nycdaug Chapter 138 Attractive
Chapter 138 Attractive
"Sister-in-law, your cooking skills are simply amazing. They are in no way inferior to those big restaurants in the county!" Jiang Yufeng tasted the dish and praised sincerely.
A shy blush appeared on Chen Xi's face, and she said modestly, "Oh, you're too kind," but she could hardly hide the pride and joy in her heart.
"No, no, no, sister-in-law, I'm serious. Have you ever thought about opening a restaurant? I promise to go there every day to support you."
Jiang Yufeng spoke these words sincerely, with a look of anticipation in his eyes, as if he had foreseen the scene where Chen Xi's craftsmanship would shine in the town.
These words gently brushed Chen Xi's heart.
She was slightly startled, and then a gentle smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
I am indeed good at cooking. Wouldn't it be a pity if those delicious dishes were only limited to the family table?
"Well, it depends on the opportunity." She responded softly, but a seed had been quietly planted in her heart.
At the dinner table, the atmosphere was warm and lively, with laughter and conversation interweaving.
The two little guys, Xiaoyang and Xiaochen, were the liveliest creatures at the table, occasionally uttering some childish words or imitating adults to tell jokes, which made everyone laugh so much that even the air seemed to be infected by the joy. The meal was a joyful and warm one.
Jiang Yufeng, in particular, had almost no resistance to the dishes that Chen Xi had carefully prepared. He ate two large bowls of rice until his stomach was so full that he could no longer hold any more delicious food, and then he reluctantly put down his chopsticks.
His eyes were full of satisfaction with the food and admiration for Chen Xi's cooking skills. If he hadn't been so full, he would have really wanted to try every dish on the table.
After the meal, Chen Xi stood up and began to clean up the dishes in an orderly manner, his movements skillful and elegant.
Jiang Yufeng, remembering the snacks the children had mentioned before, naturally walked to the side and gently unwrapped the oil paper.
Huh?
Isn’t this the small, exquisite, fragrant bread that Chen Pingan often sells?
Jiang Yufeng was secretly surprised, then he smiled and handed the bread to Xiaoyang and Xiaochen, "Here, Xiaoyang and Xiaochen, these are for you."
However, the two children just shook their heads and did not reach out to take it, which made Jiang Yufeng a little confused.
"Why don't you eat it? It's really delicious." Jiang Yufeng asked puzzled.
The children blinked their bright eyes and innocently explained the reason: "Uncle, this is sold by our third uncle. We ate it every day a while ago."
These words made Jiang Yufeng suddenly realize.
"What? The shop in town is opened by your uncle's family?" he asked in surprise.
"No, it's Mr. Fang from the town who joined Chen Xi's mother's store. It's a cooperative business." The children explained.
Jiang Yufeng had mixed feelings. He originally thought that Xie Tianyi's life would be very difficult after being separated by his adoptive parents. However, everything he saw told him that Xie Tianyi's family was not as hard as he had imagined. Instead, they were living a very comfortable life.
Thinking of this, the twenty taels of silver that Jiang Yufeng had originally prepared seemed a little redundant at this moment.
In the kitchen, while washing dishes, Chen Xi inadvertently thought of the silver that Jiang Yufeng had not yet given away.
She knew very well that this was a favor from Xie Tianyi and should be handled properly.
So, taking advantage of Jiang Yufeng's brief absence, Chen Xi found an opportunity to mention this matter to Xie Tianyi.
Xie Tianyi then suddenly remembered that his classmate had left him twenty taels of silver.
He was a man who didn't want to owe others anything, so he immediately said, "Please help me return the twenty taels to him. When my eyes are better, I will make money and pay you back!"
Chen Xi nodded slightly, indicating his agreement: "That's what I was planning too."
When Jiang Yufeng was about to leave in the carriage again, Xie Tianyi and Chen Xi specially saw him off to the door.
"Yufeng, this is the twenty taels you gave to Chen Xi before, please keep it." Xie Tianyi insisted.
However, Jiang Yufeng knew very well the significance of these twenty taels to an ordinary family, and he quickly declined: "Brother Jinyan, please keep the money first, and it will not be too late to return it to me when you have more money."
Xie Tianyi was firm: "You should take it back. We are not in any trouble now. Of course, we are very grateful for the money you left behind. I will definitely treat you to a meal if I have the chance in the future."
Jiang Yufeng couldn't resist their insistence and had to accept the heavy silver, but his determination to help the couple became even stronger.
Jiang Yufeng's carriage raised a cloud of dust at the entrance of the village, attracting the attention of almost everyone in the village.
His clothes, made of fine texture, looked even more luxurious in the sunlight, which made the villagers curious and awed.
Soon, the villagers gathered around and started talking about it.
"Tianyi, who is that? He looks quite impressive." An old man spoke first.
"The family must be very wealthy. Look at that carriage. Is there anything else in our village that can compare to it?" said another aunt enviously.
"Maybe she came from the county town. Look at her clothes, they are as smooth as water." Someone else guessed.
"He is my husband's former classmate. He came here specially to visit." Chen Xi explained patiently.
Xie Tianyi didn't say much, so Chen Xi had to continue answering the villagers' curiosity on his behalf.
"Classmate? So he's also a scholar?" someone asked curiously.
"Is that young master married? The one from Tianyi's family, I mean, my daughter is fifteen this year, just the right age..." Someone else started to set their sights on Jiang Yufeng.
"My niece is also unmarried..." Various suggestions came one after another.
Chen Xi rubbed his forehead helplessly. Although the kindness of the villagers was touching, their minds changed too quickly and they had already started arranging a marriage for Jiang Yufeng.
She knew in her heart that Jiang Yufeng was a scholar and came from a wealthy family in the county town, whose environment and customs were quite different from those in the countryside, so he would not easily consider a marriage in the countryside.
"Dear aunties, please go away. My classmate already has a family." Xie Tianyi's voice was gentle.
After he finished speaking, he gently brushed his sleeves, turned around and walked into the familiar and quiet courtyard. His back looked particularly lonely, as if he was deliberately drawing a line between himself and the disturbances of the outside world.
These words instantly extinguished the flames of enthusiasm in the hearts of those aunts and ladies.
They looked at each other, and their original enthusiasm to find a good home for their daughter turned into helpless shakes of the head and sighs.
After all, in this era, letting one's own daughter become a concubine is a hurdle that most people find difficult to overcome.
The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving behind regret and unwillingness.
However, this brief tranquility did not last long.
At the instigation of her two daughters-in-law, Old Mrs. Chen embarked on a journey to visit the Xie family with a bit of curiosity and greed.
The news that Jiang Yufeng was coming to visit in a carriage had already been caught by the clever pair of daughters-in-law. They thought that someone who could ride in such a decent means of transportation would definitely bring some valuable items to Xie Tianyi.