"In the past, when the adults were out working, I was the only one who did the cooking at home. I never saw my sister cook once. Logically speaking, she wouldn't have had any chance to learn how."
Old Madam Huo’s brow furrowed, deepening the wrinkles on her face. She keenly caught the implication in Mu Qianqian’s words. "You did the cooking at home? Then what was Mu Qingxuan doing?"
"My sister, she..." Mu Qianqian’s watery eyes blinked. She hesitated for a long time before speaking in a wavering voice, "My sister was in her room reading. She’s good at her studies, so naturally, she had to seize every moment to study."
Every word Mu Qianqian said was true, yet she deliberately omitted the fact that the books Mu Qingxuan was reading were medical texts. However, to Old Madam Huo, this behavior appeared as if she were speaking well of her sister only to protect Mu Qingxuan’s reputation.
She knitted her brows together and gave a dissatisfied huff. "Qianqian, you’re a good child; there’s no need to try and deceive me with such talk. I can still tell whether someone’s true nature is good or bad."
Seeing that her goal had been reached, Mu Qianqian continued, "The only thing I can recall is three years ago, when my sister volunteered to cook. As a result, the whole family ate the meal and ended up being rushed to the hospital with foam at their mouths."
"The doctor in town said it was food poisoning. If we had arrived any later, the whole family would have lost their lives!"
Old Madam Huo gasped, her hand clutching her chest as she nearly lost her breath. Her clouded eyes widened in shock. "There was such a thing?"
Mu Qianqian looked distressed. "This is a family disgrace, and I shouldn't be saying anything, but I am truly worried that if my sister tries to force herself tonight, it might bring harm to you, Grandma..."
"This is absolutely outrageous." Old Madam Huo slapped her thigh. To satisfy a moment of vanity, she wouldn't even hesitate to disregard the lives of her entire family. Mu Qingxuan’s nature was truly wicked. She had long suspected that someone from the countryside would be devious, but she hadn't imagined it could be to this extent. Had she known this earlier, Old Madam Huo would never have yielded on Huo Changfeng’s marriage. The mere thought that her most prized grandson had married such a conniving woman caused her heart to ache with fury.
As evening approached, Mu Qingxuan had already entered the kitchen and was busy preparing the ingredients. Standing in the living room, Old Madam Huo’s sharp, hawk-like eyes caught sight of Mu Qingxuan’s back as she wore an apron. Her graceful figure, previously hidden under loose clothing, was now tightly hugged by the apron, revealing every curve—her rounded shoulders, delicate waist, and slender, straight legs. Her silhouette alone was bewitching.
Old Madam Huo immediately leaned on her cane and walked to the kitchen, where she saw Mu Qingxuan adding a lethal-looking amount of chili peppers into a basin. The startling red peppers were finely chopped, covering the oily red broth. Accustomed to a mild diet, Old Madam Huo felt a wave of darkness wash over her at the sight of the color, as if she had already consumed ten pounds of chili and her whole body was burning.
On the cutting board sat another plate with a few chicken feet that had yet to be processed. Unable to find a suitable small knife, Mu Qingxuan was clumsily holding a large chef’s knife, carefully slicing the skin of the chicken feet to remove the bones inside.
Old Madam Huo watched this scene. Seeing Mu Qingxuan’s stiff grip on the knife, she immediately concluded that she had no experience with cooking whatsoever! How could someone like this possibly know how to cook?!
She couldn't help but shout, "Stop!"
The sudden, sharp reprimand from behind gave Mu Qingxuan a fright. Her hand shook, and the sharp blade nearly sliced into her slender fingers. Mu Qingxuan’s eyelids twitched, and her heart jumped into her throat. If that blade had slipped, it wouldn't just be a matter of bleeding and scarring; she might have even severed half a finger.
She put down the knife and turned to look at the grim-faced Old Madam Huo, her tone revealing a trace of impatience. "Grandma, what is the matter?" Anyone who had been startled to the point of nearly cutting their hand while holding a knife would not be in a pleasant mood.
However, Mu Qingxuan’s attitude only ignited a nameless fire in Old Madam Huo.
"You can't even hold a knife properly, yet you dare lie and claim you can cook?" Old Madam Huo’s temple throbbed with anger. "And you added so many chilies—are you trying to kill us? I just heard from Qianqian that you once accidentally sent your whole family to the hospital. I didn't believe it at first, but now it seems Qianqian was being conservative. You girl, you are truly full of lies and dishonest in your actions. How could our family marry such a jinx? We must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck."
Hearing this, Mu Qingxuan looked at Mu Qianqian, who was standing beside Old Madam Huo and supporting her arm, and lowered her eyes with a cold sneer. It was indeed Mu Qianqian stirring up trouble behind her back.
She explained in a gentle voice, "Grandma, there was a misunderstanding regarding that incident at home; I can explain it to you in a moment. As for the chilies you see, they aren't spicy. I specifically asked Maid Wang for non-spicy ones."
Because the weather was hot, Mu Qingxuan had thought that Father Huo and Mother Huo would be exhausted after a day of work and would likely have no appetite. Therefore, she wanted to prepare some refreshing cold dishes to make the meal easier to eat. Mu Qingxuan had already prepared a plate of smashed cucumber and cold lotus root slices, and she was planning to finish the boneless chicken feet before stir-frying two small dishes to complete the spread. She hadn't expected Old Madam Huo to storm in the moment she picked up the knife.
Maid Wang also chimed in from the side: "Old Madam, please rest assured. These chilies only look red, but they are actually just like scallions or garlic; they only add a bit of seasoning and aren't spicy at all." When the cucumber salad was first made, Maid Wang had tasted a slice, and it was indeed delicious. Furthermore, while the two of them were in the kitchen, Mu Qingxuan had been consistently polite, never looking down on her despite her being just a domestic worker. Because of this, Maid Wang was more than willing to put in a good word for her.
"Old Madam, you know me—I can't handle spice at all. Usually, if I touch anything even slightly spicy, my mouth swells for days. But look, I am perfectly fine right now." As she spoke, Maid Wang even used a clean pair of chopsticks to dip into the sauce on the plate and licked it.
Old Madam Huo watched Maid Wang’s expression, and seeing that she was indeed unaffected, the furrows between her brows softened slightly. Still, she skeptically asked, "Really?"
Maid Wang nodded immediately like a chick pecking at rice: "More true than gold."
Mu Qingxuan’s demeanor was frank and open. "Grandma, didn't you say that tonight is a test to see if I can cook? Since it is a test, there is no reason to call a halt halfway through. Please, let me finish. If it doesn't taste good, you can criticize me however you like then."
Mu Qingxuan looked at Old Madam Huo with grace and poise, neither arrogant nor servile, showing no sign of the grievance or embarrassment that comes from being misunderstood. Moreover, her Mandarin was exceptionally fluent, and her posture was perfectly straight. At a glance, she didn't look like a country girl who had just arrived from the village, but rather a young lady from a prestigious family, raised in the city with every care!