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Chapter 105: Sisters-in-Law
Chapter 105: Sisters-in-Law
Bai Ping Brigade.
Shan Tang Village.
Jiang Dehu was frantically trying to change his son’s diaper. After removing the soiled diaper and tossing it aside, he was dismayed to see his son’s bottom covered in feces and urine. Despite being a father of two, he had always relied on his wife to take care of the children, with occasional help from his mother and sister. As a result, he had no experience in childcare and was at a loss on how to clean up the mess.
Worse yet, his mother and sister were both out, and even if he wanted to call for their help, he couldn’t find them. His eldest sister-in-law was at home, but Jiang Dehu hesitated to ask for her help. His son had been crying for over ten minutes, and if she had any intention of helping, she would have come over by now.
Since no one was coming to his aid, he decided to tough it out on his own. Fortunately, Jiang Dehu wasn’t entirely clueless. Even though he had no firsthand experience, he had seen his wife clean up after their children many times when he returned from work.
So, he recalled her methods and began the task, albeit clumsily. It took him several minutes, and he was sweating profusely by the time he finally managed to clean his son and change the diaper.
At last, his son stopped crying, and Jiang Dehu felt a sense of accomplishment, as if he had achieved something significant.
Bu Dafang returned home carrying several packages of leftover dishes. Seeing her husband holding their son and grinning like an idiot, she asked, "What are you smiling about?"
Jiang Dehu felt a wave of relief when he saw his wife. Today’s experience had taught him that a household without a woman was truly unmanageable. He proudly said, "Dafang, our son had an accident, and I cleaned him up and changed his diaper. Pretty impressive, right?"
Bu Dafang was speechless but decided to encourage her husband’s efforts. She nodded and said, "Yeah, impressive!"
Jiang Dehu chuckled and then noticed the packages in his wife’s hands. "Dafang, what did you bring back?"
Bu Dafang placed the packages on the table and explained, "These are some of the best dishes from the wedding. I brought them back for us to enjoy."
Jiang Dehu was surprised. In this era, people usually only brought back a small bag of mixed flavors after attending a wedding, and he had never heard of anyone packing so many leftovers. He was at a loss for words, especially since he couldn’t figure out where so many leftovers had come from.
Curious, he held his son and moved closer to see what his wife had brought back. As Bu Dafang unpacked the dishes, Jiang Dehu’s eyes widened in amazement. The packages contained meatballs, egg rolls, poached chicken, poached duck, braised pork, and stir-fried pork—some of the best dishes from the wedding. The sight made his mouth water, and his stomach growled in anticipation.
Bu Dafang glanced at her husband, who was drooling, and as she transferred the dishes into two large bowls, she said, "Wait a moment. I’ll take a bowl to your parents and your brother and sister-in-law first, and then I’ll cook something for you."
Hearing his wife’s words, Jiang Dehu felt a wave of warmth. No matter how much she might grumble about his parents and his brother’s family, she still remembered to share the good things with them. That was enough for him.
He was a man of few words and didn’t know how to express his feelings, so he simply grunted in acknowledgment and resolved to be a better husband from now on.
Since Bu Dafang had brought back a lot of dishes, each dish only contributed a little to fill a large bowl. Two large bowls were prepared, with the one for his brother’s family only about seven-tenths full, while the one for his parents was piled high, overflowing with food.
He first took the bowl to his parents’ room, but finding no one there, he placed it on the table and covered it with a lid.
Then he went back to bring the other bowl to his brother’s family.
Jiang Dehu had five siblings in total. His sister had already married, and he and his older brother had already moved out of their parents’ household.
However, despite the separation, they all still lived in the old family house, just cooking separately and not eating together.
The two households were separated by a courtyard. Bu Dafang carried the bowl to her brother-in-law’s door and called out, “Big Sister-in-Law, are you there?”
“Dafang, what’s up?” Jiang’s sister-in-law responded, opening the door.
Bu Dafang handed her the bowl and said, “Today, my cousin got married at my uncle’s place. I brought back some leftovers to share with you all.”
Jiang’s sister-in-law saw the hearty dishes in the bowl and her eyes lit up with surprise. She immediately put on a warm smile and took the bowl, saying, “Oh, Dafang, you’re too kind. You should’ve kept the food for yourselves. Why bring it over?”
Bu Dafang smiled and replied, “Big Sister-in-Law, don’t be so formal. I brought back plenty, and we have enough at home.”
Jiang’s sister-in-law said happily, “Well, I won’t be so polite then. Wait a moment, I’ll pour the food into our bowl and return this one to you.”
Bu Dafang nodded and waited by the door.
Soon, Jiang’s sister-in-law poured the food into her own bowl and handed the empty one back to Bu Dafang, asking, “Dafang, your uncle’s wedding banquet must have been quite a feast if there were so many leftovers?”
Bu Dafang’s face lit up as she said, “Of course! There were over twenty dishes, and each one was served in generous portions. The seafood was especially amazing—spicy crabs, pan-fried shrimp, and steamed mudfish. When those three dishes were brought out, everyone was praising them. All fifteen tables of guests finished every bit of the seafood, and everyone was so full they couldn’t get up for a while!”
Jiang’s sister-in-law was speechless. She had never heard of such a lavish banquet with over twenty dishes and three such delicious seafood courses.
“Dafang, your uncle’s family must be doing really well!”
Bu Dafang’s pride was evident as she replied, “They’re not just doing well. In their village, and probably in the entire Songshan commune, there’s no one who can match them.”
Bu Dafang then gave a brief account of her uncle’s family, mentioning their monthly income and the quality of their home, leaving Jiang’s sister-in-law in awe once again.
At that moment, Jiang’s sister-in-law couldn’t tell if her sister-in-law was telling the truth or just making it up to impress her.
(End of Chapter)
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