On the eight-immortal table in the middle of the Xie family's living room, there were snacks such as peanuts, melon seeds, and dried starberries, and the tea in the glass was steaming. Grandma Xie, wearing a new cotton-padded jacket and with her silver hair tied up, sat with a few other women, chatting and laughing. Mrs. Xie was also wearing new clothes, holding a large teapot and refilling the guests with hot water. It was a scene of great harmony.
Cheng Yaoyao's sudden appearance startled everyone, especially Xie Fei, who screamed "Sister Yaoyao" and rushed over: "When did you come back!"
Cheng Yaoyao held a little fat cat in his arms and said with a smile, "I'll give you a surprise!"
Xie Fei looked Cheng Yaoyao up and down, and was so happy that she didn't know what to do: "Sister, you have become more beautiful again! Your clothes are so beautiful! Where is my brother? Didn't he come back with you?"
"Xie Zhao met the captain and was talking to him." Cheng Yaoyao turned to Grandma Xie and said coquettishly, "Grandma, I'm back. Why aren't you happy?"
Grandma Xie smiled kindly, but also with a hint of weirdness in her expression: "Happy, happy!"
The other women stared at Cheng Yaoyao in amazement. Cheng Yaoyao's reputation as Guanyin was well-known in Tianshui Village and the surrounding villages. But when they saw the real person, the impact of such stunning beauty was so great that they, as women, were terrified, but couldn't bear to look away.
One of the women, who was wearing a flowered cotton jacket, stared at Cheng Yaoyao with deadly eyes. Cheng Yaoyao felt a little unhappy but did not show it.
Peng Peng's mother had met Cheng Yaoyao before. She stood up awkwardly and said with a smile, "Cheng Zhiqing is back? Didn't you go back to Shanghai?"
"I'm just going back home to celebrate the New Year. Of course I'll be back soon." Cheng Yaoyao hugged Jianjian and smiled.
Grandma Xie winked at Cheng Yaoyao and said, "Yaoyao, you've been on the train for so long, you must be tired. Go back to your room and rest and wash your face."
Cheng Yaoyao didn't think much about it: "Okay."
Cheng Yaoyao was about to go back to the house with Xie Fei when the woman in the flowered cotton jacket said with a chuckle, "Oh my, this is Guanyin, right? Look at this skin, Shanghai girls are different from our country girls! Can this girl do any work?"
"Auntie Hua!" Peng Peng's mother quickly pulled the sleeves of the flowered cotton jacket.
Cheng Yaoyao raised his eyelids and turned to look at Aunt Hua. She was so beautiful that she carried a sense of arrogance, and she looked even more arrogant when she didn't smile. Aunt Hua felt uncomfortable with her glance and said with a wry smile, "Am I not complimenting her? I can't help falling in love with her when I see her like that!"
Cheng Yaoyao then returned to the room and closed the door. The wooden doors slammed together with a crisp sound, and the lady smacked her lips: "Oh, are you angry? Shanghai girls really have a bad temper."
Aunt Hua lowered her voice and said, "I've lived in your house for so long, I must have made you guys upset a lot, right?"
Grandma Xie's smile faded without a trace: "No, it's not like that. She is a little bit spoiled, but she is a well-behaved and polite child. How could she make us angry?"
Peng Peng's mother kept winking at Aunt Hua and pulling at her clothes, but Aunt Hua ignored her and continued, "Hey. These educated youth are well-known in the village for being lazy, greedy, and bad-tempered. Several of them ran away from our village alone, saying they were going home to visit their relatives and never came back."
Grandma Xie said cheerfully: "Yaoyao is back, isn't he?"
Aunt Hua waved her hand and said, "She will leave sooner or later! Look at her Guanyin look. This is the first time I have seen such a beautiful woman. Tell me, is this someone we can keep in our village? Is she a woman worth living with?"
Xie Fei, who had always been well-behaved and shy, suddenly snorted and slammed the teapot on the table. Some hot water splashed onto Hua Niangzi's cotton padded blouse: "Hey, this child, you scared me!"
Xie Fei's face turned red with anger, but she couldn't say anything. Grandma Xie said to her, "Xiao Fei, get a basin of hot water for your sister Yaoyao to wipe her face. She must be hungry. Make her a bowl of sugar-water eggs first, and we'll leave Aunt Hua and the others to eat later."
Peng Peng's mother hurriedly said, "No, Auntie, let's just sit here for a while. We have to go back to our respective families' homes to eat later!"
Grandma Xie smiled and said, "You came all the way here, how can you just go back like this? Xiao Fei, kill a chicken!"
Auntie Hua had already spotted the group of fat chickens in the yard, and her bottom immediately sank. However, Auntie Peng and the others had good sense, and they held Auntie Hua on both sides and dragged her away desperately: "No, Auntie, we're leaving now!"
"Hey!" Aunt Hua thought of the matchmaker's money and a big rooster that the girl's family had promised, and she shouted loudly: "Her aunt, think about it carefully, that bookkeeper's daughter is really good! She is a city resident, hardworking, capable and beautiful! But her family only has one daughter! Think about it carefully!"
Peng Peng's mother wanted to stuff her mouth shut. Several people pushed and shoved to the door, and bumped into a tall figure head-on: "What are you thinking about?"
Auntie Hua looked closely and saw a handsome and strong young man. He was carrying a lot of bags, and his coat was folded over his arm. His black sweater was bulging his muscles. Auntie Hua smiled and narrowed her eyes. She broke away from Peng Peng's mother and walked over to him and said, "Is Xie Zhao back? Auntie, let me tell you about someone. She is the daughter of your village party secretary. She is a very pretty and capable girl. You have known her since childhood and know her inside and out!"
Xie Zhaoxian glanced at them indifferently. Pengpeng's mother and several other women looked embarrassed, Grandma Xie had a headache, Xie Fei stood at the back angrily, and the door of the west room was tightly closed.
"How is it? Sounds good, right?" Seeing Xie Zhao didn't respond, Auntie Hua said happily, "Your grandmother and sisters-in-law have put a lot of effort into your matter. Just nod your head, and Auntie will arrange it for you. It's time for you to get married, big guy!"
Xie Fei stomped her feet and ran into Cheng Yaoyao's room angrily. As soon as she entered the room, she almost bumped into Cheng Yaoyao who was clinging to the door: "Sister Yaoyao, you..."
"Tsk!" Cheng Yaoyao raised his index finger, and the two of them leaned against the door to eavesdrop.
Xie Zhao said calmly and irresistibly: "I have a wife."
Xie Fei saw Cheng Yaoyao's eyes curved, and the anger on her face turned into sweetness and pride. Xie Fei's heart also fell, and she flattered him: "Sister Yaoyao, my brother only wants you, he definitely won't want that Lin Lulu!"
"Humph, he dares." Cheng Yaoyao clasped his hands around his chest.
Xie Fei hurriedly explained to her brother: "Lin Lulu's family has sent matchmakers twice. The previous one was the annoying Aunt Jinhua, and this time it was Aunt Pengpeng and her friends who brought a matchmaker from their own village to propose marriage. They didn't know that this matchmaker was also sent by Lin Lulu's family..."
Cheng Yaoyao was surprised and said, "Is Lin Lulu so unmarriageable? Why did she come twice?" She even went around in circles to find a matchmaker from another village.
"Those people in the village are so annoying!" Xie Fei's face flushed red, and she said angrily, "They all said you wouldn't come back. So...so many people came to propose marriage! Grandma rejected them all, and it was only this time that Peng Peng's mother and her family came suddenly, and grandma didn't even know about it."
Xie Fei looked at Cheng Yaoyao's face and begged, "Sister Yaoyao, please don't be angry. You are the only sister-in-law in my heart."
"I know. How could I be angry?" Cheng Yaoyao waved his hands in a generous manner, entwined his fingers with a strand of black hair, and looked around his room.
The window was open, and the winter sun shone through, making the terrazzo floor tiles shine. The room was obviously cleaned regularly, and the table was spotless. The bed had been stripped of its bedding, leaving only a cotton mattress.
Xie Fei explained, "Jianjian always comes to your room, so we put away the quilt because we are afraid he will dirty it. Sister Yaoyao, let me pour you some hot water to wash your face."
Cheng Yaoyao said: "I'll go out and take a shower."
Xie Fei said hurriedly: "That annoying matchmaker wants to stay for dinner!"
"They left early." Cheng Yaoyao opened the door and ran into Xie Zhao who was about to knock on the door.
Xie Zhao whispered, "Sister." There was caution in his voice.
Cheng Yaoyao walked out without recognizing her relatives. Xie Zhao had to step back. Cheng Yaoyao walked into the yard in high spirits. Jianjian and Xie Fei followed closely behind her, looking quite impressive.
Xie Zhao carried a basin into the kitchen to get some hot water. Grandma Xie was busy picking vegetables and cutting meat. She asked him quietly, "What's wrong? Yaoyao is angry? Comfort her."
Xie Zhao looked at his grandmother with long eyes. Although he didn't say anything, his grandmother hit him with a spatula: "Why are you looking at me? I didn't invite those people here! How can I chase them out?"
Xie Zhao rubbed his arm, fetched some hot water and went out again. Grandma Xie looked outside the kitchen and saw Cheng Yaoyao inspecting in the yard. Grandma Xie felt a little guilty for some reason and laughed loudly: "Yaoyao, grandma is cooking now. Are you hungry? Our family got a large amount of meat this year. Grandma will make you some fried vinegar pork!"
Cheng Yaoyao said coquettishly: "I'm not hungry!"
How could I not be hungry! Grandma Xie swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue and said with a smile, "Then I'll make you some rice soup with eggs? Your favorite dish?"
This reminded Cheng Yaoyao, and she rushed into the kitchen: "Grandma, where is my egg basket?"
Xie Zhao followed in and picked up a covered basket of water chestnuts from the rice jar: "Here."
Cheng Yaoyao opened the lid, and found half a basket full of red and white eggs, which were cleaned and crystal clear. Cheng Yaoyao counted them happily, and Grandma Xie was both angry and amused: "Can Grandma still rely on your eggs?"
"I have to count them clearly!" Cheng Yaoyao's little face was full of shrewdness.
Grandma Xie suppressed her laughter and winked at Xie Zhao, who put his fist to his lips and trembled slightly. Cheng Yaoyao's self-righteous look was really adorable.
Xie Fei and Qiang Qiang also ran into the kitchen. Qiang Qiang couldn't stop himself and bumped into Xie Zhao's legs. He was so angry that he hugged his trouser legs and tore them. The kitchen suddenly became noisy.
Grandma Xie smiled until the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothed out, but she looked disdainful as she said, "You're making a fuss right after you get back. Get out of here right away. I'm cooking here! Don't make a fuss, you'll tear Zhao'er's new pants again!"
"Hmm! Hmm!" Jianjian looked stubborn. Xie Zhao tried to throw Jianjian off, but Jianjian grabbed his long legs with his four paws and climbed up. Xie Zhao had no choice but to grab him and hold him in his arms. Xie Zhao's body was very warm, and Jianjian rubbed against him with satisfaction, then he lay there without moving.
After counting the eggs, Cheng Yaoyao felt better and rummaged around in the kitchen: "What dishes are there? What kind of meat is there? Why is there pig intestines?"
Xie Fei grabbed it and said, "It was distributed among the villagers after they killed a pig! Our family got the pig's large intestine and a large piece of meat!"
The brigade of Tianshui Village raised two pigs, and they slaughtered them during the New Year and distributed the meat among the whole village. You have to know that the farmers did not have meat coupons, so they depended on the New Year pig all year round.
Fatty pork can be boiled into lard, which can be eaten for a whole year if saved! Pork belly and fat-and-lean meat are also good. Cut them into small cubes and cook them until smooth. Add plenty of salt and put them tightly in a jar. When cooking every day, dig out a small piece to add some oil flavor to the dish. If you have to be desperate, you have to skewer pig intestines. Although the fat on the pig intestines has a strange smell, it is still oil, isn't it?
Lean meat, pork loin, pork heart, pork liver and other offal are what everyone dislikes the most. No matter how sparingly you eat them, you can't eat them until the first month of the lunar year. In previous years, the Xie family could only get the offal and lean meat that others didn't want, but this year they got a large piece of good meat and pork intestines. Xie was so happy.
Cheng Yaoyao said, "But Xie Zhao is not here this year, who will kill the pigs?"
Grandma Xie smiled and said, "It was Lin Gui and Da Guan, they are not as skilled as Zhao Ge'er. If it weren't for their extra care, our family wouldn't have been able to get such good meat."
Cheng Yaoyao said with some regret: "I still want to see the meat being divided."
Xie Zhao's heart was filled with excitement: "Next time I kill a pig, I'll call you to watch!"
"...I don't want to watch it!" Cheng Yaoyao wanted to watch the fight over the meat in the original book, not the killing of pigs! Pigs are so cute, why kill them!
Grandma Xie complained about the quarreling of the guys, but she didn't chase them away. She even ordered them, "If you don't want to go out, then disperse and do some work. Don't crowd together. Xiaopi, you wash the vegetables, Zhaoge'er, go light the fire, and keep Jianjian away from you. He just got his beard burned. Keep you away from me..."
"Let me cook." Cheng Yaoyao rolled up her sleeves. The pig intestine looked very fresh, and she wanted to make her specialty dish that she hadn't made for a long time.
Grandma Xie looked at her and said, "You just came back. You must be tired. Take a rest. Xiao Fei and I will do it."
"No. People say that Shanghai girls are coquettish and lazy..." Cheng Yaoyao said sweetly, "If you don't like it, I'll find you a grandson's wife..."
The spatula in Grandma Xie's hand went soft.
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