Five minutes passed, and Zhang Guoqing pulled up Zhou Jiao, wrapped her up halfway with his coat, and hugged her as they walked towards the mother and daughter duo, Cheng Hongli and her little girl, who were absorbed in their beachcombing.
Without lifting her head, Cheng Hongli said they would be quick. Zhang Guoqing gave them a bitter smile and urged them to hurry. He really couldn’t wait any longer—the wind was too chilling even for his wife’s warm coat.
On their way back, Zhang Guoqing held Zhou Jiao, encountering numerous teasing glances from passersby and some sneaky peeks from young wives. He nodded and smiled at everyone, maintaining a calm demeanor as he walked on.
Concerned that Zhou Jiao might feel shy, he whispered to her that after dinner, he would first visit the fishery to see if he could get some good stuff, and asked her to think of ways to assist him.
Back at Old Wang’s house, as a group of hungry people took their seats, Zhao Yuanyuan found her hands too cold to properly grip the chopsticks. Frustrated, she resorted to grabbing a crab with both hands, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Old Wang’s wife brought over some ginger soup. Upon seeing this, she chuckled and said, "It’s alright. Crabs are more conveniently eaten by hand anyway. Sweetie, have a bowl of ginger soup to warm up first. Hold the bowl with both hands and drink slowly to avoid burning yourself. Your hands will be fine soon."
Cheng Hongli quickly thanked her and went to get a bowl of ginger soup. She noticed that Zhang Guoqing had already picked up a bowl, tested the temperature cautiously, and handed it over to Zhou Jiao. She couldn’t help but glare angrily at Zhao Dashan, then looked at her own silly daughter. She secretly pondered whether she should start finding potential husbands for her daughter soon to conduct some early assessments.
The three of them drank the ginger soup. Before long, Zhao Yuanyuan loudly exclaimed that she felt warm all over and her hands were no longer stiff. Cheng Hongli and Zhou Jiao repeatedly expressed their gratitude to Old Wang’s wife.
The seafood feast left everyone extremely pleased. The considerate Old Wang’s wife, aware that Zhou Jiao had just finished her postpartum period, specially prepared a large bowl of local seafood postpartum dish for her.
During the meal, many people came over intermittently. Several families pushed carts loaded with their fresh frozen fish and dried sea produce. Upon seeing them dining, they quickly left their carts and found excuses to leave.
Seeing this, Old Wang couldn’t persuade them to sit down for a drink, so he could only shout loudly, telling them to come back in an hour to weigh their goods.



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