"Isn't that the truth," Yang Yufeng said with a hint of sympathy. "When he was helping build Xiaojun's house, he'd eat two meals a day at our place. Then he'd go home at night and just suck in his stomach, waiting until the next morning to come back to work and eat again. Remember those few days it rained? I asked him about it later, and he said that for those three rainy days, he didn't have a single full meal at home."
Zhang Yuanmin sighed. "His family's situation is even worse than ours used to be."
"You all don't know the half of it!" Suddenly, Li Ruhai shot up, planting his right elbow on the table. He slapped the table with his left hand and whispered, "Gu Yang's third brother is already so old and still a bachelor, to say nothing of Gu Yang himself. I heard that his parents want him to marry into a well-off family as a live-in son-in-law. If the woman's family gives them a bit of money, they can use it to find a wife for his third brother."
"Good heavens!" Li Baoyu couldn't resist pulling Li Ruhai back from the table. "Who did you hear that from?" he said, annoyed.
"Hey!" Yang Yufeng waved a hand at Li Baoyu. "Baoyu, let Ruhai talk. The things he says are never fabricated."
Li Dayong, Jin Xiaomei, Li Baoyu: "..."
Hearing this, Li Ruhai beamed, feeling quite pleased with himself. He continued enthusiastically, "But Gu Yang absolutely refuses. That's why he's been working everywhere he can, trying to save up enough money to get married."
As Li Ruhai finished speaking, the cold dishes began to arrive. Zhao Jun started walking back, but after just two steps, he turned and glanced toward the courtyard gate. He didn't see Gu Yang.
'He knew that in his past life, Gu Yang hadn't managed to save enough money for a wife, either. In the end, he still married into his wife's family and became a live-in son-in-law.'
'The bride's family had given the Gu Family fifty yuan as a betrothal gift. His family took that fifty yuan, combined it with the money Gu Yang had earned through years of back-breaking labor, and used it to find a wife for his third brother.'
Zhao Jun and Gu Yang were practically from two different worlds. Although they lived in the same village, their first real interaction was because of Zhao Youcai.
That was back in the new millennium. Zhao Youcai had a sudden stroke while taking a walk in the village, and it was Gu Yang who notified the Zhao Family.
Although the father and son's relationship was poor at the time, blood is thicker than water. After Zhao Jun rushed back from the city, he wanted to repay Gu Yang. He promised to lease the reservoir outside the village and, following the example of the nearby Phoenix Mountain, build a farmhouse resort. He would then have Gu Yang help him manage it.
When Zhao Jun said all this, he was at the height of his career. But not long after, he went bankrupt.
Forget a farmhouse resort; he would have had a hard time buying even a mobility scooter.
Gu Yang, however, never blamed Zhao Jun for it. But Zhao Jun was too ashamed to face him and would take a detour whenever he saw Gu Yang in the village.
Until one time, Zhao Jun ran into Gu Yang, who was on his way home after picking up plums from an orchard. Gu Yang insisted on giving Zhao Jun two handfuls of them.
Even though seven out of ten plums were wormy, Zhao Jun, at his lowest point, was still grateful for the gesture.
That was why, when Gu Yang had asked for the Medicinal Beans a moment ago, Zhao Jun had agreed without a second thought. 'As he saw it, Gu Yang wanted the Medicinal Beans for one simple reason: to poison a deer.'
'And if he could successfully poison a deer, he could sell the hooves, tendons, and all that, just like Jie Chen did, and make a hundred yuan or so without a problem. If he saved up a little more after that, he'd have enough to get married and wouldn't have to be a live-in son-in-law.'
'After all, in the previous life, Gu Yang had had a very hard time. As a live-in son-in-law, he had to do a ton of work and put up with a lot of grief, and his children even had to take his wife's family name.'
'If one Medicinal Bean could change Gu Yang's destiny, then the debt from his past life would be settled.'
As Zhao Jun thought this, he sat back down at the table and watched the helpers bring dishes to the table.
Spicy and Sour Shredded Potatoes, Tiger Salad, Homestyle Cold Salad, Fried Peanuts, Braised Green Beans and Potatoes, Braised Pork with Glass Noodles, Scrambled Eggs with Tomato, Braised River Fish in Brown Sauce, Stir-fried River Shrimp, and Braised Bear's Paw.
Ten dishes in total, with only the last one being a truly substantial dish. When Zhao Jun saw the Bear's Paw, he couldn't help but sigh to himself.
He had left four bear paws for Mrs. Elder Jiang yesterday. The cook had cut each of them into three pieces, making twelve in total—exactly one for each table.
Because it was a somber occasion, there was no happy chatter or laughter inside or outside the courtyard. Everyone was just focused on eating quickly.
Mrs. Elder Jiang only had a few bites before leaving the table and going inside. Neither Jiang Zhou and his wife, nor Jiang Zhou's parents, went to check on the old woman.
Zhao Jun heard his mother beside him sigh softly. He turned his head and saw Wang Meilan put down her chopsticks and walk toward the house.
Zhao Jun exchanged a look with Zhao Youcai, and the father and son continued to eat.
After they finished eating, Zhao Jun had Zhao Youcai take the two little girls home, while he himself remained at the table, quietly waiting for Wang Meilan.
Jiang Zhou and his wife had already gotten up to see the guests off, while his parents stayed to keep Zhao Jun company.
Even after everyone had dispersed, Wang Meilan still hadn't come out of the house. By now, it was past seven o'clock, and the sky had grown dark.
Suddenly, Zhao Jun heard someone outside the courtyard say, "Haven't you finished yet? Hurry up and eat, so we can clear the tables."
Zhao Jun looked out and saw that at the four tables outside the courtyard, only one person was still eating. It was Gu Yang. But he hadn't been eating all along; he had waited for everyone at this table to leave before sitting down to pick at the leftovers.
Back then, it was common for feast tables to be left in complete disarray.
On a table of ten dishes, there was little left but some sauce in the plates. But Gu Yang wasn't picky. First, he mixed the sauce from the Braised Bear's Paw with his sorghum rice.
After finishing that, he soaked his sorghum rice in the dressing from the Homestyle Cold Salad and ate that too.
Even so, Jiang Zhou's wife was displeased, thinking Gu Yang was eating too much.