In a blink of an eye, the next day came, which happened to be Sunday.
Zhang Hao is planning to hold a barbecue event at his home and invite all his close relatives and friends over. After all, they haven't seen each other for more than two years, so they take this opportunity to get together.
Early in the morning, have breakfast.
Zhang Hao brought his four sons to the sheepfold. The barbecue didn't include mutton skewers, grilled lamb chops, and roasted lamb loin, which was what he needed most at the moment.
On the one hand, it is because he has reached middle age and is somewhat incapable of doing what he wants; on the other hand, it is also because his wife has tormented him so much in the past two days.
Looking at the sheepfold, Zhang Guoji showed reluctance:
"Dad, do you really want to kill two sheep? Our family only has eight sheep in total, and there are two small ones. If grandma finds out, she will probably nag her again."
Upon seeing this, Zhang Guoxuan smiled and joked: "Brother, are you afraid that when the wedding is held next month, the family will not be able to produce mutton, so you will lose face?"
"Go away, is my face worth just a few kilograms of mutton?" Zhang Guoji casually pushed his second brother.
Although the two brothers are twins, as time goes by, one becomes more calm and dressed more maturely; the other is just the opposite, looking like a big boy who has not grown up.
As for the two younger ones, because they are relatively young, apart from being extremely naughty and mischievous, there is nothing else that can be seen for the time being. They need to be observed further.
Zhang Guoxuan smiled, took the initiative to open the door of the sheepfold, and asked at the same time: "Brother, are your father-in-law and mother-in-law coming today?"
"Come here, and your sister-in-law's grandfather, as soon as he heard that our father was back, he wanted to come over for a visit."
Zhang Guoji rolled up his sleeves.
Zhang Hao pointed to his second son and said: "Second son, please watch carefully and don't kill the ewe."
"Dad, don't worry! I'm not bragging. My brother and I have been raising sheep for more than ten years since childhood. We can pick out rams with our eyes closed."
Zhang Guoxuan said with a proud expression.
An An stood outside the sheepfold and couldn't help but interject: "Second brother, the biggest one is the ram, and the one with the black spots on the forehead is particularly fierce. Last month, I almost gored my grandma.
Choose them both!"
He and his younger brother often help grandma feed the livestock, and they already know everything about their poultry and livestock.
"Boss, second brother, just do what your brother says!"
Zhang Hao explained immediately.
"Okay!" the brothers agreed.
Soon, Zhang Guoji and Zhang Guoxuan each caught a sheep. Kangkang on the side quickly handed over the rope. As a son of the old Zhang family, he was already familiar with the sheep killing process.
Zhang Guoji and Zhang Guoxuan tied the sheep with a rope and then forcibly led them out of the sheepfold.
Immediately afterwards, the five father and son came to the small room where animals were usually slaughtered.
Before officially killing the sheep, Zhang Hao used a portable heat generator to boil a large pot of water.
"The water is ready, let's start!"
Zhang Guoji pursed his lips and said to his two younger brothers: "You two, stop being stuck and hide outside. After the killing is over, come in and help pluck out the hair."
The subsequent sheep killing process is a bit bloody, and it is definitely not suitable for children to watch the scene.
An An said with an unconvinced face: "Brother, I'm already thirteen years old, you still treat me like a child?"
Zhang Guoji couldn't make a decision, so he turned to look at his father.
Zhang Hao smiled: "Let him stay!"
"Dad, I also want to see the sheep being killed."
Kangkang immediately followed and shouted loudly.
Zhang Hao gently gave his youngest son a shudder:
"Don't make fun of me, you are still young and you have to wait a few more years."
"dad……"
Kangkang pulled his father's arm and wanted to fight for it again.
Zhang Hao did not indulge the other party, and immediately winked at the second son: "Second son, take Kangkang out and try to stay as far away as possible, don't let him peek."
Zhang Guoxuan nodded, tucked his younger brother under his arm, and strode outside the house.
When his youngest son's protest was no longer heard, Zhang Hao immediately picked up a sharp dagger about a foot long from the shelf nearby.
As a veteran of extreme sports, he has personally slaughtered many large animals during wild camping, not to mention a mere two sheep.
Zhang Guoji was a little eager to try: "Dad, how about I do it?"
"Are you okay?"
Zhang Hao expressed doubts about this.
Not to mention now, even before the Yellowstone volcano erupted, ordinary people generally had no experience in slaughtering large animals, and many people had never even killed chickens.
"I don't think it's a big problem. One knife won't do it. At worst, two more knifes will do the trick."
Zhang Guoji couldn't help showing a hint of excitement.
Every man has the gene of fishing and hunting in his body, and he has watched the slaughtering process no less than a hundred times since he was a child. He is no stranger to this, but he lacks practical experience.
Zhang Hao didn't hesitate and handed the dagger directly to his eldest son. He was already an adult and it would be a good idea to take the opportunity to exercise his courage.
"Third brother, bring me the bench."
"coming."
An An moved a bench from the corner of the room.
Zhang Hao walked over, grabbed the sheep with the black spot on its forehead, and put it on the bench. The goat's four legs hung on both sides of the bench.
Zhang Guoji came over with a dagger in hand and sat directly on the sheep; Zhang Hao immediately retreated to the sheep's tail, squatted down and held the two hind legs; An An lay on the sheep's back.
With the cooperation of the father and son, the goat was pressed tightly on the bench and could not move.
Zhang Guoji took a deep breath, held the sheep's neck with his left hand, and stabbed it hard with the dagger in his right hand.
What followed was the scream of the goat.
"Ah...ah...ah..."
But soon, the goat stopped moving.
"That's it." Zhang Hao let go of the sheep's hind legs, reached out and patted his eldest son on the shoulder: "How do you feel?"
Zhang Guoji wiped the sheep's blood on the dagger and let out a long breath: "It feels okay. I was quite nervous before taking action. But when I actually took action, it was just like that."
"Okay, I'm usually busy with work. From now on, you will be responsible for all the livestock at home."
Zhang Hao nodded with satisfaction.
"Well, keep it on me."
Zhang Guoxuan patted his chest and promised.
Zhang Hao then looked at his third son: "Third son, what about you? Were you scared?"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Dad, are you looking down on me too much?" An An showed no discomfort at all on her face, "I did an autopsy when I was in second grade.
Of corn snakes.”
In fact, the corn snake was a birthday gift from his father. Unfortunately, it died of bloated belly after less than a year. In order to find out the cause of death, he cut open the snake's belly with a knife and pulled out the stomach.
A dead mouse emerged, but in the end the cause could not be found.
"You're quite brave, kid."
Zhang Hao immediately recalled the dead rat that seemed to have been skinned, and couldn't help but sigh.
After resting for a while, the father and son followed the same pattern and soon finished the other sheep.
After a while, Zhang Guoxuan took Kangkang back to the small room.
Zhang Hao began to assign tasks: "Boss, second brother, while the boiling water is still not cold, you two quickly carry the goat into the basin and scald it well;
An'an and Kangkang, you two send the sheep blood to grandma first, be careful not to spill it, and then come over and help your eldest and second brother pluck the wool."
In order to make full use of the fat on the sheep's skin, their sheep have been plucked directly since a few years ago. Peeling the skin is a bit too wasteful.
"Yes, Sir..."
The four brothers seemed to have gone back five or six years ago.
During that time, because my father was not as busy at work as before, he often took the four brothers to run together and taught them to play various sports.
…
Throughout the morning, Zhang Hao and his son were processing two goats. After processing, the mutton still needed to be skewered or marinated in advance.
Of course, besides mutton, there are other ingredients.
For example, frozen pork belly, beef, chicken, seafood, and various vegetables and fruits.
By the way, there is also the indispensable sizzling tofu.
Zhang Chongxin has bad teeth and a bad appetite. His favorite thing to eat is tofu.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, guests began to arrive one after another.
Relatives from both sides of Zhang Chongxin and Li Dajuan totaled more than thirty people. If not for the fact that many relatives had also settled in Minde, the number would have been doubled.
In the study, Zhang Hao was chatting with Guan Tong's father.
Zhang Guoji suddenly ran over and said softly:
"Dad, my father-in-law and the others are here."
Hearing this, Zhang Hao immediately apologized to his father-in-law and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Guan, Guo Ji and his father-in-law and mother-in-law have arrived. After all, this is the first official meeting. I have to go and greet them in person."
"It's okay, Zhi... Lao Zhang, you can do whatever you want."
Guan Fu quickly waved his hand.
To be honest, he was somewhat stressed when he just chatted with the other party.
There is no way, who made the consul the largest official in the federation? It would probably be the same no matter who he was.
Zhang Hao called his second son over and asked him to chat with Guan Fu for a while, then he took his eldest son and his wife to the gate quickly.
"Consul, it's really nice to see you!"
There was a hint of nervousness in Mitsui Kunihiro's tone.
Zhang Hao smiled and waved his hand: "Father-in-law, just call me Lao Zhang. There are no outsiders here today, so there is no need to be so restrained. Let's all be more casual."
"Hey, I'm too formal."
Mitsui Kunihiro bowed on the spot.
Mitsui Mie saw that the atmosphere was a little awkward, so she quickly interrupted: "Dad, let me introduce to you, this is my grandfather, the current chairman of Mitsui Group."
"Senior Hirakawa, I have long admired your name!"
Zhang Hao cupped his hands towards the other party.
Tatsuo Hirakawa has obviously seen the world and is an elder at the same time, but he seems very casual:
"Zhang Sang, I have long wanted to ask you for advice in person, and today I finally have the opportunity."
"I don't dare ask you for advice. You are an elder. I should have paid you a visit. Unfortunately, I just came back and I have a lot of things to do. I really can't spare the time."
Zhang Hao said casually.
In fact, he never thought of visiting the Mitsui family at all, partly to avoid suspicion, but also to show others.
Hirakawa Tatsuo smiled and waved his hand: "I understand. As a consul, time is precious. It is normal not to be able to spare time. In fact, it is the same when we come here."
"What you said makes me ashamed."
Zhang Hao said politely.
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw his second sister walking over, supporting his old man.
Although Zhang Chongxin was in poor health, his voice was loud: "President Pingchuan, we meet again."
When the son was not at home, both parents visited each other once.
Tatsuo Hirakawa also responded loudly: "Brother Zhang, why do I feel that you are more energetic than before? Is it because your son is back?"
"Haha, is it so obvious?"
Zhang Chongxin simply admitted.
"Isn't this obvious at a glance? Am I the only one who sees it?"
Tatsuo Hirakawa joked.
Fan Youwei, the head of Shawei Village, immediately echoed: "I can testify to this. Uncle Zhang's smile has never stopped since Lao Zhang came back.
But having said that, if I also had a son who was a consul, I would laugh out of my fucking dreams."
Zhang Hao glanced at Fan Youwei and pretended to be angry: "Village Chief, I seriously suspect that you are taking advantage of me."
"Hahaha……"
Everyone at the scene burst into good-natured laughter.
Zhang Hao waved his hand and took the opportunity to invite: "Senior Pingchuan, my father-in-law, my mother-in-law, there are many children in the living room, and the noise is making people's heads hurt. Why don't we go into the study and chat?"
"my pleasure!"
Of course Tatsuo Hirakawa would not refuse.
Zheng Zhenxi on the side smiled and declined politely: "You grown men are talking about national affairs. I, a woman, can't understand it at all. Forget it, I'll go talk to my mother-in-law about how to grow flowers!"
"That's fine, Guoji seemed to have gone to the vegetable garden just now. I'll ask Guoji to take you there."
Zhang Hao didn't force it.
"No, no, it's not like I haven't been here before."
Zheng Jinxi waved her hands repeatedly.
After saying that, without waiting for anyone to react, he turned around and left the villa, heading towards the vegetable garden.
Zhang Guoji still knew a little about human nature, so he immediately pulled his wife and followed him.
…
In the study, Zhang Hao picked up the teapot and personally poured a cup of green tea for Tatsuo Hirakawa and Kunihiro Mitsui.
As for Zhang Chongxin, he stayed in the living room.
On the one hand, he has other relatives to accompany him, especially a few younger brothers and sisters; on the other hand, he himself doesn't like Japanese people very much and would avoid contact if possible.
Hirakawa Tatsuo slowly tasted a sip of green tea, and then recited an ancient poem: "Yangxian's spring tea leaves are green, and Lanling's wine is full of tulips."
Zhang Hao couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, because he had never heard of this ancient poem at all. As a Chinese, this was really a slap in the face.
"Ahem, Senior Hirakawa, this is the new tea that was just delivered yesterday. Although it is not Dahongpao, it is fresher and has a unique flavor."
“Great tea!”
Mitsui Kunihiro's side is much simpler.
"If my father-in-law likes it, you might as well take a few kilograms back with you when you leave later. This new tea has a good yield and is not a precious thing."
Zhang Hao said casually.
Mitsui Kunihiro immediately bent down and bowed: "Then I'm not welcome."
"There's no need to see outsiders, we are all our own people."
Zhang Hao said politely.
Tatsuo Hirakawa put down his tea cup and smiled at Zhang Hao: "Zhang Sang, first of all, congratulations to your family for taking Mindoro Island. This is a great and happy event."