Chapter 82: Stuffed to the Brim
Chapter 82: Stuffed to the Brim
After visiting the house of his eldest son, Deng Shirong led the Zhang family on a tour of the other sons' homes.
While the main focus of these visits was on the groom's residence, Deng Shirong hadn't yet divided the household among his sons. Moreover, since the houses were all newly built, he naturally had to show each one to the Zhang family.
All five of his sons' houses had the same layout: two bedrooms and a living room. Despite each room containing only a simple bed frame and a large wardrobe, the sheer number of them was quite impressive. In this era, it was rare for even one out of ten rural households to own a wardrobe, let alone a large one.
Deng Shirong's home had over a dozen rooms, each equipped with a large wardrobe, a luxury that was almost unimaginable.
Not only that, when they visited the 130-square-meter house, they found that two of the rooms had vanity tables, clearly prepared for Deng Yuntai's two sisters.
After seeing all this, the Zhang family was utterly amazed! They had known that the groom's family was well-off, but they hadn't expected it to be to this extent.
The elder Zhang sisters felt both envy and genuine happiness. They knew that their younger sister would benefit from marrying into such a prosperous family.
Once the tour was complete, Deng Shirong excused himself and headed to the kitchen. He had quite a few dishes to prepare, and his eldest daughter's cooking skills weren't quite up to the task for such a grand occasion.
The Zhang family, meanwhile, was well taken care of by Deng Shirong's relatives and the groom's family.
...
The most time-consuming part of cooking is actually the preparation. Once you start frying, as long as the wok is hot enough, the dishes can be done quickly.
When Deng Shirong went to greet the Zhang family, he had already instructed everyone to prepare the initial steps. Dishes that take a lot of time, like egg rolls, meatballs, and braised pork, had been prepared the night before. Stews like bone broth, sweet soup, and various boiled dishes were assigned to specific people to handle.
Stewing just required clear instructions, and the final seasoning could be done at the last minute.
Boiled dishes, a specialty of the region, are easy to prepare. Anyone who has spent time in a kitchen can manage the heat well, and the key to a good boiled dish is the dipping sauce.
So, Deng Shirong only needed to season the soups, prepare a universal dipping sauce, and cook the dishes.
In less than an hour, Deng Shirong announced that the meal was ready.
It was already 12:30 PM by then. The Zhang family had eaten a light breakfast before setting out on their long journey, and after drinking a lot of tea, they were now starving.
They eagerly followed the groom's family to the dining area.
For this visit, Deng Shirong hadn't organized a huge event, but he had invited many relatives and friends. With the thirteen members of the Zhang family, the total number of guests was around sixty to seventy, enough to fill six to seven tables of ten people each.
When the Zhang family arrived at the long table, they saw an array of dishes, each one beautifully presented and appetizing. The table was laden with chicken, duck, fish, and meat, making for a truly sumptuous feast!
Deng Shirong washed his hands and greeted everyone, "Everyone must be hungry. Let's not waste time with formalities. Please, sit down and enjoy the meal!"
Despite his words, the elders from the Zhang family still felt the need to exchange some polite pleasantries before sitting down to eat.
After the usual pleasantries, everyone finally began to eat.
As expected, the Zhang family members were all utterly amazed!
The deliciousness of the dishes before them was completely beyond their wildest dreams. These were the best meals they had ever tasted in their lives. Even the humble fire tube vegetables (rolled greens) were far more flavorful than what they usually ate.
As for the meat dishes, they were even more incredible. Each bite made them want to swallow their tongues in delight.
Zhang Xiuping’s family was not well-off, and her relatives were in a similar situation. They rarely got to eat meat, perhaps once a month at most. Now, faced with such heavenly flavors, everyone except Zhang Xiuping, the main character, lost control and ended up eating far more than they should have.
When they finally realized what had happened, they felt so embarrassed that they wished they could find a hole to crawl into.
Anyone who has overeaten knows that getting up and walking right away is a challenge. The posture is different from usual, and they dare not walk any faster, moving as carefully as pregnant women.
If they left the table now, their unusual behavior would definitely be noticed.
With no other choice, the Zhang family’s elders and relatives tried to divert attention by striking up conversations, giving their stomachs some time to settle.
“Uncle Jiu, I heard from Yun Tai that you’re developing an orchard to grow lychee trees?” Aunt Si straightened up and asked.
Deng Shirong nodded. “That’s right. We’ve already cleared half the land. We should finish by the end of November or early December. I’ve already ordered the saplings, and we plan to plant the lychee trees in early spring.”
Aunt Qi chimed in. “Uncle Jiu, you’re truly a capable man. You run a pottery factory, help people find matches, and now you’re developing an orchard. That’s impressive!”
“I’m just trying my hand at it. It’s hard to say if it will be profitable,” Deng Shirong replied. While he didn’t mind others following his lead, he didn’t want to boast about the potential profits before the orchard was fully established.
Encouraging others to join in before seeing results could lead to problems if things went wrong. He didn’t want to take the blame for any failures.
The large table where the Zhang family was seated could accommodate forty to fifty people. After Aunt Si brought up the orchard, everyone chatted animatedly, and the time passed quickly. In just a few minutes, their stomachs felt much better.
Once the conversation wound down, they finally left the table.
Since the journey from Poxin Village was long and it was getting late, the Zhang family only rested for a short while before bidding farewell to Deng Shirong.
Deng Shirong politely tried to persuade them to stay longer, but then he gave each of them a red envelope and a piece of cured meat, each about two pounds.
Zhang Xiuping received a red envelope with 18.88 yuan, while the others each received 8.88 yuan.
(End of Chapter)
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