Chapter 40: Then Let’s All Go
Two hundred wen a day—this was already considered a high price for a head cook. Xiao Luo-shi offered that rate not only because Wen Yao’s cooking was genuinely excellent, but also because this was her own niece. Naturally, there was a bit of favoritism involved.
Luo-shi was quite satisfied with the price, but she still worried that Wen Yao was too young. If something went wrong during the banquet, she feared Xiao Luo-shi would blame the girl.
With that in mind, Luo-shi decided to lay down the truth upfront.
“You’re letting Wen Yao go, but what if something goes wrong?” she asked.
Xiao Luo-shi was caught off guard. She hadn’t thought of that. She was only thinking about how Wen Yao’s cooking was both delicious and novel—it’d certainly bring honor to their family. She hadn’t considered the risks.
But soon she thought it through and said, “Wen Yao doesn’t need to do everything. She’ll just be in the kitchen cooking and watching the heat. The rest will be handled by the hired help. As long as she stays focused, nothing will go wrong.”
Luo-shi glanced at Wen Yao and saw the girl nodding enthusiastically, eager for her grandmother to agree.
Since that was the case, then so be it. At worst, she’d go herself with her two daughters-in-law and help in the kitchen. Keep an eye on things.
“Alright then. Wen Yao, aren’t you going to thank your great-aunt?” Luo-shi said.
Wen Yao immediately bowed. “Thank you, Great-Aunt, for giving me this opportunity. Don’t worry—Second Cousin’s wedding feast will definitely be the most memorable one in the whole county!”
Xiao Luo-shi was overjoyed. With that major problem solved, she felt much more at ease.
“Good, then I’m counting on you. The wedding’s coming up soon. Let me know what needs to be prepared, and I’ll send people out to get it. Oh, by the way, that dish—this pig intestine dish—can it be counted as one of the banquet dishes?”
Wen Yao thought about the reputation of the ingredient and asked, “Aren’t you afraid the guests might think it’s not fit for the table?”
Xiao Luo-shi just laughed and waved her hand. “Who cares about appearances? Once they actually taste it, they’ll know how good it is. I want that surprise effect. Just imagine their reactions when they see it—and when they taste it. It’ll be entertaining.”
Wen Yao raised an eyebrow. This old lady had a good head on her shoulders.
“Alright then, we’ll count that one. What about the homestyle tofu?” Wen Yao asked.
Xiao Luo-shi nodded. “Yes, count it too. Then look over what else you need to prepare. We’re doing eight banquet dishes—eight meat, eight vegetarian. Doesn’t need to be anything fancy. We’re rural folks—just a taste of meat is enough.”
With that, Wen Yao had a clear idea. She patted her chest. “Don’t worry, Great-Aunt. Leave it all to me.”
“Don’t worry, I’m absolutely at ease with you handling it.” Xiao Luo-shi beamed.
Luo-shi shot Wen Yao a glare and scolded, “You better be careful and help your great-aunt run the banquet properly. Otherwise, I’ll tan your hide.”
“No problem, Grandma,” Wen Yao grinned and winked playfully.
Just eight dishes? Economical and delicious? Please, that was child’s play for Chef Wen.
Xiao Luo-shi happily stayed at the Wen house all afternoon, going over the details with Wen Yao. They finally finalized the banquet menu, and Wen Yao wrote up a list—what Xiao Luo-shi needed to prepare, and what they would handle themselves.
In truth, all they needed to prepare was the marinated pig intestine.
After seeing Xiao Luo-shi off, Luo-shi gathered the whole family and announced, “On the day of the wedding banquet, all of you are going. Second and third daughters-in-law will come with me to help in the kitchen. Second and third sons, don’t wander off—you’ll stay in the kitchen helping carry and run errands. Since your great-aunt entrusted this to Wen Yao, we can’t let anything go wrong.”
Li-shi didn’t look too thrilled. “Ma, we’re not going to enjoy the banquet—we’re going to work?”
Luo-shi shot her a glare. “If you don’t want to go, stay home. All you ever think about is eating.”
In fact, helping in the kitchen was considered the plum job. Unless it was a very close relationship, most people weren’t even asked. Normally, the host family would divide up any leftover food among the kitchen helpers at the end.
Li-shi shrank back. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t go.”
Luo-shi knew what her second daughter-in-law was like. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but not a bad person either. Just someone who’d gotten used to pinching every penny due to hard times.
As for the third daughter-in-law—she always did whatever she was told. Luo-shi didn’t even need to look to know Cai-shi had no objections.
“Grandma, let us help too,” Wen Nong, the second oldest grandchild in the family, volunteered.
Luo-shi waved him off. “No need. You and the others go help your second cousin with the bridal escort. If we all go into the kitchen, what will the other hired help think? That we’ve taken over the whole place? That’s it—everyone back to what you were doing.”
With that, she returned to her room.
As soon as Luo-shi left, the kids all crowded around Wen Yao, chattering and asking how she could cook so many delicious things.
What could Wen Yao say? She called upon the ever-reliable scapegoat—Liu-shi—and nobody could poke any holes in her story.
That evening, when Wen Xiuyi and Wen Jun returned from the market, Wen Yao told them about the wedding banquet.
The fact that she’d been asked to manage such a big event left both father and son surprised.
“Yao Yao, can you really handle it?” Wen Xiuyi wasn’t doubting her skill—he was just worried. Wen Yao had only ever cooked for the three of them. Even when they had guests from the agricultural institute, it was never more than a dozen people.
But now… she was running an entire wedding banquet?
“You sure? Want me to come help?” he offered.
Wen Yao teased, “You gonna fry up a table full of fried rice?”
Wen Xiuyi chuckled sheepishly. “Wouldn’t be the worst idea.”
Wen Yao burst out laughing, and even Wen Jun and Da Tou couldn’t help but crack up—one smiling warmly, the other stifling giggles with his hand.
“Great-aunt would probably chase you right out,” Wen Yao said mercilessly.
Wen Xiuyi had just been joking. He knew his limits. If he really showed up with fried rice, people would laugh their heads off—and it’d reflect poorly on his cousin’s wedding.
“We’ll take that day off. Haven’t had a break in over a month anyway. Good time to rest a couple days and help our family’s Master Chef Wen,” he said, giving a grand wave of his hand.
After dinner, Wen Jun took it upon himself to do the dishes. Wen Xiuyi, meanwhile, continued teaching Da Tou how to read. The boy still couldn’t speak, but he could write—and he learned quickly. Wen Xiuyi was thoroughly enjoying the process.
But that night, instead of teaching, he handed Da Tou a stick to doodle with and just sat beside him, eyes fixed on the kitchen.
“Dad, what are you looking at?” Wen Yao asked, tossing a handful of pumpkin seeds into her mouth—courtesy of her grandfather, smuggled from the old house.
