Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat
Chapter 216 - 216 213 Manchu Han Imperial Feast (Three

Chapter 216: Chapter 213: Manchu Han Imperial Feast (Three Updates) Chapter 216: Chapter 213: Manchu Han Imperial Feast (Three Updates) “Xiaosi, here, this is the gift Brother prepared for you, happy birthday!”

“This is from Second Brother, see if you like it?”

“This one was custom ordered by Third Brother a month in advance.”

Before the birthday banquet began, the three brothers gathered in Mu Jiawen’s room, each eagerly presenting the birthday gifts they had prepared in advance.

Mu Jiawen looked at the watch, bank card, diamond necklace, and bracelet in front of her. She wanted to pick each one up to take a closer look and express her gratitude, but her hand, following her heart, reached for the bank card first. Upon seeing the amount written on the small note attached to it, she immediately looked up and gave Yu Feng a sweet smile, “Thank you, Second Brother… I also really like the watch, thank you, Brother. The necklace and bracelet are nice too, thank you, Third Brother.” If she were to sell these, how much money could they fetch?

It was clear as day which gift the girl liked the most!

Yu Feng couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows; indeed, taking that kid’s advice wasn’t wrong—so Xiaosi loved money the most!

By five o’clock, quite a few people had arrived downstairs.

The second eldest had closed his shop early and had come over to help; he was assisting Jiang Yan in the kitchen.

Apart from the auntie who was originally responsible for cooking at home, Mu Chenyan had wanted to hire an additional person, but Jiang Yan said it wasn’t necessary. For Jiajia’s first birthday, he wanted to prepare everything himself.

In his previous life, he had lived for over thirty years and had only developed two skills—one was assembling computers, and the other was cooking.

Due to his low educational background, he could only find work in a factory at first. He moved up from a production line worker to a team leader, then became the workshop director, and finally made it to the engineering department through self-study.

No one but he himself could truly understand the hardships he endured at every step of that journey.

Speaking honestly, working part-time at a hotel after his regular job was not as hard compared to his factory work.

Master Kong from the hotel said he had a talent for cooking and really wanted to take him on as an apprentice to become a real chef.

But Jiang Yan didn’t want to be a chef; what was the use of being good at cooking? Every day, he would return to his solitary home; who would he cook for if the dishes he made were delicious? That rental room of less than twenty square meters was always only occupied by him.

He never dared to actively inquire about Jiajia’s news. Aside from the mismatch in their social status, he was still regretting and blaming himself for not bravely stepping forward to help her when the Chen Family came knocking, and even more so for watching her be taken away by the police with his own eyes.

Jiajia, holding a brick with half of her face swollen, standing there, became the image that he could never erase from his mind in his previous life.

Thankfully, in this life, there was still time to make amends.

Yet, he still had no interest in becoming a chef, although he was willing to cook for his own family at home.

“Bro, you’ve been hiding your skills,” said the second eldest while helping out, observing the variety of sophisticated dishes, many of which he couldn’t name. The auntie next to him was doing the same, taking mental notes of the steps and names while assisting, thinking about trying to replicate them later on.

At that moment, a burst of noise came from outside; it was the newly arrived guests seeing Jiajia coming down from upstairs, each of them issuing exclamations of amazement and admiration. Some were overly effusive, and their words could be clearly heard all the way in the kitchen—

“I always said when Xiaosi was little that she would be stunningly beautiful when she grew up, and look, look, how exquisite she is, I’ve never come across a girl more beautiful than Xiaosi. And my three big nephews, they just keep getting more and more handsome. Sister-in-law, the four siblings really don’t resemble you much, haha.”

Jiang Yan: …

He almost couldn’t resist the urge to go out and see who was speaking; they really knew how to talk!

He wondered what Auntie Mu’s reaction was right then.

“Yes, they’re all like your big brother.”

She had been used to hearing this since the kids were small, and by now, she was immune to it.

“Speaking of my big brother, hasn’t he arrived yet?”

Mu Chenyan’s smile faltered as she looked at Yu Family’s cousin Yu Zongmei, “Zongmei, I told you already, didn’t I? Your big brother and I are divorced.”

“So what? Can’t he come? Xiaosi is his daughter after all.”

Yu Xinrui asked pointedly from the side, “So, have you told big brother about Xiaosi’s birthday today?”

“Of course,” Yu Zongmei replied nonchalantly, “Why shouldn’t I tell him? He needs to prepare a gift for Xiaosi.”

Yu Xinrui snorted coldly, “Who needs his gift.”

Her view differed from Yu Zongmei’s. She had strong opinions about her cousin, who had shown no concern for finding his daughter despite her having been sought nationwide for many years. Thus, now that the daughter had been found, she felt it had nothing to do with him.

However, Yu Zongmei believed that not telling him or allowing him to prepare a gift for Xiaosi would only let him off too easily. As she said, even if he prepared nothing, wasn’t he still Xiaosi’s biological father?

He was indeed her father, but Mu Chenyan didn’t want him to come and dampen everyone’s spirits.

Tang Meng and Ning Ping, Mu Chenyan’s two best friends, felt it inappropriate to get involved in family affairs and turned to chat with Mu Jiawen about her studies instead.

Both were university professors, one teaching Chinese Language and Literature at Beijing Normal University, the other teaching English at Foreign Languages University.

“Xiaosi is studying physics, right? Isn’t that same major as your family’s He Yitang? He’ll be coming home for the New Year, won’t he? Why not introduce the two kids then? They’re bound to have something in common to talk about.”

Ning Ping only regretted that her own daughter was average in both looks and intellect, which led her to give up the idea of setting her up with any of the three Yu brothers early on, as they simply weren’t a match.

But Tang Meng’s son He Yitang was different. Not only was he handsome, but also bright and hardworking, having gone from Beijing University’s Physics Department to study for a PhD abroad. What an accomplished young man!

If two of the three best friends’ families could become relatives through marriage, there’d be no need to worry about the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship—especially with someone like Tang Meng, who would undoubtedly treat Xiaosi as her own beloved daughter.

Understanding Ning Ping’s hint, Tang Meng’s eyes shone with anticipation, “When your brother Yitang comes home for New Year’s, Auntie will introduce you two.”

After hearing this, Mu Jiawen felt an internal twinge; meeting new people again, how annoying!

“Eh? Sister-in-law, did you invite a couple of kids to cook today?”

Yu Feng came out of the kitchen with dishes and placed them on the table, which Yu Xinrui found quite curious.

“What do you mean? These are Xiaosi’s two good friends. The young guys are great at cooking and quick with their hands. They came early to prepare for Xiaosi’s birthday. All the dishes today were made by them, and you shouldn’t doubt it. Just wait and see who can control their appetite.”

Mu Chenyan had wanted to say that Jiang Yan cooking in the kitchen was Xiaosi’s boyfriend, but upon glancing at Yu Zongmei, she was worried she might nitpick over Jiang Yan, and decided against saying it.

After all, her own approval was what mattered, not the opinions of others.

The kitchen doors swung open, and Yu Feng and the aunt brought out dish after dish Jiang Yan had stir-fried, steamed, or fried. Soon, a large round table was laden with delicious fragrances, filling the dining and living rooms, making everyone’s mouths water.

The table was a dizzying array of colorful and varied dishes, leaving guests overwhelmed and eager to try them all.

Was this a full Manchu-Han Imperial Feast?