Although Jiang Yue's arrival dampened the mood, it did not diminish the Jiang family's enthusiasm for having meat with dinner that evening!
Where had the meat come from?
Hadn't Jiang Shouhai and his brothers gone into the mountains to gather firewood today?
They had been lucky and returned with an exceptionally plump wild pheasant, along with a nest containing more than a dozen pheasant eggs.
Zhou Guiyun waved her hand grandly. They would eat everything, without leaving a single one behind!
They really were being generous this time.
The daughters-in-law, Zhao Aiying, Zhao Aifeng, Sun Zhirou, and the others, were all delighted. They smiled and praised their mother-in-law, saying, “Mother saw how hard we worked during the autumn harvest, so she’s giving us all some nourishment!”
And they were not wrong; that was indeed Zhou Guiyun’s intention.
After an entire autumn harvest, who would not be exhausted?
Although her daughter was generous and often brought meat home to make braised meat for the whole family, everyone was still tired.
Since this meat had been obtained from the mountains for free, there was no need to save it. They might as well eat it!
After the water was boiled, the sisters-in-law swiftly plucked the wild pheasant, while Jiang Qian happily cooked with her mother in the kitchen.
During the busy farming season, although Jiang Qian could not do farm work, she handled everything at home.
She prepared delicious food for the entire extended family, changing up the dishes in all sorts of ways.
No one knew how she did it, but every dish she prepared was exceptionally delicious.
Zhou Guiyun was especially pleased with this, because she felt that her daughter was very much like her.
Back when the village relied on communal cooking, Zhou Guiyun had been one of the cooks!
Whoever ate the food she prepared did not praise it?
Cooking really was an innate talent. Jiang Qian had been born knowing how to cook; otherwise, how could she have become a food blogger with a million followers after only one year?
It was not just a matter of management; genuine skill was necessary as well.
Because of her excellent cooking, whenever the family planned to eat meat or drink stewed bone broth, Jiang Qian would come over to help.
Officially, she said she wanted to learn a thing or two properly from her mother.
Zhou Guiyun was coaxed into beaming with delight.
The wild pheasant was not particularly large, weighing only around two pounds, and Jiang Qian used it to make a stew with wood ear mushrooms.
There were also plenty of dried mushrooms and dried wood ear mushrooms at home, all preserved during the summer.
While the water was being boiled and the pheasant slaughtered, the wood ear mushrooms had already been soaking in warm water. By the time the pheasant was cleaned, the mushrooms were ready as well.
So they were placed in the pot to stew, making a simple dish of pheasant stewed with wood ear mushrooms.
Zhou Guiyun did not need to lift a finger. She only had to watch her daughter cook. Before long, an overpoweringly delicious aroma spread through the house.
The nephews and nieces could not help taking deep breaths, and even the Auntie from next door came over to ask, “Are you having meat again?”
The sourness in her voice was impossible to conceal.
The Jiang family's circumstances were truly excellent. During the autumn harvest, delicious aromas were always drifting out of their house, supposedly from braised pig offal, pig ears, and the like.
But the autumn harvest was exhausting, so other families in the village who could afford it were also happy to buy some meat in town and bring it home to replenish their strength.
However, the autumn harvest had just ended, and now that there was no more work to do, every family had begun tightening its belt. Yet the aroma of meat was coming from the Jiang family's house again.
Zhou Guiyun was actually a low-key person. She did not like showing off, but her daughter’s cooking was simply too good. Smiling, she said, “The brothers went into the mountains to gather firewood today and happened to catch a wild pheasant. So we stewed it.”
The Auntie next door was even more envious after hearing that. “When it comes to ability, it’s still your sons who are the capable ones!”
Zhou Guiyun also praised the neighbor’s sons, praising whatever she could. In the end, the Auntie next door was smiling broadly, clearly very satisfied.
However, she did not forget to ask Zhou Guiyun whether things had been settled with the Han family.
Zhou Guiyun felt that it was almost certain. She was very satisfied with Han Shiguo, but she always left herself some leeway when speaking, so she merely said that it depended on what the young people thought.
If the young people themselves were satisfied, then there would be no problem.
“Qianqian will definitely be satisfied. She isn’t blind like Jiang Yue, rejecting such an excellent fiancé!” the Auntie next door said.
After what had happened, everyone in the village was saying that Jiang Yue was blind, and that Second Uncle Jiang and Madam Sun were blind too, letting their daughter behave so recklessly!
If the daughter was ignorant, should the parents be ignorant as well?
They had rejected such an impeccable military officer as Han Shiguo. Did they expect her to marry an immortal?
Zhou Guiyun said, “It’s not that she’s blind. They simply weren’t meant to be. Perhaps someone even better is waiting for her.”
After all, Jiang Yue was her niece. Zhou Guiyun could scold and beat her, but she was unwilling to speak ill of her outside the family.
“How could anyone be better than someone from the Han family? I saw him with my own eyes. That bearing of his—oh my, the moment I saw him, I knew he was destined to become a high-ranking official. Your Qianqian is blessed. No wonder the old blind fortune-teller once told her that she was born with a life of comfort and good fortune!”
The Auntie next door’s words struck right at Zhou Guiyun’s heart. Praise for anything else was one thing, but Zhou Guiyun was especially happy whenever someone praised her daughter’s good fortune.
She chatted with the Auntie next door for quite a while, smiling, before finally returning to the house.
Jiang Qian was busy in the kitchen. When she saw her mother enter with a smile, she looked at her with a loving smile as well. Jiang Qian smiled back. “Mother, what is it?”
This was why she had not felt the slightest discomfort after her transmigration. She truly felt unprecedented affection in the Jiang family, and her mother doted on her immensely.
Although her father was not good at expressing himself, he also showed his love for her through his actions.
“I was just thinking that once you get married, I’ll rarely get to eat food cooked by my daughter anymore.” Zhou Guiyun smiled.
Jiang Qian blushed. “Then I won’t get married. I’ll cook for you for the rest of my life, Mother.”
Zhou Guiyun was delighted inside, but she smiled and chided her aloud. “I don’t want that. I hope you quickly find a good man and marry him, then give me several maternal grandsons and granddaughters.”
As mother and daughter chatted and laughed, the pot of pheasant stewed with wood ear mushrooms was ready. Besides that meat dish, Jiang Qian also brought out cucumber salad, followed by tomato and egg-drop soup. They ate cornmeal rice.
“It’s still the younger sister’s cooking that does it. This aroma is incredible!” Eldest Sister-in-law Zhao Aiying praised.
Zhao Aifeng praised it as well. “It’s just a shame we won’t get to eat it many times.” Her teasing tone was exactly like her mother-in-law’s.
Su Zhirou smiled.
Jiang Qian quickly placed a piece of meat in her Second Sister-in-law’s bowl. “Second Sister-in-law, hurry and eat some meat.”
“Are you trying to use meat to seal your Second Sister-in-law’s mouth?” Zhao Aifeng said.
The entire family burst out laughing.
After Jiang Shouhai, Jiang Shoutao, and Jiang Shouwen, the three brothers, returned, they naturally heard about what had happened that day. Hearing that all the neighbors were praising their future brother-in-law, they also decided to take a good look at him tomorrow.
“Eat, eat.” Zhou Guiyun came to Jiang Qian’s rescue.
Under the arrangements of Zhou Guiyun, the mother-in-law, everyone could eat some meat. In her household, there was no situation where the daughters-in-law ate thin gruel while the grandchildren ate thick porridge.
Everything was distributed evenly.
However, if the parents were unwilling to eat and gave their portions of meat to their children, that was beyond her control.
After dinner was finished and everything was cleaned up, the whole family gathered together to talk.
Jiang Qian mentioned that her Third Sister-in-law had gone to the school that day and passed its assessment with ease. “Third Sister-in-law has a strong educational background, and she’s from a major city as well. The school is very satisfied with her. It would be best for Third Sister-in-law to take over the position in the future.”
With those words, Jiang Qian had effectively agreed to the matter with Han Shiguo.
The entire family burst into laughter.
But Jiang Qian had already taken a liking to him, so there was nothing to argue about. Even so, she still had to act a little bashful and ran back to her room.
Zhou Guiyun, reluctant to part with her daughter, exchanged a glance with Jiang Father. Their eyes were filled with smiles and emotion. Their daughter had truly grown up and would not remain at home forever!
They really could not keep this flower of theirs any longer.