Yang Xiaofeng smiled: "No, we didn't know each other before." Yang Xiaofeng was a quiet person, just like her mother-in-law, Aunt Erhu. The two of them had the same temperament, neither of them liked to talk much, but they were both very gentle and honest.
The three young wives were talking quietly with their heads down. Yang Xiaofeng's son and Li Dama's grandson couldn't sit still and came over to find Yu Yang to play in the yard.
Chen Hong watched as the three of them found Xiao Hao and Wang Xin. The children gathered together, with Xiao Hao's grandmother following behind. She told them not to go near the stove and then left them to their own devices.
After a while, the young men from the village who were helping out served a bowl of noodles with gravy to each table. When Yu Yang and his friends saw that the dishes were being served, they all ran back to their parents' sides and sat down to wait for their food.
Yu Yang ate a bite of noodles, and Chen Hong drank the rest. The gravy on the noodles at the banquet was alright, but the noodles were a bit mushy and not chewy.
This bowl of noodles only has three or four bites; it's not about whether it tastes good or not, but about bringing good luck and a smooth journey.
In Jiaodong, the first dish served at a banquet is usually noodles with gravy. After the noodles, four cold dishes are served as appetizers: a whole roasted chicken, cucumber salad with jellyfish, spiced beef, and red sausage. The main theme is the auspicious meaning of "four joys bringing wealth."
Twelve hot dishes were then served in succession: braised lion's head meatballs, braised prawns, spicy diced chicken, braised pig's trotters, braised pork hock, steamed braised pig's face, braised pomfret, stir-fried squid rolls, salted mantis shrimp, crispy fried small fish, steamed sea bass, and crispy pork.
Finally, there were two soups: a mixed soup and a daylily and pickled cabbage soup.
The meal consisted of steamed buns.
There were sixteen dishes and two soup bowls in total, it was such a feast! Everyone packed up the food that the women couldn't finish.
Some of the men were drinking, and more than half of the food was left uneaten. Some of the village's elderly women stayed even after the meal ended, waiting for the men to finish so they could pack up their leftovers.
Today, Chen Hong and her mother ate until they were stuffed. They usually pay close attention to their diet. But they were surprised by the grand feast; the atmosphere was so lively that even the aunties and grandmothers were serving her food, as if worried she wouldn't have enough.
The dishes on the plate in front of me were piled up like a small mountain; if I didn't eat them, it would seem like I was letting down my aunt and grandma's hospitality.
In the end, we were really stuffed! After helping everyone pack up the leftovers, Chen Hong looked at the huge stack of empty plates and couldn't help but laugh.
Despite everyone's impressive appetite, the farmers were too generous with the portions; this one dish would easily be divided into four plates in a restaurant.
Dining in a restaurant is about the atmosphere. A small amount of food is placed in the center of the plate, surrounded by green leaves and beautiful carvings, aiming to create a high-end and classy ambiance.
In layman's terms: it looks good, is expensive, and doesn't fill you up.
Rural feasts are characterized by: fresh, locally sourced ingredients, large portions, affordable prices, and rich flavors, served to the brim.
In layman's terms, it means: spending a little money to accomplish a lot; a 200 yuan gift will feed the whole family.
It was already 2 PM when we finished eating and the party ended. No one would be taking a nap at this time. Everyone chatted about which dishes were delicious and which dishes the chef had messed up and didn't taste quite right. We all carried the leftovers out the door.
The host family saw the guests off at the gate, and as they parted, they invited each other to visit each other's homes.
Chen Hong declined their invitation, saying she had to feed her dog. She and Aunt Guo, Aunt Erhu, and their daughter-in-law lived in the same direction.
First, they passed by Aunt Guo and Aunt Erhu's door, where Chen Hong invited them to have tea with her in the afternoon. The three of them went home, put down the leftovers they had packed, and then went home with Chen Hong.
When I got home, I washed everyone's hands, brewed a pot of green tea for everyone, and washed a plate of strawberries, blueberries, and pears and put them on the coffee table.
The adults started chatting and gossiping, while Yu Yang and Xiao Feng's son, Wang Yihan, was feeding the dogs lunch in the yard.
Chen Hong washed another plate of strawberries and blueberries and placed it on the stone table under the jujube tree, telling the two children to wash their hands before eating.
Several women started talking about Aunt Li's daughter-in-law, who had been acting so sourly at the table earlier that day.
Aunt Guo said, "Even Sister Li can't control her son and daughter-in-law. Her daughter-in-law is always shirking her responsibilities and not doing any work. Sister Li does all the housework. If you get impatient and say a few words, her daughter-in-law will roll up her sleeves and start cursing back. If you have to deal with someone like that, you'll either be exhausted or driven crazy every day."
Aunt Erhu chimed in, "It's just bad luck!"
Yang Xiaofeng remained silent, sipping her tea and listening to the two elderly people talk.
Chen Hong just listened with a smile. She didn't wander around the village much, and while she knew some of the villagers, she didn't really know their individual circumstances.
He stuffed strawberries into Aunt Guo's, Aunt Erhu's, and Xiaofeng's hands, then poured water for everyone and sat down to listen to the gossip.
Aunt Guo took a bite of the strawberry and said to Aunt Erhu and her son, "You two eat up, these strawberries Chen Hong bought are delicious."
I think she deliberately invited you three over for strawberries this afternoon. Don't be stingy; you all know her, she brought them out for us to eat.”
Chen Hong laughed: "Of course, you haven't tried them yet. This time I found a strawberry shop that sells strawberries, and they taste especially good. I bought them specially. Try them!"
Aunt Erhu and her son each ate a strawberry. "They were really delicious, very sweet, they must have been very expensive!"
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