Chapter 118: Excitement

  Niu Laogen and Li Zheng arrived, each carrying a jar of wine in their hands. They both smiled and exchanged greetings before entering the courtyard.

  He Yaxiu hastily put down what she was doing and said: "If you're coming, just come. Why bring wine? We already bought some early..."

  "This is great......" Li Zheng smiled and sniffed the wonderful smell, saying: "Who's cooking? It smells so good?! Xiaohua?"

  ！”

  "Where is she? Xiaohua is making shoes in the house, it's Tuniu. Our family's meals are all made by Tuniu......" He Axiu hastily brought over a stool and said: "Quickly sit down, I'll go pour tea..."

  "Not busy......" Lǐ Zhèng was surprised in his heart, can that little girl even cook?!

  "What's wrong?" Old Cow asked with a smile.

  "He went up the mountain, he couldn't stay still, said he wanted to try his luck, I didn't dare let him go far, afraid of running into a wild animal, besides it's already dark......" He Axiu brought over the teapot and poured them tea, smiling as she spoke: "You've been gone for a while now, you should be back..."

  Just then, Zhong Gensheng came back with a joyful face, carrying a pheasant on his shoulder and holding two rabbits in his hand.

  The three of them were overjoyed and exclaimed: "......such a huge harvest?!"

  Zhong Gen Sheng put down the prey in his hand and placed his bow well, smiling: "Today's luck is good, I actually caught a raccoon dog..."

  Shen Sisi ran out of the kitchen early, and excitedly said: "Dad, let's raise this one first, have fun..."

  She said and reached out to touch the raccoon dog's head, but it was startled and desperately backed away, only to be held down by Zhong Gensheng, unable to escape.

  "Dad, tie it up first, this one is fun to raise..."

  "Alright..." Zhong Gensheng chuckled and said: "Tuniu, let's roast this wild chicken for dinner, and each of you two take one rabbit back home with you..."

  "Whatever...". Shen Sisi naturally said whatever was fine, her mind was now completely on the robe. Niu Laogen and Li Zheng looked at each other and thought she still had a childlike heart.

  He Axiu said: "I'm going to kill the wild ***, Tuni, you quickly go to the kitchen and watch it, don't burn it..."

  "Uh-huh, got it......" Shen Sisi walked away with a thoughtful expression, while Zhong Gensheng smiled and tied the cloak under the eaves.

  Niu Xiaohua also came out at this time, helping He Ashu slaughter the chicken. After washing it clean by the well, they went into the kitchen.

  Zhong Gensheng and Niu Laogen, as well as Li Zheng, were sitting in the courtyard, chatting and patiently waiting for dinner to be ready. He Ashu laughed and said: "Li Zheng's wife hasn't arrived yet?!"

  "Coming soon..." Li Zheng smiled and said: "She said she'll bring the kids over in a bit..."

  He Axiu hastily went to fetch a bowl, preparing to pour tea for the guests when they arrived.

  The meal was quickly ready, and after the dishes were served, both Li Zheng and his wife were shocked. The hospitality of this Zhong family is really... Which household in the village would be so generous to treat guests like this? They were very happy for a while, feeling respected, but Niu Laogen knew that the Zhong family had always been generous with food, so he didn't mind.

  Two tables were set up, the men took one table with their sons, He Axiu and Li Zheng's wife took another table with their daughters. Li Zheng's wife said happily: "Axiu sister, your family's food is really good! I didn't expect to be treated like this, how can we be so presumptuous?!"

  "What's the big deal? Let the kids serve dishes and eat while seated. In our village, who has so many rules?"

  "Let the men go drink by themselves, we'll eat ours..." He Ahxiu pointed to the big pot in the middle and said: "This is Tudou's braised pork belly stew, it's a bit spicy, so eat slowly..."

  The children of the Li family had already picked up their chopsticks, only Chunxiang was a bit embarrassed, He Qiu added a lot of dishes to her bowl, and Mrs. Li looked at everything with joy.

  "Hurry up and eat, this is braised meat, this is pig intestine, and there's chicken too, don't be polite...” He Axiu was hosting, her face full of joy. The daughter-in-law smiled and said: "It would be even better if your family had a new house..."

  He Axiu sighed and smiled: "Yes, there are many people at home, it's a bit crowded. I'm afraid that winter won't be warm enough. If it snows heavily this year, the house may not be able to withstand it, and I'm afraid it will collapse. That's why I wanted to build a new house, but the money is still not enough. Tuni said to build one first and talk about it later. After all, this can't wait. If it freezes badly this year, it will be a big trouble..."

  The hostess smiled and said: "That's right, building a house is good. When your family moves in, I'll definitely come to congratulate you."

  He Axiu smiled and thanked, speaking in a disjointed manner. Shen Sisi was holding a chicken leg in one hand, gnawing on it. She was the youngest child here, so naturally the leg ended up in her bowl. As she gnawed, she listened to their conversation, while also secretly giving Niu Xiaohua a lot of dishes.

  When the bone soup in the house was cooked, Shen Sisi put the wrapped wontons into it and simmered for two minutes before scooping out a large pot and handing it to the table: "Come on, eat white noodles, Lijiang's wife, I'll serve you..."

  "Let me get it myself," said the young woman with a smile. "You come too, Chunxiang, don't bother your sister..."

  Chunxiang hastily responded with a "yes" and helped Rizheng's wife serve the food, then served herself a bowl. She made a gesture to help He Ashu serve, but He Ashu didn't dare trouble her. Instead, she smiled and said: "Let my Tuni come over and do it, you all eat quickly, this bone soup with scallions and dumplings is the most delicious..."

  Li Zheng's daughter-in-law took a big mouthful, and felt it was both fragrant and delicious. Suddenly she praised: "......Your family's local girl is really great, this dish is even better than what we eat at home......"

  He Ah Xiu smiled comfortingly and said: "This girl is extremely talented in this aspect, but as for needlework, she's not good at it..."

  The young lady smiled lightly and said, "Just this one dish is already very good. In the future when she gets married, her culinary skills will be enough to win over her in-laws... Moreover, it can also earn money, I don't know how many families will want to take this girl back home as a daughter-in-law."

  He Ashu just smiled and didn't say a word. That year, when the drought occurred, she was pregnant with Sanbao and took her two children to seek refuge with her elder brother and sister-in-law. When they returned, she brought back Sanbao and Tuniu. The villagers all thought that the two children were twins, and He Ashu had never denied it. In fact, when she picked up Tuniu, Sanbao was already over three months old...

  Sanbao is much bigger than Tudiya.

  This child, she must stay at home to be a daughter-in-law. How can we let an outsider in? What kind of family would she marry into and what hardships would she suffer? Whether it's marrying the second or third son, it's all the same. He Ahxiu is prepared to go with the flow, but she didn't explain this to her mother-in-law, she just kept urging her to eat.

  This side was bustling with people drinking soup and eating dishes, enjoying the delicious wontons. At that table, they were also sipping wine and eating the full spread of dishes on the table, because today was a special occasion. Zhong Gensheng didn't drink excessively, just taking small sips, and Niu Laogen had lost his composure last night, so he wasn't drinking heavily today either, just taking small mouthfuls while chatting with Lǐzhèng.

  。

  Niu Xiaohua's matter was still a bit troublesome at that time, and Niu Laogen was actually very grateful to him in his heart, so he started talking to him with a mix of truth and falsehood.

  He was eating his meal with a very good mood, thinking that if Chunxiang could really marry into the family, he and Niu Laogen would be indirectly related in the future, so he treated them both extremely well.

  While eating and drinking, he laughed and said: "Your family's daughter-in-law's culinary skills are truly unmatched. I don't know which household will be lucky enough to get her in the future. Only a household that has burned high incense can get such a wonderful wife!"

  Zhong Gensheng just smiled and said: "...... This little girl is still young, I want to keep her for a few more years, it's hard to let go, we'll talk about it later."

  It's natural that they wouldn't say such things to outsiders, let alone in front of a child as young as Tuni.

  The wine was drunk with great relish in the evening, and the dishes were eaten clean. Inside, he gazed sleepily at the lamp-lit room where Er Bao and San Bao were reading, his heart filled with envy. If only... His heart stirred slightly as he thought that if he could just wait another year or two, it would be great to settle the marriage first.

  At this time, the sky was already late, and Niu Laogen didn't drink much tonight. He just leaned against Lǐ Zhèng and said, "I'll send Lǐ Zhèng back..."

  Zhong Gensheng nodded and said: "And these two rabbits, one for each of you, take them back and kill them to eat tomorrow. Don't be polite, they're not worth much."

  The old cow had eaten and drunk enough, and was also moved in his heart. He didn't stand on ceremony with him anymore, and smiled: "Alright, don't send me off..."

  He Ahxiu handed over several tea eggs that had been cooked for a few afternoons to Li Zheng's wife, smiling and saying: "These are the chicken eggs from our house, only these few have been stored for a few days, they're all cooked, take some back to taste the freshness, don't be polite..."

  "Alright, then I won't be polite," said the wife with a smile. After that, she brought Chunxiang and the children to follow Rizheng back home.

  Niu Laogen helped Li Zheng into the house and then came out, saying: "I'll be back first."

  He put down a rabbit and went out the door. The hostess saw him off at the gate, smiling and saying: "Be careful on the road..."

  "It's nothing, the roads in this village have been walked for decades, what could happen...". Niu Laogen didn't care at all, waved his hand and left, still holding a rabbit.

  Lizheng's wife saw him walking far away, and only then did she return to the house. Lizheng was still awake, staring blankly at the ceiling with his eyes wide open. Lizheng's wife pushed him and said: "What are you thinking about?"

  "…Nothing, just thinking that it would be better to settle the marriage as soon as possible. Such a good family, you're right, Chunxiang went and didn't suffer, the people at home are all honest, Niu Xiaohua, did you see today? She's living even better than at home, although she was sold into slavery, it's just not good to say it out loud, but this life is truly fulfilling. Alas, I think the Zhong family might be eating like this every day, our family is considered good too, but we don't dare eat so well every day either...this oily food is making my stomach..."

  He was speaking with a mix of emotions and excitement.