"Hey... isn't that Er Gou's wife? Call her over for a chat." Granny Zhao looked at Song Shi not far away with amusement.

Granny Yuan was also extremely bored. It was the Lunar New Year, and there was no need for her to do anything at home. Her daughter-in-law had everything she needed.

"Ergou's wife, where are you going?" Granny Yuan, leaning on her cane, greeted Song Shi as she faced the wind.

Song was holding a baby who was a little over three months old. The baby was very cute and was fast asleep.

When someone called her, Song's face immediately lit up with a smile. "Oh, it's you two old ladies, and aunties too. What are you doing standing at the village entrance?"

Song walked up to the group of people, and they all crowded around to look at the baby in her arms.

Some even pinched the baby's cheeks, saying, "This child is so adorable, look at his fair and tender skin. I never imagined that Er Gou, with his dark and dirty face, would have such a fair-skinned son."

"Oh dear, then this son will take after his mother, Song! Look how fair-skinned Song is. She's from the city, after all, unlike us who have lived in the village all our lives," Aunt Zhou said with a smile.

The old women's words made Song's face turn pale and then red.

However, when she looked down at her sleeping son in her arms, her eyes were full of love.

Fortunately, she gave birth to a son, and now her mother-in-law's attitude towards her is different from before. Even Er Gou, who used to dislike her, doesn't hate her as much as before.

After calming down and thinking it over, Song decided that once her son was weaned, she would go to the city to find work and leave her son with her mother-in-law.

She had a bad reputation before, but after having a son, she planned to find a respectable partner, even if Er Gou didn't like her or divorced her later.

She still has her son, and she has a job that allows her to earn money to support herself and her son; that's enough.

Several villagers stood at the village entrance chatting and laughing. Song chatted casually for a few minutes, then picked up her child and left.

The wind was too strong outside; she couldn't let her son get cold.

However, as soon as Song walked away with the child, the old women immediately turned hostile.

They gossiped behind her back, saying things like, "Look at that Song woman, so what if she gave birth to a son? She probably has no idea what people in our village think of her!"

"I heard she used to be a prostitute, and her methods...tsk tsk, I bet she had a whole repertoire of them..."

The elderly women were chatting happily, completely unaware that someone was approaching.

Sun Qi, Zhao Xiaohe, and He Shitou returned carrying a bag of cleaned pig intestines. Sun Qi overheard a few people chatting at the village entrance.

He whistled and smiled innocently in front of the old women.

"Hey, grandmas," Sun Qi greeted them cheerfully.

The old women in the village were very polite to the wealthy man from the city. There was always a strange sense of envy in them.

"Oh, this city kid is quite sensible," Granny Yuan praised.

Sun Qi nodded. "Of course, I wouldn't stab someone in the back when they're not looking. Grandmas, why were you chatting so happily with that woman just now, but as soon as she left, you started cursing her?"

Sun Qi smiled as she looked at the old women, like a curious child.

Innocent yet curious.

The old women looked embarrassed when they were asked the question and turned their faces away.

He Shitou pulled Sun Qi aside, "Young Master Sun, let's go, let's go. It's freezing outside."

They washed pig intestines in the river for two hours, and now they felt no warmth at all. Even their buttocks were cold.

The three of them entered the room, trembling. Zhao Xiaohe walked at the very back and was responsible for closing the door.

Upon entering, you are greeted by a rich aroma of meat.

Zhao Xiaohe's mouth watered instantly. "Brother Shitou, your food smells so good! I really want to spend the New Year at your house."

Zhao Xiaohe rolled up his sleeves and wiped away a mouthful of drool.

He Tiantian, who had just come out of the kitchen, saw this and warmly invited, "Sure, you can have lunch here."

"Really?!" Zhao Xiaohe was incredibly excited. "Auntie, I won't just eat at your house for free, I'll go chop firewood."

Without waiting for He Tiantian's advice, Zhao Xiaohe went to the corner, picked up an axe, and began chopping firewood with practiced ease and efficiency.

Seeing Sun Qi's face turn red, she began to have deep doubts about herself.

He's a grown man, yet he's weaker than a child... It's truly a tragedy.

Inside the kitchen, He Tiantian carefully inspected the large intestine after it had been cleaned.

After looking around, she expressed her satisfaction. The level of cleanliness was something even she herself couldn't achieve.

"Alright, the New Year's Eve dinner is almost ready. Shi Tou, you and Young Master Sun go and clean the tables and chairs in the main room, light the coal briquettes, and set up the pot."

"Alright, sister." He Shitou replied and pulled Sun Qi out.

I cooked more than a dozen dishes and used two pots for lunch.

The braising process takes a little longer, but the whole house starts to smell of braised food.

Looking at the pot full of dark, murky brine, no one could have imagined that it could produce such a fragrant flavor.

Sun Qi worked in the main room for a while, but the aroma of the braised meat in the house made her extremely hungry.

He swallowed hard and urged He Shitou, "Brother Shitou, can you hurry up?"

He stood on the threshold of the main room, secretly drooling as he gazed towards the kitchen.

Not to mention Sun Qi, the whole village could smell the aroma of He Tiantian's braised meat.

It's rare for the entire Zhao family to be together at this moment.

Early on, Old Mrs. Zhao said that the two families must have dinner together for the New Year today.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!