Translator: Lonelytree
Li Yuanhang, who was standing in front of Gong Tianhao’s desk, rubbed his belly and said, “It’s lunchtime again. Tianhao, are you going to the restaurant or ordering takeout?” Before waiting for Gong Tianhao’s reply, Li Yuanhang said in a nostalgic tone, “Either way, it’s not going to be as good as Auntie Xiao’s cooking!”
Gong Tianhao furrowed his brows slightly and asked, “Has everything been arranged for the construction of the house and roads in Taoyuan Village?”
“Yes, everything has been arranged!” Li Yuanhang said. “The An Lin Branch has already arranged a construction team.” Everything about Taoyuan Village was good except for the roads. Therefore, it was interesting that a famous university student came from that poor village.
Even though Li Yuanhang had not met Xiao Lingyu, from Jiang Tao’s description and Mother Xiao’s behavior, she should be a nice girl. If Li Yuanhang knew he had met Xiao Lingyu before, his impression would turn immediately.
She was the country bumpkin who he had rear-ended. She forced them to apologize to her.
“Get them to hurry up!” Gong Tianhao said sternly. “I’ve already given my orders, but these people still won’t give up. They’re still trying to get close to grandpa!”
“Of course!” Li Yuanhang hesitated for a moment and asked, “Tianhao, after the elder leaves, do you want to deal with these people?”
Gong Tianhao didn’t want to do anything when his grandfather was still home. Old Master Gong was overly kind to his greedy children and in-laws to give face to his brother. These people took advantage of that and wanted to consume the entire Gong family! It was ridiculous!
Their surnames might be Gong, but what had they done to help the Gong Family?
Gong Tianhao said, “These people have already crossed my bottom line!” Gong Tianhao’s bottom line was his grandfather’s health. These people disregarded his grandfather’s illness and made him so angry that he almost died. Gong Tianhao would never tolerate this. He had to put an end to this.
Li Yuanhang nodded. “Understood!” With the order from Gong Tianhao, he knew what to do next. “So, Tianhao, are we going to a restaurant or takeout?”
“Get the takeout.” Gong Tianhao said. After Li Yuanhang left, Gong Tianhao touched his belly and then frowned. He also missed the dishes made by Auntie Xiao. They were just ordinary home-cooked dishes, but they were filled with emotions. If it was possible, he really wanted to hire Auntie Xiao to cook for him.
However, since his grandfather was going to move to Taoyuan Village, Gong Tianhao would need help from Auntie Xiao in the future.
…
“Did you see the people who came to Lingyu’s family today? They are all men!”
“Are they here to pursue Lingyu?”
“That’s possible! They’re working so hard in the fields. I say they want to impress Lingyu.”
“Didn’t Lingyu just break up with the kid from Chen Family not too long ago? Does she already have so many new pursuers in just a month? Could there be something fishy going on?”
“Zhang Qiuxiang, what are you talking about?” Someone cut in. “Lingyu has been staying home since she came back. Are you trying to say she managed to seduce men from home?” Liu Chunxiu said angrily, “Zhang Qiuxiang, you’ve already taken so many benefits from the Xiao Family, and now you’re going around talking shit about them! If you continue to do this, I’ll go to Lingyu and tell her what you did. We’ll see if they’ll allow you to get close to Little Cattle King anymore!”
Zhang Qiuxiang shivered, but then she retorted, “I only said there might be something fishy going on. I never said she seduced anyone. Liu Chunxiu, you can’t frame me like that!”
Liu Chunxiu sneered and said, “Do you think we’re dumb? Who doesn’t know what you’re implying? I merely pointed out what was on your mind!”
Zhang Qiuxiang curled her lips and said, “What?! You were the one who said Xiao Lingyu was out there seducing men! I didn’t even say those words!”
“You…” Liu Chunxiu was furious.
“Alright, please stop.” Someone came to be the peacemaker. “I’ve already asked Qiuying. She said those men are Lingyu’s friends from the county town. They are also Lingye’s classmates’ cousins and friends.”
…
With the collective effort, all the peanuts and soybeans were planted in one morning.
It was taxing for Ning Weiyi and the other men even though they only planted seeds and did nothing else. Their bodies were sore, but when they reached home and smelled the fragrance, they were re-energized.
Mother Xiao brought out the dishes and looked at the young men. She smiled kindly, “You kids have worked hard. I’ve cooked a lot. You can wash your hands and come eat!”
“Auntie, it smells so good! What did you make?” Ning Weiyi said excitedly, “Auntie, your cooking is always so perfect!”
Mother Xiao laughed. “They’re nothing special, just a few home-cooked dishes.” Mother Xiao made extra for the guests.
“Braised fish, fermented tofu, braised radish with beef brisket, braised pork with preserved vegetables, braised seaweed with duck, stir-fried pork with chili, sauteed cabbage with pork intestines, braised eggplant, stir-fried white cabbage, fried peanuts, and tomato salad. Auntie, what a sumptuous meal. They must taste heavenly!” Ning Weiyi took a big sniff.
Gu Ziye and the others looked at the dishes. They were ordinary dishes, but their appearance and smell were not inferior to those of real chefs. Zheng Haiyang took a sniff and said, “They smell wonderful! Ziye, with Auntie’s level of cooking skill, she can be the head chef at your hotel!”
Gu Ziye laughed, “If Auntie is willing, I will welcome her with open arms.”
‘Even though Auntie Xiao hasn’t taken systematic seduction, with her talents and lessons from third uncle, third uncle will be able to retire early. Then again, Auntie is at retirement age herself.’
Mother Xiao laughed. “You kids will praise me every meal. It’s making me feel so embarrassed. Since you said the food smell so delicious, you have to promise me to finish all of them. Or else, I’ll know you’re lying to me.”
“Auntie, don’t worry. Which time have we not cleaned the table?” Kang Le said.
Due to the guests, Father Xiao took out a jar of wine and poured it for Gu Ziye and the others. “Here, your Auntie made this wine herself. The taste is not worse than the wine sold on the market. Try it!”
Apart from Qian Yifan, the other fours were all businessmen, so they knew how to drink. They didn’t reject Father Xiao’s offer.
Once the wine was poured, the aroma permeated the air. It was so divine that Qian Yifan, who did not know how to drink, wanted to have a taste.
“This wine smells so good, uncle!” Qian Yifan said.
Father Xiao laughed. “Come and have a taste then!” Father Xiao knew that Qian Yifan didn’t drink because he said that earlier. But now that he had shown interest, Father Xiao naturally wanted to be a good host.
Qian Yifan thought for a moment and said, “Okay, just a little!”
Zheng Haiyang said with a smile, “Qian Yifan, we all know once you have one drink and you’ll be drunk. Thankfully, you’ll only fall asleep when you’re drunk. Or else, we wouldn’t let you drink.”
Father Xiao poured only a little for Qian Yifan.
Xiao Lingye and his friends were still in school, so they couldn’t drink alcohol yet.
After the men tasted the wine, they agreed it was better than the white wines sold on the market.
Gu Ziye had a taste and asked, “Auntie, can you brew more of this wine and sell them to me?”
“Huh?” Mother Xiao was confused. She was startled.
Gu Ziye explained, “Auntie, I own a hotel. After tasting your wine, I realized that it tastes better than those brand-name wines, so I want to buy them from you. It’ll be another feature at my hotel.”
Xiao Lingyu added, “Mom, Gu Ziye owns one of the biggest hotels in the county town. We’re supplying him with our vegetables now.”
Mother Xiao smiled. “Auntie is happy that President Gu likes my wine, but Ziye, how much do you need? Do you have desperate need of them? I still have some bottles in storage. Why don’t you bring some back with you and check for feedback? What do you think?”
Gu Ziye thought about it. “That’s wonderful! Thank you, Auntie!”
Gu Ziye really liked Auntie Xiao’s home-brewed wine, but he didn’t know how his clients would react to it because they weren’t branded. Therefore, some samples to get feedback would be perfect.
The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves to the fullest.
The weather was hot at noon. After food, most villagers would rest and then return to work around 2 or 3 pm.
However, Zheng Haiyang and his friends were knocked out from the wine. Therefore, Mother Xiao arranged for them to rest in Xiao Lingye’s room and the guestroom.
Xiao Lingyu and the rest went back out to work at 3 pm. Mother Xiao stayed behind to watch over the drunk men.
Ning Weiyi giggled.. “I don’t know what my brothers are doing. They said they’d come to help, but all they did was to get drunk! They will never hear the end of this from me, I swear! Haha!”