Translator: 549690339
The dishes may be few in number, with only four, but each one is an indisputably meat dish!
Even before anyone started using their chopsticks, everyone was already swallowing saliva in tacit agreement.
Usually, even during the New Year, they had never seen so much meat!
“Yangyang, you really didn’t have to be this considerate!”
“Exactly, you two are being too polite.”
Ni Yang chuckled and said, “My mother and I owe much gratitude to everyone for their care and assistance during our time since moving to Jinghua Village. I raise this cup of tea in place of wine to express my thanks to everyone.”
At that, Ni Yang picked up her tea cup from the table, drained it in one gulp, showing a touch of the demeanor of a heroine from ancient times.
If this young girl were a boy, she would surely do great things in the future! Such a shame she’s a girl.
The older generation observed Ni Yang, a sense of regret evident in their eyes.
The bias favoring boys over girls was deep-seated in their hearts. In their minds, girls simply couldn’t accomplish anything great. Even if there were ten girls, they still wouldn’t be equal to one boy.
In China, there’s a saying that goes, ‘A married daughter is like spilled water.’ Boys can carry on the family line. A family without a boy would be known as ‘a family ending its line.’
At this time, even in Jinghua Village, there were still numerous cases of newborn girls being abandoned.
Girls had never been treated fairly or equitably.
What Ni Yang intended to do was subvert the weak status that girls held in people’s hearts.
To let people know that girls today can also hold up their own patch of sky!
An elder with considerable respect in the village stood up and said,
“Yangyang, your words are too polite. We should be the ones thanking you and your mother. You two have done us many favors in our daily lives! Moreover, since you moved to Jinghua Village, it shows that we are destined to be connected. Henceforth we are all part of Jinghua Village.”
“Old Cheng is correct. You and your mother are part of Jinghua Village.”
“We’re all from the same village, let’s not talk as if we’re from two different ones.”
Ni Chengui had been married into Jinghua Village for over 20 years, and this was the first time she realized that the villagers of Jinghua could be so united and welcoming.
Previously, everyone seemed to be busy with their own things, and, except for funerals and weddings where they would gather, there were hardly opportunities to gather together. The relationship among neighbors was not as harmonious as it is now.
Moreover, they were not easily accepting of outsiders.
Outsiders also found it hard to integrate into the locals’ way of life.
The main reason why Ni Cuihua and her daughter were so easily accepted by the villagers was because Ni Yang knew how to interact with people, was generous with money, and knew how to win people’s hearts.
It was hard to imagine that Ni Yang, a seventeen-year-old girl, could have such ability.
Whether it was her business acumen or her interpersonal skills, she outperformed most adults.
At the same time, Ni Chengui knew well that Jinghua Village, a place so small, could not contain Ni Yang.
This girl would one day dazzle everyone!
If Ni Yang had been born in the Warring States period, she could easily have been a female general or an Empress.
Although China has a history of favoring males over females, over the past five thousand years, there have been women who became queens and government officials.
To avoid any possible suspicion, men and women sat separately during the meal.
There were five tables for men, five for women, and some children eating at smaller tables by the side.
Throughout the meal, there were exclamations of delight.
“This fish is too delicious!”
“And this Braised Pork is excellent!”
“Is this chicken grilled?”
These simple villagers had never eaten such delicious foods in their lives.
Normally, if they bought meat, they simply cooked it haphazardly. None could match the exquisite dishes made by Ni Yang. In the majority of households, the only cooking ingredients were oil and salt. Some couldn’t even afford to use oil.
Ni Yang also made Sour Plum Soup, so while the men were drinking alcohol, the women were drinking Sour Plum Soup.
Most of the women were trying this novel drink for the first time. They all questioned Ni Yang on how to prepare it.
Ni Yang didn’t withhold the knowledge, she directly shared the recipe to prepare Sour Plum Soup.
Since the Sour Plum Soup wasn’t an original creation of hers, she didn’t claim it as her own.
Some of the more thoughtful women noted down the recipe, planning to prepare it for their children to drink. They could also serve it to relatives and friends when they visited during the New Year festivities. This would not only be economical but also prestigious.