Chapter 170 — The Happy Tang Yun Family: On the Way Home, Tang Yun Went with Her Mother to the Supermarket to Buy Seasonings, Since It Was Only a Trial Phase There Was No Need to Go to the Wholesale Seasoning Market, and Buying in Bulk Could Wait Until the Trial Succeeded

Once home, Mother Tang set to work in high spirits, marinating chicken wings and meat skewers exactly by the recipe Wei Zhao had given her, humming a little tune under her breath. It was hunger for the life to come. If the barbecue stand could turn around, the family's straits would ease, and perhaps by the second half of the year they could even save enough for her husband's operation.

Even Tang Jucheng, lying in his sickbed, found it strange. What had come over his wife today, that she should be so happy?

"Yuner's mother, what's with you today? Something good happen?" Tang Jucheng lay in bed all day with nothing to pass the time. He wanted to help his wife and could not. Aside from sleeping, there was nothing he could do.

"Yuner's classmate gave me a barbecue recipe. If it works, our business is sure to take off!" Mother Tang said as she put the marinated wings and skewers into the freezer to chill.

"Really? That would be wonderful!" Hearing his wife's words, Tang Jucheng was delighted too. "If it really works, we must thank that classmate properly!"

"Your precious daughter is so proud. That boy likes her, and she gives him the cold shoulder!" At this Mother Tang grew annoyed. "Let her marry someone like you someday and see how she lives!"

Though her words were sharp, Tang Jucheng did not take offense. In the half year he had lain in bed, he had thought everything through. It was because he had no ability that he had dragged his wife and daughter down with him. If he had saved anything before, it would never have come to this.

His wife's refusal to leave him filled Tang Jucheng with guilt, and he thought in secret that his daughter must never suffer like this. This was no life for a decent person.

But his wife's words worried him again. "Is he some rich family's young master? Don't let it be like Xiao Fen's boyfriend, just playing around..."

"I don't think so," Mother Tang said. "There is not a trace of spoiled arrogance about that boy. I feel he would treat our Yuner well..."

The house was small, and Tang Yun heard every word of her parents' talk from her room. She fumed inwardly. She had no idea why her mother thought so highly of Wei Zhao. That thing was rotten through and through, and no spoiled airs? Did kicking Zhong Yongliang flying with one foot count as spoiled or not?

Thinking about Wei Zhao, Tang Yun could not study at all. After reading a while she grew restless, stood up, and walked out of her room, only to see that her mother had already finished marinating everything for the barbecue and was getting ready to grill a few skewers to test the taste.

"Mom, shall I help you?" Tang Yun could not get through her books, so she had to find something to do.

"Then help me thread a few wings, and I will get the fire going." Mother Tang set the bamboo skewers in her hands aside and went to light the fire.

"Oh." Tang Yun went to help her mother thread the skewers. She did not know if they would taste good, but the smell was quite promising.

After she had threaded a few, Mother Tang had the fire going. Tang Yun laid the wings on the grill and helped her mother fan the flames.

Before long, waves of fragrance rolled over them, and even Tang Yun, who hardly cared for meat, could not help drooling. It seemed Wei Zhao had not lied after all. He really had some skill.

Tang Jucheng smelled it too. "Yuner's mother, that smells good, doesn't it?"

"What, hungry?" Mother Tang had not tasted it yet, but from the aroma alone she could tell the flavor must be fine. Grilled like this at the school gate or on the snack street, it would surely draw plenty of customers. "Almost ready. You get the first taste!"

Tang Jucheng felt embarrassed. Lying in bed able to do nothing, with mother and daughter giving him the good food first, made him feel useless. If not for the deep love between him and his wife, and knowing how heartbroken she would be if anything happened to him, he would have thought of ending himself.

Never mind that his wife usually grumbled about this and that and said she had chosen wrong back then. Still she worked and bustled for this family every day, and kept the household in perfect order.

"Yuner, take this wing to your father to try." Mother Tang handed a freshly grilled wing to Tang Yun to carry to Tang Jucheng.

Tang Yun took the wing. Looking at its golden, glistening crust and its tempting aroma, she could not help swallowing. It really smelled wonderful! But she could not bear to eat it, and ran to her father's sickbed and held the wing out to Tang Jucheng.

"Yuner, you eat it." How could Tang Jucheng miss the hungry look in Tang Yun's eyes? A girl of eighteen or nineteen was still growing. On ordinary days he did eat some of the less fresh skewers, but that was only for fear Tang Yun would eat something spoiled and upset her stomach and ruin her schooling the next day. These wings were newly marinated and perfectly fresh, so he wanted his daughter to have them. "Dad, I am not hungry. I will get fat if I eat too much." Tang Yun shook her head.

"Enough, stop fighting over it, you two. Old Tang, just eat it. More will be ready in a moment, and Yuner and I will eat those!" Mother Tang said with a smile.

"All right." Only then did Tang Jucheng nod and take the grilled wing. After one bite he stuck up his thumb. "I have to say, the flavor is really special. I think this is bound to catch on."

By then the rest of the wings were ready too. Mother Tang gave Tang Yun one and took one for herself.

Much as Tang Yun hated to admit it, she had to say these wings were far, far tastier than her mother's old grilling. They were no different from the feast Xiao Fen's boyfriend had once treated her, Xiao Fen, and Liu Xin to at the grand restaurant!

"Yuner, what do you think?" Mother Tang had not eaten yet, but seeing how heartily Tang Yun was eating, she felt this attempt must have succeeded.

"It's all right." Tang Yun said it against her conscience. She did not want Wei Zhao getting too proud, even though he was not even there.

After one bite, Mother Tang's eyes lit up. "You child, you call this just all right? Have you gotten picky? I say this is no different from the signature wings at the big barbecue shops! We will grill them just like this from now on. This will work! Tomorrow I will go to the wholesale market for seasonings."

"It should sell better than before." Tang Yun had to admit the flavor would indeed draw more customers. Though most students just wanted to fill their stomachs and were not too fussy about taste, as long as it beat the school canteen, there was no denying that good food would always bring more students to buy.

"Yuner, this weekend, invite Wei Zhao and his classmate to our house. Mom will treat them to barbecue to thank them!" Mother Tang was eating happily, and of course she would not forget who had dug the well when she drank the water.

"Ah?" Tang Yun froze, nearly dropping the wing in her hand. Invite Wei Zhao to her home? Had she heard right? How could she let him come to her house?

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