Chapter 99 - 97: Private Cooking
"Brother-in-law, don’t mind that numbskull. Come on in. Bring the baby inside and rest for a bit. The banquet is about to start," Brother Zhou said, turning to Li Xiu with a smile.
Li Xiu nodded and smiled at his brother-in-law. Ignoring the sulking second brother-in-law off to the side, he followed him into the courtyard of the third brother-in-law’s new home.
The Zhou family’s eldest son-in-law looked at Li Xiu in surprise and asked, "Brother-in-law, why did you bring the baby?"
"Brother-in-law, my wife went to help Mrs. Zhou and was busy. I’m free, so I’m watching the baby," Li Xiu said with a smile.
Although the eldest brother-in-law was puzzled, he didn’t say anything. ’This guy’s love for his wife is something else. He probably couldn’t stand seeing her get tired, so he decided to carry the baby himself!’
Upon entering the house, he saw Third Brother Zhou grinning foolishly, surrounded by a group of people asking for cigarettes. Li Xiu chuckled silently and found a corner to sit down. He was about to check if his daughter’s diaper was wet when he saw his eldest brother-in-law sit down next to him. Li Xiu knew at once. ’He’s probably going to discuss how much gift money we should give.’ Currently, they were the only two established sons-in-law in the Zhou family. The third sister-in-law had apparently only gotten married this summer, so her husband didn’t really count yet, and his gift money wouldn’t be the same as theirs.
Sure enough, after a short while, the eldest brother-in-law spoke up. "Brother-in-law, what’s the plan for the gift money?"
Li Xiu lowered his eyelids, hiding the glint in his eyes. He smiled and said, "Brother-in-law, my second brother got married last year, not even six months ago. So, what do you think?" ’This brother-in-law is a shrewd one,’ Li Xiu thought. ’But he’s the eldest son-in-law, so he should be the one to name the amount.’
"Alright then. We’ll use the second brother’s rate. Five yuan," the eldest brother-in-law said with a smile, not noticing Li Xiu’s evasiveness.
"Sure, whatever you say, brother-in-law," Li Xiu agreed. ’He’s just afraid I’ll secretly give more and make him, the eldest son-in-law, look bad, isn’t he? Does he take me for a fool? Treating two brothers-in-law differently? As if I’d left my brain at home!’
They made some idle chit-chat until the start of the banquet was announced. Li Xiu picked up his daughter and went to find Zhou Lian, worried she would get anxious if she couldn’t see him and the baby.
Just as he reached his father-in-law’s courtyard, he saw his wife walking out. He smiled and went to greet her. "Bao’er, I’m back. I was just at Third Brother Zhou’s new house with your second brother."
Zhou Lian nodded. "The banquet is about to start. Give me the baby."
Li Xiu didn’t refuse. He placed the baby in her arms and watched gently as she walked into the house. Then he turned and headed straight for the kitchen. Mrs. Zhou was in the kitchen, directing people to serve the dishes for the banquet. Seeing Li Xiu come in, she understood immediately. Without a word, she pointed to a small, unused stove on the side. When she saw Li Xiu nod in understanding, she paid him no more mind.
Li Xiu ignored the curious glances from all around. He scanned the remaining ingredients, a plan forming in his mind. He rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and got to work. He prepared half a fish and fished out half a head of pickled greens from a jar to make a sour fish soup for his wife.
He then scooped half a ladle of white flour from the flour container and made two egg-filled savory pancakes. He added a bit of lean meat and two lettuce leaves—lettuce he’d brought from home. By the time the pancakes were done, the fish in the pot was just about ready.
Watching from the side, Mrs. Zhou couldn’t help but shake her head. She smiled and said, "The chicken boiling in that big pot over there is plain. She should be able to eat that."
Li Xiu agreed aloud as he lifted the pot lid to take a look. It was just chicken boiled in plain water. He ladled out a small bowlful, sprinkled some chopped scallions and a pinch of salt on top for flavor. Then he turned back, dished out the fish, and sprinkled some scallions on that as well. He placed the pancakes on a plate, set the plate on top of one of the bowls, and walked out holding a bowl in each hand. The kitchen helpers were left staring, completely stunned.
One of the curious helpers asked Mrs. Zhou, "That’s your second son-in-law, isn’t it? What’s he doing?"
Mrs. Zhou replied helplessly, "My second daughter is still nursing, so she has dietary restrictions."
"Dietary restrictions? But isn’t there chicken?" ’Who has dietary restrictions when they’re nursing? Besides, with so many dishes at the banquet, does she really need someone to cook for her specially?’
Zhou Lian’s aunt understood what was going on. She smiled and came to Mrs. Zhou’s rescue. "This girl’s been a picky eater since she was little, you all know that. Her husband dotes on her, and he’s been spoiling her ever since they got married. Now it’s gotten to the point where he always cooks separate meals for her. You just get used to it."
All the helpers clicked their tongues in amazement. ’We heard the second daughter married a good man, but none of us had ever seen him. Judging by how skilled he was just now, he must cook often at home. She really is lucky to have married such a good man. He even dotes on her like this at his in-laws’ house! Honestly, what’s the big deal if she skips a meal or two!’
Meanwhile, Li Xiu carried the bowls directly to the table with the female guests. Seated at this table were Zhou Lian’s aunts, as well as the new bride’s sisters and sisters-in-law from her family. Zhou Lan and Zhou Lian were there keeping them company. Seeing Li Xiu approach with the bowls, Zhou Lan wanted nothing more than to cover her face, but she couldn’t say anything. ’This brother-in-law of ours spoils my sister beyond belief.’
Li Xiu greeted each of the female guests at the table before placing the bowls in front of Zhou Lian. He reached out and took the baby from her, saying, "You have dietary restrictions, so I made this for you. Eat up while it’s hot. I’ll take the baby and go find our eldest brother-in-law." And with that, he left.
Everyone at the table stared, stunned, as they watched Li Xiu carry the baby over to the neighboring table of male guests. Zhou Lian’s aunts had already met Li Xiu that morning and had witnessed his temper. The man who was now beaming at his wife was the very same man whose sharp words that morning had nearly made the Zhou family’s grand-aunt pass out from fury.
Noticing her aunts’ strange expressions, Zhou Lan quickly asked, "What is it?"
Her eldest aunt asked curiously, "That’s your younger sister’s husband?" When Zhou Lan nodded, she continued, "Doesn’t he seem to have a pretty good temper?"
Zhou Lan shot a helpless glance at her sister, who had her head down, eating her fish. She smiled and said, "It is pretty good. Why do you ask?"
Her youngest aunt recounted the entire incident from the morning when Li Xiu had berated the Zhou family’s grand-aunt. Zhou Lan looked speechlessly at her sister, then glanced at the curious relatives filling the table, at a loss for words. ’I’d always heard Li Xiu had a bad temper,’ she thought. ’It seems he’s only like a tame housecat in front of my sister.’
"Say something!" Zhou Lan said, looking exasperatedly at her silent sister.
Zhou Lian glanced at her. "What is there to say?" she said unhurriedly. "It was only the grand-aunt. If it had been anyone else, Li Xiu would have already started throwing punches. Forget him, even I wanted to hit someone after hearing that."
Zhou Lan looked at her sister and didn’t say anything more. ’The grand-aunt is certainly annoying, but a polite, superficial comment would have sufficed. This couple... they’re really something else. Has Li Xiu been a bad influence on my sister? Always talking about hitting people. What is wrong with them?’
Seeing the shocked expressions on the faces of the new bride’s family, the eldest aunt explained to them, "Don’t you worry. That grand-aunt of the Zhou family has no say over her grand-nephews’ wives."
"It’s not that. Your second sister needs to avoid certain foods?" asked Third Sister-in-law Zhou’s younger sister curiously. She was only about sixteen or seventeen, so no one would blame her for misspeaking.
Zhou Lan slapped a hand over her face. ’Now our dirty laundry is being aired in front of the new bride’s family.’ Since they would find out sooner or later anyway, she decided to just lay it all out. "Dietary restrictions? What restrictions? That girl’s been a picky eater since she was a kid. When she was three or four, she almost starved to death from being so picky. My parents had a hell of a time raising her. And look at her now—married with a child and still a picky eater. It’s only because her husband spoils her, racking his brains every day to wait on her hand and foot."
Everyone at the table, except for the two sisters, was completely shocked. ’So that food was specially made for her by her husband. How many men even know how to cook these days, let alone cook a separate meal for a picky wife? And thinking back to what he said when he put down the bowls... for the sake of letting his wife eat properly, the man even took the baby away himself. She’s so incredibly lucky. And just look at the food he made—he really put his heart into it.’