Kissed and Seduced By the Most Rough Man in the Village-Chapter 417: To Win a Wife’s Heart, You Must First Win Her Stomach
When they returned home, most of the dishes were already prepared. The freshly bought fermented black bean paste was just in time for the steamed fish, and Gu Jianhua quickly took it to the kitchen.
"How did Zhiwei and Lijun respond?" he asked.
"They definitely didn’t want to take up Xiaoxiao’s spot, but we’ve already confirmed it, so they have no choice. They’ll ask for time off, and the last train tonight will get them here by tomorrow night, just in time for Xiaoxiao and Jiang’s wedding," Zhu Peini said, her face breaking into a wide smile.
Gu Jianhua nodded happily, "Good, good! As her cousins, it’ll be great for them to join the wedding, at least it’ll make it livelier."
He then hurried to the kitchen and told Jiang Yexun, "Jiang, we’ll definitely need another table. Xiaoxiao’s two cousins and their spouses are coming back, and they have two kids. That makes it eight people."
"Okay," Jiang Yexun smiled and agreed. He had already noticed that Xiaoxiao was very close with her family. Although it meant he might get a good thrashing from her older brothers, it was worth it as long as Xiaoxiao was happy. After all, he was tough and could take the punches.
Mrs. Su immediately calculated, "Now we have one table for my work, one for Xiaoxiao’s father’s work, and two for the neighbors. Then, we have two for Xiaoxiao’s classmates and Jiang’s friends. That makes a total of six tables."
They had initially planned for just two tables, but now there would be four more.
"Luckily Jiang brought a lot of mountain goods, or else we might have been in trouble," Mrs. Su said with a relieved pat on her chest.
Su Hongchen scoffed lightly from the side, "He’s already made his plans; there’s no way he’d let our family back out."
"Well, Jiang is concerned about your sister!" Mrs. Su snapped back at him.
Seeing him still sulking, Mrs. Su continued, "You’ve been in the military too long. The outside world is full of men with bad intentions. But when Jiang confirmed his relationship with your sister, he immediately came to find you, then rushed back for the New Year. It’s clear he cares deeply about her. What you should be afraid of isn’t his attentiveness, but that he might not care about her."
"I know," Su Hongchen muttered, knowing all too well. He had always imagined that his sister would stay with their parents until she was twenty-two or twenty-three, and he could introduce her to someone in the military when his career was higher. That way, he could keep an eye on her and ensure no one would mistreat her. But as Jiang Yexun said, his work was too dangerous, and he couldn’t allow Xiaoxiao to live in fear.
"Alright, let’s eat," Gu Jianhua and Jiang Yexun came out with the freshly stir-fried dishes. The aroma filled the air, making everyone eager to go to the table.
The rich fragrance of the food made everyone hungry. Su Xiaoxiao eagerly took a bite of Jiang Yexun’s braised ribs. The tender meat came off the bone easily. The dish was fragrant, tender, and just melted in her mouth.
"Delicious!" Su Xiaoxiao smiled happily, her eyes squinting with joy as she gave Jiang Yexun a thumbs-up.
"If you like it, have more. Uncle said you like simple steamed fish, but we couldn’t get bass today. Let’s see if you like this crucian carp," Jiang Yexun said as he picked some fish meat from the belly and dipped it in the fermented black bean paste soup before placing it in Su Xiaoxiao’s bowl.
The fish was flavored with ginger slices, which removed any fishy smell perfectly.
"Yum! I also love crucian carp and tofu soup!" Su Xiaoxiao exclaimed joyfully.
Mrs. Su, sitting nearby, tapped her on the head lightly, scolding, "You haven’t even swallowed what’s in your mouth and you’re already asking for more from Jiang."
"Ow!" Su Xiaoxiao covered her head and gave her an innocent look. "I know, I was wrong."
Jiang Yexun straightened his back, his gaze focused on the spot on her head where she was hit. Once he confirmed she wasn’t hurt, he secretly sighed in relief.
Seeing Jiang Yexun’s worried expression, Su Hongchen felt a bit of satisfaction. It was a strange comfort to know that someone was looking out for his sister.
They all enjoyed the meal tremendously. Although Jiang Yexun was still new to cooking, he had a great learning ability. With the help of Mrs. Su, Granny Lin, and Uncle Gu, he managed to cook each dish to perfection. Plus, he made some Northeast specialty dishes, which had everyone digging in for seconds.
In the afternoon, Jiang Yexun took Su Xiaoxiao to the cinema, while Mrs. Su and Zhu Peini went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy more things for the two kids who were coming back.
The factory workers had already started their New Year’s break, so the cinema was packed with people—many of whom were on dates or had just found partners at work.
Jiang Yexun glanced at the long line and then at the snack stand beside them. He went over to buy a bag of candied chestnuts and some sodas before returning to Su Xiaoxiao.
"Wait here, I’ll go get in line," Jiang Yexun said softly, leaning down.
Su Xiaoxiao felt her heart flutter at the sound of his voice. She swallowed nervously and shifted to the side, her eyes glistening as she looked up at him.
"Yexun, go ahead. I’ll wait here and won’t run off," she reassured him.
Jiang Yexun felt a light tingle in his chest as if a cat’s paw had gently scratched his heart. The sensation made him want to pull her into his arms, but with people walking by, he kept his composure.
He gave her a soft, loving smile before rushing off to get in line.
