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

It was New Year's Eve, just as dawn was breaking.

The entire Jiangjia Village was shrouded in a peaceful morning mist.

But in the Jiang family's courtyard, smoke was already rising first and the place was the liveliest in the whole village.

My fourth aunt, Zhou Suqin, came over last night. This morning, she was full of energy, working alongside my mother, Wang Xiuying, in the spacious and bright new kitchen, which was comparable to the kitchen of a restaurant in the city.

"Sister-in-law, chop the meat a little longer, and the fried meatballs will be even more springy!"

"Okay, keep an eye on the fire over there, don't let the oil burn!"

The two women worked together seamlessly, one in charge of the cutting board and the other in charge of the stove.

Although his back was still a bit sore, Jiang Jianjun, the father, was in high spirits and his face was glowing with happiness.

He hummed a tuneless little tune, stood on a small stool, and carefully pasted the last few paper-cut window decorations, adorned with gold powder, onto the gleaming glass.

"Dad, take it easy, don't strain your back."

Jiang Chen came out of the house yawning, holding a steaming cup of soy milk in his hand.

Jiang Jianjun got off the bench, clapped his hands, and looked at his masterpiece with great satisfaction.

"Don't worry, your dad's in great health!"

Jiang Chen smiled and said nothing more.

He walked to the corner of the yard, where there were several huge styrofoam boxes that he had shipped back from Shanghai, labeled "Fresh Food Cold Chain".

"Xiao Bei, come give me a hand!"

Jiang Chen called out.

Jiang Xiaobei, Zhou Suqin's cousin who was helping her tend the fire, immediately ran over like a little shadow.

"Brother, what's this? It's such a big box."

Jiang Chen didn't say anything, but directly used a knife to cut open the tape.

"hiss--"

A cold, white vapor instantly shot out from the box.

As the foam lid was lifted.

Two enormous, crimson creatures, each the size of a small washbasin, lay quietly on the broken ice.

Those menacing crab legs, covered in sharp spikes, exuded a primal, oppressive aura from the deep sea.

"Oh My God!"

Jiang Xiaobei was so frightened that she took a step back, her eyes wide open.

Hearing the noise, Zhou Suqin, who was in the kitchen, curiously peeked out.

When she saw the crab, which was bigger than the bottom of her own iron pot, the spatula in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".

"What...what is this thing? A crab...can it grow this big?"

Zhou Suqin's face was pale and her voice was trembling.

"This stuff...is it edible? It must be ridiculously expensive!"

In her simple understanding, the palm-sized hairy crabs that were caught from the village's ditches were already a rare delicacy.

This thing in front of her was completely beyond her imagination.

Jiang Chen chuckled at his fourth aunt's terrified expression.

"It's edible, not only is it edible, but it's also delicious!"

"Fourth Aunt, don't be afraid, this is called a king crab, it comes from the sea."

After saying that, he opened the other two boxes.

Inside a box was a large, blue lobster longer than his forearm, its two large pincers bound by rubber bands, but its long tentacles were still waving unwillingly.

In another box was a bright red grouper covered in beautiful spots, lying in a block of ice with its mouth slightly open and closed.

"Australian lobster, Eastern starfish."

Jiang Chen took these "treasures for protecting the house" out of the box one by one and put them into the large basin that had been prepared beforehand.

Wang Xiuying was also drawn over. Looking at these rare items, although she was scolding her son for being wasteful, the light in her eyes betrayed her shock and pride.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and pack up, or we won't have lunch!" Wang Xiuying urged.

Zhou Suqin stared at the king crab that was still blowing bubbles, her hand trembling as she held the cleaver, too afraid to make a move.

"Sister-in-law, this... I can't kill it. Its legs are covered in thorns; what if I prick my hand..."

Jiang Chen rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms.

"I'll do it!"

He picked up a large pair of kitchen shears and deftly cut into the king crab's joints.

While handling the situation, he also explained some scientific concepts to Jiang Xiaobei, who was watching with wide eyes.

"See? You have to feed the lobster from here first... otherwise the meat will have a fishy smell."

"The best way to cook this grouper is by steaming. You have to control the heat just right; too much heat and it will be tough, too little and it will be raw."

Jiang Xiaobei took the iPhone 15 his brother had given him and started snapping photos of the top-quality ingredients, the flash going off non-stop.

He felt that just looking at the dishes prepared for tonight's New Year's Eve dinner was enough for him to brag about in his classmates' group for a year.

In the kitchen, Wang Xiuying had already started frying meatballs, a traditional New Year's delicacy in Jiangjia Village.

The golden-brown meatballs tumbled in the boiling oil, and soon an irresistible aroma of meat filled the entire courtyard.

While his mother wasn't looking, Jiang Chen picked up a freshly cooked dish with his chopsticks, grimacing from the heat, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Hey! You glutton! It's not even on the table yet!"

Wang Xiuying laughed and scolded him, giving him a light pat on the back of his hand.

The family laughed and joked, and a warm atmosphere filled the entire courtyard.

Just then, Jiang Chen's phone started vibrating incessantly in his pocket.

He took it out and saw that the family WeChat group, which had been quiet for a while, had suddenly become lively.

The first wave of comparisons in the new year has already begun.

The first one to pop up was that familiar ID—Aunt Liu Cuifen.

She sent several voice messages in the group, and her sharp, piercing voice was enough to give anyone a headache, even through the screen.

"Oh my! This year is so much easier! Let me tell you, listen to Jiang Wei, high technology is really great! This year we booked a New Year's Eve dinner gift package directly from the best 'Fu Man Lou' hotel in the county!"

"What's this 'Supreme Buddha Jumps Over the Wall' set meal?! Sixteen dishes! From cold dishes to hot dishes to soup, everything is included! Just heat it up at home and you can eat! It's clean and hygienic!"

Immediately afterwards, she posted a photo.

The photo shows a large, beautifully packaged red gift box.

Then, Liu Cuifen directly tagged Wang Xiuying in the group chat.

"@Wang Xiuying, your chimney has been burning since this morning, and you're still cooking for yourself? Oh dear, don't overwork yourself."

"Look how convenient this is for me. I only spent a few thousand yuan and didn't have to do anything to eat at a fancy hotel. Didn't your family make a lot of money this year? Why are you still going through all that trouble? Is it because Chen'er doesn't want to spend money on you?"