The steamed buns are served on two small plates, one for each side, for easy handling.
If there is soup, the diners will place their own soup bowls in front of them.
Sometimes, because the kang (heated brick bed) is too soft, the soup bowl will still spill or tilt, and the soup will flow onto the oilcloth. So, usually, a dishcloth is placed next to the table when eating, just to deal with such emergencies.
The people eating there, whether hosts or guests, sit cross-legged or kneeling around the plates, somewhat like the Japanese and Korean style of eating at a kotatsu (warm table).
"Boss, how was the meal for the boss's wife? Did she like it?"
Everyone else was already seated on the kang (heated brick bed), but Wu Wenhua was still standing on the ground, his apron still on, waiting for feedback from Wang Tianxiao.
“It’s delicious, she loves it, and she keeps praising you for making it better than a professional chef,” Wang Tianxiao said with a smile, putting his arm around Wu Wenhua’s shoulder. “Stop working and let’s eat.”
"Okay, tell the landlady that I can make whatever she wants to eat anytime."
"Okay, let's eat."
The kang (heated brick bed) is square, but in reality, only three sides can be used for sitting; you can't sit on the outer side.
Not only is it too cold, but if you accidentally fall, you'll suffer a serious fall.
At this moment, Wang Tianxin and Wang Tiancheng were sitting on the north side, Wu Qiancai and Liu Yuan were sitting on the south side, and only the west side in front was still unoccupied.
Northerners have many particularities when it comes to food.
Despite the small meal, everyone consciously followed traditional customs in their daily lives.
First of all, the person directly opposite the door of the kang (heated brick bed) must be the master, so that area is left empty for now, waiting for Wang Tianxiao to sit down.
If you sit facing north, you'll be facing south. Since the north side is for the host, the guests can only sit on the south side.
Generally speaking, there is no problem with this seating arrangement, but there is a special case today. Liu Yuan is both a guest and an elder, and it is really impolite to let an elder sit in the lowest position.
Wang Tianxiao took off his shoes and got onto the kang (a heated brick bed). Liu Yuan didn't refuse and sat down in the main seat first. He then pulled Liu Yuan along, saying, "Uncle Liu, come and sit here."
"No, no, no, that's the upper position. You're the boss, that position is only for you." Liu Yuan smacked his lips on his pipe, exhaled a thick puff of smoke, and hurriedly pushed Wang Tianxiao's hand back.
"Come on, you're the elder, how can you sit down next to me? Let me sit up so I can eat with peace of mind."
"No, that's not true. There are no elders or juniors here, so we just go with the flow. I'm perfectly fine sitting here, so don't worry about me."
Everyone else urged Liu Yuan to go up, but Liu Yuan refused.
At this moment, Wang Tianxiao saw Wu Wenhua standing to the side, not yet on the kang (heated brick bed), and suddenly had an idea.
“Uncle Liu, look where you’re sitting. Then Brother Wenhua has nowhere to sit. You can’t expect him to work so hard to cook all this food for us, only to have him sit on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) to eat.”
Upon hearing Wang Tianxiao's words, Wu Wenhua waved his hand repeatedly, saying it was alright, but Liu Yuan no longer insisted.
This involves another common issue of habit.
Generally, when guests come to the house, the woman cooks while the man is responsible for entertaining them.
When the guests are eating, the hostess has to keep serving new dishes. If they are sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), they have to get on and off the kang, which is very inconvenient.
Therefore, strictly speaking, there was no place for the lady of the house to sit on the kang (heated brick bed).
If there's a break, the hostess will sit on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), casually pick up a few bites of food, and if she needs more rice or vegetables, or needs to help guests get something, she can just go and get it.
Today's situation is a bit special. Li Yali was unable to attend due to health reasons, and Wu Wenhua prepared the meal. So, after everyone was seated, the seat on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) was reserved for Wu Wenhua.
"I'm fine, I'll just eat it here," Wu Wenhua said with a simple smile.
He always stayed true to his place, knowing that although Wang Tianxiao was a good person, he was, after all, the boss. Wang Tianxiao's politeness was a kindness, but he couldn't take advantage of it and lose his sense of propriety.
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