Chapter 526: Chapter 524 Zhao Mei

On the third day of Lunar New Year, bright and early, every member of the Jiang Family was roused from their beds by Mrs. Jiang rapping at their doors. After getting washed up and neatly dressed, carrying big and small packages of treats like sweet rice balls, dumplings, and glutinous rice with lotus roots intended as gifts for Zhao Mei, the whole family set off towards Zhaojia Village in a grand procession.

Perhaps it was because of the cold weather, and nobody wanted to dawdle on the road for too long, that the usually over half-hour journey to Zhaojia Village for Jiang Feng only took a bit more than 20 minutes this time.

Winter mornings are late to dawn, and it was still dark when the Jiangs left their home. By the time they reached Zhaojia Village, it was just beginning to get light. A herd of well-padded figures, bulky and thoroughly wrapped against the cold, crept silently into the village, startling the rooster that was just about to crow into swallowing its call.

Jiang Feng, having fallen behind the main group to tie his shoelaces before entering the village, trailed at the end like a little tail.

Jiang Zaidi, waking up too early, couldn’t help but yawn continuously, the very image of a sleep-deprived, unenthusiastic actor who took the money but couldn’t be bothered to get into his role as an invader entering the village.

“Grandma, are we sure Meimei is even awake this early? Don’t they say that pregnant women are prone to sleep a lot?” complained Jiang Zaidi.

“What do you know? Your Meimei wakes up very early every day; she usually only starts to feel sleepy when it’s time for meals,” Mrs. Jiang whispered, her eyes glancing at a plump hen pecking away diligently at the grass, which had gotten up early and looked especially plump and delicious.

“Jiankang, find out whose chicken that is and see if we can buy it for Meimei to make a nourishing soup,” Mrs. Jiang pointed to the hen.

“Mom, I’m sure uncle’s family has enough hens,” Jiang Jianguo reminded in a low voice.

“Right, right, right, I got into the habit, confused it for the old times. It’s been many years since we had a pregnant woman at home, I thought it was like back in the day,” Mrs. Jiang slapped her forehead, “Ah, I’m getting old.”

Because it was so early, their uncle didn’t wait for Mrs. Jiang and company with his walking stick at the village entrance as usual, but instead stubbornly waited at his doorstep with his cane.

Even though there were comfortable benches and a warm stove inside, the uncle insisted on standing at the door with his cane, braving the cold wind.

It was both stubbornness and love.

Paying a New Year visit to Uncle, naturally Mrs. Jiang led the way. Left hand carrying lamb dumplings, right hand carrying vegetarian dumplings, her husband on her left, her elder son on her right, followed by a host of sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and granddaughters, it was such an impressive crowd that if you said they were there to forcibly collect debts or seek revenge during the New Year celebrations, one might believe it.

“Brother, with it being so cold, why are you standing at the door? Hurry up and get inside. This bag has lamb dumplings for Meimei to eat, and this bag has vegetarian dumplings for you all. Feng has sweet rice balls that were just made yesterday afternoon. Meimei hasn’t had much appetite and wanted something sweet, right? My second son said pregnant women shouldn’t eat too much sugar, said it can cause that, what’s it… diabetes, but a little should be okay. Is Meimei awake? If she’s awake, let Feng cook half a bowl of sweet rice balls for her first,” Mrs. Jiang didn’t give her brother a chance to speak, going on and on as she efficiently arranged everything.

“Feng, where’s Feng? Where did that kid go, ending up at the back? Hurry up and bring the sweet rice balls to your uncle,” Mrs. Jiang called out loudly.

Jiang Feng quickly squeezed his way to the front and jovially presented the sweet rice balls to his uncle.

The uncle beamed, “Jiang Feng is here too, huh? I didn’t see you just now and thought you couldn’t make it. Why do you look thinner? And Chengcheng, Chengcheng looks thin too, and so does Ranran. Zaide looks good though, got a bit sturdier. Junqing and Junlian are here too, eh? You’ve grown into big girls, I almost didn’t recognize you,” he chuckled.

Uncle squinted his eyes, examining every young member of the Jiang family in turn with his presbyopic eyes before turning to lead everyone inside.

“Brother, is Meimei awake? If she is, let Feng cook her some sweet rice balls,” Mrs. Jiang, knowing her own brother’s poor hearing and memory in his old age, repeated the question.

“She’s awake, having breakfast, no need to cook the sweet rice balls. These days Meimei wakes up the same time as me, we’re both early birds. By lunch and dinner, she gets sleepy. Don’t know what’s the matter,” the uncle complained.

“Oh right, you’ve come at a good time, there is braised meat in the kitchen, still steaming hot. I think Feng and the others have lost some weight, they must be having a hard time outside and not eating well, just like Meimei. Once you’re at your uncle’s house, eat to your heart’s content. After you’re done, I’ll ask your aunt Tian Lin to cook some braised meat for you,” he continued.

Jiang Feng, who could hear everything clearly at the front of the line, almost stumbled as he bowed deeply to his uncle.

“Oh dear, Feng, what happened? Did you trip or lose your balance? You couldn’t be hungry from not eating breakfast this morning, could you? Don’t worry, in a moment your uncle will have aunt serve you a couple bowls of braised meat, eat plenty!” the uncle said, full of concern.

Jiang Feng: !!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ

Jiang Feng hadn’t expected to face such a severe challenge upon just entering the house and, in a panic to delay his enthusiastic uncle, blurted out, “Uncle, let’s have the braised meat later. Since Meimei is awake, why don’t we go see her first?”

His voice was so loud that it echoed through the entire front hall.

The other young members of the Jiang family, following behind and nodding off: (°Д°≡°Д°)

Braised Meat?!

What braised meat?!

Where is there braised meat?!

The sleepiness was instantly chased away by the terrifying braised meat at his uncle’s house.

“Feng, you must be missing your Meimei, right? Indeed, it’s been several years since Feng saw Meimei, hasn’t it? I recall that Meimei always favored you the most, always specially giving you the fatty pieces during meals,” his uncle said with a chuckle, pointing, “Meimei is in that room over there.”

Jiang Feng didn’t even take the time to put down his sweet dumplings, and with the bag in hand, he headed straight for the room ahead.

Jiang Zaidi and the others, confused about the situation and trying to avoid the braised meat, quickly followed.

As soon as the door opened and Jiang Feng saw the scene before him, tears were almost falling.

After not seeing her for a few years and looking somewhat unfamiliar, Zhao Mei was sitting on the bed with her hair down, wearing a thick sweater, with the blanket pulled up to her chest. Her hair looked greasy as if it hadn’t been washed for days.

Due to her pregnancy, Zhao Mei’s face appeared rounder and plumper, with a bit of redness on her cheeks. Tian Lin was sitting by the bed holding a bowl, talking to Zhao Mei.

The room was warm with the air conditioning on, and an unrelenting humidifier was quietly working in the corner with the window slightly open for ventilation.

A very cozy scene, many children who hadn’t been home for years and worked away from home would probably look at this and cannot help but smile genuinely from their hearts, but those who knew the inside story, like Jiang Feng and others, could only helplessly shed genuine tears when they saw this.

In Tian Lin’s hands was a bowl of braised meat.

A bowl of white braised meat, without any green onion, without soy sauce, purely natural, completely unadulterated, and extremely greasy; even from several meters away, Jiang Feng could clearly see the big chunks of fat meat on top of the braised meat.

“Meimei, you’re approaching your due date next month, you should eat a little bit. You didn’t feel like eating this early in the morning, look at you, how much weight you’ve lost these past few days, how can this go on? Didn’t you use to love the braised meat Mom made for you when you were little? Look, Mom got up early in the morning just to make braised meat for you, starting at 3 a.m., so eat at least a bite,” Tian Lin said worriedly.

Jiang Feng and the others: …

“Mom, just leave it here for now, I’ll eat it myself later. I really don’t have an appetite right after waking up, and it’s not good to eat something so greasy this early. Could you cook a bowl of noodles for me? Maybe I’ll feel like eating noodles,” Zhao Mei gently persuaded, “It seems like Feng and the others are at the door, and the three Mrs. Jiangs have all come, hurry and go greet them.”

Tian Lin was persuaded by Zhao Mei, put down the bowl, turned around, and said to Jiang Feng and the others, “You’ve come to see Meimei, right? Just sit with her and chat, urge her to finish this bowl of braised meat. I’ll be going out, there’s more braised meat in the pot, and when you come out, I’ll dish out a bowl for each of you, okay?”

With that said by Tian Lin, everyone just wanted to stay rooted to the spot and never leave.

“Meimei,” Jiang Feng walked in, put down the bag with sweet dumplings, and found a chair to sit on.

There weren’t enough chairs in the room, so those with chairs sat on them, and those without sat on the edge of the bed, clogging up the little room completely.

Because it really had been too long since they last saw each other, at first the group found themselves at a loss for words. Besides Jiang Feng, everyone present had been beaten up by Zhao Mei before and naturally held a deep awe of her.

While everyone was trying to think of what to say, the door suddenly opened, and a strange man stuck his head in.

Upon seeing this unfamiliar man, Zhao Mei’s eyes lit up, and she immediately became energetic, “Husband, where are the buns? My mom is probably in the kitchen boiling water.”

“Right here.” Zhao Mei’s husband hurriedly pulled out five steamed buns from his coat pocket. Without even taking a good look at Jiang Feng and the others, he quickly walked to Zhao Mei and handed her the steamed buns.

Zhao Mei took the buns and began gobbling them down voraciously, as if racing against time.

Jiang Feng and the others: …

She didn’t look like someone with no appetite at all.