The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: The Sweetness and Warmth of Life

Han Xiaorui’s mouth watered just looking at all the local specialty dishes Granny Cai had made.

When she spotted two canning jars on the table that she knew weren’t hers, Han Xiaorui couldn’t resist asking, ”Sister Cai, what’s in these?”

Granny Cai turned and smiled. ”That’s my homemade eight-treasure sauce. I know you like spicy food, so I added extra chilies just for you. It’s amazing with congee in the morning!”

Han Xiaorui paused. Eight-treasure sauce... She’d had it before. Her former father-in-law, Yang Zhigang, had loved it and bought it all the time.

But that was always the store-bought kind from restaurants—more for show than anything. Homemade versions were always packed with ingredients and tasted so much better.

Han Xiaorui couldn’t resist opening one. After scooping out half a spoonful with a clean spoon and tasting it, she immediately gave Granny Cai a thumbs-up.

”Sister Cai, your cooking is absolutely incredible! If you opened your own sauce shop, I’d buy all my eight-treasure sauce from you. Let me try this other one... Is it made with bamboo shoots?”

”If you like it, I’ll have Xiao Yu bring you some the next time I make it.” Granny Cai beamed at Han Xiaorui’s praise, her eyes crinkling with joy. ”This one is oil-braised bamboo shoots. They’re simmered for a very long time with a little extra salt, meant to be eaten like a side of pickles.”

Han Xiaorui had eaten bamboo shoots before, but never prepared like pickles. She immediately opened the jar, plucked one out, and popped it into her mouth. As she chewed, her eyes lit up. ”Delicious! It’s so soft and savory. Sister Cai, you’re incredible!”

”When I have some free time, could I bring over some bamboo shoots and ask you to teach me how to make this?”

”Yes, of course,” Granny Cai laughed. ”I learned the recipe from my mother. But it takes a lot of time. You’re a busy woman with important things to do; your time is too precious for something like this.”

Han Xiaorui disagreed, shaking her head. ”In life, the greatest happiness is being able to eat and drink what you enjoy, meeting the right person, having well-behaved children, and seeing everyone safe and sound.”

”Eating well is fundamental. If you can’t even get the most basic, simple things right, you probably won’t succeed at the rest. An attainable, delicious pleasure is the best comfort for the soul.”

Granny Cai burst out laughing. ”Yes, yes, exactly! You’re an educated woman, you have such a way with words. I may not be formally educated, but making delicious food makes me happy, and eating it makes me even happier.”

Han Xiaorui changed into some comfortable clothes, put on an apron and slippers, and joined Granny Cai in the kitchen to learn how to cook.

Han Xiaorui had a real passion for food and was even more dedicated to learning how to prepare it. Being a quick study, she could often learn one technique and apply it in three other ways.

Granny Cai was so happy to teach that she was in a state of pure joy and didn’t feel the least bit tired.

After all of Han Xiaorui’s praise, she felt that not passing on her life’s culinary knowledge to the young woman would be a waste of her decades of skill.

In just one afternoon, Granny Cai had grown incredibly fond of Han Xiaorui. She genuinely liked everything about her.

’Such a pretty young woman!’

’She’s well-spoken, polite, and most importantly, she loves good food. She’s just my kind of person!’

While feeling pleased, she inwardly cursed, ’Zhang Xiufang must be blind to think Han Xiaorui is no good, while treating that snooty, stuck-up Zhang Lili like some kind of treasure!’

For dinner, Han Xiaorui brought out her family’s lazy Susan and covered the table with a full spread of dishes.

Han Xiaorui took a bite of the smooth and tender white-cut chicken, pairing it with Granny Cai’s secret dipping sauce. It was divine!

Every dish that followed filled Han Xiaorui with an overwhelming sense of bliss.

’Granny Cai’s cooking is so good, I want to ask her to be my godmother!’ Han Xiaorui thought.

Han Xiaoqing was also completely absorbed in eating, with no time for conversation.

Pingping and An’an’s eyes sparkled as they ate, their little mouths chewing nonstop.

Han Xiaorui reminded the twins, ”Pingping, An’an, thank Grandma for making us such a delicious meal.”

”Thank you, Grandma!” Pingping and An’an replied obediently, looking at Granny Cai with clear, crisp voices.

Cai Wenjun turned to his grandmother and smiled. ”Thank you, Grandma.”

Hearing the children’s thanks filled Granny Cai’s heart with a sweetness like honey. Her grandson, especially—not only was he speaking now, but he was improving so quickly. It gave her hope.

’I don’t have to worry about my grandson being a fool anymore!’

Granny Cai wiped at her eyes. ”No need for thanks. Just eat more, all of you, eat more.”

The meal left Han Xiaorui bursting with joy and filled with a sense of blissful contentment.

That evening, after the rain had stopped, Grandma Cai walked off into the night, holding a lantern in one hand and her grandson’s hand in the other.

At that moment, Han Xiaorui found the silhouette of the small, wiry old woman to be incredibly warm.

’Isn’t this how relationships work?’

’I’m good to you, and you’re good to me.’

’If I’m good to you and you aren’t good to me in return, then I’ll just withdraw my kindness and keep looking for people who I can connect with on that same level.’

By the time Han Xiaorui came back inside, Han Xiaoqing had already washed all the dishes.

A pot of freshly brewed hawthorn tea was sitting on the table.

Pingping and An’an had already had their hawthorn tea and were now playing with a small rubber ball.

Han Xiaoqing sat across from her sister, Han Xiaorui, looking apprehensive. ”Sis, what did you want to talk about?”

Han Xiaorui looked at her apprehensive sister, then stood up, walked over, and sat down next to her on the sofa. ”Xiao Jing, Expert Wang told me everything today.”

”You turned down such an amazing opportunity. You’re wasting a chance that could change the entire course of your life. You study so diligently every day, and you’re so devoted to the children.”

”You would be an excellent autism intervention teacher. So many children with autism would be lucky to have you. Xiao Jing, please, take the offer. Don’t turn it down.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaoqing looked like she wanted to say something but held back, her unspoken words turning into a heavy sigh. ”Sis, if I go to school, what about the children? Look at Pingping and An’an, they’re recovering so well. If we just keep this up, I think they can make a full recovery.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Silly girl. The properties I bought before were all commercial spaces, not suitable for living. Once I’ve earned enough money, I’ll buy a house somewhere near your night school.”

”Night school, as the name suggests, has classes from six to nine-thirty in the evening. In the mornings, you can help me take the children to their classes at the hospital and then bring them home around noon.”

”There’s a seafood pier in the urban district, too. I’ll just dock the boat there, sell my fish, and I can be home before five in the afternoon, so it won’t affect your classes.”

Han Xiaoqing’s eyes welled with moisture, and then she was rubbing away tears with the back of her hand. ”Sis, that would be too hard on you.”

Han Xiaorui smiled, patting her sister’s back. ”You’ll be taking care of the kids for me all day and then going to class at night. It’ll be hard on you, too. But isn’t that just life?”

”Putting in the hard work to learn a skill, earn money, and get things done—that’s a really meaningful process. Be brave. Don’t have any second thoughts.”

Han Xiaoqing nodded. ”Okay, Sis. I’ll listen to you. I promise I’ll study hard.”

Han Xiaorui nodded with a smile. ”Good. Cheer up. We’ll go back for a visit in May, just in time for our brother’s wedding. It’ll give our parents some peace of mind, too.”

”When the time comes, we’ll get your academic records and files transferred over. After two years of night school, you’ll have an associate’s degree. You’ll be a college graduate. And I heard from Expert Wang that if you want to aim even higher after that, you can.”