Chapter 27: Preparation
“You little brat!” Mother Sheng exploded, pointing a trembling finger at Sheng Wanyan. “You always raid my pantry and ruin my ingredients when you cook!”
Sheng Wanyan simply shrugged, deciding to impart some modern wisdom to her mother. “Mom, we are born to be happy.”
Hearing this, Mother Sheng grew even angrier, her finger shaking furiously. “Oh, sure! You’re definitely happy using up all my precious starch! But how am I supposed to be happy when my entire stash is gone? Huh?!”
“You’ll definitely be happy when you eat dinner tonight.”
“And am I supposed to be happy when I have to go wait in an endless line just to buy more?!”
Sheng Wanyan pursed her lips and lowered her head, focusing intently on chopping the pig intestines. Her mother had a valid point; she didn’t really have a comeback for that.
Listening to the mother-daughter squabble from the living room, Grandpa and Grandma Sheng couldn’t stop chuckling. Life was getting so much more interesting lately. Their Yan’er was truly becoming more lively and spirited.
Fuming, Mother Sheng stormed off to her bedroom and slammed the door.
When Father Sheng returned home from work and didn’t see his wife bustling about the apartment, a sense of impending doom settled over him.
“Girl, where is your mother?” he asked cautiously.
“In her room.”
“Angry?”
“Mm.”
“Did you cause it?”
Sheng Wanyan looked up from the cutting board and met his eyes. “It’s all because of the starch.”
Father Sheng understood instantly. He shot his daughter a knowing look, then squared his shoulders and headed to the bedroom to coax his furious wife.
Under the heat of the stove, the garlic, dried chilies, and pork intestines sizzled violently. Almost immediately, a rich, mouthwatering aroma spread throughout the apartment.
Inside her bedroom, Mother Sheng caught a whiff of the savory spice and swallowed hard. Is that foul stuff actually smelling this good?
“Wife, that must be the pig intestines our daughter bought,” Father Sheng remarked, catching the scent as well. “I saw her grab a handful of the dried chilies you hung up from the cupboard earlier.”
Hearing this, Mother Sheng couldn’t resist any longer. She emerged from the bedroom and headed into the kitchen to help with the cooking, though she maintained her pride by stubbornly ignoring Sheng Wanyan.
When the family finally sat down for dinner, Mother Sheng shot Sheng Wanyan a severe glare. Reading the room perfectly, Sheng Wanyan immediately picked up two plump pieces of the spicy pork intestine and placed them respectfully into her mother’s bowl.
Sheng Wanyan understood her mother’s temperament entirely. The glare was simply a peace offering in disguise; Mother Sheng just wanted her daughter to make the first move so she could step down gracefully.
And just like that, the mother and daughter were reconciled.
Mother Sheng picked up a piece of the intestine and popped it into her mouth. The spicy, savory flavor exploded on her tongue, the texture perfectly tender and chewy.
“Oh, that’s fragrant!” she praised, her eyes widening.
Sheng Wanze grabbed a piece and was instantly conquered as well. The dish was incredibly flavorful, making it the perfect accompaniment for drinks.
Grandpa Sheng had the exact same thought and happily brought out the medicinal wine he had brewed himself. Gu Tingxiao had only finished half of the premium liquor Sheng Wanze brought back, but Grandpa Sheng decided to save the rest for when the future in-laws arrived tomorrow.
Grandma Sheng was actually a master at making wine, having worked in a professional winery in her youth. When Grandpa Sheng—who had fought against the Japanese invaders as a young man—first tasted her wine, he had been utterly captivated. He ended up relentlessly pursuing her until she agreed to marry him.
Once Sheng Wanze had eaten his fill, he tactfully cleared the table and took over dishwashing duties, leaving Mother Sheng to relax comfortably.
“Yan’er, the new clothes I made for you are ready. Go try them on,” Grandma Sheng said, pulling two neatly folded skirts from her sewing basket. She had spent the last two days meticulously tailoring them out of boredom.
The skirts were a deep, elegant navy blue, featuring modest round necklines and slightly cinched waists, ending just below the knee. Grandma Sheng had modeled them after the latest styles hitting the streets of Shanghai, worn by the trendy young women of the era.
Sheng Wanyan took them into her room to try them on. Although the color was subdued, the cut was classic and elegant—a style that would never look outdated in any decade. The cinched waist highlighted her figure without looking bulky. Because Sheng Wanyan was naturally tall and possessed delicate, striking features, the simple skirt didn’t look dull on her at all; instead, it elevated her natural grace.
When she stepped out, Grandma Sheng inspected her from every angle, finally nodding in profound satisfaction.
“Perfect. Grandma knew you’d look beautiful in this.”
“It’s all thanks to Grandma’s amazing craftsmanship,” Sheng Wanyan smiled.
Grandma Sheng laughed heartily. What a sweet-talker her granddaughter had become.
“You look great in a skirt, little sister,” Sheng Wanze noted approvingly. “Next time, I’ll ask someone to source a couple of Dacron skirts for you from the city.”
He realized just how much his sister had grown and matured. Since he returned, she looked entirely different—healthy, radiant, and full of life.
“You’d better save your money for your own wife,” Sheng Wanyan rejected the offer immediately. Sheng Wanze was about to get officially engaged. If he kept spending large sums of money on his sister, his future wife would inevitably start feeling resentful.
In this era, a simple piece of meat was enough to cause a massive family feud, let alone a highly coveted, expensive material like Dacron.
Furthermore, Sheng Wanyan had no desire to attract unnecessary attention. The stark political slogans painted on the alley walls and the stern-faced patrols wearing red armbands were constant warnings. She possessed an infinite, secret space; the smartest move was to keep her head down, avoid trouble, and live a comfortable life behind closed doors.
“You’re my little sister,” Sheng Wanze said stubbornly. “I have more than enough money to buy you a dress.” He waved off her concerns and headed back to his room.
Since the Pan family was arriving tomorrow, the Sheng household went to bed early to ensure they were well-rested.
Sheng Wanyan hung the two new skirts in her closet. Grandma Sheng had already washed and pressed the fabric before finishing the hems, so they were ready to wear. She decided to wear one tomorrow; it was perfect for meeting her future sister-in-law’s prominent family without looking shabby.
Early the next morning, the entire family was up before dawn, scrubbing the apartment until it was utterly spotless.
Sheng Wanze headed out before sunrise, returning shortly after with ten kilograms of white flour and five kilograms of refined rice he had sourced through his own connections.
“Mom, I’m heading over to the guesthouse to pick them up,” Sheng Wanze announced.
The Pan family had arrived in Chengdu at five o’clock that morning. Sheng Wanze had met them at the railway station and escorted them directly to a military-affiliated guesthouse to rest. It was now three in the afternoon. After sleeping off the exhausting train ride, the Pan family was refreshed and ready. Because military leave was incredibly hard to secure, the Pan family had traveled to Chengdu in a rush to finalize the engagement.
“Alright,” Mother Sheng nodded. “On your way, swing by the State-Owned Restaurant and buy two large meat dishes to go. We need to be absolutely certain there’s enough food on the table.”
“Understood,” Sheng Wanze replied, hurrying out the door. To ensure he didn’t lose face for the family, he had specifically called in a favor at the local Public Security Bureau to borrow an official transport jeep. Since Commander Pan was a high-ranking military official, sending a proper vehicle to pick him up was entirely appropriate and wouldn’t draw any negative criticism.
Back at the apartment, Mother Sheng and Sheng Wanyan were working at a frantic pace in the kitchen. Mother Sheng pulled out every single scrap of meat they had stockpiled.
“Yan’er, we’ll make the braised meatballs, a large braised pork belly, scrambled eggs with chives, and a Chinese cabbage and vermicelli stew. I bought large bones yesterday, so we’ll boil a rich soup. Since you like ribs, I’ll steam them with garlic. Add the steamed white rice, a dozen fluffy flour buns, some fried peanuts, and a cold appetizer platter to go with the liquor. How does that sound?”
Mother Sheng rattled off a menu of exactly ten dishes. Ten was a highly auspicious number, symbolizing perfection and completion—the ideal omen for an engagement dinner.
“It sounds perfect, Mom. Very impressive.”
“But after this meal, we really have to keep our heads down and eat plain food for a while,” Mother Sheng warned, already planning ahead. “The whole building is going to smell this.”
Mother Sheng had been keeping a careful mental tally. The family had eaten a staggering amount of meat this month. They had celebrated with meat when Wanyan got her job, when Wanze came home, and again when Gu Tingxiao visited. Adding today’s feast, that was four massive, meat-heavy meals in a single month. If they kept up this kind of conspicuous consumption, the neighbors would undoubtedly get suspicious. If someone reported them for a lifestyle completely disproportionate to their rations, the resulting investigation would be disastrous.
“Understood,” Sheng Wanyan agreed. “In the meantime, make sure you and Grandpa drink a cup of malted milk every day. You’re working too hard. If we really crave meat, I’ll just buy some pre-cooked dishes from the State-Owned Restaurant, hide them in my bag, and we can lock the doors and eat them quietly.”
Mother Sheng smiled and nodded. Ensuring her elderly in-laws’ health was her top priority, and malted milk was the finest nutritional supplement available. With Wanyan’s plan, they could keep everyone healthy without drawing unwanted attention.
