flstandardbreds Chapter 174 The newlyweds return to their parents' home; Guan Xing pays respects to Sun Shangxi
Chapter 174 The newlyweds return to their parents' home; Guan Xing pays respects to Sun Shangxi
When Guan Xing woke up at dawn, he felt refreshed, while Sun Luyu was sore all over from the exertion.
It's normal that she couldn't handle it since it was her first time; she'll get used to it after a few more times.
Seeing that Sun Luyu was not feeling well, Guan Xing wanted her to rest more, but she struggled to get up, wash up, and prepare to visit her parents-in-law.
Today is her first day married into the Guan family, and she must pay her respects to her parents-in-law and offer them tea. Guan Yu didn't return to the military camp last night because he was waiting to drink the tea offered by his daughter-in-law.
After a quick tidying up, Guan Xing helped Sun Luyu to pay his respects to Guan Yu and Xiao Qiao. Xiao Qiao was now Sun Luyu's mother-in-law, and Bu Lianshi's two daughters had both become her daughters-in-law. The world really does change so fast that it's impossible to guard against it.
After paying respects to his parents-in-law, Guan Xing escorted his daughter-in-law back to her room, and then went to the kitchen to cook.
He wasn't trying to be a nice man by being overly attentive; it was just that the food in the big city was terrible. It was either steamed, boiled, or roasted, and the way they prepared chicken, duck, and fish was so rough that they couldn't even get rid of the fishy smell. He couldn't stand eating Xiao Qiao's cooking after a few days.
So he decided to use these few days to pass on his cooking skills to Xiao Qiao and Sun Luyu, and from then on, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would be in charge of their meals.
After all, he was a general; he couldn't just stay holed up in the kitchen forever.
Guan Xing walked towards the kitchen with ill intentions. As soon as he entered, he saw Xiao Qiao's daughter, Zhou Che, rummaging through drawers and cupboards looking for food. He couldn't help but whistle, "Hey..."
When Xiao Qiao married into the Guan family, her two sons did not come with her, but her daughter Zhou Che did. After all, her daughter was too young, and Xiao Qiao was not at ease leaving her with others.
Zhou Che was startled and turned around to see Guan Xing. He couldn't help but complain, "Brother Anguo, you scared me again. Be careful, or I won't talk to you anymore."
Guan Xing had been back for several days and had already become quite familiar with the little girl. He jokingly scolded her, "Stop stealing those raw and cold things. Help me start a fire, and I'll cook you something delicious."
Zhou Che asked with a look of suspicion, "You can cook?"
Although she didn't believe Guan Xing had the ability, she still obediently went to start a fire, while Guan Xing skillfully boiled water and chopped vegetables.
The kitchen is filled with a wide variety of ingredients, including seasonal vegetables, chicken, duck, lamb, fish, and even some beef.
In the Han Dynasty, cattle were more valuable than people, and killing cattle was illegal. If the gentry wanted to eat beef, they could only wait until the cattle died naturally. The beef in the kitchen was from an old yellow ox that had died and was sent to Guan Xing's mansion to entertain guests. As for why it died on the eve of Guan Xing's wedding, Guan Xing said that it could only be blamed on its bad luck.
Under Guan Xing's cleaver, all kinds of ingredients were quickly transformed into delicious dishes, including both hot and cold dishes, as well as meat and vegetables. Guan Xing even simmered a pot of West Lake Beef Soup over low heat, which made Zhou Che's mouth water. When Guan Xing wasn't paying attention, Zhou Che secretly put his hand into the pot.
Guan Xing waited until she finished tasting it before tapping her head and saying, "Go call Dad and Aunt Zhou for dinner, and call your sister-in-law too."
"Oh, oh..." Zhou Che took off running.
Guan Xing then called a maid to bring the dishes to the back hall, intending to have breakfast with his family. However, upon arriving at the hall, he discovered that Guan Yu had already returned to the military camp.
Looks like Lao Guan isn't going to have any good food.
Guan Xing naturally wouldn't obediently call him "father," but instead settled down to eat with his stepmother, wife, and sister.
Xiao Qiao, sitting at the head of the table, looked at the delicious-looking dishes and exclaimed in surprise, "An Guo, I didn't know you could cook!"
Guan Xing laughed and said, "There's no one to serve you in the army, so you have to do everything yourself. Aunt Qiao, try it and see if it suits your taste?"
Xiao Qiao picked up a piece of cold beef salad, but before she could even bring it to her mouth, Zhou Che, seeing her startle, used both hands to devour it, stuffing it into his mouth in a whirlwind. Startled, Xiao Qiao dropped her chopsticks, and the beef fell onto her clothes.
Xiao Qiao scolded her impatiently, "What did your mother teach you? Girls should cover their mouths with their sleeves and eat gracefully and gently. How can you wolf down your food like that?"
Zhou Che ignored her and continued eating swiftly. Before Xiao Qiao could finish speaking, the beef on her table was gone.
"A half-grown boy can eat his father to death." Zhou Che is at the age where he is growing, so how could he resist the temptation of food he has never seen before?
Guan Xing laughed and said, "Aunt Qiao, it's alright. It's nothing once in a while. Girl, take it easy. I have more if you need more."
He wasn't interested in these so-called delicacies because they lacked the main seasoning, chili peppers.
In his previous life, Guan Xing loved spicy food and couldn't eat without it. No way, once the world was unified, he would definitely send a fleet to Mexico, the Amazon, and other places to bring back chili peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn.
Seeing this, Xiao Qiao didn't scold her anymore. She glared at her daughter and started eating. She picked up a piece with her chopsticks and took a bite when she stared in surprise. After chewing for a moment, she exclaimed, "How did you make this? There's not a trace of muttony smell!"
Guan Xing laughed and said, "It's hard to explain in a few words. Aunt Qiao, why don't you try some of the others and see if they suit your taste?"
After Xiao Qiao took a bite of each, she finally understood why Zhou Che had devoured the food so quickly. Even she wanted to wolf it down, let alone Zhou Che.
But Xiao Qiao was not Zhou Che after all. She continued to eat elegantly, saying as she ate, "An Guo, a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen. It's not good for a man like you to be in the kitchen all the time. Teach Aunt Qiao later, and Aunt Qiao will cook for you from now on."
Guan Xing happily agreed, and after finishing his meal, he followed Xiao Qiao and Sun Luyu, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, to the kitchen.
For the next three days, Guan Xing and Xiao Qiao and Sun Luyu spent all their time in the kitchen, wasting countless ingredients. On the fourth day, Guan Xing took Sun Luyu back to her parents' home.
Besides Sun Luyu, Guan Xing also brought his two brothers-in-law, Sun Deng and Sun Lü, on this trip back.
The Guan and Sun families have already arranged the marriage. It would be inappropriate for Guan Yu to keep the two of them detained in his residence. If word got out, what would the people of Jiangdong think of him, Guan Yunchang? "Your son has already married someone else's daughter, and you're still keeping them detained. Is that appropriate?"
Moreover, most of the Jiangdong gentry retreated to Jiangling, and those who did not were basically subdued by Guan Yu. Even if the remaining people had the desire to use the two young masters to cause trouble, they did not have the ability or prestige.
In other words, releasing the two men would not pose a significant threat to Guan Yu, but detaining them would cause continuous damage to Guan Yu's reputation.
Guan Yu was not Cao Cao's traitor after all; he valued his reputation highly, and it played a crucial role in stabilizing Jiangdong. Guan Yu did not want to damage the foundation upon which he depended for survival because of these two, so he released them.
Guan Xing returned to the Sun residence with his wife and two brothers-in-law, only to find that Madam Xu, Bu Lianshi, and Zhou Xun and his wife were all there, but Sun Shangxiang was nowhere to be seen.
Sun Shangxiang didn't appear on the day Guan Xing got married, and she still hasn't appeared today. It's obvious that she's sulking with Guan Yu and wants him to back down first.
Guan Xing was speechless. Guan Yu wasn't your husband, so how could he possibly indulge you?
Besides, who is Guan Yu? Is he the kind of person who would willingly bow his head?
If it were someone else in charge of Jiangdong, given Liu Bei's authority and Sun Shangxiang's status, they would have had to treat her like an ancestor, but Guan Yu...
If you give Guan Yu the cold shoulder, aren't you picking the wrong person? Look at how Guan Yu treats you!
Guan Yu could ignore Sun Shangxiang, but Guan Xing couldn't; he had to go and pay his respects to her.
Thinking of Sun Shangxiang's sour face, as if someone owed her money and hadn't paid it back, Guan Xing couldn't help but want to back out.
He really couldn't understand why there was such a big difference between Sun Shangxiang and Sun Luban, both women from the Sun family.
Look at Sun Luban, how smooth and tactful he is!
Guan Xing chatted with the women of the Sun family for a while, then steeled himself and led Sun Luyu to Sun Shangxiang's bedroom. He bowed at the door and said, "Your nephew Anguo greets your aunt. Are you there, aunt?"