This is their big boss. Now that the weather is hot, they've set up a barbecue place, and their crayfish and snails are selling like hotcakes. They need about 50 jin of each every day, and sometimes that's not enough. They have to take good care of such a big customer.
Qian Lu hurriedly waved his hand: "No, Grandma, Aunt, Auntie, you all know how things are at the shop. They can't do without me for a moment. I'm afraid if I go back late, everything will be in chaos. Maybe next time, I'll come back next time and have a good time."
Seeing that she couldn't keep him, Jiang's mother hurriedly took out some homemade juice that Er Ya had just drunk from the house and handed it to Qian Lu: "Take this. I don't have anything else at home that I can give you to take, but I think you like this. Take it with you on the road."
Unable to refuse such hospitality, Qian Lu glanced smugly at Lin Xiao and said in a voice as sweet as honey, "Thank you, Auntie. Take good care of yourself, and remember to let me know when the baby is born and we have a full-month celebration."
"Hey, take your time on your way back."
Qian Lu waved to them and rode his bicycle back. It's just not as comfortable to drive as a car. It's a pity he's still young, otherwise he would definitely get a car to drive.
As soon as Qian Lu left, several people suddenly appeared. They were all neighbors living nearby, which startled Er Ya: "Oh my, why did you all suddenly appear?"
The woman in the lead said apologetically, "I'm sorry to have startled you. You told us to come earlier, but when we arrived, we saw that you had guests, so we didn't knock and waited here for a while."
Goodness, how long have we been waiting? Er Ya asked in confusion, "You could have just called us, why did you have to wait at my door?"
One of the people in the know muttered, "Who would dare call you? The people in that room have such powerful connections. If you offend them, you might end up in jail instead of getting anything."
The person next to her nudged her, signaling her to stop talking, which stopped her from saying anything more.
Her husband frequented the market, and he had seen the man sitting inside. He claimed to be the restaurant owner, but he was actually the town mayor's son. With such a powerful background, how could she afford to offend him?
Er Ya understood what she meant. It seemed that they all knew Qian Lu's identity. That was good, as it would save them a lot of trouble and make them more cautious when discussing their own affairs.
These were people Jiang's mother often dealt with. Jiang's mother said warmly, "Little Dog's mother, Wooden's mother, and you guys, Er Ya told me to hurry up and come into the yard. Don't stand at the door. The meat is inside."
The group of people pushed and shoved each other as they slowly entered the courtyard. As soon as they entered, they began to flatter Jiang's mother: "Oh my, sister-in-law, you've kept this courtyard so tidy."
"Yes, yes, it's really nice, much cleaner than our house."
Jiang's mother replied dismissively, "No, it's all the same. I'm just heavier now, so I can't do as much work as before. It's all thanks to Peach Blossom."
Li Taohua? Isn't it because she curried favor with Er Ya's family early on that she received so many benefits? Thinking of this, she exaggeratedly praised Jiang's mother for taking good care of herself during this pregnancy, saying that she must have been well-nourished.
Another person added, "Yes, I see your belly is pointed, it looks like it's a boy, you're lucky."
Jiang's mother smiled but didn't say anything. Anyway, she didn't care whether it was a boy or a girl; they were all her children, and she loved them all the same.
The group chattered on and on, and seeing that Jiang's mother was getting impatient and her smile was fading, Er Ya quickly said, "Aunties and ladies, look, the meat is right here. See which piece you want, and I'll have my dad cut it for you."
Huh? Lin Jianguo felt like he'd been shot even though he was lying down. He wasn't good at dealing with these people. After just a few words, he was blushing and muttering to himself, but he couldn't make a sound.
That won't do! Seeing that Lin Jianguo was about to agree to pay on credit after being talked to, Er Ya ran into the house, invited Wang Meili over, and then said to Jiang's mother and Lin Jianguo:
"Dad, I think Mom is exhausted. Why don't you help her inside to rest? My aunt and I are here."
Unlike Lin Jianguo, who was afraid to argue with them, Wang Meili laughed heartily and said, "Girls, I'm Er Ya's aunt. You said you wanted this piece, right? Here, it's four jin and one liang. Look, it's weighed perfectly. Even if it's four jin, it's two yuan and eighty cents. Er Ya, keep the money safe. Don't be shy about taking the money. Your family needs money for many things."
After she said that, the people who were planning to buy on credit felt embarrassed to ask anymore. It was already much cheaper than at the market, and the lard they could render would be enough for their families to eat until the New Year.
He reluctantly took the money out of his pocket, counted it again and again, and then handed it to Er Ya.
"Alright, girl, which one do you want?"
He was a straightforward man, and he laughed as he said, "Sister-in-law, look, whichever piece you cut for me, I'll take it. I'm not picky."
"Okay, is this piece of meat alright?"
And so, one person cut the meat while the other collected the money. Before long, they had all bought the wild boar meat they wanted. They were politely seen off, and before they could even wipe their sweat, several more people came to buy meat.
"Is this Er Ya's aunt? I saw you at the baby's one-month celebration. Please cut me some lean meat; my child loves lean meat."
Wang Meili said generously, "Oh my, you have a good memory, girl. It's me. Your child is quite special; he likes to eat lean food. I'll cut you a piece of hind leg meat. This part has a lot of lean meat and is chewy. I guarantee your child will love it."
"Really? Anyway, I don't know anything about it, so I'll just listen to you. You decide which one to cut, whichever one you want."
"Okay, three jin and one liang, I'll give you three jin, that's two yuan and one mao."
"Oh, her aunt, you're quite the accountant, aren't you? You can just rattle off numbers off the top of your head. And you must have practiced how to cut meat, saying how much you want is all you want."
Wang Meili said with a smile, "Hey, it's because I've done a lot of work that I've gained some experience. My family used to be pig butchers. I followed my dad to cut meat every day. I'm not bragging, but if you want three jin and one liang, I won't even give you three jin and two liang."
Er Ya looked at Wang Meili with admiration and said, "Wow! Auntie, you're so amazing! I want to learn from you when I grow up."
Wang Meili said dismissively, "Hey, what's the point of learning this? You should study hard in the future and be the kind of person who can go to university when you grow up. Learning these things is useless. Nothing is more important than studying."
To be continued!
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