Chapter 55: Seeing in a New Light

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Seeing in a New Light

Second Aunt and the others didn’t know what Chen Jingle’s potato and beef stew tasted like, but Chen Qiyun definitely did!

Hearing her older sister mention that Chen Jingle had made the stew, she was instantly ecstatic.

"AWOO! I’m lifting my seal today! I’m going to eat until I drop!"

Chen Jingle handed the large bag containing mooncakes, fruit, pork, and sauced meat buns to Second Aunt.

"What’s this?" Second Aunt asked, taking it in confusion. Wow, it was heavy.

"Mooncakes, pork, fruit, and some sauced meat buns I made."

"Sauced meat buns?!"

Hearing this, Chen Qiyun almost fainted from happiness. She thought, "Mom, I love holidays so much! If only every day was the Mid-Autumn Festival!"

"Oh my, what are you doing? We already have more mooncakes and fruit at home than we can finish, and the fridge can’t fit that much meat," Second Aunt complained.

Chen Jingle smiled. "It’s fine. It’s not like you have to finish it all today."

Isn’t it completely normal in the Lingnan Region to eat mooncakes and rice cakes for a whole month straight?

Chen Qiyun had already lunged over. "Sauced meat buns! I want to eat the sauced meat buns!"

Second Aunt irritably swatted her hand away. "You’re filthy. You’ve been picking vegetables this whole time. Wash your hands first if you want to eat."

Chen Xiuyun, however, sensed something unusual and narrowed her eyes. She wondered, "Since when did Chen Qiyun like eating buns so much? Doesn’t she prefer rice noodle rolls?"

Only then did Second Aunt realize what had been said. Looking at the large bag of sauced meat buns, she asked in surprise, "Le, did you say you made these yourself?"

"Yeah."

"They look beautiful. Much better than the ones I make."

Chen Jingle just smiled and didn’t say anything.

Chen Xiuyun and Chen Qiyun rolled their eyes in unison. They both thought, "Mom, you’ve never successfully leavened dough in your life. Basically anyone could do a better job than you."

"Where are Grandpa and Grandma?" Lin Yaoheng asked.

"The chickens were just let out of the coop, so your grandma is feeding them," Second Aunt said. "Your grandpa is watering the vegetables."

Chen Xiuyun ran to the side of the house and peeked over. Sure enough, catching a faint glimpse of their figures, she immediately called out, "Grandpa! Grandma!"

"Oh! Is Sister Xiu back?" a response came from beyond the wall.

Grandpa’s house was relatively old, so the kitchen and the bathroom were built separately. They formed an obtuse triangle layout, situated toward the outer edge of the village. The small vegetable patch they had cleared themselves was right behind the kitchen.

Putting everything else aside, the innate Chinese talent for growing vegetables was extremely evident in Grandpa. In the past, he had even tried planting vegetables on the roof of the bathroom, and they had grown exceptionally well.

Hearing the commotion, Second Uncle came out of the kitchen with a smile on his face. He took a look, offered a quick greeting, and then went back inside. He was busy prepping food and didn’t have any free time at the moment.

Chen Qiyun had already hurriedly scrubbed her hands clean and couldn’t wait to grab a sauced meat bun and dig in.

"Ah! This is exactly it!"

With one bite, her mouth was filled with the rich sauce mixed with the savory aroma of meat.

Even though she had eaten various dishes at Chen Jingle’s house lately, the taste of these sauced meat buns was something she could never forget. Unfortunately, Chen Jingle found making buns too troublesome and had refused to make them a second time.

As Chen Qiyun bit into the bun, the rich, meaty fragrance from inside instantly wafted into the air. Smelling the aroma, everyone’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Everyone, have a taste. I think they turned out pretty well," Chen Jingle chuckled. "But don’t get too full. We still have lunch later."

Hearing this, the others’ appetites were whetted, and they couldn’t resist taking one each.

"MMM!!"

Taking a bite, Chen Xiuyun instantly widened her eyes in shock. It was so unbelievable that she let out a motorcycle-engine-like hum, much like a certain singer named Deng when she ate delicious food.

She finally understood why Chen Qiyun had made that expression earlier. She thought, "This wretched girl has secretly been eating so well!"

"Delicious! It’s too delicious!" Lin Yaoheng similarly widened his eyes, shocked beyond words.

He considered himself an unpicky eater with an excellent appetite, easily able to wolf down three large bowls of rice. But right now, he felt he could eat ten of these incredibly tasty meat buns in one go!

Seeing their reactions, Second Aunt dubiously tried one as well. One bite, and oh boy. She felt like this meat bun was more delicious than anything she had eaten in all her years!

After all, she worked in a restaurant. If nothing else, the staff meals weren’t bad; the boss was quite nice and often provided extra food for the employees. But even those signature restaurant dishes paled in comparison to this sauced meat bun.

"Student Chen Jingle, are you sure you learned this online? And didn’t secretly sign up for a cooking class?" Chen Xiuyun scanned him up and down with suspicious eyes.

What did it mean to look at someone with new eyes after a few days apart? This was exactly it.

She wondered, "How did I not know he had this skill before?"

Chen Jingle burst out laughing. "There are tons of state banquet chefs sharing all kinds of recipes for free online. You just casually watch them and you learn it. Why would I spend money on a class? It’s not like I have more money than I know what to do with."

You just casually watch them and you learn it?

Ew.

Chen Xiuyun looked at him in disgust. "That’s a bit out of line. You didn’t consider the feelings of anyone present at all. Do you think you’re so great just because you’re talented?"

Hearing this, Second Aunt was displeased. "Didn’t I also learn the dishes I know from the internet?"

Chen Xiuyun was speechless. She was too tired to even retort. She thought, "Mom, can your skill level even be compared?"

"What are you all talking about?"

Grandma came back holding a battered aluminum basin used for mixing rice bran, her hands still coated in the stuff. Seeing everyone gathered around, she was curious.

Lin Yaoheng beat the others to the punch. "Brother Le made meat buns, and they’re super delicious!" With that, he grabbed one for Grandma.

Everyone quickly nodded in agreement.

The old woman set down the aluminum basin, washed her hands first, and then took the bun. Taking a bite, her cloudy eyes lit up. "It is quite good!"

Her teeth weren’t in great shape, but she finished the bun in just a few bites. She originally wanted to eat another one, but after some thought, she said, "Let’s save some for Juan, Qing, and the others. There will probably be two or three kids as well."

"Don’t worry, I counted properly," Chen Jingle said. "I set aside portions for them."

Grandma nodded. "Then I’ll have another one."

Meanwhile, Chen Qiyun was already eating her third.

Second Aunt glared at her. "I told you to eat breakfast, and you only drank half a bowl of porridge, claiming you weren’t hungry. You’re eating so much now, I bet you won’t be able to eat anything at lunch later."

Chen Qiyun instinctively wanted to pout and retort, but her cheeks were stuffed like a hamster’s, making it hard to even mumble. What she wanted to say was: "I’ll definitely be able to eat at lunch, because there’s still potato and beef stew!"

After finishing watering the vegetables, Grandpa came back and also ate one, but he flat-out refused to eat a second. He only had a few teeth left. Although the buns weren’t hard to chew, that was only true for people who actually had teeth.

Lin Yaoheng grabbed one for his father-in-law as well.

After eating it, Second Uncle was equally amazed and did not hold back his praise. He truly had never seen such a delicious meat bun in his entire life.

Chen Jingle didn’t stay at Grandpa’s house for too long. He still had to make a trip to Eldest Uncle’s house. He planned to go home first, take a quick shower, and change into clean clothes before heading out.

Watching Chen Jingle’s figure disappear around the corner, Second Aunt asked in a low voice, "Do you feel like Le is a bit different from before?"

"More than just a bit different. The change is huge!" Chen Xiuyun nodded heavily, deeply sharing the sentiment.