Yan Jinsu left the house a little after six in the morning, arriving back at the foot of the family mountain before eleven at noon. When she returned, she arrived just in time to help Xie Jinghong prepare lunch.
Xie Jinghong had been in good spirits ever since yesterday’s card game with the Fan Family. Thinking that matters had settled, her heart lightened, and her cheeks beamed with smiles all morning long.
This brightened the children’s day at home too, as they indulged in a treat. A cheerful Xie Jinghong directed Xiao Wu and Xiaoqi to pick a good amount of wild hawthorns at the foot of the mountain on two paths. Though a bit overripe, there was plenty of sugar at home!
Even if they were a tad tart, the children felt they had contributed and were eating happily away.
Xiaojiu and Xiao Shi could only watch with their ’eyes’, but that didn’t dampen the twins’ spirits. Seeing their older siblings munching away, making faces and squinting, they too laughed joyously without having a taste themselves!
But after a morning of sour and sweet, six children felt bloated. Later on, hunger growled in their stomachs, grumbling. Fortunately, the household was different now, and snacks like finger biscuits and hard cakes were plentiful.
Xie Jinghong was genuinely surprised to see Yan Jinsu bringing home a big fat rabbit and two plump wild chickens.
When she heard grandma mentioning her younger sister-in-law going up the hill to hunt game, she thought grandma was joking. At most, she thought she went to pick some wild vegetables or gather firewood...
But who knew, she had actually gone to hunt real game!
Now, early in winter, there were still many game animals in the mountains. However, the average person’s reflexes are not as quick as the wild creatures, and they often return empty-handed from the mountains.
No one else had Yan Jinsu’s extraordinary ability to come back from the mountains laden with game!
In the eyes of a common person, the many quick and nimble wild creatures seem in slow motion to her. How could anyone compare!
Yan Jinsu discussed with Xie Jinghong and decided to roast the rabbit for eating while one of the wild chickens was to be used for stewing soup and the other to be stir-fried with shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms. Whether it was chicken or mountain delicacies, both were extremely delicious.
The happiest upon hearing the prospect of roasted wild rabbit meat were Xiaoqi and Xiao Wu!
Xiao Si was even more intelligent. He had already found the small bamboo skewers that Yan Jinsu made the year before in the usual spot. Seeing that Second Aunt had already cleaned the rabbit and chopped it into pieces, he eagerly went to wash his hands and the bamboo skewers, ready to lend a hand.
When Xiao Wu saw this, he followed suit, too. As for Xiaoqi, he took to his own abilities, bringing Da Hong and a few other cousins to the courtyard, to join Xiao Shi and Shiyi in play.
Zhou Xiuhua was in the courtyard, watching the grandchildren and sorting pickles, her face a continuous smile, especially upon hearing the laughter of her grandchildren and daughter from the kitchen, always grinning brightly.
As for Xie Tiesheng, he had just been called away by a cousin sharing the room. With Xie Jinghong at home, the household chores were manageable, so now the house was filled with women and children.
When Xie Tiesheng returned with a frown on his face, the family was already getting ready to have their meal.
Despite it being roasted meat, Yan Jinsu waited until the meat cooled before letting the children eat, fearing they might scald themselves. Xie Jinghong had already prepared a pot of mung bean soup, ready for the children to drink when they got hungry as a snack, that could relieve heatiness and had a sweet taste, something all the kids liked to drink.
With eight children in the house, mealtime was incredibly lively, even noisier than a kindergarten.
Thankfully, having followed Yan Jinsu for two years, Xiao Si and Xiaoqi had developed good hygiene habits. When it was time to eat, they would lead the children to wash their hands and faces. Xiao Wu, seeing this, naturally helped with good grace.
Unbeknownst to Yan Jinsu, who had left home early, Xie Jingwei had brought Xiao Wu and Xu Xiaofen over right after she left.
Xiao Yi and Xiao’er had already come by to greet their grandparents and went off to school, and Xu Xiaofen’s visit was her first since Xie Tiesheng and his wife returned home three days ago.
Although Xie Jinghong didn’t particularly like her sister-in-law’s personality, she was sensible enough to avoid her, especially since her own children had just woken up.
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