Volume 1, Chapter 25: I Cannot Let Brother Huo Be Taken Away

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Grandmother Huo had poor teeth, so the scallion-fragrant chicken legs had been braised until tender and richly infused with flavor. With the slightest pressure of her chopsticks, a piece of meat came away.

There was not the slightest trace of gaminess in her mouth—only the fresh, succulent taste of the meat, full-bodied and delicious.

“Mm.” Grandmother Huo nodded. Though she said nothing, her expression clearly showed that she approved of the dish.

Her brown eyes still held a considerable measure of surprise.

Hadn’t Su Xiaohui said that Su Wan never even entered the kitchen? How, then, could she have prepared food this delicious?

“Today we really have you to thank, Mother-in-law. The dishes are simple home cooking, but they truly taste excellent.” Meng Jianguo had even eaten at state banquets before, yet he praised the meal without the slightest reservation.

Huo Hong also lifted her head and studied Su Wan curiously.

She had been dazzled by Su Wan’s appearance at first glance. Her fluent standard Mandarin, her gentle and modest bearing, and her graceful, capable manner were nothing like those of a poor student.

Instead, she resembled an outstanding university student from a highly educated family.

Even the high school teacher from a scholarly household whom they had once considered introducing to Huo Xiaohan seemed somewhat lacking beside Su Wan.

And as far as Huo Hong knew, that high school teacher could not cook.

“I’m glad you like everything. There are still some dishes in the kitchen. I’ll bring them out.” Su Wan’s eyes curved into crescents, her smile sweet and radiant.

Dimples appeared in her cheeks. There was no wine in them, yet merely looking at them made one feel a little intoxicated.

“I’ll help.”

Huo Xiaohan rose from his seat and walked toward the kitchen as well.

Su Xiaohui was still standing there in disbelief, her expression wonderfully colorful, turning by turns pale and flushed.

When she saw Huo Xiaohan approaching, she immediately followed him into the kitchen.

Several refreshing cold dishes remained on the stove: chilled kelp strips, spinach and bean sprouts dressed with sauce, cucumber mixed with wood ear mushrooms, and hand-shredded chicken with lemon in chicken broth.

There were nine people in all. The few hot dishes alone would certainly not be enough, so they had supplemented the meal with cold dishes. In weather this hot, cold dishes were also the most appetizing and refreshing.

There was even a bowl of stinky tofu, which was the main source of the odor they had smelled earlier.

Now that Grandmother Huo and the others had already tasted Su Wan’s cooking, there was no point in Su Xiaohui tampering with the remaining dishes.

No one stopped her from entering the kitchen anymore.

She carried out two bowls of cold dishes, one in each hand.

Huo Xiaohan calmly lifted a plate of braised crucian carp and a plate of boiled shrimp.

Su Xiaohui stared at the two remaining cold dishes, still lost in suspicion and practically furious with rage.

She wished she could smash every dish in front of her, or even spit into them a few times. But she could not. She still had to carry them out with a smile.

She had clearly seen Su Wan cut the eggplant into pieces fit for pig feed. She had also watched her taste the soup while continually pouring salt into it, looking impossibly foolish.

Why had things turned out this way?

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She refused to believe that Su Wan had prepared all these dishes by herself. She refused to believe it.

Su Xiaohui carried the two cold dishes to the table. Watching everyone eat with such relish, she suppressed her resentment and put on an expression of surprise and confusion.

“Sis, did you really make all of these by yourself?”

“If Wan made them, who else could have? I’ve been in the Huo household for seven years. Grandmother knows perfectly well what dishes I can make.” Aunt Wu curled her lips and spoke up for Su Wan.

She had been holding back a stomachful of anger.

Su Xiaohui had only been at the Huo household for a few days and knew that she was still an outsider. After Aunt Wu’s remark, she immediately put on a docile expression of remorse.

“Sis, I’m sorry. I never imagined that you had actually learned to cook.”

“Back home, no matter how busy we were with farmwork, I never saw you cook. And after you once made everyone ill and nearly burned down the kitchen, I naturally assumed you couldn’t cook. If Father and Mother knew you could prepare food this delicious, they would be overjoyed.”

She was bringing up Su Wan’s disgrace in a honeyed, insinuating tone—implying that Su Wan had known how to cook all along but had deliberately poisoned the family and burned down the kitchen to avoid labor and laze around.

“Xiaohui, weren’t those things from childhood? They happened years ago, not now. What six- or seven-year-old child can cook properly the first time they go near a stove? Why do you keep bringing up things from when she was little?” Before Su Wan could respond, Aunt Wu dismissed the matter in just a few words.

“Father and Mother know that I can cook. During the last summer vacation, when everyone was busy harvesting wheat and irrigating the fields, Father, Mother, and my three brothers could not manage everything, so I prepared the meals at home. You went out early every day to help other families harvest wheat and only came back after dinner, so naturally you didn’t know.”

“Otherwise, if I had only read recipes without ever practicing, how could I have prepared everything correctly on my first try?”

Su Wan lied without the slightest change in expression.

At the same time, she was subtly mocking Su Xiaohui for abandoning her own family’s unfinished work and running off to labor for other households simply so she could eat a decent meal.

Su Xiaohui froze for a moment. She secretly glanced at Grandmother Huo and noticed the older woman’s expression shift slightly.

Even Uncle Huo seemed to feel that those were merely childhood matters and not worth pursuing.

With Aunt Wu and Su Wan answering her one sentence after another, Su Xiaohui now appeared petty and narrow-minded, clinging stubbornly to Su Wan’s childhood mistakes.

She tightened her grip on her chopsticks, afraid that the Huo family would dislike her—especially that Big Brother Huo would form a poor impression of her. Looking aggrieved, as though she might burst into tears at any moment, she said, “I went to help other families because I wanted to save some grain for our own household and make sure Father and Mother had enough to eat.”

“I always thought Mother and my brothers prepared all the meals at home. Sis, I truly didn’t know you could cook. Father and Mother never mentioned it to me.”

She spoke with such distress and self-reproach, doing everything she could to make it clear that she had known nothing and was entirely innocent.

Her eyes grew red.

But even if she truly had not known, the impression had already been made, and there was no undoing it.

From then on, people would be less inclined to believe everything Su Xiaohui said, and it would not be so easy for her to sow discord.

At the same time, everyone had more or less realized that the two sisters’ private relationship was far from good.

“Since those were things from childhood, let’s not mention them again. People say a girl changes completely by the time she reaches adulthood. Even if she made mistakes before, as long as she corrects them in time, that’s enough.” At that moment, Huo Jianguo spoke up, making his position clear. “Mother, just look at this meal Su Wan has prepared. It has excellent color, aroma, and flavor, and it’s economical too. Eating at a state-run restaurant would probably cost quite a bit of money and ration coupons.”

“Come on, Su Wan, Xiaohui, hurry and eat.” Huo Jianguo personally placed a piece of sweet-and-sour spare rib into Su Wan’s bowl.

“Especially you, Su Wan. You’ve been busy all afternoon. Here, have some sweet-and-sour ribs.”

“Thank you, Uncle Huo.” Su Wan held up her bowl and accepted the food with a smile.

Su Xiaohui had never received such treatment, especially not from Uncle Huo, who had served food only to Su Wan.

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Sitting off to the side, Su Xiaohui bit her lip tightly, consumed by resentment. Not only had she failed to make the Huo family drive Su Wan away, she had instead given Su Wan the chance to shine before everyone and win their favorable impression.

Grandmother Huo’s complexion was visibly warmer than before. In an unprecedented move, she even asked Su Wan how she had prepared the sweet-and-sour spare ribs.

Even Aunt Hong, who had held a grudge against Su Wan, asked how she had managed to make an ordinary stir-fry taste so delicious. Her attitude had softened considerably.

Su Wan answered every question with ease and even taught them several practical cooking tricks.

The way everyone looked at Su Wan now held a trace of admiration.

In the blink of an eye, Su Xiaohui had become an outsider in the Huo household.

“Cousin, since Little Sister Su Wan cooks so wonderfully, you should hurry up and marry her. Then I’ll be able to come here and freeload off her cooking every day.” After quickly finishing one bowl of rice, Meng Xinhao helped himself to another. As soon as he sat down, he nudged Huo Xiaohan with his elbow and spoke in a low voice.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Eat your food.” Huo Xiaohan narrowed his dark, somber eyes and cast him a stern warning glance.

The rice in his own bowl was nearly gone as well. After finishing it in two quick mouthfuls, he stood up to get another serving.

Su Xiaohui, sitting nearby, heard him and stiffened. Her heart, liver, spleen, and lungs seemed to have been ripped from her body, leaving her in unbearable agony.

No. She absolutely could not let Big Brother Huo be stolen away by Su Wan. And she certainly could not allow Su Wan to remain in the Huo household.

“With cooking skills like yours, Su Wan, whoever marries you will truly be blessed,” Huo Jianguo praised her sincerely as he carried his bowl over to Aunt Wu to have it refilled.

Su Xiaohui’s face grew even uglier. She listlessly picked at the white rice in her bowl, unable to swallow a single bite.

The more everyone ate, and the more enthusiastically they praised the food, the more bitterly resentful she became.

In less than an hour, every dish on the table had been devoured. Even the sweet-and-sour sauce from the ribs had been claimed by Meng Xinhao to mix with his rice.

Su Xiaohui immediately stood up obediently to clear the bowls and chopsticks.

Su Wan finished the soup in her bowl unhurriedly before slowly rising and reaching for the dishes.

Huo Jianguo stopped her at once.

“Su Wan, you’ve been busy all afternoon. Go and rest. Have some cake.”

“That’s right. Xiaohui and I can take care of this.” Aunt Wu took the dishes from Su Wan and sent Su Xiaohui to the kitchen with her to wash them.

In the past, whenever Su Xiaohui tried to wash dishes, Grandmother Huo would stop her. Naturally, Su Xiaohui was now doing everything she could to make a good impression.

Even so, the enormous contrast still left her feeling deeply uncomfortable.

Su Wan did not insist. She planned to wash her face in the bathroom, then find an opportunity to ask Uncle Huo about her schooling.

After all, she had graduated from a prestigious university. Not attending school itself was not a problem, but she absolutely had to obtain student registration in Peking so that she could sit for the national college entrance examination there.

When Su Xiaohui saw Su Wan head toward the bathroom, she remembered that Meng Xinhao had gone in earlier and still had not come out.

An idea immediately occurred to her.

As soon as Su Wan entered, Su Xiaohui hurried forward and twisted the bathroom doorknob until it was locked.