Wang Zhiqiang was starving. He couldn't resist the aroma of meat any longer and cried out, "Mom, I want to eat meat too!"

This time, he learned his lesson and dared not cause trouble for the Chu family again.

Otherwise, if even her own mother couldn't beat Ye Nian'an, and she went over there, she would definitely beat him so badly that his butt would be bruised and battered.

"Sweetie, it's okay. They won't last long. If they live like this, they'll run out of money sooner or later."

"With such a large family, let's see how they manage to survive! Humph! They'll starve to death on the street and nobody will care!"

Lin Xiaojiao cursed viciously.

Wang Zhiqiang didn't understand these things, and he couldn't care less about whether the Chu family was doing well or not.

All I know is that the Chu family is eating meat right now, but I can't get any!

Wang Xingbang, smelling the meat, kept swallowing and whispered, "Wife, why don't we get some meat to eat too..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaojiao immediately jumped up and down: "Wang Xingbang! Don't you even know how to live? How long will the little bit of meat we brought last?"

"You have to eat today! Are you going to starve during the holidays?! No eating! Go back! We'll just have porridge and pickles! It's all your fault for being useless..."

On the other side, Shi Gandang's eyes widened as he looked at the four dishes and one soup laid out on the table.

"This... Sister-in-law, this is far too extravagant!"

Even in his family, these dishes are only served during holidays like Chinese New Year.

We all tighten our belts and live frugally, saving every penny we can.

Otherwise, I'm afraid that something unexpected might happen in the future, and I won't even be able to afford food.

Occasionally, when we don't have extra dishes for holidays, we usually have extra food from hunting in the mountains behind the house.

Even the brigade leader's family, which receives work point subsidies, is like this, so ordinary villagers are even more frugal.

Shi Gandang felt really bad about spending so much money to invite him.

"No need for anything fancy, just eat whatever you like."

After Ye Nian'an sat down, Chu Yan carefully served her several dishes and put them in her bowl, and also ladled out a bowl of soup.

"Thank you, Brother Yan."

Ye Nian'an spoke in a sweet, coquettish voice.

Chu Yan looked at him with tenderness and said, "You've worked so hard, my wife."

"uh-huh."

Ye Nian'an did not deny it.

Knowing how to be charming and coquettish allows a man to see everything you do, making him realize how tired you are and thus cherish you more.

Chu Xin'er winked at Shi Gandang: "Little Stone, try a bite of my sister-in-law's cooking, I guarantee you'll rave about it!"

"My sister-in-law's cooking is even better than the chefs at the state-run restaurants in the city!"

Chu Zhenyuan said kindly, "Yes, Little Stone, make yourself at home, don't be shy, eat up."

"Then...then I won't stand on ceremony."

Shi Gandang nervously rubbed his hands together.

After all, this was my first time being a guest at the Chu family's place, and the feast was so lavish, especially in front of my two idol leaders.

Shi Gandang ate with extreme care.

However, when he put a piece of food in his mouth, he was instantly stunned.

sky……

This is so delicious!

Shi Gandang couldn't help but eat several mouthfuls of rice.

The texture...

Comparable to polished rice!

So awesome!

Shi Gandang couldn't help but ask, "Sister-in-law, do you usually use refined rice when you cook?"

"This is brown rice. We've always lived on refined rice; how could we afford to consume it all?"

"But it tastes almost exactly like the refined rice I ate during Chinese New Year. Sister-in-law, your cooking skills are amazing!"

"I always thought my mom's cooking was pretty good, but I never imagined there were always people better than me!"

Chi Xinyao nodded in agreement: "I agree with what Xiao Shitou said."

"Our Chu family has really found a good daughter-in-law. Niannian's cooking skills are amazing."

"Hehe~ Mom, you flatter me."

After they had almost finished eating, Ye Nian'an got down to business: "Little Stone, since you're a native of Liangtian Township, you must know the back mountain well, right?"

"Of course I know it well. I often go hunting there, picking wild fruits and vegetables, and sometimes I even find rare items!"

Shi Gandang had become familiar with the Chu family, so he blurted out the answer without any suspicion.

Ye Nian'an's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Then do you know how to cross the back mountain to get to the Red Flag Brigade in Houpu Township?"

"I know, I was playful even before I joined the army, and I flipped through the wall a few times. Why are you suddenly asking this, sister-in-law?"

“I have relatives there. They were also sent to the countryside and I haven’t seen them for several years. It just so happens that Houpu Township and Liangtian Township are close to each other, so I thought I’d see if I could meet them.”

Shi Gandang thought for a moment and said, "This is a small problem. If we go over the back mountain to Houpu Township and take the shortcut I'm familiar with, it will only take a little over an hour to go back and forth."

"Really? That's great!"

Chu Yan made a quick decision: "Little Stone, take me there tomorrow to see how to get there. If I have the chance, I'll take my wife to visit the Red Flag Brigade."

“Okay, Brother Yan, let’s go up the back mountain tomorrow and mark the route so we don’t get lost.”

They were all from the military, so leaving markers on the mountain was a perfectly normal procedure, and Shi Gandang understood it immediately when he explained it to Chu Yan.

Chi Xinyao and the others were also very excited, finally able to meet the Ye family.

It's only been a few months since we last met, but it feels like centuries have passed.

I wonder if they are doing well now, and whether they have adapted to life in the brigade.

The most important thing is to let them know about their children's current situation.

I'm sure they'll be very happy.

After seeing Shi Gandang off, Ye Nian'an whispered, "Dad, Mom, actually I mailed a letter to my parents from the post office before I left."

"It's just that the journey is long and I don't know how long it will take... They probably don't know my situation yet."

In those days, it was normal for the post office to take a month to deliver mail over such a long distance.

Not to mention the unexpected things that might happen, like the letter getting lost, burned, or destroyed.

"Wife, leave it to me. After I've gone through the process with Xiao Shitou, I'll take you to meet them as soon as the time is right."