"Little village child, come to the west house for dinner tonight!" Xiao Jinheng said expressionlessly, his hands behind his back.
Little Xi Tian glanced at the carriage outside the door, loaded with all sorts of delicious food: lamb chops, catfish, carp, crucian carp, various green vegetables, pig trotters, and buckwheat noodles, etc...
She guessed that the brat was about to host a banquet.
"So much delicious food, can you finish it all?" Little Xi Tian blinked her big eyes.
Xiao Jinheng raised his hand and flicked her forehead. "Then you eat with all your might, and don't waste anything..."
The dishes he bought today were almost all Little Village Child's favorites.
Normally, chores like this would be handled by Granny Jin and Kong Xingzhu, but this was his first banquet in Dashui Village, so it had to be done properly...
In fact, while Xiao Jinheng was outwardly inviting Governor Qin and Prefect Chen, his true intention was to thank Little Village Child for saving his life.
If Sweet Baby hadn't pulled him out of the waterlogged area, he would have already floated away.
Not only that, but Xiao Jinheng had also prepared gifts for Madam Gu and Old Man Yun, which he would present later that evening...
"Go inside, it's too sunny right now, you'll get tanned!" Xiao Jinheng nudged Little Xi Tian and then headed back to the west house.
Little Xi Tian blinked in surprise and went to the kitchen.
Before she could even enter, she saw Zhao Guihua sitting on a small stool outside the door, sulking.
"Huh? Eldest Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" Little Xi Tian asked.
Zhao Guihua looked up at Little Xi Tian, a forced smile appearing on her lips. "No... it's nothing! The food will be ready soon, Sweet Baby, go back to your room and wait!~"
Little Xi Tian pursed her lips, her expression thoughtful.
Since returning to the village, she had been playing with Xiao Ran and the others and hadn't paid much attention to family matters...
Seeing her eldest sister-in-law's pained expression and furrowed brows, she knew someone must have upset her.
So, Little Xi Tian peeked into the kitchen.
She saw Third Sister-in-law Gao Fengjuan stir-frying dishes with a spatula, muttering something under her breath.
Sister Shanshan was carefully arranging the small fish and washing them with water...
"I want to fry grasshoppers!" Little Xi Tian suddenly declared.
Gao Fengjuan and Du Tieshan both turned around, seeing Little Xi Tian holding a large jar filled with grasshoppers.
There were also those flying ones, the "san tala," which made a "kasha kasha" sound when they flew.
Gao Fengjuan was about to say grasshoppers couldn't be eaten when Du Tieshan took the jar, patted Little Xi Tian's head, and said, "Okay, I'll help you clean the grasshoppers later, then marinate them with salt. Fried grasshoppers are delicious..."
Little Xi Tian's big eyes sparkled.
Wow, Sister Shanshan really understood her.
After running around, only Du Tieshan said grasshoppers could be eaten; everyone else found them disgusting.
Her father and brothers even said she was craving meat and that they would go to the county town to buy pork belly after dinner...
Gao Fengjuan covered her mouth and ran out. She felt like vomiting whenever she saw grasshoppers.
Soon, lunch was ready.
Before the stewed cabbage with tofu and the mixed fish sauce were even served, Governor Qin had already downed half a bowl of wine. On the table, there was only a plate of pickled mustard stems and salted large cabbage, and no one knew how he managed to drink it...
Prefect Chen still felt uncomfortable in his stomach. He had to take it slow, let his stomach recover, and wait to have a meal at the Little Prince's place tonight.
Madam Xue was not picky. She gave Qin Yiyi and Qin Fenglan each a cornmeal pancake and served them a bowl of cabbage and tofu soup. The mother and daughters ate with relish.
As for Madam Huang, she stirred the basin with her chopsticks several times. The basin was full of cabbage and tofu, but not a speck of meat was visible, which greatly displeased her...
"No, don't stir around in the basin like that, how will others eat?" Prefect Chen glared at her. "This is stewed with lard, it's fragrant! It tastes better than putting meat slices directly in!"
Madam Huang disliked lard, so she turned her gaze to the plate of mixed fish sauce.
She picked up a loach, not too big and not too small, and put it in her mouth. She immediately spat it out. "Pfft, pfft, why does this smell so bad? Is this fish pregnant?"
Prefect Chen: "..."
This wretched woman, country-style fermented bean paste always had a strong smell, and some people even enjoyed that taste.
She didn't know anything and just blabbered nonsense, which was truly embarrassing.
"If you don't want to eat it, then get out. You don't like this and you find that stinky, what do you want?" Prefect Chen snatched her bowl and chopsticks.
Madam Gu smiled helplessly and looked at Zhao Guihua. "Eldest Sister-in-law, there are still a few cucumbers in the bowl rack. Go and smash them, mix them with minced garlic and cilantro, and make a smashed cucumber salad..."
"Got it, Mother!~" Zhao Guihua put down her chopsticks and went to the kitchen.
Just then, Little Xi Tian and Du Tieshan walked in, each holding a plate with golden fried grasshoppers on it.
These things smelled very fragrant when fried, different from fried pork belly, fried jerky, dried beef, or fried dough cakes.
It was a peculiar aroma, looking fresh, fragrant, and crispy, and it oozed oil when bitten into...
These things were perfect with wine.
Madam Huang's eyes widened, and she quickly stood up. "Is this... is this shrimp? Quick, let me try it!"
"Sit down quickly!" Prefect Chen tugged at her.
Did this wretched woman's eyes grow on a gourd?
Those were clearly locusts, grasshoppers, and people couldn't eat them...
As a seasoned foodie, Prefect Chen considered himself knowledgeable in matters of food and drink.
He dared to eat moles, snakes, and water bugs (those big black insects in the Hetao area), but he had never eaten grasshoppers.
Governor Qin, holding his wine glass, stared intently at the two plates of fried grasshoppers and couldn't help but smack his lips...
Old Man Yun and his sons were also bewildered. Sweet Baby had actually fried these things.
"These things are not poisonous, right?" Even Gao Fengjuan, who felt like vomiting at the sight of grasshoppers, looked skeptical.
She wanted to try.
Yun Sanman glared at her. "Whether it's poisonous or not, you'll know if you try it yourself..."
"Okay, you want me to test for poison, right? If I get poisoned to death, you'll find a wife like Sister Shanshan, won't you?" Gao Fengjuan shouted.
Yun Sanman spat on the ground upon hearing this. He refused to talk to someone so outrageously unreasonable.
The fried grasshoppers were placed on the dining table. Everyone held their chopsticks, looking as if they wanted to eat but hesitated.
Little Xi Tian giggled, picked up a grasshopper, and popped it into her mouth. With just a chew, oh, her mouth was filled with fragrance. "It's delicious, just a little too salty. Sister Shanshan, you try one too..."
Du Tieshan wasn't as delicate. She picked up a grasshopper and tasted it, nodding. "Yes, it's a bit salty. I'll use less salt next time!~"
Yiyi and Fenglan saw that their Sister Xi Tian had eaten, so they began to taste them. Xiao Ran was no exception, eating with oil all over her mouth, looking incredibly greedy!
Prefect Chen couldn't hold back any longer and nudged Madam Huang. "Go, get me a wine glass!"
Madam Huang: "..."