I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

Liu Cuifen's sarcastic and unsettling voice messages struck Wang Xiuying's heart with deadly precision.

Her initial joy at preparing a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner was instantly dampened.

After a busy morning, you end up being described by others as someone with a "laborious life" or someone whose "son is unwilling to spend money."

Wang Xiuying wiped her hands as she walked out of the kitchen, picked up her phone, glanced at it, and immediately lost her composure.

"What does she mean by that? She's too lazy to do anything herself, yet she has the nerve to criticize me?"

Wang Xiuying's chest heaved with anger.

"What kind of 'gift package' is this? It's just a bunch of pre-made dishes that have been sitting around for who knows how long!"

Jiang Chen took the phone from her hand, glanced at the chat history in the group, and smiled.

He patted his mother on the back and comforted her, "Mom, don't get angry with her, it'll make you look bad."

"Her food is mass-produced, convenient, just for the sake of convenience. What do you call this? Yours is Michelin three-star private kitchen cuisine, handcrafted, and available in limited quantities! They're not even in the same league, what's the point of comparing them?"

Michelin? What's Michelin?

Wang Xiuying was taken aback by the new words that came out of her son's mouth.

Jiang Chen explained with a grin, "It's the best, most expensive, and most prestigious restaurant in the world!"

"Just remember, the meal you cooked was a hundred times more valuable than her gift package worth several thousand dollars!"

These words calmed Wang Xiuying down considerably, and a smile returned to her face.

"You're so sweet-talking!"

"All talk and no action is useless!"

Jiang Chen put his phone back in his pocket and waved to his fourth aunt and mother in the kitchen.

"Mom, Fourth Aunt, from now on, follow my instructions!"

"Today, let's show Auntie what a real New Year's Eve dinner is like!"

Under Jiang Chen's personal guidance, the dishes that were originally intended to be simple home-style dishes began to be "refined" to the level of works of art.

Jiang Chen asked Jiang Xiaobei to garnish the ordinary braised pork with broccoli around the edge of the plate, and then to carve a crooked "flower" out of a carrot with a knife.

It looks a bit comical, but it instantly elevates the overall quality.

The main attraction was those seafood dishes.

The enormous king crab was steamed whole, and after it came out of the pot, its entire body turned bright red and translucent. It was then placed perfectly in the center of an oversized blue and white porcelain plate, and the shape alone was incredibly visually striking.

Jiang Chen then cut the Australian lobster in two.

One half was made into a golden and tempting baked lobster with cheese, while the other half was covered with minced garlic and vermicelli and made into a classic steamed lobster with garlic.

Two flavors, two shapes, placed together, exuding an air of luxury.

As he watched the dishes, each one a feast for the eyes and the palate, being served one after another, Jiang Jianjun, the father, could no longer sit still.

He rubbed his hands together, his face beaming with excitement, and pulled out a bottle of murky liquid, which he had been treasuring for who knows how long, from under his bed.

"Hehe, I'm so happy today! I finally opened this bottle of sorghum liquor that I've been saving for five years!"

Jiang Jianjun, as if presenting a treasure, was about to put it on the table.

Jiang Chen reacted quickly and stopped it in one go.

"Dad, this liquor is too strong, it's making me dizzy. Today is New Year's Eve, let's have something good to drink."

Jiang Jianjun insisted, "This liquor is excellent! It's made from pure grains! You can't buy it anywhere else!"

Jiang Chen didn't argue with him. Instead, as if by magic, he turned around and took out two white porcelain bottles from the pile of New Year's goods in the corner, with classic packaging featuring red ribbons.

"Flying Fairy Moutai (Vintage)!"

This was a physical reward he received as an extra bonus, on top of the rebate, because the system had occasionally identified his purchases as "high-value social consumables" during his previous shopping spree in Shanghai.

Jiang Chen had been reluctant to drink, saving it for a grand occasion like the New Year to make a grand entrance.

When those two bottles of Moutai, which are considered "hard currency" in any occasion, were placed prominently on the dining table.

Jiang Jianjun's eyes widened instantly.

His precious bottle of bulk liquor paled in comparison to these two bottles of Moutai, which were like roadside weeds meeting the state banquet liquor served at the Great Hall of the People.

He silently hid his plastic jug back under the bed.

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

A table laden with a "Manchu Han Imperial Feast" comparable to that of a five-star hotel has finally been completed!

Cold dishes and hot dishes, a mix of meat and vegetables, delicacies from land and sea—all are available.

The enormous king crab takes center stage, its two large claws raised high, exuding domineering power.

Golden cheese lobster and bright red garlic lobster flanked by the other two.

Glistening braised pork belly, light and refreshing blanched bok choy, steaming hot pot for the whole family...

In addition, there are two understated yet luxurious bottles of Moutai in the corner as embellishments.

The whole scene is full of abundance, joy and a powerful visual impact!

Jiang Chen directed his younger sister, Jiang Ling, to adjust the angles several times, and finally took a high-definition picture with perfect lighting and composition.

Then, he picked up his mother's phone, logged into WeChat, and slowly opened the "Jiang Family" group chat.

He didn't send a voice message or write a long speech.

I just sent that photo out.

Immediately following the photo, he added a carefully edited text that exuded the atmosphere of Versailles.

"Oh dear, sister-in-law (@Liu Cuifen) is right, cooking for yourself is quite tiring. But my son Chen'er said that those pre-made meals outside that cost thousands of dollars are all high-tech and involve a lot of heavy lifting, with all sorts of additives and preservatives, and they're not healthy."

"I feel more at ease eating seafood that's freshly killed and prepared at home. Although a single crab costs over two thousand yuan, and the lobster is about the same, it's Chinese New Year, so the main thing is to eat fresh and healthy! It's worth the expense!"

This news was like a depth charge.

The photo was sent less than three seconds ago.

The group chat, which was originally just Liu Cuifen talking to herself, suddenly exploded!

All the relatives who had been hiding behind the scenes suddenly appeared!

Jiang Xue, the younger sister-in-law, was the first to reply: "Holy crap! Second brother and sister-in-law! Did you invite the Dragon King to the table?! This crab is huge!"

Second Aunt Sun Yumei had just finished editing a message to show off her family's braised carp when she saw Jiang Chen's picture. She silently deleted all the text she had typed and then sent a "".

Fourth Uncle Jiang Jianping: "Second Brother, you're amazing!"

Jiang Fuyou, a distant cousin, even sent a voice message, his booming voice almost hurting one's ears: "Jianjun! Impressive! This meal is impressive! More extravagant than anything at a hotel! That bottle of Moutai looks amazing!"

Immediately, the group was filled with likes, exclamations, and questions.

"Second Aunt, what's that crab called? Where did you buy it? I've never seen one so big!"

"How much does this cost per table? Those two bottles of wine alone must be expensive!"

"Sister-in-law Xiuying, your cooking is amazing! It makes my mouth water!"

On the other side of the screen.

My uncle Jiang built the country.

Liu Cuifen was beaming with pride as she directed her son, Jiang Wei, to stuff the pre-prepared dishes from the so-called "Supreme Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" gift package into the microwave.

When she saw the photo and text that popped up on her phone screen, the smile on her face instantly froze.

She stared at the king crab in the photo, which was bigger than her face, and then looked at the bag of "sea cucumber in abalone sauce" in her hand that was still thawing and looked sticky.

An indescribable sense of humiliation and anger suddenly surged to the top of my head!

Her "supreme gift package" worth several thousand yuan suddenly seemed incredibly cheap compared to the lavish seafood feast served at this table.

"Smack!!!"

A crisp sound.

Liu Cuifen was so angry that she trembled all over. With a flick of her wrist, she accidentally dropped the smartphone she had just bought not long ago onto the ground!