The person sent to buy groceries returned promptly, and Lady Zhou summoned several daughters-in-law, granddaughters-in-law, and granddaughters to the Upper Room to cook together. The purchases for the day included pork, chicken, and roast goose. Naturally, Lady Zhou didn't trust leaving the kitchen to the daughters-in-law. She stood in the middle of the kitchen, assigning and supervising their tasks. Lady Chiang brought over a chair and placed it in the middle of the kitchen, inviting Lady Zhou to sit down.
Lady Zhou sat for only a short while before standing up again. She preferred to stand, as it made it easier for her to observe everything in the kitchen and the actions of the daughters-in-law.
"Just cut the chicken legs in half, don't cut them any further. Once they're in the pot, they'll shrink and disappear," Lady Zhou instructed Lady Zhang, who was busy chopping chicken into pieces, getting ready to stew it in the pot.
