"Wow! Even in normal times, let alone during this year of famine, it's rare to see so much meat..."
“Sister Liu, why are you so honest? When we were on the mountain, you could have survived on your own, or even escaped, but you would sneak over every night to bring us food.”
"If it weren't for you taking care of everyone, even if the government managed to capture us in the end, we would have starved to death long ago."
“Now that you have so much grain and meat, you could sell it. That would be enough for you and your children to get through this famine.”
"Oh dear! We're all so grateful for your kindness, we can never repay it all..."
As Sister Zou cleaned the duck in her hands, she couldn't help but sigh.
“That’s right!” the others echoed.
Liu Yingying cut the prepared chicken into pieces, threw them into a bowl, marinated them with seasonings, and said with a faint smile, "Don't be so polite with me, everyone. We're all from the same village. Isn't it only right that we help each other when we're in trouble?"
"Yeah yeah!"
Hearing this warmed everyone's hearts, and they secretly marveled at how rare it is to find such a kind and honest person as Liu Yingying in this world today!
The women were busy in the kitchen when Zhao Di took her two younger brothers to gather some dry leaves to start a fire.
The three siblings squatted in front of the stove and were in charge of tending the fire.
Zhu Jiawang stared at Liu Yingying, who was marinating meat, his young face full of confusion.
"Sis, you keep saying she's changed, that she's more capable and smarter than before, but as far as I can tell... tsk, she seems even dumber than before!"
"Slap!" Zhao Di frowned and slapped him hard on the back of the head. "You brat, what nonsense are you spouting?"
"ah!"
Zhu Jiawang rubbed his head in pain and said indignantly, "Did I say something wrong? We barely have enough to eat at home, but she acts all generous in front of outsiders. No wonder Grandma used to always scold her!"
However, before he could finish speaking, Zhu Jiawang received another slap on the head.
"Smack!"
Zhao Di looked at him coldly, "Think about it yourself, when has Liu Niang ever let us go hungry these past few days?"
Zhu Jiawang: "...No, that's not true..."
"That's settled then. I believe Liu Niang must have her reasons for doing this!" Zhao Di clenched her fist and threatened him in a low voice, "Don't let me hear you speak ill of Liu Niang again!"
Zhu Jiawang: He feels his older sister has changed; she's becoming increasingly fierce...
As wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, several large pots in the kitchen were started cooking simultaneously.
With Liu Yingying in charge of cooking, and Sister Zou, Sister Li, and Luo Ximei from Luojia Village assisting, a series of clattering sounds of pots and pans colliding filled the air.
Soon, an enticing aroma spread rapidly from the kitchen outwards.
At that moment, the group of men resting under the big tree outside couldn't help but swallow their saliva after smelling the unprecedented aroma of the food.
"It smells so good!"
"I've never smelled food this good in my entire life, it must taste delicious!"
Just then, a woman came out of the kitchen and shouted to them, "Don't sit there! Come and eat! Try Sister Liu's cooking!"
Just as everyone crowded to the kitchen doorway, Liu Yingying had finished cooking the last pot of vegetables.
Luo Ximei scooped water from the vat for her to wash her hands to remove the oil stains. Liu Yingying quickly rinsed her hands and then hurried off to organize discipline.
It was obvious that these people hadn't had a proper meal in a long time. They had been working all morning and were exhausted and hungry. When they saw the food, they scrambled to grab it like starving ghosts.
During the scramble, quite a few pieces of meat fell to the ground.
Liu Yingying frowned and shouted, "Everyone, don't rush! There will be plenty of food today, but you must follow the arrangements of our female comrades!"
After that shout, the men actually quieted down.
Finally, under Liu Yingying's direction, everyone went out to line up.
There were three lines at the kitchen door, and Sister Zou and others were responsible for serving dishes and rice to everyone.
This arrangement was very efficient, and everyone was able to eat hot meals in the shortest amount of time.
They all praised Liu Yingying's cooking skills.
A young man from a neighboring village, unaware of the situation, couldn't help but remark, "I really envy Sister Liu's husband. He has such a virtuous and capable wife. I wish I could marry a wife like Sister Liu someday..."
Lu Daikui nudged Zou's husband, whispering, "Don't say that in front of Sister Liu! Her husband died three years ago."
The young man was dumbfounded; "Huh?!"
In the kitchen, Liu Yingying served food to the three children, and then secretly put the remaining two chicken legs into the bowls of Sister Zou and Sister Li.
Zou and Li quickly declined, saying, "Oh! Girl, don't give us all this meat. You should eat more yourself. You're so thin, you look like a gust of wind could blow you away..."
Hearing this, Zhu Jiawang, who was gnawing on a duck leg nearby, immediately interjected, "Don't joke around! My mother alone could beat my uncle and my second aunt into a frenzy!"
"Hahaha!" Everyone was amused by the child's innocent words.
"Get out of the way, kids shouldn't interrupt adults!" Liu Yingying said, giving Zhao Di a wink. Zhao Di immediately put down her bowl, grabbed Zhu Jiawang's ear, and pulled him away.
"Ahhh! Sis, be gentle!"
Liu Yingying then smiled and looked at Zou and Li; "Actually, I should thank you. If it weren't for you bringing your families to help me out yesterday, I would have been in a real predicament facing that whole family by myself."
"This water diversion project was made possible thanks to the support of the men from both of your families. Otherwise, we would have inevitably had another dispute over the water source."
"Take these chicken legs. If you can't finish them, you can give them to your husbands or take them back for the kids!"
"This...this is terrible..."
Zou and Li looked embarrassed, but although they declined verbally, they didn't push the chicken leg into Liu Yingying's bowl anymore.
In those days, most families could only afford to eat meat a few times a year.
Sister Zou and Sister Li had already eaten on the mountain with their husbands, but they were worried about the elderly and children at home who were still hungry, so they quietly put the chicken legs away...
Outside, Wang Delu and his family were also enjoying their meal.
After finishing their meal, they didn't start working immediately, but instead sat and chatted for a while.
Wang Dabing glanced at Liu Yingying in the distance and voiced his doubts.
"Uncle, I've noticed that Liu Shi is like a completely different person now!"
"She used to be so scared of any man she saw in the village that she would hide immediately. But look at her now... what's that saying again..."
"Ah, right! Completely at ease!"
"She can handle so many people with ease now, and even received a reward from the county magistrate. Do you think she might be... possessed by something?"
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