Chapter 72

Chapter 72

The courtyard was a hive of activity.

After the sun rose, the menfolk, done with their morning chores in the fields, started showing up. The grown-ups hauled tables while the kids lugged stools, with baskets slung over their shoulders filled with bowls and chopsticks.

The Zhao family's gate stood wide open. After stepping into the yard, they'd call out a greeting toward the main room and the kitchen, then found themselves a spot to set up the tables and chairs. Luckily, they'd expanded the yard when building the new house, so it was large enough to fit several tables. Otherwise, with a crowd like today's, they would have had to dismantle the bamboo fence and set the tables outside, as in the past.

Old Man Zhao and the others had built a fire in the corner of the courtyard and were singeing the boar's hair. The men, tough and calloused, didn't even bother with fire tongs—they just grabbed it by the ears and held it over the flames. They'd burn off the hair and char the skin to a blackish-red, doing the same for the head, the legs, and the tail. It was a fairly ordinary task, but what with all the onlookers egging them on, and since none of the folks had ever seen a wild boar up close, everyone was itching for a turn. It seemed as if holding the boar's head themselves meant they'd had a hand in hunting it. It'd give them bragging rights for later, and they wouldn't have to be scared of the creatures anymore.

Zhao Xiaobao squeezed in for a look but she didn't care for the gruesome-looking head. After soaking up the excitement for a bit, she slipped out again. Seeing Dagouzi and Donkey horsing around in the yard but not spotting Huaihua or Xiaohua, she made a beeline for the kitchen and asked Feng Shi, who was tending the fire, "Aunt Feng, where are Huaihua and Li Hua? How come they haven't come yet?"

"Huaihua and Li Hua are doing chores at home. They'll be along later," Feng Shi said with a smile.

All the kids at home have to pitch in with work—sweeping, feeding the chickens and ducks, washing clothes, things like that. The grown-ups do it if they have time, the kids do it if the grown-ups are busy. That's just how girls are raised in the village. Take harvest time: the boys in the family go to the fields to help cut the grain, while the girls stay back to cook and do the laundry.

Zhao Xiaobao then asked about Xiaohua and Xiaocao. Wu Dazhu's wife said simply, "Xiaohua was still asleep when I left. She'll come over after she's finished her chores too."

Xiaocao's mother nodded in agreement beside her.

Zhao Xiaobao was so disappointed. She'd been looking forward to it all night, thinking she could play with Xiaohua and the others as soon as she woke up. She hadn't expected they still had chores to do at home.

Little girls would rather play with other little girls. Zhao Xiaobao had no interest in running wild outside with Donkey and the boys. Just then, the sizzling fried ribs were ready. The savory smell made her eyes light up. She turned and dashed out of the kitchen, slipped into her room to fetch a small basket without anyone noticing, then ran back to tug on her eldest sister-in-law's sleeve, begging her to put some ribs in her basket.

"Eldest sister-in-law, a couple more, just a couple more, please?" Zhao Xiaobao had gotten good at counting. She kept at Zhu Shi until she'd put seven ribs in the basket. Only then, satisfied, did she grab the basket and run out of the kitchen. She called out to her mother in the courtyard and took off running for Wu Dazhu's house in the village.

Xiaohua had just finished feeding the two hens in the chicken coop when she heard Zhao Xiaobao's voice. Surprised and delighted, she hurried out from the backyard. "Auntie Xiaobao, why are you here?"

"To play with you all." Having stayed at the Wu family's house for over half a month, Zhao Xiaobao felt as if she were returning to her own home. She entered the courtyard with familiarity, placed the bamboo basket on a stool, and said mysteriously, "Xiaohua, go call Xiaocao and Huaihua and the others. I brought you freshly fried ribs."

Xiaohua had already caught the scent. Even though the bamboo basket was covered with cloth, the aroma of meat couldn't be hidden—it wafted straight into her nose.

Every household in the village lived frugally, and the Wu family was no exception. They could only eat meat once a year during the busy farming season and the New Year. On ordinary days, having an egg was considered a lavish meal. Since Auntie Xiaobao's family was hosting a feast, her parents had taken tables and stools over early in the morning to help, and they had even brought grain, thinking they couldn't eat for free—after all, it was meat, something precious.

"Auntie, this, this…" She hesitated. In her understanding, no child could take meat out of their home to give to outsiders. She was worried that Auntie Xiaobao had secretly taken it without her family's knowledge.

"It's okay to eat." Stretching out her chubby little hand to pat Xiaohua's thin arm, Zhao Xiaobao put her hands on her hips, looking quite smug. "Xiaohua, listen to your auntie. Hurry and call Xiaocao and the others. Finish your chores early, or if you go too late, Donkey and the others will have eaten all the ribs."

Xiaohua was the second most obedient niece to Auntie Xiaobao, after Da Luo Bo. Hearing this, she immediately turned and ran to her second uncle's house, first calling Xiaocao, then running to the house two doors down to call Huaihua and Li Hua, the two sisters.

When everyone had gathered, under the expectant gazes of her four nieces from other families, Zhao Xiaobao made a "ding-ding-ding-ding" sound with her mouth, pulled off the cloth with her chubby hand, and showed them the ribs in the basket. They were all prime rib cuts. The former Aunt Li, now Sister-in-law Lü, had solid knife skills, cutting the ribs into evenly sized pieces. There was no need to pick and choose carefully—each girl got one piece. The ribs were crispy and fragrant, oily to the touch, and the aroma was simply indescribable.

Huaihua felt as if it were New Year.

So incredibly fragrant!

The little girls ate in small bites. With each bite, their mouths were filled with the rich, oily flavor. They had eaten meat before, but whether it was the cooking method or something else, the rib in their hands seemed exceptionally delicious. They even wished they could chew the bones and swallow them.

A single rib had only a little meat, and no matter how carefully they savored it, it was soon gone.

Two pieces remained in the basket. The youngest, Xiaocao and Li Hua, couldn't take their eyes off them. Despite their craving, neither reached out. Instead, they put the bones in their mouths, sucking on them for flavor, like puppies gnawing on bones, turning them over and over.

"These two pieces are for Chunyá and Chun Miao." Zhao Xiaobao was thinking of her best friend, Chunyá. Although Da Tou and San Tou were annoying, Chunyá and Chun Miao were not. Old Lady Zhou was a biased grandmother who favored her grandsons over her granddaughters. Whenever there was something delicious, she gave it all to Da Tou and San Tou, leaving Chunyá and Chun Miao to watch longingly from the side. Zhao Xiaobao wanted Chunyá to have some ribs too.

"Xiaohua, don't dawdle. Finish your chores early and come to my house sooner. My family has lots of delicious food, so don't be late." She covered the basket with the cloth and picked it up, ready to go to the river to find Chunyá. "Auntie is leaving first. Don't wait for me. I'll go back on my own later." With that, she picked up the basket and left as quickly as she had come.

After her figure disappeared from sight, Xiaohua and the others exchanged glances.

Huaihua couldn't help but say, "Auntie Xiaobao is so kind. Even my own aunt has never given me ribs to eat." She thought of her own aunt, who returned to her parents' home empty-handed every time but always took something with her when she left. They were both aunts—why was the difference so great? Ah, she really wished she were Auntie Xiaobao's real niece. She would surely have endless meat to eat.

In her heart, the Zhao family was one of the wealthy families in the village—with many people, a large house, a girl who had endless fruit and meat to eat, and no need to work. What difference was there between her and the daughter of a landlord's family?

She really, really wished she were Auntie Xiaobao's real niece!

…

Zhao Xiaobao found Chunyá and Chun Miao by the river.

The two sisters were washing clothes. The wooden basin was already piled high with clean clothes, and beside it was another stack, clearly all the dirty laundry from the entire family.

The stone embankment by the river where villagers washed clothes was crowded with women at that moment. Seeing Zhao Xiaobao approach, someone called out loudly, "Little Auntie Zhao, does your family have some happy occasion? Why are you hosting a feast?" Then, in a teasing tone, she added, "We're all from the same village. Why didn't you invite us? We wouldn't go empty-handed either. We'd bring gifts."

"There's no special occasion. Mother said that since the new house is built, we're inviting the brothers and sisters-in-law who helped to warm the stove." Zhao Xiaobao carefully carried her basket over to Chunyá and the others, grinning at the two sisters who were looking at her in surprise, showing her little white teeth.

"Xiaobao, why are you here?" Chunyá put down the clothes she was washing, wiped the water from her hands, stood up, and pulled Zhao Xiaobao behind her, away from the river. "Stand further back, okay? Don't get too close to the river."

"Mm-hmm." Zhao Xiaobao nodded, glancing at Chunyá's reddened hands. Adult clothes were hard to wash, especially when wringing them out. Girls didn't have enough strength, and using too much force would rub their palms red and sore, which was very uncomfortable.

Nearby, some women were still teasing her. Zhao Xiaobao always pretended not to hear unpleasant remarks—that was what her mother had taught her. Don't engage with annoying people; the more you respond, the more they'll pester you.

By the time she arrived, the ribs had completely cooled. Even if it was meat, once it turned cold, it lost its flavor. She lifted the cloth, revealing two pieces of ribs, seven or eight red ground fruits, and a dozen or so raspberries. She whispered to them, "Chunyá, Chun Miao, eat quickly."

Chun Miao, being young and greedy, couldn't help but reach out, but before she could touch the meat, Chunyá slapped the back of her hand. Chun Miao immediately pulled back, wincing in pain.

Chunyá hurriedly covered the basket again, pretending to glance casually at the women on the other side of the embankment. Seeing they weren't paying attention, she finally relaxed and whispered almost breathlessly, "Why did you bring ribs? Does Old Lady Wang know?"

Afraid that Zhao Xiaobao had taken them secretly, she urged anxiously, "Take them back quickly. We don't want them."

Zhao Xiaobao humphed twice, grabbed two raspberries, and stuffed them into Chunyá's mouth, then gave two to Chun Miao, who was watching her eagerly. "Hurry up and eat. I have to go home."

"I, um…" Chunyá tried to speak, but two more raspberries were stuffed into her mouth.

Every time, she was fed like this. Chunyá was both touched and worried. A while ago, when she saw Xiaobao getting along so well with the girls from the Wu and Li families, she had felt quite down, thinking Xiaobao didn't like her anymore. She hadn't expected Xiaobao to remember her and still want to play with her.

Watching them swallow the berries, Zhao Xiaobao picked up the ribs and stuffed them into their mouths. Seeing the sisters' cheeks puff out, she couldn't help but smile. She dumped all the fruits and raspberries from the basket into Chun Miao's arms, patted her clothes with her little hand, and said cheerfully, "Chun Miao, don't crush them, okay?"

With that, she picked up the basket, stood up, waved at them, and ran home without looking back.

There were even more people at home now. The courtyard was filled with tables. The elders gathered together to chat, while the children occasionally snatched a piece of rib from the table when the adults weren't looking.

Zhao Xiaobao strolled around the courtyard with her hands behind her back. She saw many uninvited villagers squeezing into the crowd of men to chat, their children clinging to the bowls of ribs like hungry tigers, not taking their eyes off them. They held ribs in their hands, ate the meat, and still stared fixedly at the bowls.

She moved over to her eldest nephew, poked him with her finger, and whispered, "Xiao Wu, go bring the bowl over."

As his aunt's most considerate eldest nephew, Zhao Xiaowu was instantly tempted but said, "This, this isn't good, is it?"

"Have Donkey and the others eaten?" Zhao Xiaobao puffed out her cheeks. "Oh, Donkey and the others haven't eaten. Xiao Wu, go bring the bowl over. Donkey and the others are our little guests. We should treat them well."

"Okay, Auntie." Without mentioning that Donkey had already eaten a piece, Zhao Xiaowu rushed over without another word, pushed aside one of the boys, grabbed the bowl, and ran.

The boys were stunned for a moment, then their lips quivered, and they began wailing loudly.

"The ribs! Those are my ribs!"

"He stole our ribs! Dad, Mom, they stole our ribs!"

The adults who had been chatting immediately fell silent and turned to look.

That was how things were in the village. Whenever a family had something good to eat, people would smell it and wait at the door to knock. With the Zhao family's grand display, it was obvious they were preparing a feast. Even if they weren't invited, there were plenty of shameless people these days who would bring their children and show up uninvited, confident that no one would dare to drive them away.

As luck would have it, just as Zhu Shi and the others had finished frying the ribs and brought out two bowls for the children to snack on, Zhao Xiaowu and his group managed to snatch only one bowl, while the other was taken by the village boys.

Since they'd already gotten their hands on it, there was no way to take it back. Though displeased, Zhu Shi had no choice. She just kept the other two bowls she had already ladled out in the kitchen and didn't bring them out again.

Among the visitors were not only men and children but also women, who acted even more like they belonged there. As soon as they entered the yard, they tried to squeeze into the kitchen. As the hostess, Wang Shi couldn't easily intervene, but her elder sister Feng Shi was someone who would reason with you if you were reasonable, but if you weren't, she could out-stubborn you.

She immediately blocked the kitchen doorway, muttering curses, "Is this your kitchen that you're barging into? Take a good look at the threshold—don't mistake whose house this is!"

The woman flushed with embarrassment. "I just wanted to help out. Sister Wang hasn't said anything, so who are you to stand here like a door god?"

"What are you here to help with?" Feng Shi pretended not to understand. "We're helping because we're eating here at noon. When you're a guest, it's only right to lend a hand instead of just sitting around waiting. But what are you helping with? No one invited you to eat, and we can't let you work for free."

Her words were quite blunt. Everyone knew what was really going on, but some people deliberately played dumb, pretending not to understand. Since they couldn't get into the kitchen, they simply lingered in the yard, gnawing on ribs and joining the crowd to listen to the gossip.

The children wailing at the top of their lungs were also from their families. When several women saw Zhao Xiaowu carrying the bowl away, they immediately slapped their thighs and cried out, "Oh heavens, how stingy! They even took the whole bowl away!"

Zhao Xiaobao seemed frightened by her voice, shrinking her neck. Her big eyes instantly filled with tears, which fell in streams. "Xiao, Xiaobao isn't stingy, wuwu. Xiaobao saw that Donkey and the others hadn't eaten, so she asked Xiao Wu to bring the bowl over to share with them."

Hearing her daughter cry, Wang Shi stopped cutting vegetables and rushed out holding the kitchen knife. "What's going on?!" She slammed the knife onto the table, startling the crying boys into silence. Hurrying over, she picked up her daughter, patting her back and soothing her repeatedly, "Don't cry, don't cry, Xiaobao. Good girl, our Xiaobao is never stingy. She's good to her nephews and to her close friends. Don't listen to those heartless outsiders spouting nonsense!"

With a stern face, she looked at the woman who had slapped her thigh and made a scene, making her stance clear: they should leave. "Sister Zheng, and the rest of you, we're very busy today and really can't spare the time to entertain you. Please make yourselves at home elsewhere."

After saying this, she carried her wailing daughter into the house.

The woman called Sister Zheng gave an awkward smile and looked at Old Man Zhao, whose face was also dark. "Uncle Zhao, I, I didn't mean it. Who knew the child would take it so seriously? I just said it offhand, without any ill intent."

Old Man Zhao's already dark face grew even darker. "Since when is my daughter stingy? Huh?! Did she take your bowl or eat your meat? Since when is eating your own food considered stingy by outsiders? What kind of logic is that?!"

Sister Zheng was too scared to utter another word, frantically signaling her husband with her eyes. Zheng Dalang tried to smooth things over, but Old Man Zhao didn't give him a friendly look either, saying stiffly, "Today, our family is just inviting the few households who helped build the house for a warm stove meal. It's not like we're slaughtering a pig for the New Year and inviting the whole village. We didn't make it clear, so you families misunderstood."

Zheng Dalang's face flushed with embarrassment. If he pretended not to understand now, the next words would likely be even harsher. He grabbed his son, who was still sitting on a stool licking his fingers, and glared at his reluctant wife. Apologetically, he said, "Then it's our fault for not asking clearly. We'll head back now and not disturb Uncle Zhao and his family. I'm truly sorry. My wife spoke carelessly and made Xiaobao cry. I'll bring her back another day to apologize to the little sister. Please don't hold it against us, Uncle Zhao."

Old Man Zhao waved his hand. "No need for apologies. My daughter is just a child—she can't handle such things."

Zheng Dalang dragged both of them away, one in each hand, as if pulling a stubborn pig, forcing his wife and son, who were still staring longingly at the kitchen, to leave.

Once outside the yard, he slapped his son on the head. "Cry, cry, cry—all you know is crying! You ruined a perfectly good meal!" If not for this incident, they could have just sat down on the stools when it was time to eat, and no matter what anyone thought, the meal would have been theirs.

But now, not only did they miss the meal, they were also publicly shamed, losing face, plain and simple!

"You hit my son? I'll tear you apart!" His wife lunged at him, trying to scratch his face. Zheng Dalang dodged a couple of times but couldn't avoid her. He slapped her back. Seeing his mother hit, the boy rushed over and headbutted his father. His father, furious that his son dared to defy him, forgot about hitting his wife and turned to slap his son instead.

The three of them made such a commotion it sounded like a village brawl.

Huaihua and the others carefully walked past them, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire, and ran as fast as they could.

Not seeing Little Aunt Xiaobao in the yard, Huaihua patted Zhao Xiaowu as he walked by. Her desire to be Little Aunt's favorite niece had reached its peak, and now she regarded Zhao Xiaowu like a dear brother, acting very familiar. "Where's Little Aunt? Hasn't she come back yet?"

"She's in the room." Zhao Xiaowu pointed to Zhao Xiaobao's room—the crying had stopped long ago. "Go in and play with Little Aunt. I'll bring you some ribs."

"Great, great!" To think there was such a good thing, Huaihua skipped happily, leading Xiaohua and the others to push open the half-closed door. There, Little Aunt Xiaobao was lying on the bed eating fruit, her eyes and nose red, tears still clinging to her eyelashes—clearly, she had just been crying.

"Little Aunt, who bullied you?" Huaihua ran over, her little face flushed with anger. "Tell me, and I'll go beat them up for you."

"Huaihua, Li Hua, Xiaohua, Xiaocao, you're here." Zhao Xiaobao scooted over, patting the bed. "Come up, let's eat fruit together." She laughed so hard a snot bubble popped out, not saying who had bullied her, and pushed the fruit on the bed toward them. "There's only a little left. Mom won't let me eat too much—I have to save room for lunch."

Children are easily distracted. At the mention of food, Huaihua immediately forgot what she had just said. She pulled over a small stool, unceremoniously took a raspberry, and stuffed it into her mouth. Leaning happily against the bed, she said, "Little Aunt, I won't get on the bed—that wouldn't be polite. Hehe, I was worried my brothers would finish all the ribs, but it turns out there are more. Xiao Wu went to the kitchen to get us some. He's so nice."

Xiaohua and the others didn't get on the bed either—they were all well-behaved children taught by their mothers to be polite when visiting others.

"Little Aunt, how come your family has so many raspberries? It seems like you can't finish them all." Huaihua was a chatterbox, her little mouth never resting. She was incredibly envious. "This summer, my dad also went into the mountains to look for them, but he only found one raspberry bush. The berries were small and sour. They were still tasty, but not as good as yours."

Seeing Xiao Wu come in with a heaping bowl of fragrant fried ribs, she quickly stuffed the last raspberry from the bed into her mouth, her eyes darting around with a hint of guilt. "They're all gone. This was the last one—there aren't any more."

With the commotion in the yard, they hid in the room, gnawing on ribs.

Not just anyone could enter Little Aunt Xiaobao's room. Dagouzi and Donkey were quite envious of their sisters and wanted to go play inside too, but Zhao Xi stopped them. Fortunately, all the outsiders had left, and it was getting late. The serving team began bringing dishes to the tables.

The first dish, naturally, was a cold appetizer—thinly sliced boiled pork, not arranged in any fancy way, just piled high in a large bowl, drizzled with seasoning and chili. It looked absolutely delicious.

Today, Zhu Shi and Feng Shi's eldest daughter-in-law were in charge of the cooking, each excelling at stir-frying and stewing. Once the first dish was served, the others weren't far behind…

The second dish was a tender, stewed pork knuckle. With every step the server took, the meat jiggled, making her heart flutter. She couldn't imagine how delicious this grand dish must be.

The third was braised pig's feet, equally soft and tender; the fourth was twice-cooked pork with cabbage; the fifth was stir-fried shredded tenderloin; the sixth was braised pork; the seventh was white radish and rib soup; the eighth was green vegetable and egg drop soup; the ninth was the fried ribs, served as a snack; and the tenth was pig's head meat stewed for half a day. Zhu Shi and the others had tasted it—it wasn't particularly flavorful, but it was close enough.

The tables had originally been set apart, but since there were only two pork knuckles, it wouldn't be fair to put them on just one table. In the end, they decided to push the tables together. Square tables were easy to combine, so they placed the largest dish, the stewed pork knuckle, in the middle. The other dishes were arranged around it, ensuring that no matter where you sat, you could reach the dish you wanted.

While the women were serving the dishes, Old Man Zhao went to the room and brought out the wine jug.

"Come on, come on, don't just stand there. Find yourselves seats," he urged. Seeing that no one moved, he pressed people down onto stools by their shoulders. "Men who drink, sit here. Those who don't drink, go over to the women's side. Children, sit over there—don't crowd this side."

He placed the wine jug on the table. As the elder, the oldest, and the host, once he took charge, everyone followed his arrangement. Not a single man refused wine—they all wanted to drink. The women's seats were right next to the children's. Since there was no suitable fruit wine for the women to enjoy, they, like the children, focused solely on eating the dishes, rice, and meat.

Zhao Xiaobao didn't need her father to guide her. She claimed a corner seat and pulled Xiaohua and the others to sit with her. Though she hadn't attended many feasts, she was quite experienced—stay away from the drinking men, and don't sit where dishes are being served, as all the passing back and forth is annoying. The best spot is a corner, especially if your favorite dish happens to be placed right in front of you.

"We've already eaten a lot of ribs, so we should stay away from them now," she whispered, leaning close to Huaihua and the others. "We're near the pig's feet here—we'll gnaw on those later."

Huaihua looked at her with admiration. "Little Aunt, you're so smart."

"Of course," Zhao Xiaobao said proudly, lifting her chin, then quickly reassured them, "It's okay, you'll get smart too. We'll all be equally smart."

"Mhm, mhm," the little girls nodded eagerly.

When Wang Shi and the others brought out the final dish—the pig's head meat, still steaming hot—Zhao Xiaobao wriggled excitedly in her seat, knowing the feast was about to begin.

Sure enough, once everyone was seated, Old Man Zhao, as the head of the household, stood up to speak. "Well, we're all family here, so I won't go through the formalities. Just one thing—don't be shy, eat to your heart's content."

"What's there to be shy about? If we were shy, we wouldn't have come," Li Dahe said with a laugh, urging him, "Hurry up and pour the wine!"

"Exactly, exactly! My hand holding the chopsticks is getting sore!"

"Let's get started, let's get started!"

The men whooped and hollered, unable to resist the aroma of the wine and that braised pork knuckle. Goodness, who knew Sister-in-law and the others had such skills? Da Shan had kept it well hidden!

"Alright, then let's get started!" Old Man Zhao laughed and scolded them for being so eager for the wine. He picked up the wine jug—no more talking, just pour the wine first.

The men were completely focused on the wine, while the women were captivated by the table full of delicious dishes. As soon as Wang Shi picked up her chopsticks, everyone else could no longer hold back and reached for the dishes they had been eyeing.

The first to be attacked was naturally the highly anticipated pork knuckle. Even Zhao Xiaobao stretched out her hand to reach for it, but when she couldn't, she cried out anxiously to her mother, "Xiaobao wants some pork knuckle, Mom, give Xiaobao a little bit."

Before Wang Shi could move, Lv Xiuhong, who was closer, took her bowl and served her a small half-bowl, including skin, meat, and sauce. "I'll give you more after you finish this."

"Thank you, Sister Lv." Ever since her mother started calling Luo Bo Niang by her name, she had also changed how she addressed her. She used to call her Aunt Li, but now it was Sister Lv. If you didn't listen carefully, you might not even notice the difference.

Seeing Da Xiao Luo Bo and Xiao Wu crowded together, and Xiao Luo Bo also trying but failing to reach the pork knuckle, she quickly called out, "Xiao Wu, give Xiao Luo Bo some pork knuckle."

"Oh." Zhao Xiaowu quickly put down the pig's foot he had been gnawing on, took Xiao Luo Bo's bowl, stood up, and served him two pieces, also giving Da Luo Bo two chopstickfuls while he was at it.

"Little Aunt Xiaobao, it's so delicious." Huaihua was practically intoxicated by the aroma—every single dish was delicious. She felt incredibly happy; she really loved attending feasts!

Zhao Xiaobao nodded eagerly, the pork knuckle was absolutely divine, the skin so sticky and glutinous it clung to her teeth: "Huaihua, try the pork knuckle, it's the best."

"Okay, Little Aunt." Her obedient niece Huaihua (from outside the Zhao family) quickly stood up and picked up a piece of pork knuckle. One bite and her taste buds seemed to explode—holy cow, she needed more!

Over there, the men were drinking; over here, they were eating meat. The clinking of bowls and chopsticks was crisp and pleasant.

After finishing his own dog food, Xiao Heizi began wandering around the tables. Sensing her nephew Xiao Heizi's tail brushing against her leg, Zhao Xiaobao pretended to accidentally drop the half-eaten pig's trotter she was holding. Xiao Heizi, quick as a flash, snatched it up with his mouth and trotted leisurely back to his doghouse.

After the first wave of eating, everyone gradually slowed down.

The men started playing drinking games, their loud voices sounding almost like arguments. The women gathered in small groups, chatting about everyday life, their children, and their maternal families—there was no end to the conversation.

The children ate and played at the same time, carrying their bowls as they dashed around the yard, teasing chickens and dogs, laughing and giggling with delight.

Leftover food and wine fumes filled the air—such carefree, leisurely days were few and far between in farm life.