When it was close to noon, Wang Fagen and Wang Xiuyan went home, they saw the two brothers, sisters, and brother-in-law's family coming, and the smiles on their faces couldn't help but spread, and people who didn't know couldn't see that they were still depressed because of the borrowed money before.

"Big brother, second brother, brother-in-law!"

Wang Fagen took out a box of Hongta Mountain from his pocket and distributed it to everyone.

Liu Juying saw that the snacks in the fruit bowl on the table in her mother's room were almost eaten by several nephews and nephews, and took some out of her room.

Wang Chao, who was only seven or eight years old, saw it and hurriedly shouted: "Auntie, I want a white rabbit!"

When Wang Fagen went home a few years ago, in order to thank the two brothers for their help to the family during his absence, he sent a lot of cigarettes, alcohol, and candy to the two brothers' families. Where had the two brothers Wang Long and Wang Chao eaten such delicious candy before, and the younger Wang Chao hurriedly asked his aunt for it.

Children in this era have no resistance to the temptation of this kind of toffee, Liu Juying heard this, and grabbed a large handful and put it in the fruit bowl.

Li Liang and Li Meng, the two sisters and brothers, looked at each other and smiled, they should have been like this before. Li Meng is because he is old at work, and Li Liang is because during the winter vacation, his mother saw him take Chenchen, Zhang Junjie, Wang Chao and others to study hard, and bought a lot of food like the White Rabbit.

Speaking of Wang Chao, Li Liang was a little dizzy. His classmate is named Wang Chao, and his cousin is also called Wang Chao. However, in his last life, he still played well with his friend Chaozi, and his relationship with this cousin is average.

"Let's eat!"

As soon as Wang Xiuyan came back, she went into the kitchen to help her sister Wang Xiulan and her second sister-in-law Chen Mengjun, and she came to her mother's room with a bowl of braised pork. My mother's room is relatively large, and it is usually used as a living room at home.

Wang Fagen and the others, who were chatting, hurriedly moved the fruit plates, teacups and other items on the table and moved the table to the middle of the room. Wang Xiulan stir-fried the vegetables very quickly, and after a while, the table was full of dishes.

A total of thirteen people ate, but fortunately, the table was big enough to sit down.

Li Liang's three uncles Wang Maogen drank averagely, the second uncle Wang Shenggen and the younger uncle Wang Fagen drank well, and together with Li Shuangzhu, the four men shared a bottle of Site Laojiao.

"Good wine!" Wang Shenggen praised.

The younger brother Wang Fagen gave each of them two bottles of Site Laojiao a few years ago, but they were not willing to drink it and were ready to keep it for guests. What I usually drink is usually home-brewed rice wine or bulk liquor bought from the polder, and the taste is naturally not as good as this kind of boutique Site Laojiao.

The men drank and chatted, while Li Liang drank drinks with his two cousins and women.

Wang Chao and Wang Long's brothers ate very sweetly, Wang Chao looked at the braised pork in the middle of the table, and asked Liu Juying hesitantly: "Auntie, can I eat a piece of braised pork?"

didn't wait for Liu Juying to speak, Wang Chao's mother Chen Mengjun said: "Chaochao, don't we have braised pork at home, I'll eat it when I go back!"

Liu Juying, who was on the side, hurriedly sandwiched a piece of braised pork for each of the brothers Wang Chao and Wang Long, and said with a smile: "Don't be polite at your aunt's house, eat whatever you want!"

Wang Chao handed the braised pork that his aunt brought over to his mouth, chewed it beautifully, and said with satisfaction: "Mom, when can our family eat braised pork casually like my uncle's family!"

His words made his mother Chen Mengjun couldn't help but have a trace of embarrassment on her face, and she smiled reluctantly: "Eat it quickly, the braised pork can't stop your mouth, isn't there one at home, you can eat it if you want to eat it when you get home!"

Li Liang knew why his second aunt was embarrassed. In my own family, because my parents are dual-income workers, although I say that my usual salary income is subsidized by my grandparents and grandmothers, I can still eat a few meals of braised pork every month. Especially during the Chinese New Year, her mother Wang Xiulan will make a big pot of braised pork to make herself and her sister enjoy it.

But once upon a time, when I went to my grandparents' house, my grandmother's house, and other relatives' houses, this was not the case. The bowl of braised pork prepared by my grandmother's house during the New Year is generally not eaten by my own family, and guests who know the rules generally do not eat this bowl of dishes. I remember that when I was a child, I was ignorant, Li Liang clamored to eat braised pork when he was eating, but his mother Wang Xiulan didn't let him, and finally his grandmother sandwiched a piece for him. After returning home, Li Liang was beaten by his mother Wang Xiulan, and since then Li Liang has a long memory, and when he goes to a relative's house for the New Year, he can't casually touch the two bowls of braised pork and plum cabbage button meat.

Why don't you eat it, and why don't the guests touch these two bowls of dishes? The most fundamental reason is because the family is poor, and there is a tradition of going to relatives during the New Year in Hek County, generally starting to go to relatives on the second day of the first month, and families with many relatives will continue until after the Lantern Festival.

When you go to someone else's house for dinner, you naturally have to invite your relatives to eat at your own house. However, in this era, the poor, especially the rural people, have been living by work in the past few years, and they are busy all year round, and they can't even eat enough rations from the brigade, so they need to be helped by a lot of potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, greens, etc., so that they can barely fill their stomachs, and where can they have spare money to buy meat to eat.

The two hard dishes of braised pork and plum cabbage buckle meat prepared by many families for the New Year must be prepared from the second day of the new year to the Lantern Festival before they can be eaten. When the guests come, they have to bring up the hard dishes for these two nights to greet the guests to eat, and the guests who know the rules will not eat them. The guest didn't eat it, and the housewife of the house needed to reheat the bowl and save it for the next guest.

Often the braised pork stewed on the second day of the new year, after ten days of continuous return to the pot and repeated heating, the oily braised pork becomes an old meat that is difficult to chew, and the relatives who should be invited are all invited before their family can eat it.

Such a story is sad to say, and many post-80s, post-90s and post-00s generations in later generations cannot understand. I remember that Li Liang told his son such a story in his previous life, and his son asked stupidly: "Dad, what if there is a guest who doesn't understand the rules and eats meat?"

"What should I do?"

The host had to go to the meat department again to buy a piece of pork belly and re-make it.

So in order not to cause trouble to the host's family, everyone has developed a 'good habit' of not eating braised pork as a guest.

Wang Xiulan also heard the conversation between her brother-in-law and nephew on the side, she is a very responsible sister, which can be seen from the fact that she used to help her mother's family every year.

She smiled and beckoned everyone to eat, and sandwiched a few pieces of braised pork and plum cabbage button meat for Wang Chao and Wang Long's brothers, and covered up the topic with a smile.

After eating, she found an opportunity to call her son Li Liang out of the room, although the scorching sun in the early spring afternoon was not hot, but it was warm on people.

"Son, you also saw it during the meal just now, is there any way to help your second uncle and eldest uncle's family?"