He Ximei was cooking in the kitchen, Su Peng tending the fire, and Su Xiaofeng was outside greeting the guests, occasionally coming into the kitchen to lend a hand.
In the main hall outside, Su Xiaofeng poured tea for three people.
The kitchen had wooden windows, half covered with oiled paper, half uncovered, allowing the smoke and the aroma of meat to drift outside.
Every household, smelling the meaty fragrance, knew that Old Su Guaizi was hosting a dinner tonight. They swallowed saliva and, looking at their own dishes lacking oil, gobbled up their meals.
After feeding the pigs, Ma Donghua returned home, smelled the meaty aroma from her elder brother’s place, and scoffed, "This elder brother of ours just doesn’t know how to live properly. The mine just lost fifteen hundred, yet they act as if they have ten thousand, imitating others by eating big chunks of meat as if they’ve never seen money before."
"Been poor all our lives, this must be the first time they’ve seen so much money," Su Zongming snapped his cigarette, "I’ll go to his place and see, and ask if they still want the land. If they do, they better bring the money soon."
"Exactly, they even talk about building a house. When they have money they squander it so freely, and the house won’t be built before the money’s gone," Su Guisheng threw down his chopsticks, "I’ll go with Dad to check on the elder brother’s house."
Su Zongming walked ahead, Su Guisheng behind; perhaps it was too dark at night, Su Guisheng didn’t see the moss on the ground, stepped on it, and fell head over heels.
"Look at this bad luck, can even take a fall just walking around at night," Su Zongming confirmed that Su Guisheng wasn’t injured, and spat on the ground.
"Dad, it must be because Xiaofeng messed up the etiquette, that’s why my luck is affected," Su Guisheng blamed his fall entirely on Xiaofeng.
"That’s why Xiaofeng must get married. If she doesn’t, we definitely need to receive the betrothal gifts. How can someone fall over just like that, what does that mean?" Su Zongming snorted coldly.
Being pregnant without being wed could ruin the family’s feng shui. If she refuses to marry and doesn’t provide the betrothal gifts, Su Xiaofeng’s pregnancy will be stuck with issues.
In the past, Old Su Guaizi’s family had already begun their meal.
Master Liu enjoyed He Ximei’s braised pork, very contented, his mouth greasy. As he ate, he asked Xiaofeng, "Did you study how to stop bleeding before?"
Her blood-stopping skills that day were quite professional, not seeming amateurish, "I read a book on emergency techniques in high school. My memory’s good, I never thought it’d actually come in handy at a critical moment." These were learned in a past life, not recently.
If there’s something you don’t know, tossing it to a book is always right.
Wu Ershun also ate with a mouth greasy from fat, "Auntie, your braised pork is tastier than what my aunt makes. I’ve realized that stuff at your own home is never as good as others’."
"That’s just your gluttony talking," Master Liu glanced at him.
Wu Ershun chuckled, whatever Master Liu said was right. As long as he could keep enjoying Master Liu’s meals, Master Liu might as well be his own grandfather.
"Oh, Guaizi, some guests have arrived at your home," Su Zongming stepped through the doorway, "Isn’t this Doctor Ye and his son?"
Master Liu didn’t look up; nothing was more important than eating.
Ye Cheng also didn’t look up; usually, besides patients, he didn’t spare a glance.
Wu Ershun looked up, swallowed a piece of braised pork, smiled at the newcomers, and continued to fight his battle with the food.
Su Xiaofeng and He Ximei looked at the visitors, unmoving. Old Su Guaizi, seeing the visitors, stood up to greet them: "Yes, today Doctor Ye gave me a lift to town, and I’m hosting dinner for them tonight. Uncle, have you eaten? Join us."
"I smelled the meat and figured you had guests over, so I came to see," Su Zongming unapologetically took Old Su Guaizi’s seat, "Xiaofeng, go get two more bowls. I have something to discuss with your dad, we might as well eat here."
Looking at the table full of dishes, thinking about how much money that must’ve cost, this fat lady really doesn’t know how to manage a household. It’s just hosting guests, yet she cooks a whole table of dishes, might as well be burning money.