A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

29. It smells so good!

Chu Xuan picked up his things and was about to go inside when he saw his aunt's family of four carrying large and small bags, appearing at the entrance of the alley.

"cousin……"

A little boy, about three or four years old, with pigtails, saw Chu Xuan and excitedly stumbled over to hug his leg.

This little girl is none other than Aunt Zeng Hong's youngest daughter, named Hu Lanzhi.

"Auntie, cousin..."

My aunt's eldest son, Hu Wenrui, is already fourteen years old. He looks much more mature and follows his uncle around like a little adult, greeting people in a very proper manner.

"Auntie, Uncle, you're here!"

Chu Xuan picked up Hu Lanzhi, patted Hu Wenrui's head, and greeted his two aunts with a smile.

The two families met and chatted warmly before going inside together.

Hearing the commotion, Chu He also ran out to greet them.

Auntie, holding Chu He's hand, came in and couldn't help but exclaim, "My nephew is really something! In such a short time, he's already earned such a big courtyard..."

Just over a year ago, Chu Xuan's family lived in a dilapidated and damp little house, and she often had to help them with their meals.

Now everything has changed!

"It's all thanks to my aunt. If it weren't for you getting me a spot to practice martial arts, my family would probably still be struggling to put food on the table," Chu Xuan said with a smile.

"Heh, nephew, trying to fool your aunt?!"

Zeng Hong glared at him, annoyed. "Do you think I don't know you? With your brains, even if your aunt hadn't gotten a spot from the Seventh Young Madam, you would have definitely found a way to get into the martial arts school, right?"

Chu Xuan smiled but didn't say anything. He was a little surprised, not expecting his aunt to understand him better than his own mother.

"Xiao Xuan".

My uncle then spoke up, "Here's the pig offal and chicken feet you wanted. I prepared thirty catties, and they've all been washed clean. See if that's enough. If not, I'll go find someone to get some more."

My uncle's hands were full, carrying dozens of kilograms of pig offal and chicken giblets, as well as a huge pig's head.

"Enough, enough!"

Chu Xuan quickly accepted it and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle."

He went to his aunt's house last night, not only to invite her, but also to ask his uncle to help him with these things.

"Hehe, we're all family, no need to be so polite." Hu Dazhi smiled憨厚ly.

Aunt Zeng Hong then asked, "Xiao Xuan, what do you need all this for? Are you going to use it to entertain guests?"

"No, that won't do!" Hu Dazhi quickly shook his head. "Xiao Xuan, these things are fishy and unpalatable. You absolutely mustn't serve them to our guests. Not only will it be disrespectful to our honored guests, but people will also look down on us."

"Auntie, Uncle, don't worry. I've already booked several tables at Buzuiju Restaurant, and they'll be delivered soon. I have other uses for these things," Chu Xuan explained.

"That's good, that's good!"

Hu Dazhi breathed a sigh of relief and said nothing more.

Afterwards, Zeng Ke led Hu Dazhi's family to look around the yard, while Chu Xuan carried the pig offal to the kitchen, washed it clean, and put it into the cooked braising liquid.

"Now, the moment of miracle is about to arrive!"

Chu Xuan murmured, feeling a little nervous.

An hour later, the manager of Buzuiju Restaurant brought over the wine and dishes ordered by Chu Xuan, along with a group of waiters. They also brought the tables, chairs, and tableware.

To Chu Xuan's surprise, the first guest to arrive was Ren Yan's father, Ren Mingcheng. Manager Wu, Li Tiezui, and others followed shortly after.

Ren Yan also brought a group of disciples from the outer academy to show their support.

The two courtyards, which were originally quite spacious, now seemed rather crowded.

Around noon, the senior students from the inner courtyard also arrived.

Of Lu Tong's dozen or so disciples, only two actually arrived: his eldest brother Wei Hong and a young man dressed as a playboy.

Chu Xuan was not surprised that Wei Hong was coming.

But the arrival of another young master was somewhat unexpected for Chu Xuan. This person was none other than Chu Xuan's eighth senior brother, Dongfang Lin!

Normally, Chu Xuan and Dongfang Lin didn't have much interaction; their acquaintance was limited to nodding acquaintances.

"Eldest Brother, Eighth Brother..."

Chu Xuan quickly stepped forward to greet him warmly.

"Haha..." Wei Hong laughed heartily, "Junior Brother Chu, I absolutely had to come to your housewarming party! By the way, Master couldn't make it, so he asked me to send his congratulations on your behalf."

As he spoke, he handed the two gifts of money to Chu Xuan.

Chu Xuan naturally expressed his gratitude.

As for Wei Hong's statement that his master had something to do, Chu Xuan naturally understood what it meant.

Dongfang Lin, who was standing to the side, also smiled and presented a gift of money: "Junior Brother Chu, I am here on behalf of the other fellow disciples. This is just a small token of my appreciation, please accept it."

Chu Xuan expressed his gratitude once again.

As for the so-called representation of the other fellow disciples, it was merely to give Chu Xuan a way out.

Ye Zhiyi didn't come; instead, she sent a generous gift of money. This was something Ye Zhiyi had told Chu Xuan when he sent the invitation.

Therefore, Chu Xuan did not wait any longer. Seeing that all the guests had arrived, Chu Xuan ordered the dishes to be served.

The group of several dozen people was eventually divided into two tables.

One table was occupied by martial arts school disciples led by Wei Hong and Dongfang Lin. The other table was occupied by Chu Xuan's relatives and friends, as well as Manager Wu, Ren Mingcheng, and others.

They were clearly separated from each other and had little communication.

Clearly, they don't see eye to eye.

Chu Xuan then went back and forth between the two tables, offering toasts. When the meal was halfway through, Chu Xuan, seeing that the time was right, apologized to Wei Hong and the others and went to the kitchen.

Soon, a rich and lingering aroma of braised meat wafted from the kitchen.

"Huh, what's that smell? It smells so good!"

Li Tiezui, whose nose is the sharpest, sniffed a few times and asked in surprise.

The aroma also drew everyone else in, and they all put down their chopsticks and looked towards the kitchen. There they saw Chu Xuan and Chu He, each carrying a black lacquered tray, slowly walking towards them.

On top are neatly sliced ​​braised pig heads and ears, as well as glistening braised chicken feet, layer upon layer, red and tempting.

Two plates of braised pork were placed in the center of the table, and the aroma immediately filled the entire courtyard.

"It smells so good!"

Li Tiezui glared and said, "Kid Chu, you have such good food, yet you saved it for last. Are you afraid we'll eat too much?"

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of pig's ear and put it in his mouth without any hesitation. His eyes widened again: "Amazing! Amazing! This pig's ear is braised to perfection!"

The others had also been eagerly picking up their chopsticks, taking bites of braised meat with shining eyes and exclaiming in amazement.

"My God, this pig offal is actually delicious?"

"There's absolutely no fishy or musty smell..."

"This pig liver gets more and more delicious the more you chew it..."

Wei Hong's table, on the other hand, was much quieter.

It wasn't that they were being polite; the outer disciples had already been swallowing their saliva, but seeing that Wei Hong and Dongfang Lin hadn't touched their chopsticks, they didn't move either.

"This is... pig offal?"

Looking at the "delicacies" Chu Xuan had served, Dongfang Lin couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Junior Brother Chu, are you short of money? These things are hardly presentable."

His family ran a restaurant in the inner city, and he was used to eating big meals every day, so naturally he looked down on these kinds of things that only the lower classes would eat.

Although the aroma of this braised meat is somewhat tempting.

Wei Hong then looked at Chu Xuan and said, "Junior Brother Chu, if you need money, just let me know, and I'll lend you some to tide you over."

Clearly, he also believed that Chu Xuan was short of money.

Chu Xuan smiled and said, "Senior brothers, why don't you try this braised meat first?"

"It's just braised pork, what's so special about it!" Dongfang Lin said with a smile, but he still picked up a piece of pig's ear with his chopsticks and ate it, as a way of giving Chu Xuan face.

Chu Xuan smiled as he looked at Dongfang Lin.

Braised meat does exist in this world.

When they were in the outer courtyard, Ren Yan had brought braised meat to the martial arts school a few times, and Chu Xuan had tried it.

As for the taste, I can only say it's better than nothing!

This was because Ren Yan's family sold spices, and Ren Yan's mother used a lot of spices.

"Um?"

Dongfang Lin took just one bite, and his expression immediately changed. He exclaimed in disbelief, "This pig's ear doesn't have a single strange taste! The cartilage is chewy yet delicious, and the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes! The seasoning is absolutely amazing!"

Ordinary braised pig ears are either too salty or bland.

That's why he looked down on it earlier.

Even the braised pork made by the head chef at his restaurant is the same. Compared to this, it's leagues ahead.

Seeing Dongfang Lin's exclamation, Wei Hong also picked up a chicken foot and took a bite, his expression pausing slightly. Then, without making a sound, he reached out and grabbed a fist-sized piece of pig's head meat, and began to devour it.

Seeing the two of them start eating, the other fellow disciples didn't stand on ceremony either. They immediately followed suit, picking up their chopsticks and, just like Wei Hong, eating voraciously without uttering a sound, their movements noticeably several times faster than before.

Everyone started eating with their chopsticks, and surprisingly, no one spoke.

Even the previously picky Dongfang Lin disregarded his composure, rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a braised pig's head in one hand, and mumbled, "Delicious! So delicious! Junior Brother Chu, which chef made this braised pork? I absolutely have to have it!"

Chu Xuan smiled without saying a word, and simply poured wine for everyone.

In less than half an incense stick's time, all the braised meat piled up on the two tables was snatched up!