Chapter 109: Being Good at Cooking Isn't Always a Blessing

“What... what did you just call me?”

Xia Yan hadn’t expected Lin Hongzhe to suddenly change the way he addressed her, and for a moment, she was taken aback.

After the first time he spoke, Lin Hongzhe didn’t hesitate much before saying it again: “Mom.”

In truth, Lin Hongzhe had barely slept the entire previous night, consumed by the thought of changing the way he addressed her. Even as he entered the house just now, he was still considering how to do it. Lin Hongzhuo had just given him the opportunity.

The eldest son’s change of address brought joy to the entire family. Xia Yan took out a red envelope she had prepared early on. Since Lin Hongzhuo had changed his address earlier and hadn’t received one, and now all three children had done so, the red envelope was naturally given promptly.

Lin You smiled and asked, “When did you prepare this?”

Xia Yan cockily lifted her head, “I’m not telling you.”

After breakfast, Lin You busied himself in the courtyard. That pile of clay was not only taking up space but also unsightly.

“Yan Yan, where are you planning to build the kang stove?”

“Emmm...” Xia Yan had originally intended to build a small earthen house in the backyard and set the kang stove there, but she hadn’t had time to do it yet and suddenly wasn’t sure where to put it.

“Why don’t you come take a look?”

Lin You glanced into the inner room; only Lin Nuannuan’s room at the very back seemed suitable. After building the kang stove, the children could play on it during winter without feeling cold.

“Let’s just put it in Nuannuan’s room. Before it’s finished, Nuannuan can sleep with us.”

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”

At this moment, Xia Yan was more than willing to have Lin Nuannuan sleep with them so she could rest for a while. Otherwise, with Lin You’s nightly habits, how could she endure it...

After speaking, the two busied themselves moving some things from the room to the living room.

The two boys helped as well, and the family was happily immersed in the task. While playing with the clay, Lin Nuannuan even molded five small clay figures, which, surprisingly, looked somewhat like real people.

Xia Yan entered the room and began planning. Since they were going to do it, she decided to make it larger, building directly against three walls.

Without steel-reinforced concrete at this time, they could only use earth bricks to build pillars for support. Then they would lay bluestone slabs on top and plaster a layer of yellow earth over it, completing the entire surface of the kang.

The kang surface required careful attention: if too thick, it wouldn’t heat through; if too thin, it would feel uncomfortable.

On the outer edge, they would add a wooden board with a kang rim for sitting convenience.

The kang flue was equally important; it was the passage for smoke and gases. High-temperature smoke would flow through the flue, transferring heat to the kang surface.

The earthen kang Xia Yan was building needed about four flues, ensuring that aside from the hottest kang head and the coldest kang tail, the middle section would maintain a relatively even temperature.

Lin You followed Xia Yan’s instructions, carrying earth bricks and yellow earth, shovel in hand, into the room.

The whole family was deeply engaged in building the kang stove. They barely paid attention to lunch, and by evening, Xia Yan was so exhausted she could barely straighten her back and had to rest.

The kang stove took several days to complete. Although tiring, when Xia Yan finally placed a handful of dry grass into the flue and lit it, she felt it was all worth it.

She imagined the future: outside, heavy snow falling, the family gathered around the kang stove with a table set for hotpot... just thinking of it filled her with happiness.

The next day, when Lin You returned home, he told Xia Yan that Lin Ling and their parents had already reached the northwest. After discussing as a family, they planned to visit the elders down the mountain over the weekend for a proper gathering.

That afternoon, a woman in her fifties came to see Xia Yan. Xia Yan didn’t recognize her at first glance.

“Auntie, may I ask what you need?”

“I’m the wife of Old Wu from the ranch, I’m called Shi Xiumei. I came to ask for your help with something. Do you have time next week?”

Old Wu from the ranch?

Xia Yan thought for a moment, “You mean Wu, the ranch manager, right?”

“Yes, yes,” Shi Xiumei nodded. “You have a good memory…”

Xia Yan looked at Shi Xiumei curiously and asked, “Auntie Xiumei, what do you need help with?”

Shi Xiumei smiled shyly. “My husband Old Wu’s sixtieth birthday is next Saturday. We want to hold a banquet at the ranch and invite relatives and friends to a meal.”

Xia Yan was puzzled. Why come to her to host a banquet? She had only met Manager Wu once during the clay transport and had no particular connection.

Logically, there was no need to invite her.

Still, she replied politely, “That’s wonderful.”

“Well... here’s the thing: the chef who was supposed to cater suddenly went back to his hometown. We haven’t found a suitable replacement yet. We heard your cooking is delicious and wanted to ask you for help…”

At this, Xia Yan finally understood—they wanted her to be the head cook.

“We won’t let you work for nothing. We’ll pay you the same as the banquet chef’s salary.”

Seeing Xia Yan hesitate, Shi Xiumei quickly added.

Xia Yan waved her hand. “Auntie Xiumei, don’t misunderstand. Since my sister-in-law is stationed in the military district, we planned to have a family dinner next weekend. I’m worried the timing won’t match.”

“No, no, no, ours is on Friday.”

“Friday?”

Xia Yan shook her head and declined. The school would start reporting those days. Friday had classes, and Saturday they’d be going down the mountain. She simply wouldn’t have the energy to help.

Another reason was that the last time she cooked, Zhang Chunshan was the head chef. Zhang’s home cooking was decent, but those large banquet dishes were beyond her skill.

Not only was it tiring, but if the flavors weren’t right, it would reflect poorly.

“Auntie Xiumei, it’s not that I don’t want to help. The organization assigned me to a teaching position. Since my fiancé and I just got married, I had some time to rest at home, but in a few days I have to report for work. I definitely have classes on Friday.”

Xia Yan’s tone was full of regret.

She thought Shi Xiumei would give up, but to her surprise, the woman smiled and said, “It’s just one day. Besides the salary, I’ll also give you a red envelope.”

Xia Yan shook her head again. “Auntie Xiumei, it’s not about the money. The main issue is that I just started work and can’t afford to take leave so soon.”

After being refused again, Shi Xiumei’s expression darkened. “Daughter-in-law of Captain Lin, I came specifically to ask for your help. It’s not like I’m asking for free. It was because of my husband Old Wu that you got to haul clay from the ranch last time. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have had the chance.”

Xia Yan’s expression chilled. “Auntie Xiumei, I’m grateful to Manager Wu for the clay job last time, but this is a different matter. I can’t just neglect my primary job to cook for you. If you really need a banquet chef, you can try Zhang Chunshan at the state-run restaurant down the mountain. Tell him I recommended you and ask him…”