Chapter 64: Fireworks

Returning home, the first thing that greeted him was, as always, the steaming, lively scent of fireworks.

Savoring it carefully, it was truly the scent of fireworks.

His father, Jiang Fujian, was grilling on the terrace with several others. The door between the living room and the terrace was wide open, and the smell of charcoal, grilled meat, and seafood flooded his nostrils.

"So lively. Fourth Uncle, Fifth Aunt... Auntie Hua, Auntie Liu..." Jiang Yuan greeted them one by one, changed his shoes, and went to the terrace.

"You just said you were coming back, but we didn't know when, so I prepared a barbecue for dinner; it'll be fresh whenever you walk through the door. Drink a bowl of mutton soup first." Jiang Fujian said it was a barbecue dinner, but in the pot next to them, he was still boiling mutton soup. He had used mutton marrow bones with the meat stripped off, broken in the middle, and boiled there. There weren't many seasonings, but he had skimmed the foam as cleanly as ever, so the soup was clear enough to see the bottom; those who didn't know might think it wasn't rich enough.

In the mutton soup, there were also two small pieces of ribs that Jiang Fujian had put in. Unlike other parts, the clean ribs, even after boiling for a long time, still had a bit of chewiness; they were soft to eat and had a nice bite to them.

Jiang Yuan held a bowl of hot mutton soup, sat down happily next to the grill, drank a few mouthfuls of soup, ate a bite of meat, and listened to everyone bragging.

His mother had left very early, and he and his father had relied on each other for survival. The most perfect afternoon in the past was boiling a pot of mutton soup and talking with the villagers around the stove.

The mutton soup back then was purely bone broth; if there were a rare piece or two of shredded meat, his father would put it into Jiang Yuan's bowl.

And no matter what their living conditions were like, as long as someone didn't mind their mutton soup and was willing to come over to drink it, Jiang Yuan and Jiang Fujian were extremely happy. The sound of everyone bragging was the best way to dispel loneliness and coldness.

After finishing the bowl of mutton soup, the resentment, anger, confusion, and suspicion that had accumulated in Jiang Yuan's heart seemed to have drifted away with the wind.

"Come, have a skewer." Third Uncle enthusiastically stuffed three skewers of meat into Jiang Yuan's hand.

"Thank you, Third Uncle." Jiang Yuan smiled.

A dog followed Third Uncle's hand, reached Jiang Yuan's side, and suspiciously sniffed his hands and clothes.

The dogs kept by the people of Jiang Village included purebreds, but most were mixed breeds. It wasn't that they didn't like the look of purebreds, but mainly because they couldn't control the purebreds' nightlife and daytime life, so even if they raised a very good purebred dog for a while, the puppies born were still mixed breeds.

As time went on, the people of Jiang Village gave up their pursuit of dog breeds and turned to developing their own aesthetics.

Like the one in front of him, it had the body shape of a Papillon, a bit of a Pomeranian flavor, perhaps some Schnauzer genes added in, and looking at its head shape, it seemed to have some native dog participation as well.

Jiang Yuan casually stroked the dog's head; its fur was finer and softer than a Luo Weina's, but its head wasn't as bald as a Luo Weina's.

The dog stretched its neck and sniffed the scent on Jiang Yuan's arm for dear life.

"Your nose is quite sharp; I'll make you something to eat in a while." Jiang Yuan patted the dog's forehead, preparing to review his LV5 Dog Food skill.

Hearing Jiang Yuan's words, Jiang Fujian swallowed the meat in his mouth and said, "If you're cooking, make some for everyone; there are so many people here, we can eat together."

"I was thinking of making something for the dog." Jiang Yuan gave a wry smile.

Jiang Fujian said calmly, "Whatever people eat, the dog eats; your Third Uncle's dog isn't picky."

Jiang Yuan explained, "I'm preparing to make dog food, which is food made according to a dog's needs."

"Whatever the dog eats, people eat. We aren't picky." As Jiang Fujian said this, he threw a bone under the table. The Papillon-Schnauzer-mix dog woofed and carried it over, sniffing Jiang Yuan's sleeve while biting the bone, looking excited.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

What could Jiang Yuan say? If he said any more, it would look like he was being lazy.

However, the information contained in the LV5 Cooking 【Dog】 skill was very extensive, and there were many varieties of dog food.

Following the ingredients in the refrigerator, Jiang Yuan chose a type that was harmless to both humans and animals and started cooking in their large pot at home.

It must be said that the large iron pot his father had chosen could boil a whole sheep in the city, and in the countryside, it was enough to boil pig feed for 10 pigs; it was most suitable for cooking in large batches.

A small amount of beef was diced, a small amount of mutton was cut into small pieces, and a large amount of vegetables were washed and prepared; each ingredient was processed and stir-fried separately.

Because it was dog food, very little seasoning was used. However, when it was almost ready to be taken out of the pot, he borrowed the technique left behind by Seventeenth Uncle and added salt, pepper, and other seasonings to the portion for humans...

Except for the Papillon-Schnauzer-mix dog's meal, Jiang Yuan also packed the rest of the food in a mixed style into plates. Everything was ready, and when Jiang Yuan turned around with the food, he saw several people already standing at the kitchen door.

"Smells quite fragrant." Third Uncle held the dog, licking his lips, staring at the food on the plate.

Auntie Hua also nodded: "The food Jiang Yuan made smells fragrant, looks good, and has many varieties. Young people nowadays really know a lot."

Jiang Yuan smiled and made half a space, saying, "Whether it's delicious or not, you'll only know after eating it. One portion per person, let's take it ourselves; the one on the very outside is for the dog."

"This guy is taking advantage today." Third Uncle kicked the Papillon-Schnauzer-mix dog while taking the opportunity, but his attitude was extremely happy. He was older than Jiang Fujian, and he spent his days collecting rent, walking from downstairs to upstairs, from one residential area to another, with the Papillon-Schnauzer-mix dog accompanying him on the road; even when he went out for a barbecue, he brought the dog, which showed how truly close they were.

Putting the food for the dog on the ground, the Papillon-Schnauzer-mix dog smelled the scent and became excited. It wasn't like Dazhuang, who had years of training and the suppression of a handler; at this moment, it couldn't wait to jump up, and while jumping, it barked happily.

Fearing it would disturb others, Third Uncle hurriedly shouted: "Stop barking, if you bark, I won't give you any to eat."

The Papillon-Schnauzer-mix dog protested with two "woof woofs," its big, watery eyes widened as large as a watch face.

Jiang Fujian laughed and said, "If it wants to bark, let it bark; downstairs is just full of miscellaneous items, the sound won't travel very far."

Only then did Third Uncle move his foot away, allowing the Papillon-Schnauzer-mix dog to eat.

The dog, half an arm long, wished it could stuff itself into the food bowl. In the room, only the sound of slurping while eating remained, and the barking was gone.

Several people looked at the dog and couldn't help but laugh, each taking a plate of food and eating in the dining room.

In the blink of an eye, in the dining room, only the sound of slurping while eating remained, and the sound of talking was gone.

Several people were immersed in eating, as if they were competing with the Papillon-Schnauzer-mix dog in speed.

Jiang Yuan ate his own portion and also felt the taste was excellent.

There were many ingredients in the vegetable and meat rice, each processed separately and maintaining its original flavor; this alone was work that would only be done in very high-end restaurants. On the other hand, the combination and processing of ingredients also had their own particularities, and during the production process, the flavor was further enhanced...

"The food Jiang Yuan made today, I think it could be taken out to open a shop." Auntie Hua was surprisingly the first person to finish eating; she put down the bowl with a slap, wiped her mouth, and said: "It's much better than the Michelin stuff I ate when I went abroad."

"Truth be told, that carrot is exactly the same as the one I bought at home, yet the taste of this thing can be made to be different."

"The meat is also cooked just right, neither soft nor hard, just perfect."

"I guess it's just right for the dog's teeth..."

By the time everyone was full, more than half of the food in the pot remained.

"There's still so much left, what should we do?" Auntie Hua looked at the remaining food, looking worried.

"I remember there are stray dogs at the back door; let's take the leftovers to feed the stray dogs." Jiang Yuan had deliberately made more, preparing to take it to the stray dogs.

Chen Manli's legacy stated very clearly that her cooking was prepared for stray dogs. Jiang Yuan certainly didn't have to follow suit, but if there was an opportunity, he felt he could take care of them a little.

Auntie Hua was a bit reluctant and said: "Why feed stray dogs? Stray dogs eat from the trash; let's divide it among the villagers, and it'll be finished."

"We can't just send leftovers from home to everyone." Jiang Yuan smiled and said: "Otherwise, you can take some back, and I'll take the rest to the stray dogs."

Although he said that, Jiang Yuan still scooped out a large portion of dog food first, intending to leave it for the stray dogs.

As for the rest, Auntie Hua and the others divided it up without hesitation.

Then, everyone helped clean up the kitchen and terrace together, and put the pots, bowls, and ladles into the huge dishwasher before leaving one after another.

Only the Papillon-Schnauzer-mix dog, which had been wandering around the others' takeout boxes at first, suddenly barked "woof woof" and turned to run when its owner was about to take it away.

Third Uncle was stunned and shouted: "Hammer, we're going home, what are you running for?"

Hearing this, the Papillon-Schnauzer-mix dog only ran faster.

Third Uncle smiled embarrassedly, twisted his old waist, and went to chase the dog.

Fortunately, although Jiang Fujian's house was large, it was quite square, and in a short while, Third Uncle chased the dog into a corner.

"Woof. Woof woof!" Hammer bared its teeth and barked.

Slap!

Seeing it baring its teeth, Third Uncle swung a slap at it. When people in the countryside raise dogs, they don't have so many fussy rules; if they dare to bare their teeth, they get a good beating.

The Papillon-Schnauzer-mix dog looked cute and was usually quite pampered, but since it was named Hammer, it naturally knew the power of its owner's iron fist; memories flooded its heart, and it immediately curled into a ball.

"See, we're going home." Third Uncle picked up the dog and waved goodbye to Jiang Fujian and Jiang Yuan.

Hammer clung to Third Uncle's shoulder, its big, cartoonish eyes looking as if tears were truly dripping down.

"Woof woof woof." Hammer barked desperately at Jiang Yuan. Even until the elevator door closed, its voice could still be heard.

Jiang Yuan tidied up, carried the remaining dog food, and went to the back door.

Three stray dogs passing by were eating leftovers someone had sent at the back door.

Jiang Yuan put the food he had made a little further away and left quickly.

Watching the three stray dogs lingering indecisively from afar, Jiang Yuan inexplicably felt a trace of Chen Manli's mood.

Returning home, Jiang Yuan went to his desk, took out his notebook, and silently turned to the latest page.

He had a habit of recording important accounts. In the early years, when the family still had debts, they would occasionally have to buy on credit. Jiang Yuan was afraid his father would miss whose account it was, so he recorded it himself.

The habit continued to this day; when Jiang Yuan had free time, or when his emotions were unsettled, he was actually willing to look at the account book.

Unscrewing his fountain pen, he thought for a moment, and Jiang Yuan wrote a line on the latest page:

The first business trip allowance in life, 180 yuan per day, 13 days, totaling 2340. Additionally, received father's subsidy, yuan. Totaling yuan. ===== CHAPTER 65 =====