I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

The Jiang family's courtyard was as lively as if it were celebrating the New Year early.

The men spontaneously sprang into action, carrying two enormous iron pots from someone's house and placing them steadily in the center of the courtyard.

The bottom was filled with firewood gathered from the mountain, which crackled and popped as it burned, the raging flames turning the iron pot red-hot.

Jiang Jianjun, a quiet and honest farmer who had lived his whole life, had now become the commander-in-chief of the entire event.

Holding a gleaming butcher knife, he was methodically butchering the enormous piece of pork with the help of several old men from the village.

His face glowed with excitement, and his voice was three times louder than usual.

"This piece of pork belly with skin on, a perfect mix of lean and fatty meat, is for my second uncle's family; his grandson loves it!"

"Chop these spare ribs into small pieces and save them for my third uncle's family. His daughter-in-law just gave birth, so they'll make a nourishing soup!"

"Pork belly! This best piece of pork belly has been cut into cubes for braised pork belly tonight!"

He commanded with composure and made clear arrangements, his demeanor exactly like that of an ancient clan chief distributing provisions, his face radiating unprecedented brilliance and majesty.

On the other side of the courtyard was the women's domain.

Wang Xiuying led seven or eight nimble women to form an "assembly line".

Wash the fish, remove the scales, cut it into pieces, coat it with batter...

Two large buckets of golden rapeseed oil were poured into a hot iron wok, and wisps of smoke rose from the oil.

When the first piece of fish coated in batter was carefully slid into the boiling oil.

"Sizzle—"

A sound that sent chills down your spine rang out!

Then, an extremely rich, caramelized aroma, mixed with the freshness of the fish and the mellow fragrance of rapeseed oil, suddenly exploded out!

That overwhelmingly powerful fragrance is more penetrating than any high-end perfume.

It drifted along with the winter afternoon wind, past the small shop at the village entrance, past the threshing ground at the village end, and for a full two miles!

In an instant, everyone in Jiangjia Village—whether they were taking a nap, playing mahjong, or watching TV—was captivated by the aroma.

The children in every household were so tempted that they cried and clamored to go to "Brother Er Gouzi's" house to eat fried fish.

Jiang Chen did not make a move.

He leaned against the railing of his second-floor balcony, a cigarette dangling from his lips, looking down at the bustling scene in the yard.

Looking at my father's straight back.

Looking at her mother's wide smile.

Watching my younger sister Jiang Ling proudly weave through the crowd like a happy little butterfly, carrying a plate of freshly fried, golden fish pieces.

His heart was filled with an immense sense of satisfaction.

This is the "New Year's flavor" he wanted.

It's not the cold, impersonal transfer numbers on a phone, but the warm, lively atmosphere, the most genuine bustle and reunion between people.

Just as his heart was surging with emotion.

The pleasant system notification sound in my mind arrived as scheduled.

[Ding! Detected that the host is making a significant "family welfare" purchase!]

[Consumables: One whole organic black-haired pig and one truckload of live fish from the reservoir.]

Total spending amount: 18,500 yuan.

[Comprehensive Behavior Assessment: By sharing top-tier resources free of charge, the host has greatly strengthened the bonds within the family and among neighbors, granting their immediate family members (parents) unprecedented prestige and social standing within the clan and village.]

Although the ultimate beneficiaries of this consumption included a large number of extended family members and non-family members, its core motivation was still determined to be the ultimate expression of "filial piety towards parents and bringing honor to the family!"

[Triggering a special effect for you...]

[Congratulations, host! You have successfully triggered the "Sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone" special rebate effect!]

[Congratulations, host, you have received a 5x base critical hit bonus!]

[Rebate amount calculation in progress...]

[18,500 yuan x 5 = 92,500 yuan!]

The rebate amount has been credited to your account via a special encrypted channel...

Jiang Chen smiled as he looked at the bank message he had just received on his phone.

Less than 100,000 yuan is really nothing to him right now.

But it was worth it!

A smile from parents is priceless. Even if I had to pay 90,000 myself, it would be worth it to see my parents' beaming faces downstairs!

But just as the whole village was enjoying themselves,

An unpleasant commotion arose at the entrance of the courtyard.

A sharp, sarcastic voice suddenly rang out.

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. He knew without even looking that it was his aunt Liu Cuifen, who was as elusive as a fly.

She had obviously come looking for this delicious aroma that could be smelled for miles.

Liu Cuifen pushed through the crowd and peered into the courtyard.

When she saw the mountain of pork and the two pots of boiling oil and fish, her triangular eyes practically turned green with envy.

Jealousy and greed were practically overflowing from her eyes.

But having just been thoroughly humiliated a couple of days ago, she was too embarrassed to come up and ask for it directly like others, so she could only stand at the door with her arms crossed and make sarcastic remarks.

"Wow, what kind of windfall did you strike it rich with? Are you trying to ruin your life?"

"You're wasting food like this! You're enjoying it today, but you'll regret it later!"

"They're like poor people who've never seen money before, suddenly rich, and they don't even know how to save up a single penny!"

These words caused a slight pause in the previously lively atmosphere in the courtyard.

Many people frowned, dissatisfied with Liu Cuifen's spoilsport behavior.

In the past, Wang Xiuying might have just tolerated it, or at most retorted a couple of times.

But she's different today.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire village and fueled by an immense sense of honor, Wang Xiuying's fighting spirit exploded!

She didn't even bother to glance at Liu Cuifen.

Instead, he picked up a piece of fish that had just been taken out of the oil and was fried until it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, golden and piping hot, directly from the large basin next to him.

The fish pieces were still sizzling and steaming, glistening with oil.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, Wang Xiuying stuffed the fish directly into the mouth of a large yellow dog that was wagging its tail and sticking out its tongue at her feet.

The big yellow dog whimpered happily and began to eat heartily.

Wang Xiuying then slowly patted the oil off her hands and smiled brightly at Liu Cuifen at the door.

"Oh, sister-in-law is here."

"Look, there's nothing I can do, my son has bought way too much stuff, way too much."

"There's so much food that even a dog could eat it all."

She paused, then her smile widened.

"Sister-in-law, if you don't mind, could you take some home to feed the dog?"

"puff--"

"Hahahaha!"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell into a deathly silence, followed by a deafening roar of laughter!

Liu Cuifen's face flushed bright red, turning a deep purplish-blue, and then bluish-purple!

She pointed her finger at Wang Xiuying, trembling with anger, her lips quivering for a long time, unable to utter a single word.

This is absolutely devastating!

Amidst the laughter of the entire village, Liu Cuifen felt as if she had been stripped naked and thrown into the crowd for public display.

She couldn't stay any longer. She screamed, turned around and ran away. She looked ten times more miserable than last time!

As the annoying fly fled, the atmosphere in the yard became even more lively than before!

Everyone looked at Wang Xiuying with admiration!

Great!

The Jiang family's daughter-in-law is really not someone to be trifled with these days!