CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 65: OLD MASTER DING IS VERY SATISFIED

After feeding the cows, Jiang Hu led Old Ding back to the front room, where the Second Aunt was just serving the cooked lean meat. Seeing Jiang Hu bringing someone in, she promptly said:

"You all wash your hands first, I’ll be done here shortly."

They had prepared smashed cucumbers and cold eggplant in advance, the fish soup was already boiling, and once they fried some eggs with greens, dinner would be ready.

Jiang Hu scooped a basin of water and brought it out, letting Old Ding wash his hands first, then he moved the table outside.

"Old man, let’s eat outside, it’s cooler and brighter out here."

Although it was a crescent moon tonight, the moon was indeed bright. A lit oil lamp provided no obstruction to their view.

Old Ding washed his hands and went straight to the small bed, glanced at the two children, and finally his gaze fell on Little Lucky Star. He smiled and said, "So this is Little Lucky Star? I heard she can speak now?"

Little Lucky Star sat on the small bed, looked up at this generous old grandfather in front of her, and nodded with a smile, "Yes!"

Such a good person!

Her father would no longer have to leave at the crack of dawn, carrying things for hours to the town and then returning for hours again!

Old Ding was delighted and hesitantly reached his hand out, "Maybe grandpa can hold you?"

Little Lucky Star wasn’t shy, stretched out her arms and said, "Hold."

It’s just a hug, no big deal, let Big Water Buffalo stay home a few more years.

Old Ding, overjoyed, carefully picked up Little Lucky Star from the bed and pulled out a small package from his sleeve.

"Is this Er-Ni? Where’s your brother? Grandpa brought some candies to share with him."

The small package was only palm-sized, but it was bulging, clearly filled with a good amount of candies.

Er-Ni’s expression was hesitant as she looked at the package, but she still said, "Brother is helping mom with the fire."

As for the candies, she didn’t reach out to accept them.

Just then, Jiang Hu brought out the dishes and saw Old Ding’s gesture: "Old man, why did you buy things for the children? You lent us the cow for free; we should be the ones thanking you."

"It’s nothing. The cow you use, you help me raise it, so it’s an exchange. Also, I didn’t buy these candies; my son works as a steward at another household, and the owner gave them."

Jiang Hu had heard about this. Young Ding’s elder brother worked for a wealthy family in the town and was doing well. His sister-in-law also managed the kitchen and was well-trusted by the family.

Given this, Jiang Hu didn’t insist further and motioned for Er-Ni to take it.

With her father’s approval, Er-Ni finally accepted the candies and smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Grandpa Ding."

Previously, her parents had taught her how to address people.

Old Ding laughed heartily, telling her to go play, and himself held Little Lucky Star, teasing Iron Egg who was crawling on the small bed.

Iron Egg recognized people and wasn’t keen on being held, but still played happily.

A few small dishes were soon all set on the table. Jiang Hu also moved the small bed close to the table for easy supervision of the children.

"Old man, Little Ding said you don’t drink alcohol, so I didn’t prepare any. These are all vegetables grown at home; please feel free to eat."

Old Ding placed Little Lucky Star back on the bed and casually found a seat.

"No need to be so formal, you can call me Uncle Ding," Old Ding chuckled. "And your home-grown vegetables are excellent. The youngest in my family brought some home a few times, and the taste is outstanding!"

Then he noticed a large bowl of wild boar meat in the center of the table and exclaimed, "Wow, this is a hearty dish. What kind of wild game is this? Why not sell it to the restaurant? It could fetch quite a price."

The old man, though he did not see the boar’s hide, could tell from the large chunks of meat that it wasn’t the usual chicken or duck from home, nor could store-bought pork produce such color and flavor when stewed.

Jiang Hu: "It’s wild boar. We went up the mountain this afternoon and were lucky to encounter one, so I hunted it down. If we wait until tomorrow it won’t be fresh, so I decided to cook it and eat it."

Second Aunt had just finished in the kitchen and came out with a pitcher of water, with Big Child following with several bowls.

Seeing Old Ding, Big Child promptly said, "Grandpa Ding, thanks for the candies."

Earlier, Er-Ni had given him one, and it was very sweet.

Seeing the child’s good manners, Old Ding laughed, "You’re welcome, child. Grandpa will bring more next time."

Big Child placed the bowls on the table, and Second Aunt poured a bowl of water and quickly passed it to Old Ding.

"Grandpa Ding, my mom picked these chrysanthemums from the back of the house. When we were eating iced desserts yesterday, we saw some popsicles had these flowers in them, which looked beautiful. So, my mom picked a few to steep in water."

The sky was already dark, and the chrysanthemum-infused water’s color was not visible, but the fragrance of the flowers could be smelled clearly.

Old Ding nodded, "Chrysanthemum can cool and relieve heat. Along with tonight’s delicious dishes, it’s perfect for drinking."

The whole family sat around the table with a large bowl of wild boar meat and various small dishes. They even placed the scrambled eggs with chives in front of Old Ding.

Whether it was the stewed wild boar meat or scrambled eggs with chives, even the most common summertime dish like smashed cucumber, Old Ding praised all of it without cease.

He kept saying that with Little Lucky Star in the house, even these dishes tasted exceptionally good.

The chrysanthemum tea tempered the oiliness and reduced internal heat, and the large bowl of wild boar meat was polished off completely. Big Child and Er-Ni were stuffed with oil dripping from their mouths.

It’s fortunate that in the past half year, everyone had been nourished quite well by the Spiritual Spring water. Otherwise, eating like this tonight, they’d be overwhelmed and have nosebleeds.

After dinner, Jiang Hu and Second Aunt prepared a place for Old Ding to rest. They still had one spare room, but it didn’t have a bed.

The couple planned to let Old Ding use their bed, while they and the children would sleep on a mat in another room.

However, Old Ding refused and only had them gather some hay to spread in the empty room with an old blanket. He laid down directly to rest.

Jiang Hu thought it was inappropriate, "How could we let a guest sleep on hay, Uncle Ding? I’ll move the bed for you."

Old Ding waved his hand and lay on the hay, "No need for the hassle, I’ve even slept in the woods a few years back. It’s just for one night. Don’t worry about me, you all go ahead. I’m old and can’t stay up late; I’ll just rest."

Jiang Hu had no choice but to leave, but he soon brought a clean chamber pot and placed it at the door, informing Old Ding.

Listening to the couple outside quietly discussing and preparing vegetables for the next day, Old Ding nodded with satisfaction, "An honest and straightforward family."

Then he closed his eyes to rest. Perhaps it was because he ate a large bowl of wild boar meat tonight, his body felt warm and comfortable, and even the slight insomnia that he used to have seemed to dissipate.

Yet he had eaten various meats brought back by his eldest son before, and they hadn’t had such an effect. Could Little Lucky Star be the reason? If so, it was truly a marvel!

Old Ding became more satisfied with the decision to leave their Big Water Buffalo in Jiang’s family’s care.

He then quickly drifted off into a peaceful sleep.