Chapter 109

Bai Ziqian always acknowledged Shuiqing’s cooking as delicious.

However, the variety of the meals wasn’t extensive; it was always the same few dishes. After spending two days at Sun Jinhua’s, he truly realized the vast difference in food quality. He had stopped complaining after returning to their home.

Now, faced with a table full of hot dishes, cold dishes, and stews, he looked up blankly and asked pitifully, “Auntie, has the food been like this since I’ve been gone?”

Feeling aggrieved, he thought, “It turns out Shuiqing Auntie can cook more than those few dishes; she just didn’t make them for me!”

Li Huyu slapped her son’s back and laughed heartily, “What are you thinking? Who eats like this every meal? This is clearly to entertain us.”

Da He, eyeing the dishes on the table, didn’t move but said to Bai Ziqian, “If the food is like this when you’re here, then don’t leave, okay?”

The other children nodded like pecking chickens.

Bai Manshan chuckled.

There was so much good food that his son didn’t want to leave, and the other children didn’t want his son to leave because of the food.

“Except for the rabbit, which we can’t guarantee every day, we can still have old hen and pork, provided your family stays here!” Shuiqing said with a smile.

The five little ones cheered immediately, clamoring for all three of them to stay.

The atmosphere was lively and warm.

Bai Manshan and Li Huyu were touched by the cozy atmosphere and felt tempted to stay and enjoy a peaceful rural life, but they had their own considerations. They had to say, “We probably can’t stay for more than two days.

However, if your family agrees, Qian’er can stay for a while.”

Bai Ziqian looked eagerly at Shuiqing.

Shuiqing waved her hand generously, “Stay as long as you like!”

Catching a glimpse of the forlorn Ling Ran nearby, she added, “Let’s be clear, though. We don’t support idlers here; everyone has to work for their food!”

Even if the Bull Demon King came, he would have to plow two acres before he could leave.

Upon hearing the last sentence, the sorrow on Ling Ran’s face faded a bit.

Bai Ziqian raised his hand and promised, “No problem!”

“Time to eat!” Shuiqing announced.

The large round table was big enough to seat everyone, so there was no need to separate. Four adults sat at the main positions, and the children were seated according to their age.

For the rabbit with ginger and peppers, Shuiqing didn’t make it too spicy, using bell peppers that were visually appealing but not hot.

Bai Manshan and Li Huyu, who weren’t keen on spicy food, found it very palatable.

When Bai Manshan took a bite of the sour and spicy shredded potatoes, he realized after a moment that this was the potato Qian’er had always talked about!

He quickly swallowed the potatoes and asked a string of questions: “Are there more potatoes?

What’s the yield per mu (1 mu = 0.067 hectares)?

Have you planted them?

Are they easy to grow?”

Li Huyu, knowing her husband’s business mind was at work, tugged at his sleeve and reminded him, “We’re eating. How can they enjoy their meal if you keep asking questions?”

Bai Manshan looked embarrassed.

Fan Jin didn’t mind, putting down his chopsticks to answer, “There are some in the vegetable garden, but we only planted two or three plots. They’re quite easy to grow by cutting into pieces;

We don’t know the exact yield per mu, but it should be much higher than corn.”

Hearing that it was much higher than corn, Bai Manshan was even more satisfied.

When the sausage and potato rice was served, Bai Manshan, after tasting a bite, could hardly wait to go see the vegetable garden!

As the evening deepened, the darkness made it difficult to see anything, so Bai Manshan gave up on his idea of inspecting the vegetable garden.

The dinner was enjoyed by both guests and hosts alike, leaving everyone satisfied.

After dinner, Shuiqing began to prepare the beds for the three guests. The house, with its many rooms, was very convenient for accommodating visitors. The west wing was empty, so Bai Manshan and Li Huyu took one room, and Bai Ziqian was supposed to take another. However, since it was Fan Hu’s first night sleeping alone, he was scared and insisted on having someone with him. Thus, the honorable task of keeping him company fell to Bai Ziqian.

With the sleeping arrangements sorted, Shuiqing’s family, exhausted from the day’s moving and festivities, and Bai Ziqian’s family, weary from their long journey by carriage, all washed up and went to bed early. The rooms were clean and spacious, the new beds sturdy and large, the quilts warm and fluffy, and the sheets soft and delicate. Though the winter night was cold, everyone felt a deep warmth from being well-fed and content.

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Meanwhile, at the old Fan family house, it felt like New Year’s.

“Granny is really something!” Fan Dazhu praised as he ate the fatty pork stewed with cabbage from the midday meal, showering his grandmother with compliments.

Fan Mu’s face beamed with pride. She shared her wisdom, “Your uncle doesn’t have a clue. Moving into a new house is such a big deal, yet he didn’t invite his own close nephews to the feast! I, his own mother, wasn’t invited either. Let’s see how he holds his head high in the village now.”

“The elders in the village must be laughing at him. I bet he’s regretting it now,” Fan Erzhu chimed in. “No matter how good his house is, it’s useless if none of his relatives show up.”

“The best part was Granny thinking ahead to have him send the feast dishes over. This way, we didn’t have to go, and we still got to eat!” Fan Dazhu laughed, stuffing the last piece of fatty pork into his mouth, speaking with his mouth full.

The others looked on enviously as that last piece of fatty pork disappeared, feeling a pang of disappointment.

Fan Zhaodi, who hadn’t received any food, quietly sipped her bowl of black flour vegetable porridge, not feeling envious at all. Her aunt wouldn’t be upset over such a small amount of food. Her older sister could give her six meat-filled buns without any sign of distress. How could she be bothered by the four dishes her uncle sent over?

In fact, the food her aunt was eating now was probably beyond what Granny and her parents could even imagine…

Fan Qian, smoking his pipe, remarked, “Didn’t they say Second Brother’s family had no money left? Today, I found out they received all their wages! Not a single coin was missing.”

Sun Jinhua, dipping her black bread into cabbage soup, replied dismissively, “Maybe they borrowed it? If they borrowed from a moneylender, they’ll suffer for it!”

Thinking that his brother might have borrowed from a moneylender, Fan Qian felt strangely balanced. Moneylenders were ruthless; getting involved with them could cost you half your life.

“I saw a carriage heading to Second Uncle’s house this afternoon,” Fan Sanzhu suddenly said, stirring his soup.

Everyone looked up sharply and asked in unison:

“What kind of carriage?”

“How many carriages?”

“What were the drivers wearing?”

Feeling the sudden attention, Fan Sanzhu swallowed nervously and recalled, “It was just one carriage, covered in oilcloth. It wasn’t fancy like the one that came before. The driver was a middle-aged man, dressed plainly. I think he’s Heizi’s father because Heizi was sitting beside him and called him Dad.”