"Well, shall I give it a try?"

"Go ahead!"

"..."

Hearing this from Jiang Yu, Grandma hesitated no more, like a blushing bride getting into the sedan chair for the first time, she fidgeted a little, then steeled herself and let go completely.

She rubbed her hands vigorously on the apron before reaching out to take the bowl and chopsticks from Jiang Yu's hands. Bringing them to her nose, she took a deep sniff, her eyes closed in delight.

Holding the chopsticks, she didn't bother picking and choosing, just randomly picked up a piece of tenderly stewed lamb and took a small bite:

"Mmm! This lamb is so tender, fragrant and chewy. It's so soft you could chew it without teeth. Delicious!"

"If you like it, have a few more pieces, there's a big pot of it, plenty to eat!"

Seeing Grandma happy, Jiang Yu also felt glad, and he asked, "So, how is the seasoning? Is it to your liking?"

"It's just right, just right!"

Grandma's face was so pleased it seemed to glow; she nodded again and again, eating the lamb slowly while asking,

"Xiaoyu, did you really make all these dishes yourself?"

"Yeah, are they tasty?"

"Delicious! But, how come you suddenly know how to cook? I never knew your cooking was this good before!"

"Did you forget, Grandma?"

Jiang Yu laughed as he scooped up the braised lamb from the pot, saying,

"I told you before, didn't I? I've opened a dining hall at school now. If the cooking isn't good, who would want to come?"

"So you have to cook for a lot of people every day?"

"Yes, about over a thousand people!"

"You cook for more than a thousand people every day?"

Grandma was momentarily stunned, suddenly finding the lamb in her bowl less appetizing. Mumbling, she said,

"My Xiaoyu is working so hard, having to cook for so many people every day, it must be exhausting."

"Don't worry, Grandma. There are more than ten others in the dining hall; it's not just me doing everything."

Jiang Yu immediately understood that Grandma was worried, so he quickly said,

"Besides, I'm the boss of the dining hall. What boss do you see working tirelessly every day?

I just direct others to do the work!"

"Don't try to fool me, being the boss isn't easy either."

Grandma shook her head and said,

"The boss of that noodle shop next to the market is always working like a dog and still doesn't make much money..."

Jiang Yu: "..."

Grandma, you're comparing a street-side noodle shop to my Seventh Dining Hall, that's really not giving my big dining hall enough credit!

The two of them were in the kitchen, one eating the delicious lamb, the other cooking at the stove, chatting occasionally, having forgotten about the group of relatives and elders.

Grandma was eating with oils running from the corners of her mouth when suddenly, an elderly lady's voice came from behind:

"Oh my, my dear sister-in-law, you're something else!

You invited us over for a meal, yet you left us in the hall and came to the kitchen to sneak some bites instead!"

"Wow! It's really fragrant here in the kitchen, even better than outside!"

"Sister-in-law, what are you eating? Seeing the oil dripping from your mouth, it must be really good. Save a bite for me!"

"..."

Hearing these voices, Grandma froze with half a piece of lamb in her mouth, unsure whether to swallow or spit it out.

Her eyes darted around. Taking advantage of turning around, she quickly chewed a few times and swallowed, then looked back.

Well! All the old men and women she had invited were squeezing into the kitchen with gleaming eyes, staring intently at the dishes on the stove.

Their looks suggested that if others weren't around, they would have already pounced to grab a bite!

"Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu! I'm your grandaunt, remember how I doted on you when you were little, always saving good treats for you!

Quick, give your grandaunt some utensils, I want to try the meat your grandma's eating too!"

"Xiaoyu, it's me, your granduncle! You peed all over me when you were little! Now your granduncle is hungry, how can you not let me have a taste?"

"A bunch of shameless old ones, if you're hungry, just say so, no need to bring up old times. Who remembers all that?"

"..."

A group of elderly folks crowded into the kitchen, chatting noisily, making the small kitchen a lively place.

Grandma didn't know what to do, but Jiang Yu remained calm. He hurriedly grabbed clean bowls and chopsticks from the cupboard, and divided the already prepared braised lamb on the stove into small portions for everyone and handed them out, smiling as he said,

"Please don't rush, everyone. Since you're all here, let's eat in the kitchen. It's warmer inside anyway, colder outside."

"Eat slowly, everyone, don't choke. I've prepared plenty of dishes today to make sure everyone gets full!"

The old men and women were pleased when they heard this, and they all started smiling, giving Jiang Yu a thumbs-up one after another:

"I told you, Xiaoyu is so sensible, didn't I? I wasn't wrong, was I?"

"Of course, my sister-in-law's eldest grandson can't be worse than others!"

"Today, we'll eat right here in the kitchen and even warm ourselves by the fire, so comfortable!"

"..."

Jiang Yu served braised lamb to each of them, running back and forth several times, bringing stools and chairs from the living room so they could sit down and eat at their leisure.

After finishing these tasks, he quietly tugged at his grandmother's sleeve and whispered,

"Grandma, there's still braised pork hock, rice flour pork, and fish head with chopped chili in the pot. Would you like some? I can get you some?"

"Let's wait for a bit."

Grandma placed the empty bowl on the stove, hesitated, and said,

"Today, we're treating these elders to a meal. How can we eat first?

Let's wait until they're full, and then I'll just have a little."

When she bought groceries at the market yesterday, Grandma felt a bit distressed, but when it came to treating others to a meal, she became generous.

Actually, she's not a stingy person; it's just that she's used to being frugal. Seeing Jiang Yu spend money lavishly, she's not used to it yet.

"Alright, I'll continue cooking then. There are just a few more dishes to finish."

Hearing Grandma's words, Jiang Yu let her be and turned back to the stove, adding a few large pieces of firewood and continued busying himself.

The old men and women didn't mind these issues. Once they sat down on stools and chairs of varying heights, they started digging in, holding bowls in one hand and chopsticks in the other.

"Wow! Is this braised lamb? It's so tender, the fat is melting, one touch and it falls apart, it's delicious!"

"The lean meat is flavorful too, tender and smooth, and juice bursts out with every bite, so fresh!"

"This cooking is much better than in restaurants; coming here today was worth it!"

"..."

The elders were eating heartily and couldn't stop praising. Suddenly, someone remembered something and asked,

"Hey, weren't we told there was a chef cooking before? Where is the chef?

The food is so good, the chef must be great too, right?"

"What chef? This was all cooked by our Xiaoyu!"

Upon hearing someone mention this, Grandma's face immediately showed a proud expression. She turned to look at her eldest grandson with pride,

"Our Xiaoyu started preparing early in the morning; otherwise, how could you eat such delicious food?"

"What? This was made by Xiaoyu?"

"I didn't expect Xiaoyu's cooking to be so good, as good as a chef in a top restaurant!"

"I told you, Xiaoyu has a bright future! He can get into graduate school and cook such delicious food, making others envious!"

"Xiaoyu, in his lifetime, is secure! Even if he stops studying now and just cooks in a restaurant, he'd make plenty of money!"

"..."

The old men and women kept praising him. They didn't mean any harm, just genuine compliments, but Grandma, standing aside, was not pleased as she listened.

She pursed her lips and mumbled,

"What's so great about cooking for others? Our Xiaoyu won't become a chef, he's in graduate school, after all. Any job he finds after graduation is better than being a chef!"

"Old sister, you can't say that!"

An old woman perhaps didn't understand what Grandma implied and said,

"My nephew's brother works as a chef in a big restaurant in the city. He earns ten to twenty thousand a month, and in less than a year, he bought a car.

Nowadays, no job is inherently superior or inferior; the one that makes money is the good one!"

"Still, my Xiaoyu won't be a chef!"

Grandma said stubbornly, as if betting with someone, looking displeased,

"I'd rather he graduates, finds a relaxing job, sitting in an office with air conditioning than cook for others just for money.

I don't expect him to earn a lot; as long as he can support himself, living comfortably is better than anything!"

Upon hearing this, the old men and women couldn't help but glance at each other, not knowing what to say.

In fact, thinking about it, Grandma wasn't wrong. Her later life had been so hard, she didn't want her eldest grandson to endure the same; she just wished for him to live comfortably, was that so wrong?

Though being a chef might earn more, it's exhausting money. In terms of ease and comfort, nothing beats working in an air-conditioned office.

Jiang Yu stood to the side, feeling a wave of emotion listening to his grandmother's words.

Grandma had endured too much hardship in her life, probably thinking all along:

She took in all the bitterness so that what's left for Jiang Yu is only the sweetness, right?

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