Chapter 204: New Year’s Eve
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Su Ying opened the courtyard gate after she had verified who the visitors were.
It was Meng Zi’s family.
“Uncle Meng, Aunt Tian, you’re here. Come in first.”
Tian Niu was carrying some things and walked in with Meng Zi. “Sorry to bother you, Madam Su. This is a small New Year gift. There aren’t many items. Madam Su, we hope you don’t mind.”
Su Ying didn’t refuse, and after accepting the gift, she invited the two into the house.
“Why isn’t Meng Jiang here?”
“We didn’t let him come over because it’s not convenient for him to move his legs. We don’t want to cause trouble for everyone. We’ve already prepared food for him. He can eat by himself at home tonight.”
Naturally, the couple could not bear to leave their son alone at home for the holiday, so they prepared a meal at noon. The family had already eaten a good meal in the afternoon.
“Gosh, this is really…Who would leave their son alone at home to celebrate the festival? Hurry up and pull a cart to bring him here. It’ll be more lively if we have everyone eating together,” Aunt Zhao walked into the house and said disapprovingly when she heard Tian Niu’s words.
“Madam, there’s really no need. Don’t worry about him.”
Aunt Zhao did not say anything more when the couple insisted. She only said that she would keep some food for them to bring back for Meng Jiang later.
“Madam Su, open the gate. It’s me.”
Just as Su Ying was about to sit down, she heard Qiao Yang’s shout from outside the courtyard. She had no choice but to go out and open the gate.
As soon as the courtyard gate was opened, Qiao Yang’s idiotic smile came into view. “Madam Su, I’m here. I’ve brought you some snacks. The chefs of our Tiger Base made them. They are not bad. Here, take them.”
Qiao Yang shoved the things in his hands onto Su Ying’s arms.
Tiger Might really couldn’t bear to look at his stupid younger brother. He kicked his butt and said, “Hurry up and bring everything in. Why are you standing here blocking the gate?”
“Gosh, Big Brother! Why did you kick me!” Qiao Yang glared at Tiger Might with annoyance. He did it in front of Madam Su furthermore. Qiao Yang had to maintain his dignity!
“Thank you. It’s cold outside. Come inside and have a seat.”
“Sorry for bothering you.”
Tiger Might even brought a large jar of wine over.
Just as Su Ying was about to close the gate, Long Ba also arrived. With that, all the guests for the night were present.
There were many people tonight, and it was cold outside. Number One and the rest ate in their own quarters separate from Su Ying’s group. The dishes prepared were all the same.
“Quick! Make way quickly! Let us serve the dishes.”
Bai Shuang and the others carried the dishes into the hall. Immediately, the house was filled with the fragrance of the dishes.
Qiao Yang’s appetite was piqued by the smell. “These dishes smell so good. Uncle Ilea and Uncle Murong’s cooking skills are really amazing.”
In the middle of the table were a bowl of chicken soup and two deep-fried fish with sweet and sour sauce. The guests were salivating madly when they smelled the aroma.
The two chefs could not bear to slaughter too many livestock, so they made fancy beef stew, braised beef tendons, and even beef dumplings. They only started loading the ingredients into the pots after noon time. They also made a large pot of stir-fried beef steak, beef offal soup, and two roasted rabbits…
The large table was filled with dishes. Everyone smelled the fragrance and could not sit still. As there were too many people, they set up two tables. The women sat at one table and the men sat at the other.
Su Ying was very satisfied with this arrangement. Bai Shuang and the others had small appetites, so she could eat more if she sat with them!
“Come, come, come. Sit down, everyone. Let’s eat and drink. Don’t stand on ceremony.”
Su Ying plonked herself on the chair and didn’t want to stand up again. She first picked some food for the children, then she began eating eagerly. She picked up a piece of roasted rabbit meat and bit into it. It was crispy and had a strong flavor of the sauce. She didn’t know what Uncle Hea used to marinate it. How did he get it to be so fragrant?
It was so delicious that Su Ying almost wanted to swallow her own tongue.
The two chefs also took care of the children’s tastes and specially made beef meatballs for them. They chopped the beef into minced meat and squeezed it into balls before putting them into the pot of oil. The resulting fried meatballs were then steamed over a low fire. They were fragrant and soft. The few children finished the entire plate of meatballs.
Everyone thought that they should chat while eating, but surprisingly, because the food was so delicious, everyone only cared about eating the entire time. Only when she was full did Su Ying hold up a bowl and took a sip of the soup. It was a perfect end to tonight’s New Year’s Eve dinner.
“Big Brother Hea and Big Brother Murong’s culinary skills are really extraordinary. Look at me. My mouth can’t even stop eating.” Meng Zi put down his bowl somewhat reluctantly. He could no longer remember how many years it had been since he had eaten such delicious food.
“That’s right. It’s delicious. It’s really delicious.” Long Ba also ate until his mouth was full of grease. He was already stuffed until the food was almost overflowing into his throat, but he still could not bear to put down his chopsticks.
The two head chefs listened to everyone’s praise and satisfied smiles swept over their faces. As chefs, they were happiest when they heard everyone’s affirmation of their culinary skills.
“If you guys like it, you can come here often,” Hea Shouyi said with a smile. “It’s just a matter of adding more chopsticks.”
Long Ba wiped his mouth. “Brother Hea, you are the one who invited me. I,
Long Ba, am thick-skinned. I won’t stand on ceremony with you.”
“No problem.”
“Come, let’s fill our cups. Let’s drink to our hearts’ content today.” Qiao Yang carried the wine jar and poured wine for everyone bowl by bowl.
“Xiao Jin, I’ll toast you.” Qiao Yang came up to Xiao Jin with a bowl of wine and a look of provocation on his face. His ability to hold his liquor was famous in the Tiger Base. He couldn’t beat Xiao Jin in martial arts, but he could always drink against this rascal until he collapsed!
Xiao Jin’s dark eyes glanced at Qiao Yang indifferently. Following that, he picked up the wine bowl on the table and emptied it in one gulp.
When Qiao Yang saw that his expression did not change, he was unwilling to concede. After gulping down the wine in his own bowl, Qiao Yang poured more wine for Xiao Jin and himself.
“I will toast you again!” Before he had finished speaking, Qiao Yang had already drunk his wine.
Xiao Jin also drank the wine without any expression.
Qiao Yang’s fighting spirit was ignited and he refilled their bowls with wine.
Tiger Might glanced at his stupid younger brother speechlessly. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that he was no match for Xiao Jin. If he continued drinking, he would collapse before Xiao Jin.
However, it was New Year’s Eve today, and everyone was happy. He couldn’t be bothered to waste his energy to teach the brat a lesson. He would just let him act like an idiot.
After the womenfolk at Su Ying’s table had their fill, Aunt Zhao and the others cleared the tables and brought out the snacks and fruits.
There were no fresh fruits but they had wild fruits that had been picked from the mountains and preserved in pickling sauce. They tasted a little salty and sweet.
Due to Su Ying’s efforts in integration, everyone in the Tiger Base was immersed in the festive mood of the New Year’s Eve dinner this year. Even the most destitute family in the past had charcoal braziers in their homes this year, and there was a bit of meat on the table.
Just as everyone was immersed in the joyous atmosphere, there was a sudden urgent knocking on the gate in the courtyard.
Su Ying happened to be standing at the door, so she walked out to open the gate.
“Who is it?”
“Mistress, Mistress, open the door. It’s me, Number Eight.”
Su Ying opened the courtyard gate and saw Number Eight standing outside, covered in blood and panting heavily.
Su Ying’s eyes darkened.. “What happened?”
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