Chapter 112: Chapter 66: Fragrant Farmhouse Meal (Part 2)

Li Jinxiang couldn’t help but smile when she saw him putting on an air of generosity, urging the guests to eat. ’He only dares to eat from the two bowls right in front of him,’ she thought, ’and won’t even reach for the dishes farther away, yet here he is telling others to dig in.’

As if they needed any encouragement.

Meizi was having such a good time that she simply picked up a pig’s trotter with both hands and started gnawing on it, leaving her lips shiny and red. She was used to being pampered at home; she found the trotter too slippery to handle with chopsticks and was always dropping it, so she just grabbed it with her hands. No one laughed at her.

Yang Family and Zheng Changhe watched her with loving eyes, even placing more food into Meizi’s bowl. Zheng Changhe also went to the kitchen to fetch a clean cloth for her to wipe her hands with later. This made Meizi mumble her thanks with a full mouth, her eyes curving into happy crescents.

Liu Xiaomei, for her part, had stuffed her mouth full of pig stomach and was chewing away happily. Her face was already round, but now with her cheeks puffed out, it looked especially chubby. Her large eyes were darting toward the bowl of cold-dressed pig’s head meat, planning to grab some on her next turn.

Even the composed Lanzi was flushed from eating, and a watery sheen had appeared in her eyes from the spiciness, which actually enhanced her beauty.

Jinxiang herself wasn’t holding back either—with so many wonderful dishes, even though her family was fairly well-off, they rarely got to eat like this more than a few times a year. ’And it never tastes as good as Juhua’s cooking!’

Besides, Uncle Zheng and Aunt Zheng were very nice, so what was there to be embarrassed about? Hadn’t her uncle Gengtian told her that girls should be graceful and not all prim and proper? Thus, she also kept her chopsticks moving, constantly bringing food to her mouth, though she was a touch more refined about it than Meizi.

Meizi had blushed and her heart had fluttered when she first saw Qingmu, remembering what her mother had told her yesterday. However, she was a carefree girl, and faced with a table full of delicacies, she soon forgot all about it. At that moment, Qingmu was less appealing to her than that pot of pig’s head meat.

She picked up a piece of radish and said to Juhua, “You must have boiled the radishes in water first, so they don’t have that sharp radish taste. Oh, my! It’s stewed so tender, and it’s sweet, soft, and fragrant. I can’t, I’m about to burst.”

Liu Xiaomei laughed. “Who told you to sample so much earlier? Auntie, this cabbage and tofu is delicious! How is it so savory? I only saw Juhua add some lard and pork cracklings, not even any meat.”

Yang Family smiled. “These pork cracklings are a wonderful thing. When your family slaughters a pig and renders lard this year, don’t just eat the cracklings plain. Adding a little to your stir-fries makes them incredibly fragrant. Mei, I heard your second brother is engaged?”

Liu Xiaomei’s large eyes darted around, and she smiled sweetly. “He sure is. And now we’re up to our ears in debt! It’s all my parents’ fault. They kept saying how wonderful the girl is, and that it’s only because her parents are difficult that they’re demanding such a high betrothal gift. I’m just wondering what we’ll do if she’s not all that great when she marries into the family.”

Jinxiang ladled some braised tofu into her bowl and said with a laugh, “What’s there to do? It’s not your problem, anyway. You’ll be marrying out of the family.”

Yang Family also laughed. “You have several brothers. Once they get married, won’t the family divide anyway? Everyone will live their own lives then, so what’s there to be afraid of?” Fatty Liu’s family had four sons and one daughter, making for a large, bustling household. Aside from the eldest son who had already married and moved out, the other three were still single.

Perhaps because the girls outnumbered the boy—an atmosphere of flourishing yin and waning yang—Meizi and the others grew more and more relaxed, eating with great cheer. Qingmu, on the other hand, grew more and more uncomfortable listening to the room fill with crisp voices and delicate laughter. Amid the merry chatter, he quickly shoveled down two bowls of rice, excused himself, and fled the house as if escaping, carrying the meal Juhua had packed for his tutor.

Juhua couldn’t help but chuckle when she saw this. ’This brother of mine has spent far too little time around girls.’

Yang Family and Zheng Changhe watched the girls eat with such gusto, their faces wreathed in constant smiles. They had never felt this happy. Warmed by the food, the girls’ faces were all flushed a pretty pink. They were truly more delicate than flowers—a truly comforting sight to behold.

Steam billowed from the clay pot, where the pig’s head meat and radishes had nearly boiled dry. The longer the dish stewed, the richer and more fragrant its flavor became, filling the entire room with its aroma. Zheng Changhe quickly removed the charcoal stove, while Yang Family, holding the pot with a cloth, asked the girls, “There’s not much left. Should we divide it up?”

Juhua was about to stop her mother—who forces people to eat, anyway? She hated over-the-top enthusiasm—but the reaction from Meizi and the others made her jaw drop. All of them held out their bowls in unison, and Yang Family promptly ladled a large spoonful of the remaining meat and radishes into each one.

When it came to Juhua’s turn, she quickly waved her hands, saying she was full.

As Lanzi picked up a slice of pig’s head meat and popped it into her mouth, she said to Juhua, “No wonder you’re so thin. You eat too little!”

Meizi nodded emphatically. “You haven’t even eaten half as much as I have! How are you supposed to grow properly? Listen to me, eat two big bowls every meal from now on. I guarantee you’ll fill out.” She also began stuffing the meat and radishes into her mouth.

Juhua couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Although the fat from the pig’s head meat had all rendered out and been absorbed by the radishes, it was still fatty meat at the end of the day. Watching the young girls eat with such unrestrained joy, she thought, ’So this is how one gets healthy.’

Yang Family sighed. “You think she doesn’t want to eat? She has to be able to stomach it first. When your body is weak, your appetite isn’t as good. Look at all of you, with your rosy complexions. It’s such a joy to see. A good appetite is a blessing!”

Hearing this, the young girls beamed with joy!

As the conversation turned to the pickled ginger and chili slices Meizi had brought, Juhua hurried to the kitchen to fetch some. After tasting them, Yang Family declared them delicious, praising how crisp and flavorful they were.

Juhua looked at the vibrant red chili slices and the pale yellow young ginger, and her mouth began to water. She couldn’t resist trying a bit of each with her chopsticks, then asked Meizi in surprise, “You’re always saying your pickles aren’t good, but aren’t these delicious? This is a great appetizer!” She wanted to eat more but didn’t dare.

The others also took some to try—after stuffing themselves, it was the perfect thing to cleanse their palates. Li Jinxiang ate quite a few chopsticks’ worth of the red chili slices, repeatedly calling them refreshing.

Two small dimples appeared as Meizi smiled. She said happily to Juhua, “You like them? When you finish these, I’ll pack some more for you. My grandmother pickled them. Isn’t it strange? I follow my grandmother’s recipe exactly, but mine never taste good. They even turn out mushy, not crispy at all. It’s the same with your spicy cabbage—I just can’t seem to get it right.”

Juhua smiled and said to her, “Whether it’s cooking or pickling, you have to put your heart into it! A lot of people aren’t bad cooks, they’re just too busy. For us farming folk, when we get busy, who has time to worry about all that? We just throw things together to get the food cooked, so of course we don’t care much about the flavor. Your grandmother is probably older, and old folks have patience. She puts thought into pickling the vegetables carefully, so naturally, they taste good. As for the spicy cabbage, if you explain to your grandmother in detail how to pickle it, I guarantee hers will turn out delicious.”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep