Chapter 26: No One Dared to Joke About Food

Fu Liuya spoke in the most innocent tone, and when Su Ruanruan heard it, she was quite pleased.

Who wouldn’t like being praised for looking young?

Even though Su Ruanruan was indeed very young, she still enjoyed hearing such words.

She raised her hand and gently patted Fu Liuya’s head. “Although I am young, you still have to call me Seventh Aunt.”

Age was one thing, but seniority in the family was another. The two could not be mixed up.

Fu Liuya tilted her head slightly, looking somewhat confused by Su Ruanruan’s words. However, the little girl was very obedient and agreed without hesitation.

“All right, go wash your hands and have some kiwifruit. Your Seventh Uncle and I picked a lot of them!”

The Fu Family’s living conditions were relatively good. Their days were not too difficult, so they did not overly restrict the children when it came to food.

Especially the wild fruits found in the mountains—those were free for the children to eat.

The times were tough, and there were not many snacks for the children to enjoy.

As soon as Su Ruanruan said this, Fu Liuya immediately ran off excitedly.

The sweet and sour kiwifruit was a rare treat for her.

After all, the Fu Family was not the only household in the brigade—many other families had children as well. The wild fruits around the outskirts of the mountains were contested by everyone, and kiwifruit was not something they could eat often.

Watching Fu Liuya’s cheerful figure disappear into the distance, Su Ruanruan couldn’t help but smile.

Children in this era were truly simple. Just some kiwifruit was enough to make them so happy.

Not long after, the Fu Family’s door was knocked on again. The voices of Liu Xiue and the others rang out—it was them returning from work.

Fu Wenjing stopped Su Ruanruan, who was about to open the door, and strode over himself to unlock it.

Liu Xiue was the first to step inside. As soon as she entered, she started complaining: “Seventh, I have to say—why do you keep the door shut in broad daylight? Do we have something shameful to hide in this house? We’ve been working all day, and after finishing, we can’t even come straight in to rest? We still have to wait at the door—do you know—”

“What are you yapping about again?”

Wang Maoni suddenly roared.

Despite being older, Wang Maoni’s voice was anything but weak.

She shouted, and Liu Xiue’s machine-gun-like mouth immediately fell silent.  

Wang Maoni glared at Liu Xiue with irritation. “So you’re the only one with a mouth, huh? Everyone else stays quiet, but you just keep yapping away. I guess you’re not tired enough yet—go pull weeds in the private plot!”  

Having worked the entire afternoon, Liu Xiue was already exhausted and starving. How could she possibly be willing to go pull weeds now?  

Especially now that she had stepped into the courtyard, getting closer to the kitchen, where a faint aroma of meat lingered in the air.  

Liu Xiue was no fool—especially when it came to food, her mind worked even faster.  

In an instant, she understood what was going on.  

Her eyes lit up, and she put on a fawning smile as she looked at Wang Maoni, lowering her voice. “Mother, are we having meat tonight?”  

Wang Maoni shot her a glance. “What? You think meat’s too tough for your teeth?”  

“How could that be!” Liu Xiue’s grin widened so much that her features nearly squeezed together. “Mother, I’ll go close the door right now!”  

With that, she turned around and rushed to the front gate, quickly shutting it.  

The chance to eat meat was rare throughout the year—now that there was some, Liu Xiue naturally ran faster than anyone else.  

After closing the door, she dashed back just as quickly. “Mother, where did our meat come from?”  

“Where do you think? Blew in with the wind?”  

Liu Xiue let out an awkward laugh. “How could it have been blown in by the wind? If the wind could really bring meat, no one would bother going to work anymore. We’d all just stand outside and wait for a gust.”  

At that moment, Li Laidi chimed in. “Seventh must have bought it, right? Having money and ration tickets really makes a difference—you can buy meat whenever you want.”  

As soon as she said that, Wang Maoni’s face darkened. “If you think Seventh earns so much, then send your son to the army. That way, he can send you money and ration tickets every month, and you can buy all the meat you want.”  

Before Li Laidi could say another word, Wang Maoni continued: “Seventh and his wife went into the mountains this afternoon. The meat was brought back from there. If you still want to eat, then watch your mouths and stop running them. Anyone who keeps spouting nonsense can get out.”  

Wang Maoni’s words sounded like an indiscriminate attack, but Li Laidi knew very well that she was the one being scolded. Her face flushed red in an instant.  

She hesitated for a long moment before lowering her voice to explain: “Mother, I just didn’t expect that Seventh would go into the mountains and actually bring something back—”  

Many people went into the mountains when they weren’t working in the fields.  

But the wild pheasants and rabbits in the mountains were cunning. Out of ten trips, eight would end in failure, with people returning empty-handed.  

She truly hadn’t expected that Fu Wenjing, who had only been back for a few days and was going into the mountains for the first time, would manage to catch something.  

Wang Maoni merely gave Li Laidi a disinterested glance and didn’t respond.  

After this little commotion, the rest of the family dared not say anything more and went off to wash their hands and faces.  

Fifth Brother Fu’s wife, Li Lanying, was the biggest foodie. After washing up, she immediately made her way toward the kitchen, mumbling that she was going to help.  

Having lived together for so many years, everyone knew her personality. No one said a word, letting her go in as she pleased.  

But even after entering the kitchen, all she could do was look around and take a few deep breaths. She wouldn’t dare to steal a bite.  

Su Ruanruan sat quietly, watching the entire little drama unfold from start to finish.  

At that moment, she had only one thought—too many people meant too much trouble. It was better to shut the door and live one’s own life in peace. Living together as one big family meant there was never a truly peaceful day.  

That being said, no matter how much people bickered, no one dared to joke about food.  

When dinner was ready, everyone rushed to carry the dishes and rice to the table. Even if Su Ruanruan and Fu Wenjing wanted to help, there was no room for them to squeeze in. So, they simply stood to the side and watched.  

The chicken and rabbit meat had both been braised and were paired with potatoes and string beans.  

The meat was stewed until tender, and the potatoes and beans had absorbed all the rich flavors of the broth, tasting just as delicious as the meat itself.  

Even the thick, flavorful sauce was perfect for soaking into steamed cornmeal buns or pancakes—an absolute delight.  

With twenty to thirty people gathered around the table, there wasn’t a single voice to be heard.  

Everyone focused entirely on eating, afraid that if they were even a little slower, they might miss out on a few extra bites of meat.  

By the time everyone put down their chopsticks, not only was all the meat and vegetables gone, but even the sauce had been wiped clean. The bowls looked as if they had been washed with water.

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