HCB Chapter 47 Moving to a New House
Chapter 47 Moving to a New House
Without time to think too much, Song Jiaojiao had no choice but to bite the bullet and pay everyone's money according to the records kept by Sister Meihua. By the time everyone had settled their accounts, Song Jiaojiao was so hungry that she didn't know which way was up.
Seeing that Song Jiaojiao looked like she was about to starve, Xu Fang quickly brought out the warm food for her.
Song Jiaojiao's eyes lit up at the sight of the rice, and she couldn't care about anything else, only wanting to fill her stomach. After finishing the meal, she felt alive again. Looking at the sweet potatoes harvested in the yard, there were more than twice as many as yesterday. She figured it would only take a couple of days, since each household didn't grow many sweet potatoes, and sweet potatoes couldn't be used to offset taxes. They usually grew some mixed with coarse grains to make ends meet until next autumn's harvest.
I'm moving the day after tomorrow, so this place will be free. It'll be perfect for setting up a workshop. We'll cook at the new house and use this place to make sweet potato noodles.
We still need to recruit a few more people. I'll go ask Aunt Li later if she has any suitable people to recommend.
Time flew by, and the day for Song Jiaojiao to move arrived quickly. Just as dawn broke, the courtyard was already bustling with activity. Aunt Li and a group of other women had arrived early to help.
Song Jiaojiao prepared the ingredients the day before and is now braising them in a pot. The villagers who haven't gotten close yet have already smelled the aroma.
When villagers give gifts, they usually bring food they have at home. You bring some side dishes, I bring eggs. The gifts aren't expensive; what matters is the sentiment.
Those who came to congratulate Song Jiaojiao on moving to her new home were either close friends of hers or people who had been selling sweet potatoes in the past two days. Apart from the Wang family's old house, most other families would send two or three people at most, but her family came in droves, bringing only two or three catties of sweet potatoes as a gift.
"That old woman Wang and her family are really stingy. Didn't they say they made a fortune recently? They only brought this little bit of stuff, and they still have the nerve to send their whole family here."
"Oh dear, they're just taking advantage of the fact that she's their daughter-in-law."
"What kind of daughter-in-law is she? How can she treat her own granddaughter like this? It's not like she can't afford to eat. She actually wants to sell her own granddaughter, leaving Song Jiaojiao with no choice but to sever ties with her."
The village auntie spoke angrily, afraid that the woman she was chatting with wouldn't know the reason behind it.
"Oh, is that so? That's why I came here. I really didn't know. Song Jiaojiao is really unlucky to have married into this family."
"That's right, the whole village has heard about it. That Bai's daughter-in-law just doesn't appreciate it."
"Who can argue with that? That's why a bride price is still necessary."
The woman thought of her younger sister, who was about to be engaged, and decided she should give her a good talking-to.
......
Song Jiaojiao couldn't hear the discussions in the courtyard; she was so busy and sweating profusely that she wished she had three heads and six arms.
Thinking about preparing a feast, she figured she'd need at least seven or eight dishes. The braised dishes included large intestines and pig's stomach, and there was also the pig's head Wang Hefan had brought back yesterday—Song Jiaojiao decided to cook it all in one pot. She rendered the lard and used the cracklings to make a soup, used the rendered oil to fry radish balls, and stir-fried the cleaned kidneys with kimchi—delicious and perfect with rice.
The aunties steamed the buns early in the morning, and Song Jiaojiao, worried it wouldn't be enough, also cooked a lot of coarse grain rice, adding all the remaining taro. She also made a stir-fry of green peppers and pork, and finally stir-fried two vegetarian dishes. The lunch feast was now all set.
Seeing that the kitchen was almost done and that it was almost time, Song Jiaojiao asked Wang Hefan to go out and light the firecrackers so that they could start eating.
When the food was served, the villagers were stunned. It was even better than what they ate during the Spring Festival, making the villagers of Qingshui Village, who rarely saw oily food, drool.
As soon as the firecrackers stopped, everyone started eating. Except for the table at the Wang family's old house, where there were many people, each family sat at their own table. Before the dishes were even put down, they were all devoured, as if they hadn't eaten in eight lifetimes.
While other tables were still slowly eating, their table was left with only empty bowls. If they hadn't been so full, they probably would have shamelessly tried to eat at other tables.
Good food is incomplete without good wine. Since Song Jiaojiao's wine was freshly brewed a while ago, we generously brought it all out so the village chief and the others could drink to their hearts' content.
In this situation, there should have been someone in charge to take charge, but unfortunately, Song Jiaojiao's family had no pillar of support, so Wang Hefan, who was not yet an adult, had to take charge. Song Jiaojiao only came out to express her gratitude a few times before returning to the kitchen to sit with her aunts.
"Come on, Jiaojiao, we've been waiting for you." Aunt Lin patted the empty seat next to her and pulled Song Jiaojiao to sit down.
"Oh dear, aunties, start eating! Don't wait for me. You've all been busy all morning. I don't know what I would have done without you all," Song Jiaojiao said gratefully to everyone.
"Don't mention it, it's just a small favor," Aunt Li said with a smile. "No need for thanks, just eat. And if anything good happens in the future, just remember to let us know."
The group finished their delicious meal amidst laughter and chatter, and before they could even rest properly, they got busy again.
Most of the villagers had finished their meal and said goodbye to Song Jiaojiao, leaving only two tables of men still drinking, seemingly ready to fight to the death.
"This wine is truly excellent. Although it's not very strong, it has a rich fruity aroma. It could probably fetch a good price if sold," the village chief remarked, gazing at the purplish-red wine in his bowl.
"That's right. If it weren't for Wang Chi's wife, how could I have ever tasted such delicious wine in my life?" Third Uncle said with a hearty laugh, and all the men echoed his sentiments.
Aunt Lin, who was washing dishes nearby, overheard this and said to Song Jiaojiao, "Look, your Uncle Wang and your great-uncle are both praising your wine."
Song Jiaojiao looked at the village chief and the others, whose faces were flushed from drinking. "It's nothing special, just fruit picked in the mountains. We picked a lot and couldn't keep it for long, so we thought of soaking it in alcohol. We didn't expect it to be so effective."
"How did you come up with such a brilliant idea? So many fruits rot in the mountains every year, and no one has ever thought of such a good solution," Aunt Lin praised Song Jiaojiao as she washed the dishes.
"Perhaps it's because I injured my head last time, but it reminded me of some things."
Aunt Lin still felt resentful thinking about how Song Jiaojiao had been pushed and injured by a slave trader to prevent her two girls from being sold.
"Hey, that's all in the past. Look, your house has been repaired, and you even have a carriage now. Things will only get better from here on out."
"Yes, yes, we will all get better and better." Song Jiaojiao said with a playful smile, following Aunt Lin's words.
However, there are always people who can't stand seeing others doing better than themselves. So, the Wang family had finished eating early, and after most of the villagers had left, leaving only the people building Song Jiaojiao's house and the respected elders of the village, Granny Wang began to speak.
“Youngest daughter-in-law, look at the room I’m moving into. I just took a look, and it’s the master bedroom. It’s spacious and bright, just right for me.”
As soon as Granny Wang finished speaking, everyone present was stunned by her shamelessness.
What did she say? What does the house that Song Jiaojiao built have to do with her? How can there be such a shameless person?