Chapter 209 - Engagement Dinner (1)

Chapter 209: Engagement Dinner (1)

A large soup bowl held the braised pork, so Gu Jinye just carried that.
Gu Qingyao gave the second platter of braised fish to Fourth Older Brother, Gu Jinfeng.
Gu Jinfeng stared at the braised fish in this hand. “This fish… is so large!”
Gu Jinlin glanced at it. He puffed out his chest and looked nonchalant. He calmly took the next bowl that Gu Qingyao handed him, which was a braised rabbit.
The rabbit meat had been braised with potatoes. She had added plenty of oil so it glistened and looked extremely tasty.
While Gu Jinye and Gu Jinye were still stunned, Gu Jinlin proudly arched his neck and led the way by bringing the large soup bowl out.
Gu Jinye: “…”
Gu Jinfeng: “…”
The two of them had yet to move. Then they saw their younger cousin bring out another two dishes of stir-fried sausages. She had fried them with red chili and garlic. The colors were bright and appetizing.
There were many people having dinner today because the entire family was gathered together. There were so many men and four children with particularly large appetites. So Gu Qingyao had prepared an abundance of food. There were plenty of stir-fried sausages. The portion was so large that they occupied two plates.
When all the food had been brought to the main hall, Gu Yunjing, Gu Yundong and the others came out to eat. Eldest Uncle’s situation was precarious and he had not been back for a long time, so they had remained together to talk and analyze the future.
They only emerged when the children called them to eat. They were shocked when they saw the two tables laden with food!
There were many people present today – a dozen adults and children in all. They could not all fit around the table, so they put two small tables together.
The staples were some sorghum bread and rye buns that were usually steamed during the new year. She had also made several large cornmeal pancakes. They were all placed in a large basin on the table.
Another large basin held sweet potato porridge. She had added a bit of rice to it and plenty of water. It looked rather watery and tasteless, but today’s dishes were all flavorful, so it would be quite nice to drink something sweet, as if it were tea.
The rest were all dishes!
Besides the braised pork, braised meat, braised rabbit with potatoes and the two plates of stir-fried sausages that Gu Jinye, Gu Jinfeng and Gu Jinlin had brought over initially, there were two plates of stir-fried mushrooms, a plate of pickled beans, a plate of sour and spicy shredded potatoes, and then two large soup bowls of pork braised with vermicelli, with plenty of cabbage added to it. Lastly, there was a portion of steamed egg.
The steamed egg was yellow and tender, and she had garnished it generously with spring onions. Everyone drooled when they saw it.
Because there were so many people, dishes like the pork braised with vermicelli were divided into two portions. They were placed in large soup bowls that were like small basins. There was plenty of everything.
When placed on the two tables, there was enough for everyone, including the children.
Gu Yunjing and Gu Yundong were shocked!
“Where… where did all this come from?”
They were often away. Just now, they were in the room talking to their aged father and had not paid attention to what was going on in the kitchen. Although they had smelt the fragrance, they were all home tonight and had brought some food with them. It was not unusual for the family to cook some meat, so they had not paid much attention.
Now they were utterly shocked to see the two tables laden with food!
This was even grander than the new year celebration. Anyone in the next ten years who saw this table of food would be utterly envious.
Gu Yunshen rubbed his nose. “Well… we saved some food to celebrate the new year. Also, Yao Yao is getting engaged, so we naturally prepared a bit more. Eldest Brother, you’ve not been home for many years and we don’t know when you can come back again, so I asked Yao Yao to cook a little more. Night has fallen, and we won’t be so conspicuous. Even if others smell the fragrance, they will think we are preparing for Yao Yao’s engagement dinner tomorrow.”
“Let’s all sit! Eldest Brother, Third Brother, we must have a drink tonight!”