Facing Huang Wei’s all-out criticism, Cheng Luyun was truly stunned. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine someone would stand in front of her and criticize her cooking as worthless…
Well, there were good points—her dishes looked very appealing and smelled quite fragrant. So Huang Wei had no idea how, under such circumstances, Cheng Luyun could make them taste so awful.
A hint of grievance crept into Cheng Luyun’s brows and eyes. Huang Wei never expected to see that expression on Cheng Luyun’s face. Cheng Luyun’s voice dropped, sounding a bit dejected: “But… I’ve been trying very hard to cook well.” That, at least, was true.
Huang Wei thought, if it were just her, Cheng Luyun certainly wouldn’t bother making anything tasty. But there was Huang Chengcheng at the table. The way Cheng Luyun looked at Huang Chengcheng was genuine—with a little doting, a little tenderness, the kind only a mother would have for her child. So Huang Wei knew, for Huang Chengcheng’s sake, she really was trying to cook well.
A flash of insight struck her, and she suddenly grasped something.
“Let me do it,” Huang Wei said.
The aggrieved look on Cheng Luyun’s face instantly vanished, replaced by wariness. Her expressions were subtle; most people would probably think she’d worn the same gentle smile the whole time, but to Huang Wei, none of those tiny changes escaped her eyes. She saw every shift clearly.
It was kind of cute…
There was no help for it—that’s just how lovestruck fools were.
Cheng Luyun might be a ghost, and quite frightening, but she was beautiful and treated her well. Even if that kindness was fake, a facade, Huang Wei would still relish it. Her past had been too harsh, never feeling much goodwill from anyone. Even her adoptive parents had been straightforwardly malicious toward her. So whenever Huang Wei sensed even a shred of affection from others, she couldn’t help but fall into it.
Even if it was fake.
Cheng Luyun seemed lost in thought for a moment, then smiled: “Brother Wei has been in the city so long, now he even knows how to cook. But do you still remember how to use an earthen stove?”
She was probably trying to mock her, Huang Wei knew.
Young people in the city really didn’t know how to use old-fashioned stoves. Nowadays, households use natural gas or LPG; even wood-fired stoves were rare, let alone young people knowing how to use them.
But Huang Wei did. Not only could she use them, she was extremely skilled. From a very young age, she’d been familiar with earthen stoves. When her adoptive parents went out to the fields, it fell to Huang Wei to cook.
She’d been honing her skills since childhood, perhaps with a bit of talent, and after so many years, she still didn’t tire of cooking. After all, enjoying her own cooking was one of her few pastimes. Her other pastime was looking at pretty people and occasionally letting her lovestruck brain run wild.
Huang Wei nodded: “I can.”
Cheng Luyun’s smile stiffened at this. She let out a little “Humph,” noncommittal: “Brother Wei better not be forcing it.”
Although Cheng Luyun’s words weren’t pleasant, she’d ultimately handed over the cooking rights to her, which heartened Huang Wei. Cheng Luyun led Huang Wei into the kitchen. The earthen stove sat there, long cooled, and on the nearby table were piles of vegetables and meat. But nothing had been washed; Huang Wei would have to clean it all herself.
One look told Huang Wei these were freshly picked from the village fields. The spinach was all different sizes, the stems caked with thick mud. In supermarkets or wet markets nowadays, you couldn’t find spinach like this—most were sorted to roughly the same size, tied with rubber bands, and stacked neatly, looking attractive.
That kind of spinach wasn’t sweet.
But many preferred buying that kind because it was easier to prepare. When Huang Wei had time, she’d go to the market and find old ladies selling home-grown vegetables from their baskets at the entrance, buying the less pretty but freshest produce.
Huang Wei picked up a vegetable and examined it closely. Seeing this, Cheng Luyun probably thought she was stumped. She smiled and said, “Brother Wei, then I’ll look forward to your culinary display. I’ll go fetch Chengcheng first.”
Holding the spinach, Huang Wei grunted an acknowledgment.
After Cheng Luyun left, Huang Wei found a vegetable basket, basins for water—two of them—and several colanders from the kitchen. Carrying all these with the vegetables, she went out into the courtyard. She rolled up her sleeves to her forearms and skillfully worked the pump handle. Once the water gushed out and filled the basins, she began washing and trimming the vegetables.
Handling these things was second nature to Huang Wei, and she did it quickly. As a child, if she was a bit slow, her adoptive parents’ biological children would tattle, and if they were in a bad mood, she’d get a good scolding, even a beating if she was unlucky. So from then on, Huang Wei taught herself to process these swiftly and well.
After washing, Huang Wei poured the water down the drain and brought everything back to the kitchen.
She started the fire, first placing a few pieces of wood inside, poking the already charred charcoal deeper. She found some dry grass, lit it with a lighter, blew gently to make the flame bigger, then put it in the stove. Using fire tongs, she adjusted it expertly. Only once the fire was going did she stand up and continue prepping the remaining ingredients, occasionally glancing back at the fire. It had been a while since she’d used an earthen stove, so she feared it might go out.
Once the stove was hot enough, she heated the oil and began cooking.
Meat dishes needed to be done first; they took longer, needing to simmer. Later, the vegetable dishes were quick. If she started with greens, they’d be cold by the time the meat was ready.
While the meat simmered, Huang Wei went to the living room to get the rice cooker, rinsed the rice, filled it with water, pressed the button, and returned to the kitchen.
Being in the kitchen made Huang Wei feel at ease. Even as a child, only the kitchen offered her a sense of relaxation, as if it were her own little world. She never expected that now, she’d still have to rely on cooking to calm herself and cool her head.
While cooking, Huang Wei had to both prepare dishes and tend the fire. It was a bit of a hassle, but she was used to it; in her eyes, it was nothing.
As she bustled about, Cheng Luyun returned with the child. She stood by the kitchen door and watched for a while. Huang Wei was crouching behind the stove tending the fire, so she didn’t see Cheng Luyun. Since she wasn’t being watched, the smile on Cheng Luyun’s face vanished, leaving an expressionless face that was chilling.
Cheng Luyun quietly observed like this for a moment. When Huang Wei stood up to continue cooking, she suddenly noticed Cheng Luyun standing there. By then, a gentle smile had reappeared on her face: “Brother Wei, the fire is burning nicely.”
Huang Wei just grunted, at a loss for words. Cheng Luyun didn’t say much more, only adding, “Brother Wei, carry on.”
Huang Chengcheng fussed in Cheng Luyun’s arms, wanting to get down and find Huang Wei. Cheng Luyun gently patted her little bottom: “Don’t bother her.” Then she took Huang Chengcheng into the inner room.
Huang Wei kept cooking. She was much slower than Cheng Luyun. Worried the dishes would get cold, she placed the finished ones on the stove surface, letting the heat from the pot keep them warm. By the time she finished three dishes and a soup, it was almost noon. Huang Wei took a tray from the side, arranged the dishes on it, and also grabbed three sets of bowls and chopsticks, one set being Huang Chengcheng’s small bowl.
She deftly lifted the tray and headed to the main hall.
Honestly, the tray was pretty heavy with four dishes on it. Huang Wei had to grab both sides and walk carefully, also minding the steps. Fortunately, it was just two steps down from the front room into the courtyard, then up from the courtyard into the main house.
Seeing her bring the dishes, Cheng Luyun called Huang Chengcheng to come eat. In terms of color, aroma, and taste, Huang Wei’s dishes didn’t look as good as Cheng Luyun’s, and the aroma was about the same, but she was confident her food could crush Cheng Luyun’s in flavor.
After all, Cheng Luyun’s cooking had no room to get worse.
Huang Chengcheng saw the dishes, placed her little hands on the table, and stared eagerly at Huang Wei: “Dad, did you make all these?”
Huang Wei nodded.
Actually, the dishes weren’t too different from what Cheng Luyun had served last night: a braised pork belly, a plate of stir-fried spinach, a spicy beef with green peppers, and a simple tomato egg soup.
The braised pork took more time; without a pressure cooker, she’d tried hard to simmer it over high heat, but it still couldn’t compare to one cooked longer or under pressure.
She chose these dishes for one reason: to overwrite the taste Cheng Luyun had left on her taste buds the night before.
Huang Wei truly couldn’t stand those dishes.
Even if she had to die, Huang Wei wanted to die with a full stomach.
Cheng Luyun told Huang Chengcheng to sit properly. Huang Chengcheng agreed, climbed onto her chair, and held her empty bowl. Only then did Huang Wei remember she should be serving rice; good children should help serve. But Huang Chengcheng had already climbed up, and climbing down again would be a hassle.
Huang Wei told Huang Chengcheng not to bother. She took the three bowls to the rice cooker. As she scooped rice, she felt a chill down her back, like someone was staring intently at her. Huang Wei didn’t know if it was Huang Chengcheng or Cheng Luyun watching.
But at times like this, it was best to act as if nothing was wrong. Huang Wei remained composed and filled three bowls of rice. She held one large bowl in one hand, one small bowl in the other, and the third large bowl wedged between them, supported by her pinky and the edge of her palm, and brought them to the table.
She set the three bowls down, placing the middle one for herself and the others before Cheng Luyun and Huang Chengcheng.
“Eat up.”
