Chapter 52 Treat

Qian Xiaolan thanked the two Gao brothers and gave them each a few candies. The two brothers happily went home. Qian Xiaolan smiled and turned around, but her peripheral vision caught sight of Zhang Xiaoqin’s angry expression. Qian Xiaolan smiled at her and went inside without stopping. Zhang Xiaoqin stood there, her face contorted with anger and resentment.

The Gao brothers’ gratitude warmed Qian Xiaolan’s heart. She hummed a tune as she finished cooking dinner. While waiting for Gu Yanqing to come back, she gathered the dishes she would be using for the guests tomorrow. When Gu Yanqing came back and saw the dishes, he praised her, “My wife is so capable. These dishes show sincerity without being too extravagant.”

Qian Xiaolan rolled her eyes at him, “I haven’t even told you what dishes I’m making, and you already know it shows sincerity and isn’t extravagant?”

Gu Yanqing just smiled and said nothing. Wasn’t this just his way of praising his beloved wife so that he could feel at ease?

After dinner, the couple took a walk in the courtyard before going back to their room. The nights in this era were so boring. People either gathered together and gossiped or went back to their rooms early to sleep. However, for someone like Gu Yanqing, who was full of energy and newly married, he definitely wouldn’t go to bed so early. Sure enough, he pulled Qian Xiaolan into a passionate embrace and engaged in some healthy and emotionally beneficial exercise. If it weren’t for the fact that they were having guests at home tomorrow and he was worried about tiring his wife, Gu Yanqing wouldn’t have stopped so soon.

The next day, Qian Xiaolan slept until she woke up naturally. She lay in bed for a while before slowly getting up. She wasn’t going to catch seafood today. The dinner party was in the evening. Since she had nothing to do in the morning, she decided to make some steamed buns. After letting the dough rise, she ate two pieces of chicken cake for breakfast and started preparing the ingredients. In this era, people valued frugality, so she didn’t prepare too many dishes. She made six dishes and one soup.

The sea bass that the Jiang family had sent was about five or six pounds. She cut off the fish head and made a dish of chopped pepper fish head. She made the fish flesh into a pan-fried sea bass. Then, she made pork stewed with potatoes, stir-fried octopus, spicy swimming crab, braised cutlassfish, and steamed egg custard. There were fewer dishes, but each one was made in a large bowl.

By the time she had prepared the ingredients, the dough had risen. Qian Xiaolan started kneading the dough, cutting it into pieces, and steaming it. After the steamed buns were done, she started to cook a pot of rice. Gu Yanqing said that five or six people would be coming with their families, so at least two tables would be needed. Therefore, she didn’t skimp on the rice. However, she didn’t use all white rice. She added a little sweet potato rice (dried sweet potato shreds) to the white rice. In those days, people could only tighten their belts when it came to food. Most people ate coarse grains and mixed grains. To be able to eat rice with more white rice and less sweet potato rice like Qian Xiaolan made was a sign of great happiness.

Time flew by as she worked diligently. Soon, it was evening. Wang Yufeng came over to help. Seeing that Qian Xiaolan had already prepared all the dishes, she scolded her for not asking her to help and then sat down to stoke the fire for Qian Xiaolan.

With someone to help, Qian Xiaolan cooked the dishes quickly. It took less than half an hour to finish everything. She first served some rice and dishes for Wang Yufeng to take back to Xiuxiu and Aunt Xu. When she returned, Gu Yanqing also came back with his comrades. As soon as they entered the house, they exclaimed, “It smells so good.”

Gu Yanqing looked proud, “My wife’s cooking is amazing. You guys should eat a lot later.”

Everyone entered the house with anticipation. When they saw Qian Xiaolan’s appearance, they became a little restrained. Qian Xiaolan smiled and greeted them proactively. Then, everyone grinned and called her “Sister-in-law” or “Sister-in-law.”

Under Gu Yanqing’s introduction, Qian Xiaolan met her neighbor, Gao Yingchang. He was a man who looked honest and trustworthy. She asked him to go home and call his wife and children over.

Gao Yingchang hesitated. He hadn’t even told Zhang Xiaoqin that he was coming over for dinner today. She hadn’t come to help cook, so how could he go back and ask her to come over?

Gu Yanqing saw his hesitation and said to him directly, “Your three children are so skinny, and they’re so well-behaved. My wife just gave them a bowl of noodles, and your two sons brought firewood to my house yesterday.”

As expected of her husband, he was so straightforward in giving him a hard time. Qian Xiaolan suppressed her laughter.

Gao Yingchang’s face turned even uglier. He apologized to everyone and turned to go home. As soon as she left, Gu Yanqing’s comrades looked at each other for a while, then gave him a thumbs up. They had all experienced Gao’s wife. She was not only a vicious stepmother, but also a woman who thought with her gut. Only Gao Yingchang was so carefree, trusting her to take care of the three children.

Gu Yanqing invited everyone to sit down. Qian Xiaolan and Wang Yufeng brought the steamed buns and rice to the table.

The three Gao siblings were soon brought over by Gao Yingchang. They were not shy, seeing so many people. They called everyone “Uncle” and “Auntie” without hesitation. Seeing the two tables full of food, the three siblings couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.

Gao Changzheng excitedly asked Qian Xiaolan, “Auntie, did you cook all these dishes yourself?”

Qian Xiaolan nodded. The little guy immediately said happily to Gao Yingchang, “Dad, Auntie’s cooking is so delicious. I’m going to eat a lot today.”

Gao Yingchang asked them when they had run over here to eat.

Gao Hongjun clenched his fists, “That woman doesn’t cook for us. We only eat roasted sweet potatoes every day, and she eats fish and meat. I wanted to cook for my brother and sister, but she locked up all the food.”

Gao Yingchang’s face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, “I’m going to go find her to settle the score!”

Everyone quickly stopped him and advised him to be patient. This was a crucial time for him. He couldn’t mess things up. They could just come back and visit more often later.

Gao Yingchang then restrained himself and apologized to Qian Xiaolan and her husband.

Qian Xiaolan felt that he might not be able to hold back any longer. Seeing how much he loved his three children, he probably had already made a decision in his heart.

This little incident made the atmosphere tense for a while. It wasn’t until the three children’s childish chatter made everyone laugh that the atmosphere eased.

Everyone ate the food, praising Qian Xiaolan. Gu Yanqing was beaming with joy.

Wang Yufeng gently bumped Qian Xiaolan’s arm and winked discreetly.

Qian Xiaolan returned the gesture and glanced at her bowl. Captain Xu had just given her two pieces of meat.

Wang Yufeng’s face instantly turned red.

Qian Xiaolan chuckled.

Wang Yufeng, embarrassed, reached out to tickle her waist.

Qian Xiaolan dodged to the side and hid in Gu Yanqing’s arms. Gu Yanqing naturally wrapped his arms around her.

Everyone at the table was stunned for a moment by their actions, then burst into laughter.

Qian Xiaolan quickly sat up straight and explained, “I didn’t mean to. Sister-in-law Yufeng was tickling me.”

Wang Yufeng’s face had returned to normal. She looked innocent and said, “Xiaolan, what are you talking about? If you want to get close to your husband, just say so. Don’t blame me. It’s okay. You’re newly married. We all understand this feeling.”