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Ziyan couldn't help but smirk as she quietly directed Ling Yuxuan to move the roast pig to the center of the Stone Table.
Once Ling Yuxuan had placed the roast pig down, she went over and cut it in half, setting one half aside before dismembering the remaining half into small pieces, which she then arranged on a large platter she had brought.
With that, the table was once again filled with ten large dishes.
As she turned around after finishing her task, she noticed that everyone was holding a gift.
The first to speak was Grandma Zhou, who approached Ziyan and presented her with a perfectly sized dragon and phoenix silver bracelet, sliding it onto her wrist.
Feeling the slightly aged silver bracelet, Ziyan sweetly thanked her and gave her grandmother a kiss on the cheek, causing Grandma Zhou to smile warmly with her wrinkled face.
Finally, after being helped back to her seat by Ziyan, Ziying rushed over with a short jacket made of two silver fox pelts for her sister.
"Happy birthday, sis."
Zhou hesitated before approaching his youngest daughter and placing a jade pendant carved with a phoenix around her neck, suspended by a black cord.
While fastening it for his daughter, he couldn't help but steal a glance at Qin Ming.
On the other side, when Qin Ming caught sight of the jade pendant around Ziyan's neck, his eyes sparkled momentarily before he quickly masked his expression with disappointment.
However, just a moment later, he regained his composure and approached Ziyan again, presenting her with a gold hairpin inlaid with exquisite blue sapphires. Upon seeing such a valuable item,
Ziyan and all her family members were momentarily stunned. Zhou had already taken a seat.
Unable to resist, she stood up again and walked closer to Qin Ming and Ziyan.
Then she shook her head and said, "No way, how can such a precious item be given to a little girl? She can't handle it!"
Qin Ming, however, remained calm and smiled brightly, saying, "It's fine. Since Yan'er and my Yuxuan are fated to be together, they will naturally become one family in the future. What does this matter? Moreover, a girl's coming-of-age ceremony at fifteen is a significant event. This hairpin originally belonged to Yuxuan's mother, so consider it an early token of affection for my child. I hope Miss Yan'er won't find it lacking!"
Listening to their conversation, Ziyan couldn't help but twitch her lips, feeling anxious inside: Should she accept it or return it?
Not knowing how to decide, Ziyan couldn't help but cast her gaze toward Ling Yuxuan across from her, seeking his help.
Ling Yuxuan squinted slightly, nodding at her to indicate that she should accept it.
He then spoke up, "Yan'er, since it's your father's intention, you should accept it."
"Okay!"
Receiving Ling Yuxuan's clear indication, Ziyan agreed while carefully accepting the valuable gemstone hairpin.
At the same time, Zhou had no choice but to return to his seat and say nothing more about it.
Finally, Uncle Zhou Laoda presented Ziyan with a delicately crafted silver hairpin.
After everyone had given their gifts to the birthday girl today, everyone gathered around the large Stone Table as Second Brother and Zhou warmly invited everyone to start eating.
Naturally, this birthday feast left everyone feeling excited and extremely satisfied.
Especially when the crowd tasted the roasted suckling pig, the crispy skin and fragrant meat, tender yet not greasy, made everyone exclaim in admiration.
Originally, Ziyan thought that with a whole pig and so many dishes, they wouldn't be able to finish it all. However, everyone enjoyed their homemade Sweet Rice Wine while chatting about various topics.
Particularly Zhou Laoda, who spoke loudly about his experiences and the strange people he encountered on his journeys.
People ate, then chatted; when they got tired of talking, they continued eating and drinking. If the dishes got cold, they would reheat them—
Until a long time later, Ziyan noticed that the plates and bowls were nearly empty. She then pulled her sister to help clean up the more than ten palm-sized small fish that Ling Yuxuan had caught the day before. Finally, she called Ziying over, asking her to wash the fish scales thoroughly before drying them to mix into the ash for fertilizer later.
At this moment, Ziying finally understood that this was what her sister referred to as "organic fertilizer."
After cleaning the small fish, they took them to the kitchen. They stir-fried some dried yellow beans and coated the fish in flour before lightly frying them until they turned a light golden color. Then they added ginger, stir-fried yellow beans, and garlic, simmering on low heat.
Next, Ziyan mixed some flour to knead it into dumplings and stuck them onto the edge of the Iron Wok where the fish was simmering. After simmering for a little longer, both the fish and dumplings were ready.
Sprinkling some chopped green onions on top, this dish known as Mixed Fish Potstickers from a certain cuisine in Jiangbei was ready to be served.
Ziyan called Ling Yuxuan over to help move the entire pot to the Stone Table in the courtyard. Instantly, everyone's gaze was focused on this astonishing pot of potstickers and fish.
Ziyan shook her head with amusement and stepped forward to tell them that the dumplings could be dipped in the fresh fish soup for an even more delicious flavor.
Zhou Laoda was the first to taste the food. Following his niece's suggestion, he picked up a piece of potstickers and dipped it in the fish soup before taking a bite.
He immediately raised his left thumb and nodded, saying, "Mmm, mmm, mmm, delicious. The flavor is so fresh. To make such a taste with these small fish, Yan'er, you are amazing."
After hearing his praise, everyone else started to eat in the same manner.
Except for Ziyan, everyone present was eating while praising the food. Listening to their compliments, Ziyan chuckled and went back to the kitchen with Ziying to stir-fry a few more dishes to bring to the table.
Soon, it was nearly evening, and the guests were full and exhausted.
Grandpa and Grandma did not want to squeeze into Zi Family like last time, so even though they saw it was getting late and Zhou and Zi Lao Er strongly insisted on staying overnight, they still insisted on returning to Zhou Family Village with Zhou Laoda.
Zhou Family Village was about twenty miles from Ziyan's current home. The ox cart would take at least over an hour to travel that distance, but the guests were adamant about not staying overnight, leaving the host with no choice.
In the end, Zhou had his two daughters pack up portions of all the meat they had at home and put them into Zhou Laoda's ox cart.
Then the whole family, along with Ling Yuxuan, Qin Ming, and others, escorted them out of the courtyard for a short distance before returning inside.
Back in the courtyard, Ziyan went straight into the storage room to retrieve the bird's nest, reishi mushrooms, He Shou Wu slices, and Huang Niu Xi that she had collected from the mountains earlier. These were still hanging in a bamboo basket from the beams. She also grabbed some homemade edible spices packed in small cloth bags.
She then divided everything into two different-sized backpacks, took one in each hand, and walked over to everyone. The three people in the courtyard, except for Ling Yuxuan, looked confused and puzzled.
At the same time, without any further hesitation, Ziyan approached Zi Lao Er and Zhou to inform them that she would be going with Ling Yuxuan for martial arts training in the mountains.
Zi Lao Er was momentarily stunned, while Zhou remained calm, seemingly having already sensed her daughter's thoughts.
Nodding, she replied with a double meaning, "Go ahead. Both daughters cannot stay here and live a life of mediocrity. Yan'er, since you have made your choice, no matter how difficult the future may be, you must persevere. Rest assured, there is nothing for you to worry about at home. As long as you can learn your skills, your father and I will have no regrets."
After saying this, Zhou couldn't help but glance at Qin Ming, who of course understood her implied meaning.
Initially, Zhou had waited for him for several years, but as time passed and her parents pressured her without any news from him, she had no choice but to marry the ordinary Zi Lao Er.
Thus, two people who were originally in love missed their chance together for a lifetime. Therefore, Zhou certainly did not want to see her daughter walk the same path she had.
Zi Lao Er, who had been stunned in place, heard Zhou's words and felt that she was supporting their younger daughter in her relationship with Gu Yuxuan, but he did not realize any other implications.
Thinking of his wife's heartfelt intentions, he nodded in agreement and addressed Ziyan, "Go ahead, daughter. With excellent Martial Arts skills, you will be able to protect yourself well in the future. Parents will eventually grow old and must leave you one day. So I support you too."
After saying this, he turned to hold Ling Yuxuan's hand excitedly and entrusted her with a plea: "Gu Young Master, please take care of Yan'er. No matter what happens, make sure she is well looked after."
"Dad, Mom, this isn't a matter of life and death. Please don't be like this! Also, you must eat well three meals a day from now on. While I practice my skills, I will still gather some herbs to sell and will regularly send you meat and household money. So please don't be too hard on yourselves."
Ziyan suddenly felt warmth in her eyes as tears began to roll down; her parents before crossing over had never worried about or cared for her like this!
If only her parents back then could have been so considerate and caring towards her, becoming her strongest support—how wonderful that would have been!
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