Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 130. Beef Tendon

Nodding her head, Hua Jin’er suddenly thought of the food she brought back.

"Grandma, hold on a second..." She quickly called out to her grandmother who was about to enter the kitchen, then rummaged through a heap of things, took out two aromatic parcels wrapped in oil-paper, and handed them to the old lady Hua.

"Grandma, add these two dishes."

"Is there any braised beef?"

Upon hearing his granddaughter mention adding dishes, the old man Hua suddenly found the little puppy in his hand less appealing and handed it to his eldest grandson, passionately asking the question.

"Grandpa, I promise you’ll have your fill. I even bought you a lot of good wine and premium tobacco."

Every time Hua Jin’er mentioned something, the old man Hua’s eyes grew brighter, and he immediately felt content, even forgetting how his wife had just pinched and teased him.

Watching the old man’s smug expression, the old lady Hua gave him a side look, holding the oil-paper package as she hurried to the kitchen.

At this moment, even if the old man Hua were given several more side glances, he wouldn’t mind; he was extremely happy.

It wasn’t about the braised beef; it was the thoughtfulness of his obedient granddaughter.

"Our Jin’er is truly filial and knows how to care for people. That’s why daughters are better; sons are good for nothing but causing trouble, better off raising a dog instead." Saying this, the old man Hua couldn’t help but give his son a side glance.

The sons in the courtyard immediately felt a black line across their foreheads.

"..."

Hua Yun Ao and his brother were left helpless by their grandfather’s indiscriminate criticism.

Why does it seem that the older Grandpa gets, the more childish he becomes, even saying things like that?

Speaking of which, which family’s dog can help in the fields, and... ptooey ptooey ptooey, almost got carried away by Grandpa; how did they end up being compared to a dog?

The two brothers exchanged a glance and quietly distanced themselves from their troublesome father.

Hua Chengtian chuckled helplessly as he looked at his father.

He had no objections to praising his granddaughter, but did he have to step on one to raise another?

It made him, as both son and father, feel very unbalanced!

Yet, feeling off balance, he still called out to his daughter to come wash up, as his mother and wife, carrying the dishes, were already urging him along.

As Hua Jin’er was washing up, everyone hurried to carry the items into the house. As she entered the house, everyone else was chased out by grandma to wash their hands.

The table was laid out with roast chicken, braised beef, spicy stir-fried bacon, plus two vegetarian dishes, a plate of pickled vegetables, buns, and a bowl of thick rice porridge - truly a feast for the senses, a meal fit for a wealthy household.

Not until the old man of the house uttered the heavenly words "let’s eat," did chewing and the sound of chopsticks hitting bowls fill the room.

This meal was both comfortable and pleasant.

Following the meal, it was time to distribute gifts. Not only did the brothers have gifts, but everyone in the house did, including the father who had gone with them.

Mother and grandma received jewelry, brothers and the younger brother got hair ties, the Four Treasures of the Study, and miscellaneous books Hua Jin’er bought from the bookstore. Of course, the best gifts were the little critters running wildly at everyone’s feet; with them around, little Si wasn’t interested in anything else, not even the tempting food.

As for Grandpa, it goes without saying, tobacco, tea, wine, and his favorite braised meat.

When Hua Chengtian saw what his daughter was holding, his eyes lit up in amazement.

It was... beef tendons!!

Hua Chengtian was both surprised and delighted; his daughter was simply amazing to surprise him with such a gift.

Even getting regular beef was extremely difficult for ordinary people, let alone the prohibited sale of beef tendons, which were nearly impossible to come by without special channels.

Taking the items from his daughter’s hands, Hua Chengtian regarded them as treasures, examining them closely.

He truly couldn’t understand where his daughter had managed to procure this, considering he was with her the whole time, yet he didn’t notice anything.

Could it have been brought from the blessed land space?

But that didn’t seem right!

Ever since his daughter’s crossbow was confiscated, both he and his father were not only practicing their aim from time to time but also busy researching, an endeavor his daughter was fully aware of and sometimes even helped with, offering useful suggestions.

After all this time, they had almost perfected the crossbow design, except for the most crucial component—beef tendons.

If they had it, his daughter would have brought it out; that’s what Hua Chengtian couldn’t figure out.

So... where under his very nose did his daughter get the beef tendons?

What he didn’t realize was that Hua Jin’er did have some spares in her space, but they were prepared for the bows in the space and didn’t fit with Hua Chengtian’s creations, so they were useless to take out.

Hua Jin’er considered doing this the last time she went to town; however, the visit was short and she didn’t put the plan into action.

Beef was a scarce commodity. Work oxen were registered with the government and couldn’t be killed casually, unless they died naturally or by accident. Even then, it was nearly impossible for poor families to have beef; whatever beef appeared would already be claimed by the wealthy, not a matter of having money but of being unable to buy any.

This is the so-called "the higher-ups have policies, the lower-ups have countermeasures"; in truth, some policies seemed only to target the poor.

To open such a large Jufu Inn in such a prime location, and maintain its signature braised beef almost daily, the inn was certainly not simple in its background.

Hua Jin’er had always noticed how interested her grandpa and father were in making crossbows, and the matter of beef tendons weighed on her mind.

Returning to this inn again and learning that they had no shortage of beef, how could she not scheme in her heart?

The shopkeeper had fresh braised beef nearly every day, which indicated they had their own supply channels. So Hua Jin’er seized the opportunity to chat with the shopkeeper while her father attended to nature’s call.

Initially, the shopkeeper paid little attention to Hua Jin’er, seeing her as just a child, but finally, she pulled out the big guns—silver coins.

If one ingot of silver wasn’t enough, she’d use two. As they say, money makes the mare go; this saying is indeed a truth.

Even a shopkeeper who dealt with money daily couldn’t resist the lure of silver.

As a shopkeeper, he merely worked on behalf of others, earning a fixed income each month.

The handsome fee Hua Jin’er offered equaled nearly a month’s wages. How could he not be tempted? After much deliberation, he agreed to ask about obtaining some beef tendons while purchasing beef for Hua Jin’er.

Upon learning the tendons were a gift for elders who enjoyed them, the shopkeeper had no further reservations when faced with this sweet, obedient, and filial little girl.

Although beef tendons were rare, it was possible for their inn to hold back some. Certain guests were fond of beef tendons, finding them wonderfully tasty—sometimes even more so than beef itself.

It was simply a matter of taking some from their inn’s allocation, which had little effect.

However, Hua Jin’er’s maturity and poise in handling matters left a deep impression on the inn’s shopkeeper.

Such a young child, so naturally and fearlessly engaging an adult man in conversation, was impressive—a typical girl wouldn’t manage that.

He couldn’t help thinking of his own daughter, who would be fine in familiar surroundings but noticeably uneasy and timid with strangers and in unfamiliar settings, lacking a touch of poise and courage.

Watching the poised Hua Jin’er and recalling she was out with her father, the shopkeeper was thoughtful, wondering if always keeping children at home was truly the best.