Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

"Eat slowly." Song Xianglan put the large bowl on the table. "The pork rib porridge was just heated up, it's still hot. Too hot and it will hurt your esophagus."

Song Tingting hummed in agreement.

He was still chewing on sea snail meat.

Song Xianglan stood by the table, watching Song Tingting eat non-stop.

His smile widened, and he said with concern, "My dear sister, how long has it been since you've had any food from our hometown in Beijing? Are there no restaurants serving our dishes?"

"No restaurants serve Qingyang cuisine. I sometimes buy groceries and cook it myself."

Song Tingting rarely has the opportunity to cook for herself.

One reason was the heavy workload of her studies, and another was that she was also doing experiments and internships with professors.

In addition to running the shop, she also taught herself two languages.

Twenty-four hours a day doesn't feel like enough.

"You eat first, I'm going to the typhoon shelter." Song Xianglan took off her apron and threw it on the back of the chair next to her.

"Why are we going to the typhoon shelter?" Song Tingting looked up.

"Go see if you can buy some big fish to nourish you." Song Xianglan tidied her hair. "You've finally come back, you can't just eat scraps."

"I want steamed fish," Song Tingting said, seizing the opportunity.

"Okay, let's see if we can find any grouper or wrasse?"

"Mom, buy some more shellfish. The clams are too small, we don't get enough of them," Song Tingting added.

"Okay, I've got it."

Song Xianglan turned around and quickly walked out of the courtyard gate.

Just as they reached the intersection, they bumped into Liu Chounu, who was chasing after them with an empty bamboo basket.

"Lanlan, where are you going?" Liu Chounv asked loudly.

"Let's go to the typhoon shelter. Tingting's back, I'll go get some good seafood."

"Oh, the talented lady is back? Perfect timing, I also need to buy some small fish, let's keep each other company." Liu Chounu quickly walked up and stood beside her.

The two walked out along the dirt road in the village.

I passed by the entrance of the food factory.

The iron gate was half open, and Tang Zhong was squatting in front of the guardhouse smoking.

"Tang Zhong," Song Xianglan called out.

Tang Zhong quickly stood up and stomped out his cigarette. "Boss, going to buy groceries?"

"Go to the typhoon shelter. Xiao Yan is on duty today. Tell her to come to my house for lunch. Tell her not to refuse, and to go there as soon as she's done." Song Xianglan instructed crisply.

"Okay, I'll go in and tell her in a bit."

Song Xianglan nodded.

They continued walking towards the harbor with the ugly woman.

The sea breeze in the morning carried a strong, salty smell.

The harbor was full of small fishing boats that had just returned.

The shore was crowded with people, mostly villagers and middlemen who came to pick out seafood.

We just approached the dock.

Song Xianglan's loud voice rang out.

"Whose boat has any good catch today?" Song Xianglan shouted at the top of her lungs, full of confidence. "Have you caught any grouper, stonefish, wrasse, grouper, or eel? Any abalone?"

That shout was uttered.

Fishermen on several boats at the dock stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her.

"Sister Xianglan, why do you want such good fish today?" a dark-skinned, thin fisherman asked, standing on the side of the boat. "These are all fish that the restaurant buys; you don't usually buy these."

"My Tingting is back from Beijing." Song Xianglan stood up straight and raised her voice eight octaves.

These words were spoken.

The dock instantly erupted into chaos.

"Tingting is back?"

"Our village's most talented woman is back!"

"A top student from Peking University, he needs to eat something good to nourish his brain."

Several fishermen who knew each other dropped what they were doing, picked up their buckets, and stepped onto the shore.

A plump middle-aged woman ran the fastest.

Holding a net in his hand, water dripped all the way.

"Xianglan. Look at these little squid." The plump aunt handed the net bag to Song Xianglan. "They're lively and transparent. I remember your Tingting loves blanched squid. Take them home, blanch them, and dip them in soy sauce. They're absolutely delicious."

"I'll take this bag. Weigh it right away," Song Xianglan said without hesitation.

"Hey! Look here!"

A middle-aged man squeezed through the crowd, holding two red-roe crabs with their claws outstretched. "Just caught them! Look at all that roe, it's practically overflowing the shell. I've tied them up securely with straw rope. Take them home, cut them in half, and simmer them with ginger to nourish Tingting."

"I'll take both."

"Sister Xianglan, my clams are big, they're perfect for making soup."

"Want some large razor clams? They're really good quality, plump ones from the sandy soil. We can steam them with some vermicelli when we get home."

Four or five people surrounded Song Xianglan, chattering away as they tried to sell her her product.

Song Tingting is the pride of Xiaoquan Village.

Everyone wanted to stuff the best stuff from their own ships over there.

The ugly woman watched from the sidelines, thoroughly amused.

"Go away, all of you stop making a fuss." Liu Chounu laughed and scolded, pushing the group aside. "Tingting has such a small belly, how can she eat so much? Are you trying to stuff her to death?"

Song Xianglan ignored it, her eyes still searching through the various buckets.

Finally, they found a small grouper weighing about one pound in the live water tank of a boat.

The bright red color looks festive.

"I'll take this grouper. It'll be perfect for steaming," Song Xianglan said, pointing.

There was also a grayish-brown fish in the bucket next to it, which looked like a rotten rock.

"This stonefish is also called 'Shang'. It's best used in soup." Song Xianglan waved her hand.

The fishmonger deftly scooped up the stonefish. "The spines on its back are poisonous. Sister Xianglan, let me cut all the spines off with scissors before I give them to you, so you don't prick your hand."

"Why don't you just kill it for me? I hate killing stonefish the most," Song Xianglan instructed.

"I would never agree to kill a fish if someone else asked me to. It's my honor to give it to Tingting." The man's words drew laughter from those around him.

Three jin of large razor clams were weighed, and a whole bag of small clams was filled.

I bought clams too. I also got some crabs with roe.

Song Xianglan paid the money, picked up the heavy net bag, and turned to walk towards the abalone stall at the very back.

"Alright, alright," Liu Chounu grabbed her arm. "That's enough. We already have tons of meat and vegetables at home, are you going to buy more? Do you want to feed Tingting like an elephant?"

"What's this?"

Song Xianglan couldn't stop smiling. "My daughter hasn't been back for so long, I just wanted to put the best of everything in front of her. Besides, we have a lot of family members, including two boys, Dabao and Erbao."

Song Xianglan strode to the stall, bent down and picked out more than a dozen of the largest fresh abalone.

"Boss, weigh me." Song Xianglan took out her money.

"Why buy so many abalone?" the ugly woman asked as she leaned closer to look.

Song Xianglan paid and took the bag containing the abalone. "I just chopped some pork belly today, so I'll make braised pork belly with abalone for Tingting, and add some chestnuts too. She definitely can't get that kind of taste in Beijing."

The ugly woman clicked her tongue and said:

"Cook a little more, and give me a bowl."

"Okay. Here's another bowl of stonefish, tofu, mustard greens, and clam soup for you."

The old man's face, which had been smiling at the ugly woman, turned into a chrysanthemum.

"This soup is so delicious it made my eyebrows jump out of their shells."

When Song Xianglan returned home carrying a wooden bucket and a full bamboo basket.

The courtyard was already bustling with activity.

Shen Huijun prepared all the meat pieces and ingredients to be fried that afternoon by the well.

Song Tingting had tied her hair into a neat ponytail and changed into a slightly worn turtleneck sweater with dark pants underneath. She was sitting on a small stool by the wooden basin, holding scissors and snip-sn ...

"Oh dear, why are you wearing these old clothes again?" Song Xianglan put down the wooden bucket.

Song Tingting didn't even look up: "Of course, you should wear old clothes for work; these clothes don't get dirty easily."

Fu Bao, along with Er Ying and San Ying, squatted down to watch.

Fu Bao stared at the lively shrimp in the basin for a while, then looked up at Song Tingting, giggling.

"Fu Bao, why are you staring at me like that?" Song Tingting rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. "How about you sleep with me tonight? Auntie will tell you stories about Beijing."