Chapter 62 Preparation Must Be Thorough

When they arrived at the Jiao family home, many people were already bustling about. The groom-to-be, Jiao Yang, came out to greet them as soon as he saw them.

“Aunt, Uncle, you’re here!” Jiao Yang’s skin was dark, and he carried himself with righteousness.

Mrs. Luo and Old Wen wore smiles, offering their heartfelt congratulations to Jiao Yang. He blushed, but his complexion made it hard to notice.

He then greeted the rest of the Wen family, finally stopping before Wen Yao. Facing his niece, Jiao Yang scratched his head shyly. “Yao Yao, I’ll leave Second Uncle’s matters to you.”

Wen Yao nodded, “Don’t worry, Second Uncle. I’ll make sure everything is beautiful and perfect for you.”

“Hehe, that’s great, that’s great. Let me take you to the kitchen to see what else needs preparing. Father, Mother, please entertain Aunt and Uncle.” After greeting everyone, Jiao Yang led Wen Yao toward the kitchen.

As they walked together, Wen Yao noticed her cousin walked with a slight limp. Perhaps sensing her curiosity, Jiao Yang smiled, “I was injured on the battlefield. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been sent back. In a place like that, just surviving is a blessing.”

Wen Yao fell silent. Indeed, the cruelty of war is always greater than words can convey.

“Things will only get better from now on,” Wen Yao finally said.

Jiao Yang paused, glanced at the lively courtyard, and replied with a knowing smile, “Yes, things will only get better.”

As they spoke, the two arrived at the kitchen. The helpers at the Jiao house saw Jiao Yang leading a little girl inside. Mrs. Luo had already explained that their family’s chef for the wedding feast was her sister’s granddaughter. Everyone had assumed she would be a young woman, but to their surprise, she was a girl barely ten years old.

“Jiao Yang, your mother can’t be serious, right? This girl isn’t even as tall as the stove. Can she really do it?” asked one of the helper women.

Her words carried no malice; after all, entrusting the wedding feast to a child sounded absurd on such a joyous day.

Jiao Yang himself wasn’t entirely confident, but Mrs. Luo had insisted this was Wen Yao’s task. He had no choice but to trust his mother. Now that Wen Yao was here, he couldn’t undermine her in front of everyone.

“Auntie, don’t worry. Our Yao Yao is very capable. Just follow her instructions,” Jiao Yang said.

Wen Yao smiled gently. “That’s right, Aunties. As long as you do as I say, there won’t be any issues with the banquet. You can rest easy.”

With Wen Yao’s reassurance, the helpers could hardly object further. They were only there to help, not to make decisions. If the hosts trusted this girl, it was not their place to worry.

After introductions, Wen Yao set to work, rolling up her sleeves and inspecting every ingredient and prepared dish in the kitchen, leaving nothing unchecked.

Jiao Yang watched her skilled movements and felt much more at ease. Even the skeptical aunties, seeing her expertise, began to trust her.

Mrs. Luo and her daughter-in-law greeted the Jiao family relatives and soon joined the busy kitchen, along with Mrs. Li, Mrs. Cai, and others who arrived late.

Jiao Yang stayed for a while, making sure everyone was settled and working well together. Seeing no one causing trouble in the kitchen, he left at Mrs. Luo’s urging to attend to other preparations.

The banquet would be held tomorrow, but today they had to prepare as much as possible. Tofu needed to be fried in advance, and Wen Yao planned to make crispy meat for the Three Delicacies Soup. Soon, the kitchen was filled with delicious aromas.

The helpers finally became convinced of Wen Yao’s abilities. Her seasoning for the crispy meat made it taste even better than usual.

Some were curious about Wen Yao’s recipes, but once Mrs. Luo and her daughters-in-law arrived, only their family worked in the kitchen. The others were sent outside. With Mrs. Luo guarding the kitchen, there was no chance of learning her secrets—even watching from afar was impossible.

Thus, the whole family worked at the Jiao house until afternoon. Wen Yao and Mrs. Luo busied themselves in the kitchen, while Wen Xiu Yi and his brothers helped Jiao Yang outside. By evening, everything was ready.

The kitchen was filled with prepared dishes, waiting to be cooked the next day. The family would return home and come back in the morning.

“Why don’t Yao Yao stay here tonight? There’s room for her, and it’ll save her an early morning tomorrow,” Mrs. Luo suggested as they were about to leave.

Jiao Yang’s elder brother, Jiao Jian, had two daughters. If Wen Yao stayed, she would have to sleep with them. Memories of sharing a bed with two eels last night made Wen Yao reluctant, though she kept a polite smile.

Luckily, Mrs. Luo rescued her, knowing this girl wouldn’t sleep well with others. “There are so many people here; let’s not trouble ourselves. Yao Yao will come home with us and return together tomorrow morning.”

Mrs. Luo’s insistence left Mrs. Luo Jr. no choice but to escort them to the village entrance.

Watching the family leave laughing and chatting, Old Jiao finally sighed with relief and said to Mrs. Luo Jr., “I was worried that Yao Yao was too young to handle this.”

Mrs. Luo Jr. shot him a glance. “You never believe me. My sister’s children can’t possibly be lacking.” With that, she hummed a tune as she headed home, delighted by the thought of drinking daughter-in-law tea tomorrow.

Old Jiao chuckled as he followed after her.

Back at the old house, Wen Yao squinted and collapsed onto Mrs. Luo and Old Wen’s bed.

“Ah! So tired.”

She had risen early, worked all day, and refused to let Wen Xiu Yi and his brothers push her home, insisting on walking herself. Now, not only was she exhausted, her feet were sore—the journey to the Jiao house was much farther than a trip to town.

She deeply missed her little electric scooter.

Mrs. Luo came in, saw her sprawled like a dead fish, and rolled her eyes in annoyance. “I told you to do more work, but you never listen, always believing your mother’s nonsense about pampering daughters. You’ve barely walked any distance and you’re already worn out.”

Despite her words, Mrs. Luo sat beside her and pulled Wen Yao’s feet over, removing her shoes and socks to reveal blisters from walking.

“Silly girl, if your shoes are too small, why didn’t you say anything?” Mrs. Luo scolded, giving her leg a gentle slap.