Chapter 23: Dinner Party Second Part

  Various requests, click on request, recommendation, collection, reward.

  Under the roots of the tree there were all kinds of fungi, and many edible mushrooms that people often eat at home. The little swallow led Song Jie to pick a lot, preparing to add dishes when they returned in the evening.

  All the way walking and stopping, Zhang Jianguo hunted another big rabbit and a roe deer, not counting the ones Zhao Tong disturbed and scared away, it was really a pretty good harvest.

  The sky was getting late, and everyone was preparing to return. On the way back, they collected some more mushrooms. Who would have thought that halfway through, Zhao Tong accidentally caught a wild chicken in his blind mess, leaving people to marvel at his incredibly good luck.

  Everyone gained a lot in this afternoon's time and was very satisfied with their own results. The joyful atmosphere also lingered for a long time.

  Back home, Aunt Li was still chatting with Zhao Juan's family, a house full of old ladies cracking melon seeds and gossiping, it was incredibly leisurely. As soon as they saw the people who had gone out return, several of them hastily got up and came to the courtyard.

  Taking a closer look, there are quite a few prey this time. Everyone knows that the current prey is not easy to hunt, and the results of this battle can be considered very good.

  Zhao Juan looked at the many game and thought that since it was her mother's first time coming, she would invite Li Shu's family and Zhang Jianguo's family to come to her home as guests, with her in charge of cooking. Looking at the situation, Zhang Jianguo and his family wouldn't take the game back either, so they might as well let them stay here and eat together, which also counted as entertaining her mother.

  After listening to Zhao Juan's proposal, Li Shu also didn't pretend and naturally agreed.

  Next, several women slaughtered chickens and rabbits, busy beyond measure, and soon the kitchen was filled with wave after wave of fragrance.

  This was not Song Jie's business, but Song Jie pulled out the little swallow to take off her shoes and get on the bed, dumping out those snacks, sugar paper. Indeed, Little Swallow was very interested in these things, playing with great enthusiasm.

  By dusk, the scattered workers returned home. Zhang Dezhu also arrived at Zhao Juan's house. Before long, Xiaoyan's mother came too. The small room suddenly became lively.

  There weren't enough stools in the house, so Zhao Juan simply lifted up the bedding and revealed the kang underneath. She moved a small square table onto the kang and they all sat around it to eat.

  Everyone has no objection. When eating in the north, it's usually like this, with a hot kang, sweating profusely while eating, and having a great atmosphere.

  In no time, the meal was ready and a full table of dishes was presented. There was a large bowl of wild chicken stewed with mushrooms, with bright colors, tender meat, and a particularly good flavor. Another large bowl of braised pork belly with rice noodles was also generously portioned. Additionally, there were red-braised rabbit meat, leftover fish from noon made into crispy fried carp, sweet and sour fish, and a cold dish of garlic stir-fried wood ear mushrooms, accompanied by chilled scrambled egg strips, as well as two small dishes of cured sausage and fried peanuts.

  A table full of dishes, with eight dishes that are more than enough for everyone to eat, and just those two pots of braised meat would have been enough for the whole group. This meal is truly comparable to a New Year's feast.

  After the meal, several people who cooked also came to the table. Originally, when there were guests, women and children couldn't come to the table. It's not gender discrimination, it's just the rules passed down by our ancestors. However, everyone is so familiar with each other that they don't mind these things.

  Zhang Jianguo took out the wine he had brought from home and filled up several men's cups. Among those present, Zhang Dezhu was of the highest rank, and as soon as he picked up his chopsticks, everyone else began to eat.

  There's no such thing as not talking about food or sleep, everyone speaks freely and their mouths aren't idle. The men talk about men's things, the women talk about women's things, each says their own, without interfering with each other, and yet they don't get mixed up either.

  Song Jie was eating with her head buried in a bowl, children like her always had to have a big bowl, adults would put food into the bowl for them to eat, they were afraid that the child was too small and didn't have the strength to hold the chopsticks steady, and would drop food all over the table.

  Song Jie hasn't eaten meat for a long time, and besides, she had lost a tooth, eating was laborious, how could she not try hard. Listening to gossip by her ear, her mouth was puffed up with food, full of greasy shine.

  Xiao Yan'er was more coordinated, eating while still being able to chat with Song Jie, although Song Jie could only respond with one sentence for every three sentences. Xiao Yan'er was very sister-like and even picked out fish bones for Song Jie, causing the adults to burst into laughter.

  The moon is above the treetops, and everyone is having a great time eating. The wine is flowing freely, and everyone is chatting enthusiastically, making this evening a truly enjoyable meal.

  After dinner, several women cleaned up the table, and several men drank tea and chatted, continuing their previous conversation.

  It was past eight o'clock, and everyone had enough wine and tea. They all dispersed on their own. Zhao Juan gave the remaining meat and fish to the other two families, who also didn't decline.

  Zhao Juan cleaned up the whole house, washed and dried the dishes, and put away the bedding on the kang. So Zhao Tong had one room, Zhao Juan and her mother had one room, and Song Jie had one room.

  The quilt was already scorching hot, and as soon as she lay down, her whole body felt comfortable. After lying there for a while, she started to sweat. Under such a temperature, Song Jie fell into a deep sleep. Today, she was really exhausted, sleeping extremely soundly, not even hearing Zhao Juan and Mother Zhao's whispers.

  Zhao Juann saw her daughter fall asleep and whispered to her mother in the quilt.

  Mrs. Zhao really wanted to know how her daughter had been doing all these years, and so did Zhao Juan. The two of them told each other about their respective situations, and Mrs. Zhao couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart. If only she had been more careful back then and discovered her daughter's unusual behavior, she wouldn't have let her spoiled daughter suffer this fate.

  Mrs. Zhao's thoughts were reflected on her face. Zhao Juan was also uncomfortable, so she comforted her mother: "Mom, don't be sad, this is the path I chose myself. Look at me now, haven't I matured a lot? Here, I've learned many things and have Nini, I'm content and don't feel tired."

  Zhao's mother sighed and said, "Juan, the college entrance examination has been restored for several years. What do you think? You didn't attend university at first, so why not take advantage of the trend and go back home now? Besides, there are signs that in a few years, all educated youth will return to their hometowns. This is the general trend. If you study for a few more years, you won't have to come back here again. You used to be such a good student, it shouldn't be difficult to review and catch up."

  Zhao Juan hesitated, this was undoubtedly a good idea, but...

  "Zhao's mother saw that her daughter didn't speak, and thought she disagreed, so her tone suddenly became urgent: 'What? Are you going to stay in this poor and remote place for the rest of your life?'"

  "None, I haven't thought it through yet, mom, let me think about it."

  "Come on, what's on your mind? Hurry back home, your father is worried about you. Are you afraid of your father? Don't be fooled by his words, every time he receives a letter from you, he reads it over and over again, he must have forgiven you long ago."

  Zhao Juan also didn't know what kind of feeling was in her heart, having been here for eight years, occupying a full third of her life. What this place left her with wasn't just painful memories, but also many beautiful ones. Contrary to wanting to leave this place, she couldn't bear to part with it, and it could be considered her second hometown.

  Although she knew the final result would be the same as her mother said, she would eventually leave here. But in her heart, she was still filled with a strong reluctance to part and confusion about her future life.