Juhua looked at Zhang Huai in surprise. 'Did I scare him? That can't be. Hasn't he been looking at this blotchy face of mine for years?'
Her steady gaze made Zhang Huai even more flustered!
'This is so strange. In the past, whenever I looked at Juhua, the first thing I'd notice were the blotches on her face. Why do I keep overlooking them now? Why are her eyes the first thing I see?'
In the past, Juhua had always been so shy around him. Her glistening eyes would dart away in alarm, like a startled fawn's. But back then, her blotchy face had kept him from ever noticing. Now, when he dredged up those memories, all that came to mind were those glistening eyes, shyly darting away like a fawn's and making his heart tremble!
Seeing Zhang Huai's discomfort, his handsome face rapidly turning red, Juhua thought, 'How dull.' She turned to leave—best to save him the embarrassment.
Zhang Huai watched her retreating back, filled with vexation! He took a sip of chrysanthemum tea to cover his awkwardness. It was light, fragrant, and sweet. Even after swallowing, his mouth still watered! Through the faint, fragrant steam, a pair of clear eyes settled in his heart, impossible to shake off!
Zhao San's loud voice boomed, "We should hit water this afternoon. The mud is getting wetter and wetter, so we must be close."
Zheng Changhe laughed. "That's what I was thinking. The digging is the easy part. It's lining the well wall that's going to be a bit of a hassle!"
Zhao San said, "It's no big deal! I'll go down with you this afternoon and help lay the stones."
They busied themselves for another two-hour, and it was finally time for the midday meal. Little Shitou came out on a mission, shouting, "Time to eat!" His voice was full of energy!
Seeing the grease still lingering around his mouth, Zhao San laughed. "Son, were you sneaking snacks?"
Little Shitou said irritably, "I didn't sneak anything! Sister Juhua asked me to taste-test for her."
Everyone burst into laughter and threw down their tools. Qingmu also climbed up from the bottom of the well to wash his hands and eat.
Juhua dished out a little of each dish, which made Yang Family pause in surprise. "Hua, what are you doing?" She thought her daughter was reluctant to serve all the food.
Juhua said, "Mother, they're going to be drinking, and who knows how long they'll be! I set some food aside. Why don't the three of us just eat in the kitchen? It'll be much quieter!"
Little Shitou immediately agreed. "Okay! I'll eat in the kitchen with Sister Juhua!" His dad wouldn't let him at the main table anyway, so he'd rather have a good time eating with her!
Zheng Changhe called the men to sit around the old, mottled square table. Juhua and Yang Family continuously brought dishes to the table, helped set out bowls and chopsticks, and placed a jar of aged wine down.
Big Mouth Zhao looked at the table full of food and said cheerfully to Juhua, "Juhua, just by the looks of these dishes, I can tell they're delicious. I definitely came to the right place today."
Li Changxing laughed. "So you didn't come to help dig the well today, you came to freeload a meal."
Big Mouth Zhao eyed the glistening, richly-colored braised pork and laughed unabashedly. "It was on the way. No reason I can't do both!"
The spread on the table was indeed sumptuous: a large basin of red-braised pork with dried bamboo shoots, a big bowl of pan-fried dried fish cooked to a golden crisp, a bowl of Huang Shan stir-fried in sauce, a bowl of sliced eel stir-fried with green garlic, a clay pot of braised pork with dried mushrooms, a bowl of stir-fried shrimp with chives, a bowl of braised shrimp in sauce, a bowl of scrambled eggs, and three or four different kinds of green vegetables from their own garden. The table was completely filled.
Zhao San happily raised his chopsticks, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "Elder Brother Changhe, I won't stand on ceremony then. Sister-in-law and Juhua, you two should join us. We're all neighbors here, no need for all that fuss. Once we start eating, we won't hold back. By the time you get to the table, there'll be nothing left."
Yang Family laughed. "My Juhua has already set some dishes aside. The two of us and Shi Tou will have our own meal in the kitchen. It's more comfortable that way!"
Li Changxing laughed and called out, "Juhua, you didn't hold back the best dishes to eat in secret, did you?"
Everyone roared with laughter. Only Zhang Huai remained reserved, not daring to look up at Yang Family.
Qingmu filled everyone's large bowls with wine. Without any ceremony, they all raised their bowls, took a sip, and then dug into the food with gusto. In an instant, the room was filled with unending sounds of praise!
Aside from Zheng Changhe, who was a bit older, everyone at the table was lively. Zhao San loved to joke around, while Li Changxing and Big Mouth Zhao were even more playful by nature. Although Qingmu was a man of few words, he was young and full of life. Zhang Huai was only reserved because of Juhua.
Therefore, after one bowl of wine, the atmosphere at the table grew boisterous. Everyone praised how delicious the food was and inevitably started competing for it. Peals of laughter rang out, bursting from the thatched cottage in waves!
Every time Zhang Huai picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, he would dazedly imagine Juhua beside him, tilting her head and watching him shyly, as if waiting for his praise.