Chapter 859 - 862: Craftsmanship
Chapter 859: Chapter 862: Craftsmanship
Jin Qianqian tried her best to downplay her emotions, shifting all her attention to her two sons standing before her.
"In that case, I will have to taste your cooking today. Since you are going to cook, make a few more dishes. We’ll go over and keep your grandmother company for a meal," she said.
A hint of worry flashed in Jin Qianqian’s eyes as she thought of Li Cuicui, who hadn’t come to see them off today. In the past, the old lady had never missed a farewell.
Gu Benluo nodded. "Then Second Brother and I will go see what ingredients we have today."
They were currently observing a mourning period, which meant no extravagant meat or fish dishes were allowed. Stir-frying a few light, simple vegetable dishes was quite easy for them.
Still worried about Li Cuicui, Jin Qianqian brought her servants to the old lady’s courtyard. To her surprise, her sisters-in-law had arrived before her and looked slightly taken aback to see her.
"Mother." Jin Qianqian saw Li Cuicui sitting in the courtyard. The older woman’s complexion looked normal, though the rims of her eyes were slightly red.
"The daughter of the Jin Family is here," Li Cuicui said, carefully observing Jin Qianqian’s face. "You don’t look like you’ve rested well. You should have stayed home to get more rest. Nothing important is going on here."
She hadn’t gone to see Old Seventh off because she knew she was getting older and increasingly unable to handle the sorrow of parting. She had been afraid that her presence would only cause more trouble.
Jin Qianqian replied, "It gets depressing staying at home all alone, so I came over to chat with everyone.
"Since we are all here, I’ll send someone to tell Luo Luo and his brother to cook a few more dishes. Everyone can taste their cooking today."
Li Cuicui’s expression shifted slightly. "Why would you let them work in the kitchen? You have so many servants around to wait on you."
Hearing the subtle blame in her tone, Jin Qianqian smiled and said, "Their father told them that even with ten thousand taels of Gold at home, it is better to have a humble skill to rely on.
"Although their main priority isn’t cooking, learning an extra skill gives them another way to survive."
Upon hearing that it was Gu Wenheng’s idea, Li Cuicui smiled and scolded, "And you just let that father and his sons mess around as they please? Could you and your husband truly bear to watch the children go hungry?"
Jin Qianqian knew that some people’s mindsets were hard to change. Even when they first made the children learn to cook, the maids and older female servants around them had tactfully tried to dissuade them. She could tell from the old lady’s tone that she was displeased, but this wouldn’t affect how they educated their children.
"Whether they go hungry or not, we can’t protect them forever," Jin Qianqian said with a smile. "Their father and I will grow old one day."
As soon as Jin Qianqian said this, Liu Liu quickly chimed in with a laugh, "Let’s not talk about things so far in the future! Mother, you are in for a treat today. You’re about to enjoy your grandsons’ filial piety.
"I’ll have to reserve a spot here to bask in your good fortune."
She thought to herself that Old Seventh’s wife was speaking a bit inappropriately today. As her sister-in-law, she had to help smooth things over. Everyone knew the old lady couldn’t bear to hear talk of aging, sickness, and death right now, yet Old Seventh’s wife had still brought it up—she was just asking for trouble.
At this moment, Xie Ruyi also smiled and said, "Speaking of working in the kitchen, Gu Lejia has been doing it a lot these days.
"Ever since he was scolded by his Seventh Uncle the other day, he has been reflecting on himself and trying to find a way out.
"But it’s too late for him to learn much else now. He later consulted Mr. Liu and decided to follow his own interests by walking the path of a chef."
It was the first time anyone had heard of this, and even Li Cuicui’s attention was diverted. The other children never required much worry, but Gu Lejia had always been the biggest headache.
"Really?" Li Cuicui asked, staring intently at Xie Ruyi, having completely forgotten the previous topic.
Liu Liu patted the seat beside her, signaling for Jin Qianqian to come over and sit down.
Xie Ruyi’s face lit up with a smile as she spoke of it. "Of course it’s true. It’s just that the boy has never done this before, so he’s been hiding at home messing around blindly every day.
"He has been delivering the meals for his father and me recently. However, his cooking skills are still too unpresentable, so we didn’t dare send any over to torture the rest of you."
As long as he was willing to do something, it was better than being a mindless string puppet. In the past, whenever his father gave him a task, he would only move when directly ordered to do so. Now that he finally had an interest of his own, Xie Ruyu couldn’t care less whether being a chef was considered an unpresentable profession.
Jin Qianqian nodded in appreciation. "People can never detach themselves from basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter. If he sincerely wants to learn, you can take him to the back kitchen of Tianfu Restaurant to observe. It’s much better than him blindly tinkering away on his own."
Xie Ruyi smiled happily at Jin Qianqian. "Then I’ll thank you on behalf of the child! It’s all thanks to you and Old Seventh caring enough to knock some sense into him. I really hope he can master a practical skill so he’ll have a clear path forward in the future."
She had even discussed it privately with Gu Yuanjin. If Gu Lejia actually managed to learn something, they would give him some Silver to buy a storefront and open a small restaurant so he could make a living.
"That’s great," Li Cuicui agreed. "Whenever we host a banquet or something in our village, we always have to hire a head chef from outside. It looks like our family won’t have to look elsewhere for help in the future."
Jin Qianqian laughed inwardly at Li Cuicui’s double standards.
Xie Ruyi realized she might have spoken too hastily and quickly backpedaled, "Mother, it’s still way too early for that. Just make sure you don’t spread the word. It’s rare for the boy to actually be interested in something.
"Wait until he finishes his training, and I’ll have him prepare a whole feast for everyone here."
...
The group continued to chat about anything and everything. No one brought up the idea of leaving. Even the Gu Family Brothers, who had been busy outside for a while, all gathered in the small courtyard.
Seeing so many people waiting around, Jin Qianqian couldn’t help but worry for her two brats. She could only hope they had prepared enough food, considering how many elders were sitting there waiting for a show.
When Gu Benluo returned with servants carrying food boxes, the sisters-in-law had already set the tables and arranged the bowls and chopsticks themselves, entirely bypassing the need for the servants to intervene.
Gu Benluo fell utterly speechless.
Jin Qianqian quietly slipped over to his side and asked in a low voice, "How did it go? Did you prepare a few extra dishes?"
She had sent someone over to notify them earlier, but she hadn’t truly believed the two boys would manage to prepare adequately.
Gu Benluo gave her a reassuring look. The food boxes were opened one by one, revealing beautifully plated vegetarian dishes that were laid out across the table.
"Even simple cooking can be this exquisite?" Xie Ruyi’s mouth parted slightly in awe. Suddenly, she began to feel a deep sense of worry regarding Gu Lejia’s dream of becoming a chef.
Comparing this to the charred, blackened dishes her own son had been delivering these past few days, this was what it truly meant to be pleasing to the eye.
Although they were just a few vegetarian dishes, they were plated in several distinct styles, looking perfect in color, aroma, and taste, making everyone hesitant to ruin them with their chopsticks.
She thought back to what she and her husband had been forcing down recently—enduring several stomachaches in absolute silence. For the first time, she began to seriously doubt whether Gu Lejia possessed any talent for this.
She just hoped he wouldn’t end up wasting his time, only to become completely discouraged again.
"Did you two brothers really make all of this?" Li Cuicui asked, feeling a bit suspicious. The cook at Old Seventh’s house should be around this level of skill.
Could these two children be passing off the cook’s hard work as their own?
Gu Ben Can poked his head out from behind his older brother. "Grandma, my brother and I made all of these. What do you think? The plating isn’t perfect, but they taste pretty good! Honestly, I even sneaked a taste."
Seeing Gu Ben Can’s vibrant, energetic face, Li Cuicui reached out and beckoned him over. "Cancan is so capable! You can even cook meals now."