Chapter 54: Holidays Are All About Eating and Drinking!

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Holidays Are All About Eating and Drinking!

At 6:00 a.m., Chen Jingle was woken up by the System’s alarm as usual.

"System, I’m taking half a day off. Please adjust my morning schedule and move it to the evening. I need to visit my relatives."

[Understood. Your schedule has been replanned, little Chen Jingle. Since it’s a holiday today, there will be a lot of traffic and people on the road. Please pay attention to your safety when going out.]

"Got it."

With that taken care of, his morning was free for him to arrange as he pleased. He had a lot to do today. Aside from preparing gifts for his two uncles and two aunts on his mother’s side, as well as for Second Uncle’s family, his two aunts on his father’s side would also likely return to their maiden home today.

"Oh, and there’s Chen Xiuyun!" She was definitely coming back.

So, he had to prepare a total of eight gifts. In addition to the standard mooncakes, pork, and fruits, he planned to prepare a few extra items based on his own preferences.

"First, I’ll go to the supermarket to buy meat!"

Without a doubt, there would be a lot of people buying meat today. If he went even a little late, all the good cuts would be gone. Therefore, the first thing Chen Jingle did after getting out of bed was drive to the supermarket. Today was destined to be a massive shopping trip.

Aside from the usual gifts, Chen Jingle also planned to make some soy-braised pork buns and beef stew with potatoes. Both of these were large-portion dishes that were presentable and wouldn’t look shabby. Moreover, they wouldn’t take up too much time.

In truth, this kind of holiday was just an excuse for everyone to sit together, eat, and drink. Eating and drinking well was the greatest happiness. And when it came to food and drink, this was Chen Jingle’s forte!

However, the key was how to show off his skills a little in front of his relatives without attracting too much attention. If he showed off too successfully, he would become the head chef for all future family gatherings, which felt a bit like being forced into a role he didn’t want.

Chen Jingle liked cooking, but that didn’t mean he liked cooking for others. Large gatherings with relatives and friends were especially exhausting. Helping out occasionally was fine, but being singled out every single time would be a headache. Just as cooking was fine as a hobby, if it became a profession, one would gradually grow tired of it.

After returning from the supermarket.

Chen Jingle put the groceries away and prepared to head out for his workout. Busy as he was, two or three hours would be more than enough time for everything else, so he couldn’t skip his exercise.

Meanwhile, at the Teacher College track field.

The girl who had been looking forward to seeing if he would come running today had been sitting in the stands for nearly half an hour. Having seen no sign of him, she was deeply disappointed.

She thought to herself, "Looks like he’s not coming today."

Just as she was about to leave, Chen Jingle appeared. She instantly felt a surge of pleasant surprise. She didn’t quite know how to describe this feeling—perhaps it was like finding a silver lining just when all hope seemed lost.

Due to his time constraints, Chen Jingle only ran three kilometers today. He was a bit baffled to see the girl from yesterday reappearing in the stands, but after seeing her wave at him in greeting, he subconsciously nodded back in a friendly gesture.

He was in a pretty good mood today.

[Awesome job, baby! You have successfully completed your exercise task. Rewarding 0.1 kg of strength. Current strength: 40.3 kg.]

See! The feeling of growing stronger day by day was simply exhilarating!

He had a simple breakfast of two steamed buns at the Teacher College. Upon returning home, Chen Jingle got to work.

After kneading the dough, he used the resting time to prepare the meat filling and the beef for the stew. His kitchen knife flew into action. This time, he unleashed the full power of his knife skills; he chopped the ingredients so fast that the blade left afterimages.

He started on the soy-braised pork filling first. He felt that making buns was the most troublesome part. Although the beef stew with potatoes was also time-consuming, once the ingredients were chopped and thrown into the pot, the rest was just a waiting game.

The buns were different. Kneading the dough, letting it rest, preparing the filling, kneading it again, rolling out the wrappers, wrapping the buns, putting them in the steamer... There were truly too many steps.

Chen Jingle operated two stoves simultaneously. It was a bit hectic, but manageable. By the time the soy-braised pork filling was done, the dough had rested enough.

Time to make the buns!

The time came to 9:30 a.m.

Chen Xiuyun’s signature cackling laughter rang out from outside the courtyard. "Hey, classmate Chen Jingle!"

Chen Jingle stepped out of the house and saw her waving her arms and bouncing around like a monkey playing in the waves at the beach, completely lacking any adult maturity. Behind her followed Lin Yaoheng with a helpless expression. Their small red Nissan Tiida was parked right next to them.

"Brother Le!"

"You’re here? Welcome, welcome."

Chen Xiuyun handed over the plastic bag in her hand. "Here, for you! I already gave you mooncakes before, so I didn’t bring any this time. Just two catties of grapes and two catties of lean meat."

"Thanks." Chen Jingle chuckled as he took it. "Wait a second, I’ll get your share so you can put it in the car first. You can put the meat in your dad’s fridge for now."

After putting Chen Xiuyun’s bag away, he grabbed the gift he had prepared well in advance from the corner of the living room and handed it to Lin Yaoheng. Alas, traditional customs were traditional customs.

"What smells so good?" Chen Xiuyun’s nose began to do its job.

Chen Jingle pointed to the kitchen inside the house and said, "I made some beef stew with potatoes. Help me carry it upstairs later for lunch."

"Ah?!" Chen Xiuyun and Lin Yaoheng’s eyes went wide. They rushed into the kitchen and were instantly stunned.

"Is this whole pot filled with it?" Lin Yaoheng asked in astonishment.

Chen Xiuyun lifted the lid of the pot and immediately swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "Holy crap, this smells incredible!!"

Lin Yaoheng couldn’t quite handle it. The meat’s aroma was far too rich, stirring up the gluttonous worms in his stomach. "Brother Le, you actually have these kinds of skills?"

"I learned it recently from a master’s video online."

"Amazing!"

"Looks like we’re in for a treat this noon."

"Should we carry it up now?" Chen Xiuyun asked.

Chen Jingle pointed to the steamer resting nearby. "There are some soy-braised pork buns too."

He had already packed away the portions he needed to bring to his uncle’s house and set them aside. The same went for the beef stew with potatoes.

"Ah? You made those yourself too?" Chen Xiuyun asked in surprise. "What time did you get up this morning? Don’t tell me you were up at three or four o’clock."

"Of course not, I woke up at 6:00 a.m. like normal. As long as you’re skilled, it’s actually pretty fast," Chen Jingle said, shaking his head.

Chen Xiuyun gave him a thumbs up. "Badass! So, are we heading to my house now?"

Chen Jingle nodded. "Yeah, let’s head over first. I still have to drop by my uncle’s place later, and I’ll try my best to rush back before lunch starts."

"You still have to make a run over there?" Lin Yaoheng asked, surprised.

Chen Jingle threw his hands up. "Can’t be helped. My parents aren’t home."

"Fair enough!" Chen Xiuyun said, shooting a look at her husband. "Lin Yaoheng, get to it! Be careful not to drop it!"

After handing the bag in his hand to Chen Xiuyun, Lin Yaoheng reached out to help carry the large pot of beef stew with potatoes.

Chen Jingle waved his hand. "I can get it."

"No, no, no, Brother Le, let me do it," Lin Yaoheng said, quickly grabbing two rags to use as potholders.

Chen Xiuyun grinned. "Let him do it. He only came here to help me with the chores. He’s just carrying a dish; it’s not like he needs to cook. He’s just waiting to stuff his face."

"Hehe," Lin Yaoheng chuckled good-naturedly.

Later, upstairs at Second Aunt’s house.

"Brother Le!"

"Sister Xiu, Brother Heng."

Little Douding, Chen Qiyun, had woken up quite early today. However, she had been dragged by her mom to help with the chores and was currently picking vegetables. Seeing Chen Jingle and the others come upstairs, her eyes instantly lit up.

Seeing the trio’s setup, Second Aunt asked in surprise, "Why is Yaoheng carrying a pot?"

Chen Xiuyun grinned. "It’s from classmate Chen Jingle’s house. He said he made beef stew with potatoes, and it smells amazing to me."

"Where are my older and younger aunts?" Chen Jingle asked.

"They just sent a message saying they’ve headed out. I reckon it’ll be another half hour before they arrive," Second Aunt replied.