Chen Hong carefully examined them all. The quality was good, and the price was reasonable, not more expensive than in the first half of the year.

Knowing that Chen Hong was coming back today, most of the people were there for lunch: Village Chief Aunt Guo, Uncle Erhu's family of five, Xiao Hao and his daughter, Wang Xinniang and her son, plus Chen Hong and her daughter.

While the food was being served, Chen Hong quickly distributed gifts to everyone. Although they declined, they were all smiles.

"How can I refuse? These clothes were all bought according to your measurements, and they don't cost much. This is the first time I've bought clothes for everyone, so you have to support me."

They spoke frankly and acted even more practically, and everyone happily put the clothes away.

There were thirteen people in total, filling a large round table. Chen Hong personally cooked eight dishes, plus the four large pot dishes left over from the restaurant, making a full table.

Steamed, fried, stir-fried, stewed, cold dishes—all kinds of food are available, including chicken, fish, meat, and eggs.

Xiao Feng exclaimed mischievously, "Oh my, it's so nice to have the landlady at home! The lunch today was such a feast!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Uncle Erhu slapped her hand with his chopsticks. "You're such a troublemaker! Look at you, you've only been home for a little over ten days and you've already gained several pounds."

When have you ever been short of food at the hotel? What are you complaining about? Anyone who didn't know better would think our staff meals are terrible!

The leftover food from the big pots in the restaurant is far better than what the villagers eat. Go and see for yourself in the village; who has fish and meat for every meal?

Xiao Feng wasn't angry when his father scolded him: "I'm a father now, why are you hitting me in front of the kids?"

I was just teasing Sister Chen Hong because I hadn't seen her in a long time. And I got beaten up for just making a joke?

Everyone laughed, but Uncle Erhu felt embarrassed and emphasized in a low voice, "How old are you? You're still so immature!"

The village chief rolled his eyes at Wang Erhu, "What he was born with is what he grew up with. Xiaofeng has always been a lively person."

"What's wrong with joking? Do you expect him to be like you, unable to utter a sound even after three kicks?"

Uncle Erhu's face flushed red, and he lowered his head to eat in silence. Aunt Guo pretended to pat the village chief on the shoulder.

"Those two have different personalities, do you need to say more? Mind your own business and you'll only get yourself into trouble!"

The four children, however, had excellent hearing; they would wink and secretly cover their mouths to laugh as they listened to the adults.

The women wanted to laugh but dared not, so Chen Hong quickly offered a way out for the village chief and Uncle Erhu.

"Uncle Erhu, you can't complain that Brother Xiaofeng is not steady enough. Everyone in your family except Brother Xiaofeng is too steady."

Xiao Feng plays a very important role in your family; he's the one who brings the atmosphere to your home!

His lively energy makes the atmosphere at home more relaxed and pleasant.

Brother Xiaofeng, you have a great personality. There are some things at the inn that the village chief and Uncle Erhu can't handle directly, and you should learn to deal with them.

You're young, and now that you've returned home to work, you need to take on more responsibilities. Let the elderly rest when they need to; don't ruin your health just to earn more money.

Xiao Feng smiled and readily agreed, "Sister Chen Hong, don't worry, I will take good care of the elderly."

The small inn is the foundation of our family's livelihood; the majority of our income comes from the restaurant business, so I'll definitely work hard at it.

While eating, everyone chatted, asking about Chen Hong's life accompanying her child to school in Jinan, and also talking about their lives outside of Yujia Village.

Chen Hong learned a lot about the village from Xiao Hao's mother.

For example, Wang Qing got engaged again, this time to a young man from a neighboring village. However, her engagement this time was handled in a very dishonorable manner.

The man threatened not to marry her if he didn't have money. The engagement gift was 10,001 yuan, and the bride price was 10,000 yuan.

They wouldn't allow any of the traditional "three golds and one wood" gifts, saying she already had one. They only gave her 10,000 yuan, and she thought it would be shameful to hold a banquet, so she didn't even want to have one.

Wang Qing's family was burdened with debt due to a compensation claim from her former fiancé's family. They couldn't afford to offend the man from the neighboring village, so they abandoned their pride and didn't bother with a wedding banquet, directly demanding 50,000 yuan.

With the family's savings still not enough to cover the losses, Wang Qing's father made a tough decision: he would arrange for Wang Qing to marry into the family in the twelfth lunar month.

He will provide the same dowry as the betrothal gifts given, and will not contribute a single penny more.

This isn't solely his daughter's fault. If the boy hadn't tried to seduce her, she wouldn't have done something so immoral and depraved.

Now that things have come to this, his family is taking the blame, losing face and money, while the boy's family has gotten a wife for free. Wang Qing's father is furious.

After discussing Wang Qing's family affairs, they moved on to the maritime disaster that occurred the day before yesterday.

When Lu Chuandong's father heard that his son had an accident, he immediately fainted and has not been discharged from the hospital yet. According to the village chief who visited him in the hospital, the old man may not make it through this year's Spring Festival.

Lu Chuandong's wife's family came and made a scene, but they couldn't find a sucker to extort money from him, since Lu Chuandong's boat had been capsized by a big wave at sea!

They wanted to find out about the injured person, but unexpectedly, the family had a shrewd member who called the police directly.

The Coast Guard provided a maritime rescue dispatch certificate and a maritime accident investigation report, proving that the injured were also victims of the accident.

Lu Chuandong's wife's family didn't get any benefits and left in a sorry state.

This incident has had a very negative impact. The enthusiasm for donating money to Lu Chuandong's family in the village has been greatly dampened, and some people have even said they will not donate anymore.

They feared that even if they donated the money, Lu Chuandong's wife would not be spared. If she remarried with the money at the urging of her family, the elderly and children would be left in the village.

After discussing for a while the question of whether Lu Chuandong's wife should stay or leave, they finally returned to their own family matters.

This year, fruit merchants have visited several times, and kindergartens and banks in Beijing have also placed orders. They have entrusted Rongcheng Transportation Company to transport the fruit to Beijing once it is collected.

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