Chapter 335: Chapter 328: Hosting a Banquet
Translator: 549690339
Qin Xue looked over as her mother pointed, and indeed, as her mother said, all the ingredients had been washed and chopped.
Qin Xue felt a little relieved and went to wash up before starting to steam the buns.
“Mom, why did you make so much dough?” Qin Xue asked her mother in the living room.
“Molin said he invited seven or eight people, plus the four of us, that’s more than ten.
I didn’t want to make too little in case we didn’t have enough to eat.” Nangong Shulan thought of the men’s large appetites, so she made extra dough when she prepared it.
If they couldn’t finish it tonight, they could reheat and eat it tomorrow.
“Oh, so many people are coming?” Qin Xue had seen the amount her family’s men could eat.
She guessed that the others would eat about the same amount too. It’s a good thing they only entertain guests occasionally, otherwise, cooking would be a hassle.
Qin Xue kneaded the dough till smooth, shaped it into buns, placed them one by one in a steamer drawer to rise, and steamed them when the water boiled in the pot.
While waiting, Qin Xue sliced the fish and marinated it for sauerkraut fish later.
Once the ingredients were ready, Qin Xue began cooking the spicy crayfish. As there was a lot of crayfish, she had to cook them in several batches.
After Qin Xue finished cooking, she looked outside and didn’t see her mother in the living room.
So Qin Xue closed the kitchen door, filled a large basin of crayfish, and put it in the space for Xue Ling to eat.
Qin Xue wondered if they could finish eating all these crayfish.
Well, it didn’t matter. If they couldn’t finish, she could ask Chu Molin to share the leftovers with his fellow soldiers with families, or she could collect them in the space when they went to sleep.
That way, she didn’t have to worry about the crayfish going bad if they couldn’t finish them.
Qin Xue thought she was so clever to have solved the problem with just a thought.
The aroma of the spicy crayfish, even with the door closed, could be smelled outside.
Especially, since the windows were open, the others could smell the fragrance in the air.
No one knew who was cooking something so delicious and fragrant.
There was a noisy commotion in the hallway, but Qin Xue didn’t pay attention and focused on cooking her dinner.
Qin Xue found that the men in the research institute were quite good, mostly straightforward, and with fewer schemers.
However, the women were different; there were many narrow-minded and envious ones. To avoid catching their bad eyes, it was better for Qin Xue to mind her own business behind closed doors.
That way, even if they wanted to be envious, they couldn’t envy her.
But Qin Xue forgot that the complexity of human nature can’t be avoided by just hiding.
In no time, the noise outside seemed to gather at her doorstep.
“What do you think Mr. Chu’s family is cooking? It smells so good!” Woman A asked.
Zhang Cuihua had just come up from picking vegetables in the garden and saw a group of women gathered around Chu Molin’s door when she approached.
She was puzzled, too, thinking: what was Qin Xue cooking? It smelled so good.
“I don’t know, the door is tightly shut,” Woman B replied.
“Mr. Chu’s family is really well-off.
Look at the aroma of the food they’re cooking, it’s so tempting. I bet it’s something like meat.
Also, look at their clothes – they’re all new and pretty.
Life without children must be so good,” Woman C said sourly.
“What are you talking about? It does smell good,” Zhang Cuihua approached the women and asked.
“We’re just talking about Mr. Chu’s family. We don’t know what delicious food they’re cooking.
We can all smell the aroma even from out here,” one of the women answered Zhang Cuihua’s question.
“Yeah, we’re both researchers and women, but the difference is so huge,” the women said enviously.
“Hmph, just lucky. It’s a pity that Mr. Chu, such a good man, is married to her,” Zhang Cuihua said sarcastically.
“Why aren’t you going home to cook dinner? What are you doing here? Don’t your men need to eat when they come back?” Su Xiaoyan, who followed Zhang Cuihua, overheard the women’s envy and jealousy.