Switched Marriage: The Coddled Little Wife-Chapter 369: Hosting a Dinner

Since Qin Yang transferred here, the leadership and several colleagues have taken great care of him. His position isn’t considered high nor low, and according to tradition, a meal invitation to everyone is customary.

They didn’t plan to make any exceptions, simply that there were more transfers this time, and nobody wanted to be the first to step up.

Recently, with the bustle of the elder sister’s affairs, there were rumors that a few of the new transferees had begun to plan meals for everyone, so they followed suit.

"Sure thing, I’ll definitely come early," Jiang Hong readily agreed.

In no time, the weekend arrived, and Lin Chuxia and Qin Yang went to the market early to buy chicken, fish, and meat without skimping on anything.

These days, people preferred to serve plenty of meat and fish when hosting meals.

In the afternoon, Jiang Hong also came early. Just after she arrived, Sister-in-law Fu from next door came over to help.

Today, Qin Yang invited his superiors, Minister Wei Bingchang and his wife, the Hu Qing’an family, another colleague from the office, Fu Shouquan and his family, and finally, Li Wei and his wife.

Minister Wei Bingchang was a few years older than Hu Qing’an, nearly hitting 50, his wife Gong Shuling was also close to retirement age, and they had two sons: one working and another studying at a university out of town.

Qin Yang had said that besides his own will, Minister Wei had also greatly helped his transfer here; one could say he was specially requested by Minister Wei to come.

There were quite a few guests today, and Lin Chuxia bought a lot of ingredients, enough to set two tables—one for men and one for women—making it a lively scene.

Men clinked glasses and toasted at the table, while women chatted away.

Especially regarding Lin Chuxia’s cooking skills, the praises were endless.

Gong Shuling picked up a piece of fish and sincerely complimented, "I haven’t eaten so much in a long time. Every time Old Wei encourages me to eat more, I know it’s good for my health, but I just can’t manage to eat much. It turns out, it’s not a problem with my appetite; Old Wei’s cooking just doesn’t cut it."

From the moment Gong Shuling walked through the door, Lin Chuxia could tell that the woman was not in good health, exhibiting a frail thinness.

Including her complexion, there was an obvious lack of vitality.

Coming in with Minister Wei, although in this era men usually take precedence in public, Minister Wei took care of his wife every step of the way.

Now, listening to the conversation, Lin Chuxia could also tell that Minister Wei was very caring toward his wife, who was not in good health.

Sister-in-law Fu, who has been around for many years, knew even more.

Hearing this, she smiled and spoke up, "That’s easy to say. I’ve been wanting to learn the secrets too. Later, we should get Lin to teach us how to make these delicious fish and meat dishes so well. Next time, we can invite Minister Wei to join the class."

"I think that’s a great idea," Gong Shuling commented with a smile, looking at Lin Chuxia, "I just don’t know if Lin would be willing to teach."

"Of course, I’ll teach," Lin Chuxia said generously, "If I get to teach a minister, I must hold this class."

"Then I’ll be there too, becoming classmates with the minister," Sister-in-law Fu raised her hand on the side.

Minister Wei was known in the compound for being exceptionally good to his wife and for his pleasant temperament.

Even among these colleagues’ families, they grew bolder in his presence.

The conversation on this side was lively, and the volume had risen a few notches.

Minister Wei probably heard someone discussing him and looked to his wife, asking, "What classmates?"

Gong Shuling eyed him with a chuckle, "Drink your wine, it’s none of your business."

Minister Wei gave a chuckle, lifted his glass towards Qin Yang and the others, and said, "Look at how excited they are talking, and they won’t even let us chime in. Come on, let’s drink. They’ll have their fun, and we’ll have our drinks."

Not far away, in the residential building, The Feng family was also having dinner.

Sister-in-law Feng passed a white flatbread to Feng Dajun, then naturally tore another bread in half, keeping one part for herself and handing the other half to Feng Jingjing sitting beside her.

Feng Jingjing took the bread and bit into it, also picking up some pickled vegetables from the table.

Feng Dajun frowned slightly, "Haven’t I told you before? My salary is not low now, there’s no need to make two different meals, we can afford to eat all white flour dishes."

Sister-in-law Feng gnawed at her flatbread and pickles, not taking his words seriously at all.

"Eating more doesn’t mean we should spend your whole salary, right? With your little pay every month, we still have to send 10 yuan back to the countryside. Plus our food and drink, the children’s education, if we don’t save a little, when will we be able to afford a TV?"

"If you want to save, we should all save. What does it look like sharing two different meals at one table?"

Feng Dajun pushed the stir-fried vegetables in front of him towards Feng Jingjing and also grabbed a flatbread for himself.

Faced with the stir-fried vegetables, Feng Jingjing glanced at her mother first, then timidly said, "Dad, I don’t like this. I prefer pickled vegetables."

Sister-in-law Feng was pleased with her daughter’s response and pushed the vegetables towards her husband, "You eat yours, don’t worry about us. You work so hard at your job, you have to eat something good. You need to look plump and healthy, so when you step outside, no one looks down on you."

Seeing Feng Dajun frowning impatiently, Sister-in-law Feng preemptively cautioned, "Don’t be offended by what I say, I’m telling the truth. You don’t see what it’s like at the office all day. People in this housing complex look down on others. A few days ago, when they were selling cabbages in the courtyard, the neighbors around us also went shopping. Would it have killed them to notify us too? They went to buy cabbages in groups, without even acknowledging us. I’ve said it before, those city folks are snobbish. Mr. Qin was transferred here with you, and Mrs. Qin came just a few days after me, yet people notified her. Isn’t it just because she’s from the city and dresses nicely?"

"That’s not necessarily the case. Those living in the courtyard generally have better access to news than those of us living in the residential building," Feng Dajun said to soothe her.

"What are you talking about? If it was just that, I wouldn’t be this upset. Mrs. Qin and Li Wei’s wife got such a big pile of cabbages. When I arrived late and asked for a few heads of cabbage, Li Wei’s wife hadn’t said anything yet, but Mrs. Qin’s mouth went on and on, as if I was taking advantage of them. I didn’t even want it for free; I was offering to pay and even help Li Wei’s wife carry her cabbages."

Feng Dajun thought for a moment; he had some recollection of Qin Yang’s wife.

She was a very beautiful woman.

"It can’t be that bad, could it? Maybe you misunderstood."

"What’s there to misunderstand? I’ve seen it from the start, she just looks down on us because we’re from the countryside."

Sister-in-law Feng continued, pointing outside.

"Did you hear about their party today? I’ve asked around. They invited Li Wei and his wife but not you, even though you’re from the same place and at the same level. What do they mean by that?"

Feng Dajun pursed his lips, "Now that you mention it, we’ve been here for a while; we should probably host a dinner for everyone too."

Sister-in-law Feng’s eyes suddenly widened, "You want to invite everyone for dinner? How would you do it? I tell you, Mr. Qin and the rest have no good intentions. You are at the same level, but he’s causing such a fuss; doesn’t it make others look bad? I bet he’s doing it intentionally to outdo you."