Chapter 319 The First Year Has Passed
A sumptuous reunion dinner was laid out on the table.
Zhao Dashan had already prepared bamboo and set off firecrackers in the yard, so the meal could officially begin.
Twenty-five people sat down around three tables: one for the men, one for the children, and one for the rest of the group.
There were twelve dishes in total: a whole poached chicken, a whole roasted duck, Dongpo pork, lion's head meatballs, sweet and sour pork ribs, pork bone stew with radish... The men's table also had a pot of fragrant osmanthus wine... The food was delicious and visually appealing, and could be described as extremely lavish, comparable to a banquet in a wealthy family in Beijing.
Chen Erniu sat among a group of children, feeling awkward and unsure of what to do with her hands and feet.
She had been in Dahe for a while, living at her maternal grandmother's house, eating with her grandmother's family every day. The food there was much better than what she ate at her Chen family's house. But when she came to her aunt's house, she realized what true good food was.
With so many dishes, all meat dishes, she didn't dare to pick up her chopsticks.
"Second Sister, this lion's head meatball is delicious." Chunhua picked up a meatball and put it at the bottom of her bowl. "Sister-in-law's cooking skills are getting better and better. It smells so good."
"And this poached chicken is delicious too." Xia Hua tore off a chicken leg and put it in Chen Erniu's bowl. "Erniu, eat quickly, or there won't be any left for you later."
Over there, Donghua buried her head and stuffed food into her mouth. She ate three lion's head meatballs, tore off a small piece of poached chicken and put it at the bottom of her bowl, which she finished in four or five bites. As for the roast duck, it was supposed to be sliced and eaten. Chunhua was about to cut it off and share it with everyone when Donghua had already torn off a duck leg and started gnawing on it with her mouth full of oil.
Sun was sitting at the next table, so angry that her forehead was about to explode.
With so many dishes on the table, it's impossible for everyone to finish them even if they're full. Is this brat a reincarnated starving ghost?
But since it was Chinese New Year, she couldn't scold the child, so she could only channel her anger into her appetite, eating meat and drinking soup in big mouthfuls, finishing three bowls before stopping.
Sun put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and said, "Mother, I've made up my mind. I'll let Donghua learn embroidery from Kong Xiuniang as well."
Upon hearing this, Kong Xiuniang was startled.
Although she wasn't sitting at the same table as Donghua, she could still see how Donghua ate. That girl was too rough and not suited for such delicate work.
Before Kong Xiuniang could figure out how to refuse, Old Madam Zhao slammed down her chopsticks and said, "It's the New Year, and I don't want to embarrass you, but you insist on coming up to me. Donghua, do you think she's the kind of person who can do needlework?"
"I'm just... trying to find a way out for Donghua," Sun said, feeling wronged. "Qiuhua is learning needlework from Xiahua, but our Donghua is still unsettled. How can I, as her mother, not be anxious?"
In the past, the girls in the village would help with chores at home, and when they reached a certain age, they would get married and leave the village. There was nothing to rush.
But now, many girls have found a way out. Some work at their sister-in-law's house, some learn embroidery, and some can help the Cao family raise silkworms and weave cloth in the future... When other people's girls can earn money, they look at their own little girl and can't stand her no matter what.
Donghua came running over, shouting, "I don't want to learn embroidery! I don't like it!"
"You child, how can you be so insensible!" Mrs. Sun raised her hand to hit him.
Grandma Zhao glared at him and said, "You never discipline people normally, who are you trying to impress with this during the New Year? Put your hand down!"
Sun had no choice but to withdraw her hand.
Cheng Wanwan spoke gently, "Donghua, tell your aunt, what do you like to do?"
Donghua, with oil still on her lips, grinned and said, "I like to eat. I like to eat all kinds of good food."
Cheng Wanwan: "..."
This is the epitome of a foodie, a descendant of the Sun family, who has surpassed his predecessors.
Of all the children in the Zhao family, she definitely disliked Donghua the most.
But Donghua is only eight years old. Apart from being greedy and a little impolite, he seems to be tolerating her other shortcomings.
Cheng Wanwan said gently, "Since you like to eat, then study the food industry carefully. When you have thoroughly studied food, it may become a skill."
"Open a restaurant like your aunt?" Donghua tilted her head. "But opening a restaurant costs so much money, where would I get that much money?"
Wen couldn't help but say, "Your aunt started by selling ice jelly, which cost two coins a bowl. She gradually built up her business. You have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. If you had only thought about opening a restaurant from the beginning, you probably would never have been able to do it in your lifetime."
Sun grabbed Cheng Wanwan's sleeve: "Sister-in-law, do you mean that Donghua can really make a name for herself in the food industry?"
"That's not what I meant." Cheng Wanwan pulled out her sleeve. "No matter what you do, you need to be serious and careful, willing to learn and study, and most importantly, you need to have a tenacious and never-give-up heart. Donghua, do you have that?"
Donghua scratched her head. Her aunt's words were too complicated for her to understand.
She changed the subject: "Auntie, I can make wild vegetable and grain pancakes. I can sell them for two coins each. I think there will be people who will buy them. How many pancakes do I need to sell to afford a restaurant?"
Cheng Wanwan has a headache.
Is this kid really going after the restaurant?
"Alright, stop babbling on and on," Grandma Zhao said irritably. "Anyone can make multigrain pancakes. Why should anyone buy yours? Go play somewhere else and stop bothering the adults while they eat."
The winter flowers were quickly taken away by the spring flowers.
After the children finished eating, they went out to play. The women sat at the table chatting about everyday things, while the men started drinking.
For the first time, Old Man Zhao had a prosperous New Year. He got drunk and his words became slurred: "...If our eldest son hadn't died, this meal would have been a real reunion dinner... Waaah, eldest son, how could you die like this? Your death was so tragic..."
Zhao Dashan's eyes immediately reddened. He was the eldest son and the child who had the deepest impression of his father. He didn't even get to see his father one last time.
"Why bring it up when the person is already dead?" Old Mrs. Zhao said coldly. "It's the New Year, let's talk about something happy, like the children's weddings. After Er Gou's wedding, it'll be San Niu and Da Wang's turn, and Chun Hua will also need to be asked about marriages..."
Zhao Dawang blushed and lowered his head to eat silently.
Zhao Sanniu shook his head in disapproval: "Cousin Cheng is eighteen this year and still not married, why should I be in such a hurry?"
Cheng Zhao choked for a moment, then coughed and said, "Master He is more anxious. He is twenty-six years old this year and still unmarried."
He Xiao: "..."
He has no plans to marry or have children in his life.
He had witnessed Old Mrs. Zhao's enthusiasm before, and he couldn't resist it, so he simply finished the osmanthus wine in his cup, poured it on the table, and pretended to be drunk.
Cheng Wanwan couldn't help but laugh.
Whether in ancient or modern times, the pressure to get married is terrifying.
As night deepened, the reunion dinner ended with everyone still feeling reluctant to leave. Those who had drunk too much went back to rest, while the women who hadn't been drinking sat around the kang (a heated brick bed) chatting and keeping vigil for the New Year.
In Dahe Village, staying up all night on New Year's Eve is called "Aonian". The lights are on in every house, and by midnight, the New Year will be welcomed. This will drive away evil spirits and diseases, and the family will be healthy and peaceful in the coming year, and wealth will come from all directions.
This is Cheng Wanwan's first New Year in Dahe Village. After this year, she will be thirty-four years old.
In modern times, she was an orphan who greeted the New Year alone every year as she grew up, but now, many people are with her.
Although she arrived in an unfamiliar era, she was fortunate to have a family, which must be a kind of compensation from God.
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