Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 319 Add Contact Information
Xu Jiahui was startled and clutched her chest, still shaken. She then pointed to the table where Xu Fangfang was and asked, "Are those two relatives of yours?"

Xu Kang looked in the direction she was pointing and immediately recognized Xu Jie. He nodded slightly. "He's my cousin, but our two families had a falling out years ago, and our elders haven't spoken to each other since. He called my brother and me when he got married, so my brother invited him to his wedding this time. What? You know him?"

Xu Jiahui felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her lips twitched, and she said, "If I said your cousin's wife is my cousin, would you believe me?"

Now it was Xu Kang's turn to be shocked. He covered his mouth in disbelief, "Is the world really that small?"

Xu Jiahui stomped her foot angrily, her fists clenched, "Let me tell you, my sister is getting a divorce from your cousin soon, and I'll definitely be on my sister's side then."

He thought Xu Kang would be angry, but to his surprise, the man's eyes lit up instantly, and he asked with a gossipy and excited look, "What's going on? Tell me quickly!"

Xu Jiahui?
"Is it okay for a grown man like you to be so gossipy?"

Faced with Xu Jiahui's complaints, Xu Kang remained unfazed. "I call this real-time village intelligence gathering, it's not gossip. We don't have each other's contact information yet, right? I heard you're in the city too. Let's get together after my brother's wedding. I'll treat you to dinner. Tell me what you think?"

Xu Jiahui hesitated for a moment, but then she thought of knowing herself and her enemy, and for her cousin's sake, she decided to go all out.

The two became friends.

Lin Ying witnessed this scene, and her already radiant face felt even more youthful, her face beaming with joy.

In the blink of an eye, the greenhouse was packed, and those who arrived late and couldn't find seats all went to the main hall to have tea and eat candy.

There were quite a few members of the Tang family, who sat at two separate tables.

Tang's parents, Tang Bing's family, and Tang Hua's family sat at one table, while Tang Yu's family and Tang Li's family sat at another table with other people.

The first appetizer was a platter, and it was beautifully presented.

As soon as it was placed on the table, everyone's eyes were glued to it.

Tang's mother coughed loudly, glanced around warningly, and only looked away when Tang's father started eating.

Only then did the others start eating.

Tang Hua, trying to make conversation, asked in a low voice, "Mom, this looks like duck meat, and it tastes pretty good."

Tang's mother took a bite and immediately recognized the flavor. "It's braised goose, a famous snack from Guangdong Province. It looks like the chef is very good at Cantonese cuisine."

Having lived in Guangdong Province for many years, she has also been able to savor the local cuisine.

Tang Hua had never eaten goose meat before, and feeling ashamed, he awkwardly stopped talking.

The whole platter is actually braised goose, just divided into different parts, including goose liver, goose feet, etc.

This platter alone is enough to keep everyone busy for a long time.

Soon the second dish arrived, which was squirrel-shaped mandarin fish. The sweet and sour sauce was poured over the crispy fried fish, making it a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

Kids love it.

Because of Tang's mother's wrath today, the children dared not take too much of the food, no matter how much they liked it.

It was Tang's mother who noticed this and took the initiative to put a large piece on each of the children's plates, completely ignoring Niu Cuilan's longing gaze.

Everyone could tell from Tang's mother's behavior that she was still angry, so they were on high alert and dared not do anything rash.

The third dish was dumplings.

The three-ingredient filling initially disappointed Niu Cuilan and Tang Hua, but after eating one, they were still craving more.

They watched helplessly as Tang's mother distributed the remaining dumplings to the children.

The fourth dish was seafood stir-fried with glass noodles.

Putting aside the fact that the vermicelli in Anshi is different from that in the Northwest, the way this seafood is cooked is quite novel.

The vermicelli stir-fried in a rich, dark sauce is incredibly fragrant.

The Tang family members, who weren't used to eating seafood, ate in silence. This time, Niu Cuilan and Tang Hua learned their lesson and took more than they should, just in case they didn't get a chance later.

After they ate a small bowl, they realized there was still half a plate of vermicelli left, and then a dish of steamed cod was served.

Tang's mother immediately divided the best parts among the children, then gave Tang's father a large portion with her chopsticks, and only then did she get her own.

Tang Hua and the other three took a bite as well, since the best parts had all been taken by Tang's mother, and they couldn't really taste anything special. They continued to pick at the fried noodles.

Next came a dish of boiled prawns, all sea prawns, each about the size of a palm, one for each person, nothing special.

Behind the prawns are crabs.

This stuff is a pain to eat.

The children were almost full by this point.

Then another bowl of seafood soup was served. They were already full, but Tang's mother still insisted that each of the children drink a bowl before allowing them to play on the side, but she wouldn't let them go far.

Tang Hua ate two bowls of seafood vermicelli and drank two bowls of soup, thinking that the dishes were almost finished. Unexpectedly, another plate of crispy fried meat rolls and sweet rolls were served, ten of each flavor.

The children came back drawn by the aroma and continued eating.

After the crispy rolls, there's seafood porridge, followed by roast chicken, and then steamed eel.

Then there were desserts and sweet soups specially made for weddings in Pingxi Town, and finally a fruit platter.

The kids were so full they could barely stand up straight by the end of the meal.

In fact, it's not just children, adults are almost the same.

Just then, a newlywed couple, surrounded by guests, went from table to table toasting each other.

The Tang family members had no choice but to pretend nothing was wrong and raise their glasses as well.

Now I'm completely immobilized.

I quickly and carefully left my seat and stood to the side to digest my food.

The people who came to help quickly cleaned up the ten tables, and the second round of banquets was about to begin.

The wedding banquet lasted for about four rounds before it ended.

It's already 3 PM.

Xu Kang stayed behind to handle the aftermath, while the others had to take a car to the city.

The bride also needs to touch up her makeup and change her clothes.

Xu Jiahui wanted to stay and talk to Xu Fangfang, so she asked Zhou Miaoqing to accompany Tang Jing to the city first.

In Lin Ying's eyes, this decision meant that Xu Jiahui and Xu Kang's relationship was taking another step forward. She immediately took Xu Jiahui's hand and said eagerly, "I'll have Kang drive you there. We'll be done here around 4 o'clock."

Actually, there's nothing much going on now; it's just cleaning up and entertaining some guests who haven't left yet.

Xu Jiahui didn't think much of it and obediently agreed.

He only called Xu Fangfang after Lin Ying and the others had left.

A moment later, Xu Fangfang rode over on her bicycle. "I just saw it! I thought it was a hallucination! Is the bride your friend?"

Xu Jiahui nodded vigorously, briefly explained her relationship with Tang Jing, and then asked impatiently, "You and your brother-in-law have made up?"

Xu Fangfang's face tightened, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. "No, we don't talk unless necessary now. He eats at work and then comes home. I cook and eat by myself. I sleep in the master bedroom and he sleeps in the study. I don't wash his clothes. His mother comes over every day to wash them for him."

The strange thing is, his mother used to find fault with everything I did, and whenever she came to see me, she would nitpick and argue with me. But now that I'm not washing her son's clothes, she's not saying a word. Do you think they're plotting something?