Chapter 8 The Pig’s Good Fortune

Chapter 8: Chapter 8 The Pig's Good FortuneOn the second day of marriage, Cheng Su struggled in the kitchen with lighting the fire and cooking; after several failures, she finally learned under her mother-in-law's instruction and danced with joy.

Mother Qi looked at her skeptically and said, "You didn't cook at your parents' house, did you?"

Cheng Su's eyes flickered slightly as she vaguely replied, "How could that be? It's just that I'm not used to it here yet."

Of course, she could cook; she just didn't know how to light a fire. In her previous life, she worked in a hotel, had tasted countless delicacies, and was interested in cooking during her rest days. In her spare time, she'd even go to the hotel kitchen to exchange tips with the chefs, and most importantly, she had a friend who was a gourmet food expert—from whom she had learned much.

So, not only could she cook, but her culinary skills were pretty good. She could make complex dishes if she put her heart into it.

Unfortunately, all that was in the past, and here, upon seeing the kitchen, she had no desire to create.

"It's better that you don't, hurry up and get lunch ready, your man and your father-in-law should be back from the fields soon!" Mother Qi huffed and left the kitchen.

The Cheng family ancestors were the vile capitalists, and she knew this daughter-in-law had some pride, thinking she was still the capital's pampered rich girl who had always been waited on, really thinking she couldn't cook. Good that she could; otherwise, what use would a woman be if she couldn't even make a decent meal?

When it came to making lunch, there wasn't much to do. She stewed a pot of rice that was slightly burnt, and as for the vegetables, there was plenty left over from yesterday's banquet. In the countryside, leftovers from banquets would be shared with neighbors or those who helped out, and some would be kept for the household.

Cheng Su looked at the large plate of mixed vegetables placed on the stove. Indeed, mixed vegetables. To save trouble, they had been dumped together on one plate, and now, a few flies were joyfully dancing on top. As for the smell, she shooed the flies away and took a sniff.

Oh my, what is that smell? It's a bit spoiled!

Well, it was May, the weather was hot, and the Qi family didn't have a refrigerator, so was it any wonder the meat and vegetables had gone off overnight?

Cheng Su would never eat these stale and slightly spoiled leftovers—and besides, consuming spoiled food wasn't good for one's stomach and could easily lead to illness.

She looked around and, seeing the slop bucket in the corner of the room, dumped the whole plate of food into it.

In those days, nearly every household in the countryside raised pigs, and both the Qi family and her own "parents' house" were no exception. Mother Qi took great care in raising the Qi family's two big fat pigs; she had seen them herself. It was only May, and those piglets probably weighed over a hundred pounds already.

So, if people wouldn't eat this spoiled food, the pigs certainly would.

Listening to the sound of the fat pigs oinking from the pigpen not far away, Cheng Su hummed lightly, "Today, you guys are in for a treat."

After disposing of the spoiled vegetables for the pigs, Cheng Su scoured the kitchen and didn't find any meat, but there was still plenty of cabbage and radishes left over from yesterday's feast.

She improvised and made a dish of stir-fried cabbage with hot peppers, prepared a radish and egg pancake, and found a smoked strip of meat in the cupboard. It was still good, so she sliced it and stir-fried it with garlic and hot pepper, filling the air with a delicious aroma.

The three dishes didn't take long to prepare; by the time Cheng Su finished, she heard the voices of Father Qi and Taiguo in the courtyard.

They had returned; the timing was just right.

Cheng Su glanced at the dishes she made, lifted an eyebrow proudly, and thought, now Mother Qi had nothing to complain about.