Chef Hua
Chapter 453: Episode 248 Relatives_2

Chapter 453: Episode 248 Relatives_2

...

That entire afternoon, from the various conversations, Hua Xiaomai finally understood the whole story.

The uncle in question was the younger brother of Meng’s mother, named Tang Maolin. His wife’s family name was Ding, and the couple had only two daughters. The elder one had married off a few years ago, leaving only the younger one, named Dongyan, by their side.

Similar to Hua’s second mother, Meng’s mother was also considered to have married far from home. Since arriving at Fire Knife Village, she gradually lost contact with her maternal family. Tang Maolin had always lived in his hometown and had rushed to Fire Knife Village because their village had suffered a disaster.

"I’ve grown up so much and yet, this is the first time I’ve seen such a terrifying locust plague!" Tang Maolin said animatedly, with gestures, "You didn’t see it, but our village has hundreds of acres of land now turned barren! The weather has been terribly dry, and it hasn’t rained a single drop in two or three months — just when it was time to harvest, we were hoping for a good yield, but it turned out to be all in vain!"

As he spoke, he started to lift his robe to wipe away tears and pointed to the girl named Dongyan, "Your niece is not so young anymore. Her mother and I had planned to sell the grain this year and arrange a dowry to quickly settle her marriage. Who would have expected... alas, the village encountered such a disaster, and whoever could escape, did escape. I was left with no choice but to run here..."

Hua Xiaomai understood his intentions, though she didn’t speak out of turn, merely smiling by the side as an accompaniment. Meng Yuhuai nodded and said somberly, "In face of such a natural disaster, we are helpless. It’s truly regrettable to lose the crops, but uncle and aunt should not be too saddened. As long as people are safe, once this disaster is over, we can plant the crops again. If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to ask — but what are your plans going forward?"

Tang Maolin seemed quite relieved and patted his shoulder, "I’ve always known that my nephew is a generous person! Now, with the locust plague not yet over and the situation in the village unbearable, after discussing with your aunt, we thought instead of enduring there, why not find some work and earn some money. After all, I learned carpentry, and earning a few coins isn’t a hard task, only... we’ll inevitably need your help to arrange it."

While saying this, he glanced at Meng’s mother.

In those times, a married daughter was considered ’water thrown out,’ and generally, brothers were not expected to turn to their married sisters for help, which explains his apprehensiveness.

Throughout this time, Meng’s mother had a cold expression, but as she always had that look, it was hard to tell whether she was pleased or not.

Upon hearing this, she snorted through her nose, turning to look at the sky, "It’s getting late. You’ve come all the way here, and I fear you haven’t had a proper meal on the road. I’ll go prepare some food... The house is not big, with only two spare rooms generally used for storage. I’ll clear them out so you can settle down first, and we’ll deal with the rest later."

She was about to stand up after finishing her speech.

This attitude was already quite good, Hua Xiaomai thought to herself, quickly pressed her down, and cheerfully said, "Mother, keep talking with uncle and aunt, I’ll handle the cooking."

"You?" Meng’s mother glanced at her, "You’ve been busy all afternoon, aren’t you tired enough? How many times must I lecture you about your current condition? You don’t find it annoying, but my lips are already blistering! Just sit still; no need to fuss!"

"Big sister... you’ll cook?" Mrs. Ding seemed to have heard some shocking news, her eyes wide open, she blurted out with a clap of her hands, "You’ve already got a daughter-in-law, why are you still not settled? We haven’t seen each other for so long, I have a bellyful of words to tell you. We aren’t picky eaters; just let Xiaomai cook a couple of dishes, that’s fine."

"No, you don’t understand, she’s pregnant now and thin as a ghost..." Meng’s mother was trying to explain patiently.

"So what?" Mrs. Ding dismissed it, "We are country folks, who’s that delicate? Cooking a meal won’t tire her out!"

She turned back to Hua Xiaomai with a warm smile, "Good child, let me have a longer chat with your mother-in-law. Just be careful, okay? I’ll have your sister Dongyan assist you, how about that?"

Hua Xiaomai smiled faintly.

Hmm... these words were indeed true, she wouldn’t mind being closer to the stove every day, but they probably shouldn’t be said by you, should they?

In front of the elders, Meng Yuhuai couldn’t say much and just turned to look at her. Hua Xiaomai pursed her lips, stood up, and said, "Mother, aunt is right, just sit and chat, we’ll eat in no time." She stepped into the kitchen, followed closely by Tang Dongyan.

There were about a dozen immortal fetus fish left, enough to make a dish. Hua Xiaomai scooped the fish from the basin, skillfully cleaned them, and after beheading, slice them into two, adding green onions, ginger, Shao Wine, and salt before placing them in a pot to steam on high heat.

Earlier, when Meng’s mother was about to cook, Tang Dongyan had assumed this newly met sister-in-law knew nothing about cooking, but never expected the process to be as swift and fluid as flowing clouds and flowing water. She couldn’t help but stare, agape, "Sister-in-law, your cooking skills are amazing, I thought..."

Hua Xiaomai continued her tasks, setting another pot on the fire, scooping a large spoonful of lard into it, and swiftly chopping bamboo shoots and mushrooms into shreds. Looking back with a smile, she asked, "What’s up?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)