Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

Li Xiangdong used the five jin of pork he brought with him, cut off a piece of the fatty and lean meat, and prepared to make another dish of crispy pork belly.

Hou Jianshe and the others had already been kicked out by Aunt Hou, leaving her alone in the kitchen to openly learn from Hou's skills.

Aunt Hou kept her eyes glued to every step of the cooking process, showing no concern whatsoever for Li Xiangdong's unrestrained cooking style.

Her husband was the head of the labor and personnel department, so he naturally wouldn't care about such a small amount of oil and seasonings.

Li Xiangdong noticed that Aunt Hou seemed to be memorizing, so he smiled and said, "Aunt Hou, don't bother memorizing. I'll write down the detailed steps for these two dishes for you on paper later."

Li Xiangdong finally got to cook for himself today. If he dared to cook like this at home, his mother would have slapped him across the face long ago.

"Dongzi, if you put it that way, your aunt won't be polite. You'd better write it down carefully later."

Aunt Hou was delighted to hear Li Xiangdong's words. She had eaten at restaurants quite often, but she had never even seen the boiled fish or the crispy pork belly that she had just eaten.

"So this is the secret recipe!" Li Xiangdong actually said he would write down the cooking steps for her later. She thought Dongzi was a very generous kid.

Li Xiangdong then made his signature fried peanuts, and together with the three dishes prepared by Aunt Hou, lunch was ready.

Hou Jianshe and Gao Xinmin weren't really focused on the chessboard while they were playing; they were already impatiently waiting for dinner.

As for Hou San and Li Xiaotao, they were even more so, constantly running into the kitchen to ask when it was time to eat.

Six dishes were served, and everyone sat down. Li Xiangdong took a bottle of Fenjiu and poured it for Hou Jianshe and Gao Xinmin.

Hou Jianshe said, "Dongzi, pour a glass for your Aunt Hou on such a happy day."

Aunt Hou smiled and said, "Yes, I'll have a drink with you all today."

"okay."

Li Xiangdong took a small wine glass from the side and poured a glass of wine for Aunt Hou before finally filling his own glass.

There was wine to drink at noon today, and Hou San had prepared his glass in advance; he didn't want to drink soda with Li Xiaotao.

But when he saw Li Xiangdong put down the wine bottle, he became unhappy.

"Brother Dong, I'm still here for you."

Li Xiangdong remained silent and turned to look at Hou Jianshe, who was sitting at the head of the table.

Hou Jianshe thought for a moment and said, "You can only drink one cup."

"I know dad."

Hou San was overjoyed to hear that his father had graciously allowed him to have a drink today.

However, he could only drink one cup, so naturally he wouldn't let Li Xiangdong pour him the wine.

He had to pour the glass of wine himself, and it had to be poured to the brim.

With a tremor of his hand, the wine spilled directly from the glass.

Hou San quickly put down the wine bottle in his hand, lowered his head and took a sip of the wine in his glass, then picked up the glass and sipped the wine on the table into his mouth.

When Hou Jianshe saw his son's behavior, he cursed him under his breath as a good-for-nothing!

"Everyone, pick up your chopsticks. Lao Gao, quickly try these two dishes that Dongzi made."

"I've been waiting for you to speak."

Gao Xinmin picked up his chopsticks and tasted the boiled fish first. "Mmm~ Delicious! It smells good!"

Hou Jianshe swallowed the fish in his mouth and praised, "It's both numbing and spicy, just my taste!"

He pointed to another dish Li Xiangdong had made and asked, "What is this?"

Aunt Hou began to introduce the dish, saying, "This dish is called Crispy Pork Belly. Am I right, Dongzi?"

Li Xiangdong smiled and nodded.

Aunt Hou picked up a piece of crispy pork belly, nodding as she ate, "Dongzi, your skills are good enough to work as a chef in a state-run restaurant."

Hou San and Li Xiaotao didn't join in; they were busy eating with their mouths full.

Hearing the praise from everyone, Li Xiangdong felt no pride or arrogance; he felt his cooking skills were just average.

Is it really delicious?

He tasted a bite of each dish and found that his own cooking wasn't as good as the pre-cooked dishes from later generations.

The reason people think it tastes good is simply because the seasoning is heavy and they haven't tried these two dishes before.

After eating for a while, everyone finished their cravings and then picked up their glasses to drink together.

Li Xiangdong got up and first pulled Li Xiaotao to toast each of the elders present. Of course, Li Xiaotao was still a child, so he drank soda.

Then he toasted each of the three elders with two cups of wine and said a few auspicious words.

After offering the toast, he didn't drink much anymore, unless Hou Jianshe and Gao Xinmin asked him to drink; otherwise, he would act as the wine-pouring boy.

On his first visit, especially since Hou Jianshe and Gao Xinmin were his superiors, he certainly wouldn't act recklessly or show signs of intoxication after drinking too much.

After finishing the meal, Li Xiangdong helped Aunt Hou clear the table, and she urged him to quickly write down the cooking steps.

Hou Jianshe and Gao Xinmin, their eyes still blurry with drunkenness, began setting up the chessboard again.

As for Hou San, he went back to his room to sleep after eating half of the meal.

"Third Uncle, what are you writing?"

Li Xiangdong was sitting at the desk in Hou San's room, writing furiously. There were five fountain pens in the pen holder in front of him. What a poor student with so many stationery items!

Hearing his second nephew's words, he laughed and said, "I'm writing down the cooking steps for your Grandma Hou."

Li Xiaotao nodded. "Third Uncle, the food you made just now was delicious. Can you make it again when we get home? My younger siblings haven't had it yet."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangdong stopped writing, looking troubled. Finally, he said helplessly, "Your grandma's slaps hurt too much. It's not that your third uncle doesn't want to make it for you, it's just that your third uncle can't take a beating."

Li Xiaotao scratched the back of his head, looking worried. "What should we do, Uncle? Maybe we should let Grandma beat me up? I'm thick-skinned."

Li Xiangdong patted Li Xiaotao's head. What a good child! So filial it breaks your heart.

How was your stay at your master's house?

Li Xiaotao chuckled and said, "Third Uncle is great. He eats much better than we do at home. He has meat and steamed buns every meal. My master even had my master buy me several bottles of soda, which I still haven't finished."

That wasn't what Li Xiangdong wanted to ask, but he could still glean the Hou family's attitude from the sidelines.

Children are the most sensitive, and if Li Xiaotao wasn't comfortable at the Hou family's house, he wouldn't always be so cheerful.

He felt much relieved after confirming that Hou Jianshe understood what he meant.

"Third Uncle, when are we going home?"

Li Xiangdong laughed and said, "Are you in such a hurry to get home and eat cornbread?"

Li Xiaotao shook his head and said, "No, Uncle, I miss my younger siblings. Besides, my master likes to grind his teeth and talk in his sleep at night, which keeps me awake."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Li Xiangdong laughed for a while, then turned to look at Hou San, who was fast asleep, and asked with a smile, "Did you two squeeze into this single bed last night?"

Li Xiaotao nodded and said, "Yes, my master said he would hold me while we sleep."

"Sleeping together? Aren't you two hot?"

"It's hot. My master was asleep but he still touched me, calling out 'Da Ni' all the while."

"Hahaha, stop talking now."

"Third Uncle, what are you laughing at? Third Uncle, who is Da Ni?"