In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 387 The Impulse to Bring Tears to My Eyes

In short, Cao Shui, who came from a rural background and made a living by manual labor, had no so-called "dignity". The landlords in the city would look at him as if he were a country bumpkin, the powerful and wealthy would look at him as if he were a beggar, and even his employers would look at him as if he were livestock.

Cao Shui was treated like an ox or a horse, at the beck and call of his master, all he wanted was a few copper coins to fill his stomach...

However, Cao Shui felt a level of respect he had never experienced before during his visit to Chenjia Village.

In Chenjia Village, martial artists are no longer high and mighty; they do the same work as everyone else, and no one regards it as lowly labor, nor does anyone cast scornful glances at them.

even……

Chen Cheng, a martial artist highly respected by the warriors of the Prefectural Governor's Office, even personally served him the dishes!

This was something Cao Shui had never dared to imagine before. In the county town, let alone martial artists, even a small landlord wouldn't treat him as a "person".

At that moment, Cao Shui suddenly realized that he was a human being and should have the dignity of a human being, instead of being treated like an animal, driven around by others and receiving no respect whatsoever!

In fact, it wasn't just Cao Shui, Li Lao Er, and the other laborers at the table who were stunned. They didn't even pick up their chopsticks immediately, but stared blankly at Chen Cheng's departing figure, and for a moment they even had the urge to shed tears.

It is difficult for outsiders to understand the hardships of the lower classes in Xia Kingdom. The lords in the county town treat them like pigs and dogs, and have never given them any respect.

Therefore, everything that Chenjia Village is experiencing today is especially...precious to them!

"No, no, we can do it ourselves!"

"You mustn't do that, you mustn't!"

"We'll do it ourselves, we'll do it ourselves!"

"..."

As Chen Cheng began serving the dishes, the laborers at the other tables were flattered and surprised. Some of them even jumped up from their chairs, trying to snatch the plates of food from Chen Cheng's hands.

Just kidding. On the way to Chenjia Village, they had seen Chen Cheng. At that time, Chen Cheng was riding on horseback. Although he was taciturn, it was not difficult to tell from the respect on the faces of the other warriors from the prefectural governor’s mansion that Chen Cheng must be a warrior!

How could they dare to let a martial artist of such high status serve them?

"Sit still!"

With a simple, honest smile on his face, Chen Cheng pressed a laborer into a chair: "Since you've come to Chenjia Village, you're a guest of our village. How can a guest serve himself the dishes?"

As he spoke, Chen Cheng, disregarding everyone's reactions, joined Feng Xiang and Luo Xiu in serving dishes to the laborers.

Meanwhile, the people at Cao Shui's table also came to their senses, picked up their chopsticks, and reached for the chicken on the plate.

Perhaps due to some nervousness, the group did not fight over the chicken, but instead each carefully picked up a piece of chicken.

Cao Shui has sharp eyes and immediately noticed the chicken roe on the plate. He quickly picked it up and put it in his mouth.

"Pfft!"

As he bit down, the rich oil inside the chicken yolk burst open in his mouth, and Cao Shui couldn't help but squint his eyes slightly, savoring this rare delicacy.

The chicken gizzard was very fatty and oily, with a strong fishy smell. However, the rich broth masked some of the fishy smell. The broth and oil burst together in Cao Shui's mouth, and the salty and savory taste gave Cao Shui an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

"It smells so good!"

Cao Shui couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, and the others at the table echoed his sentiments.

"It's so delicious! I've never eaten such delicious meat before!"

"You've never eaten such delicious meat before! I think you've never eaten meat before!"

"That's right! I haven't eaten a single piece of meat in three years!"

"Me too!"

"..."

The crowd was beaming with excitement, their expressions exaggerated, but if one knew their experiences, they probably wouldn't find it so exaggerated.

As laborers and laborers at the bottom of society, they were able to make a living in peaceful years. Although they couldn't eat meat every day, they would cut some meat to take home and eat during festivals.

however……

With the arrival of the cold disaster, the crops in Qingzhou suffered a reduction, and life became difficult for these laborers. They couldn't even get enough to eat, let alone meat.

Many people haven't eaten meat for four or five years, so when they suddenly get to eat meat, especially stewed meat with plenty of salt and soy sauce, it naturally tastes delicious.

"We were so glad we came to Chenjia Village!"

As Li Lao Er chewed on the fragrant and savory chicken, he exclaimed, "If it weren't for this errand, how could we possibly be able to eat such meat?"

"Yes!"

One of the laborers nodded in agreement, saying, "I've seen the meat served at that landlord's house when I was working there before. It looked delicious, but it couldn't compare to what we ate in Chenjia Village!"

What the laborer said was not a lie. In the Xia Kingdom, some small landowners were not exactly wealthy. At most, they could only afford to eat their fill and have meat every now and then.

The way small landlords cooked meat was often quite simple, incomparable to the richly seasoned chicken and cabbage stew in front of them.

"This Chenjia Village is really nice."

One of the laborers squinted and said, "They're actually willing to give us so much meat to eat!"

"Yes yes yes!"

The group nodded like chickens pecking at rice. Before setting off, they thought this mission would be a tough one, since the journey from the county town to Chenjia Village was long and arduous.

However, the reality was completely different from what they had imagined. The hardships they endured along the way were not even as tiring as helping people move goods in the county town!

Because there are plenty of trucks carrying grain, they don't need to carry it by hand or shoulder. They just need to follow the trucks and prevent the grain bags from falling to the ground.

Even when they were physically tired, Chen Dao would allow them to get in the car and rest for a while.

Of the several days of travel, the most tiring part was transporting the grain after arriving in Taiping County and Chenjia Village.

but……

Although carrying the grain was tiring, the sumptuous meal in front of them was enough to relieve their physical fatigue.

Cao Shui put a cabbage leaf into his mouth, and the cabbage leaf, soaked in broth, was also very delicious: "This cabbage tastes good too, everyone should try it!"

"The cabbages shouldn't be ripe yet this season, right? I wonder where these cabbages came from in Chenjia Village."

Li Lao Er readily agreed, picking up a cabbage leaf and chewing it carefully. As the rich broth and cabbage juices burst in his mouth, Li Lao Er's eyes narrowed slightly.

The chicken was delicious, and the cabbage was just as good. The juice was refreshing, yet it also had a rich, oily aroma, making it incredibly sweet and mouthwatering.