Chapter 227: True Feelings
One afternoon, the snow showed no signs of stopping, leaving the outside world blanketed in silver-white everywhere.
After returning home and resting for two hours, Su Ning, refreshed from her nap, stood under the eaves, stretched her back lazily, and began preparing dinner.
Besides the Yan Family and the Fu Family, she also had Fu Jiaming quietly notify the three teachers at the cattle shed.
Right, teachers!
Normally, besides studying medical skill with Old Man Liu, with the mindset that learning more knowledge couldn’t hurt, she also studied biology and math with Lin Tao and Liang Wanru.
One day as teacher, lifetime as father.
Su Ning liked and respected all three teachers very much.
Since it was about discussing the engagement, of course they couldn’t go without inviting them.
“Ning Ning, why didn’t you sleep a bit more?”
“I slept well. Instead, Godmother, why didn’t you rest more?”
“Don’t mention it. Your godfather’s snoring, hehe, let him sleep by himself.”
Raising a smile, she took hold of one of her arms with both hands. “That’s perfect, it gives us mother and daughter a chance to be alone.”
“Hahaha, right, let’s mother and daughter have a good intimate hug!”
Chatting and laughing, they entered the kitchen. Several unfinished firewood pieces were still burning in the fire basin inside the room, and the water bottle on the iron rack was puffing white steam.
She deftly took down the water bottle from the iron hook and poured the hot water into the thermos.
She got up and walked to the simple thatch shed built outside the kitchen, preparing to grab some firewood for starting the fire and fir leaves for kindling.
She opened the oilcloth covering the outside, and the firewood inside was stacked neatly and orderly, even more than when she left.
It must be Yan Bei who had been gathering firewood for her during the days she was away, afraid she wouldn’t have enough when she returned.
At this thought, tenderness welled up in Su Ning’s eyes, and the smile on her face brightened a few degrees.
After carrying enough firewood and dry leaves to the kitchen, Godmother had already washed the two large pots on the stove and the steamer clean.
“Don’t say, the rice cooked in this steamer is quite fragrant, just a bit hard.”
“Mm, here for big banquets, when there are many people, they all use rice cooked in the steamer. It has a woody fragrance but is just a bit dry and hard.”
She poured in the washed rice, added the right amount of water, covered it with the round log lid, put it into the large pot, and added water around the outside.
With the fire lit, next they just had to wait for it to cook.
“Ning Ning, what dishes are you planning to make?”
Hu Yingtao had just eaten at Su Qingshan’s house and inquired about quite a few local customs.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since they’re here, following the local customs means no one can gossip later.
According to the process, both sides meet at the woman’s home, and this meal must be prepared by the daughter, precisely to show off.
So she listened to Ning Ning and didn’t rush to be the head chef, only preparing to help out.
“Let’s count, um… fifteen people, five meats, four veggies, one soup should be enough, right?”
“That definitely is more than enough.”
This was also because she had the means. Other families could at most afford one or two hard dishes, and that was already considered good hospitality.
Luckily Hu Yingtao wasn’t some ignorant stingy person, or she definitely would have cursed a bit about wastefulness.
With someone to chat with while working, it didn’t feel tiring. By the time the sky outside the window darkened, the meal was almost fully prepared.
……
As if on cue, just as it turned dark at exactly six o’clock, everyone arrived one after another, tacitly entering the house through the backyard small door as usual.
Without as many fire
Put the Eight Immortals table and another table together over the fire basin, so it’s not only warm but the dishes won’t cool easily.
“Yo, looks like we’re eating at a big household again today!”
“Hahaha, isn’t it good to have something delicious?”
“Great, of course it’s great. This is a sigh. Ever since we had Ning Ning, our meals have been improving by leaps and bounds, and life is wonderful! As expected of my good student~”
Liu Wenbo chuckled and sighed with delight, looking at the person whose little face was flushed red from busyness, his heart softening unreasonably.
Although he ended up with his wife and children scattered and possessing nothing at all, with a student like her, all the suffering he endured doesn’t count as suffering anymore!
“Hey, Ning Ning isn’t just your proud disciple; she’s also our student!”
“Okay, okay, okay, you two as a couple want to bully us with numbers, right? I… I’m calling for backup too! Old Yan, you old thing, you’ve finally come. Hurry up, someone wants to steal Ning Ning from us!”
He had just walked in with his front foot, not even having time to shake off the snowflakes on his body, when upon hearing his old buddy’s joking words, Yan Changrong immediately reacted with feigned anger.
“Hah, whoever dares to snatch my Ning Ning away, I’ll fight them to the death!”
“Hahaha~”
Lin Tao and Liang Wanru looked at each other and burst out laughing, and as they laughed, their eyes couldn’t help but moisten.
Who knows how they managed to get through these years of bitter endurance?
Being able to have today like this, two or three months ago they wouldn’t have even dared to think this way.
It’s all because they have Ning Ning.
This rare warmth, even if a long time passes, still feels scorching hot when recalled.
“Jia Dan, how do you feel now?”
“I still have to thank Old Man Liu’s medicine. After finishing this last cycle, the pain in the wound has lessened a lot.”
Nodding, Liu Wenbo withdrew his hand from taking the pulse, his gaze inadvertently meeting Fu Rong’s, giving him an imperceptible look before turning back to continue looking at this young fellow.
He also expected his good disciple to develop that secret medicine soon; otherwise, with Fu Jiatan’s current symptoms, they could only rely on herbal medicine to alleviate and suppress it, unable to root it out.
That pain was actually more from his psychological effects, similar to the phantom limb pain in Western medicine.
Unless fully healed, there was no other way.
To make it convenient for Fu Jiatan to move without always sitting or lying down, Fu Jiaming quietly found the brigade’s master carpenter to make a wooden wheelchair.
With it, Fu Jiatan could occasionally go out the door for a stroll with his family’s help.
Now it looks like the effect is good; at least it has reduced the gloom in his eyes.
“Everyone’s here?”
Wiping her hands with an apron, Su Ning smiled as she stepped over the threshold, seeing everyone already seated on the sofa, and quickly called out, “There’s no heater inside the room, so let’s eat in the kitchen today—it’s warmer there.”
“Alright, we’ll all follow Ning Ning’s arrangements.”
“Hahaha~”
The group, quite a large procession, entered the kitchen one after another; the Zhang Family inside, who had just set out the bowl and chopsticks, quickly put on smiles and made way.
After Su Ning’s introduction and everyone greeting each other amicably, they all took their seats.
Sitting right next to her, Yan Bei finally got the chance to softly say a few words.
The two’s little movements, which they thought were discreet, were all seen by everyone, but all just smiled and pretended not to notice.
The rare table of good dishes made everyone eat very happily, stopping only when their bellies were stuffed round.
Once the meal’s bowls and plates were cleared and replaced with tea cups and hot water, everyone warmed themselves by the fire and chatted about family matters.
After chatting a lot with Yan Family grandparents, Zhang Qi and Hu Yingtao both felt that the Yan Family was truly excellent in both family style and character.
One must know that the elders’ temperament affects whether the young couple lives comfortably after marriage.
Meeting good and reliable in-laws is even rarer than meeting a good man.
Knowing they wouldn’t stay in Xiangnan much longer, and both sides being straightforward, Zhang Fu simply didn’t hold back.
Glancing at Su Ning, who was oblivious and talking with Yan Bei and Fu Jiaming, Zhang Fu smiled and looked at Yan Changrong.
“In-laws grandparents, what do you think—should we settle this matter first?”
“Really?!”
Hearing this, Yan Changrong’s eyes widened with joy; he had been preparing to probe, but the surprise came so suddenly.
“Settling it is great, settling it is good! Don’t laugh, but I’ve been sleeping uneasily every day, afraid the grandson-in-law I’ve set my eyes on would run away~”
“Hahaha, if Xiao Qi hadn’t snatched first, I’d be quite envious too.”
“Heh, you? Give it up. If I remember right, your grandson is just over ten, not even fully grown—snatch what?!”
“A woman three years older hugs a gold brick; six years older brings endless joy. You old thing, do you understand?!”
“Get lost—don’t make me whack you on this happy day!”
Cursing Liu Wenbo with a laugh, Yan Changrong turned and grasped Zhang Fu’s hand, sincerely saying, “In this current situation, the things we prepared for our grandson before can’t be brought out, so we can only wrong Ning Yatou.
But rest assured, we’ll make it up double in the future. We all like Ning Yatou from the bottom of our hearts, the entire Yan Family up and down.
From now on, not just Yan Qi, everyone in the Yan Family will cherish and dote on her in the palm of our hands, never letting her suffer the slightest bit.”
“We believe it, we believe.”
Zhang Fu nodded and gripped his hand back; they could feel this sincerity.
However, although the engagement had been mentioned to Ning Ning, at this point they still needed to ask her opinion.
“Ning Ning, Yan Bei, come over here!”
