Let's go back to 2008, starting with a recreational fishing park.

After listening to her mother explain how to store sweet potatoes, Jiang Xia suddenly realized that although she had grown up in the village and lived there for many years, she was still very much a child.

However, my previous life, from attending university in Shanghai to working there, actually resulted in a lack of understanding of rural knowledge.

However, Jiangxia is still very familiar with most of the common sense and traditional culture of Shandong Province.

…………

Half an hour later, Jiang Xia's family and Li Dafu's family sat down at the dinner table.

This afternoon's main dish is a braised carp weighing seven pounds and eight ounces.

This braised carp is made using the method that Jiangxia likes best: first, the carp is coated in egg batter, then deep-fried in hot oil until the skin is crispy, and finally it is carefully stewed with various seasonings.

The advantage of this method is that the batter on the fish skin and the tender meat will absorb the rich broth. With each bite, you will not only experience the aroma of various seasonings, but also a unique caramelized fragrance.

Liu Jia picked up a boneless piece of fish belly, dipped it in the broth, and put it into the mouth of her and Li Dafu's daughter, Li Xue.

The little guy pursed his lips as soon as the fish entered his mouth. Because it was so soft and tender, he didn't need to chew it and swallowed it directly.

"How is it? Is the big fish that Sister Qingqing made delicious?" Liu Jia looked down at the little guy and asked gently.

"Delicious~" The little one nodded, tilted his head up and said to Liu Jia, "Mommy, I want more~"

"Here you go~" Upon hearing this, Liu Jia picked up a small piece of fish skin and gently stuffed it into the little guy's mouth.

"Wow, Sister Qingqing is amazing! Her cooking is so much better than Mom's!" the little one exclaimed crisply, a piece of fish still in her mouth.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jia put down her chopsticks, deliberately feigning a wronged expression, and said to the little guy:

"Hmph, Xue'er thinks Mom's cooking is bad, then Mom won't serve Xue'er any food."

But the little one didn't take her bait at all. She jumped off the stool and ran to Su Qing's side on her short legs, angrily saying as she ran:

"If Mom doesn't want Xue'er, then Xue'er will go find Sister Qingqing!"

These words immediately made everyone burst into laughter.

Su Qing picked up the little one and asked in a high-pitched voice, "Xue'er, what do you want to eat? Let me get it for you."

"I want to eat those chunks~" the little one said, pointing to the candied yam dish that was specially made for her.

Su Qing looked surprised upon hearing this:

"Xue'er, you have such good taste! Do you know this piece was made especially for you by your older sister?"

"I don't know," the little one said softly.

However, she immediately smiled sweetly at Su Qing and said, "Thank you, Sister Qingqing~"

Looking at the little one's chubby smiling face, Su Qing felt her heart melting. She wanted a daughter as cute as that too!

"Xue'er is so polite, let me give you a big one!"

“…………”

With the little one present at the dinner table, the atmosphere became relaxed and fun.

Jiang Xia and Jiang Jianguo also started chatting with Li Dafu.

Their conversation wasn't about anything high-end; it all boiled down to four words: eating, drinking, and having fun!

Jiang Xia felt very comfortable eating and chatting with people like Li Dafu.

The other person has a friendly and generous personality. Sitting together for a meal gives one a sense of exhilaration, like drinking and eating heartily.

Jiang Xiaobo, having followed Jiang Xia for so long and with the guidance of Jiang Jianjun, was now skillfully pouring wine for everyone.

……

Because they didn't drink alcohol, Liu Jia, Su Qing, and Yang Xiaoyue finished their meal quickly.

Su Qing and Yang Xiaoyue didn't rush to leave either, but instead played games with Liu Jia and the little one.

Meanwhile, the men began a tradition at Shandong banquets—scribbling!

Yes, that's what they mean by being long-winded. In Shandong province, a few close friends might get together for drinks, and if there's nothing else going on, they could easily drink from morning till afternoon, and then chat from afternoon till night!

Of course, this process doesn't involve drinking the whole time. Instead, it's more like chatting for a while, having a smoke, and then, when things get interesting, raising a glass and calling everyone to drink, having a few bites of food, and then continuing the conversation.

However, there are also those who like to argue, and in the end, they might even get into a fight over a major national issue!

In Jiang Xia's memory, this kind of thing often happened in the generation of his grandfather, Jiang Dahu.

He had always felt that the relationship was quite special. From his perspective, even if Jiang Dahu and his brothers had a serious argument while drinking the day before, they would act as if nothing had happened when they met again the next day.

This is not a superficial harmony, but a complex cultural sentiment, because they genuinely help each other when problems arise.

…………

The drinking session lasted until after nine o'clock, which is considered quite late in this day and age.

Little Li Xue, having played quite wildly during the day, was already asleep on the office sofa.

Liu Jia gently picked her up and placed her in the back seat of the Land Rover.

Perhaps he was really tired from playing; the little guy didn't wake up even though it's not a short distance from the office to the Land Rover.

At that moment, Jiang Xia, who was standing with Li Dafu smoking, gave Jiang Xiaobo a wink.

Jiang Xiaobo understood immediately and ran to the kitchen.

Soon, he came over carrying a large fertilizer bag.

"What is this?"

Li Dafu, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, asked in confusion.

"Here's a fish, brother. Take it home and stew it."

Jiang Xia took the fertilizer bag from Jiang Xiaobo and handed it to Li Dafu.

Li Dafu took the bag, opened it, and saw:

"Wow, it's so big?"

"Brother Li, I weighed it back then, and this thing inside weighed 23 jin!" Jiang Xiaobo said from the side.

Li Dafu's eyes lit up: "This is good stuff!"

Although he was quite wealthy and had eaten almost all kinds of delicacies, he had never eaten a 20-pound bluefish before.

It's not that he can't afford it or can't buy it, but rather that he's never had that thought in his daily life.

After all, no matter how rich you are, even if you eat lobster every day, you'll usually just buy a big fish weighing about ten pounds at the market. You won't suddenly crave a fish weighing more than 20 pounds for no reason.

I will only buy it if I happen to see it in the market.

But in Linjiang at that time, you wouldn't normally find such a big thing for sale in the market!

Without any hesitation, Li Dafu cheerfully tied the fertilizer bag with a rope and threw it into the trunk of the Land Rover.

With his wealth, he's not afraid to accept something like this. It's just a fish; it will only deepen the relationship between the two parties and won't cause him to owe any huge favors.

Seeing that Li Dafu had accepted the big fish, Jiang Xia felt much more relaxed.

He felt a little guilty if he didn't give the person who helped him.