Chapter 96: Perfect in Every Way: Delicious Dishes

“Doctor Lan, your partner is here to see you, he’s waiting at the main gate. You should go over quickly!”

Has Gu Yan’an arrived already?

Lan Mo walked out of the ward, placed the medical tray back in the treatment room, washed her hands, and headed toward the hospital entrance.

Gu Yannan saw his elder brother suddenly take a few steps forward. Could it be that his future sister-in-law was about to appear?

Carrying a pile of things, he hurriedly caught up. Was that… that female comrade his sister-in-law?

Why does she look about the same age as Tingting? Is his elder brother an old cow eating tender grass?!

Watching the approaching future sister-in-law, Gu Yannan screamed inwardly, “My heavens, what kind of incredible luck has my brother stumbled upon?”

How could there be such a beautiful girl? Lips red, teeth white, skin like smooth jade, features so delicate she seemed like a little fairy who had stepped out of a painting, tall and sensual in figure… No wonder his brother ignored the family’s objections and stubbornly insisted on coming to find this girl from Haishi.

A youthful face with ample curves—uh! Any man would be moved, right?

Hmm… mustn’t think about it! This is the woman his brother has his eye on.

“Long time no see, Momo. Huh, why do I feel like you’ve grown taller?”

“Comrade Gu Yan’an, I gave myself acupuncture a while ago, which might have stimulated the secretion of growth hormones?”

“Pfft—!”

Comrade Gu Yan’an? How useless is my brother, still being called ‘comrade’ by his partner at this point?

Lan Mo noticed a man standing behind Gu Yan’an who looked very similar to him in the eyes and brows. Could this be his younger brother?

“Momo, this is my younger brother, Gu Yannan!”

Lan Mo smiled and greeted Gu Yannan, “Comrade Gu Yannan, hello!”

Gu Yannan fell silent. Just moments ago, he was teasing his brother, but it turns out the future sister-in-law calls everyone ‘comrade.’

“Future sister-in-law, hello! You can just call me Yannan. My brother came to propose marriage, and I tagged along to see the beautiful sister-in-law.”

Lan Mo’s face warmed slightly. In both her past and present lives, this was the first time someone had called her ‘sister-in-law.’

If she were to call him Yannan, shouldn’t she also change how she addresses Gu Yan’an?

Seeing Lan Mo’s shyness, Gu Yan’an gave Gu Yannan a firm pat on the back.

“Momo, call him whatever you like. Don’t worry about what he says.”

“Yan’an, since we’re about to get engaged, maybe I should change how I address you. I’ll call him Second Brother.”

Yan’an? Hearing Lan Mo call his name for the first time, Gu Yan’an felt a flutter in his heart. Overwhelmed with excitement, he grabbed Lan Mo’s hand, “Momo, say my name again.”

Gu Yannan wished he could poke his own eyes out. Was this really his elder brother? The usually calm and wise elder brother was acting like a little fool.

Does love really drive people mad?

Lan Mo released Gu Yan’an’s hand and said, “Aren’t you being silly? People will laugh at you.”

Gu Yan’an chuckled foolishly, “That’s my own brother. He wouldn’t dare laugh at me! Momo, I’ll go find Director Qin later and ask him to be our matchmaker. The day after tomorrow morning, I’ll go to your house with Grandfather and the others to propose. Wait for me!”

In this era, when proposing marriage, it was customary to bring a matchmaker, and the groom’s side would give a thank-you gift to the matchmaker.

Lan Mo asked, “How many people have come with you?”

“Grandfather, my brother, my mother, and me—four in total. My second aunt and a few others will probably come along the day after tomorrow as well. Director Qin, the matchmaker, should also go…”

Lan Mo carefully calculated. Including her maternal grandmother’s relatives, even two tables might not be enough. She would discuss it with her parents when she got home.

“What time are you coming over so we can prepare?”

“Probably around ten? Momo, you go ahead with your tasks. I need to go find Director Qin.”

Now he had to go find Director Qin. After meeting with Director Qin, he could return early—Grandfather was waiting for them at the first floor. Tomorrow morning, he would take his younger brother to shop for gifts for the first meeting.

…

When Lan Mo got off work and returned home, she found Lan Jingtian and said, “Dad, Gu Yan’an has already arrived with his family. The day after tomorrow, they’ll bring a matchmaker to our house for the marriage proposal. They’ll probably have about one table’s worth of people.”

“In that case, two tables probably won’t be enough. Let’s prepare three tables for the banquet. Tomorrow, I’ll go buy groceries and invite your grandmother and the others over as guests.”

“Dad, leave the grocery shopping to me. I’ve already taken two days off. You and Mom go to work tomorrow and just take one day off the day after. Mom can use the bicycle. I’ll ride the small tricycle to buy groceries tomorrow.”

Even though it was only three tables, it was best to prepare a day in advance. Making the main dishes ahead of time would make things less hectic the next day.

“Momo, this is your engagement banquet. You need to prepare at least ten main dishes—perfect and complete, understand?”

“Yes, Dad, don’t worry. I’ll handle it!”

Lan Mo entered her space and traded for a hundred catties of fresh beef, storing it in a refrigerated container. She set aside ten catties, already cut, for later use.

Next, she selected some potatoes, Chinese cabbage, lotus root, garlic, celery, chili peppers… from the Warehouse, filling an entire burlap sack.

She also took ten catties each of apples and sweet tangerines—both sweet and auspicious fruits. Just no pears, of course.

She prepared three catties each of melon seeds, peanuts, candies, and biscuits, along with various spices and seasonings. Cooking oil, cooking wine, and soy sauce were also stocked.

How could an engagement banquet in Haishi be complete without seafood? It had been a while since she contacted “Lives by the Sea and Meddles in Everything.” She decided to reach out to him for some seafood.

Lan Mo sent him a message: 【Old friend, are you there?】

【Little one, what do you need from your big brother?】

【I’m getting engaged tomorrow. I’d like to trade with you for some seafood.】

【Engagement? That’s wonderful! Congratulations! I have plenty of seafood—nothing else, but seafood galore! I’ll give you whatever you need. I just returned from the sea today with a great haul.】

【Then just prepare some fish and shrimp for me. I’ll trade you beef for it.】

【Since it’s an engagement banquet, you should have a few impressive dishes, right? Little sister, how many tables are you preparing? Let me see what you should get.】

He seemed so eager, as if it were his own engagement. “Lives by the Sea and Meddles in Everything” was truly enthusiastic.

【Three tables!】

【Then I’ll prepare three steamed humphead wrasses for you, ten catties of tiger prawns, and dozens of fresh abalones. Let’s skip crabs for the banquet, but I’ll give you one king crab and one lobster. You can keep those in your space for a treat later.】

【Thank you. How about I send you forty catties of fresh beef and twenty catties of beef jerky in return?】

【I said I’d give them to you. No need to be so polite!】

【Thank you, but I’m already taking advantage of your generosity. I should still give something in return.】

【…】

King crabs and lobsters weren’t cheap. Since they had agreed to trade, she couldn’t let him take a big loss.

Lan Mo sent over the fresh beef and beef jerky, and soon received all the seafood in return. Not only did it include the types of seafood he had mentioned, but there was also plenty of dried squid and dried shrimp prepared.

Moreover, the foam boxes contained ice and an oxygen pump that could be used by simply plugging it in, ensuring the seafood would remain fresh even if taken out the day after tomorrow.

Lan Mo carefully considered which auspicious dishes to prepare.

For seafood, there was steamed humphead wrasse (symbolizing marital harmony), boiled tiger prawns (symbolizing vigor and strength), and abalone braised in abalone sauce (symbolizing abundance and surplus year after year).

For cold dishes, there was braised beef (symbolizing unstoppable momentum), sweet and sour pork ribs (symbolizing sweetness and happiness), braised pig trotters (symbolizing wealth-grabbing hands), braised pork belly (symbolizing prosperity and success), garlic stir-fried Chinese cabbage (symbolizing gathering wealth), stir-fried lotus root (symbolizing a perfect match), and finally, a ginseng chicken soup (symbolizing a smooth and fulfilling life).

A perfect ten-course feast, each dish carrying an auspicious meaning! How wonderful!

Since chicken and beef were already available in the space, there was no need to prepare more. She just needed to go to the market early tomorrow to queue up for some pork ribs, pork, and pig trotters.

The meat from the black native pigs nowadays was incredibly fragrant. She had no desire to exchange with future companions for the meat of white-skinned pigs raised on clenbuterol and feed.

What else was left to prepare? Ah, tea leaves! Lan Mo rummaged through the Warehouse again and pulled out a can of Tieguanyin and a can of Xinyang Maojian. As for the Spirit Tea gifted by Little Useless, of course, she would keep it for herself to drink secretly.

After preparing all these things, Lan Mo returned to tending her farm and Ranch—planting what needed to be planted and sneaking what needed to be sneaked. Once finished, she lay down on the bed, ready to sleep.

Hehe, she was about to get engaged. Time flew by so quickly. She hoped that in this lifetime, life would be beautiful and happiness would last forever…