“Dad, that’s just a matter of a word. I know you miss Grandma too, so let’s not postpone it. Let’s go tomorrow.”

"Okay, sure."

Jiang's mother responded and she and Li Taohua quickly got to work, chopping meat and cutting sauerkraut. They were both very busy, and it seemed that Er Ya was not needed for the time being.

She was sitting on the stool, teasing the chicks with a handful of corn, when suddenly a slender figure appeared in her mind. How could she have forgotten him?

After telling Jiang's mother, he ran out quickly.

The clueless Big Black initially wanted to follow, but then it sniffed the aroma coming from the kitchen and decided against it. "My owner's already gone far away. I'd better wait to fill my stomach," it thought, and wriggled back to its original spot, staring longingly at the meat.

Jiang's mother laughed heartily at his greedy look, cut off a piece of meat about the size of her palm, and put it in the big black rice bowl.

"Oh, sister-in-law, you're really generous feeding the dog! Look at that huge piece of meat!"

Jiang's mother looked at Dahei and said, "Since this thing has come to our house, it must be destined to be with us. It will definitely eat whatever we eat. Besides, Dahei has done a lot of good work, so it's not like it's been eating for nothing."

Upon hearing Jiang's mother praise its big black dog, it barked a few times and then lowered its head to continue eating its meat.

Li Taohua asked in surprise, "Can this big black dog understand what you're saying? It even responds to you!"

Jiang's mother said dismissively, "Maybe its previous owner trained it well. I heard Er Ya say that dogs are very intelligent and understanding. A well-trained dog can help with a lot of things."

One of the rabbits we ate a few days ago was caught by Big Black. And dogs are loyal; if you treat them well, they'll treat you even better.

Upon hearing that there were so many intricacies involved in raising a dog, Li Taohua exclaimed, "Really? Then when my family can afford it, I'll have to get one too. Is your dog male or female? If it's female, give me one of the puppies later."

"Er Ya said it seems to be a male dog. She's just a little girl and probably doesn't know much about dogs. Let's take a look later."

When Big Black heard that they were going to see its gender later, it gave them a disgusted look, picked up its meat, and ran off to eat on the side.

"Oh my, look, it's shy! Hahaha, but sister-in-law, you know so much now! You speak like a cultured person, it's so pleasant to listen to."

Jiang's mother said embarrassedly, "No, I just heard it from Er Ya and said it out loud."

Speaking of Er Ya, she ran all the way to Lin Xiao's house, secretly peeked into the yard, and saw Lin Xiao chopping wood diligently, while his stepmother was nowhere to be seen.

He called out softly, "Brother Lin Xiao, Brother Lin Xiao, come here for a second."

Lin Xiao was working when he heard someone shout. He looked up in confusion at the gate of the yard and saw a furtive little head peeking out from the doorway.

Er Ya? What's she doing here? He put down his tools and strode towards the door.

As soon as Er Ya saw Lin Xiao come out, she pulled his clothes and took a few steps to the side, carefully glancing to see if his stepmother had seen him.

Seeing her like this, Lin Xiao's usually expressionless face broke into a slight smile: "What are you doing, Er Ya?"

Er Ya put her finger to her lips: "Shh, keep your voice down, don't let your stepmother hear you."

"She went back to her parents' home with my father and younger brother, and they won't be coming back today."

"Really? That's perfect! Come to my house for dinner today. My mom is making sauerkraut stew with blood sausage. It smells amazing."

Lin Xiao hesitated and said, "But..."

Er Ya pulled him away, saying, "No buts, let's go."

Lin Xiao pulled his hand back: "My grandfather is still at home. What will he do if I leave?"

An aged voice came: "Xiao Xiao, where did this child go in such a short time?"

"Grandpa, I'm here. Er Ya wants to talk to me about something."

He turned back to Er Ya and said, "Go back and eat, don't worry about me."

Seeing Lin Xiao run home, Er Ya had a sudden inspiration and came up with a plan. She turned around and ran home as well.

When they got home, Jiang's mother and Li Taohua had already prepared "pig-killing stew," which, as the name suggests, is a dish eaten when a pig is slaughtered.

In their area, every household raises pigs. As the year draws to a close, they call the butcher to slaughter the pigs they've raised for a year, selling half and keeping the other half for their own consumption.

Cut the freshly slaughtered pork into large chunks and put them into a pot. Add water and salt, and simmer the meat while adding pickled cabbage. Once the meat is tender and the cabbage is cooked, add the stuffed blood sausage and your favorite side dishes and simmer together.

When the dishes are served, there is a stewed meat, a stewed sauerkraut, and a blood sausage. Alternatively, all of them can be put together and called a stew.

The stew is rich in flavor, retaining its original taste and tantalizing aroma. Large bowls of it are served on the table, containing every part of the pig; you can choose whichever piece you like.

Seeing Er Ya return, Jiang's mother urged her to come over quickly: "You child, everyone is here, where have you been? Your brother Gou Dan couldn't find you even after looking for you."

Having left everyone waiting for her, Er Ya said apologetically, "I went to call Brother Lin Xiao. He helped us and didn't want to see us off, so we can't forget him when we have something good to eat. But his grandfather is still at home, and he doesn't want to come over."

She ran up to Jiang's mother, tugged at her clothes, and pleaded, "Mom, can I send some over to Brother Lin Xiao?"

Jiang's mother then remembered that she had forgotten someone, so she took four steamed buns and a bowl of stew: "Go and take this to him quickly, and come back soon."

"Okay, thank you, Mom. You two eat quickly, don't wait for me."

She ran straight to Lin Xiao's house. When she got to his door, she knew his stepmother wasn't there, so she shouted loudly, "Brother Lin Xiao, Brother Lin Xiao!"

Lin Xiao came out of the kitchen and heard Er Ya's voice. As he opened the door, he asked, "Why are you back again? Didn't I tell you to come home for dinner?"

Er Ya, carrying a bowl of vegetables, exclaimed, "Ta-da! Look what I brought!"

"What are you doing? Your uncle and aunt will be unhappy if they find out."

"Oh, this is what my mother asked me to give you. Take it quickly and give the bowl back to me. I'm waiting to go back and eat something delicious."

Lin Xiao couldn't refuse Er Ya, so he had to pour the stew into his own basin and hand the empty basin to Er Ya.

"My mission is complete. I'm going back to eat now. You and Grandpa should eat quickly, or it will get cold."

Staring at Er Ya's retreating figure, Lin Xiao stood there for a long time without moving until a coughing sound came, at which point he quickly closed the door and went into the yard.

Grandpa Lin coughed for a long time before he calmed down and asked, "Who was it?"

To be continued!