Zhang Huai shook his head, drank some water, and said to him, "Yangzi’s at school, and there are still plenty of chores at home. I’ve got to head back and clean the pigsty. Those pigs sure can eat and poop, so it has to be cleaned once a day."

Qingmu nodded. "You’re right about that. We clean ours out once a day, too."

Zhang Huai sat on the stool, watching Juhua quietly sewing. He was mesmerized for a moment and couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, "Juhua, could you make me a pair of gloves?"

Juhua was stunned!

Even Qingmu was surprised. ’When did this guy get so bold?’

Juhua saw that Zhang Huai looked a little embarrassed after asking the question, and she was left speechless.

’Technically, making a pair of gloves for him isn’t a big deal, but around here, it carried a special meaning.’

’What would this be considered? Clothes, shoes, and socks were things that only a mother, sister, or wife would make for a man. Isn’t that why Meizi started making shoes for Li Changming?’

’If I made him gloves, wouldn’t that be the same as giving him a token of my affection?’

But seeing his face flush red, his eyes shining with an undisguised longing, Juhua felt that even with her experience of two lifetimes, she couldn’t bear it. Her own face couldn’t help but turn red. The words of refusal were caught in her throat, yet she didn’t want to agree either, so she just lowered her head in silence.

Seeing Juhua’s silence, Zhang Huai was very disappointed.

But then he caught sight of her shy expression, and his spirits lifted. ’She must be worried about gossip, which is why she can’t agree outright,’ he thought. ’But she understands my feelings. Otherwise, she wouldn’t look like that.’

’This reaction is much better than her just being formally polite to me.’

Juhua was silent for a moment. The atmosphere felt a bit tense—even Qingmu wasn’t saying a word. She finally nodded and said, "I was about to make a pair for my brother anyway, so I’ll just make a pair for you, too."

’As if a pair of gloves could tie me down. What a joke.’

Zhang Huai hadn’t expected her to agree. He was ecstatic, a brilliant smile spreading across his face as he looked at her.

Seeing his joyful expression, Juhua felt irked. When he thanked her, she said with a smile, "It’s nothing. You accompanied my brother to talk business the other day and helped my family get an extra twenty cents per pound for our sausages. It’s only right I make you a pair of gloves to thank you. I suppose it’s still not quite enough, but since your family is going to be selling sausages too, you’ll benefit from it as well."

When Zhang Huai heard this, his smile instantly froze on his face.

Seeing his expression, Juhua’s mood improved immensely. Her smiling eyes curved into little crescents!

Qingmu was taken aback for a moment, then he started to chuckle. He quickly wiped the smile off his face after Juhua shot him a glare.

Zhang Huai gave Juhua a helpless look. ’A thank-you gift is a thank-you gift, I suppose,’ he thought. ’At least you’re the one making them. It’s better than nothing.’

He put down his teacup, got up to leave, and said before he left that he’d have his mother come over the next day to learn how to make the spicy pickled cabbage.

The next day, He came to Juhua’s house, bringing the seasonings and other items Juhua had told her to bring. She immediately started chopping and washing the cabbages in the Zheng Family’s courtyard. Then, with the help of Mrs. Yang and Juhua, she pickled them and packed them into a large, recently emptied jar at Juhua’s house.

This was Juhua’s idea to avoid attracting attention; if He made the cabbage at her own home, the whole village would know. This way was also more convenient. When the time came, they could sell the spicy pickled cabbage directly from Juhua’s house and just give the Zhang family their share of the silver.

He wasn’t exactly a fan of cooking.

But with Juhua helping her so much, if she didn’t put her heart into it, wouldn’t she be a lost cause? So she concentrated completely, meticulously following Juhua’s instructions.

But different people really do have different talents. Even though He was trying very hard, Juhua found that her work still wasn’t quite up to par. Juhua didn’t dare let her chop the ingredients for the paste, much less mix them. Even just spreading the paste onto the cabbage leaves, she couldn’t do it evenly. It took a long time and a lot of effort before it looked somewhat acceptable.

They were busy until late afternoon, when Zhang Huai and Qingmu returned from their studies.

When He saw the two of them, she said in shame, "I’m just not cut out for this. Juhua has been teaching me all day, and I still haven’t gotten it right."

Mrs. Yang comforted her, "Everyone has their own strengths. You don’t particularly enjoy this, so it’s no wonder you’re not used to it. It took me several tries before I got the hang of it, too."

Juhua smiled. "Don’t worry, Aunty. You’ll get it after a few more times. There are only a few steps, after all. It’s not that complicated."

Zhang Huai stood to one side, watching intently for a moment. Then he drew some water, washed his hands, rolled up his sleeves, and started making the spicy pickled cabbage himself.

To everyone’s jaw-dropping surprise, he wasn’t clumsy like most men who never set foot in a kitchen. On the contrary, after coating just a few cabbage leaves, his movements became deft and practiced.

This made even Qingmu feel indignant. He came over to give it a try, but he couldn’t do it well at all.

’This guy has the potential to be a master chef,’ Juhua thought in surprise.

Zhang Huai truly did have the makings of a master chef. He listened as Juhua explained the process for making the paste and then tried it himself. Aside from not being able to chop the radish well, he completely grasped the essence of Juhua’s instructions regarding the proportions of the other ingredients.

He listened as everyone praised him, even Juhua, who said he had what it took to be a great chef. He held back for a long time before finally asking in confusion, "Is it really that hard? It’s just a few ingredients chopped finely and mixed together. Didn’t Juhua already explain the amounts very clearly...?"

Before he could finish, he noticed everyone staring at him strangely. He chided him with a laugh, "Are you calling your mother stupid? Is that it? Fine, from now on, you can do all the cooking for our family."

Qingmu and Juhua burst out laughing.

’I never paid attention before,’ Zhang Huai thought. ’But after listening to Juhua, making this spicy pickled cabbage doesn’t seem that hard. Cooking must follow the same logic. It’s just that Mom doesn’t like cooking, which is why she’s not good at it.’

In thinking this, he was truly being unfair to his mother.

In truth, there were many tricks to cooking in the countryside. Managing the fire under the wok was the hardest part to master. Someone who didn’t know how to tend the fire would often burn the food on the bottom while the top was still raw. And that didn’t even cover stir-frying, which was even more difficult than cooking rice. That’s why some people who didn’t enjoy cooking or didn’t put their heart into it could cook for a lifetime and still make terrible-tasting food. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)