Chapter 354 - 236: Wine Doesn’t Intoxicate One, but One Intoxicates Oneself (Part 3)

Chapter 354: Chapter 236: Wine Doesn’t Intoxicate One, but One Intoxicates Oneself (Part 3)

"You’re back?"

"Yeah, Mom, Dad. I’m back."

"Good, good, good. Hurry inside, it’s cold out."

The whole big family bustled into the house. The kang was burning hot. Zhao Wendong placed Wenwen on the kang, then took off his own shoes and climbed up. Lin Zhiyin poured him a bowl of hot water. He took it and drank a couple of mouthfuls, feeling a sense of comfort wash over him.

"Mom, Dad said he wants to drink tonight."

"I heard, I heard. I’ll make some extra dishes to go with the alcohol tonight."

"Hehe, Mom loves me best."

"Get outta here. Don’t give me that nonsense."

Chen Yanmei scolded him, but her face was blooming with a smile.

Little Tuanzi crawled over on the kang and burrowed into Zhao Wendong’s arms. "Little Tuanzi loves Third Brother too!"

"That’s right, that’s right. Brother San loves Little Tuanzi the most."

"Hee hee."

With Zhao Wendong and the others back, the atmosphere in the house immediately grew lively. The family talked and laughed, everyone happy. A home filled with laughter is what a real home is all about.

Zhao Wendong leaned against the head of the kang while Lin Zhiyin sat beside him. Little Tuanzi was nestled on his other side, holding a pencil and drawing on a piece of paper. She was drawing a big yellow dog. All these art supplies were things Zhao Wendong and the others had bought for Wang Lulu. After seeing them a few times, Little Tuanzi had clamored to learn to draw too.

"Third Brother, look! This is Dahuang!"

Zhao Wendong tilted his head to look. It surprisingly captured a certain spirit. ’This girl really has some talent for drawing,’ he thought.

"It’s a good drawing. Much better than anything your Brother San could draw."

"It’s okay! Third Brother knows how to hunt. Third Brother is the most awesomest!"

Zhao Wendong ruffled her little head, his heart melting completely. The memory from his past life—of that little figure rolling on the kang in pain for three days and three nights—was fading further and further away. In this life, as long as he, Zhao Wendong, was here, he would make sure Little Tuanzi lived a life full of joy and happiness, making up for all the blessings she missed out on in her previous life.

That evening, the Zhao Family’s dinner table was laden with a magnificent spread. Two large carp were stewed in a single pot with pickled greens. A bit of broad bean paste from the supply and marketing co-op was added for flavor. The fish broth was rich and savory, and the pickled greens were full of flavor; the mere smell was enough to make one’s mouth water. There was also pheasant stewed with mushrooms—dried ones from the autumn—with glass noodles added. The aroma wafted from the kitchen all the way out into the courtyard.

After watching Zhao Wendong cook a few times, the culinary skills of the women in the family had skyrocketed. In Chen Yanmei’s words, Zhao Wendong’s cooking seemed impressive at first, but after watching him enough, you realized it was nothing special—he was just willing to be generous with the seasonings. And that was indeed the truth. Once the family started using seasonings generously, the quality of their meals shot up, rivaling that of later generations.

There was also a plate of stir-fried cabbage, a dish of shredded pickled vegetables, and a basin of steamed cornbread buns. Chen Yanmei had also specially steamed sorghum rice and heated a pot of white liquor with boiling water. The liquor Zhao Wendong was infusing wasn’t ready yet, but the family had a stock of ordinary bulk spirits, so they prepared a pot of that.

"Eat, eat! Everyone, eat."

With her sons back safe and sound, Chen Yanmei was in high spirits, grinning from ear to ear as she constantly served food to one person and got rice for another.

Zhao Wenwu picked up his bowl and started digging in. He polished off half a cornbread bun in one bite, then shoveled down half a bowl of stewed fish, his mouth glistening with oil. Jin Xiuying was beside him, wiping his mouth. Zhao Wenwu mumbled indistinctly, "You eat too, dear."

"I am eating."

The family members exchanged glances, their eyes filled with amusement. They were happy for the young couple, but even more so because they had all noticed the change in Zhao Wenwu. He was actually starting to show concern for Jin Xiuying. This was a huge step forward.

Zhao Wenjun and Song Xiaoyu sat together. Zhao Shitou stood by the kang, holding his own bowl and eating. He didn’t forget to tease Yadan, who was on the kang, "Little sister, do you want some fish? Big brother will get you some."

Yadan wasn’t even two full years old yet. She had been eating well recently, getting plenty of nutrition. Not only had she started walking on her own, but she could also blurt out words. Right now, Yadan was nibbling on a piece of cornbread bun, her hands and face a complete mess. Hearing her brother’s words, her eyes lit up and she called out, "Ish, ish."

"Zhao Shitou, your sister is so little. What if she chokes on a fish bone? Are you asking for a spanking again?"

Song Xiaoyu quickly stopped him. She dipped her chopsticks in some fish broth and let Yadan suck on them for a couple of tastes to satisfy her craving.

Lin Zhiyin picked up a piece from the tenderest part of the fish belly. She meticulously removed all the bones before placing it in Zhao Wendong’s bowl. "Eat this piece. There are no bones."

Beside them, Lin Huaimin suddenly felt, for some reason, that the food wasn’t so fragrant anymore. Wang Lulu shot him an amused glance and also picked up a piece for him, which finally brought his expression back to normal.

"Honey, give Dad a piece too. He’s getting jealous."

Zhao Wendong had noticed and called it out directly, landing a heavy blow on his father-in-law without holding back.

"HAHAHA!"

The whole family burst out laughing. Even Lin Huaimin looked at Zhao Wendong with helpless amusement, shaking his head with a smile. ’This son-in-law of mine... his cheeky attitude is actually quite endearing,’ he thought.

The tips of Lin Zhiyin’s ears turned a little red as she hurriedly served a piece to Lin Huaimin as well.

"Dad, you eat too."

At the side, Little Tuanzi immediately started protesting, "Third Brother, Third Brother! Wenwen wants boneless fishy too!"

"Coming, coming! Brother San will get some for Little Tuanzi."

Zhao Wendong picked out another piece, very carefully removing every single tiny bone with his chopsticks before placing it in the small bowl in front of Wenwen. But who would have thought, the little one didn’t eat it herself. Instead, she opened her little mouth, waiting for Zhao Wendong to feed her. Zhao Wendong chuckled, picked the fish back up, and carefully placed it in her mouth. Only then did the little girl’s face light up with a smile as she began to eat.

"Mmm, fishy is yummy! Third Brother is the best."

Zhao Dashan sat on the edge of the kang and raised his cup. The cups were ceramic, bought by Zhao Wendong during his last big shopping trip. Not only did each of the men have a cup, but even the women had poured themselves a small half-cup as well.