Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s

Chapter 754: Chapter 747: Mixed Cakes

"That Director Huang also said that when the film is finished, he would invite me to watch it!" Yanwang said with anticipation.

Sisi felt a bit uncomfortable and didn’t tell him that this film was practically at a standstill. She just vaguely said that filming movies takes a lot of time and isn’t completed quickly.

Fortunately, Yanwang didn’t dwell on the matter for long. He quickly began recommending nearby scenic spots to Sisi and her group.

Lunch consisted of corn cakes and stir-fried cured meat, along with a few bowls of vegetables. Yanwang warmly invited Sisi and the others to eat and even brought out his homemade corn liquor, which left Gui pleasantly surprised.

Gui mentioned that in the village, grains are barely sufficient to fill the stomachs, so it’s rare for anyone to use them to make liquor. Thus, unless esteemed guests come by, villagers are reluctant to take out their liquor.

Sisi didn’t expect ordinary corn liquor to be so precious. However, since Yanwang had already brought out the bamboo container, refusing it would upset him.

She thought for a moment, then took a water bladder from her bag and said to Yanwang, "How about I treat you all to some liquor from outside today?"

Seeing the water bladder in Sisi’s hand, Yanwang’s eyes lit up, and he quickly put the bamboo container back. He loved liquor, but with limited grain, he could only drink a certain amount each day. Now that he could taste liquor from outside, it was a treat.

The He Family Liquor was naturally aromatic and enticing. Just by smelling it, Yanwang knew it was good liquor. His craving grew stronger.

With the fine liquor as a lubricant for conversation, Yanwang’s enthusiasm for talking grew. Under Sisi and Zhang Jie’s guided discussion, the topic gradually shifted towards the foundation.

"It’s not that we don’t appreciate kindness, but those people have no relation to us. It’s generous enough that they send anything at all. However... Sigh, the fact is that some of those things are really unacceptable. The clothes and cotton-padded jackets are one thing; after all, they’re not for consumption, but the food is another matter. The food had gone moldy, and eating too much could be deadly. But we couldn’t just throw it away either - wasting food could anger the Thunder God!"

Yanwang spoke with a pained expression, furious at those who let the food turn moldy.

"How did you deal with this food?" Sisi asked, pressing the record button on her recorder pen.

A smug smile appeared on Yanwang’s face. "God won’t let smart people starve. I had the villagers mix the spoiled cornmeal with the good cornmeal. This way, it tasted better, wouldn’t make people sick, and didn’t waste food."

Sisi felt uncomfortable. Even if mixed with the good, the bad portions still existed and would definitely impact people’s health.

She looked down at the golden corn cakes on the plate and pointed with her finger, asking, "Are these the cakes you mean?"

Uncle Yanwang shook his head and said, "No, no, we can’t give guests spoiled food. These are made from the good corn we grew ourselves. They’re sweet. Try them!"

As Yanwang spoke, he didn’t notice his wife’s slightly displeased expression as she glared in their direction.

Zhang Jie, already hungry, was the first to pick up a cake and take a bite.

"Yuck, it’s bitter!"

Zhang Jie hadn’t even swallowed when she spat the corn cake out. Yanwang’s expression changed, and he took a big bite of the cake himself, his face immediately darkening like ink.

He stormed over, grabbed one of the corn cakes, sniffed it, and immediately started cursing loudly. It was clear that Yanwang’s temper had flared to the limit; if it weren’t for Sisi and the others present, he might have hit someone.

Here, women held very low status, and it was normal for men to hit and scold their wives if dissatisfied. Nobody would say the man’s actions were wrong.

When Yanwang tried to take the corn cakes away, the woman didn’t let him and mustered the courage to say a few words. Gui quietly translated, meaning she begged Yanwang not to take the cakes away, as she wanted to give the children a good meal. The kids threw up yellow water eating those mixed cakes."

It turned out Yanwang had instructed his wife to make cakes for the guests with the good cornmeal, while family members ate the mixed cakes. But his wife, sympathetic to the children, didn’t want to give the good food to Sisi and the others, so she took it upon herself to give the good cakes to the children, serving the mixed cakes to Sisi and her group.

Over there, two lean, dark-skinned young boys, the older no more than seven or eight, the younger only five or six, were each grabbing a corn cake and devouring it. But they were so frightened by Yanwang’s anger that they threw the cakes back onto the plate, though their eyes remained fixated hungrily on them, which was heart-wrenching to see.

Sisi sighed. It was impossible to criticize Yanwang’s wife’s actions. To a mother, her own children are naturally the most important, and saving the best for them is perfectly understandable.

Yanwang was angry probably only because he felt embarrassed. Wouldn’t he care for his own children too?

Sisi took out two pieces of chocolate from her bag, went over and unwrapped them, offering them to the children. "Auntie is treating you to some candy. It’s very tasty."

With Yanwang’s permission, the two children took the chocolate, bit into it, and their eyes lit up like black gems. But instead of continuing to eat, they placed the chocolate each into their mother’s and Yanwang’s mouths, looking at them with beaming smiles.

Yanwang and his wife were reluctant to eat their children’s treat, so they only licked it and said they’d tasted it before the children contentedly resumed eating.

Yanwang’s wife blushed as she looked at Sisi, took out the two corn cakes the children had bitten into, and handed them to Sisi, saying, "I’m sorry, it was my mistake, miss, please don’t mind."

Sisi didn’t take the cakes. She felt uneasy. It was just cornmeal, yet here it was treated like a treasure, something they didn’t ordinarily have the luxury to eat?

And Jianding Village was considered relatively better off; one could only imagine what life was like in those poorer villages!

Under the persuasion of Sisi and Zhang Jie, Yanwang didn’t insist any longer and returned to his seat with a half-angry face.

"The wife didn’t know any better. Please feel free to laugh it off, guests."

"Not at all, big brother Yanwang. Sister-in-law was just being a caring mother. You shouldn’t blame her. These cakes are still quite edible, and we might as well taste their flavor."

In reality, Yanwang was not much older than Sisi, only 37. But due to the harsh life and lack of nutrition, he looked like he was in his forties or nearing fifty. According to Gui, people in the village didn’t have long lifespans; living to 70 was considered longevity. Generally, they don’t make it past sixty-something.

Much like people from ancient times, a common cold or fever could be life-threatening, let alone women dying from childbirth. Thus, the children in these villages had a very low survival rate, with many dying in infancy, almost left to fate.

Sisi picked up a corn cake and started eating. From the first bite, she wanted to spit it out. Huang Xiaoguang wasn’t wrong; even traditional medicine tastes better. It was a particularly peculiar bitterness, spreading through her nerves to her entire body, even her toes felt bitter.