After spending a wonderful first night in her "new home," the next morning, Xu Yanxia accompanied Lu Jingming to visit his Uncle Shen's house.
This was her first time visiting as Lu Jingming's girlfriend.
The elders had put a lot of thought into this, so naturally, she had also prepared carefully.
She wore a light French-style floral dress paired with a light apricot knit cardigan. Her hair was half-tied behind her head, making her look demure and elegant.
Lu Jingming had deliberately worn a light gray casual suit, which looked quite compatible with her outfit.
Uncle Shen's home was located in a residential compound for government officials in the central district, a neighborhood with a bit of history. Although it was built quite early, it had undergone several renovations in recent years, so the public facilities were still quite good. Its location was particularly ideal, offering a quiet retreat in the bustling city, and the neighborhood environment was excellent.
The only downside was the lack of dedicated parking spaces. They found a spot by the street to park and walked a few steps to reach the place.
Mrs. Lu and the Chairman had arrived before them. When the two entered, they were accompanying Old Master Shen in the living room, chatting.
Aunt Shen and her daughter-in-law were sitting nearby, while Uncle Shen and Lu Jingming's cousin were in the kitchen cooking.
Seeing them arrive, the Shen family warmly came forward to welcome them. Even Uncle Shen and his son, who were cooking, came out of the kitchen wearing their aprons to greet them.
"Xiaoxia is here! Come, sit down. Today is just a family dinner, so make yourself at home."
"Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, Cousin-in-law."
Xu Yanxia greeted everyone naturally and generously, following Lu Jingming's lead. She then presented the local specialties she had brought. "These are sausages and roast meat from my hometown, all vacuum-packed. There are also a few boxes of pastries. Just a little token of my appreciation."
"These are all wonderful things!"
Uncle Shen happily hurried to take them, saying, "I haven't had Qingcheng's sausages and roast meat in so many years! I've been craving them. Finally, I can satisfy my appetite. Thank you, Xiaoxia."
He then ushered her in, "Hurry and sit down to rest. The food will be ready soon."
Xu Yanxia nodded and agreed, watching as Uncle Shen led his son back into the kitchen.
Aunt Shen smiled and said to Xu Yanxia, "Don't feel like an outsider, Xiaoxia. In our family, it's the men who cook."
Old Master Shen, sitting to the side, also nodded. "That's right. My old bones can't handle cooking anymore, otherwise I would have definitely showed off a couple of my signature dishes for you to try today. However, your uncle learned his culinary skills from me, so I hope you won't mind."
Having recently returned to his hometown, the elderly man was clearly in much better spirits. Xu Yanxia smiled and replied, "You're too polite. I am more than honored."
Chairman Lu, sitting nearby, smiled at his son and said, "We both need to reflect on this. From now on, we should cook more often at home, or we'll be outshined."
Lu Jingming nodded in agreement. Amidst the family's laughter, he led Xu Yanxia to sit down in the living room.
The cousin's wife brought out some freshly cut fruit from the kitchen and invited Xu Yanxia to eat.
Xu Yanxia thanked her, looked around the house, and couldn't help but ask, "Sister-in-law, why don't I see the baby?"
The cousin's wife smiled and said, "Third Aunt took him out to play. This little guy can't stay still indoors anymore; he has to go out for a stroll every day."
Aunt Shen also explained to Xu Yanxia, "It just so happens the nanny is taking her days off right now, so I found a relative from our hometown to help look after Xiaobao. Based on seniority, your cousin and his wife call her Third Aunt."
"Furthermore, your sister-in-law is about to go back to work. If Xiaobao adapts well, we plan to have Third Aunt take care of him full-time."
So that was it.
Xu Yanxia nodded.
The cousin's wife, however, spoke with a bit of melancholy, "Xiaobao hasn't been separated from me since he was born. Suddenly having to go back to work makes me feel a bit empty inside."
"But if I just stay at home, I'll lose touch with society, and having only the child in my eyes isn't a good thing either."
Xu Yanxia remembered Lu Jingming telling her last time that his cousin and his wife were college classmates. Both were PhD graduates from a prestigious university in Jingbei, and they now worked as researchers at a university in Rong City, which was a very good job.
As the cousin's wife finished speaking, Mrs. Lu, acting in her role as aunt, comforted her. "After becoming a mother, this is a stage you must go through. Actually, as long as the child adapts well, adults don't need to be too anxious."
"After all, a child grows up day by day, but your golden years are right now in these few years."
"That's right,"
Aunt Shen also counseled her daughter-in-law, "You studied so hard for so many years, and your career is just beginning. If you can avoid giving it up, it's best not to give it up easily."
The cousin's wife nodded.
Just at that moment, the front door opened from the outside.
A woman in her fifties pushed a stroller through the door, and inside was the Shen family's six-month-old Xiaobao.
The family's attention was immediately drawn to the little guy.
The cousin's wife quickly stood up, went over, and picked Xiaobao up. She smiled and said, "Xiaobao is back! Your grandaunt, granduncle, second cousin, and that pretty sister from last time are all here. Hurry and say hello to everyone!"
Caught completely off guard, Lu Jingming was speechless. "..."
Great, it was "second cousin" and "pretty sister" again.
Still a generation gap in the titles.
However, his mother, Ms. Shen, instantly switched from an elegant lady to baby talk. With a beaming smile, she reached out to the little guy and said, "Xiaobao is back! Come, let your grandaunt give you a hug!"
The cousin's wife was about to hand the baby over.
Who knew that the little guy would be so uncooperative? He grew fussy, whimpering in refusal, and looked as if he was about to cry at any second.
It was completely different from the smiley baby he was when he last met Xu Yanxia.
This made both Ms. Shen and the cousin's wife a bit embarrassed.
Aunt Shen quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Is he tired? Xiaomeng, why don't you take him upstairs to rest for a bit?"
"Alright."
The cousin's wife nodded and carried the baby upstairs.
Aunt Shen then turned to the older woman and said, "Third Sister, you've worked hard too. Go and rest for a bit, and we'll all eat together later."
The older woman quickly waved her hands and said, "No need. You have guests today, so you go ahead and eat yourselves. I'll just grab a quick bite now so I can relieve Xiaobao's mother later."
With that, she went into the kitchen.
Mrs. Lu then said to Aunt Shen, "Third Sister seems very genuine. Is Xiaobao getting used to her?"
Aunt Shen replied, "They've been getting along fine these past few days. She has taken care of a lot of children back in our hometown, so she's quite experienced."
...
A while later, lunch was ready, and the table was filled with delicious dishes.
There were glossy, red-hued hairy crabs, crisp and tender white lotus root slices with sugar, rich and savory braised prawns in dark soy sauce, and large, round sliced salted duck eggs.
The yolks of the duck eggs were plump, orange-red, and oozing with oil, looking incredibly appetizing at first glance.
In addition, there was wine-marinated fish, shredded radish salad, stir-fried edamame with snow vegetables, dried tofu stir-fried with meat, steamed pork patty with duck eggs, and more. It was so lavish that a large round table could barely hold it all.
Xu Yanxia quickly said to Uncle Shen and the cousin, who had been busy for half the day, "This is too much food! Thank you for your hard work, Uncle and Cousin."
Uncle Shen, however, replied modestly, "Our home-cooking skills can't compare to a professional chef like you. If it doesn't taste good, please bear with us."
"Not at all, you're being far too polite."
Xu Yanxia quickly responded, "Actually, home-cooked food is the most delicious and nourishing."
Grandpa chuckled as he introduced the dishes to her. "Xiaoxia, these duck eggs, lotus roots, river shrimp, and hairy crabs are all specialties brought from our hometown. Since you couldn't make it this time, we brought them back for you to try. If you like them, you can go straight to our hometown to eat them next time."
"Okay," Xu Yanxia smiled.
As they spoke, the nanny went upstairs to relieve her cousin-in-law who was looking after the baby. Seeing that everyone was present, they all took their seats and began to eat.
The Shen family valued etiquette, so everyone sat around the table in order of seniority. Grandpa sat at the head of the table, with her uncle and aunt, Mrs. Lu, and the Chairman sitting in sequence on his left and right.
Further down were the two young couples: her cousin and cousin-in-law, and Lu Jingming and Xu Yanxia.
Her aunt didn't forget to prompt Lu Jingming. "Jingming, put a few more hairy crabs on Xiaoxia's plate. You left in such a hurry that day. If we had known you were going to Xiaoxia's house, we would have had you take a few more boxes for her grandparents to try."
These words made Xu Yanxia feel a little shy.
Lu Jingming, however, nodded generously and said, "It was my oversight. Next time, I'll definitely bring more for Grandpa and Grandma to taste."
Saying that, he immediately placed two hairy crabs on Xu Yanxia's plate, personally shelled them, and dipped the meat in ginger vinegar for her to try.
Xu Yanxia took a bite and immediately nodded. "The crab roe is very rich, the meat is firm, and there's a distinct sweet aftertaste. Yangzhou's hairy crabs truly live up to their reputation."
Her words delighted everyone at the table.
Grandpa Shen, however, chuckled modestly and said to Xu Yanxia, "Today is mainly about the good ingredients from our hometown. The cooking methods are just ordinary home-style, nothing compared to your skills. I saw the photos you posted on TikTok. Every single dish looked completely professional. Did your grandparents make them, or did you?"
Xu Yanxia was a bit surprised.
When Lu Jingming mentioned last time that the old man liked scrolling through his phone, she hadn't quite believed it. Now it seemed it was actually true.
And he was actually scrolling through her TikTok.
She quickly smiled and said, "You flatter me, Grandpa. Those are just home-cooked meals made by my grandfather."
"Hey," Grandpa immediately countered, "those aren't your average home-cooked meals. The plating, the knife work... anyone can tell that's chef-level."
As his voice fell, Uncle Shen also asked her, "I remember the old gentleman used to be a chef in Jingbei, right? How did he end up going back to his hometown?"
Xu Yanxia replied, "According to my grandfather, he learned to cook in the provincial capital when he was young. He had the good fortune to be transferred to Jingbei along with a local chief. He worked in the kitchen of a grand hotel there for a few years, but later returned for some reason."
"He never told us the specific reason, so I'm not entirely sure myself."
Uncle Shen nodded.
Grandpa sighed with emotion, "To be able to transfer to a hotel in Jingbei with a chief in those days... he was definitely no ordinary chef. No wonder you and your brother have such great culinary skills. Our Xiaoming has really hit the jackpot this time; he's marrying up."
