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At noon, under the blazing sun, Yezhi sat in the carriage, one hand shielding her forehead and the other fanning herself with a folded handkerchief. Aunt Zhou opened a cloth bag filled with dry rations and handed a hard millet cake to both Yezhi and Zhou Village Head. Holding the millet cake, Yezhi felt no appetite; her eyes wandered until they landed on a sign that read "Grand Hotel," which caught her attention. She shouted, "Stop the carriage!" The carriage came to an immediate halt, and Aunt Zhou and the others looked at Yezhi in confusion.
Yezhi jumped down from the carriage and turned to say, "Forget the dry rations; I'm treating you all to lunch today. Let's go to the 'Grand Hotel' for a meal!"
Aunt Zhou, Zhou Village Head, Zhou Yiqiang, and Cart Master seemed not to understand what Yezhi had said, still sitting dazed in the carriage while Yezhi excitedly ran into the Grand Hotel.
Taking a deep breath of the delicious food aroma, especially the long-missed scent of meat, made her stomach rumble. She found a round table to sit at, and a waiter in a white shirt approached briskly, asking, "How many ladies are there? What would you like to eat?"
"Five people; please bring me the menu," she replied. Just then, Aunt Zhou and the others walked in awkwardly. Seeing Yezhi relieved them, they hurried over to sit down.
"Village Uncle, One Gun Brother, Cart Master, Aunt Zhou, what do you all want to eat?"
Aunt Zhou quietly tugged at Yezhi's sleeve and whispered with a pained expression, "Dear girl, can we skip this? It's too expensive!"
Yezhi smiled and deliberately said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "It's fine; I’m not selling ginseng here. Treating my uncles and aunts to a meal is nothing. Besides, I eat village meals every day! We won't order abalone or sea cucumber; let's at least get some chicken or duck."
Hearing this from Yezhi made everyone relax a bit. Zhou Village Head spoke up: "Then let's just order whatever; as long as it's filling." The others nodded in agreement.
"Why are you still standing there? Where's the menu?" Yezhi asked the waiter who was still standing nearby.
"The menu is all in my belly!" The waiter replied with a grin: "Stir-fried fish fillet, braised fish belly, fish bones stew, fish slices... vinegar-braised meat slices, braised fatty intestines... three delicacies stew, braised white mushrooms, braised pigeon eggs... red pork knuckle, white pork knuckle, crystal pork knuckle... rolled pork flower...!"
Oh my! Is he telling jokes? The waiter rattled off so many dishes that Yezhi couldn't remember most of them. "Let's have Stir-Fried Pork Strips, braised fatty intestines, rolled pork flower, Three Delicacies; you can choose a soup too!" With each dish she ordered, Aunt Zhou nudged her with her elbow. Although Yezhi wanted to order more, seeing Aunt Zhou's nearly jumping-up-and-down expression made her relent.
"Alright! Please wait!" The waiter said before turning to leave.
"Yezhi, this is too extravagant; let's just go!" Cart Master and Zhou Yiqiang also seemed restless on their seats. Having lived this long, they had rarely dined out. Ordering so many dishes was a first for them.
Zhou Village Head nodded in agreement: "Yes, it's too wasteful; should we cut down on two meat dishes?"
Yezhi had come here specifically for a feast; meat was her favorite—she couldn't reduce even one dish: "We've already ordered; everyone should eat their fill without worrying too much."
It was mealtime after all; the dishes were served slowly. Yezhi tried hard to lighten the mood and hoped that Zhou Village Head and Aunt Zhou would feel more comfortable.
"One Gun Brother, you're our village hunter; have you ever hunted a tiger?" This question opened up Zhou Yiqiang's floodgates as he began recounting his thrilling experiences of encountering and hunting tigers. Everyone listened intently; even two customers at the next table leaned over to give him thumbs up and said, "Brother, what's your surname? You truly are a tiger-hunting hero."
Zhou Yiqiang grinned foolishly: "My surname is Zhou; I'm from Zhoujiatun. How about you?"
"We are from Shanggang Village. My surname is Zhang, Zhang Yishan, and this is my younger brother, Zhang Ershan." After introducing themselves, they chatted warmly. The dishes started to come out one after another. Yezhi saw how happily Zhou Village Head and Zhang Yishan were talking and wanted to invite them to sit together, but she didn't like eating with strangers. After hesitating for a moment, she decided against it. Except for the labor-intensive dish of rolled elbow, all the dishes at Yezhi's table were served.
Yezhi looked at the golden-red meat pieces on the white porcelain plate, and her mouth watered uncontrollably. She cheerfully called out to Aunt Zhou, Zhou Village Head, Zhou Yiqiang, and the Cart Master, picked up her chopsticks, and first placed a piece of meat into Aunt Zhou's bowl before taking one for herself. As she bit into it, the fresh and sweet juice melted in her mouth; it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, salty and fragrant—so delicious! Unable to contain herself, she grabbed a piece of fatty intestine. She had always loved fatty intestine; whether it was spicy stir-fried, braised, or steamed, she had to eat it once a week. These three dishes were also her specialties. She had never tried this stir-fried fatty intestine before; it was chewy yet soft, becoming more fragrant with each bite, perfectly paired with distinct grains of white rice! The Three Delicacies dish was oily; Yezhi hadn't had oily stir-fried dishes in a long time. It was rich in sauce, soft and tender—so good that she almost bit her tongue! Soon, a big bowl of white rice was devoured by Yezhi. "Waiter, another bowl please." Looking at how the Cart Master and Aunt Zhou were enjoying their meal, she thought they all needed more and changed her order: "Waiter, bring me a large bowl of rice."
Along with the rice came the freshly made rolled elbow dish. The elbow was deboned and sliced thinly into pieces arranged beautifully on a white porcelain plate. The red and white colors glistened with oil; it was sticky and soft in the mouth with a salty flavor that had a hint of sweetness—perfect for drinking! At this moment, Yezhi remembered that she forgot to ask Zhou Village Head for some liquor.
"Village Uncle, One Gun Brother, do you drink?"
Upon hearing the word 'liquor,' both Zhou Village Head and Zhou Yiqiang's eyes lit up; indeed, among ten men, nine love liquor. Yezhi chuckled and said, "Waiter, bring me a pound of white liquor."
The Cart Master exclaimed, "With such good dishes, a pound is not enough!"
"That's enough! A little drink is pleasant; too much is harmful. Besides, it's not your share anyway," Yezhi replied while eating.
"Why? Why isn't it my share?" the Cart Master asked indignantly.
"If you get drunk, who will drive? Moreover, drunk driving is unsafe; our lives are in your hands!" Yezhi answered with a smile. Zhou Village Head and Zhou Yiqiang nodded vigorously in agreement. "Right, Boss! You can't drink." "Exactly! Our safety must be guaranteed." Aunt Zhou laughed while covering her mouth. Yezhi also laughed happily; especially when she saw the Cart Master looking anxious as he watched Zhou Village Head and Zhou Yiqiang drink heartily—it was quite amusing!
Before Yezhi could soften her heart to pour a cup for the Cart Master, two people from the next table came to his rescue. "Everyone, we are fated to meet! Let me raise a glass to you all!" Zhang Yishan lifted his cup while Zhang Ershan poured liquor for Zhou Village Head and the others.
With that toast, the five of them began drinking heartily and accidentally downed five pounds of white liquor; everyone turned red-faced from drinking. Yezhi believed in enjoying life while one can; since everyone was so happy, she wouldn't spoil the mood by persuading them not to drink.
They spent over an hour eating this meal. When it came time to settle the bill, Zhang Yishan insisted on paying for them. Yezhi's cheerful expression immediately turned sour; she wanted to treat them as a gesture of goodwill. It felt like someone interrupted her game of mahjong—frustrating! Moreover, it made her seem petty; she never intended for two tables to be counted together.
Taking advantage of Zhang Yishan counting cash at that moment, Yezhi snatched some bills from the waiter’s hand and slipped two bills over to him: "Let's settle together." Then she turned to Zhang Yishan who was stunned by her sudden action: "Brother Yishan, you said we are fated to meet today; let me treat you to this meal. You won't argue with me over this will you?"
Seeing that the waiter had left and there was no point in arguing anymore, Zhang Yishan felt quite embarrassed and whispered something into Zhang Ershan's ear. A moment later, Zhang Ershan came back holding a bag of almonds and a bag of dried apricots. "Sister, these are our village's specialties; try some!" Seeing the yellow almonds and golden transparent dried apricots made Yezhi genuinely happy; in fact, as long as it was food, she liked it.
After exchanging addresses and reminding each other to visit Shanggang Village (Zhoujiatun), the group of drinking buddies reluctantly set off on their way home.
Back at Zhoujiatun, night had fallen completely. The Cart Master dropped off Yezhi and Aunt Zhou at their doorstep. Both were quite tired; after strong insistence from Yezhi, they washed up and went straight to bed.
The next morning at dawn, Yezhi woke up early without being entangled in bedclothes. Stepping outside into the fresh air that carried a hint of moisture felt invigorating as she stretched lazily while Big Yellow playfully barked a few times as if greeting her.
Aunt Zhou was in the kitchen mixing chicken feed when Yezhi scratched her head feeling somewhat helpless but mostly embarrassed—no matter how early she got up, Aunt Zhou was always earlier.
"Get up! I picked two eggs this morning; I've already stewed them for you—they're in the pot! You eat first while I go feed the chickens!"
Yezhi opened the wooden pot lid to reveal a large bowl of tender, creamy yellow eggs, wafting with fragrance, accompanied by three sorghum pancakes. Yezhi found a bowl to split the eggs in half and set breakfast on the kang table.
"Why aren't you eating?"
"It's more delicious when you eat together!"
Aunt Zhou chuckled and said, "You sure know how to sweet-talk." She glanced at the halved eggs on the kang table, wanting to say something but ultimately just shot Yezhi a fierce glare before quietly starting to eat. Yezhi felt quite pleased with the glare; it was nice not having to engage in a back-and-forth refusal.
After breakfast, the two began sorting through the two large bags of items they had bought yesterday. Yezhi took out the food first, only to find that some had been crushed, especially the biscuits which were in pieces. This made her feel quite frustrated since she had specifically packed the food on top. The bags of substantial food filled the entire kang table, and Aunt Zhou shook her head while muttering, "This... is just too much. How are we going to finish it all?" Yezhi stuffed a piece of Sweet Rice Sticks into Aunt Zhou's mouth: "You eat more, I eat more, everyone helps eat a bit, and it'll be gone in no time."
Yezhi tossed a piece of Sesame Candy into her mouth, instantly filled with the aroma of sesame, sweet with a hint of lard flavor. This was authentic old-fashioned taste. In the 21st century where Yezhi lived, sesame wasn't this fragrant, and lard had been replaced by vegetable oil; sweetness relied on various additives. It was rare to encounter something handmade; the lard inside was rich enough to make one feel nauseous. Nothing compared to things from the 1980s.
Aunt Zhou found a large jar specifically for storing Yezhi's pile of food. After putting away the food, Yezhi began sorting out shoes and clothes one by one. There was a pile for Aunt Zhou and another for herself. When she came across some colorful underwear, she tossed it all into Aunt Zhou's pile. Aunt Zhou was taken aback, "Girl, what is this?"
"I bought it because you said it looked good; of course it's for you," Yezhi replied confidently.
Aunt Zhou's face turned slightly red as she defended herself, "I meant you look good in it! It's so flashy; how can I wear it? Girl!"
Ignoring her, Yezhi continued pulling out toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels, soap... Aunt Zhou was dazzled; some items were so uncommon that even she hadn't seen many in the village.
The entire morning was spent organizing things. In the afternoon, Aunt Zhou, happily carrying a brand new snow-white towel and a hoe, headed out to work in the fields. Yezhi couldn't understand what was so exciting about a white towel. Showing off? As she pondered this, she couldn't help but chuckle and felt happy too; what exactly made her happy? She couldn't quite say—it was just a feeling of joy.
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