Chapter 429: Where’s the Win?
So, after Xia Junshuang dropped the group number, Xia Ling sneakily joined in… “Alright, let’s chat later when we have time.”
With that, Xia Junshuang darted out of the kitchen as if he was running from a bear. Xia Ling had no idea why, nor did she have the curiosity to find out. This class group didn’t seem to require admin approval, unlike the school group, which was a good thing for her because she wasn’t in a rush.
With Xia Junshuang gone, Jiang Hanhang no longer had to worry about anyone eavesdropping. She stealthily sidled up to Xia Yu and poked her in the side: “Little Yu, you must have loads of food here, right? How about tossing me a chicken leg?”
Xia Yu: “…”
Immediately, Xia Yu’s expression darkened. Who knew Jiang Hanhang had the audacity to be this shameless? Talk about an upgrade in her skills!
She glanced around; the adults were busily preoccupied, especially the ones outside in charge of cooking, hands hardly ever stopping for a breather.
As for Wang Gui, he seemed to have run off somewhere. Who knows? The food prep area was just her and the kids now.
No wonder… Jiang Hanhang could be so carefree about it.
Xia Yu wasn’t keen on sharing. After all, those ingredients were for the public, and dinner time was nearing anyway. They could just eat off the table later. If anything, Xia Ling could always take some back.
What baffled Xia Yu the most was why Jiang Hanhang wanted a chicken leg when she could just send the bodyguard to get it for her? Why come to her for it? “Do you really want it? This chicken is boiled; it tastes plain.”
“I do, and grab one for Little Ling too.”
Xia Yu: “…”
She put down the kitchen kn*fe, wiped her hands, and hurried over to where the boiled chicken was stored, grabbing two chicken legs with plastic bags—one for Jiang Hanhang and one for Xia Ling. “Here, stash it away.”
While sneaking around like this made Xia Yu anxious about adults catching her and lecturing her, she quickly stuffed the legs into Jiang Hanhang’s pockets. To cover her tracks, she even snagged some extra meat to mask the missing legs and chopped the other into bits. Jiang Hanhang was stunned. Initially, she just meant to tease Xia Yu, but now she felt a bit touched by Xia Yu’s generosity.
“Don’t worry, Little Yu; I won’t bully you anymore,” Jiang Hanhang said as she patted Xia Yu’s shoulder seriously.
Xia Yu: “… Just scram if you have nothing better to do. Don’t hang around here getting in the way.” “Hehe, are you coming home to eat later?”
Jiang Hanhang was looking forward to Xia Yu cooking. After getting used to her food, it felt awkward eating out.
Unfortunately, Xia Ling wasn’t much into cooking. Otherwise, she’d send Xia Ling to train so she could have homemade meals every day. “I’m not going back. With the way things are, I should be eating on the court, and so should Little Ling.”
“Really?” Jiang Hanhang looked at Xia Ling.
Xia Ling nodded: “What do you think Dad brought us back for? It’s all about social customs.” “Oh, so no one’s left to eat with me?”
Noticing Jiang Hanhang’s little disappointment, Xia Yu was surprised: “Aren’t you shameless? Just go eat with Little Ling; you won’t be missing out on anything.”
“Really?”
Jiang Hanhang looked at Xia Ling, excitement sparkling in her eyes: “But I’m an outsider! Is it really okay for me to join your meal?” “Should be fine.”
Xia Ling ruffled Jiang Hanhang’s hair: “Even if not, I can always take some back for us to share; it’s no biggie.” “Mm, you’re so nice, Little Ling.”
Feeling all warm and fuzzy, Jiang Hanhang hugged Xia Ling and snuggled into her shoulder, playing the cute card, and Xia Ling let her—after all, she was her girlfriend and deserved all the pampering.
Xia Yu couldn’t bear to watch any longer: “You two, if there’s nothing going on, just go outside. Can you quit spreading the love here? Are you trying to make sure the whole village knows your business?”
“Tehe~”
Jiang Hanhang stuck her tongue out cutely at Xia Yu before dragging Xia Ling off together.
Finally able to get back to work without their shenanigans, Xia Yu felt relaxed after the interruption. Yes, she and Jiang Kekai shared a trait: they both got so into work mode that nothing could distract them until it was done.
Glancing at the pile of untouched ingredients, Xia Yu took a deep breath, then dove back into her tasks.
As Wang Gui mentioned, everyone could take a break and eat around one-thirty. All the kitchen staff would sit together, including Xia Yu.
After a satisfying finish to the ingredients, Xia Yu cleaned her hands with detergent before following Wang Gui to the staff table for a meal.
It was awkward, though; Xia Yu was the only kid and only girl at her table because the aunties who washed dishes had already eaten. “Little Yu, are you drinking? Want some?”
Xia Yu: “… No, thanks.”
She’d tried beer and liquor before, and frankly, they tasted horrible—some even borderline disgusting.
Besides, she saw herself as a kid still growing; drinking didn’t vibe well with that. If she accidentally grew a beer belly, she’d be in trouble.
As for the other kids who already partied with booze and smokes, Xia Yu refused to compare herself—they had nothing to measure up against. If she wanted something tasty to drink, she figured her big sister Little Ning would find her something that’s easy on the stomach.
So, there she was, a bit socially anxious, trying to keep a low profile, eating quietly, wanting to finish up and get back to work so she could wrap up the day.
“I’m done! Everyone enjoy!”
The adults, who had been happily chatting and toasting, suddenly turned their attention to her, all looking a bit shocked. Seriously? It hadn’t even been five minutes since the meal started! How could she finish that quickly? Surely, she couldn’t still be hungry?
In that moment, every adult thought the same: she must not have eaten enough because Xia Yu had barely filled half a bowl of rice.
“Little Yu, are you full? Why eat so little? Have more and chat with us uncles.”
With that opening, everyone started chiming in.
“Little Yu, heard you went to Peng City. How’s life there?”
“Hey kiddo, I heard you moved in with your girlfriend! When’s the wedding? Uncle’s cooking up a big red envelope for ya!”
“Yeah, yeah, eat more! We saw you and your girlfriend last time you visited; you’re not allowed to be weaker than her!”
It was at this moment that Wang Gui realized, wait a minute, Xia Yu was a boy? He thought she was a girl the whole time—how awkward! But he masked his embarrassment.
So many questions! Xia Yu didn’t want to talk to the adults, and now she was totally flustered and caught off-guard by their inquiries, stumbling over her answers.
“Um… I have some things to handle, so I’ll head back now.”
Without answering anyone, she quickly made an excuse and dashed away, not wanting to be chased down with more questions. If they said she was rude, well, she couldn’t help that!
Little did she know, the adults weren’t mocking her for running away; they were just quietly complaining.
“This kid never had a problem getting rowdy on the court—what’s with the sudden shyness?”
“People do change; but who knew she’d attract a girl? And then look at my boy—no idea where he went wrong.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
At that moment, Wang Gui spoke up for Xia Yu: “What’s with not knowing where he went wrong? Your kid can’t cook like Xia Yu! Plus, she’s not bad looking; if you ask the younger crowd, they’d call her adorable, just with longer hair.”
“Cooking schmooing; anyone can learn that in a day!”
It was fine for a parent to downplay their own kid, but hearing it from others riled up the uncle who was downplaying his child, and he threw Xia Yu under the bus too. Xia Yu had no clue, but after she left, the adults started debating about her.
Having worked hard all morning, the kitchen looked a bit messy. Figured she might as well help tidy things up; a clean environment made work more enjoyable.
Just then, a small truck rolled in with ingredients…
Given they invited the whole village and had three consecutive days of feasting, a lot of ingredients were needed. This big truck would come twice a day, so Xia Yu wasn’t surprised.
Only, she wasn’t as thrilled because this meant… more work for her.
Since she hadn’t finished cleaning up, she didn’t hustle to prep ingredients, choosing to keep cleaning while the adults would manage unloading. But surprise, surprise—the truck wasn’t just delivering supplies!
Before the truck even parked properly, several unfamiliar faces jumped out, making a beeline for Xia Yu in the kitchen.
P.S. Kidnapping attempts are unsuccessful; no need to panic!
