Chapter 123: Chapter 123: Sis, How Could You Do This?

Gu Lanting’s face immediately darkened, as if she’d committed some unforgivable crime.

“Sis, how could you do this!”

“What did I do?”

“You shouldn’t use my brother-in-law’s money to buy things for our family, buying this and that. It’s not right. How am I supposed to face him?”

Gu Qinghuan secretly laughed to herself. This silly little brother of hers was actually pretty principled, putting on a serious face.

“He’s going to live in this house too, isn’t he? I provide the house, he pays to renovate it. Isn’t that fair?”

“When you marry a man, you rely on him for food and clothing. What, do you expect me to support him instead?” Gu Qinghuan deliberately twisted the logic.

Gu Lanting was thrown off by her words. He thought it over and felt like her argument made sense… but also kind of didn’t.

“But… but…” He just couldn’t shake the feeling that spending so much of his brother-in-law’s money made him lose face, and he worried his sister would be taken advantage of in the future.

“Enough with the buts. Your brother-in-law offered me this money himself. I didn’t ask him for it, so you don’t need to feel burdened.”

“Besides, don’t you think your sister, such a beautiful woman, is worth at least a few thousand yuan?” Gu Qinghuan said, deliberately showing off.

Before Gu Lanting could reply, Xu Huaian spoke up first: “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop—I was just passing by on my way to the bathroom.”

“Let me just say something, Lanting. Don’t overthink it. In our house, your sister is the boss. I listen to her about everything. If she sold me off, I’d still help her count the money.”

“Being able to marry her—even if I had to spend everything I own, I’d be willing. So what’s a few thousand yuan?”

“Look at me, I’m a nutcase with two kids in tow. Your sister was willing to marry me and take such good care of the children. I must have done good deeds for ten lifetimes to deserve her.”

“So what if she spends a little money?”

“I’m happy, she’s happy, so you don’t need to be unhappy about it.”

Gu Qinghuan was mortified that he’d overheard her bragging. She wanted to crawl into a hole.

She hadn’t expected him to be even more over the top, always ready with a sappy line whenever he got the chance.

Not listening, not listening, monks chanting scriptures…

Gu Lanting was choked by this sudden display of affection.

Fine, as long as you’re both happy. But can you not say this stuff in front of me? I’m still a kid!

Don’t think he couldn’t tell—the current situation between his sister and brother-in-law was just living together for convenience. There was no talk of love.

At most, it was his brother-in-law pursuing his sister, while she pretended not to notice.

Whatever, he wasn’t going to get involved. As long as they were happy.

After dinner, Gu Qinghuan helped them with chores for a while.

She really did have a good eye—paired with the curtains she picked, the little villa looked much classier, with an inexplicable sense of elegance.

When things were almost done, Gu Qinghuan went home to cook.

The fish Dabao caught definitely wasn’t enough for everyone, so she took out a rabbit that Xu Huaian had already cleaned and prepared from her space.

She planned to make a fragrant, spicy double-pepper diced rabbit.

She also bought some pickled mustard greens to make pickled fish with grass carp.

There were still frozen ribs in the villa’s fridge, so she defrosted them to make braised pork ribs with green beans and glass noodles—a classic Northeastern dish.

Since coming to Beijing, she hadn’t made Northeastern food yet. It was the perfect chance for Lanting and Ruxue to try something authentic.

With these three hearty main dishes, plus a stir-fried green vegetable and a soup, the meal would be complete.

She came home loaded with bags, and Ming Ruxue brought the two kids out to help.

Gu Qinghuan cleaned the fish, Ming Ruxue helped prep the vegetables, and Dabao and Beibei washed and rinsed things. Soon, everything was ready to cook.

First up was Dabao’s favorite pickled fish.

As usual, she separated the fillets from the bones, then marinated the fillets with pepper, salt, and starch.

She heated oil in the pan, sautéed ginger and garlic until fragrant, then added the chopped pickled greens. For those who liked spice, she tossed in some red chili for color, then poured in boiling water.

She cooked the vegetables and fish bones first, with soft tofu, bean sprouts, and green bamboo shoots as the base.

Once the veggies and bones were cooked and seasoned, she scooped them out, then slid in the fish fillets, stirring gently until just cooked.

A generous layer of fish fillets covered the top of the bowl. The aroma was mouthwatering, and the broth was a golden yellow.

Ming Ruxue was practically drooling as she helped out.

Gu Qinghuan was amused. “Want to try some?”

“No way!” Ming Ruxue shook her head firmly, still remembering how Gu Lanting had teased her for eating like a pig last time.

“Haha, Lanting was just joking. Go ahead, try some, it’s fine.” Gu Qinghuan laughed. Someone’s drool was about to drip into the bowl.

Dabao, ever the peacemaker, spoke up: “Aunt Ruxue, can you help Beibei and me get a little? I want to taste it!”

Dabao thought: Sigh, so tiring. Without me, this family would fall apart!

Ming Ruxue’s eyes lit up. If she was helping Dabao, surely that was okay?

“Alright, I’ll help right away.”

She fetched a small bowl and picked out a few boneless fish fillets, some tofu, and veggies.

The three of them—one adult, two kids—carried the bowl out to eat.

Gu Qinghuan continued working on the other dishes.

As she cooked, she could hear exclamations from outside.

“Wow, this is so good! Dabao, Beibei, I’m so jealous—you get to eat Sister Huan’s cooking every day.”

“It’s good, right? Everything my mom makes is delicious, but this pickled fish is my favorite,” Dabao boasted.

Beibei was too busy chewing to say anything.

“Even the tofu is amazing… and the soup is delicious!”

“Aunt Ruxue, you finished it all…” Dabao and Beibei looked at her with mock resentment.

“Oh no, I didn’t mean to… Sorry, sorry…”

Dabao shook his head, thinking: I’ll let you off this time, since you even licked the bowl clean.

He’d completely forgotten that one night, he’d done the same thing with a bowl of plain porridge.

The braised pork ribs with green beans and glass noodles was simple—just throw everything in.

First, blanch the ribs. Then caramelize some rock sugar, add the ribs and fry until slightly golden.

Add scallions, ginger, garlic, chili, star anise, cinnamon, light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and cooking wine, then pour in enough hot water to cover the ribs. Add fermented soybean paste and start simmering.

After a while, add the green beans, potatoes, and glass noodles, and cook for about twenty minutes until the sauce thickens. Done.

A huge bowl, hearty and satisfying.

Ming Ruxue was stunned. “Sis, that’s a massive bowl! Can we finish it?”

Just then, Xu Huaian came in with Gu Lanting.

Gu Lanting seemed to enjoy bickering with her.

“You’d better eat less, or maybe we really won’t finish it!”

It took Ming Ruxue a moment to realize he was saying she ate too much.

“Well, I’m not eating less! In fact, I’ll eat more! Besides, it’s not your cooking—it’s my sister’s. Who are you to boss me around? Get lost!”

Gu Qinghuan let the two of them squabble and started on the last big dish.

Double-pepper rabbit was a classic “jianghu” dish. In her previous life, Gu Qinghuan often made it for her cooking videos—it looked great, went well with rice, and was quick to make. It was all about color, aroma, and flavor.

Served in a big red Northeast-style enamel dish, it was a perfect match.

She stir-fried the marinated rabbit cubes in oil to set their shape, added doubanjiang and pickled chili for fragrance, then tossed in red and green chili slices and lots of ginger. After adding all the seasonings, she stir-fried everything together and served it hot.

A spicy, fragrant double-pepper rabbit was ready.

Xu Huaian washed his hands and helped set the table.

Soon, Gu Lanting and Ming Ruxue made a tactical truce—today’s food was just too good to waste time arguing.

“Wow, every dish is amazing! Each one has a different flavor, from a different region. Sis, how do you do it? You’re incredible!”

Ming Ruxue’s compliments were always so sincere, making Gu Qinghuan feel happy as a chef.

Gu Lanting and Xu Huaian only ever said one thing: “Delicious.”

But when it came to cooking, Gu Qinghuan thought, there’s no secret—just practice.

“Just watch, learn, and cook more. It’s easy, nothing hard about it.” Gu Qinghuan tasted the double-pepper rabbit. Mm, perfectly spicy and flavorful.

“Sis, I’m going to learn all your recipes! Otherwise, what will I do when you’re gone?” Ming Ruxue’s cheeks puffed out like a hamster, but she still spoke clearly.

Gu Lanting gave her a disdainful look, then helplessly pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to her. “At least wipe your face first! How can anyone eat so messily? You’ve got food all over yourself!”

Beibei, whose face was also covered in rice, was caught in the crossfire. She looked at her uncle in confusion: Can’t I just enjoy my meal in peace?

Gu Qinghuan didn’t specifically praise Dabao for buying the fish today.

Partly because it might make Beibei feel bad.

But more importantly, she didn’t want to encourage that kind of behavior—she worried they’d start ignoring their own needs just to please others.

While she wouldn’t stop the kids from contributing to the family, she didn’t want to encourage it either.

Why? Because she worried that if she praised such behavior, the kids might grow up sacrificing their own happiness just to please others, and that wasn’t what she wanted.

If a child develops a people-pleasing personality, it’s hard to shake off that label for life—they’ll always be taken advantage of.

Of course, what happened today wasn’t about sacrificing himself to please others.

Dabao’s choice today was based on his own happiness and values, not to win praise from the adults.

Raising kids is like crossing a river by feeling the stones—she didn’t know what the right way was, but she’d just follow her heart."

"Chapter 124: The Meat Is Gone