The mother-in-law, Li Xiufen, shouted, directing the aunties and sisters-in-law who came to help, making them run around.
"Chop the duck into small pieces. It's late afternoon today, and with adults and children, there will be about three tables of people. With just one duck, everyone should get at least one piece!"
"Two carp for three tables isn't enough? Then chop them into pieces, add more tofu cubes, and stew it into fish and tofu soup. A large basin on each table will look good too."
"Cut open the fatty pork! Render the fat into oil, and shred the lean meat. Stir-fry one portion with green beans, and another with chili shreds."
"I already deboned the pig's head at noon. Marinate the pig's ears for a cold dish, stir-fry the pig's tongue with green and red peppers, and stew the rest with old tofu. One plate per table."
"Why are we making vegetable buns? Today is an auspicious day for my son and daughter-in-law. Let's be extravagant for once and have white flour steamed buns directly..."
The women in the room all laughed and scolded Li Xiufen, "You're even having white flour steamed buns, and you're worried about next month?"
Li Xiufen said proudly, "Next month my Miaomiao will start working and earn 32.5 yuan a month, plus grain coupons, oil coupons, meat coupons, and sugar coupons... Didn't I say my daughter-in-law is capable?"
However, everyone was clearly more concerned about Gu Chunmiao being kicked out of the military compound.
Someone nudged Li Xiufen's arm, "Xiufen, tell us the truth, did your in-laws, the Old Gu family, really not give Chunmiao any subsidies?"
"Yes, even if she was switched at birth, they at least raised her by their side for over twenty years. The person might be fake, but the feelings aren't, right? You say she was a young lady of the military compound, she probably never even saw what a vegetable bun looked like before, eating white rice and big meat buns every meal. Now she's been sent down to our production team to eat chaff and vegetables. Aren't her adoptive parents worried at all?"
Gu Chunmiao, who was peeling peanuts, paused and listened carefully to her mother-in-law's answer.
She thought Li Xiufen would scold her adoptive parents fiercely, just like she had "dealt with" Station Chief Zhu at the commune before.
But she didn't.
Li Xiufen sighed, "Even if they gave us something, we couldn't accept it~ I support Miaomiao. From now on, we can't accept anything from the Gu family!"
"If we accept it, then in the future, Miaomiao will never be able to hold her head up in front of the real one..."
"Besides, Commander Gu and his wife aren't having an easy time either. You know they went to support the border region, but then there was an earthquake, and their biological daughter was switched at birth and suffered in the countryside for over ten years. If it were you, wouldn't you feel heartache?"
The crowd nodded repeatedly, "That's true. After all, she's their biological child, how could they not feel heartache?"
"It's just hard on your Miaomiao. Her adoptive parents favor their biological child, and she hasn't even found her own biological parents... What a sin!"
Li Xiufen laughed heartily, "What are you afraid of? Miaomiao has now joined the commune's Agricultural Technology Station, and my Zhanjun has become a Deputy Battalion Commander. As long as the couple is ambitious, a good life still awaits them!"
The neighbors who had been comforting Li Xiufen suddenly felt like they were the clowns.
That's right~ Even if Gu Chunmiao was kicked out of the military compound and fell on hard times, she's still a formal worker, and her husband is already a Deputy Battalion Commander at such a young age. Both of them earn a salary, so what hardship are they facing?
It's them who are truly suffering!
No, I must eat two more white flour steamed buns today!
In the courtyard, hearing her mother-in-law's words, Gu Chunmiao smiled, lowered her head, and continued to peel peanuts diligently.
In the evening, when the guests had all arrived, Gu Chunmiao brought out two handfuls of shrimp crisps. She gave each woman and child two shrimp crisps, and she immediately became the most popular person in the courtyard.
Shrimp crisps were considered "high-end candy" at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. They were rarely eaten even during the New Year. The children were reluctant to eat them in large bites, peeling back half the candy wrapper and nibbling on them bit by bit.
The women were also reluctant to eat them and put them in their pockets, knowing they were surely saving them for their children.
Li Xiufen beamed with smiles when she heard others praising her daughter-in-law for being generous, and she busied herself inviting everyone to sit down and eat.
In the courtyard, three large dining tables were arranged in a "品" shape in the center. Each table had a bottle of sorghum liquor, two packs of "Baihua Brand" cigarettes, a small plate of orange hard candies, a plate of fried peanuts, and a plate of sunflower seeds.
He Zhanjun carried a thermos flask, and Gu Chunmiao held a bag of tea leaves, serving tea to the guests one by one.
"Serving the dishes~~~"
With a shout, three aunties holding red lacquered plates brought steaming hot dishes and served them to the tables one by one.
In those days, rural banquets didn't focus on presentation; the main emphasis was on "affordability." Each table was first served a large basin of stewed dish.
The main ingredient of the stewed dish was pig's head meat, with fried tofu, gluten, sweet potato noodles, Chinese cabbage, and potatoes added. Li Xiufen also added her own sun-dried daylilies. It was stewed until it was oily and looked very appetizing.
There were two cold dishes: one was cold pig's ears mixed with shredded carrots and shredded seaweed. The pig's ears were finely sliced to ensure everyone got a piece of pig's ear meat.
There was also a plate of cold preserved eggs. This dish was a local favorite. Each preserved egg was cut into 4 pieces, strictly divided by headcount, with each person only getting a small piece.
Additionally, each table had a basin of carp stewed with tofu, a basin of potatoes and duck, a plate of green beans stir-fried with shredded meat, a plate of chili stir-fried with shredded meat, a plate of duck eggs stir-fried with chives, and a plate of stir-fried gourds.
Finally, each table was served a basin of white flour steamed buns, making a total of ten dishes, symbolizing "perfection."
To prepare these few tables for the banquet, Li Xiufen took out all the "stock" she had at home.
However, she wasn't worried at all. Just a moment ago, when she went into the room to change her clothes, her daughter-in-law secretly stuffed another roll of grain coupons and a roll of one and two yuan bills into her hand. She estimated that the roll of money was at least thirty to forty yuan. At the grain store, Fuqiang flour was two mao per jin, and local coarse flour was one mao five per jin. With so much money, their family could eat white flour steamed buns every meal next month and still afford it.
With money in hand, Li Xiufen felt more confident.
"Don't be polite, everyone. Today is an auspicious day for my son and daughter-in-law. As their mother, I'm treating the two children to this banquet. Eat and drink well, everyone!"
"But I'll say this upfront: after drinking my wine and eating my white flour steamed buns, you'll have to look after my Miaomiao more in the future for any important matters."
Saying this, Li Xiufen skillfully lifted her apron, wiped away her tears, and began to play the victim:
"My poor old man passed away early. We were a widow and orphans, and we suffered so much over the years."
"Now that Zhanjun has finally gotten married, he's away at the military unit all year round and doesn't come home, leaving my daughter-in-law and me alone in our hometown, relying on each other. It's so hard!!"
Station Chief Zhu, sitting at the main table, silently wiped the shoe print off his forehead.
He had a feeling that Aunt Li's words were aimed at him.
The others remained silent, likely rolling their eyes internally.
Li Xiufen being bullied in the village? Having a hard life?
It's truly a hard life for anyone who provokes her!
Who didn't know that there were two women in their Jiudao Slope who couldn't be provoked?
One was Li Xiufen herself.
The other was Li Xiufen's maternal cousin, Li Xiulan.
The truly unlucky one should be that girl Gu Chunmiao, right?
Before, she was the young lady of a leader's family in Beijing City, living in the military compound, and didn't have to stay in her hometown to serve her mother-in-law.
Now, the leader's daughter has become a false young lady and has been kicked out by her adoptive parents. In the future, living in her hometown with such a formidable mother-in-law like Li Xiufen, who knows how much hardship she'll endure.
The sisters-in-law who had wicked mothers-in-law at home all looked at Gu Chunmiao with sympathy.
Unexpectedly, in the next second, they were proven wrong.
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