Xia Tian finally had a moment to sit down and catch her breath. After two hours of continuously stirring with the large ladle, she was exhausted.

Luckily, she had some spirit water to recharge; otherwise, she wouldn’t even be able to lift her arm.

Being the head cook at a banquet was not an easy job.

After a short rest, she quickly cooked for two more tables, and only Aunt Chun’s family and a few helpers were left to eat.

Once she sat down to eat, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to make sure that the two people at home had eaten.

Xia Tian stood up, told Aunt Chun, and prepared to go back. Aunt Chun quickly pushed her back into her seat, “Don’t worry about it. I’ve already arranged for someone to take the food to your family.”

She hadn’t expected Aunt Chun to be so thoughtful. Xia Tian sat back down and thanked her, “Thank you, Aunt Chun.”

“No, I should be thanking you! If it weren’t for you, I would have been in big trouble today,” Aunt Chun said gratefully, patting her hand.

“It’s because you trusted me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared to step in,” Xia Tian winked with a smile.

“No need for thanks. Let me offer you a toast!” Aunt Chun said solemnly, holding up a glass of wine.

Seeing Aunt Chun’s serious expression, Xia Tian quickly raised her glass, “Ah, no need for formalities, I’ll drink it.”

Aunt Chun scolded her jokingly, then drank the rest of her glass in one gulp.

After finishing the meal, Xia Tian and Sister Yao prepared to leave. Aunt Chun escorted them to the door and pulled out a small purse, placing it in Xia Tian’s hand. “This is for you, a thank-you red envelope. You can’t refuse it.”

“Alright, I’ll accept it. Thank you, Aunt Chun.” Xia Tian took the purse with a smile and waved it at Aunt Chun.

“Go on now. When you have time, come by and talk to me.”

“Alright! We’re leaving now Aunt Chun.” Xia Tian waved goodbye and quickly pulled Sister Yao to head home.

“Who would have thought you had such skills? No wonder you’re so good at cooking. With this talent, you could even be the head chef at a restaurant,” Sister Yao commented as she looped her arm through Xia Tian’s.

“Oh, stop flattering me,” Xia Tian laughed.

“I’m not flattering you. Though I haven’t eaten at a restaurant chef’s food, I’ve eaten the food of village chefs, and it’s nowhere near as good as yours.”

“Really? Then am I stealing their jobs?” Xia Tian joked.

She didn’t know that by showing off her skills at Aunt Chun’s house today, she had become quite the sensation, and many chefs in the village were secretly jealous of her.

But that’s a story for later.

When she returned home, she saw that Shen Nian and Mu Feng had already eaten, and she felt at ease.

Mu Feng, upon hearing that she had stepped in as a temporary chef, gave her a thumbs up. “Sister-in-law, you’re awesome!”

“What’s so awesome? I almost died of exhaustion,” Xia Tian said shyly. “If I hadn’t seen Aunt Chun nearly in tears, I wouldn’t have dared to step up.”

“You don’t need to be so humble. Your skills are no worse than the chefs in the capital. Just ask Nianzi,” Mu Feng said, pulling Shen Nian in to back him up.

“Mm, it’s really good,” Shen Nian agreed, confirming that it was better than typical restaurant food.

“You two are just trying to flatter me,” Xia Tian grinned, not believing them.

If she could cook as well as a restaurant chef, she’d be opening her own restaurant soon, and then she’d really make a fortune, haha!

The three of them joked, and Xia Tian pulled out the purse Aunt Chun had given her. When she opened it, she was surprised to find… it wasn’t just some copper coins.

She turned it over and poured it into her hand—it was a silver ingot worth one or two taels.

She hadn’t paid attention when accepting it earlier and had just shoved it into her pocket.

She hadn’t expected Aunt Chun to be so generous.

She had thought maybe she’d get a few coins, as village chefs usually received only a couple of coins to a few dozen coins a day.

This was at the standard of a restaurant chef!

Xia Tian smiled and tucked the silver away.

Shen Nian and Mu Feng were unfazed, probably because they were used to seeing such generosity.

In the afternoon, after taking a short break, Xia Tian went up the mountain.

She hadn’t been to the mountain in several days, and just walking around in the mountains felt refreshing.

She realized that life now was good. Without the pressure of her previous job, although she was busy every day, at least she felt more grounded and less restless.

She wandered around the bamboo forest, dug up some bamboo shoots, and found some fresh shepherd’s purse to fill a half-basket. Seeing that there was nothing else of interest, she packed it all up and headed down the mountain.

For dinner, Xia Tian made a big batch of shepherd’s purse and egg dumplings. The three of them had a hearty meal.

Since Mu Feng arrived, she hadn’t made dumplings, and he was amazed by how delicious the wild vegetables were.

Shen Nian looked at Mu Feng, who was clearly impressed, feeling a bit embarrassed. How had he not noticed before that Mu Feng was so easily excited!

Though Shen Nian also agreed it was delicious.

The next day, Xia Tian got up early and went to the town. She had helped at Aunt Chun’s house yesterday and hadn’t been around, so she was curious about how the marinated food business was doing.