Chapter 46: Capturing a Heap of Favor

“Chicken stew, tomato scrambled eggs, and a dish of spicy rabbit meat.

Three dishes were not yet ready, but the fragrance filled the courtyard.

Granny Zhang now believed her daughter’s words, as she sat in the courtyard swallowing hard.

Good heavens, why does it smell so delicious? It’s making her crave it to death. She’s lived for more than half a lifetime and has never craved anything like this.

It wasn’t just Granny Zhang who was drooling, the two families next door were suffering too.

Sniffing the tantalizing aroma, they craned their necks over the wall, curious as could be, and as soon as they saw Mrs. Xu in the courtyard, they instantly understood what was going on.

‘I was wondering why there was such a delicious smell, turns out Guiying has come back.’

Mrs. Xu smiled, ‘Yeah, she’s back and we couldn’t just come back empty-handed, so we bought some meat.

My daughter is an excellent cook, a piece of meat in my hands would turn out just so-so, but once my daughter touches it, the fragrance is out of this world.’

By the end, Mrs. Xu was so excited, she nearly jumped up, oh boy, having a talented daughter sure is fantastic, she could brag to her heart’s content.

The neighbors next door thought Mrs. Xu was just bragging, who didn’t know that Guiying’s daughter was so spoiled she probably couldn’t do anything, how could she possibly cook?

But that aroma was truly irresistible.

Just as they wondered who had made the meal, they saw a young girl walk out of the kitchen.

‘Granny, the last two dishes will be ready soon, when will Grandpa and Uncle Zhang be back?’ Xu Ying came out with a big pot of chicken stew, the aroma now even more rich and overwhelming.

The two families next door looked at Xu Ying, their eyes as wide as gongs with surprise: ‘Is that… is that really Xu Ying?

How could she have learned to cook in just one year!’

Mrs. Xu boasted again, ‘Ah, my dear daughter is just as smart as me, quick-witted, able to learn anything quickly.

I’m not bragging, but you won’t find a second person with cooking skills like my daughter’s. You have no idea about the meal she once made us…’

Mrs. Xu went on bragging for a full thirty minutes, continuing even as Mr. Zhang and Uncle Zhang got back and washed their hands, ready to eat.

‘Big sis, how come you’re back?’

‘Oh stop it,’ said Mrs. Xu, waving her hand dismissively.

The two neighboring families had long since lost track of what Mrs. Xu was saying and were busy swallowing their saliva at the sight of the dishes on the table.

It all smelled too amazing.

Granny Zhang and Mr. Zhang were starving by now.

‘Granny, Grandpa, never mind my mom, let’s eat first,’ Xu Ying said.

Mr. Zhang nodded, picked up the chopsticks, and put a piece of chicken into his mouth.

‘Mm~ delicious!’ Mr. Zhang exclaimed in amazement, the meat was tender, not dry at all.@@novelbin@@

And the soup was even more superb, delightfully savory.

The wild chicken stew had been simmering for over an hour. The essence of the chicken filled the broth, each sip sending a shudder through the body, flavor bursting in the mouth.

While Mrs. Xu was still talking up a storm, the three at the table were gobbling up the food, fearing they might miss out.

[Goodwill value +1, +1…]

Xu Ying was quite pleased with the sounds, but then she glanced over at the wall and nearly jumped at the sight of a dozen heads peeking over.

Initially, only one person from each family had climbed up, asking the other, ‘What are you looking at?’

Someone wiped their mouth, ‘Watching them eat!’

‘What’s there to see!’ Out of curiosity and just to join in the fun, consequently, this scene unfolded.

Generously, Xu Ying ladled out two bowls of soup, handing one over, and made sure not to leave out the egg and mushrooms scramble and the spicy rabbit meat.

[Goodwill value +1, +1…]”

“God, it’s so delicious, I could eat this every day and never get tired of it.”

“Yeah, of course, it’s meat—it’s bound to taste good.”

“But I’ve never had meat that tastes this good.”

“Me neither, and I’m sure if I ate it every day, I’d never get sick of it either.”

The families weren’t ungrateful; after finishing the meal Xu Ying had provided, they washed their bowls, then took a few eggs and some green vegetables back to Granny Zhang’s house.

They didn’t need Mrs. Xu to sing her praises anymore; they knew just how delicious Xu Ying’s cooking was.

Truly a heavenly delight.

“I’ll do the dishes!” Uncle Zhang, the youngest of the family and the only male in these gender-biased times, hadn’t been spoiled rotten, thanks in no small part to Mrs. Xu.

Uncle Zhang was practically raised single-handedly by Mrs. Xu, who drilled these thoughts into him: “You’re the only man of the house, who we’ll all depend on in the future. If your second and third sisters and I are bullied, you’ve got to be the first to defend us. Once we’re married and out of the house, you will need to help your parents with chores. They’re getting on in years and can’t manage the heavy work, so you should take that on, understand?”

Uncle Zhang grew up hearing this, and it had become second nature to him.

Now, he didn’t need Mrs. Xu to say a word; he took the initiative and walked into the kitchen.

Xu Ying gave her little uncle an appreciative look; she had to admit her uncle’s character was beyond reproach.

In her previous life, the girl who married into the family always listened to her own folks, constantly sneaking her in-laws’ stuff over to her parent’s house.

Sadly, Granny Zhang and her husband were too honest and never dared complain.

Uncle Zhang, a real pushover himself, just turned a blind eye, somehow managing to scrape by.

But because his wife was always taking from her family, he had to work even harder than the average person to support both families.

Ultimately, Uncle Zhang was worked to death. Xu Ying’s resentment toward that girl knew no bounds whenever she remembered this.

She wished the betrothal could be called off in a heartbeat.

Mr. Zhang chatted with his daughter after dinner, seeing several pheasant, rabbits, and ducks hanging in the yard.

He couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow, worrying whether her second sister, who had married into the Zhou Family, was being mistreated.

After Mr. Zhang and Uncle Zhang went to work, Mrs. Xu slipped Granny Zhang two yuan before leaving with her daughter.

Granny Zhang watched her daughter disappear from sight, then sighed deeply and returned to the yard.

Mrs. Xu, back in the village, didn’t forget her mother’s instructions and immediately took some eggs straight to Xu Jiangmin’s house.

After relaying her mother’s message, Xu Jiangmin’s wife’s eyes flashed. She nodded in agreement overtly but secretly ran back to the Zhou family to blab about how rich Zhang Baogui’s sister’s family was.

Both sons were formal employees, and the man of the house was a team leader; all of them were drawing salaries, earning lots of money each month.

This greed only made the Zhou family more insatiable. Not only did they not reduce the dowry, but they also increased it by another two yuan.

Granny Zhang fainted on the spot when she heard how much the dowry was.

Uncle Zhang lost his temper for the first time, looking at the Zhou family with fury and saying, “We’re not going through with this marriage; give us back the money we’ve already paid you.”

The Zhou family hadn’t expected this normally docile family to back out.

Mrs. Zhou sneered at Uncle Zhang, “Zhang Baogui, think carefully. You’re twenty-one this year, while the kid next door got married at seventeen or eighteen, and their kids are already three or four years old.

You’re still single, and your parents aren’t getting any younger. They’re eager for grandchildren. If you really want to end this marriage, don’t come begging to us later.”

Uncle Zhang was so angry his face turned red, “I’d rather stay single my whole life than ever beg from your Zhou family.”

Neighbors who’d enjoyed Xu Ying’s cooking earlier came to defend Uncle Zhang, “Baogui, with all that dowry money, you could get two wives. The Zhou family’s daughter isn’t some golden phoenix.

What’s there to be so uptight about? If you won’t marry, that’s fine. Tomorrow, auntie will find you another match.”