Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 36: Stop Embarrassing Yourself

"Fooled by who?"

Someone nearby asked, confused.

"That’s hard to say."

The person shrugged and spoke meaningfully.

Although no one said anything, it was obvious where everyone was looking.

All eyes were on Fei Zhenwu’s table.

Everyone’s gaze was fixed on him.

Since Zhou Huaihua, the one who spread those rumors, wasn’t there, they could only stare at her husband.

Without his wife by his side, Fei Zhenwu looked a bit awkward and uneasy.

The expression on Fei Zhenwu’s face kept changing.

’I really want to call Zhou Huaihua over right now and ask her what’s going on. Didn’t she say Song Qingya couldn’t cook?’

’How could this be? It looks like they’ve all been won over by Song Qingya’s food.’

This left him utterly bewildered.

The men at his table were usually all about drinking.

They loved to chat, and the dishes on the table were usually just for show.

At past gatherings here, everyone would be laughing and talking, their glasses clinking together.

But today, everything was different.

Now, no one was drinking. They were all completely focused on eating.

The once boisterous dinner table had fallen silent.

Fei Zhenwu wanted to raise his glass to break the awkward atmosphere, but he found that no one paid him any mind or clinked glasses with him.

Everyone was just hunched over, wolfing down their food.

He had been trying to keep up appearances for a while, but the aroma of the food had long since become unbearably tempting.

Finally, he couldn’t resist any longer and picked up a piece of white radish.

In that instant, he grew even more tense.

That single bite stunned Fei Zhenwu.

"Ajin’s wife, what’s the deal with this radish? Why is it so delicious? How did you make it?"

The question seemed to burst out of him involuntarily.

’This white radish doesn’t even taste like radish. It’s more delicious than meat!’

Song Qingya smiled humbly.

"I just simmered it with a bit of lard and some broth."

’That’s definitely not some ordinary method,’ he thought.

The chef at the mine had retired from a state-owned restaurant in the city; his skills were excellent.

But today, he felt that the mine’s chef was nothing compared to Song Qingya.

The feeling made him doubt his own judgment.

Even a famous chef from a big city might not be able to compete with his nephew’s wife.

Fei Zhenwu marveled inwardly.

’Song Qingya’s cooking skills are simply beyond imagination.’

"This is outrageous!"

Fei Zhenwu was so angry he was about to explode.

He slammed his hand on the table, startling a guest next to him so much they almost jumped out of their seat.

"Uncle Fei, what are you doing?"

Xiao Sun looked at the furious Fei Zhenwu, confused.

"Go get your Aunt Zhou! I need to ask her exactly what nonsense she’s been spouting!"

Fei Zhenwu’s face was ashen.

The young man glanced reluctantly at the delicious food on the table.

"Uncle Fei, you have to save a few pieces of fish for me, okay? Don’t eat it all," he said.

"Go on, hurry!"

The young man immediately dashed off, running to Zhou Huaihua’s front door and banging on it. BANG! BANG!

The sound was so loud it could be heard all the way down the street.

"Aunt Zhou! Aunt Zhou! Uncle Fei is calling for you! Auntie, can you hear me?"

The young man shouted urgently.

"Who is it? Is the place haunted?"

Zhou Huaihua was startled awake. She put on her shoes and went outside.

She saw that the young man’s mouth was slick with oil and found it strange.

"Xiao Sun, why didn’t you even wipe your mouth before coming over? You’re usually so particular about being clean. Hey, what’s the rush?"

"I’m in a hurry to get back to eating!"

Xiao Sun gave her a hasty greeting and immediately ran back to the table, grabbing his chopsticks and digging in without any regard for his image.

Zhou Huaihua followed close behind and was stunned by the scene.

She had smelled the fragrant aroma of food while she was pretending to be asleep.

She had thought someone was selling food on the street; it never occurred to her that it was a home-cooked meal.

’Something’s wrong.’

’Isn’t Song Qingya supposed to be cooking today?’

’Could it be that she made all of this?’

Fei Zhenwu furiously interrogated her—

"Zhou Huaihua, what nonsense were you spouting just now? I heard you telling people that Qingya’s food isn’t good and that everyone should eat less of it. Did you say that?"

Fei Zhenwu’s voice was full of anger and accusation.

"I... so what if I did?"

Zhou Huaihua stuck her neck out, a stubborn look on her face.

"She burns even simple noodles and wastes food. What’s wrong with me valuing my well-being and refusing to eat it?"

Zhou Huaihua retorted.

"Taste it yourself! Qingya’s cooking is miles better than yours!"

Fei Zhenwu didn’t back down.

"Fine! I’ll try it!"

Zhou Huaihua rolled her eyes and picked up a piece of radish with her chopsticks, feeling extremely reluctant.

She had originally intended to stir up trouble on purpose.

She never expected she’d have to personally try this seemingly ordinary piece of radish.

Her expression changed in an instant.

The texture and flavor of the radish were so good it shocked her.

’Song Qingya made this?’

Doubt filled Zhou Huaihua’s heart.

’There’s no way Song Qingya could make something this delicious!’

She glanced at Fang Huihui.

"This can’t be right! Huihui must have made this."

When Fang Huihui heard this, she wasn’t pleased; in fact, she was a little annoyed.

She retorted immediately, "I didn’t make it. All I did in the kitchen was peel some green onions. Qingya made all these dishes herself!"

Zhou Huaihua muttered to herself.

"How is that possible..."

Zhou Huaihua’s mind was filled with questions.

She just couldn’t figure out when Song Qingya had learned to cook like this.

Fei Zhenwu grew even angrier and bellowed,

"’How is that possible?’ Hurry up and apologize to Qingya! Stop embarrassing yourself!"

Hearing this, Zhou Huaihua’s expression turned very ugly.

She had thought she could use this opportunity to make a fool of Song Qingya, but now she had become the target of everyone’s scorn.

Fei Zhenwu’s harsh criticism made her face flush red and then turn pale.

The beef jerky Song Qingya had handed out that night had only gone to a few nearby neighbors.

And she herself had never tasted it.

So she had no idea how delicious Song Qingya’s cooking had become.

Her original plan was to invite more people over to witness Song Qingya make a fool of herself.

That’s why she had so brazenly bad-mouthed her behind her back, even planning to brand her as a lazy daughter-in-law as soon as the food was served.

However, things had developed in a way she had not expected at all.

She never thought that she would end up setting the stage for Song Qingya’s success.

Meanwhile, she, the gossiping auntie, had become a laughingstock in everyone’s eyes.

The people around her shot her contemptuous looks.

Zhou Huaihua felt so ashamed she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

Song Qingya watched the scene unfold calmly.

’Even though I knew something like this would happen today,’ she still chose to remain calm.

This embarrassing situation was entirely of Zhou Huaihua’s own making.

She had simply countered every move.

Now, with Mrs. Wei’s support, Song Qingya could casually display the skills of a top-tier chef.

Therefore, she had long expected that her cooking would win everyone’s praise, so she wasn’t surprised.

What she hadn’t expected was for Zhou Huaihua to go so far as to keep slandering her food right as dinner was about to be served.

In the end, it was Zhou Huaihua who ended up losing face.

But compared to Zhou Huaihua, Song Qingya found Fei Zhenwu’s behavior even more distasteful.

’Song Qingya isn’t blind. How could she not see that Fei Zhenwu was actually just putting on a show?’