Zheng Yue silently swallowed the meat in his mouth. He thought of the words "lingering fragrance" and "unforgettable taste," but before confirming whether there was any problem, he did not make any comments and just waited for time to pass.
"The Zhou family is trustworthy, there's no need to be so wary." Tie Qingfeng had spent a few days getting to know the Zhou family's Fu brothers and had a pretty good impression of them.
"It's always better to be careful; one can never be too careful." Zheng Yue's voice was dry as he thought to himself, "Young Master Tie has suffered enough from poison over the years, so how come he's still so wary?"
Isn't there a saying that once bitten by a snake, one is afraid of a rope for ten years? Iron Prince is still young. No matter how mature he is, he is still a child and so easily trusts people.
Song Jiao also smelled the tempting aroma emanating from the earthenware jar, licked her lips, and said, "The Zhou family is definitely fine; they are honest farmers. We should be wary of the others."
Despite Song Jiao's usual willful and capricious nature, and her frequent yelling at Xingxing and the others, she actually trusts them deep down.
Tie Qingfeng didn't want to say anything and ate his dinner slowly. He was weak and had never had a good appetite. After the residual poison in his body was eliminated, his body gradually improved after recuperation, and his appetite gradually improved as well. However, he could not eat too much at once and could only chew slowly. A meal could take half an hour to finish.
He put down his chopsticks when he was half full and waited for Zheng Yue's reaction. Half an hour later, he was still normal, so he could start eating again.
Tie Qingfeng picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and put it into the bowl. He said in a low voice, "I tested it with silver needles and it's basically safe since it's not poisonous. But you insisted on tasting it yourself first. You even said that some poisons are colorless and tasteless and can't be detected. I think you're just greedy."
“Young Master, you’ve misunderstood me. I’m not that kind of person,” Zheng Yue retorted calmly. “But this meat is indeed delicious, and the cooking skills are no worse than those of the chefs at the Tie family’s residence.”
Then none of the three spoke again, and they rushed to eat the wild boar meat in the pottery jar. Zheng Yue ate most of it by himself. As a strong man who also practiced martial arts, his appetite was naturally not to be underestimated.
Tie Qingfeng and Song Jiao also ate a small bowl of meat. The two children had already eaten half full, but they were able to eat another bowl of meat, which was much more than usual.
The same thing happened at the Zhou family's side; all the food on both tables was swept clean, and everyone was so full that they sat there not wanting to move.
Chen Shunping was the only one who didn't eat too much. He was still recuperating and needed to take medicine once a day, so he was very careful about his diet. The braised pork with bayberries was indeed delicious, but he restrained himself and dared not eat too much.
What's the rush? His wife can cook anyway. He can eat more once he's better.
Looking at the dozen or so people lying paralyzed, Chen Shunping couldn't help but laugh. He had stewed a big pot of soup that night, made with pork stomach, heart, and liver, and added some mushrooms. It tasted amazing.
Then came braised chicken with bayberries, braised wild boar with bayberries, stir-fried pig lungs and intestines. We hunted two wild boars, and Zhou Erfu kept clamoring to cook more, as if he wanted to eat the whole pig in one go.
"Let's go for a walk to digest our food." Zhou Erfu stood up after lying down for a while. He and Zhou Sifu had eaten the most, and the two brothers finished off all the remaining meat. However, they were the first to recover. These two brothers really have iron stomachs.
The happiest person today was Zhao Guizhi. She successfully made the dish of braised pork with bayberries. What surprised her even more was that she just felt there was still some broth left over from the bayberry and chicken soup and was afraid of wasting it, so she cooked wild boar meat with it. Unexpectedly, the pork tasted very good when cooked in the same way.
Now I've learned another dish with an exceptional flavor. Once things are peaceful outside, I won't have to worry about the restaurant not having any business.
“Little sister, you should learn this too. This braised pork with bayberries is actually quite simple. Besides the necessary ingredients, you just need to pay attention to the heat…” Zhao Guizhi pulled Zhao Guihua aside and began to impart her wisdom, speaking in a low voice.
This is a secret recipe, so naturally it can't be told to outsiders. There's Mo Tianzhu's family in the house, so we have to be careful.
The stars didn't sleep well that night; the little girl's brows were furrowed, as if she had a bad dream.
Early one morning, Xingxing sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) with dark circles under her eyes, lost in thought. She had been trapped in a dream all night and suddenly woke up in the morning. She listlessly tried to recall the dream from last night, but found that she could only remember bits and pieces of it.
"Xingxing, what's wrong? Why do you look so listless?" Ruru had already finished washing up, and Dada came over to see if she had gotten up yet. She found Xingxing sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) with her head down, lost in thought.
Xingxing bit her lip, beckoned Ruru to come to the kang (heated brick bed), and then whispered in her ear, "I had a terrible dream last night. I'll tell you about it, but you have to promise me you won't tell anyone else."
"Why can't I say?" Ruru asked, puzzled.
"You just don't want anyone to know, so can you keep it a secret?" If she couldn't, she would have told him.
"Yes, I promise, Ruru will keep it a secret." Chen Yueru assured her with a serious expression.
That's more like it. Xingxing sorted out her thoughts and began to recount the scene in her dream in a haphazard way, "...Do you know how many refugees there are? Didn't the magistrate say that there was a disaster in the north? It must have happened in the north. That little girl was about my age. She was sold by her parents for food. The family that bought her made her a two-horned sheep. Do you know what a two-horned sheep is?"
Ruru thought for a moment and said, "A sheep with two horns on its head."
Xingxing shook her head. "No, I only found out in my dream. Two-horned sheep are treated like livestock. They eat very little and don't even have cotton clothes to wear in the dead of winter. When people have no food, they even eat them."
"How terrifying! That little girl is so pitiful. Is no one going to save her?" Ruru looked terrified, clearly frightened, and couldn't understand why Xingxing would have such a dream.
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