CHAPTER 309: CHAPTER 310: THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK

Mrs. Liu said to He Xuegang, "Gangzi, your wife is feeling unwell. Go check on her."

He Xuegang nodded, somewhat concerned about Dong Meihua, and left the table as well.

In an instant, the atmosphere at the He Family’s dinner table turned cold. He Hongjun had completely lost his appetite, and He Xuebing wasn’t really eating either. Only He Xuewu continued to eat.

Mrs. Liu, watching her daughter’s foolish behavior, felt somewhat unable to face He Hongjun. Eventually, when everyone left the table, He Hongjun and He Xuebing took their leave, and He Xuewu went out to play. Mrs. Liu, frustrated with her daughter, said, "I remember you weren’t this foolish before. You used to sweet-talk your father, making him so happy. How could you become so stupid now?"

Mrs. Li couldn’t understand how her once smart and cute daughter had regressed so much, speaking without thinking things through.

"Who do I need to sweet-talk now?" Li Shengmei, who had followed her mother in remarriage to this place as a child, had naturally gone to great lengths to please Mr. Gao, Gao Guoqing, Gao Guocheng, and the rest of the Gao family.

But since marrying He Hongjun, she hadn’t needed to please anyone else, nor did she want to. Thus, she became more and more carefree, straying further down the path of self-liberation.

"You may not need to please anyone now, but you should still think before you speak. When you blurt out whatever comes to mind, don’t you consider other people’s feelings at all?" Mrs. Li sighed, unsure of how to counsel her daughter.

"Mom, stop scolding me. Since childhood, I’ve had to be careful about everything. Do you really want me to keep watching my daughter-in-law’s face? What’s the point of my life then?" said Li Shengmei.

Her words left Mrs. Li at a loss.

At the Gao family’s place, dinner had just finished. Sun Yuhua headed out to chat with Wang Aihua, and Xia Xiao said to Gao Jiaxing, "I’m going to find Sister Xuehua and check on the dormitory."

Gao Jiaxing nodded, "I’ll walk you over. I’ll just drop by to see Bingzi on the way."

Gao Jiaxing then escorted Xia Xiao out. On the way, Xia Xiao asked, "Aren’t we waiting for elder aunt and the second aunt to come over tomorrow?"

"It’s the same if we meet them when we come back. If we’re too late, we might miss the train," replied Gao Jiaxing.

Xia Xiao nodded, realizing the urgency of catching the train would likely mean not waiting for the two aunts to arrive before they had to leave.

Thinking of the elder and second aunts, Xia Xiao couldn’t help but think of Gao Yongfang. Since the old house’s residents moved to the city, Yongfang hadn’t visited the production team again—it seemed she no longer considered it her parental home but only Gao Guofu and Lin Xuebi’s side as such.

Moreover, the people from the old house had not returned at all. It appeared they were living quite well in the city; otherwise, they would have visited at least once in all these years.

After getting to Youth Point, Gao Jiaxing left. When Xia Xiao arrived, the girls in the dormitory were cooking, with Xia Jing in charge of the kitchen.

Upon seeing Xia Xiao, Xia Jing greeted her with a smile, "Sister, why are you here? Have you eaten?"

"I’ve eaten. Where’s Sister Xuehua?" Xia Xiao asked, not seeing Yang Xuehua.

"Sister Yuhua called her over to Sister Aihua’s," informed Xia Jing.

Hearing this, Xia Xiao nodded. All the girls at the dormitory were present, greeting Xia Xiao as they saw her.

Xia Xiao said, "I’ll be going back home tomorrow. Let me cook a meal for you."

"That’s very kind of you, sister," replied Xia Jing without any pretense, handing over the spatula. She then said to the dormitory girls, "You’re in luck today. You’ll get to taste the food my sister makes. It’s delicious."

"Don’t listen to her, she’s just boasting," Xia Xiao said with a smile, shaking her head.

The girls had only two types of ingredients for their meal: fish and green vegetables. Xia Xiao made a soup with the fish head, fried and then braised the fish body, all using simple methods, not even adding spring water to the dishes.

However, as someone who had been cooking for a long time, her skills had improved, and her dishes tasted better.

"The fish will no longer have a fishy smell when you add ginger and a few drops of vinegar."

"Moreover, sour beans added to fish soup give it a sour and sweet taste that is very appetizing when you drink it."

"Nowadays, the ingredients are very simple; there are no tomatoes or tofu for making fish soup, but sour beans or bamboo shoots, even pickled vegetables are good."

"Aiya, you guys also picked up snails?" Xia Xiao said casually after noticing the snails in the basin.

Xia Jing said, "Yes, today Yan Hao and I went with everyone to pick snails. It’s just too bad we didn’t find more; otherwise, we could have brought some to Sister Xia as well."

Xia Xiao shook her head, "No need, but are you going to cook the snails?"

"Of course! I was planning to boil them in water, but since Sister Xia is here, you can help us instead," Xia Jing said with a pleasing smile.

Xiong Wei said, "I’ve always heard that Sister Xia’s cooking is delicious; it’s just that I never had the chance. Now that Sister Xia is here, I wouldn’t mind if Sister Xia cooked extra."

Zhong Lihong and Ruan Yuting both nodded with smiles, "Yeah, looking at the fish soup and fish dishes Sister Xia makes, they seem so delicious, and just watching makes us crave them."

Xia Xiao smiled and asked, "Do you guys eat spicy?"

"We all eat a little, I can handle it even if it’s quite spicy," Zhong Yuhong said.

Xiong Wei and Ruan Yuting were indeed not afraid of spicy food, so Xia Xiao had a general idea of how much spice to add. There was no spice in the dormitory, so Xia Xiao said to Xia Jing, "Sister Aihua grows some in her vegetable garden. Go ask Sister Aihua if you can pick a few chili peppers."

"Sure, I’ll go right away," Xia Jing said as she hurried off.

After Xia Xiao made fish soup and stewed fish, she began to clean the snails and started sautéing them. Before long, Xia Jing had returned with a few chili peppers, and Yang Xuehua had come out from Wang Aihua’s home, delighted to see Xia Xiao.

"How long have you been here?" Yang Xuehua asked.

Xia Xiao pointed to the dishes on the table, "I just finished cooking a few dishes."

"Then we’re really in for a treat today," said Yang Xuehua, a smile inevitably spreading across her face.

Xia Xiao smiled and sautéed the snails with chili peppers, green onions, and ginger. In no time, a large plate of fragrant snails was ready.

Then Xia Xiao cleaned the wok and stir-fried a plate of green vegetables. All the dishes were done, and the remaining cleanup was taken care of by Xiong Wei and the others.

Xia Xiao asked Xia Jing, "Aren’t you calling Yan Hao over for dinner?"

"His lunch box is with me. I’ll fill it and take it over to him in a bit," Xia Jing said.

Xia Xiao knew that with a group of girls in the dorm, it wouldn’t be appropriate for Yan Hao to come and eat together, so she just nodded.

After Xia Jing filled Yan Hao’s food container, she took it to him. Xia Xiao had already eaten her fill at the Gao family’s house and just sampled a few snails without eating more.

The rest, however, were very happy eating. Yang Xuehua said, "This fish is really delicious, and these snails are just too good."

"Yes, everything is so tasty, so spicy, so refreshing," the girls chimed in unison before adding, "Especially after finishing, washing it all down with fish soup is just perfect."

Xia Jing nodded, "I almost wish I could swallow my tongue."

Xia Xiao was amused by their comments and waved her hand towards everyone saying, "Actually, it’s pretty simple. If you cook it a couple more times, you’ll be able to do it too."