Chapter 492 - 432: Lending a Hand
Chapter 492: Chapter 432: Lending a Hand
It was rare to host a banquet on the first day of the Lunar New Year. However, the Gu and Tang Families had been close for generations, and for years they had held a tradition of taking turns hosting holiday reunion meals. This year, it was the Tang family’s turn to host the New Year’s Day feast. They figured that some very close old friends might stop by to pay their respects for the New Year, and if they did, how could they not be invited to join? It would be improper to invite some but not others. After a few phone calls, it became clear the guest list wouldn’t be small. So, after a discussion with Tang Qingshan and Ai Wenli, Grandma Tang decided they should prepare plenty of extra food and drinks and simply host a proper New Year’s banquet.
This New Year’s Day, Xiao Man didn’t go out visiting to collect red envelopes. At sixteen, she was already a young lady, after all. She wouldn’t have minded acting younger than her age, but Pang Xiaoji and her other friends also felt they were too old and were too embarrassed to go around collecting red envelopes as a group anymore. Gu Shaoqin and Tang Haocheng, on the other hand, had gone out, dragged from the house by a group of friends who had come calling for them.
With the banquet being held at home today, Xiao Man was busy from the moment she woke up. Grandma Tang hadn’t wanted her to get involved. ’What kind of young lady spends New Year’s Day cooped up in the kitchen instead of going out to have fun?’ But Xiao Man insisted, pointing out that Mrs. Ai was pregnant and the smell of cooking fumes made her feel sick. Could they really expect *her* to cook? Grandma Tang couldn’t bear that thought, so in the end, she gave in. Xiao Man took charge as head chef, with Grandma Tang and the housekeeper acting as her assistants and following her instructions.
Before any guests arrived, Gu Shaojun came into the kitchen to help. Tang Qingshan walked in a little later and was surprised to see Gu Shaojun washing and chopping vegetables so competently. Then he remembered that soldiers were required to take turns on mess duty for training, and it didn’t seem so strange anymore. ’This kid is slick,’ he thought with an inward sigh. ’He seizes every possible opportunity to get close to my Manman. Manman is at the counter prepping ingredients, so of course he has to stand right beside her to wash and chop vegetables. The water is boiling and the poultry has already been bled, so why isn’t he over there helping the housekeeper pluck the chickens and ducks?’
Gu Shaojun watched Xiao Man prepare several cold appetizers. He tasted each one and found them all delicious, marveling as he asked her how she had come to love cooking. He told her she was already skilled enough to rival a professional restaurant chef.
Xiao Man giggled, saying only that she’d been a foodie since she was little and loved to eat. She explained that she always enjoyed watching people cook, and when she tried it herself, she really put her heart into it. Later, she found some cookbooks at a bookstore, bought a whole stack to study at home, and that was how she learned a little of both northern and southern styles of cuisine.
’Of course, she couldn’t tell him the truth: ’You’re the one who let me learn this in our past life! You even told me to strive for perfection—that if I was going to learn, I had to master it!’
Unfortunately, no craft is mastered overnight, and cooking is no exception. It takes countless hours of practice to refine one’s technique and develop a true feel for it. In her past life, by the time Xiao Man’s culinary skills had truly developed their own unique flair and finesse, Gu Shaojun was already long gone. He never got to taste the delicious meals she made with her own hands.
’Thankfully, I’ve been given a second chance. Brother Shaojun, in this life, you can enjoy it all to your heart’s content! Once we’re married, I promise I’ll make you fresh, wonderful meals every single day.’
The adults’ predictions had been correct. Sure enough, several groups of people came to the house to pay their New Year’s respects. There were Grandpa Tang’s colleagues and some old friends who had just returned to Beijing from out of province. There were also two groups of Mr. Tang’s friends. Foreign Minister Pang, the man who had given Xiao Man gifts on several occasions, was among them.
Foreign Minister Pang’s gifts were always unique and expensive. This time, he brought Xiao Man two beautifully wrapped square boxes tied with pink satin bows, plus a thick red envelope. Beaming, he said to Xiao Man, "A New Year’s gift for my goddaughter must come in a set of two! And the lucky money has to be more than what her own father gives! Come on, my dear girl, call me Godfather!"
Xiao Man simply held the two beautiful boxes and smiled sweetly, not needing to say a word. Tang Qingshan had already appeared behind Foreign Minister Pang. He clapped him on the shoulder, slung an arm around him, and began dragging him toward the tea table where Grandpa Tang, Grandpa Gu, and the other elders were gathered. "You don’t even have a wife and you want to be a godfather? Not a chance! Aren’t you supposed to be a smooth talker? And look at you with all this free time. Perfect. Go keep the old-timers company and cure their boredom!"
Foreign Minister Pang, caught in the hold, ducked his head, one arm pinned. "Hey, hey!" he yelped. "I said, go easy on me, will you? Who do you think you’re arresting? So what if you have a wife? Is that so amazing? You get married and suddenly you’re this keyed up, even stronger than me. You could never beat me back when we wrestled on the grasslands!"
Xiao Man couldn’t help but snort with laughter. ’That’s the first time I’ve ever heard someone say getting married makes you stronger...’
Before noon, Tang Haocheng and Gu Shaoqin returned with three or four of their friends in tow. A couple of girls from a neighboring family also came over to see Xiao Man, and she invited them to stay for the meal. The gathering, originally planned for just the Tang and Gu Families, would have only required two tables. But with so many people showing up, they ended up setting out six full tables for the banquet—including, of course, one for their family’s security personnel and the staff of their guests.