Chapter 204: Our Eighth Sister-in-Law’s Indulgence for Fine Food Strikes Again

Chapter 204: Our Eighth Sister-in-Law's Indulgence for Fine Food Strikes Again

"There's no issue; I can seek the patriarch's assistance to borrow some tables and chairs from the village.

As for charcoal stoves, they should be easy to find too, considering how cold the northwest winters are. I'm sure the villagers would have them prepared in their homes."

Mo Jiuye wasn't making wild guesses.

During his military campaigns, he had interacted with many common folk.

In the countryside, where life was not affluent, many people burned charcoal themselves to earn a living for their families. They would then sell it to wealthy households in the city to make money.

Moreover, when Mo Jiuye accompanied the two patriarchs to inspect houses yesterday, he noticed several simple charcoal kilns in the courtyards of several villagers' homes.

This was ample proof that there was indeed charcoal available here.

Upon hearing her words, He Zhiran's previously furrowed brows relaxed into a smile.

"Mo Jiuye, you're so smart. Why didn't I think of that?"

Seeing her smile, Mo Jiuye affectionately stroked her head.

"Alright, stay home and wait. Leave this matter to me."

With that, Mo Jiuye left the courtyard.

With the problem solved, He Zhiran returned to the kitchen to continue her work.

This time, she was preparing Garlic Steamed Lobster and Spicy Stir-fried Prawn.

Her sisters-in-law were seeing these ingredients for the first time, and at first, they were somewhat frightened by the sight of the large lobsters.

Unexpectedly, the ninth sister-in-law cleaved one in half with a single stroke...

He Zhiran completely ignored her sisters-in-law's astonished expressions as she continued working with her head down.

She had prepared the garlic paste while her sisters-in-law were busy, and also pre-mixed the sauce for the prawns.

Agilely, she spread the garlic paste evenly over the lobster before placing it in the pot.

Next, He Zhiran moved to another stove and began stir-frying the prawns in front of everyone.

Before long, a rich, spicy aroma wafted through the air, even seeping out through the door cracks and spreading further.

Eighth Sister-in-law sniffed deeply.

"Although I don't know what dish Ninth Sister-in-law is making, this smell has already whetted my appetite."

Second Sister-in-law teased, "Look, our Eighth Sister-in-law's old habit of indulging in fine food has struck again."

Laughter erupted among the group...

Just as the two seafood dishes were being taken out of the pot, footsteps could be heard approaching the main gate.

He Zhiran went out with her sisters-in-law to investigate.

They saw Mo Jiuye leading the way, accompanied by a villager. The two of them were carrying a large round table.

Behind them were several other villagers, each holding two chairs.

Bringing up the rear was the patriarch of the Zhou clan.

The elderly patriarch hadn't carried any tables or chairs but held a bag of charcoal in his hand.

Before entering the courtyard, the patriarch couldn't help but ask, "Ninth Son, what delicious food are you cooking at home? It smells better than anything served in the city restaurants."

Mo Jiuye knew a little about it.

"Hehe... My wife made some Lobster and Mantis Shrimp dishes."

"Lobster? Mantis Shrimp?" The patriarch was clearly surprised.

As someone who had lived most of his life in Yun City, how could he not know about seafood?

However, these two types of seafood held no appeal to them.

They wouldn't eat Lobster or Mantis Shrimp unless they had nothing else to eat.

Despite this, during times of famine when he was young, he had eaten them a few times.

That thing not only had a hard shell but also pricked your mouth when you ate it. Most importantly, it had a strong fishy odor.

"That's impossible. I've eaten Lobster and Mantis Shrimp before, but they never smelled like this."

Mo Jiuye didn't know how to explain it, so he simply smiled it off.

Several members of the Zhou clan placed the tables and chairs in the courtyard and continued to fetch more sets.

Meanwhile, Mo Jiuye pulled the patriarch aside to look for He Zhiran.

The tables and chairs were borrowed, but the charcoal needed to be purchased, and he was looking for money from He Zhiran.

"Ranran, give twenty coins to Patriarch Zhou."

Although He Zhiran had not fully understood the prices of this era, she knew that twenty coins for such a large bag of charcoal was incredibly cheap.

Making charcoal required going into the mountains to cut wood, which then had to undergo the laborious process of burning.

This reminded He Zhiran of the poem "The Charcoal Seller," allowing her to empathize with their hardships.

Thus, she directly gave Clan Head Zhou fifty coins.

The moment Clan Head Zhou got the copper coins, he realized that Ninth’s wife was knowledgeable.

Such a large sack of charcoal would indeed fetch fifty coins when sold in the city.

Clan Head Zhou immediately counted twenty copper coins and put them away, returning the rest to He Zhiran.

"Ninth’s wife, for people from our village buying charcoal, I only charge the cost price."

He Zhiran felt for these farmers’ hardships and didn’t want him to work hard for nothing.

"Clan Head Zhou, you’ve worked hard, it’s only right that you earn some money. Just keep it!"

Seeing that she still wanted to give him money, Clan Head Zhou took a few steps back.

"We villagers are honest folk. For so many years, the price of charcoal in the village has been this much."

Unexpectedly, this elderly man was quite stubborn.

Since that was the case, He Zhiran didn’t force the issue any further.

She looked at Mo Jiuye. "Husband, we’ve received much help from the two clan heads since arriving in Xiling Village. Why don’t we invite them over for dinner tonight?"

Mo Jiuye had the same idea. After all, they were going to live here long-term, and getting along well with their neighbors was also important.

"Alright, I’ll go invite Clan Head Zhao later."

Clan Head Zhou wanted to refuse. In these times, no one was wealthy. If there was food, it was already good enough to feed one’s own family. If he stayed for dinner, there would be less for the others.

However, the aroma coming from the Mo family’s kitchen was too enticing. Besides, they were new neighbors. This was an opportunity to get more familiar with each other.

Therefore, Clan Head Zhou didn’t refuse.

"In that case, I won’t be polite then, old man that I am."

After saying that, he took out the twenty copper coins he had just stuffed into his bosom and pushed them all into Mo Jiuye’s hands.

"It’s fine for me to eat here, but I can’t accept payment for the charcoal."

In Clan Head Zhou’s mind, the Mo family could use these copper coins to buy some grain. Since he was eating here, he couldn’t let them suffer a loss under any circumstances.

Seeing Clan Head Zhou’s actions, Mo Jiuye found it both funny and touching.

He pushed the coins back. "Clan Head Zhou, how can you talk about money when you’re invited for a meal? Are you looking down on Mo Laojiu?"

"No, no, no, that’s not what I meant. I just…"

"If that’s not what you meant, then put the money away." Mo Jiuye didn’t give him a chance to explain and led him into the main room.

This was the largest room in the entire courtyard, suitable for setting up tables and chairs. They would also have their dinner here.

Old Lady Mo called the women to move the tables and chairs into the house.

While everyone was busy, Mo Chuhan, who had gone out at some point, returned with Liang Hao and the others.

The men all carried game in their hands. From their dusty appearance, it could be determined that Liang Hao and the others had spent the whole day hunting in the mountains.