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Chapter 231: Chapter 233 Giving Him Face_1
Wang Clan’s attitude was firm; she simply wouldn’t go.
As the mother-in-law, every time it was she who admitted fault, how could she then stand her ground in this family?
Tan Zhengyong sighed, deciding he should go again after all.
If his brother-in-law got accepted as a Scholar, it would reflect well on him too, and it would spare the two families from looking bad later on.
Moreover, his daughter-in-law had taken his son away, how could he ignore that?
With a tone of displeasure, Wang Clan said, "Had I known earlier, I wouldn’t have given birth to you lot, the debt collectors. Each one of you forgets his mother after getting a wife!"
The second, third, and fourth sons were all tightly controlled by their wives, especially the youngest, whose wife he obeyed without question. He’d even boast that it was her who had ’reattached’ his legs, so he listened only to her commands.
As for the eldest, he was so smitten with a widow he’d lost all sense of himself!
Thinking of her four sons, Wang Clan’s heart ached deeply.
"Stop the noise and go cook already!" Tan Yuancheng said impatiently.
The Third Boss’s family was already eating, while their stove remained cold.
Wang Clan muttered discontentedly, "All you know is to eat what’s ready. If I died, you’d all starve to death!"
Since no one responded to her complaint, she had to go and make food in silence.
Looking at Qiao Duo’er’s side, lunch was lavish, with six cold dishes, six hot dishes, two soups, fish, meat, chicken, and duck.
For a peasant family, this spread was top-notch, not only in its balanced variety of dishes but also in its excellent taste.
Who would have thought that Fourth Boss’s wife had such skill? Those who were worldly couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up.
And that lucky fellow Tan Zhenghong, even with his eyes closed, managed to marry a good wife.
Before beginning the feast, Qiao Duo’er had Tan Zhenghong deliver a bowl of meat dishes to the Main Room.
This was a way to curry favor with the family; the Main Room might not care about niceties, but she didn’t want anyone to find fault with her.
Sure enough, Qiao Duo’er’s actions earned everyone’s praise.
They all shared the belief that such a good daughter-in-law should not be troubled in the future; should there be any, it would certainly be the people of the Main Room causing senseless trouble.
After two cups of wine, the atmosphere at the table grew even livelier.
Seeing his wife bustling about, Tan Zhenghong seized the opportunity while serving dishes to offer his help.
"You’re the head of the household; what would it look like if you weren’t at the table drinking with the guests?" Qiao Duo’er promptly sent Tan Zhenghong away.
It was all right to boss Tan Zhenghong around in private, making him wash clothes and cook without issue.
But with guests present today, she needed to preserve his dignity.
Tan Zhenghong couldn’t help but instruct her, "Eat something if you’re hungry."
"I know, I have saved some dishes for myself," Qiao Duo’er said with a playful wink.
She would not wait until the men had finished to pick at leftovers. First, she disliked others’ saliva, and secondly, there usually weren’t any leftovers.
Seeing the small bowl set aside by the stove, Tan Zhenghong was finally at ease to sit at the table.
With all the men around the table, the smell of liquor was strong; surely his wife wouldn’t like that. Maybe she should have her own small table.
When it came to serving the soup dishes, everyone was introduced to a novel ingredient.
"This thing is quite fresh; I’ve never seen it before and it has a hint of fragrance," expressed Tie Niu, examining a white round grain with his chopsticks.
"This is water caltrop," Tan Zhenghong explained. It was the spiny thing he had cut from the pond.
After harvesting, you would use a knife to peel off its hard shell. The peeled tender stems could be stir-fried and eaten, while the remaining water caltrops would be dried and stored at home.
