Seeing everyone looking at each other, the village head finally made the decision: "Cheng Yue is right, moving is a joyous occasion, so let's all go and get some food, as a way of sharing in the good fortune!"
Cheng Yue's attitude was firm. He could tell that since so much food had been left, it must have been cooked for everyone.
Since the village head had said so, no one could remain silent any longer. Madam Feng went into the kitchen first, and everyone else followed.
The pork knuckles were served whole, and it would be absurd to try and cut them apart with chopsticks, so everyone tacitly decided not to order them.
Cheng Yue stewed a large pot of braised lion's head meatballs, and there were still quite a few left, enough for each family to share.
The chickens were caught fresh from the chicken coop next door. A total of eight were stewed, so there were the most leftovers, and each person got more than half a bowl.
The remaining vegetables were served in small portions, with a generous amount of white rice at the bottom of the bowls. In the end, everyone carried two large bowls of food home, and there was much discussion about it along the way.
"Now this is what a new house looks like! Look at the kitchen, there are three stoves and two small clay stoves!"
"The main thing is that the kitchen is big and bright! It's clean and tidy, unlike our kitchen, where you can only see a little light by burning a fire!"
Not only the kitchen, but all the windows in the house are small and made of solid wood. You have to use a stick to prop them up when you need to use them, otherwise it will be pitch black inside.
Seeing Cheng Yue's new house today, I find it unbelievable. The windows are so big, and they're even covered with oiled paper. No wonder it's so bright!
They were all women who did laundry and cooked every day, and the kitchen was what they cared about most. Cheng Yue's kitchen really won their hearts, and they exclaimed that even a morning was not enough.
"Today has truly been an eye-opening experience! I love every single part of that house. If I could live there even for one day in my life, I would die happy!"
"Who says otherwise! We didn't dare to think about it before, but we can still dream about it now. If we collect medicinal herbs every year, we can build two brick houses in a few years!"
Yes! There is still hope!
The more they talked, the more excited they became, as if the new house was right in front of them.
"And this food, I've never eaten so well in my life. Come to think of it, we didn't help much except by assisting, Cheng Yue did all the cooking herself, and her skills are truly superb!"
"Of course! If your skills aren't good, how can you run a food business?"
"Hehe, these two big bowls of rice and food are enough for another big meal. If it weren't for the hot weather and how easily they would spoil, I would have liked to leave them for a couple more days!"
We can only finish it in one meal right now, but it's a bit wasteful to eat it like this. Let's pick some green beans and stew it together tonight, and that will be enough for the whole family.
The women discussed the kitchen and the food, while the men walked ahead, chattering away. However, they were more interested in the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove), and when they got excited, they couldn't help but spit out words.
Chen An had already told them that he and his wife would teach everyone in a few days, and they would try to get everyone to have their heated kang beds installed before the weather got cold!
After everyone left, only Cheng Yue's family and Taoist Xuanhuai remained at the new house.
Master Xuanhuai had already eaten two braised pork knuckles, eight lion's head meatballs, four chicken drumsticks, a plate of tofu, a plate of eggplant and green beans, and three bowls of white rice.
The whole family was dumbfounded. This master looked so thin, how could he eat so much? Wouldn't his stomach burst?
The uncles who complained about their children's large appetites now felt they had been wronged. What do you mean by a large appetite? This is a real large appetite!
If your own child could eat that much, they could probably chew up the roof of your house!
Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, Master Xuanhuai finally picked up the bowl of soup in front of him and drank it all.
He then wiped his mouth, spread out his greasy hands, and asked, "Enjoyed! Really enjoyed myself! Where do I wash my hands?"
This trip wasn't a waste, and the talismans weren't wasted either! It's just that I need to shave this mustache; it's in the way and affecting my performance!
Chen An stood up. "Master, wash your hands over here. Come with me!"
Then he led Master Xuanhuai to the outhouse. Who knew if the master, having eaten so much, needed to take care of other matters? Perhaps he was too embarrassed to say so!
As soon as the two left, Cheng Yue burst out laughing. It turned out that the master was a foodie, and a big eater at that!
Compared to her usual self, this appearance is a complete collapse of her public persona!
Could it be that all that profound mystery was just an act?
Wu squeezed next to Cheng Yue and said mysteriously, "Girl, this master seems to be quite extraordinary. He's dressed in the most shabby clothes but eats the most. People say that's what a hermit master is like. How did you manage to invite him?"
Cheng Yue: "..." The most gluttonous hermit master? Who said that?
However, he is indeed quite impressive. She may not know about other things, but she does know about his guidance of Chen An, which is truly extraordinary.
However, there's no need to say this aloud, lest they overthink it.
“A friend introduced us. Maybe the master felt a connection with us. He chose an auspicious day but didn’t charge us any money. He just told us to come over for a meal.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Wu was even more astonished, "Just a meal, and you won't even accept money? That sounds really impressive..."
Cheng Yue: "..." How did you figure that out?
Seeing that Cheng Yue remained silent, Madam Wu leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Daughter, your father and I want to ask about Xiao Jun's future."
So that's where her mother was waiting! No wonder she was so attentive!
"Xiao Jun is smart and hardworking, a good student, and will definitely pass the imperial examination. It doesn't matter whether you ask or not."
Although she did not agree that studying was for the sake of fame and fortune, she respected and understood that, after all, at that time, all other pursuits were inferior, and only studying was noble.
Passing the imperial examinations is a scholar's obsession, especially for her father, who had to give up his own studies and placed great hopes on Xiao Jun.
Wu patted Cheng Yue and said, "You child, you have to see. People's fate is what matters."
Countless diligent students fail their exams time and again; no matter how hard they try, they just can't pass. That's fate. Anyway, I need to ask, to put my mind at ease!
Cheng's father nodded, and Cheng Yang and Liu Shi looked on with anticipation.
Cheng Yue had no choice but to say, "Then you can ask the master when he returns."
She was actually conflicted. If the master said she had it, that would be fine, but what if he said she didn't have it? Should she just stop studying?
Just then, Daoist Xuanhuai returned with Chen An, stroked his wet beard, and said with his hands behind his back:
"If you have any questions in the future, feel free to come to me. You don't need to pay with silver; you can exchange it for food. I'll take my leave now!"
Seeing that the master was about to leave, Madam Wu became anxious and quickly stood up, saying, "Master, I want to ask..."
"Never forget your original aspiration, and the future is boundless."
Wu choked. She hadn't even finished speaking. How did the master know what she was going to ask?
But it sounds like a nice thing to say...
Cheng Yue thought to herself: The master is back again, and he still looks the same.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master. There are two large pork knuckles left in the kitchen. If you don't mind, please take them back to eat."
Master Xuanhuai was overjoyed, "Excellent! Excellent! The braised pork knuckle is delicious!"
After saying that, he realized he had acted too frivolously, so he immediately coughed lightly and said, "Consider it payment for what I asked earlier!"
Cheng Yue smiled and said, "Then thank you very much, Master!"
Her persona has long since collapsed, so why is she still pretending?
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