The heavens set sail from the courtyard

The He family sat at the dining table, their gazes passing over a plate of stir-fried radish strips and focusing entirely on two pieces of braised pork.

The family hadn't eaten meat in a long time, and suddenly two pieces of fragrant, tempting, and mouthwatering braised pork were placed on the table. Even Yu Qiuhua, who couldn't see, couldn't help but swallow.

"Liu Hongchang gave us two pieces of meat. Wenhui, cut them in half, divide them into four pieces, one for each of you," Yu Qiuhua said.

"Mom, aren't you going to eat?" He Wenhui asked curiously.

“I don’t like eating meat, so you and your brother can each have a piece.” Yu Qiuhua swallowed hard.

He Wenyuan sneered, "Hmph, who can get this little bit of meat? I'll ask Old Liu for two more pieces."

Yu Qiuhua stopped him, saying, "Wen Yuan, you mustn't go!"

He Wenyuan retorted, "Mom, Old Liu did it on purpose! There are only two pieces of meat, who can eat that much?"

Yu Qiuhua said impatiently, "Alright! They have nothing to do with us now, and they have no obligation to share meat with us."

He Wenhui said sensibly, "Mom, I won't eat the meat either. Let's give it to Wenyuan and the others!"

He Wenda couldn't resist any longer and secretly reached for the braised pork.

"Wen Da, you dare to steal food!" He Wentao became agitated upon seeing his younger brother's actions.

"Mom, I want to eat meat!" He Wenda said pitifully to Qiu Hua, "I haven't had braised pork in a long time."

He Wentao retorted, "Who hasn't eaten meat in a long time!"

He Wenyuan clutched his rumbling stomach and said, "It's all Old Liu's fault."

"Alright! Wenhui, hurry up and divide the meat!" Yu Qiuhua sighed.

He Wenhui took out a knife and divided the two pieces of braised pork into four portions, giving two portions to He Wenda, the youngest of the group.

"Give my share to Wenda!"

"Thank you, big sister." He Wenda couldn't wait to stuff the braised pork into his mouth, like Pigsy eating ginseng fruit.

Although He Wenyuan and He Wentao complained about Wang Gang, they didn't mind the braised pork he made at all, and they couldn't wait to eat it in one bite.

There were only two pieces of braised pork, which was far too little. He Wenyuan and the others could only taste it, but it still whetted their appetites.

He Wenyuan then took a liking to the small bowl containing the braised pork, where some meat juices still remained.

However, He Wentao was a step ahead of He Wenyuan. Before he had even finished eating the meat in his mouth, he snatched the small bowl and licked the meat juice clean with his tongue.

He Wenyuan was in a bad mood because he didn't get any meat gravy. He said to his younger brother, "Wentao, can you stop licking the bowl? It looks awful."

He Wentao didn't care what others thought at all. He licked the bowl so clean he didn't even need to wash it, and even seemed to be savoring the taste: "I'm willing, it's none of your business!"

After eating braised pork, He Wenyuan found He Wenhui's stir-fried radish strips tasteless and couldn't eat anything else.

"I'm not eating anymore," He Wenyuan said angrily.

"Wen Yuan, is the food not to your liking?" He Wenhui asked.

"Big sister, your cooking is really bad," He Wenyuan complained.

Yu Qiuhua said coldly, "If you think your older sister's cooking is bad, then cook it yourself from now on!"

He Wenyuan said unwillingly, "Mom, I'm telling the truth! My eldest sister has been cooking for so long, but she hasn't improved at all!"

He Wenhui blushed and said shyly, "I will definitely learn to cook properly in the future."

He Wenyuan said with a bitter face, "Big sister, I can see that you really have no talent for cooking!"

Yu Qiuhua sighed, "It's all my fault for having bad eyesight, otherwise I could have taught you cooking properly!"

He Wenhui shook her head and said, "It's my fault for being so stupid, I can't even cook a meal properly!"

Yu Qiuhua instructed, "Wenhui, when you marry Daqing, you must learn to cook properly from Erqing's mother. When you arrive at your husband's family home, you must be eager to do the chores, do you hear me?"

He Wenhui nodded silently and said, "I understand."

He Wenyuan said dismissively, "Mom, my sister is going to enjoy her life after she gets married. Why would she need to do housework? Daqing won't make my sister suffer." He Wentao also chimed in, "That's right. When Lao Liu was with us, he never made my sister do any housework. Daqing will only dote on my sister even more."

"Sigh, you don't understand," Yu Qiuhua sighed deeply. "Men like Liu Hongchang are, after all, a minority!"

He Wenyuan curled his lip and said, "Mom, you treat Old Liu like a treasure. If you ask me, every man in the world is better than Old Liu!"

Yu Qiuhua shook her head and said, "What do you know! There aren't many men in the world who could do what Liu Hongchang did back then. Your eldest sister missed out on Liu Hongchang, that's her loss!"

Yu Qiuhua knew perfectly well that Liu Hongchang was truly the best man He Wenhui could ever meet!

Unfortunately, it's too late to say anything now. Yu Qiuhua knows that her family is a burden to her eldest daughter, otherwise her life wouldn't be like this!

At this moment, Wang Gang was at home greeting Yang Maixiang and her parents.

After getting off work, Yang Maixiang brought her parents to Fengxiang Hutong, where Wang Gang prepared five dishes to properly entertain his future in-laws.

The main purpose of Mr. and Mrs. Yang's visit this time was not for dinner, but to look at houses.

“Hongchang! Your house is nice. It doesn’t look big from the outside, but it’s actually quite spacious inside.”

“Uncle Yang, when I built this house, I deliberately raised it by half a floor. The upper floor was used as the living room and bedroom, and the lower floor was hollowed out to make a simple kitchen and storage room.”

"As for toilets, we can only use public toilets outside, which can be a bit inconvenient when the weather is cold."

Mr. Yang waved his hand and said, "These days, which family isn't like this? You're already very fortunate to have a room like this."

Yang's mother also said, "That's right! My colleague's daughter got married and had to squeeze into one house with her husband's family of four. Xiao Liu, it's already very good that you have your own house!"

Wang Gang said, "Uncle and Auntie, don't worry, I will definitely work hard in the future and try my best to help Maixiang live in an apartment building!"

Mr. Yang laughed and said, "It's good that you have ambition. Our family doesn't care about those things!"

Mother Yang said happily, "Xiao Liu, I see you've tidied up the house very well, that's great!"

"Mom, Hongchang is so clean, the house is spotless." Yang Maixiang took the opportunity to praise Wang Gang to her parents.

"I work as a cook, and hygiene is paramount in the kitchen, so I always pay close attention to cleanliness," Wang Gang said with a smile.
"Uncle and Aunt, please try this braised pork. I specially prepared some fresh abalone to cook with it, which is one of my specialties!"

Mr. Yang ate a piece of braised pork, and Mrs. Yang ate a piece of abalone; they both praised it highly.

"Great skills! Our daughter is going to be very lucky to have such delicious food after marrying you," said Mr. Yang, giving a thumbs up.

Mr. and Mrs. Yang were quite satisfied with their future son-in-law. Wang Gang was also very good at handling things, and specially brought out a bottle of Moutai liquor.

"Uncle, this wine was a gift from someone who cooks for my boss."

"Moutai! I've never had it in my life, please have a cup!" Mr. Yang said excitedly.

"Drink less, don't get drunk, we still have to go home later," Yang's mother reminded her.

"If Uncle gets drunk, he can sleep here. I'm going back to my mom's to sleep." Wang Gang poured a full glass of wine for Yang's father.

Entertainment is limited in this era, and Yang's father's biggest hobby is having a couple of drinks, so Wang Gang is just catering to his tastes.

"I'll have a drink too," Yang Maixiang said, asking for a drink.

"What kind of girl would drink alcohol?" Yang's mother scolded.

"Auntie, it's alright. We're just happy today, let's have a little drink to celebrate," Wang Gang said.

"You can only have one drink!"

Wang Gang poured everyone a glass of wine and was about to raise his glass when there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?!"

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law!" He Wenda's voice came from outside!

Mr. and Mrs. Yang frowned at the same time!
"What did that kid outside call you?" (End of Chapter)