Chapter 887: Poverty is the Original Sin

After the dishes were prepared, a pot of steamed rice was also ready.

Although it was mealtime, Wang An was in no hurry to start eating.

Mainly because Wang Dazhu and Liu Guilan had not yet returned; it was impossible for Wang An to eat before the guests.

Just as Wang An had placed all the hot dishes in the pot to keep them warm for a while, Wang Dazhu and his wife returned by horse-drawn carriage along with Shen Wei.

It was perfectly normal for Shen Wei to follow Wang Dazhu and his wife to work in the fields.

Because by now, the relationship between Shen Wei and Wang An was essentially semi-public.

Even the people in the village had already figured it out, so how could Wang Dazhu and his wife possibly miss it?

However, the villagers only dared to gossip secretly behind their backs; they didn't dare say anything to their faces.

Because with a domineering brute like Wang An, if anyone dared to speak out of turn, Wang An really would dare to go straight to their house and beat them.

As for Wang Dazhu and his wife, their attitude toward this matter was to turn a blind eye.

Mainly, since their daughter-in-law Mu Xueqing hadn't said anything, the parents could only pretend to be oblivious.

The main point was that Shen Wei was the only laborer in her household. Whether it was planting, weeding, or treading the soil—even hauling the harvest home in autumn—none of it was something Shen Wei could do alone.

Therefore, for the sake of living—or more accurately, for survival—Shen Wei had to rely on Wang An's family in every way. Of course, Shen Wei didn't slack off on the chores at Wang An's house; she basically came to help every day.

No one was a fool; after a long time, who wouldn't know what was going on?

However, there was a benefit to Shen Wei helping out at Wang An's house: when mealtime arrived, she generally ate there.

Furthermore, not only did Shen Wei eat at Wang An's house, but when she left, she would take some rice and dishes home for her mother-in-law and her daughter, Xiao Lai-jie.

Now that Wang Dazhu and the others were back, Yu Xiangnan and Wu Dong, as guests, naturally followed him out to greet them.

Wang An gave a simple introduction between his parents and Yu Xiangnan, after which everyone returned to the house.

Whether it was Wu Dong or Yu Xiangnan, both were formally important guests. In this era, when important guests visited, women and children did not sit at the table to eat with them.

Although gender equality was constantly promoted, it had not been achieved in this regard.

Of course, the reason women and children didn't sit at the table with guests wasn't entirely due to gender inequality.

The primary reason could be summed up in one word: "poverty"!

Yes, it was because of poverty.

At this time, there wasn't enough grain to go around, and things like meat and eggs were extremely rare, yet people's appetites were generally very large.

Therefore, whenever guests arrived, the household's food had to be reserved for the guests first. Even the male host sitting at the table with the guests would only take a few superficial bites—essentially just for show.

There was no other way; if the guests were left to eat alone, they would feel awkward, or if the host didn't eat, the guests wouldn't feel comfortable picking up their chopsticks.

Consequently, by the end of the meal, the male host accompanying the guests was often even hungrier than before.

Watching the guests gorge themselves while only taking a few small bites for fear that the food wouldn't be enough—that kind of feeling was something only those who had sat at such a table knew how miserable it was.

It had to be said that, in many cases, poverty was the original sin.

As for the current conditions of Wang An's home, although they weren't "poor" at all, old habits died hard. Liu Guilan and the other women, along with the three children including Wang Yi, ate at a separate table.

Of course, the dishes on both tables were the same, because Wang An had cooked plenty. Even with the plates on both tables filled to the brim, there was still an abundance of various dishes.

During the meal, both Wu Dong and Yu Xiangnan were quite satisfied with Wang An's cooking.

Yu Xiangnan, while eating the sweet and sour carp, praised him with a smile

"This is the first time I've eaten fish this delicious. I really didn't know before that fish could be made to taste this good."

Actually, the only and most important point to making fish taste good was to use plenty of oil.

Fish without oil, regardless of the method used, would always have a muddy, earthy smell.

Receiving Yu Xiangnan's praise, Wang An said without a hint of modesty

"Hehehe, let me tell you, Principal, this fish of mine is absolutely not far off from what the head chef of a state-run restaurant would make."

Wang An had the confidence for this.

At the very least, the amount of oil Wang An used when cooking fish certainly far exceeded what a restaurant would use.

After all, even deep-frying a tree branch would make it taste delicious.

After Wang An finished speaking, Wu Dong chimed in

"Indeed. I've eaten plenty of restaurant fish, and yours really is tastier than the restaurant's."

Wang An laughed and said

"I dug a fish pond in the northwest corner of my yard; it'll be ready for water and fish soon. Whenever you want to eat fish, just come over, and I'll personally cook for you, hahahaha..."

As he spoke, Wang An raised his glass and clinked it with Yu Xiangnan, Wu Dong, and Wang Dazhu.

By the end of the meal, both host and guests were delighted; at the very least, Yu Xiangnan and Wu Dong looked extremely satisfied.

After the meal, while Wang An was driving Yu Xiangnan and Wu Dong back to the county seat, he gave Yu Xiangnan six pieces of bear gall bladder.

Perhaps Wang An's previous words had worked, or perhaps the large courtyard and living conditions of Wang An's home had completely shocked Yu Xiangnan.

Therefore, this time, Yu Xiangnan did not refuse but accepted them gladly.

In addition to the bear gall bladders for Yu Xiangnan, Wang An also gave both Wu Dong and Yu Xiangnan a gourd of tiger bone wine each.

However, since tiger bone was a sensitive matter, Wang An only said it was medicinal wine and did not explicitly state it was tiger bone wine.

In this era, there was no such thing as a DUI, so although Wang An had been drinking, he still rode his sidecar motorcycle to send Wu Dong and Yu Xiangnan back to the county seat.

Neither Wu Dong nor Yu Xiangnan felt that Wang An riding after drinking posed any safety risk.

After dropping Yu Xiangnan and Wu Dong off at their respective homes, it was nearly 2 PM. After a bit of an internal struggle, Wang An rode his sidecar toward Fang Xiu'e's house.

The reason Wang An was so conflicted was mainly because at this time, Fang Xiu'e should have been at work. He didn't know if his idea of finding Fang Xiu'e for a quick bang could still be realized.

It had to be said that after not fooling around with Fang Xiu'e for a long time, Wang An really missed her.

(End of Chapter)