Chapter 289 - 184 Father and Daughter_3
In the main room of the residence, a charcoal brazier burned hot, and the door was draped with thick cotton curtains, keeping it quite warm. Two tables were set, with all the masters seated at the larger one, and Qian Hua, Old man Cai, and Mr. Yu at the smaller one. Mr. Yu began at the larger table, but after Qian Sangui left it, he moved to the smaller one to continue drinking with those two.
Qian Xiaoyu, Qian Siwu, and Cai Xiaohua stood by to serve.
Before the meal, they had also invited Master Lu, who was toiling away in the back yard, but despite it being New Year’s, he was adamant about working overtime without rest.
There was also an empty set of bowls and chopsticks at the main table, left for the deceased Manjiang. The bowls were filled with a few pieces of fish and vegetables, which Cheng Yue had picked out according to her own taste.
A gust of cold wind blew in—it was Qian Yijin lifting the curtain to return. He laughed and said, "The dam is bustling; not only are the worker’s children there, but many kids from the village have come as well."
Old man Cai chuckled and replied, "That’s how the world goes; everyone, and even money, gravitates towards where the action is."
His words sent Qian Sangui into a hearty laugh. Having eaten from afternoon until night, Qian Sangui was already tired, but he couldn’t bear to go back to his room for rest and instead leaned on the arhat bed, watching everyone eat and laugh together.
Lady He brought over a basin of gingko and chicken dumplings, the last course of the New Year’s feast. Although everyone was already full, the steaming soup still tempted a few to want a bowl.
Lady Wu tore off a chicken drumstick and put it in a bowl, then ladled two spoonfuls of soup into it, asking Su Siwu to bring it to Qian Sangui. She placed the other drumstick into Qian Manxia’s bowl.
Qian Manxia hastily demurred, "This drumstick should go to Mother or Mr. Yu."
The third wife of the Qian family now frequently ate chicken, but the drumsticks were still reserved for the head of the family Qian Sangui and Graduate Mr. Yu, sometimes left for Old man Qian and his wife, and the younger siblings occasionally got a taste. Lady Wu and Cheng Yue had it once or twice amidst illness. Only Qian Manxia, neither old nor young and in good health, had never tasted chicken drumstick since birth.
Lady Wu smiled and said, "This is Auntie Xia’s last New Year’s feast at home. In the future, she can only return home on the second day of the New Year. Ah, Father and Mother have wronged you; you’ve worked hard and eaten little since childhood..." She couldn’t finish her sentence before her eyes reddened, and she added, "Be obedient and eat this drumstick."