Blissful Days After Widowhood

Mrs. Wang and Xiao Wu’an followed Gu Yin into the kitchen like two small tails.

When mixing the dough, Xiao Wu’an helped to pour the water, and when mixing the stuffing, Mrs. Wang helped chop and stir the stuffing.

With such two enthusiastic “helping cooks”, Gu Yin’s work was more effective.

She prepared two kinds of stuffing for the steamed buns, one was a vegetarian stuffing with only vegetables, and the other was a vegetable meat stuffing.

She first cut off a bit of fat and boiled it into lard, and then mixed the pork into the greens. Before she started wrapping it, the aroma penetrated into the nose.

Waiting until the fillings were ready, the buns were done.

Mrs. Wang’s stomach growled. She didn’t eat lunch, and Xiao Wu’an couldn’t help swallowing.

Gu Yin flipped her fingers, and when the skin of the bun was twisted in her hand, it turned into a big fat bun in the blink of an eye.

The vegetable and meat were wrapped in three pieces, each of them was round and white and big as if they had been measured. The eighteen pleats were like flowers, and they were placed in the steamer next to each other. Just looking at it made people look forward to eating it. 

Mrs. Wang and Xiao Wu’an had already taken the bowls and chopsticks and waited by the stove.

Gu Yin asked Mrs. Wang if she wanted more porridge, but she shook her head and said, “Enough is enough, don’t do anything, take a rest.”

After standing by the stove for a quarter of an hour, the big white steamed buns, which had gained a lot of weight, were out of the pot.

Mrs. Wang first put two buns into the bowl, but did not eat them first, but looked at Gu Yin before saying anything.

She understood and said, “Since it’s a taste test, I’m afraid we can’t eat it ourselves. Why don’t we send it to the next door and let Aunt Xu and the others try it too?”

Mrs. Wang suddenly laughed, “It’s you who are thoughtful. Xu Jinchai got it easily.”

After finishing speaking, Mrs. Wang carried the bowl and went to the next door.

When Gu Yin was steaming the buns, Mrs. Xu had already smelled it. She was muttering that everything in the house was fine, but they were too close together. She had been smelling the delicious fragrance for a long time, how could she still eat her own food?

Unexpectedly, before she finished mumbling, Mrs. Wang came to visit.

“You have a heart,” Mrs. Xu tried to keep her face straight, but the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curl up.

Mrs. Wang raised her chin, “Who said it was specially made for you? It was my daughter-in-law who said that as a family we cannot judge the taste fairly and she asked… to let Qingchuan help her taste it.”

As she spoke, Mrs. Wang went to knock on the door of the study room.

A dead duck’s mouth was hard (means the person is stubborn to a fault)! Mr. Xu went to the stove and took chopsticks and followed her, her eyes rolled to the sky.

Two steamed buns were brought to Xu Qingchuan. Mrs. Wang pointed to one of them and said, “Qingchuan, try this while it’s hot.”

Xu Qingchuan thanked her first, and then moved his chopsticks.

The bun was soft, and the chopsticks gently sank into it.

After entering the mouth, the sweet dough melted on the tip of the tongue, revealing the steaming stuffing inside.

The filling was half meat and half vegetables, neither greasy nor bland. When he took one bit, the gravy burst open on the tip of his tongue, making him squint.

Xu Qingchuan didn’t like greasy meat and fishy stuff very much. Usually, he ate at most half of such a big bun, but that time he ate the whole thing in one bite.

“How is it? Is it delicious?” Mrs. Wang looked at him lovingly.

Xu Qingchuan praised without exaggeration, “Very delicious.”

There was another one in the bowl, and Xu Qingchuan said, “I’m full after eating one, can I give this to my mother?”

“I’ve brought it to your house, whoever wants to can eat it.”

Only then did Mr. Xu move her chopsticks.

As soon as she took a bite, she immediately showed a look of surprise on her face, “Who did your daughter-in-law learn the craft from? How can she make such a delicious bun? It’s no worse than the chef of the state restaurant.”

Mrs. Wang proudly raised her chin even higher, and said in her heart that if she knew, it would scare her to death. Her daughter-in-law learned from an immortal in her dreams.

But that was a strange thing, even to Mrs. Xu, so Mrs. Wang didn’t say much, only said, “Naturally, she learned from me, but she is smart and clever, and she knows how to cook anything when she sees it once.”

Mrs. Xu knew the abilities of the former best friend in front of her, so she attributed all that to Gu Yin’s talent and intelligence.

Before, she also felt that although the two families had orphans and widows, her son grew up and was still a young scholar. After two years, he could give an exam and come back, and her family would be stronger.

But now she didn’t dare to think so. Mrs. Wang’s youngest son was so smart, and the eldest daughter-in-law had a craftsmanship that was not inferior to that of the chef of a restaurant. The life of the Wu family would be turned upside down before her son gets promoted.

Mrs. Xu was happy for her, but also a little sour, gave Mrs. Wang a sidelong glance, and then took a second bite.

After eating, Mrs. Xu felt that something was wrong, “How come my bun only contains vegetables?!”

Mrs. Wang said, “We made two flavors, you tried one of them out.”

It was the truth, but Mrs. Wang deliberately pointed at one of them and let Xu Qingchuan eat it. 

Mrs. Xu snorted angrily.

The vegetable stuffed bun naturally had no meat, but it was not bland. The oily and delicious vegetable stuffing was equally delicious.

After Mrs. Xu finished eating the whole thing, she muttered again, “I don’t know which way the Gods opened their eyes and let you get such a good child.”

The more sour she was, the happier Mrs. Wang was, and she wished she could shake to the sky.