Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 261

Before dawn, Zhao Da'e was woken up. She got up with her older cousin Zhou Chunwen and her second cousin Zhou Chunhong.

Today is the 16th of the twelfth lunar month. Originally, the date was set for the 10th of the twelfth lunar month, but the woman said that the fortune teller said the 16th was an auspicious day, so it was changed to the 16th, which is the day my eldest cousin visits the family.

Aunt Cheng Jinxi was unwilling to spend money to hire a chef, so she asked the sisters Zhou Chunwen and Zhou Chunhong to prepare the ingredients and cook, while Zhao Da'e helped out.

It was exceptionally cold in the dead of winter, and Zhao Da'e couldn't help but wrap his cotton-padded coat tighter to keep the cold wind out.

During breakfast, Cheng Jinxi kept nagging, "Today is the day Tianfu visits the family. Everyone, be on your best. This is a major event concerning Tianfu's life, so we can't be careless."

Zhao Da'e listened and nodded, "Don't worry, Auntie, I'll help out. Just call me if you need anything."

Upon hearing Zhao Da'e's words, Cheng Jinxi couldn't help but smile, "Da'e is so sensible. The problem is you can't do anything, all you do is eat..."

Zhao Da'e: ...

That's true. After all, Zhao Da'e is so young, she doesn't get to cook; she's mostly just a cook.

Then Cheng Jinxi glanced at her two daughters. Zhou Chunwen seemed to have listened, and she was at ease with her eldest daughter. However, Zhou Chunhong kept her head down, only focused on the rice in her bowl. Cheng Jinxi was a little annoyed and couldn't help but say, "Eat, eat, eat. What do you only know how to eat? Today marks the start of your elder brother's life in the Xiang family. Be careful and don't embarrass your elder brother."

Upon seeing this, Cheng Jinxi couldn't help but facepalm and exclaimed, "You're already so fat, and you're still eating!"

Zhou Chunhong's face turned bright red with anxiety: "I...I...I..."

When she got anxious, she became even less able to speak.

Zhao Da'e laughed and said, "Auntie, you don't understand. This is called being able to eat is a blessing!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present burst into laughter.

Zhou Tianfu, standing beside her, couldn't help but say nervously, "Mom, why did the Xiang family's wedding come so quickly? I wasn't prepared at all. And you haven't even met the girl yet... I heard Ma Huaihua is plump and quite pretty." As he spoke, Zhou Tianfu's face turned slightly red.

After all, in this era, arranged marriages are the norm, and Zhou Tianfu had never been in a relationship. He'd never even held a girl's hand before, and now he was going through all this haphazard matchmaking, and then marriage. He felt a little embarrassed.

Seeing this, Zhou Chunwen teased, "Oh, big brother, you're blushing. Are you eager to see your sister-in-law?"

Zhou Tianfu's face flushed red instantly. He said, "Stop talking. We haven't even met yet, what sister-in-law are you talking about?"

But Zhou Tianfu not only blushed, even his ears turned red.

Cheng Jinxi was amazed to see her son so shy for the first time. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Time flies! When I first gave birth to your eldest brother, he was just a tiny baby. Now, in the blink of an eye, he's ready to get married. Who knows, I might even be able to hold my grandson someday, hahaha!"

Zhou Tianfu blushed even more upon hearing this, and buried his face even lower while eating, which made everyone laugh.

The more everyone laughed, the more embarrassed Zhou Tianfu became. He was so ashamed he couldn't think of anything else, so he quickly finished his meal and tried to slip away.

Cheng Jinxi saw through Zhou Tianfu's thoughts. She smiled and instructed, "Tianfu, be careful what you say and what you don't say. Be neat and tidy and stand at attention. We need to make a good impression."

Zhou Tianfu scratched his head and said, "I know, Mom. I'll be careful without you telling me."

After giving these instructions, Cheng Jinxi looked at the three girls in front of her and started talking about her business, "Chunwen, in the morning you are in charge of washing and preparing the vegetables, and then cook more dishes so that people don't think we are stingy. Put in more meat and more oil, understand?"

Zhou Chunwen nodded and said, "I understand, Mom. Don't worry, I'll handle these things."

Cheng Jinxi trusted her eldest daughter to handle things.

Then Cheng Jinxi said to Zhou Chunhong, "Chunhong, go to your second aunt's husband first and tell them to come over before noon. Also, tell your uncle, your eldest brother, and the people your dad and I talked about last night. Da'e, go home and take care of your dad and your third uncle. Got it?"

The two nodded to indicate that they understood.

After breakfast, in order to notify everyone more quickly, Zhao Da'e and Zhou Chunhong decided to split up. Zhao Da'e went to notify her Zhao family group, while Zhou Chunhong went to her uncle's house to notify them. This way, it would be much faster.

Zhao Da'e first went to Zhao Tingming's house, knocked on the door, and called out, "Grandpa, it's me, Da'e."

Zhao Tingming had just woken up and was washing his face when he saw Zhao Da'e arrive and asked, "What brings you here so early?"

Zhao Da'e laughed, "I'll just go to my aunt's house and keep my new relatives company."

Zhao Tingming nodded, "I'll remember, I'll go in a bit. Oh, by the way, Big Goose, I just boiled some eggs this morning. Since you're here, I'll give you a few eggs to eat."

As he spoke, Zhao Tingming went back into the house and got two warm eggs for Zhao Dage.

Zhao Da'e only took one egg. He was a little hungry, so he ate the egg. The warm egg tasted quite comforting.

Afterwards, Zhao Dage went to the old house. Because she was afraid of running into Wang Guixiang, she sneaked in. But she was lucky and ran into Zhao Tiegang before she even reached the gate of the old house.

"Third Uncle, my eldest cousin is going to meet someone today. Remember to come to my aunt's house for dinner on time. Whether we can entertain him well depends on you. You're the best drinker in the whole village. Oh, and remember to invite my dad along too."

Upon seeing Zhao Da'e, Zhao Tiegang's first words were one of dissatisfaction: "Da'e, I see you're having a good time at your aunt's house. You even know how to come home now..."

Zhao Tiegang still had some complaints about Zhao Da'e. No matter what, Zhao Da'e was surnamed Zhao, but he ended up living at his aunt's house. If word got out, outsiders would look at the Zhao family with strange eyes.

Moreover, his wife's insistence on returning to her parents' home was also related to Zhao Da'e and his second sister-in-law. Even his own mother became irritable because of being bullied by his second sister-in-law, causing him to be scolded at home for no reason. Therefore, Zhao Tiegang was also dissatisfied with Zhao Da'e.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Da'e first responded with a smile, "This is my home, it's none of your business when I come back. Stop talking nonsense and hurry up. I'm going to have you drinking with me."

She still wants to go back and build a house in the backyard of the Zhao family, and Zhao Da'e has not forgotten about it.

Zhao Da'e then brought up other things: "Don't talk about me, Third Uncle, go shave your beard. You're only in your twenties, and you're already all unkempt. It looks so unsightly with your stubble. Third Uncle, you're the only educated one in our family. If you don't come, I'm afraid my eldest cousin will say the marriage won't happen. I think you're very eloquent and can definitely help my eldest cousin make this marriage happen."

The main thing is that it can be drunk...

In such situations, being able to drink is the best policy. Regardless of whether the woman drinks or not, the man has to insist on drinking and keeping her company, emphasizing his enthusiasm to the fullest extent. He doesn't want the woman to feel slighted. Therefore, Zhao Tiegang, this "wine connoisseur," is very useful.

Zhao Tiegang was stunned for a moment. So eloquent? The marriage couldn't have been arranged without his help?

Is this about yourself?

Although that's what he thought, Zhao Tiegang's lips were already gradually turning up in a smile.

He admitted that he had a talent for speaking eloquently, and the goose was right!

Seeing this, Zhao Da'e quickly praised, "Third Uncle, you're handsome, and when you dress up, you look like a real star. Going to accompany them for drinks is to give my cousin face. If you don't go, I'm really worried they won't be able to control the situation."

Zhao Tiegang was so flattered that he couldn't stop smiling. He said happily, "Big Goose, you're right. I can't refuse to go to this marriage proposal. Don't worry, I'll bring your dad with me."

Because of Zhao Da'e's praise, Zhao Tiegang's mood improved a lot, and he even found Zhao Da'e much more pleasing to the eye. He remembered what his mother had scolded Da'e about yesterday, and Zhao Tiegang couldn't help but shake his head. His mother must be confused. This Da'e is so well-behaved and has such a sweet tongue. It's not as bad as she said.

Afterwards, Zhao Da'e went back and bought some wine, thus completing her mission.

When I got back to my aunt's house, I saw my older cousin wearing a new outfit—a black overcoat. He's tall, and the black overcoat really suited him. He'd shaved and styled his hair, and he looked quite handsome.

After tidying up, the older cousin spent quite a while looking at himself in the mirror. Cheng Jinxi watched with satisfaction, saying, "Tianfu, you bought a great outfit."

As soon as Cheng Jinxi finished speaking, Zhao Da'e continued, "That's because my cousin is good-looking, so these clothes can make him look good. And even though my cousin is good-looking, it's still because you're good at giving birth, Auntie."

Cheng Jinxi was overjoyed to hear Zhao Da'e's words. "Da'e, you're so good at praising people. You're right, your cousin is so handsome, it's because I was born good."

Looking at his outfit in the mirror, Zhou Tianfu couldn't help but wonder, "Mom, Da'e, do you think she'll like this outfit?"

The "she" that Zhou Tianfu mentioned refers to Ma Huaihua, another protagonist in the Xiang family story.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Da'e immediately gave a thumbs up and said, "You're really too handsome, cousin. This time, the Xiang family is guaranteed to succeed."

After all, in his previous life, his older cousin's wife was Ma Huaihua, and in this life, it's pretty much the same.

Zhou Tianfu couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Big Goose, tell me the truth, do you really think she'll like this outfit?"

Zhou Tianfu has always been very mischievous and rarely blushes, except for today when he met the Xiang family, he blushed the most.

Zhao Da'e gave a thumbs up and praised, "Big Cousin, don't worry, everything will go smoothly with the matchmaking. The woman will also like you. After all, you are so outstanding and handsome."

As Zhou Tianfu listened, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up, and he kept smiling in front of the mirror.

Seeing Zhou Tianfu's expression, Cheng Jinxi couldn't help but turn around and laugh at Zhao Da'e, "Da'e, you're so good at talking."

Zhao Da'e scratched his head and laughed, "Isn't what I said the truth?"

Before long it was noon, and Zhou Chunhong returned. Zhou Chunwen was busy cooking. She was preparing the ingredients in the kitchen. Zhao Da'e planned to go over and help her older cousin with some things, otherwise she wouldn't be able to finish everything by herself.

She first picked up a bell pepper and cut it into pieces with a chopping knife, then placed the cut pepper on a plate to the side. She also peeled some garlic and chopped some ginger. She was going to take it to her older cousin later.

"We're running low on water, Goose, go get some more. They're all incredibly busy," Zhou Chunwen instructed.

Zhao Da'e picked up the bucket and went to the village's communal well to fetch water. Although she was only seven years old, she could still carry a small bucket of water without any problem.

After fetching water, Zhou Chunwen asked Zhao Da'e to cut an eggplant. Vegetables were scarce in those days, and in the dead of winter, eggplants were expensive. He'd heard they were transported from the south, making them particularly pricey.

Zhao Da'e picked up a long eggplant, cut it into thin, rolling pieces, set the cut eggplant aside, took out a small basin, filled it with well water, and put the cut eggplant in to soak for three or four minutes.

In those three or four minutes, Zhao Da'e took out the chopped matches and put them into the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), then stretched out his little hands to warm them up, as the well water he had just fetched was very cold.

When it was almost time, Zhao Da'e took the eggplant pieces out of the water and drained them. After that, Zhao Da'e went to the cabinet and found some cornstarch.

Sprinkle the cornstarch on the eggplant pieces, then cover and shake. This will make it easier to coat the eggplant pieces evenly without sticking to your hands.

After doing all that, Zhao Da'e took out three potatoes from the bag behind her; these were all grown by her aunt's family.

Wash the potatoes with water, then slowly peel them and cut them into thin, rolling pieces. After cutting, rinse them with clean water and drain them.

After doing all that, Zhao Da'e got a craving, so she took out three eggs, threw them into the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) to roast, and waited a few minutes before she could enjoy hot roasted eggs.

Zhao Da'e took all the drained eggplant and potato chunks to Zhou Chunwen's side. She was cooking other dishes, and these washed vegetables were for later use.

Upon seeing the chopped vegetables, Zhou Chunwen turned to Zhao Da'e and said, "Da'e, prepare a sauce for me. You know how to make it; I taught you before."

Rural children learn to cook at a very young age. Zhou Chunwen started helping with chores at the age of five or six. Even at a young age, she can help with some tasks. Girls mature even earlier. For example, Zhao Da'e was taken to the kitchen to learn how to cook when she was six years old. However, she was too young and not tall enough to cook, but she could help out by washing and preparing vegetables.

"I understand," Zhao Da'e replied, and then started rummaging through the spice bottles in the cabinet again.

Having been given a second chance at life, making seasonings was a piece of cake for Zhao Da'e, even without Zhou Chunwen's instruction. Besides, rural seasonings were simple. She washed a small bowl, then took out light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and salt, and crushed a few cloves of garlic…

Having found these, Zhao Da'e fetched half a bowl of water for later use.

Then, take out a small spoon and add two spoons of light soy sauce, one spoon of dark soy sauce, one spoon of sugar, a little salt, minced garlic, and finally a little vinegar.

The sauce is now ready.

"Big Cousin, I've made the sauce." Zhao Da'e called out to Zhou Chunwen.

Zhou Chunwen nodded, then beckoned Zhao Da'e over, "Da'e, I'll teach you how to make this 'Three Treasures of the Earth' dish. Watch carefully, and when you're older, you can make it all by yourself."

Zhao Da'e pouted: "Big sister, you're kidding me, I'm not learning. The capable should do more, whoever wants to can do it. From now on, I've decided that every day I'll get up, walk to the northwest corner, look up at the sky, and drink some northwest wind..."

"No formality."