Dreaming of Lion Rock: Recipe in Hand

Chapter 140 Meeting the Parents

Everyone drank a little bit of alcohol in the evening, so they all got up late the next day.

Chunni was still awakened by the rapid knocks on the door. She got up in a daze and opened the gate. "Yanqing? Why are you here so early?"

The person who came was He Yanqing, who came with a lot of bags. Since he met Chunni's grandparents yesterday, he didn't sleep well all night, tossing and turning, worried about this and that, afraid that his marriage with Chunni would change. So, at dawn, he went to the hospital to ask for leave, went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy snacks and nutritional supplements that the elderly like to eat, and then rushed to Lion Mountain.

"Come in first and keep your voice down."

"Why, grandpa and grandma haven't woken up yet?"

"Yeah, I'm so tired from riding the train, I'm still resting!"

He Yanqing was pleasantly surprised. "Hey, it just so happens that I bought some steamed buns, fried dough sticks and soy milk in the county town. I'll go make some porridge and we'll be able to eat it!"

When the new son-in-law came to visit for the first time, He Yanqing was like a chicken with its blood pumped up, trying to please his grandparents.

"In order to get married, I have to try my best!" Dr. He rolled up his sleeves and walked into the kitchen, muttering as he walked.

Chunni found it a little funny and very warm.

Only people who care about you will try their best to please your relatives for you.

Seeing that Dr. He had made up his mind, Chunni didn't care anymore and went back to her room to wash up.

When Mrs. Chu woke up, the sun was already shining in the yard. She stood up, pushed the old man beside her, and shouted: "Old man, old man, get up quickly, the sun is shining on your butt!"

After shouting, she turned around and went to wash up without waiting for anyone to respond.

When Old Mrs. Chu went out, she saw that Chunni and her youngest daughter's doors were closed. Knowing that they had not gotten up yet, she shook her head and went to the kitchen.

Old Mrs. Chu saw a busy figure in the kitchen.

"Hey, Xiao He, why are you here?" The old lady was startled. Xiao He was not here last night, right?

"Grandma, you're up! I just arrived this morning. Please sit down first, breakfast will be ready soon." He Yanqing pulled his white shirt and called his grandma gently with the brightest smile.

Mrs. Chu had a son-in-law before, but he didn't even offer to help when he came to her house, and he didn't even help her when the broom fell over. He Yanqing was good-looking and had a respectable job, so the old lady liked this grandson-in-law. She never thought that he could actually go into the kitchen and cook, so she liked Dr. He even more.

But, is it too early to call her grandma?

"My husband's last name is Chu, so you should just call me Granny Chu!"

He Yanqing paused while stirring the porridge, then smiled again after a moment.

"Grandma Chu." One day, he would be able to openly call her grandma.

"Ah." Mrs. Chu responded immediately, smiling lovingly. Which old lady doesn't like young and handsome juniors!

The mother-in-law was getting more and more satisfied with her grandson-in-law. At this time, Old Master Chu also came to the kitchen. He felt uncomfortable when he saw his wife smiling so kindly at the pretty boy.

"Oh my, little kid, why do you come to my house so early in the morning!" Old Master Chu said in surprise.

Old Mrs. Chu glared at the old man, and the old man changed his tone. Seeing that the old woman was about to open the lid of the pot, he immediately came up with an idea.

"You're here, but you don't even know how to cook. You're waiting for ready-made food!" said the old man unhappily.

The old man was finding fault with everything, and Old Mrs. Chu was happy to watch the show. She wanted to see how Xiao He would deal with this shrewd old man.

He Yanqing did not explain, but followed the old man's words and said, "Grandpa, grandma's cooking skills are so good, I must learn a few skills. Please, grandpa, give me a chance!" After saying this, he bowed seriously.

"Puff!" Old Mrs. Chu looked at He Yanqing talking nonsense seriously, as if she saw Old Man Chu when he was young. Don't say it, in terms of personality, the two are really similar.

Old Man Chu patted Xiao He's head and said without any embarrassment, "Okay, okay, you study hard."

Old Mrs. Chu couldn't stand it any longer. "Little He Da came home to cook in the morning. Go, go, wake up my daughter and Ni'er. We are also preparing to eat!"

Old man Chu... Old man Chu gave himself a way out, "Oh, this young man is just sleepy and lazy, what can he do without me!" After saying that, he went out quickly without even taking his cane.

Mrs. Chu...

He Yanqing...

He Yanqing looked at the old lady in confusion, "This cane, grandpa's leg..."

Old Mrs. Chu said unhappily, "His legs are fine. As for the crutches, let's not talk about them!"

If they had lived for a few decades, they would have known that there was a word called props. That's right, the cane was Old Man Chu's prop and had nothing to do with his legs!

He Yanqing had never seen such an elder before and found it quite new.

Everyone sat at the table and was very pleased to see the table full of breakfast.

"What are you still standing there for? Sit down and eat!" Old Master Chu sat down first, picked up the buns and started eating.

"Old lady, have some, these buns have thin skin and big fillings, they taste really good." After saying that, he sighed comfortably, "Ah, after thirty years, the buns from my hometown are still as delicious as ever!"

"Hey, there's chili in this bun. Hmm, it tastes good." Chu Hua drank a mouthful of porridge and took a bun to eat.

"Of course. You are a Sichuanese at heart and can eat spicy food." Old Mrs. Chu was not polite.

Seeing that everyone was enjoying the meal, Chunni gave He Yanqing an admiring look and started eating the fried dough sticks. She liked to soak the fried dough sticks in soy milk the most, which made them soft and fragrant.

As for He Yanqing, he was busy trying to please his grandparents. As for breakfast, there was no time when he couldn't eat it.

After breakfast, He Yanqing handed the gifts he brought to the elders.

"Hey, Yanqing, you also bought pork?" Chunni asked.

He Yanqing was very thoughtful. "I went to the supply and marketing cooperative this morning and found that the meat was still fresh, so I bought a piece. It's convenient for cooking whatever you want."

Chunni nodded in satisfaction.

Soon, the old lady came to the door and brought some eggplants and potatoes. Villagers came one after another, one vegetable from one family, one onion from another. Yang Qianjin's mother, Yang Ersao, actually caught a big fat rabbit.

"Chun Ni, kill the rabbit and stew it for uncle and aunt to taste."

Chunni quickly refused, "Second sister-in-law, take the chicken back quickly. It's not easy to raise rabbits, keep them and sell them for money."

Sister Yang refused to take it. "It's not for you, it's for my uncle and aunt. Besides, my family is moving forward thanks to your care. We have more and more rabbits, and we can't eat them all. I said I'll give them to you, so I'll give them to you." After saying that, Sister Yang left in a hurry. Chunni couldn't catch her even if she wanted to.

Chunni was a little embarrassed, but Old Master Chu was happy. He sighed: "The countryside is still good, with strong human touch."

"Yes! Our family hasn't had to buy groceries for a long time." Old Mrs. Chu was a little moved. She wondered why the Chinese people have lived in clans for generations, sticking together for warmth in times of chaos, and helping each other in peace and contentment.

Old Mrs. Chu couldn't change her hobby of growing vegetables, but she had just arrived, and it would not be a good idea to make a rash decision. She still had to seek Chunni's opinion.

"Nier, let's go to your uncle's house in a few days to get some cabbage and radish seeds and plant them in the front and back yards. Then we don't have to buy vegetables all the time."

"Grandma, we have a vegetable garden not far ahead. I'll take you there when I'm free." Chunni didn't object to the old lady growing vegetables. She just regarded it as exercise and the work was not hard.

Old Mrs. Chu was overjoyed to hear this. In the imperial capital, she couldn't grow vegetables because her children and grandchildren didn't agree. Of course, she didn't have a place to grow vegetables in the imperial capital. Now, she has two yards to grow flowers and a piece of land to grow vegetables. Old Mrs. Chu is very satisfied with her upcoming life in Lion Mountain.

Old Master Chu doesn't care whether to grow vegetables or not, he cares about what to eat at noon. Life is all about eating and drinking!

"Grandpa, can you and grandma eat spicy food?" Chunni saw Rabbit and wanted to show off her cooking skills in front of the elders.

Old Master Chu nodded hurriedly, "You can eat it, you can eat it. When I was a kid, I could eat peppers raw!"

Chunni thought about it and decided to make spicy diced rabbit. Although grandpa said they could eat spicy food, they had been away from home for decades and were afraid that their stomachs would not be able to handle eating something spicy. Chunni thought it would be better to put less chili in it.

Although there is not much chili in it, the diced rabbit is still quite spicy.

"Hiss, hiss, this rabbit tastes really good, spicy and numbing." Old Master Chu loved the rabbit meat so much that he kept eating it.

Chu Hua didn't find it spicy. "The peppers from my hometown seem to be spicier than those in the capital. Chunni, you are such a good cook. No wonder you can open a restaurant."

Chu Hua was also very fond of this new niece and was generous in praising her.

"There are many varieties of peppers. The ones we often eat here in Lion Rock are Erjingtiao, pointed peppers, green peppers, sweet peppers, lantern peppers, as well as chili peppers and wild peppers. They have different levels of spiciness and different types..." When it comes to the area she is good at, Chunni talks endlessly.

Seeing that Old Master Chu was only staring at the diced rabbit, He Yanqing hurriedly served him a bowl of soup and handed it to him.

"Grandpa, please try this soup. It uses wild chicken mushrooms from Lion Mountain and is fried with egg liquid. The soup is delicious and very nutritious. Please try it."

The elderly should not eat only spicy food as their stomachs cannot handle it.

"I'm a little thirsty." Old Master Chu would never admit that he drank for the sake of his grandson-in-law. Well, he was definitely thirsty.

"Ah, this is the soup, this is the soup. I have been thinking about it day and night for decades, but this kind of mushroom is not sold in the capital. I also have this kind of mushroom in my hometown. Old lady, try this mushroom!"

Old Mrs. Chu tasted the mushroom carefully and smacked her lips.

"Well, it seems to be called umbrella mushroom in our place. Right, old man."

"Yes, yes, how could I forget about these mushrooms! I need to drink a few more bowls of soup!"

"Old man, we are all back now. Let's go back to our hometown when we have time."

Old Master Chu's expression froze, "Forget it." His parents had passed away long ago, and he didn't have any brothers or sisters. Well, he still had an annoying cousin.

"I didn't go back to burn incense when my parents passed away, so I want to go and see them." How could Old Mrs. Chu not know what the person beside her was thinking? It's just that she hasn't been back for so many years, so she still wants to go back and see them.

"Speaking of burning incense, have we forgotten something?" Old Man Chu was a little confused.

"Oh, why did I forget to go see Da Niuniu!" Old man Chu finally remembered the important thing he was going to do on this trip.

Well, Old Mrs. Chu also forgot.

Usually, visiting the graves is done in the morning. Chunni plans to go to the county town in the afternoon to buy some incense, candles, and paper money, and pick up Donglin from school.

After dinner, He Yanqing took the initiative to wash the dishes. Old Master Chu took the initiative to follow him, of course, he was not there to help, he had to have a good talk with this future grandson-in-law.