Chapter 335

Upon hearing about the food, any lingering melancholy in the room disappeared instantly.

“Now everything’s great! We’ve got food and drink, what else could we ask for?”

As they took their seats, each person was served a large bowl of brown rice. The rice was steamed to perfection—just the right texture with each grain distinct. Alongside it was a big bowl of bone broth, shimmering with droplets of oil. It emitted a savory aroma, enriched with finely chopped greens and spring onions. The generous portion made everyone feel like they could have three bowls of rice just with that broth alone.

Just as they were about to drool, a big pot of braised pork with radishes was brought out. Each piece of radish was soaked in the broth, absorbing all its flavors. With its sweetness and the meat’s richness, the villagers couldn’t help but exclaim how amazing the village feast was. Having big chunks of fatty meat with every bite of radish made the meal truly satisfying!

Next came stir-fried pork strips with pickled chili, emitting a tangy scent that tantalized the taste buds. Some of the younger children, although their eyes watered from the spiciness, kept piling rice into their mouths, thinking it would be perfect if it weren’t so spicy.

Suddenly, they saw pork strips stir-fried with winter bamboo shoots. The adults at their tables spooned them into their bowls, and when they tasted the tender bamboo shoots, they burst into tears, not from the spiciness but because they tasted so good!

While some tables were eagerly sharing dishes, the adults made sure the children and elders were served first. Overall, it was a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

At the table of Fan Jin and his family, however, the atmosphere was completely different—it was almost violent.

Sun Jinhua wasn’t interested in the school and hadn’t even entered it. As soon as she sat down, she poured the brown rice from the other side of the table into her own bowl, pressing it down hard.

When Zhang Chunhua returned from visiting the school and found her bowl empty, she saw Zhang Tuzi, who was sitting beside her, completely ignoring her as he began to pile the brown rice and bone broth into his mouth.

Her mother defended her own bowl, pointed at Sun Jinhua, and scolded, “This lady has taken your food. Your brother said she’s useless; you should go and fight her. If you can’t eat it, then she can’t either!”

“Sister, you have my portion first. I’ll go and find the village elder to arbitrate,” Zhang Xiaogou sighed and stood up. Sun Jinhua immediately panicked and mumbled, “Hey, hey, what’s wrong with eating more as an elder? I’ll give you a portion.”

Zhang Chunhua, furious but afraid of causing a scene and missing out on the dishes being served, grabbed an empty bowl and walked over to Sun Jinhua, glaring at her.

Sun Jinhua sneered and reluctantly scooped half a bowl of rice into Zhang Chunhua’s bowl. Seeing her still standing there, Sun Jinhua impatiently added a little more and said, “That’s it! A little girl like you shouldn’t eat so much.”

Zhang Chunhua gritted her teeth in anger but feared missing out on the food being served to the tables around her. She carried her empty bowl back to her seat, cursing all the while.

She prayed that bad luck wouldn’t fall on her, otherwise, she would make Sun Jinhua regret stealing her food!

Before Zhang Chunhua reached her seat, the first pot of food was served. She was a step too slow, and Fan Jin and his family had already rushed forward, almost leaning onto the table to pick out the fatty meat from the big pot.

By the time she reached them, there was no fat left, only radishes.

Her resentment toward Sun Jinhua grew even stronger.

Sun Jinhua raised her chin triumphantly, looking down on Zhang Chunhua as if she were a defeated cockerel.

Her husband and son had eaten plenty of fatty meat, even several pieces. She had won! Zhang Chunhua had failed because she was useless. What’s it to her?

When the second and third pots of food were brought out, Zhang Chunhua had already learned from experience, but Zhang Tuzi eagerly picked up the coarse pottery plate and poured it into his bowl!

Furious, Fan’s mother and Sun Jinhua began shouting at each other.

Both sides argued fiercely, drawing the attention of onlookers who stared wide-eyed with chopsticks in hand.

During dinner, neither family wanted to sit together under any circumstances.

But others were even less willing to sit with either of them.

Finally, Wang Guifen stepped in to mediate: “We’ll have noodles for dinner tonight. Grab a bowl and come back. Portions are divided, so it doesn’t matter where you sit. If you really don’t want to sit, squatting to eat is fine too.”

Hearing that portions were divided, both families remained silent. Neither wanted to give the other an advantage, so despite their mutual animosity, they still sat together.

For dinner, those thirteen and older got three large spoonfuls of noodle soup, a spoonful of stir-fried cabbage with pork fat residue, and a piece of chive scrambled eggs.

Those younger than thirteen got two large spoonfuls of noodle soup with the same side dishes.

For those eleven and twelve years old, it might not have been cost-effective, but households with children of those ages often had younger ones who couldn’t finish two large spoonfuls of noodles, so they could share.

That’s how it is in rivers, lakes, and villages.

Fan Jiang, at ten years old, was responsible for physical labor at home, with a big appetite. Two large spoonfuls of noodle soup weren’t really enough for him.

Fan Hu, younger, was taken care of by his older siblings in daily light tasks. He loved reading and spent most of his time sitting and reading, not expending much energy. Right now, he was scooping some of the noodles from his bowl into his older brother’s bowl.

Tonight’s meal didn’t suit Shuiqing’s appetite, and with the market nearby, she could secretly buy something tasty later when she returned home. Taking advantage of the situation, she also scooped some noodles into several children’s bowls.

Several children choked up, tears welling in their eyes as they looked up and said, “Mother, you eat!”

Shuiqing could only utter her classic line: “Mother’s not hungry!”

She still wanted to save her appetite for something tasty at home.

The children’s eyes welled up even more, their voices thick with emotion: “Mother always treats us the best.”

Wanxia held her bowl, with the most noodles added by her second aunt. She even gave her the only piece of pork fat residue, making her feel surrounded by warm currents of emotion.

Sun Jinhua walked over to her daughter with a bowl, seeing it filled to the brim, especially with two distinct pieces of pork fat residue on top. She immediately reached out with chopsticks and said, “Zhaodi, let Mother help you eat this pork fat residue. It’s too greasy, and you might upset your stomach with it!”

Wanxia was still stunned, but her family sitting beside her was always alert. One of them immediately covered her bowl with their hand, saying, “Don’t bother, Aunt. Wanxia is our sister. If she can’t finish, we’ll help her eat.”

Sun Jinhua was displeased: “Zhaodi has two pieces. What’s wrong with giving one to her own mother?”

Everyone had one piece of pork fat residue; hers had been given to her eldest son. Just now, seeing everyone else chewing slowly at the table made her think of Zhaodi, but she never expected Zhaodi to have two pieces!

She wasn’t being greedy; she had voluntarily left one piece for Zhaodi, so why was she unwilling?