Chapter 426: Xiaoyu’s Noodles
Downstairs, Xia Yu indeed saw the bodyguards serving tea to an elderly man she recognized from the village. She wouldn’t go out of her way to ask for his name; they usually just exchanged pleasantries like “good grandpa” whenever they met.
When Xia Yu spotted him, he naturally noticed her too. However, he still couldn’t quite tell if it was Xia Yu or Xia Ling before him. After all, with Xia Yu’s long hair now, the twins looked even more alike.
He could only guess, “Little Ling?” Xia Yu responded with a blank stare: “I… I’m Xia Yu.”
His eyes widened as he took in her cute face, curvy figure, and soft voice, which were making him doubt everything. Could a boy be that delicate-looking? If not for Xia Yu’s clarification, he might have mistaken her for a girl.
An awkward expression quickly flashed across his face, but then he swiftly accepted this reality and told Xia Yu, “Your dad should’ve told you. Go give a hand.” “Okay.”
Thinking about it made Xia Yu feel exhausted.
“We’re ready to go now. On our way there, I’ll tell you what your job will be.” “Alright.”
So, Xia Yu left the villa with the elderly man, heading toward the communal kitchen near the village court. They usually only used it during big events. Along the way, because Xia Yu looked so adorable, the man tried extra hard to be nice: “Your dad mentioned you’ve been learning cooking skills over there, right?”
“Eh? Yes!”
“Then, should you start as a chef or a vegetable cutter? That’s going to be pretty tough, so make sure you’re mentally prepared.”
Having a good idea what was next, Xia Yu decided to choose the easier option: “I’ll cut vegetables.”
Sure, it required some skill and strength to toss large pots of food. Considering her little strength… forget it. Maybe small pots would be better.
As for cutting vegetables, although it seemed easy, producing enough food for the whole village was no joke. Still, compared to flipping huge pots, she chose that path.
The man must’ve expected Xia Yu to say so because he reminded her gently, “There’s Uncle Wang who will assist you in cutting. Ask him anything if you’re unsure, rest when you’re tired, or accidents will happen.”
“Okay.”
The walk from the villa to the court didn’t take long—just enough time for small talk—and soon Xia Yu found herself at the court. “Alright, go inside and start cutting veggies, I need to do other stuff.”
Clearly, his role was mainly to inform and escort Xia Yu; he left immediately after, chatting again with other elders nearby. But at least there’d be no one watching over Xia Yu’s every move from now on. She didn’t want anyone treating her like a child, well, except Xiao Ning.
With the old man’s instructions in mind, Xia Yu headed straight to the communal kitchen, where she’d spend the day and maybe even the next few days working.
While she hadn’t noticed, since returning from living in the city with her father, Xia Yu had gotten even cuter. As for her physique, thanks to Sister Little Ning’s strict yoga practice sessions, she had maintained it flawlessly.
Xia Yu noticed the approving glances from other women and onlookers, but she ignored them. She wasn’t bothered by any small things. Continuing towards the kitchen, all that mattered was her task.
Outside the kitchen, two large pots were lined up. These were meant for the community cooking duties, but they weren’t Xia Yu’s concern since she wasn’t planning to cook.
Inside, Xia Yu found a man wearing an apron, busy chopping vegetables. This must be Uncle Wang, mentioned by the older man.
If he’s named Wang, then he can’t be from around here. Why he helped out… Xia Yu wasn’t too curious anyway.
She just wanted to do her own job.
Wandering over to the focused vegetable chopper, Xia Yu called out, “Uncle Wang?”
“Eh?”
Wang Gui looked up, surprised to see a little girl addressing him. Since he’s named Wang… he must be talking to him.
“What’s wrong?”
Wang Gui asked, thinking the girl was sent by someone else to relay a message.
“Um… I’m here to help cut veggies. What should I do?” Xia Yu got straight to the point, directly asking for work.
Wang Gui was startled. He had heard a child would come but never expected such a young one, especially a girl.
Wang Gui put down his kn*fe, using a cloth to wipe his hands: “Go home. You’re far too young for this heavy lifting. It’s not safe.”
Indeed, according to Uncle Wang, Xia Yu could slow everything down. If the dishes weren’t ready on time, he’d face blame as the adult. He really didn’t want to take the risk. So, he dialed a number on his phone: “Hey, can you send someone else over? Putting such a little kid here? Do you think this is playtime?”
Xia Yu stood aside silently while she listened.
Ironically, she started hoping Wang Gui would send her away so she wouldn’t have to work. Would it be nicer to go back to the villa and nap instead?
But things didn’t go her way. The conversation grew loud, and Xia Yu couldn’t overhear much besides Wang Gui’s increasingly reluctant expression. Finally, he hung up the phone.
“Uh, what can you chop?” “Huh?”
Xia Yu thought this would finally be her escape, yet she needed to work.
In a moment, Xia Yu realized, she had a plan. Looking around the ingredients, she responded, “I know how to do quite a bit.” Wang Gui’s eye twitched.
Of course, Wang Gui didn’t fully trust Xia Yu, thinking she was just showing off. He originally wanted to give her some more straightforward tasks, but he was suddenly having second thoughts.
Standing there quietly waiting for instructions, Xia Yu also observed the stove—she seemed a bit short. She went over and checked… yep, too short.
The stove was designed for full-grown adults to stand comfortably, which worked great for anyone over five feet six inches. Xia Yu clearly didn’t meet that requirement without something to elevate her.
And that’s when her task was decided. “You start by chopping the green onions,” he said. “Chop them finely.”
