29 TGBW

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The General's Buddhist Wife

Chapter 29:

Feast・ They Kicked off the Bed with One Foot

Before leaving home, Chu Wei Leng always regarded garlic as a seasoning.

When he first arrived at the border, he also refused this strongly flavored item.

But gradually, he adapted to the local customs and grew to love the taste of onions and garlic.

© translations belonging to flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

However, the cooks in the barracks did not prepare food with such finesse, nor did they use such methods.

Lou Jian Jia's cooking was very innovative and incredibly delicious.

No wonder his parents praised her cooking skills so much. A few days ago, he thought his parents were just being polite, but it turned out her cooking was really good.

After taking another mouthful, Chu Wei Leng's eyes showed a hint of appreciation as he looked at Lou Jian Jia.

Lou Jian Jia ate her noodles earnestly, without casting a glance at Chu Wei Leng.

Knowing they would be leaving soon, Lou Jian Jia thoughtfully prepared mouthwash for everyone.

Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao gladly accepted, with Madam Zhao even praising her thoughtfulness.

However, Chu Wei Leng frowned at the mouthwash, finding it troublesome.

Despite feeling annoyed, he still took it and used it.

"We may not mind ourselves, but it wouldn't be good if others smell it when we talk to them," Madam Zhao remarked after using the mouthwash.

Lou Jian Jia glanced at Chu Wei Leng's reluctant expression and agreed, "Mother is absolutely right."

"If I smell garlic, I'll steer clear too, can't risk being disliked by others," Madam Zhao added.

Lou Jian Jia nodded in agreement, fully understanding the sentiment.

After rinsing his mouth, Chu Wei Leng glanced at his mother and then at Lou Jian Jia, before carrying the three used bowls to the kitchen.

After a while, Old Master Chu and the others went to the town, leaving Lou Jian Jia to rest in the room.

It was over an hour later when they returned from town. They brought back plenty of food, with the majority being meat.

Lou Jian Jia had been here for quite some time, but it was the first time she had seen so much meat.

The meat they bought this time had a perfect balance of fat and lean, looking incredibly tempting.

Instantly, Lou Jian Jia's mind was filled with ideas for meat dishes.

"With so many guests today, we need to prepare well," Madam Zhao said.

"Don't worry, Mother, everything will be fine," Lou Jian Jia assured her.

"Have you decided what to cook?" Madam Zhao asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I have a rough idea," Lou Jian Jia replied.

"Good, that's good. Then I can relax," Madam Zhao's face eased up.

She had been cooking for decades, but her dishes were relatively ordinary.

When there were many guests, she had to rack her brains to figure out what dishes to prepare. Now that she had a daughter-in-law who was better at cooking, she saved a lot of effort.

"At that time, I'll assist you, Mother."

"Okay."

As evening approached, Lou Jian Jia and Madam Zhao began to cook.

According to Madam Zhao, there would be about ten people coming in the evening.

At that time, the men would sit at one table, and the women and children at another.

In this era, it was customary for boys and girls of seven years old to sit at separate tables. This rule was strictly observed in noble families, wealthy households, and households of scholars.

However, in their remote mountain village, such customs were not strictly followed. Nonetheless, they separated the tables because the men preferred to gather and drink, paying less attention to the food. Apart from drinking, they enjoyed chatting endlessly about various topics.

While the women and children finished eating and the children grew sleepy, the dishes on the men's table might not even be half gone.

Lou Jian Jia already had an idea of what dishes to prepare for the evening.

Before starting the cooking, she and Madam Zhao prepared the necessary ingredients and processed them.

Since the men would be drinking, peanuts to accompany the alcohol were essential. Given the hot weather, cold dishes were also indispensable.

There were plenty of cucumbers at home, so Lou Jian Jia picked all the ripe ones, totaling about twenty or so.

In addition to that, celery salad and lotus root slices were also delicious dishes.

Potatoes could be stewed, fried, or served cold, so it was necessary to prepare plenty of them.

Carrots were an excellent choice for both stewing and adding color to dishes.

Madam Zhao and the others also needed to handle the pork, chicken, and fish they bought in town.

Scallions, ginger, and garlic were indispensable.

After processing the ingredients, it was already two hours later, and it was time for the evening meal.

Gradually, voices could be heard outside in the courtyard.

These people didn't come empty-handed; they all brought something.

Generally, the gifts weren't too extravagant, usually some rice, flour, eggs, or homegrown fruits and vegetables.

Lou Jian Jia started by making a dish of vinegar peanuts as an appetizer.

She poured oil into a pot and fried the peanuts until they were cooked, then scooped them out and placed them on a plate with some onions and cilantro on top.

Finally, she poured the sauce over them, which included vinegar and other seasonings, as well as some sugar to thicken the sauce.

Then, she blanched the celery and lotus root slices in boiling water. When they were almost done, she took them out, drained them, added the seasoning, and poured hot oil over them.

She made two portions of each dish, one for each table.

~ Part 2 ~

Later, she started stir-frying dishes such as sour and spicy shredded potatoes, green pepper with eggplant, vinegar-glazed cabbage, and baby bok choy.

Most of the vegetables were freshly chopped by her and Madam Zhao. While Madam Zhao was in charge of cooking the rice, Lou Jian Jia handled the stir-frying.

Thanks to her strength, she didn't feel tired at all.

After stir-frying the vegetables, she began preparing other dishes.

For the female guests, she made a slightly sweet version of kung pao chicken and caramelized yam slices.

The meat was divided into several portions.

Some were made into boiled meat slices, some were stewed, and some were braised.

There were two fish in total.

Normally, Lou Jian Jia would prefer to make them into fish with pickled vegetables or spicy fish.

However, since they were hosting guests this time, she made steamed fish according to the tastes of most people in this area.

After all the dishes were ready, it was already half an hour later.

The male guests had started drinking and chatting, while the female guests, led by Madam Wang, sat together, drinking tea and gossiping, waiting for Madam Zhao and Lou Jian Jia to join them.

As soon as they arrived, everyone began to sit down and eat.

The first thing everyone congratulated was Chu Wei Leng's appointment as an official. After exchanging pleasantries, the men continued their random conversations, while the women kept it simple, focusing on eating and chatting.

In fact, they had always known that Lou Jian Jia was an excellent cook. After all, their family business at the dock was thriving, and everyone in the nearby villages knew about it.

But what they didn't expect was how delicious the food would be.

As they started to help themselves to the dishes, the room gradually fell silent.

After about fifteen minutes or so, once everyone had tried the dishes and satisfied their appetites, they finally had some time to talk.

"Brother Chu's wife's cooking is really amazing. The food is delicious," someone praised.

"Exactly! My husband works at the dock, and lately, he won't even touch the food I cook. He says it's not tasty enough and affects his work. I've been wondering, I haven't skimped on the oil, so why doesn't he like it? But after tasting your food today, I finally understand. Mine doesn't even compare. It's like feeding him pig slop," another woman lamented.

"You're too kind, Auntie," Lou Jian Jia responded modestly.

"Sister, how did you make this meat so delicious?" a young woman asked.

As soon as this question was asked, everyone at the table fell silent.

The Chu family, being in the food business, surely had their own secret recipes. If they were all revealed, how could they continue their business?

However, everyone loved Lou Jian Jia's cooking so much that they were curious and eager to hear more.

After a moment of silence, before Lou Jian Jia could speak, Madam Wang spoke up.

"Jia'er, delicious is all that matters. Why ask so many questions? The same recipe can taste different when made by different people."

Others chimed in, "That's right. I follow the same steps as my sister-in-law, but hers always tastes better than mine."

Lou Jian Jia glanced gratefully at Madam Wang and then turned to the young woman, saying, "The reason the meat is so tasty is because it's marinated in special ingredients beforehand. Besides that, it's so tender because I added egg white to it."

Lou Jian Jia not only kept some secrets for herself, using her cooking as an excuse to claim it increased people's strength, but she also revealed the crucial point of using egg white.

Everyone was surprised to hear this.

"You mean you added egg white? And the meat still turns out like this?"

"Yes, adding egg white makes the meat tender. Sister-in-law, I'll give it a try sometime."

"Sure, I'll try it next New Year."

On the other side, the male guests also highly praised the taste of the dishes, especially commending Chu Wei Leng for marrying such a good wife, saying that this wife was worthy of him.

The reason for adding this last sentence was that now Chu Wei Leng held an official position, and things were different from before.

The female guests finished eating in just under half an hour.

When they finished their meal, it was not completely dark yet.

After sitting for a while, everyone left.

Since Wang Auntie lived nearby, she stayed behind to help Madam Zhao and Lou Jian Jia clean the dishes.

It took another half an hour before the male guests finished on their side.

Chu Wei Leng had consumed some alcohol today, so he didn't help with the dishwashing.

Old Master Chu also had some drinks. After the guests dispersed, the two of them had a conversation inside the house.

"Although you've become an official now, you mustn't get too arrogant. You need to be cautious at all times."

"Yes, Father, I understand."

"Your wife has it tough. Don't even think about harboring any inappropriate thoughts. Don't blame me and your mother if we disown you as our son."

Chu Wei Leng pressed his lips together and replied, "Father, rest assured, I won't."

Regardless of how much Lou Jian Jia had changed for the better compared to before, even three years ago when he disliked her, he never once considered divorcing her.

He thought to himself, if she insisted on staying with him, she should stay at home obediently, not cause trouble, and not disrespect his parents. If she couldn't stand being lonely and chose to leave, so be it.

Although he didn't have any feelings for her, he wouldn't actively seek a divorce. Whether she stayed or left was up to her.

"All right, as long as you remember," said Old Master Chu as he stood up. "Ah, I'm getting old, can't handle alcohol anymore. I'm going to rest now."

"I'll help you, Father." Chu Wei Leng got up and assisted Old Master Chu to his room.

After Chu Wei Leng returned to his room, Madam Zhao had also retired to her quarters. He then went back to his own room.

Lou Jian Jia went to take a bath, as she had cooked a lot today and was covered in the smell of cooking oil. She even washed her hair to get rid of the odor.

It took her about two hours to finish bathing.

Chu Wei Leng had intended to lie down and sleep, but as he waited and waited, he eventually fell asleep on the bed, waiting for Lou Jian Jia to come out.

Lou Jian Jia heard Chu Wei Leng's snoring as soon as she entered the room.

Listening to the harsh sound, she pursed her lips and took a deep breath, slowly walking towards the bed.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she wiped her hair.

Throughout the process of drying her hair, Lou Jian Jia kept telling herself to stay calm, she must stay calm.

The person lying on the bed was the male lead, she couldn't afford to offend him.

If he didn't bathe, so be it. If he snored, let him snore. Eventually, he would surely return to the military camp soon.

He wouldn't come back often in the future.

Before long, the female lead would appear, and she wouldn't have to endure for too long.

After consoling herself repeatedly, Lou Jian Jia felt much calmer. When her hair was almost dry, she extinguished the lamp and climbed into bed.

However, once she lay down peacefully, smelling the alcohol from the person beside her and hearing the rhythmic snoring, Lou Jian Jia's anger rose once again.

She repeated the same comforting words to herself.

After countless repetitions, Lou Jian Jia still couldn't find sleep.

Glancing at the position of the moon, she estimated it was almost midnight.

Accustomed to sleeping early, Lou Jian Jia felt her eyes stinging with fatigue.

Turning her head to look at the soundly sleeping Chu Wei Leng, perhaps emboldened by the beauty of the moon, Lou Jian Jia couldn't bear it any longer.

Why should the one who did wrong sleep so peacefully while she endured all this?

Why should she tolerate this male lead?

Now that she had the ability to earn money, she could kick him out, divorce him, and live her life freely.

The world was so vast; she could escape to a neighboring country, find a remote place, and live a quiet life under an assumed name for the rest of her days.

With this thought in mind, Lou Jian Jia closed her eyes, mustered her strength, and delivered a kick to Chu Wei Leng.

There was a sound of impact as Chu Wei Leng fell to the ground.

The snoring stopped, and Lou Jian Jia felt relieved.

•••

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