Two days later, the Lin family's eldest uncle arrived in his mule cart, laden as usual with several baskets of various seafood.
Qi Zhenzhen and Lu Qingshui were busy for quite some time sorting out all the seafood. Most of it needed to be cooked immediately, while a small portion could be kept alive for consumption at any time. It was impossible for Yun Shi to eat it all alone, and even with the Song family, it was still too much. Qi Zhenzhen therefore went to the construction site to inform them that lunch would be provided that day.
Most of it was shellfish, which only needed to be boiled and served with a dipping sauce. It wasn't troublesome, and once Lu Qingshui understood, she was on board.
For the fish that needed preparation, Qi Zhenzhen took charge. Fish head tofu soup, stir-fried fish slices, and spicy fish filled two large tables.
The people of Xinghua Village did not usually eat seafood; they mostly ate lake and river fish. Faced with this large table of oceanic delicacies, everyone was extremely excited.
The staple food was hand-pulled noodles. They threw the shelled and cooked shellfish into the noodles, scooped on a couple of spoonfuls of sauce, and mixed it all up to make seafood noodles.
The group of men ate heartily, feeling that the treatment at the Qi family was truly excellent. The wages were good, the leader was pleasant, and they even got to feast occasionally.
After lunch, Qi Zhenzhen and Song Mingyue each took their bundles and got into the mule cart. Yun Shi and Yu Shi stood at the doorway, seeing them off.
"Let's go, sister. Your Zhenzhen specifically asked me to look after you well. Since there's nothing much going on at home, and Mingyue, that mischievous monkey, isn't around to bother you, I'll move in for a couple of days. Although you have Qingshui with you, she's still just a young girl," Yu Shi said.
The Qi family's house was large, and many people lived there. Although Gu Chengyang, who led the workers, seemed like a good person, he enjoyed a drink or two, which made Yu Shi uneasy.
There were originally Da Jiang and Xiao He, but these two boys were learning skills from Qian Bo, who taught under Xing Lin. To fulfill their duties as apprentices, they had already moved to the Song family's old residence.
Yun Shi was delighted to have a sensible companion who could talk with her, so she naturally did not refuse Yu Shi.
The Lin family's eldest uncle was a man of few words. He focused on driving the cart the entire way, only instructing Qi Zhenzhen and Song Mingyue to sit tight. He didn't say anything else.
Fortunately, there were many scenic views along the way, so Qi Zhenzhen and Song Mingyue did not feel bored.
The only downside was how bumpy the mule cart was. By the time they disembarked, Qi Zhenzhen was fine, but Song Mingyue could barely stand and ended up clinging to Qi Zhenzhen.
The Lin family lived at the east end of the village. They had five main rooms and four side rooms on the east and west, with an unusually large courtyard.
There were several wooden racks with fishing nets draped over them, and many large baskets where dried shellfish meat was being sunned.
Grandma Lin, along with Da Zhang Shi and Xiao Zhang Shi, were all busy in the courtyard. Because the courtyard was enclosed by a fence, everyone in the courtyard saw them as soon as they arrived at the entrance. Grandma Lin led the way, with Da Zhang Shi and Xiao Zhang Shi following behind to greet them.
"Grandma, Auntie Da, Auntie Er, long time no see," Qi Zhenzhen said with a smile.
Song Mingyue also politely greeted them.
Grandma Lin repeatedly asked Yun Shi how she had been recently and if they had a tiring journey, showing great warmth.
Da Zhang Shi took Qi Zhenzhen and Song Mingyue's bundles and said, "The rooms are already prepared. You two will share a room. The bedding is new and has just been aired, so it's very soft."
Xiao Zhang Shi looked at the mule cart and saw that it was empty. Qi Zhenzhen and the other girl each only carried a small bundle, bringing nothing else. The mule cart had been full of seafood on the way there, but it returned empty. The Qi family truly didn't know how to behave. They didn't even prepare any return gifts and instead sent two extra mouths to feed.
"Where are Grandpa and Uncle Er?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
"They've gone to town to buy things. We usually have seafood for all three meals here, so it's fine for you to have it for a change, but eating it every meal might not suit you," Grandma Lin said with a smile.
"Grandma, there's no need to go to such expense. Mingyue and I are not picky eaters at all."
Song Mingyue also chimed in, "I've prepared my stomach to eat seafood."
The Lin family had two sons and one daughter, so Lin Ruixue was very doted upon. Among the grandchildren, there wasn't a single girl. After their god-daughter arrangement, Grandma Lin was overjoyed to have a delicate granddaughter. How could she not be happy? She truly spoiled her. As for Song Mingyue, her round face was full of joy, making her look lovable. Grandma Lin held one of them by the hand, "You can eat as much as you want. I'm just afraid your little stomachs won't hold enough."
As it neared evening, Grandpa Lin and Uncle Lin Er returned. Their backs were laden with baskets filled with japonica rice, pastries, streaky pork, large pork bones, and two cloth bags of fine white flour.
"We're truly benefiting from Zhenzhen's visit. We don't usually have such things at home," Xiao Zhang Shi said with a smile as she took the basket from her husband's hand, but her smile didn't reach her eyes, looking somewhat strange.
Grandma Lin glared at Xiao Zhang Shi and said indignantly, "Second daughter-in-law, are you implying that I, your mother-in-law, have been stingy with your meals? Go outside and see, whose meals in the village are better than ours?"
Xiao Zhang Shi felt she had just spoken casually and didn't mean anything in particular. She didn't expect her mother-in-law to be displeased. She hadn't said anything wrong; the family's usual meals weren't this good, and they had specifically gone to buy these things knowing Qi Zhenzhen was coming. This was the fact of the matter, so why couldn't it be said? But she didn't dare to confront her mother-in-law directly, so she just gave a sheepish smile and carried the basket into the kitchen.
Grandma Lin cast a look at Lin Ruixia, "Look at your wife's capabilities."
Lin Ruixia also felt a bit awkward. The Lin family's current prosperity was thanks to the Qi family, and now they were relatives. It was only right to entertain them well. He hadn't expected his wife to be so petty.
"Mother, why don't you go and chat with Zhenzhen and Mingyue? Leave the kitchen to me and my sister-in-law," Da Zhang Shi said, smiling and nudging Grandma Lin into the house.
Grandma Lin knew it wasn't appropriate to lose her temper in front of Qi Zhenzhen and Song Mingyue, so she just smiled and pulled them aside to talk about going out to sea.
Kitchen.
Da Zhang Shi silently prepared the fresh seafood, gutting, cleaning, slicing, and chopping. Her movements were quick and efficient. In a short while, she had chopped a basinful. She finely chopped ginger and mixed it into the fish paste, then added four egg whites and stirred clockwise until it formed a cohesive mass.
Xiao Zhang Shi was full of complaints but couldn't hold back. "Sister-in-law, did I say something wrong just now? Does Mother need to react like that? Isn't she embarrassing me in front of the whole family?"
Da Zhang Shi's hands didn't stop. After putting the fish paste aside, she began to knead dough, preparing to make fish dumplings later.
"Is Mother embarrassing you? Sister-in-law, you know best what you were thinking when you said those words. You felt you were speaking the truth, but your eyes, your expression, do you really think people can't see you're unwilling? You usually seem like a sensible person, but when it comes to matters, why are you so unreasonable?" Da Zhang Shi's voice rose slightly, and she was very annoyed by her sister-in-law's tendency to compare everything.