The dust-covered man replied, "Delicious, so delicious."
How was this dish prepared to be so fragrant?
The dust-covered man thought, and then popped another one into his mouth, followed by a third, a fourth, unable to stop.
Watching him gobble it down, the already hungry workers could bear it no longer and crowded forward, asking Zhang Liunian to send them a couple of bites of the braised dish to try.
"Boss, send me a couple of bites to try too!"
"Yes, let us try it too!"
"..."
Hearing this, Zhang Liunian naturally didn't favor anyone.
"Alright, I'll give all my braised dishes away today, two bites for each person, this is a one-time offer, there won't be any tomorrow!"
With the braised dishes as an added bonus, Zhang Liunian's crayfish sold even faster.
When he came to his senses, he saw the old man selling noodles tearfully tasting his braised dish, saying as he ate, "This is too delicious, how did you make it?"
Zhang Liunian smiled and didn't answer, put away the money, began to pack up, and headed straight for the last market.
Arriving at the meat stall, Zhang Liunian asked for two ribs and, passing by a large iron pot, added a large iron pot to his purchases.
Seeing the aunt selling straw mats, he bought two, one to keep for himself and one to use as a curtain to hang at his doorstep.
Next, he added some basins, buckets, and daily necessities to his home.
Half an hour later, the flatbed cart was piled high with these items.
As he pulled the flatbed cart into the village, people started greeting him.
"Liunian, you're back?"
Now everyone in Zhang family village knew that Zhang Liunian was working for himself. Some looked down on his actions, some felt complicated, and some were moved.
In any case, on the surface, they had a better impression of the village's laziest person, who was finally not lying at home.
As long as he could earn money to pay off his debts, everyone would be happy.
After all, if he could earn money, he wouldn't need to borrow from them in the future.
"Yes, Uncle, are you back from the fields?" Zhang Liunian had almost forgotten that he had two acres of land that he hadn't checked.
However, they had just been planted and watered, so it would be fine for another month or so.
"That's right!"
After Zhang Liunian bid farewell to the first person who greeted him, he encountered two young men he couldn't quite distinguish. These were the village chief's youngest twin sons, named Xiao Si and Xiao Wu.
As soon as they saw Zhang Liunian, they simply called out in a low voice, "Brother Liunian," and then quickened their pace to leave. Zhang Liunian smiled and said nothing. These two were very introverted, and it was good that they could even call out.
Upon returning home, Zhang Liunian took out the ribs.
Jiang Qingqing saw the ribs and felt a pang of regret, "It would have been great if it were all meat."
The price of ribs was only a dime less than meat, but they had more bones and were heavier, so families in the countryside generally wouldn't want ribs.
Yet her husband had bought two ribs today, what a waste.
"Ribs are very nutritious, good for you and the baby in your belly," Zhang Liunian heard his wife's distress, stepped forward, embraced her, and explained in a soft voice.
Jiang Qingqing's small face turned red when she saw him like this, "I know you're thinking of us, I was just saying."
Zhang Liunian smiled, took the ribs to the kitchen, and planned to make braised ribs.
Zhang Xiaomei was cooking and, seeing her third brother approach, immediately stepped forward to snatch the ribs, "Third brother, let me."
"Just cook them like braised pork, the ribs need to be cooked until they are softer, otherwise, they'll be hard to bite."
Zhang Liunian didn't argue with his sister, put down the ribs, and personally peeled two plates of crayfish, brought them to the kitchen, stirred them with flour, and planned to add another dish for the family.
While waiting for his sister to cook, he tied up the crayfish shells in bags, planning to throw them away after his morning exercise tomorrow, and then go out to catch more crayfish.
However, he didn't know that as he was tying the bags, a figure was sneakily approaching his house.
This person was none other than Tu Meili, whose true colors had been revealed by Zhang Liunian today. She had been ostracized by the entire village today and had a stomach full of unvented anger.
After lying at home and thinking for a long time, she decided she wouldn't rest until she took revenge.
After much consideration, she decided she absolutely had to figure out why Zhang Liunian's family was acting so furtively, as if hiding something shameful.
Unfortunately, as she approached and peered inside, she stepped on a clump of mud, making a slight sound.
In a noisy place, it would have been inaudible, but the sound made outside the quiet main hall immediately alerted Zhang Liunian.
He subtly turned his head to look and saw Tu Meili's face.
What was she trying to do again?
As Zhang Liunian was thinking, he saw his wife carrying a basin of bathwater out, her movements inconvenient.
Seeing this, Zhang Liunian quickly stepped forward to take it and then splashed it out the window, accurately drenching Tu Meili.
Zhang Liunian expected her to scream, but Tu Meili surprisingly endured it and finally left like a drowned rat.
After she left, Zhang Liunian began to plan for tomorrow. They had to peel over four hundred catties tomorrow morning, and he didn't have time to help. Therefore, he had to find someone.
He seemed to have someone in mind.
After dinner, Zhang Liunian took out a small bowl of crayfish meat and went to the village chief's house.
The Zhang Laoshi family, with over a dozen members, hadn't dispersed after dinner when Zhang Liunian arrived.
"Uncle, this is another kind of food I made, please try it." Zhang Liunian placed the crayfish meat on the broken table at the village chief's house, and the aroma filled the air.
The Zhang Laoshi family, who had just finished dinner, looked up and saw red and white lying in a bowl. Judging by the smell, they knew it was delicious.
Oh no, they seemed to be hungry again.
Everyone exchanged glances, no one daring to reach for it.
Seeing that the entire Zhang Laoshi family was well-behaved from top to bottom, Zhang Liunian knew he had come to the right place.
He glanced at Xiao Si and Xiao Wu with a smile, and his expression improved further.
"Liunian, your family is even worse off than mine. If you have something, keep it for yourselves, don't bring it here."
No one knew Zhang Liunian's family situation better than Zhang Laoshi. They had been living by borrowing money for years, and it was only recently that he had finally cheered up and started wanting to earn money.
Now that he was finally doing a bit better, why was he being so extravagant?
If there was food, he should prioritize his wife and children, and not let the children go hungry.
"I still have some at home, Uncle, please try it first!" This was specifically prepared for their family, and Zhang Liunian would never take it back.
"Really don't want it? Take it back for the children to eat, and live well with Qingqing." Zhang Laoshi, true to his name, was indeed honest and upright, unwilling to take the slightest advantage of anyone.
Seeing him like this, Zhang Liunian could only change the subject, "I have something else to talk to you about, Uncle."
Something?
Zhang Laoshi was curious, looked up at Zhang Liunian, and asked, "What is it?"
"I want to find two helpers from your family to work for me for half a day. I'll pay one yuan a day, and meals are not included."
Zhang Liunian's words shocked Zhang Laoshi and his entire family.
One yuan for half a day's work, which amounted to thirty yuan a month.
Good heavens, this was equivalent to the salary of a city employee.