Chapter 11: Dinner Table Jokes

Tomorrow was Sunday, a day of rest.  

Since Liu Tao and Liu Dongping had finally come over, they had no intention of leaving right away. It would be a waste to make the trip and then leave in a hurry.

Mu Zhuo’s room was unoccupied, making it perfect for guests.

The fish that was raised came in handy for dinner. The women in the house were all skilled at household work, so Mu Mian didn’t need to help. Instead, she followed her grandmother to her brother’s room to prepare the bed. The kitchen was too small for so many people to fit in anyway.

By the time the grandmother and granddaughter finished tidying up, delicious aromas were already wafting from the kitchen.

Liu Tao was the one cooking. Because of her job, she usually ate at the cafeteria and didn’t cook often, but her skills were undoubtedly the best. The smell alone was enough to make the neighborhood kids drool. Mu Mian had already spotted a few peeking around their house.

By the time the dishes were served, the sky outside was beginning to darken. Liu Shuangcui lit a kerosene lamp and placed it nearby.

With two extra people, the house felt much livelier. The warm glow of the kerosene lamp added to the cozy atmosphere at the dinner table.

The fish was braised, and Liu Tao had been generous with the chili. Mu Mian ate while hissing from the heat, alternating between bites of fish and sips of water. Before long, her lips had turned bright red.

Liu Tao glanced at her little cousin. “I told you I could set some aside for you before adding the chili, but you insisted. How does it feel now?”

Mu Mian stubbornly declared, “It’s not spicy! Hiss… not spicy at all!”

She just loved spicy food! Maybe she used to eat it all the time before! The kind who couldn’t go a meal without spice!

It was just that her new child’s body didn’t seem to have developed the same spice tolerance yet.

But the spiciness was thrilling!

Her determined look made the adults burst into laughter. Mu Fugui noticed that his daughter’s enamel mug was empty and got up to pour her some water.

Mu Mian followed him with her eyes. “Dad, I don’t want hot water. I want cold water.”

Hot water made her mouth hurt even more.

Mu Fugui grinned. “I thought it wasn’t spicy? You won’t even drink hot water now?”

Mu Mian: “………………”

Dad, what’s with this betrayal?!

Can’t you just let me be?!

In the end, Mu Fugui didn’t pour her hot water. Mu Mian accepted the enamel mug and, with a smile, picked up a piece of fish and placed it in her father’s bowl. “Thank you, Dad!”

As he enjoyed the piece of fish his daughter had given him, Mu Fugui sighed with satisfaction. “Xiao Tao’s cooking is really something. I wonder which lucky man will get to enjoy it in the future.”

Liu Tao replied, “Second Uncle, that kind of thinking is outdated. Women can hold up half the sky! Who says a woman has to cook at home? I’m going to find a man who will cook for me.”

Instead of getting upset at being corrected by a younger generation, Mu Fugui simply laughed. “Yes, yes, uncle is wrong.”

Liu Dongping gave her eldest niece a sidelong glance. “Where is this man who can cook? You’ve been looking for two or three years and still haven’t found one?”

She was already twenty-one, a grown woman!

Liu Tao sighed. “Aunt, you’re bringing this up again? Finding a partner isn’t something that happens overnight.”

This time, Liu Shuangcui sided with her younger sister and echoed her thoughts.

Their sister-in-law had passed away early, and their elder brother was a capable leader in the brigade but completely clueless when it came to matchmaking for the younger generation.

If they, as her aunts, didn’t worry about it, then no one else would.

Their eldest nephew was already married with two children.

Not to sound pessimistic, but if something were to happen to their elder brother one day, wouldn’t Xiao Tao be left all alone?

They had wanted to introduce her to someone, but she insisted on finding love on her own. So they could only bring it up occasionally.

Of course, Liu Tao understood that her two aunts had her best interests at heart. But she just hadn’t met anyone she liked.

There were a few men in the brigade who seemed interested in her, but she didn’t like any of them. Most of them were simply after her city job.

She wouldn’t even think about it. The hard-earned money from her job was definitely not meant to support her husband’s family.

Seeing her aunt open her mouth as if she was about to say something else, Liu Tao quickly pointed to her little cousin, who was sitting on the same bench as her, and changed the subject. “Don’t just focus on me. Let’s talk about Xiao Mian.”

Her little cousin’s slurping sounds were getting louder and louder. She wasn’t even worried about having an upset stomach tomorrow.

Mu Mian, the one suddenly being mentioned, was quietly eating fish. She was small, and so was her throat. Although her mouth kept moving, she hadn’t actually eaten much because she was afraid of choking on fish bones.

Even though she hadn’t eaten much, the strong spiciness had already left her feeling a little dazed. It was both painful and enjoyable at the same time. Her mind momentarily blanked out, and she subconsciously responded as if she were still in her twenties. Without thinking, she said, “Huh? What about me? I don’t want to find a partner either.”

She had never been in a relationship before, mainly because she hadn’t met the right person.

“Pfft!!”

“Cough, cough, cough…”

The moment Mu Mian finished speaking, several adults reacted at the same time. The old lady even choked on her own saliva and started coughing uncontrollably.

Liu Shuangcui patted her mother-in-law’s back while giving her daughter a reproachful look. “What nonsense are you saying?!”

Mu Fugui’s eyes widened in shock. As a grown man, he suddenly looked a bit dumbfounded.

Liu Tao laughed so hard that tears came out. She wiped the corners of her eyes while struggling to stop laughing. “Hahaha! Hahahaha! Who said anything about finding you a partner? I meant you’re eating so much spice, be careful you don’t get an upset stomach tomorrow.”

Mu Mian, finally realizing what had happened: QAQ

What did she just say?

Oh right, about finding a partner!

But she was only eight years old!! Who would be finding her a partner at this age?!

Mu Fugui, still recovering from his daughter’s shocking statement, suddenly imagined a brat taking his daughter away in the future. Instantly, he lost his appetite. Slamming his hand on the table, he declared boldly, “That’s right! No finding a partner! Dad will take care of you for a lifetime!”

The moment he finished speaking, Liu Shuangcui smacked him hard on the back.

She shot her husband a glare. What kind of nonsense was he saying as a father?

Mu Mian, feeling utterly embarrassed, forced a polite smile as she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. She quickly jumped off the bench and stiffly changed the subject. “I’m done eating. I’ll go check if the chickens have laid eggs!”

The three hens that were already asleep: “???”

What a huge blame to take!

Without waiting for any response from the adults, Mu Mian ran off to her room, not even glancing at the hens she used as an excuse.

The chili peppers grown by the old lady were spicy on the tongue but didn’t hurt the stomach. Although Mu Mian’s eyes had turned red and her lips were pouting from the heat, she actually wasn’t feeling too bad. She just needed a moment to recover.

Lying on the bed for a while, she then fumbled in the dark to prepare the clothes and shoes she would wear the next day, so she could put them on as soon as the sun rose.

—

At night, Mu Mian shared a bed with Liu Tao. Despite the ten-year age gap, the two cousins were still close.

Liu Shuangcui and Liu Dongping slept in Mu Zhuo’s room instead. Seeing her mother not sleeping with her father, Mu Mian gave a look of “I knew this would happen.”

The two sisters must have a lot to talk about. Whether or not they would end up arguing was something Mu Mian couldn’t know. She slept soundly until morning and was only woken up when her cousin called her. After getting dressed and going outside, she heard her mother say, “You and your grandma go to the brigade entrance first. Once you reach the commune, don’t run around. Stay close to your grandma.”

As she spoke, she handed Mu Mian a cloth bag, which contained two eggs and two pieces of flatbread for them to eat later.

Mu Mian nodded obediently.

Other families might send only one person, but their family had six going. There was no way they could all squeeze onto the ox cart.

Just as the mother and daughter finished speaking, Zhao Meihua came out of the kitchen carrying a basket filled with eggs. She had been saving them up to exchange for money at the supply station.

By the time Mu Mian and her grandmother reached the brigade entrance, five or six people were already sitting there. They were all middle-aged or elderly women.

Each of them had a basket or a bamboo container beside them, clearly there for the same reason as Zhao Meihua—to sell eggs.

One of the women was particularly familiar to Mu Mian. It was Cao Chunfeng, who worked in the same labor group as her mother. She was also Dazhuang’s mother, and the two were well-known for their loud voices.

As soon as she saw them, Cao Chunfeng called out loudly, “Aunt Zhao, you’re heading to the commune today too? Why did you bring Xiao Mian along?”

While helping her grandmother onto the ox cart, Mu Mian grinned and replied, “We’re going to call my brother! Of course, I have to go! Aunt, you came really early!”

Cao Chunfeng chuckled. “I just got here too. Last time, I came late, and it was a hassle. Your parents aren’t coming?”

Mu Mian wiggled to find a comfortable sitting position. “They’re coming. My aunt and cousin arrived yesterday afternoon, so they’ll walk over later. My brother finally got a chance to call home, so of course, we all have to go!”

Beside Cao Chunfeng, Aunt Li let out a sigh. “It’s been over a year since Zhuo boy has been back, right? I remember he didn’t come home last New Year. Will he be coming back this year?”

Zhao Meihua shook her head. “Who knows? If he can, he definitely will.”

Aunt Li smacked her lips. “Being a soldier is good, but it’s tough not being able to see them for years.”

Aunt Wang, sitting nearby, suddenly remembered something and turned to Zhao Meihua. “Your Xiao Zhuo is turning twenty soon, right?”

Zhao Meihua replied, “Still half a year to go.”

Aunt Wang sighed. “That’s not young anymore. If he’s gone for a few more years, you won’t even have time to find him a wife. By then, kids his age would already have children of their own while he’s still single. That wouldn’t sound good!”

Her expression made it obvious that she wanted to say, “I have a daughter to introduce.”

Unfortunately, Zhao Meihua didn’t take the bait. She simply smiled and said, “He has his parents to worry about that. I won’t interfere.”

Meanwhile, Mu Mian’s little head turned left and right, glancing at each of them as they talked.

Marriage pressure really exists everywhere. Even when her big brother is not around, they can still urge him to get married.