PCJ – Chapter 326 The Scene is Too Beautiful

Liu Qiaoye rushed to the door, and the scene she saw was simply beautiful.

Zhang Jiaohua was savoring a pig’s trotter, chewing it with great enjoyment. Just moments ago, he had sung so sorrowfully; who would have thought he had either been spiced up or was just full and casually clearing his throat.

Hearing the familiar shouts from outside, Zhang Jiaohua was completely dumbfounded, his hands still holding the pig’s trotter, not knowing whether to eat it or not, as he stared blankly at the door.

Liu Qiaoye had changed completely; her once long, dark braid was now cut into short hair. Upon arriving in Guangdong, the locals had warned her how dangerous long hair could be in the workshop; one careless moment could lead to hair getting caught in the machinery, which could be deadly.

Her skin was also so fair, completely contrasting with the deep impression of Zhang Jiaohua’s mother!

Zhang Jiaohua’s eyes widened as he stared at Liu Qiaoye, and Liu Qiaoye was equally stunned, looking at Zhang Jiaohua. The scene she had rehearsed a hundred times in her mind was entirely mismatched with the one before her.

In her mind, she had imagined returning home to find her child blowing on the damp firewood in the stove, desperately trying to ignite it. The wood was too wet to burn; after a long time, only smoke emerged, and when her child turned to look, his face was smeared with black soot, with only his eyes spinning around. Then she would see her mother standing at the door, and he would immediately drop the fire tongs and rush over, crying in her arms. The two would embrace and cry together.

There were countless versions, but now, Liu Qiaoye had no plan for this situation! That brat had no idea how to cooperate; after all her rushing back, he didn’t even recognize her!

Zhang Jiaohua was still staring blankly at Liu Qiaoye, his hand still clutching the pig’s trotter, yet he hadn’t taken a bite.

“Child,” Liu Qiaoye called softly.

Tears welled up in Zhang Jiaohua’s eyes at once, “Mother!”

The piece of pig’s trotter fell to the ground. Before the mountain leopard could rush over, a black shadow swiftly lunged for the piece of meat, darting up the wall and disappearing in an instant. The mountain leopard immediately ran out.

“Child.” After experiencing the earlier scene, Liu Qiaoye’s emotions surged back, and tears flowed like a flood as she cried out, “Child!”

Now Zhang Jiaohua confirmed this was indeed his mother, and he ran towards her, “Mother!”

The mother and child tightly embraced.

In that moment, everything lost all meaning. It seemed the world was left with only the reunion of these two.

Zhang Youping and Chen Guangbin approached, carrying some items.

“Master Chen, I’m truly sorry for asking you to help carry things,” Zhang Youping said apologetically.

“It’s no problem at all. Wow, it smells so good. Are you making braised pork?” Chen Guangbin sniffed the delicious aroma. Unlike Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye, who were focused solely on their child at this moment, Chen Guangbin was different; he could already smell the rich meat scent as he approached.

“Maybe it’s some stew,” Zhang Youping said nonchalantly, eager to walk over and see if his child had grown taller or gained weight. He worried that when the mother and child met again, they would be… sigh, this poor pair. Zhang Youping felt a strong sense of guilt as a man, not able to provide a good life for his wife and child while also enduring the pain of separation.

“It’s really fragrant! You can only find such delicious meat in your rural areas,” Chen Guangbin sighed.

“Let’s go in first. Let’s see what delicious food my child has made today. Master Chen, it’s not safe to walk the mountain path at night. Why not wait until dawn?” Zhang Youping suggested.

“No way. Our factory has been exceptionally busy this year. The leaders have only just finished their work today, and I just got my holiday today. I have to take care of some New Year’s supplies tomorrow. Otherwise, I’d be empty-handed visiting my mother-in-law for New Year,” Chen Guangbin chuckled.

“I’m really sorry to impose on you during the New Year. We truly feel bad about this,” Zhang Youping said, genuinely embarrassed.

“Don’t mention it. Even if it wasn’t a task from the leaders, I’d still want to befriend Brother Zhang,” Chen Guangbin quickly replied. He understood that Zhao Jinyuan had specifically asked him to bring Zhang Youping and his wife back, knowing their importance in Zhao Jinyuan’s eyes.

Hearing the sounds from outside, Liu Qiaoye hurriedly wiped away her tears and took out a handkerchief to carefully clean the tears off Zhang Jiaohua’s face, even wiping the grease from his mouth.

“Bring your two little hands here; they’re so dirty! Wipe them on your mother’s clothes; this is a new outfit!” Liu Qiaoye seemed to scold her child but actually wanted to pamper him.

Liu Qiaoye diligently wiped the grease off her child’s hands until she was satisfied, “Now that looks right. Your father is still moving things; let’s go meet him. I bought you so many delicious treats.”

Zhang Jiaohua immediately dashed outside, “Father!”

“Be careful, don’t fall!” Zhang Youping called out loudly.

Liu Qiaoye noticed a flashlight on the table and quickly took it in hand, stepping outside. A beam of white light pierced through the darkness, splitting the dark gardening area in two.

“Jiaohua, Uncle Chen is asking what delicious food you cooked at home; it smells so good!” Zhang Youping lifted two snake-skin bags with his right hand and used his left to pick up Jiaohua, pressing him tightly against his body, then teasing his tender face with his stubbly chin. It was only at this moment that Zhang Youping felt the world was real.

“Mother, my father is poking me with his beard again!” Zhang Jiaohua complained immediately.

“We’ll deal with your father later. Let’s see if he dares to poke my child again,” Liu Qiaoye laughed.

Liu Qiaoye was about to take the items from Chen Guangbin’s hands, but he wouldn’t allow it. “Sister-in-law, don’t be so polite. This isn’t heavy at all. You go inside,” he urged.

“Master Chen, I really appreciate your help,” Liu Qiaoye expressed her gratitude repeatedly.

Upon entering the house, they found it very simple but clean.

“Father, there’s pig’s trotter stewing in the pot. I added lots of ingredients, and it smells great!” Zhang Jiaohua eagerly reported his accomplishments.

“Really? Is it good?” Zhang Youping finally caught a whiff of the rich aroma.

“Of course it’s good!” Zhang Jiaohua jumped down from Zhang Youping’s embrace and ran over to lift the lid of the iron pot, releasing an even more intense fragrance.

“Hmm? Why is it so fragrant? Did you add any seasonings?” Chen Guangbin couldn’t help but ask, putting down the items and moving closer to investigate.

“I gathered a lot of stuff from the mountains, like fragrant leaves and herbs. It makes the pig’s trotter so fragrant!” Zhang Jiaohua explained.

“You didn’t cook anything else?” Liu Qiaoye opened several pot lids only to discover that Zhang Jiaohua had only stewed this one pot of pig’s trotter.

“With so much pork, how could I eat anything else? Originally, Yuanbao wanted to eat with me here, but he was taken away by Grandpa.”

“Grandpa must have taken you to the old house to celebrate the New Year. It must be because you were being naughty that Grandpa got mad,” Liu Qiaoye didn’t need to see to know what had happened.

“I knew my parents wouldn’t lie to me. Uncle Shicai even tricked me, saying you wouldn’t come back for the New Year. Tomorrow I’m going to go to their house and give him a good scolding!” Zhang Jiaohua pouted.

Once their parents returned home, Zhang Jiaohua immediately transformed back into a carefree little child, speaking with a childlike innocence.

“Quick, get a bowl for Uncle Chen so he can taste my child’s cooking,” Liu Qiaoye said with a smile.

Zhang Jiaohua dashed to the cupboard and brought out a stack of bowls, naturally not just for Uncle Chen but also wanting his parents to try as well.

The pig’s trotters that Zhang Jiaohua had stewed were from wild boars. After thinking it over, he gathered some herbs from the mountains, experimented with the tube bones, and found that stewing bones was particularly aromatic. He then used these herbs to stew the pig’s trotters, which indeed turned out delicious.

“Uncle Chen, here you go.” Zhang Jiaohua was also familiar with Chen Guangbin.

“Thank you, Jiaohua.” Chen Guangbin accepted without hesitation. After driving for so long, he was already hungry; the enticing aroma made him even more tempted. He immediately grabbed a piece of pig’s trotter and took a bite. The flavor was truly mouthwatering, and Chen Guangbin’s face flushed with embarrassment, almost making a fool of himself. But the taste was indescribable!

“This is what eating meat is all about. It feels like I’ve never had meat in my life! Jiaohua, let me tell you, if you cook like this in the future, you’ll definitely find a good wife!” Chen Guangbin exclaimed.

“Really?” Zhang Jiaohua asked in confusion.

“Yes, you’ll definitely be able to find a good wife,” Chen Guangbin affirmed.

Liu Qiaoye took a bite as well, her eyes widening in surprise. “Wow, this is incredible!”

Zhang Youping had also taken a piece to taste, the satisfaction reflected on his face. He nodded approvingly. “Not bad, kid. Your skills are excellent!”

“Of course, I’m not just some ordinary kid!” Zhang Jiaohua proudly proclaimed.

Liu Qiaoye laughed, then gazed outside. “You and Uncle Chen came back at just the right time; the three of us can celebrate New Year together!”