Chapter 28: Chapter 028 Azure Dragon, White Tiger
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The village chief’s wife, the key figure of all the gossip, arrived, and the excitement would certainly escalate. But neither Sheng Ning nor her daughter had the heart to watch the scene. On their way back, they happened to run into Sheng Laosan, who had come out looking for them.
“What’s wrong, daughter? Who made you angry?” Sheng Laosan had always treated Sheng An as his own daughter over the years. Because his eldest daughter was willful and spoiled, he felt more guilty toward his younger daughter.
“Sheng Ning went to the General Union, and Sheng Laosan cherished Sheng An even more.”
“Did someone say something unpleasant again?”
“No, Dad, why did you come out?” Sheng An thought her father would be excited and fussing over Sheng Ning now that she was back. She felt a bit sour at first, but seeing her dad come out to look for them immediately made her smile broadly.
Shen Luhua noticed her daughter’s little thoughts and originally wanted to scold her. But when she thought about her stepdaughter calling her ‘Mom,’ she couldn’t help but chuckle foolishly.
“Lao San, how could you leave Ningning at home alone? It’s mealtime; let’s go home and cook.”
“Oh! Alright, alright.” He had come out specifically to find his wife to cook.
After getting familiar with the kitchen, Sheng Ning first steamed a pot of white rice, then cleaned and chopped some radishes. She took the last bit of lard from the oil container and made her specialty: radishes in meat sauce.
Although there was no meat, the lard could still suffice.
Using firewood, she slowly stewed it, and soon, a tempting aroma that made the mouth water wafted through the air.
Leeks were easy to prepare. First, they were blanched, then quickly stir-fried with hot oil for two or three seconds. Adding the right amount of salt, the dish was ready.
Because she controlled the heat well and stir-fried quickly, the simple stir-fried leeks looked vibrant and tasty.
After finishing everything, Sheng Ning felt it wasn’t enough, so she ran to their vegetable garden and picked two cucumbers. She came back, cut them into pieces, crushed some garlic, and mixed it with vinegar to make a simple and refreshing cold cucumber dish.
The hotel where Sheng Ning used to work excelled at Sichuan and Huaiyang cuisine. Every dish Southern people made looked exquisite and was full of color, aroma, and flavor.
So, she wasn’t very good at the Northeastern mixed stews and was better at making Southern dishes.
“Lao San, are you home?” A rough voice came from the yard. Sheng Ning wiped her hands with her apron and hurried out.
In the yard stood a middle-aged man in his fifties, tall and burly, looking particularly intimidating. He was a typical Northeastern man, the kind with a Left Green Dragon tattoo on one arm and a Right White Tiger on the other.
When the man saw Sheng Ning, his face immediately blossomed into a smile. Unfortunately, he looked so fierce that his smile often scared a group of children crying.
Sheng Ning’s expression was calm as she curiously asked, “Who are you?”
“Huh? You didn’t show a scared expression?” Xu Xianxiong’s fierce eyes were full of surprise, but he grew more satisfied with Sheng Ning.
He had chosen Sheng Ning as a wife for his son purely because he had heard she was beautiful. I mean, which man doesn’t like good-looking women? His son, almost thirty, hadn’t married yet. In the past few years, they had no time to talk about marriage, being on the battlefield. Now that they could finally marry, they of course wanted the most beautiful girl. Even though he was scorned countless times for this decision, Xu Xianxiong remained firm.
“Marry a virtuous wife” was all nonsense.
Unfortunately, his son was unwilling. Xu Xianxiong wanted to rush to the rescue team and beat that brat up.
Leaving such a beautiful wife behind, he would regret it someday.
“…” Should she act very scared? She wondered if there was still time.