Chapter 67: Celebrating the Lifting of the Meat Ban

On the Yang family's stove, tiled with ceramic pieces, several dishes were now laid out.

The ceramic tiles were paid for by Yang Qing, who had Master Lei install them not long ago.

It was considered a benefit from the big courtyard.

However, Yang Qing contributed the most to this toilet, so no one said anything.

After all, these ceramic tiles are really worthless at the enamel factory.

Yi Zhonghai, through connections, got a large pile of them.

Under the light, the tiles shone with seven-colored light, illuminating the several plates of dishes, making them especially vivid and fragrant.

Stir-fried field frogs, iron-pot stewed snake, stir-fried mole crickets, hot and sour shredded potatoes, and plain stir-fried cabbage.

Plus a steaming basket of wo tou (steamed corn buns).

Yang Qing drooled continuously.

Even Chen Hong, who was resisting the nausea, found her mouth watering more.

The meat aroma even went past the south shed, over the ear room, and reached the front courtyard.

Xu Damao smelled the aroma and came running over.

He came over, saw Yang Qing's dishes, and froze for a moment; having been to the countryside, he knew what was in Yang Qing's plates.

"Yang Qing, you're amazing—mole crickets, snake, frogs……"

Yang Qing was almost dying of hunger, with no time to chatter with Xu Damao.

"Brother Xu, have you eaten? No? Then just make do."

Xu Damao had been waiting for him to say that.

"Hey, wait a moment, I'll go get two bottles of wine."

Xu Damao ran off in a hurry.

Seeing Chen Hong still hesitating there, Yang Qing provoked her.

"Didn't you see? Xu Damao came over, took one look, and couldn't even walk."

"Hurry up and eat, or else when others come later, you won't get even a few bites."

Saying this, Yang Qing picked up a piece of frog meat and moved it toward Chen Hong's mouth.

Chen Hong sat beside the stove; the more she smelled, the more she salivated, but the resistance deep inside did not disappear.

Now, after Yang Qing's words, she felt a bit anxious inside.

Inside, she felt both resistant and reluctant.

When Yang Qing brought the meat to her lips, she struggled to open her mouth, but couldn't manage to do so.

Seeing this, Yang Qing coaxed her like a child, speaking softly.

"Close your eyes and imagine it's chicken."

"Good, come try it."

Under Yang Qing's urging, Chen Hong resignedly closed her eyes and kept hypnotizing herself.

"This is chicken, this is chicken."

Before she could finish her self-hypnosis, Yang Qing shoved the meat into her mouth.

As soon as the meat entered her mouth, a burst of fresh fragrance came, chewy and quite firm.

At this moment, the body's craving for meat completely took over.

She couldn't help but start chewing.

The more she ate, the more fragrant it became, and her resistance faded.

Seeing her eyelids tremble, Yang Qing stopped her from opening her eyes.

"Keep them closed."

"Out of sight, out of mind," plus the delicious temptation, Chen Hong obediently kept her eyes closed.

Yang Qing then picked up another piece of snake meat.

Fresh and chewy, tastier than chicken, Chen Hong's little mouth chewed faster and faster.

Yang Qing then gave her another mole cricket.

The mole cricket entered her mouth—spicy, fragrant, crunchy, salty—very appetizing.

When Xu Damao arrived, he just happened to see the couple's intimate actions.

Seeing this, Xu Damao felt embarrassed; for the sake of a bite to eat, he had disturbed their loveliness.

Chen Hong heard the commotion and opened her eyes.

"Xu Damao's here, hurry up and sit."

She now had no trace of resistance left.

The law of true fragrance took effect as usual.

Xu Damao raised his hand.

"Lotus Flower White."

(Lotus Flower White is an imperial court liquor; back then it was second only to Maotai, its fame rivaling that of Erguotou.)

"Osmanthus Aged."

(Osmanthus Aged is a kind of wine that needs three years of storage before sale; back then it was well known both domestically and abroad, suitable for women to drink.)

From the wine he brought out, one could see that Xu Damao knows how to conduct himself.

On TV, to vilify him and contrast him with Sha Zhu, they made him act like a fool, pulling the "three big and one small" stunt.

At this moment, Yang Qing took out a stool and handed it to him.

"Brother Xu, eat first, otherwise I'm worried we won't get to eat later."

Xu Damao thought and immediately understood what Yang Qing meant.

"Yes, let's eat first."

Chen Hong handed him the bowl and chopsticks at that moment.

Xu Damao caught the noodle soup, set it down, then caught the steamed bun Yang Qing handed him.

Then he and Yang Qing, as a couple, started eating with their heads down.

Not long after, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guang Fu came over, drawn by the smell.

A table full of dishes, watching them made them drool.

Yang Qing signaled Chen Hong to keep eating.

Although there were many dishes, they couldn't withstand so many people.

But these two are the helpers he's trying to win over; he can't ruin the relationship by eating them all at once.

He said quietly.

"Keep it down, go home and bring two steamed buns back to eat together."

One was good at catching frogs, the other at stewing in an iron pot; the soup and vegetables were plenty.

The two brothers ran off to fetch the steamed buns, and returned shortly.

Yang Qing gestured, and the two brothers squeezed together and happily started eating.

However, they mostly picked vegetables, hardly touching the meat.

Yang Qing saw that Chen Hong had already eaten two steamed buns, and her rice was almost finished.

So he said to the two brothers.

"Help yourselves to the meat, don't be shy."

Only then did the two carefully pick up a few slices of meat.

Then they put it in their mouths, squinting their eyes in enjoyment.

At that moment, He Yuzhu also came running over.

Accompanying him was the deaf old lady.

The deaf old lady had already smelled the aroma, but since she didn't have much interaction with Yang Qing, she didn't dare to come over.

However, when He Yuzhu came over to Household Chores the lunchbox, he also smelled the aroma.

Seeing the old lady's drooling expression.

He silently scolded Yang Qing for being clueless, then dragged the old lady over.

As soon as Chen Hong saw the old lady, she gulped down the noodle soup in her bowl.

She finished it.

It wasn't that she didn't know how to chew slowly; it was that, along this journey, if she ate even a bit slower she would have starved.

So she developed the habit of gulping food whole.

Without He Yuzhu saying anything, Chen Hong deftly supported Long Laotaitai.

"Old lady, Yang Qing prepared some game; try some," he said, pressing her onto the stool.

The deaf old lady said embarrassedly.

"It's not good, it's not good, you eat, you eat."

But while saying that, her buttocks sat down.

Yang Qing suppressed a laugh, looking at this era, to see what lengths people would go for a bite to eat.

He handed Chen Hong's chopsticks to the old lady.

Then he broke off half of his own steamed bun.

"Old lady, don't look down on it."

"Just to get by."

The deaf old lady felt somewhat moved; they had hardly any interaction, at most they hadn't bullied Yang Qing.

But that couple's actions were truly warm-hearted.

All of this made her regret not having supported Yang Qing back then.

However, shortly after she secretly shook her head.

This matter wasn't something she could control.

He Yuzhu noticed the old lady's embarrassment and spoke up.

"I'm the one who forcibly brought the old lady over."

"It's nothing; I just smelled that you had something delicious here."

"If you don't take the initiative to care for the elderly, I can only come."

Upon hearing that, the deaf old lady knew it was bad and scolded.

"How does Zhuzi speak? Whoever has extra grain should take care of people."

"Are you making me disrespect the elderly?"

Xu Damao teased.

"Exactly, the old lady is your adoptive grandmother; you don't care for her, letting others do it—what a clever scheme."

"Everyone says Sha Zhu is foolish, but I don't see it; he's quite sharp."

"Disregarding the old lady's dignity, forcibly dragging her over?"

"Where are you letting the old lady put her face?"