Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s
Chapter 68 - 067 A Small Attempt to Show One’s Skill

Chapter 68: 067 A Small Attempt to Show One’s Skill

Granny Zhao hesitated for a moment but finally agreed to let Tian Sisi cook lunch and also asked Tian Xinhua to help with cutting the vegetables. Tian Sisi happily ran to the stove to see what ingredients were available, so she could plan which dishes to cook. There were eggs, meat, live crucian carp, winter bamboo shoots, river snails, tofu, and more—it was quite a feast. Tian Sisi thought briefly and then planned in her mind what dishes she wanted to cook for lunch.

Tian Xinhua cheekily made a light-hearted comment, "Chef Tian, arrange the work! I’m waiting!"

"You cut the meat into cubes the size of corn kernels, and then slice the winter bamboo shoots into shreds. Kill two of the crucian carps, and make sure to remove the black membranes inside!" Tian Sisi hummed, and with her head held high, she arrogantly instructed, looking quite professional.

"Sis, I gotta say, Ah Nan looks quite professional doing this. Maybe Ah Nan has a natural talent for cooking," Li Yuedi chuckled as she whispered to Granny Zhao.

"Don’t praise her too much, or she’ll get too cocky. As long as she can cook the food thoroughly, I’ll be relieved," Granny Zhao modestly said, while feeling extremely proud inside; her granddaughter was smart and competent in her actions.

Tian Xinhua exclaimed "Ah," and with a smile, scooped up two crucian carps about a pound each from the tank, took scissors, and ran to the backyard to kill them. This way, the guts could be conveniently buried in the vegetable garden as fertilizer. Tian Sisi also went to the backyard with a kitchen knife and a basket, planning to gather some green vegetable peaks (the tender stalks sprouting from the heart of the vegetables in the warm weather of spring), some red-skinned radishes, and also cut some chives and lettuce.

Upon seeing Tian Sisi holding a gleaming kitchen knife, Tian Xinhua got so scared his heart nearly leaped out. He hurriedly put down the fish and scissors, and took the knife from her hands, "Just tell me what vegetables you need, and I’ll get them. Don’t cry if you cut yourself later."

Tian Sisi was not pretentious—since someone was willing to work, she simply took on the role of the boss who doesn’t lift a hand, listed the vegetables she needed, and asked Tian Xinhua to pick the tender ones. If the cutting was not done well, he’d be to blame for any dishes that didn’t taste good later.

Tian Xinhua was so frustrated he had to laugh, "I might as well cook later, to spare you from blaming me if it doesn’t turn out right."

"No need, I can cook myself. My cooking will definitely taste better than yours," Tian Sisi pouted.

Tian Xinhua grinned and resignedly ran to the vegetable garden to chop vegetables. Later, he’d better pay extra attention; it’s minor if the vegetables are wasted, but a real problem if everyone ends up with an upset stomach.

Tian Sisi fanned the sparks in the stove into a flame. Seeing Tian Shouhua finish kneading the dough and idle, she pulled him over to tend the fire. Tian Shouhua clicked his tongue, "Ah Nan, how many people are you planning to have help you cook this meal? With all this fuss, I might as well cook it myself."

"I’m still small, once I grow up I’ll handle everything myself. Hmph, later when I’ve cooked well, do not eat up your own tongue," Tian Sisi said, feeling a bit embarrassed since she wasn’t capable of managing both the fire and the cooking by herself.

Tian Shouhua just smiled and didn’t say much else, since he wasn’t busy, he might as well help his young cousin with the fire. Soon the fire in the stove was blazing fiercely, and the iron wok began to smoke sizzlingly hot. Tian Sisi poured some oil into the pan and first stir-fried garlic and ginger until they fragranced the air. Soon, a delightful aroma burst forth. Tian Xinhua, having finished chopping the vegetables, came over to peek.

"Not bad, it actually looks quite professional."

"Hmph! Cooking is such a simple task, how could it stymie me? I just don’t like doing it ordinarily, but if I do cook, it’s definitely not going to be worse than anyone else," Tian Sisi said proudly, scooping the stir-fried ginger and garlic into a bowl before tossing diced pork belly into the pan to render the fat.

Though small, Tian Sisi handling the spatula still looked quite professional, drawing Granny Zhao and Li Yuedi away from their tasks to come over and watch in astonishment, "Ah Nan, when did you learn to cook? Sis, you said Ah Nan couldn’t cook, but I think she’s handling it pretty well."

Granny Zhao couldn’t figure it out, as Ah Nan had never even touched a spatula, yet Sisi arrogantly said, "Second Lady, do I need to learn how to cook? I learned just by watching Granny cook."

"Talking big doesn’t cost money!" Tian Xinhua sneered, rinsing the rice and pouring it into the pot in the middle. Once Ah Nan’s meat was fried, it could be added to steam. Additionally, he cut up about ten sweet potatoes to steam with the rice.

"Then don’t eat the food I cook later; if you do, you’re a dog!" Sisi poured soy sauce, vinegar, liquor, then added some salt and sugar. The meat immediately turned into a glossy caramel color, appetizing to look at, though it was still semi-finished and needed further steaming to become tender and tasty. To save time, village people usually fry the meat briefly to render out the fat, then add seasonings and steam it with the rice, which saves effort and makes the meat just as delicious.

Old Man came in upon hearing this and was startled to see his precious granddaughter taking charge of the kitchen, his eyes nearly popping out. He looked puzzled at his wife and sisters-in-law, and Granny Zhao explained with a laugh, "Ah Nan insisted on cooking for us. I couldn’t dissuade her, so I let her cook, and surprisingly, it turned out quite decent."

"Ah Nan is smart; she excels at whatever she does." Old Man generously praised his granddaughter.

Sisi was delighted to hear this; people always called her dumb in her previous life, but in this life, she was finally living as a smart beauty. She turned around and coquettishly said to her grandfather, "Grandpa, what would you like to eat? I will cook it for you. It will only be slightly inferior to Granny’s cooking."

"Grandpa loves anything that Ah Nan cooks. Just be careful not to burn your hand," Old Man said, his moustache curling up with a smile, then reminded Sisi to be careful before he went back to his room, humming opera and shaking his head to listen to the radio.

Sisi was actually the lazy type, usually reluctant to work, but when she really got down to it, she was quick and did quite well, the efficient sort. It makes sense, having a competent mother like Juying, her daughter wouldn’t be far behind, although not as good as Juying; but compared to ordinary people, Sisi was considered competent.

Soon, Sisi had prepared dishes like scrambled eggs with chives, fried peanuts, braised carp, stir-fried tofu skin with green vegetable peak, stir-fried shredded pork with bamboo shoots, stir-fried lettuce, pan-fried tofu, stir-fried snails, and stir-fried radish slices with garlic, a total of over ten dishes, each brimming and meticulously color coordinated—a few dishes even had carrot shreds added for color, making them a feast for the eyes with distinct reds, greens, whites, blacks, and yellows.

In the 70s, which rural woman would bother with color coordination in cooking? They wouldn’t even waste much oil, usually just using a scoop of water to cook the vegetables enough to fill the bowl—that was already good. So everyone was amazed by the sight of Sisi’s beautifully prepared dishes.

Granny Zhao and Li Yuedi had already set up two tables in the living room, waiting for the working people to come back for the meal. In the kitchen, unable to wait, Tian Xinhua pinched a fried snail and put it into his mouth, chewed hurriedly a few times and swallowed it, eager to reach for more snails, but Sisi slapped his hand down.

"Tian Xinhua, weren’t you saying I was boasting? How come you are enjoying it so much now?" Sisi still remembered Tian Xinhua’s earlier scorn.

Tian Xinhua withdrew his hand, blowing on it and shamelessly bickering, "I’m just taste testing! Just in case it’s bad, let the poison affect only me. I’m sacrificing myself to protect the whole family."

Just as Sisi was about to retort, she suddenly heard a commotion outside—men’s cursing mixed with a girl’s cries of agony. Tian Xinhua and Tian Shouhua changed their expressions and rushed out first, with Sisi following them.

It turned out that Zhong Liangcai was dragging along a battered Zhong Yuying by the Tian Family’s doorstep, performing a dramatic scene. Zhong Liangzhang, holding a thick wooden stick in his hand, cursed, "I’ll beat you to death, you little brute! How could you be so greedy for a bit of petty gain and push someone? I’ll kill you first, you beast."

Zhong Liangcai was continuously cursing, striking down with his wooden stick on Zhong Yuying who rolled and cried on the ground, "Sisi, please beg for mercy on my behalf! I truly didn’t mean to push you. Please help me, or my Daddy will kill me."

PS: Thanks to the support from I Love Myself XX and XW Meow Meow!