Just then, a wave of savory aromas drifted over. Ouyang Yanan, a self-proclaimed foodie, sniffed the air, her eyes lighting up. "It smells so good! It's the scent of braised pig's trotters!"
Ms. Wan Feng hurriedly stood up, walking toward the kitchen as she said, "The braised trotters are done. Time to stir-fry the rest of the dishes!"
She glanced at her watch: 11:30 AM. On cue, her stomach protested right on schedule. Ouyang Yanan followed her in to help—though in truth, she was hoping to steal some culinary secrets! Or rather, steal some bites!
Laughter and cheerful chatter filled the living room, while the kitchen buzzed with fiery activity.
Ms. Wan Feng was busy preparing dry-pot chicken. After washing the chicken, she neatly trimmed off the head, wings, thighs, and feet. She cut the remaining neck and spine into uniform sections two finger-widths wide, brushed them evenly with a layer of honey, placed them on a plate, and slipped them into boiling oil to fry until golden and crispy before removing them. Leaving an appropriate amount of oil in the wok, she tossed in three prepared bay leaves, one star anise, two whole cloves of garlic, a slice of ginger, four dried chili peppers, a spoonful of chili powder, and a tablespoon of soybean oil, stir-frying the mixture for four seconds. Then she added the fried chicken, tossed it until evenly coated, poured in half a small bowl of water, covered the wok, and set the induction cooker to a simmer for an eight-minute timer. Finally, she tossed in a small amount of onion, garlic sprouts, and seasonings, stir-frying for two minutes before dishing it up. The fragrant dry-pot chicken was complete.
Next came the spicy shrimp. After removing the heads and deveining the backs, the shrimp were washed, plated, and fried in hot oil until crispy, red, and fragrant, then scooped out. Leaving the right amount of oil heated in the wok, she added a proper amount of garlic slices, fresh ginger slices, dried red chili segments, and Yunnan Sichuan peppercorns, stir-frying eight times. Then she added the fried shrimp and stir-fried for three minutes to absorb the flavors, followed by a dash of spicy chili sauce, tossing for another two minutes before dishing them out.
After that, she washed the wok, heated up some oil, and fried peanuts. Controlling the heat until they smelled nutty, she scooped them out to drain and placed them in a bowl, sprinkling a small amount of fine salt over them.
Next up was stir-fried pork kidney. The kidneys were scored in a crisscross pattern and sliced diagonally, each piece three inches long, and placed on a plate. She heated 200 grams of oil, tossed in the kidney slices for a rapid one-minute stir-fry, added 50 grams of fresh ginger slices, 20 grams of garlic slices, 10 grams of dried chili segments, and 30 grams of celery stalks, and stir-fried for another minute. A final dash of seasoning and another minute of tossing later, and they were ready to be served.
Unable to resist, Ouyang Yanan had already reached out a little hand, plucked a piece of kidney straight from the plate despite the heat, and popped it into her mouth.
"Mmm, so good!" she declared with a look of utter satisfaction.
Finally, she made the stir-fried sponge gourd vines, cooking them just until bright green before adding seasonings and removing them from the heat. Green vegetables shouldn't be cooked for too long, or the chlorophyll would be lost; it took a practiced hand to know the exact moment the vegetables were done. Taking them off the heat right then kept the greens crisp, tender, and full of texture.
The plain boiled old pumpkin had been prepared earlier by Ms. Wan Feng using a two-tier steamer: the pumpkin sat on the bottom, while the upper tier steamed fluffy white rice. Yanan had always loved steamed rice—loose, soft, and utterly appetizing!
She glanced at her watch: it was now 12:20 PM.
"Time to eat!" Ouyang Yanan called out as she carried out a large bowl of plain pumpkin.
"Let me help!" Ye Lingtian said, stepping into the kitchen to help carry the dishes.
It had been a very long time since the Ouyang household had enjoyed a meal with so many dishes. Looking at the table full of food, everyone couldn't help but swallow hard, eager to dig in.
"Everyone sit down and eat!" Ms. Wan Feng invited with a smile.
"It's all thanks to Yanan buying so many ingredients. Ordinarily, we'd never bear to eat like this. Our family hasn't had such a wonderful meal in ages. Today we're happy, so let's eat our fill and enjoy ourselves to the fullest!" Ouyang Fan declared heartily.
Ye Lingtian picked up a shrimp, chewed it thoughtfully, and said, "Mmm! This crayfish has no muddy taste, the meat is tender, fragrant, and crispy, with just a hint of numbing spice. I've never tasted spicy shrimp this good. Auntie, you're a fantastic cook!" With that, he placed a peeled crayfish into Ouyang Yanan's bowl, his eyes full of affection.
Ouyang Fan and Ms. Wan Feng exchanged a knowing look and nodded slightly.
"Cooking is just a matter of practice. If you like it, eat more," Ms. Wan Feng said with a smile.
"You probably didn't know, but my mom used to run a restaurant, so of course her cooking is amazing," Ouyang Yanan said proudly, raising an eyebrow.
"So that's how it is!" Ye Lingtian didn't ask why she stopped. Every family had its own difficult scriptures to chant, and everyone had painful pasts best left unsaid.
Since they were in rare high spirits, Ye Lingtian brought out a wine he had brewed himself using various precious medicinal herbs. This health wine had anti-aging and longevity-promoting properties, suitable for all ages. With a very low alcohol content, it wouldn't get anyone drunk; if put up for auction, it would be priceless. Filling a cup for everyone, Ye Lingtian raised his glass and said, "Let's forget the unhappy things. At this moment, let's enjoy the fine food and good wine! Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"Ouyang Rui, you've already eaten two pig's trotters! Watch out, or you won't be able to find a wife in the future!" Ouyang Yanan never missed a chance to tease her younger brother.
"Hmph, didn't you eat one too? Be careful or your second brother-in-law might run off!" Ouyang Rui was never one to take a loss lying down.
"You little brat, what did you say?"
"Ow! My ear, ouch, ouch, ouch! A gentleman uses his words, not his fists!"
"Hahaha..."
"Hahaha..."
"Hahaha..."
Mr. and Mrs. Ouyang didn't eat much themselves, instead constantly piling food into the bowls of Ye Lingtian and their three children—their hearts overflowing with parental love.
This was a family, full of the warmth of human life. Ye Lingtian smiled knowingly. He resolved that he must find his parents and reunite the whole family!
Delicious food, fine wine, and cheerful conversation—forgetting the unhappiness, refusing to worry about what the future might hold. In this moment, they only wanted to drink freely, feast heartily, and enjoy the warmth of family togetherness.
After the meal, Ouyang Can helped her mother, Ms. Wan Feng, clear away the dishes. In the living room, Ouyang Fan asked Ye Lingtian, "Xiaotian, what are your plans for the future?"
Ye Lingtian curved his lips into a mysterious smile. "Yanan might have some matters to attend to. Once she finishes taking care of things here, I'll take her to find the spirit grass and cure her illness as soon as possible." He then turned his head, looked at Ouyang Yanan, and smiled. "Right?"
Ouyang Yanan rolled her eyes. She waited until her mother and eldest sister came out before speaking. "Mom! Sis! Sit down quickly, I have something to tell you!"
"Hehe, this girl, what is it this time?" Ms. Wan Feng asked with a smile.
"Little sister, what's wrong?" Ouyang Can asked instinctively.
Ouyang Fan and Ouyang Rui didn't ask aloud, but they looked at Ouyang Yanan with questioning eyes.
Ouyang Yanan took out her bank card, placed it on the table, and explained, "There's one million in this card! I'm planning to buy you all a new 150-square-meter apartment!"
"..."
Hearing this, the entire family stared at Ouyang Yanan in shock, speechless for a long time.
"Sis, say that again," Ouyang Rui said, finally recovering his senses.
"I said there's one million in this card, and I want to buy you all a new 150-square-meter apartment!" Ouyang Yanan repeated.
"Little sister, did I hear that right? Is there really one million?"
"It's real!"
"Where did you get this money?" Ouyang Fan asked solemnly.
"It's mine, anyway, and I came by it fair and square. Right, Ye Lingtian?" She tilted her head toward Ye Lingtian, raised an eyebrow, and asked.
Ye Lingtian thought to himself: *This girl, refusing to admit she got the money from me is probably so the Ouyangs won't feel any psychological burden. Besides, she really did earn this money through her own abilities.*
He immediately said, "Uncle, Auntie, the money was indeed earned by her. I was there at the time—Yanan saved someone's life, and that person rewarded her with one million!"
Ouyang Yanan curved her lips: *Not bad, you actually know how to play along!*
Ouyang Fan and Ms. Wan Feng rubbed their hands awkwardly. Suddenly having this much money was too much for them to process.
Ouyang Rui said, "Second Sister, since it's your money, you should keep it well. If we need to build or buy a house in the future, I'll figure it out myself. We can't use your money."
Ouyang Yanan was deeply moved that her younger brother was thinking of her.
"That's right, we feel living here is just fine!" Ms. Wan Feng said.
Ouyang Fan sighed and said, "It's your father's fault for being useless. You're all grown up now, yet I haven't been able to provide you with a decent home! I've failed you, and I've failed your mother! She's followed me for so many years and never lived a good life."
Ms. Wan Feng reassuringly squeezed Ouyang Fan's hand.
"Dad! What are you saying? We're a family—we share blessings and weather hardships together. My biggest wish is to let you all live in a nice house and lead a good life. Besides, my time might be running out; keeping this money won't do me much good anyway, so it might as well fulfill my wish!"
"Yanan... don't talk nonsense!"
"Little sister..."
"Second Sister..."
Although the Ouyang family was poor, they were sensible and cared for one another, never tearing each other apart over trivial gains. Ye Lingtian deeply admired this; this was what a true family should be like. Where were his own family members, though?
"Don't worry, you're the person I've chosen. I will cure you and make sure nothing happens to you!" Ye Lingtian quickly declared.
"You brat, always pushing your luck and seizing every opportunity. Who could possibly be as thick-skinned as you?" Ouyang Yanan looked at him with utter disgust, though she couldn't hide the trace of warmth in her heart.
"Anyway, we definitely have to buy a house! We'll buy one to live in first, and later, when we have more money, we can build a big villa. How wonderful would it be for the whole family to live together? I saw that the commercial housing on Central Avenue looks pretty nice. Let's tidy up and go take a look together!"
"But..." Her younger brother Ouyang Rui still didn't want to use his second sister Ouyang Yanan's money to buy a house.
"Well, at the very least, we can put the property deed in my name, and you can live there temporarily. You can move out once you make your own money, alright?"
"Alright!"
Ouyang Yanan insisted on her plan, and since her family couldn't persuade her otherwise, they simply tidied up a bit and set off in a grand group!
Arriving at Central Avenue, they looked up at five tall buildings standing side by side, each twenty-seven stories high. The first floor of each building consisted of neat storefronts, the second through fourth floors were commercial spaces, and the fifth through twenty-seventh floors were residences. Tall and spacious, it was enough to shock the impoverished Ouyang family.
Ye Lingtian took a step forward and said, "Let's go inside and take a look!"
"Okay!"
As soon as they stepped into the sales hall, a pretty sales representative in a formal suit enthusiastically came up to greet them.
"Welcome! Are you here to look at housing?"
"Yes, we'd like to see the apartments," Ye Lingtian said.
"Alright, right this way..."
"Xiaoju, come help out!" another sales representative called out.
So the sales rep greeting them was named Xiaoju!
"Sister Zhang, I have customers right here!" Xiaoju replied.
The woman called Sister Zhang walked over, didn't even glance at Ye Lingtian and his group, and pulled Xiaoju aside to whisper, "Where's your judgment? People like them look like complete paupers—they can't afford to buy a house at all! Come help me instead; those are big clients paying in full. If I close the deal, I'll give you a tenth of my commission!"
As a cultivator, Ye Lingtian's hearing was naturally far beyond that of ordinary people, and every single word Sister Zhang said reached his ears without missing a beat. His brow furrowed instantly. Snobs who judged people by their covers were truly everywhere. Let's see how Xiaoju responds, he thought. Otherwise...