Chapter 41: Turmoil at Lunch (Part One)

Madam Li led Madam Xu out of the kitchen only after all the food had been properly hidden away. She called out toward the inner room, “Eldest daughter-in-law, third daughter-in-law, come here and get to work. So many people for lunch today—since the second son’s family rarely returns, hurry and prepare a few more dishes.”

Inside the room, Madam Wu and Madam Zhao quickly rose to help in the kitchen. Both were long accustomed to the old woman’s way of doing things and understood her thoughts well. Madam Xu was her true daughter-in-law—Wu and Zhao were more or less treated as servants of the family.

Seeing her sisters-in-law heading to cook, Madam Feng felt it would be improper to remain seated, so she stood and walked toward the kitchen. Ruyue and Ruyun, seeing Madam Feng head that way, naturally followed.

“Second daughter-in-law, you don’t need to go—there are enough people here to handle the cooking. Just sit and rest,” the old man called out.

“It’s all right, Father. I’ll lend a hand and things will move faster,” Madam Feng replied with a smile, shaking her head and heading straight for the kitchen.

As it was nearly mealtime, most dishes were already prepared. But with Gu Chengyong’s family’s sudden return, what had been prepared was no longer enough. The old woman stood at the stove, directing her daughters-in-law to quickly add more food.

“Third daughter-in-law, hurry and dust off a stack of pancakes.” In farmhouses, it was customary to make pancakes before spring, keeping them handy for busy times when cooking had to be quick.

Madam Zhao responded at once, uncovering a stack of pancakes. She wet a broom and brushed water over them, stacking them one by one until she’d made a tall pile.

The old woman herself sliced the roast chicken, roast goose, and other cold meats she’d set aside, mixing and arranging them onto several platters, and then instructed Madam Xu to carry them out.

Next, she fetched about ten salted duck eggs from a crock in the corner. “Eldest daughter-in-law, boil these salted duck eggs, and later slice and plate them.”

Madam Wu hurried to take the eggs, opened the lid of the big pot on the east side, scooped out the sorghum rice, then deftly cleaned the pot, added water, and put the eggs in to boil. She fed some firewood into the stove, and soon the water was boiling.

Meanwhile, the old woman found some eggs and raw rice, teaching Madam Xu how to fry them together.

“Mother, is there anything I can help with?” Madam Feng stood at the kitchen doorway. Seeing how busy everyone was, she felt awkward not being able to pitch in.

The old woman glanced back at Madam Feng, waved her hand, and said coolly, “Go inside and rest. The kitchen isn’t very big, and we can barely turn around as it is. You must be tired from the journey—take a break. In a few days, when you’ve gotten the lay of the land, you can help more.”

No sooner had the old woman spoken than Madam Xu called, “Second sister-in-law, if you can’t do anything else, help me peel a few scallions. I’m frying the rice now and can’t spare a hand,” she said, pointing to the scallions by the kitchen door.

“Yes, of course, I’ll do it right away,” Madam Feng replied, picking up the scallions and skillfully peeling them. Ruyun and Ruyue tried to help, but Madam Feng shook her head to stop them. “Go inside and keep Jiaoyan company. There’s no need for you to get your hands dirty with this.”

Ruyue and Ruyun exchanged a glance and, with no other choice, went inside to stay with the Gu family’s children.

These early spring scallions were especially tender, though still coated with soil, leaving Madam Feng’s hands muddy. She quickly peeled them, and Madam Zhao brought a basin of water for her to wash the scallions and clean her hands as well.

After cleaning the scallions, Madam Feng handed them to Madam Xu, who was just finishing with the rice. After washing the pot, Madam Xu began to fry the eggs.

The old woman took the oil jar and added two spoonfuls of oil to Madam Xu’s wok. After a moment’s hesitation, she gritted her teeth and added a third. “That’s enough. Go ahead and cook.”

Watching from the side, Madam Feng noted that the spoon used was the same as the one for soup at the table—hardly enough to hold much oil. Three spoonfuls barely made a small puddle in the large wok.

Seeing the old woman’s pained expression, Madam Feng felt a complicated mix of emotions. In previous years, when they’d returned home, the old woman had never acted like this. And this was only their first day back—who knew what things would be like in the future?

Madam Xu swiftly finished frying the eggs and plated them, while Madam Wu finished boiling and slicing the salted duck eggs. Thus, lunch was ready.

At that moment, Wenfang and a few servant girls arrived, and everyone hurried to carry dishes, bowls, and chopsticks into the east room. The tables were already set up—since the Gu family was large, extra tables and benches were always prepared. There were kang tables on the heated brick bed and two large Eight Immortals tables on the floor, surrounded by long benches.

Everyone quickly arranged the food on the tables. The old woman personally directed the placement of the meat dishes, ensuring the best meat went to the kang table.

The old man then called Gu Chengyong and his wife, Miao Suwen and her son, as well as the eldest, third, and fourth sons of the family, and their youngest daughter, Gu Xiuli, to eat at the kang table. The old man and old woman sat at the innermost seats, with Madam Feng and Xiuli on either side at the edge.

Madam Feng, seeing the children, picked Jiaoyan up onto her lap and instructed the children to eat properly and not misbehave. Wenxiu led his younger brothers to one of the floor tables, where they all sat quietly, waiting their turn.

The old woman noticed Madam Feng holding Jiaoyan and frowned but said nothing, merely urging everyone to eat.

Jiaoyan glanced at the food: the fried eggs and rice were meager, just enough to cover the plates. The salted duck eggs were sliced into seven or eight wedges, enough for one piece each. Only one large platter held a mix of roast chicken, roast goose, and other cold meats.

There was also a plate of wild greens, apparently large-leaf celery, a common wild vegetable in the Northeast. Another plate held scallions, with a bowl of bean paste beside it, its color looking quite good. There was also a dish of pickled mustard greens, cut into large chunks and steamed, so anyone could take a piece as they liked.

By the look of things, if they hadn’t come back, the Gu family’s lunch would have been just pickled vegetables, scallions, and wild greens—a truly authentic farmhouse meal. Jiaoyan had eaten such things in her past life and didn’t mind, but she worried her brothers, used to southern food, might not be accustomed to it. Southern cuisine is sweet and mild, northern food salty and heavy. If her brothers ate too much of these salty foods, she feared they’d be thirsty all afternoon.

“Big brother, don’t eat too much of the pickles or you’ll be parched and drinking water all afternoon,” Jiaoyan couldn’t help but warn her brothers.

“Wife, you could have prepared a bit more. It’s rare for Dayong and his family to return, and there are only a few dishes,” the old man said, his face darkening at the sight of the sparse spread.

The old woman glanced coldly at her husband. “Do you know what time of year it is? It’s just after spring has begun. The fact that we have this much to eat is already fortunate—other families are scraping the bottoms of their bowls.” As she spoke, she shot a sharp look at Jiaoyan, thinking the child was deliberately complaining about the food.

Gu Chengyong quickly smiled and tried to smooth things over. “Father, Mother, this is plenty. At this time of year, having food at all is a blessing. The children grew up in the south and aren’t used to such heavy flavors. Jiaoyan is just worried her brothers will eat too much and be thirsty all afternoon.”

With his words, the old woman’s expression eased a little. She turned to the other tables. “Eldest daughter-in-law, you all eat as well. If there’s not enough sorghum rice, eat some pancakes. We’ll make more food for supper.”

Only after her order did the daughters-in-law at the floor tables begin to eat. Madam Xu and the others divided the meat and other dishes among the children. Madam Zhao sat with her four daughters and Wenxiu’s brothers at one table, giving most of the meat to the boys, leaving only a little for her own girls.

“Go ahead and eat. There’s nothing fancy in a farmhouse, and you may not be used to these pickles and bean paste—just eat more of the meat and eggs,” Madam Zhao said kindly, her heart softening at the sight of these five boys.

Wenxiu, seeing his third aunt keeping the food coming, felt embarrassed. “Third Aunt, please eat too. It’s all right, we can eat anything. Sisters, you have some too—don’t give it all to us.” As he spoke, he took a piece of chicken from his bowl and put it in Wenqian’s. “Little sister, eat up—more meat will help you grow.”

Wenqian looked at the meat in her bowl, hesitant to eat it. She glanced at Madam Zhao, who nodded, so she finally ate it. “It’s delicious, thank you, brother.”

That table was harmonious, but things were different at the other. Madam Xu quickly divided the meat and dishes into her own two sons’ bowls. Even with the large platter, there wasn’t enough for so many, especially with Madam Xu snatching it all so fast. In no time, the plate was empty.

The third son, Gu Chengyi, said nothing—anything filled the belly, after all. The fourth son was even less concerned; his wife and sons were his pride, and he was happy to see them get more.

But Madam Wu couldn’t take it any longer. “Fourth sister-in-law, you’re giving all the meat to your sons—are you going to let anyone else eat? Are your boys made of gold, and mine can’t have any?” Normally Madam Wu let things slide, but when it came to her sons, she could not stay silent. It was rare to have meat in the house, and her three boys eyed it hungrily. Seeing Madam Xu’s actions, she was truly angry.