Having received no news from the workshop, Zhou didn't have time to think too much; the table was probably full of delicious food, and her mind was completely distracted.
Old Man Lu and Mrs. Sun picked up their chopsticks and took their first bite of food, after which the others began to eat.
The first dish Zhou picked up was Lu Black Duck. The Lu family now prefers strong flavors, and everything was spicy. Zhou coughed from the spiciness and almost spat it out.
He Jiuniang quickly took out a handkerchief to cover her mouth, thus saving the entire table of dishes.
Sun glanced at her with some displeasure. Why didn't she turn her back when she coughed? Who was she trying to disgust?
Yu was also somewhat displeased; this Zhou family was becoming increasingly unseemly.
It would have been better if this only relative from her maternal family hadn't come at all.
Zhou, however, paid no attention to any of this. She coughed violently twice and complained, "What did they put in here? Why am I choking like this?"
He Jiuniang deliberately said, "Of course it's good stuff, our family makes money off this stuff!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou became interested: "Oh my, no wonder I found it so unusual! Sister, please tell me, what exactly is this?"
"You wouldn't know even if I told you, so just eat and don't ask anymore."
Yu glanced at her, clearly displeased. Zhou was even more annoyed: "I was just asking out of curiosity. You won't tell me anything. Do you treat me like an outsider?"
If it weren't for the Lunar New Year, and the fact that this was at the dinner table, Madam Yu would have really wanted to scold her, but she held back and said, barely suppressing her anger, "I already said we'd start work after the New Year. If you're interested then, you can go work in the workshop. Why are you asking these questions right here at the dinner table?"
Zhou immediately realized she had been too hasty and quickly laughed, "Oh, right, right, I just thought this duck was so delicious that I was particularly interested! Whoever came up with this way of eating it, it's really brilliant!"
"It's me!"
He Jiuniang smiled sweetly and picked up a few more pieces of duck neck for her, saying, "Sister Zhou, eat more if you like. We don't have much else, but these duck necks will fill you up!"
Zhou's smile was somewhat forced. There was no duck neck meat in the bowl, which she didn't like. She wanted to eat other meats, but the bowl was already piled high with duck necks. It wouldn't be right if she didn't finish it tonight.
"That's enough, that's enough, you're too kind, I can do it myself!"
She held her bowl tightly, otherwise He Jiuniang would have had a chance to serve her food.
"It's alright. I just saw that Sister Zhou likes to eat it. At first, my family didn't really like eating duck necks because they thought there wasn't much meat. I think they just don't understand how good duck necks are. It's just that Sister Zhou and I get along well. You should eat more!"
He Jiuniang took advantage of her inattention to slip her a few more pieces.
Well, by the time she finishes eating these, most of the other meat will be gone.
Madam Yu chuckled to herself; only her third brother's wife could handle her, her eldest sister-in-law.
Zhou was on the verge of tears. Why had she been so impulsive as to pick up a duck neck?
Zhou was busy gnawing on the duck neck, wanting to finish it as soon as possible so she could eat other dishes; she didn't care about anything else.
Only then did the others at the table have time to eat and chat, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
"Lei and the other kids who are in school have all done very well this year. They were even praised by their teacher, who said they study hard and do well in their homework. Mom, you'd better get a big bag of lucky money tomorrow!"
He Jiuniang, a master of creating a lively atmosphere, took the initiative to set the tone.
Every seven days, Kang Xiucai would visit He Jiuniang for a medical check-up. He would talk about the children's homework with great enthusiasm, a rare sight to see all the children in one family so motivated and eager to learn.
Sun was naturally pleased that her grandson was doing well, and waved her hand, saying, "As long as they study hard and bring honor to the family in the future, red envelopes are no problem!"
"Hahaha, you're suddenly being so generous, I don't even know what to say! Are there any red envelopes for us?"
He Jiuniang went too far, and before Sun could even speak, Zhou interrupted, "Sister, how can you talk to your elders like that? This won't do. If it weren't for your good temper, you would have been beaten!"
The pleasant atmosphere instantly turned cold.
Just as Yu was about to speak, He Jiuniang patted her hand under the table and then said to Zhou, "Sister-in-law Zhou is right. My mother has a good temper, which is why I dare to say this. My mother gives me a red envelope, but that depends on whether she is happy or not."
Zhou Shi completely failed to grasp the meaning behind He Jiu Niang's words, and even thought that what she said made a lot of sense. She continued to lecture, "This is the time when you should be filial to your parents-in-law. How can you expect your mother-in-law to give you money? You can't have that kind of thinking!"
Just kidding. If Madam Sun had money, she should have kept it all for the Lu family's eldest branch and then tricked her into giving it to herself. How could she give it to this young widow? Wouldn't that be a waste?
He Jiuniang listened attentively and replied, "Yes, yes, I'll remember. Mother, I'll give you and Father a big red envelope tomorrow!"
Sun didn't even bother to pay attention to Zhou, and said to He Jiuniang, "Who wants yours? You can keep it yourself!"
Zhou wanted to say something more, but Yu interrupted, "Mother, after the New Year we plan to send Ting to an embroidery workshop in the county town that specializes in training embroiderers. Although we have hired embroiderers at home, they all have their own jobs to do and don't have time to teach her. It's rare that she has something she likes to do, so sending her to learn a skill to keep her company is a good idea."
Madam Qin said, "Sister-in-law, that's a good idea. Why don't I send my daughter Youya there too? That way, the two of them can keep each other company."
Thinking that this would prevent Zhou from interrupting, Zhou suddenly bristled like a rooster, shrilly, "They're all girls. They'll all marry into other families when they grow up. What's the point of spending so much money? That's such a waste! Your family may be doing well now, but who knows if it will stay that way? Lei is getting on in years. He'll be getting married in a couple of years. Instead of wasting money, you should save it for Lei's dowry!"
Zhou was about to launch into a long speech, telling these people that it wasn't worth spending money on her daughter. Just as she was getting into the swing of things, Sun slammed her chopsticks on the table, startling Zhou.
"snort!"
Sun snorted coldly and looked at Zhou with unfriendly eyes.
Madam Yu hurriedly reached out to take Madam Sun's hand and advised, "Mother, don't get angry. It's not worth ruining your health!"
She now truly regrets leaving Zhou behind; it would have been better if she hadn't come at all!
Sun ignored Yu and said, "You are the sister-in-law of my eldest daughter-in-law. We treat you as a guest, so you should do your duty as a guest! How to raise the children of my Lu family is my family's business. What does it have to do with you? If you continue to meddle like this, this old woman can disregard the face of my eldest daughter-in-law and kick you out!"
Originally, out of respect for Madam Yu, Madam Sun did not want to say such harsh words, but this woman actually said that her daughter was worthless. What kind of nonsense is this?
Isn't she a woman herself?
He Jiuniang silently gave a thumbs up: Ms. Sun is awesome!
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