It's been so long that Zhang Xuemei really doesn't remember her sister-in-law having such a friend. She only remembers that there was a girl named Xu Xiaoxi in the village who she got along with quite well when she was young.

Xu Mingwan looked at Zhang Xuemei in surprise, "Third Sister-in-law, how come you don't remember Tiantian? She used to come to our house to play all the time! We grew up together, and you even said she was beautiful when you and Third Brother got married!"

Zhang Xuemei thought there might be such a thing, but it was a long, long time ago, and she really didn't remember it.

So I could only laugh awkwardly, "Oh, you know, I've hardly been home in the years since I got married, and I haven't run into the sweet girl you mentioned, so it's normal that I don't remember her."

By the way, is she also going out to work?

After hearing what his third sister-in-law said, Xu Mingwan stopped worrying about the issue.

"Oh, she used to help out at her cousin's restaurant, but she probably can't go this year, so she thought she'd go work with her cousin."

Her cousin has a friend who works in Shenzhen and earns 500 yuan a month! So she wanted to go there too.

Zhang Xuemei frowned more and more as she listened. "Wait, isn't your cousin from my hometown village too?"

"Yes, it's about ten miles away."

Zhang Xuemei's heart sank; she knew what was going on.

In her past life, something happened in her hometown village. A girl from the village went out to work and earned money. When she returned home for the New Year, she persuaded the other girls in the village to go out with her.

She did indeed take several men out with her, and they made a lot of money afterward, which made the girls in the village trust her even more.

They were taken out in batches like this until one of the girls let it slip, and everyone found out that they were doing *that* kind of thing outside.

As a result, the girls who left home had ruined their reputations and dared not look for partners near their homes, so they mostly married far away.

I didn't realize it started so early! Did Tian Tian go out with them in her past life? Is that why my sister-in-law never mentioned it again?

"Third Sister-in-law, what's wrong? What are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed." Xu Mingwan reached out and patted Zhang Xuemei's shoulder, but then suddenly froze.

Zhang Xuemei snapped out of her daze and made up a random excuse to get away with it.

"It's nothing, I was just a little dazed by the sun. When is your friend planning to leave?"

"I don't know, she hasn't said yet! It depends on whether her cousin's friend takes her along!" Xu Mingwan shrugged.

Hmph, still not bringing her? That so-called friend would love to bring as many girls as possible, since he gets a kickback for each one he brings.

"Have you all rested enough? Get up and help make the meatballs."

When Granny Liu saw the two of them sitting in the courtyard chatting, she immediately shouted at the top of her lungs.

Making her do everything by herself? Who does she think she can work herself to death?!

"Okay, coming right away." Zhang Xuemei and Xu Mingwan didn't even have time to chat anymore and immediately went back inside to help.

Every household here makes meatballs for Chinese New Year; it's an essential dish for every family.

Granny Liu had already asked her eldest son to chop all the meat. During the Lunar New Year, when they make a lot of meatballs, her sons usually take turns chopping them, otherwise their hands would get sore.

"Mom, where are my eldest and second sisters-in-law?" Xu Mingwan looked around and saw that neither of her sisters-in-law were there.

"I told them to take the pig's head back to wash it, and to cook it at their place while they were at it. The pot in the old house has other uses too."

Granny Liu put the chopped minced meat into a large bowl, sprinkled it with salt, MSG, and a little sugar, and mixed it well.

"Xuemei, go and scoop out a bowl of sweet potato starch from the cupboard. Xiaowan, chop some garlic leaves; we'll need them later."

As she spoke, Granny Liu took two or three pieces of the prepared tofu, crumbled them with her hands, and mixed them into the minced meat.

Zhang Xuemei took a bowl, scooped out a bowl of sweet potato starch, and handed it to her mother-in-law. She watched as her mother-in-law sprinkled all the sweet potato starch into the bowl and then started stirring it with her hands.

Finally, she pinched a little bit and tasted it to check the saltiness. "Hmm, it's ready. Xiaowan, pour in the garlic leaves. Xuemei, go wash a few cabbage leaves and put them on the bamboo rack. Xiaowan, then boil the water, and we can start cooking."

Zhang Xuemei used to make meatballs at home. She would mix the meat filling, pinch a handful into her hand, toss it back and forth between her two hands a few times, and then place it on a leaf of vegetables. It would be ready in half an hour.

As soon as Xu Minghan entered the house with the child in his arms, he smelled the odor. He put the child inside to sleep and then rushed to the kitchen.

"Meatballs, they smell so good! Mom, are they ready yet? Can we eat them?"

"Grandma, it smells so good!" Xu Panpan raised her little head and sniffed around the stove, almost drooling.

"You two, father and daughter, are both so greedy. Move aside, I'm about to lift the lid, be careful not to burn yourself."

Grandma Liu pulled her granddaughter aside, lifted the pot lid, took a pair of chopsticks, picked up a meatball, put it in a bowl, opened it with the chopsticks to check, and found it was cooked through and the saltiness was just right.

"Grandma, is it ready yet? I want to eat it." Xu Panpan couldn't wait any longer and waited by the side with her small bowl and spoon.

"They're cooked, they're cooked. Here, let me put a few for you to eat over there. Be careful, they're hot."

Xu Panpan happily grabbed her small bowl and ran off to eat meatballs!

Granny Liu took another large basin and put the rest of the contents into it.

"Take your own bowls and chopsticks, eat a few while they're hot, and we'll steam another batch later."

Xu Minghan, with keen insight, took several bowls and filled each one with several meatballs, keeping the last bowl for himself.

One bite, and mmm, this is the taste! The meat is rich and flavorful, both chewy and tender—it's so delicious!

Xu Minghan ate two small bowls in a row, finally satisfying his craving.

"Are you going to eat dinner after eating so much?" Granny Liu asked, seeing that her third son was already burping from the fullness of his meal. She wondered if he could still eat dinner.

Xu Minghan waved his hand dismissively, "If you can't eat, just eat less. By the way, Mom, isn't Fourth Brother coming back this year?"

Xu Minghe, the fourth son of the Xu family, went to Hubei Province to fluff cotton with some people. I don't know if he will come back this year.

"They said they were coming back, but it's already the 29th and they still haven't returned. I wonder if something has delayed them." Granny Liu was also worried when she talked about her fourth son.

"If you say you're coming back, you're definitely coming back, probably tomorrow!" Xu Minghan said with a smile, trying to reassure him.

When it was time for dinner, Xu Minghan ate a large bowl of rice with the delicious home-cooked dishes, so Granny Liu's worries were unnecessary.

"Third brother, your appetite has grown! You're just as big as your dad's. That's good, that's good."

Old Xu was pleased to see his third son eating so heartily. Unlike before, when a grown man's appetite was like a woman's, how could he have the strength to work!

"That's right. Ever since he started his stall, his appetite has increased significantly, and he's become much stronger."

Zhang Xuemei was happy when she talked about this. In her previous life, she was always worried about her husband's appetite. He was 1.75 meters tall and weighed less than 100 kilograms. He looked like a bamboo pole. She was really worried that he would not be able to hold on one day.