On the way, Tong Wen Yao also met the village chief's wife, Aunt Fang.

She sat under the tree and looked at Tong Wenyao, asking, "Where did the fish come from? Oh, I'm so lucky tonight. I can eat fish at your house."

"Uncle Wu comes to our house to work. In addition to his wages, we provide him with a meal, but it's not very rich."

Aunt Fang uttered a cry, "What's the big deal? As long as the villagers have enough to eat, that's enough."

An old woman nearby asked her, "How did you catch the fish in the river? Are you so lucky?"

Tong Wenyao scratched her head and said foolishly, "Grandma, maybe the fish I met were all stupid fish."

She really couldn't stand their questioning, so she picked up the wooden barrel and walked home in small steps. She walked so fast that even the weight of the barrel couldn't stop her determination to go home.

After returning, she took them to the backyard and cut up the fish. There were four fish in total, each weighing about four or five pounds. Counting the number of people eating, four fish was enough for thirteen people. Second Aunt had already fried the vegetables, so she had to work faster.

With a quick movement of the knife, she slit open the fish's belly and removed the internal organs. After she had processed each piece, she carried it to the open space next to her. The kitchen had been pried open today to make way for the kang, and although it was already built, they still had a shelf set up next to the yard.

Take the fish to the side of the iron pan, add oil after the pan starts to smoke, and add the peppercorns and ginger that you picked on the road to exile. When the heat is almost right, put the fish in and fry.

Since Wen Jiang started cooking, she has consciously gone to the side to help light the fire, and occasionally she would turn the fish over. Tong Wen Yao patiently taught her how to turn the fish so that the meat would not be broken.

After just a few attempts, Wen Jiang could already fry a whole fish perfectly, golden on both sides. The air was filled with the aroma, and Village Chief Wu jokingly said, "Your kid is incredible! He can read and cook."

Second Aunt laughed cheerfully and said, "It was all Yao'er who taught him. He knows nothing about studying."

Tong Bo just came back on his horse, holding a piece of meat and a pot of wine. Because of the horse, some wine had spilled out of the lid. Wu Feng, who had a keen nose, smiled and said, "We are in for a treat tonight. We have wine to drink. Brothers, hurry up and finish the work at hand."

"Okay!" the others responded, their hands quickening. They'd just seen that they'd bought meat and fish. The number of times they ate meat year-round could be counted on their fingers. Some even planned to take a piece or two back home for their families to taste.

Second Aunt was chopping meat while Tong Wenyao stir-fried the fish. By the time she finished, Second Aunt had also chopped the pork. She planned to stew the pork with chestnuts for a better taste.

So, the dinner was a mixture of corn and white rice. Usually they ate white rice, but there were so many people today, and she had a lot of corn left from the ones she had bought before, so today she just wanted to make sure they were full.

After setting up the kang, Village Chief Wu took them to the ancestral hall and moved a set of tables and chairs over. Tong Wenyao brought the dishes one by one and divided them into two tables, one for the men and one for the women and children.

Tong Hong's foot had not healed yet, so he couldn't drink. Instead, Tong Bo and Tong Wenyao joined the village chief and others in drinking, but they only drank about half a bowl. The rest of the wine was drunk by Wu Feng and others.

Tong Wen Yao carefully noticed that some people put the meat in their pockets, probably wanting to take it back for their families to eat. She remembered that this person was called Uncle Jia, and his family had a daughter-in-law who had been married for several years. Normally, if a woman did not give birth to a child after two years of marriage, her in-laws would dislike her, but this family did not. Instead, they often comforted his daughter-in-law. It seemed that their family was quite friendly, and Uncle Jia and his wife were also quite loving.

Tong Wenyao had almost finished her drink and saw her second aunt going to the kitchen to light the kang and boil water on the stove, so she went over to chat with her.

"Second Aunt, let's let them take the leftovers from the table back home. I saw Uncle Jia secretly put a piece of meat in his pocket."

When Aunt Cui heard this, she said without hesitation, "Okay, you can arrange it. We don't lack this meal." She nodded. This is also the reason why she likes her home.

Tong Wenyao said to her second aunt in a coquettish manner, "Second aunt, you are so kind." This scene was seen by Qian's mother who had just entered the house. She began to talk, "Only your second aunt is kind. You can't see my goodness."

When Tong Wen Yao heard this, she hurried over to comfort her mother, "Mom, you're fine too." Mother Qian pinched Tong Wen Yao's cheek. She had been running around during this period, and the flesh on her face was almost gone.

Mother Qian also gave a reminder, "Okay, stop joking. There's still some leftover fish from tonight's fried fish in the kitchen. Ask them to take it all home so they can taste it with their family."

Tong Wenyao's smile was almost reaching her ears at this moment. She raised her hand and agreed, "I declare that Mother and Second Aunt are the best people in the world!"

After getting permission, Tong Wen Yao wrapped the remaining fried fish with leaves in the kitchen. She originally thought that there would be some left on the table, but she didn't expect that she was overthinking it. There was nothing left on the table, and the whole plate was empty.

After noticing Tong Wen Yao's gaze, Wu Feng looked a little embarrassed and said, "The food was so delicious that I couldn't stop eating it and ate it all." Those people who had meat slices in their pockets also looked a little embarrassed.

Tong Wenyao smiled and said, "If it's delicious, of course you should eat more."

While they were getting up, she continued, "Uncles, wait a moment. We have just wrapped the remaining fried fish in the kitchen. Come and get them one by one."

Village Chief Wu immediately declined, "How can you let us eat and take it? It's not right, it's not right."

The people on the side echoed, "That's right, that's right." Although they also wanted to take it home for their family to taste, they still knew the proper etiquette.

Tong Wenyao smiled even more deeply when she heard this, and said directly, "Don't be polite, go to the kitchen and take it back for your family to try."

Tong Hong, leaning on his cane, said, "You guys have helped us a lot today. Please accept this fried fish."

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Village Chief Wu immediately smiled and said, "Then my family will be blessed tonight. I would like to thank you on their behalf."

Everyone went into the kitchen to get a portion, their faces full of smiles. It would be great if when they went to work in the future, everyone was as generous and kind as the Tong family.

After leaving the courtyard, the craftsmen walked faster, and some even held their clothes against their chests as they walked back, fearing that they would get cold or frozen.