Chapter 42: Conquered by Culinary Skills

Upon hearing that the girl was even younger than their own daughter, they doubted her cooking skills.

However, they still hadn’t properly expressed their gratitude to the girl who had saved their daughter, which seemed inappropriate.

Mr. Gu said, “Fuying, see when you’re free these days, and bring the girl to our house so your mother and I can properly thank her.”

Gu Fuying quickly nodded, planning to visit Xu Ying tomorrow, and then have Yingying show her cooking skills to her parents, leaving them regretful and begging Yingying to cook for her elder brother’s wedding banquet.

Gu Fuying had planned to rest at noon, and although the two-hour trip to Xujia Village was a bit rushed, she was eager to have Yingying visit her home.

But coincidentally, Xu Ying had come to the county in the morning because she wanted to inquire about a recruitment at the State-owned Restaurant.

“Fuying, why are you in the county? Are you here to buy something?” Gu Fuying asked as she rode her bike to work and spotted Xu Ying.

Xu Ying was also pleased to see her, “I wanted to check out the State-owned Restaurant, to see if they’re hiring.”

Gu Fuying was thrilled to hear this, “Yingying, it’s not possible for you to get hired right now. Our job openings are like a carrot for each hole; as soon as someone retires, a relative takes over. You don’t have connections with them, even if your cooking is good, they won’t hire you.”

Xu Ying had been cautious of this which is why she hadn’t inquired before.

“But I have a way to help you,” Gu Fuying mysteriously said.

Xu Ying was excited upon hearing this, “Really?”

Gu Fuying whispered in her ear for a moment, causing Xu Ying’s face to light up, “Thank you, Fuying. I’ll come over to your house at noon and cook for your parents.”

Since she was cooking for a purpose, Xu Ying planned to first go to the market to buy some vegetables and meat, just in time to cook them a meal at noon.

Looking at the keys in her hand, Xu Ying smiled; this girl really didn’t guard against her at all.

She casually handed over the house keys.

After securing the keys, Xu Ying headed to the market for a stroll, bought some ingredients not available in her space, spent slightly over one yuan, then headed to the Gu family’s home.

Her space’s ingredients were quite complete; she only bought some vegetables and went to the Gu’s residence, based on the address Gu Fuying had given.

She knocked on the door first, then entered the Gu family’s home and headed straight for the kitchen.

The Gu family’s kitchen was quite tidy and large; it was easy to see that the Gu family lived comfortably.

In these days when housing was scarce, the Gu family owned a home with three bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom.

When she first arrived, she saw that many people’s kitchens were communal, but the Gu family had a large, private kitchen, which wouldn’t have been possible without being high-level officials.

She had now unlocked eight recipes, including a drunken beer duck, turtle soup, and eight-treasure rice in addition to the previous five recipes.

All were Level 1 dishes; she was quite curious about what the second level recipes would be like, but unfortunately, she had no chance to obtain them yet.

Xu Ying displayed her excellent cooking skills for over two hours in the kitchen, preparing drunken beer duck and chicken soup, along with spicy tofu and sweet-and-sour cabbage.

Additionally, she fried some peanuts, a dish that didn’t require culinary skills as long as one knew how to fry.

When Gu’s mother returned from work, she smelled the delicious aroma filling the house and saw the open door, her heart skipped a beat—worried that a thief might have broken in.

She hurried inside the house and saw the dining table neatly set with dishes and a pretty young girl inside.

Xu Ying looked up at the woman who resembled Gu Fuying by about seventy to eighty percent and guessed it was Gu’s mother, “Aunt Gu, you’re back from work.

My name is Xu Ying. Fuying gave me the key, so I took the liberty to cook a meal.”

She straightforwardly expressed her desire to showcase her cooking skills, thereby avoiding any need for further back and forth.

Looking around to see that all the doors at home were locked, Gu’s mother raised her head and looked at Xu Ying, really liking this girl’s straightforward nature.

She hated those who obviously wanted something but wouldn’t say it directly, beating around the bush for no one’s benefit.

Besides, her own daughter was rather simple-minded, so having a friend who was overly cunning wouldn’t do.

“Yingying, right? My daughter talks about you all the time. Have a seat. It’s not often you visit, how could I let you cook!

“I was just saying, I could smell the aroma from far away in the building. I didn’t expect it was you cooking. Fuying was praising your cooking skills yesterday, and today I see she was right.”

These were not empty words from Gu’s mother, but genuine admiration sparked by the delicious smells and the beautifully prepared dishes on the table.

“It’s alright, I haven’t been busy for long. Auntie, you must be tired from working all morning. I’ll clean up the kitchen, and when Fuying gets back, we can eat,” Xu Ying said with a smile.

Gu’s mother looked at Xu Ying’s sensible demeanor and liked her even more.

Right after work, Fuying pedaled home quickly, drawn by the aroma. She rushed into the house, “Mom, Yingying, I’m back.”

“Slow down, no one is chasing you,” Gu’s mother chided, giving her daughter a look.

Fuying swallowed her saliva shamelessly, “It smells so good, I’m starving, I want to eat.”

When she washed her hands and saw the food on the table, she was so shocked she couldn’t close her mouth; the enticing color, aroma, and flavors left her speechless.

Gu’s mother and her were already washed up and waiting for her return; they just added an extra pair of chopsticks and started eating.

Gu’s mother loved duck, and it was her first time hearing about “Beer Braised Duck,” but seeing it looked good, her first bite targeted the duck.

After one bite of duck meat, Gu’s mother’s eyes narrowed in enjoyment; the fresh and delicious taste, the aroma of alcohol, the tender meat, and the crispy skin on each bite.

“Yingying, no wonder our Fuying says you cook deliciously, this is truly delicious.

“I think it compares to Chef Ge, maybe even better.”

Gu’s mother was thoroughly enjoying her meal, “It’s a pity that Fuying’s dad isn’t home, or else he too would’ve been fortunate.”

Fuying was devouring her meal, greasy-faced and unable to stop, “Mom, no talking, eat more, once this opportunity passes, there wouldn’t be another like it.”

Hearing this, Gu’s mother instantly felt regretful, afraid that she wouldn’t get enough, and stopped talking, just bowing her head to eat feverishly.

Watching her mom’s eating manners, Fuying knew convincing her mother to let Xu Ying cook had essentially worked out.

While eating, she said, “Mom, when big brother gets married, why not let Yingying be in charge of the kitchen? The food is delicious, and it will surely dazzle everyone on the wedding day.”

Upon hearing this, Gu’s mother didn’t need to think twice and immediately decided, “Alright, let Yingying handle the kitchen during that time.”

Considering they might have quite a few guests, Gu’s mother directly gave Xu Ying a remuneration of twenty yuan.

But there would be people helping Xu Ying; she wouldn’t have to prepare the cold dishes herself, she just needed to cook a few standout dishes for each table.

Fuying winked at Xu Ying.

Xu Ying responded with a smile; if she really managed to get a job at the State-owned Restaurant, she would owe Fuying a big favor.

After Gu’s mother went to work, Xu Ying also left. The Gu family wedding was still a month away, still a long time off.@@novelbin@@

After leaving the Gu house, she returned to the supply and sales cooperative to find Sister Qiu Ye, needing to build a good relationship with her future sister-in-law to avoid Accountant Xu playing matchmaker.

The last time she wanted to meet Fuying, she missed Sister Qiu Ye due to her day off, but this time, the two spent quite a lot of time chatting.