Chapter 40 Then Let's All Go

Two hundred coins a day—this was already considered a generous wage for a cook. When Aunt Luo set this price, it was partly because Wenyao’s culinary skills were indeed exceptional, and partly because Wenyao was family; naturally, she wanted to look out for her a little.

Luo was quite satisfied with the pay, but she was worried that Wenyao was too young. If something went wrong and Aunt Luo ended up in trouble, she feared that Wenyao would be blamed. With this in mind, Luo decided it was best to voice her concerns upfront.

“If we let Wenyao go, what if something goes awry?” Luo asked.

Aunt Luo was momentarily at a loss; she hadn’t considered that. She’d simply thought Wenyao’s cooking was good and her dishes novel—surely enough to bring their family a fine reputation. She hadn’t thought about potential mishaps. But quickly, Aunt Luo collected herself and replied, “Wenyao won’t have to do much—just cook and watch the heat in the kitchen. We’ve hired helpers for everything else. As long as she keeps an eye on things, nothing will go wrong.”

Luo glanced at Wenyao, who nodded eagerly, urging her grandmother to agree. Since that was the case, Luo decided they would go. If need be, she could bring her two daughters-in-law to help in the kitchen and keep an eye on things herself.

“All right then. Wenyao, aren’t you going to thank your aunt for this opportunity?” Luo said.

Wenyao quickly bowed. “Thank you, Aunt, for giving me this chance. Rest assured, I promise that Second Cousin’s wedding banquet will be the talk of the county.”

Aunt Luo was delighted; finally, a major worry was resolved, and she felt much relieved. “Good, then I’ll count on you. The wedding is coming up fast—see what else we need to prepare, and I’ll have people get it ready. By the way, this dish—the braised pork intestine—does it count as one of the main courses?”

Wenyao, recalling the dish’s reputation, asked, “Aunt, aren’t you afraid the guests will think it’s too rustic for a banquet?”

But Aunt Luo simply waved her hand and laughed. “What does it matter? Once they actually taste it, they’ll know how good it is. The whole point is to surprise them. Just wait until you see everyone’s reaction when it’s brought out and when they taste it—it’ll be fun.”

Wenyao raised her brows in amusement. The old lady had quite the ideas.

“All right, then we’ll count it in. How about the homestyle tofu—should that be included too?” Wenyao asked.

Aunt Luo nodded. “Yes, include it. Then look over the rest of the menu. We’ll have an eight-dish banquet: eight vegetarian, eight meat. No need for extravagant delicacies—country folks just want a taste of something savory.”

With that, Wenyao felt confident. She patted her chest. “Don’t worry, Aunt, you can leave it all to me.”

“Of course, I’m perfectly at ease with you in charge,” Aunt Luo said with a smile.

Luo shot Wenyao a half-serious glare. “Be careful and help your aunt manage things well, or I’ll have words with you later.”

“Grandma, it’s no problem,” Wenyao replied with a mischievous wink. Eight dishes—both affordable and practical—were no challenge for Chef Wen.

Aunt Luo spent a cheerful afternoon at the Wen household, discussing plans with Wenyao. Together, they finalized the banquet menu, and Wenyao made a list of what Aunt Luo should prepare and what they would handle themselves. In truth, what they needed to prepare mostly consisted of the braised pork intestines.

After sending Aunt Luo off, Luo gathered the family and announced, “On the day of your aunt’s banquet, you all will help. Both Second and Third Daughter-in-law will come with me to assist in the kitchen. Second and Third sons, you’ll stay close and help carry things as needed. Since your aunt is entrusting this to Wenyao, we can’t let anything go wrong.”

Li, the second daughter-in-law, grumbled, “So we’re going to work, not to enjoy the feast?”

Luo glared at her. “If you don’t want to help, you can stay home. All you ever think about is eating.”

In truth, helping in the kitchen was a coveted job. Unless relations were particularly close, most families would never invite outsiders into the kitchen, since the leftovers at a banquet were always divided among the kitchen helpers.

Li shrank back. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t go.”

Luo knew exactly what kind of person her second daughter-in-law was: not particularly clever, but not malicious either—just used to a hard life, and a bit calculating. As for the third daughter-in-law, Cai, she was the type to do whatever was asked without complaint.

“Grandma, let us help too,” Wen Nong, the second eldest child, volunteered.

Luo waved him off. “No need. You and your siblings will go with your second cousin to escort the bride. If you all went, it’d look like we were taking over the whole kitchen. What would the other helpers think? That’s settled—everyone knows what to do.”

With that, Luo returned to her room.

As soon as she left, the children crowded around Wenyao, all talking at once, asking how she knew how to make so many delicious things.

What could Wenyao say? She simply credited the ever-resourceful Liu, and no one could find fault with that.

That evening, when Wen Xiuyi and Wen Jun returned from their stall, Wenyao told them about the upcoming banquet. Both father and son were taken aback at the scale of the task.

“Wenyao, are you sure you can handle this?” Wen Xiuyi wasn’t doubting her skills—he just knew she’d only ever cooked for their family, or at most, a handful of guests from the agricultural institute. Now, she was to manage an entire wedding banquet.

“Are you sure? Maybe I should help you,” he suggested.

Wenyao laughed. “What, are you planning to make a table full of fried rice?”

Wen Xiuyi grinned. “Well, why not?”

Wenyao burst out laughing at his joke, and even Wen Jun and Da Tou couldn’t hold back their amusement—one smiling gently, the other covering his mouth to stifle a laugh.

“Aunt would probably kick you out on the spot,” Wenyao replied frankly.

Wen Xiuyi was only teasing; he knew his own cooking skills. Best not to risk making a table of fried rice and becoming the laughingstock of the wedding.

“Let’s close up shop for the day. We haven’t taken a day off in over a month anyway. We’ll have a break and go help out our family’s master chef,” Wen Xiuyi declared.

After dinner, Wen Jun took it upon himself to do the dishes while Wen Xiuyi continued teaching Da Tou to read. Although the boy couldn’t speak, he wrote well and learned quickly, which delighted Wen Xiuyi.

But tonight, Wen Xiuyi handed Da Tou a stick to play with, then sat nearby, his gaze fixed on the kitchen.

“Dad, what are you looking at?” Wenyao asked, munching on pumpkin seeds she’d brought from the old house—her grandfather had secretly given them to her.