"Keep the dishes simple tonight, don't make anything too fancy." Jiang's mother said to Zhou Laidi while stirring the vegetables in the pan.

"Okay!" Zhou Laidi replied. It would be better to keep it simple tonight.

Lately, because Xiaxia has been going up the mountain frequently, we haven't lacked meat at home. Grandma Jiang even took a lot of meat to marinate and save for later.

With so much meat at home, we can eat it almost every day or two.

She felt that Jiang Zhuohua seemed to have gained a lot of weight, and so did she.

The most obvious change is in the two children at home; their faces have become rounder, and they've even grown quite a bit taller.

It's good to eat something simple at night, so I don't have to worry about gaining weight.

Another half hour passed, and all the dishes were cooked.

"Xiaxia, you can let it cool down now, no need to cook it anymore." Zhou Laidi stirred it a couple of times and called out to Jiang Anxia.

"Okay." Jiang Anxia nodded obediently and slowly pulled the firewood out of the stove and buried it in the ashes.

That way, you won't have to worry about the smoke bothering you.

After the fire subsided and everything was covered with ashes, Jiang Anxia quickly stood up and went to wash her hands.

After washing his hands, he carried a bowl of food in each hand and walked towards the main room.

Because it had been sitting for a while, it wasn't too hot to hold like that, and Jiang Anxia could accept it.

Just as Jiang Anxia brought two bowls of food to the door, Jiang Nanqiu took the bowls from her.

"Silly girl, you can carry it one bowl at a time. What if you get burned?" If her hands weren't occupied by the bowls, Jiang Nanqiu would have given the ungrateful girl a flick of her finger.

"I'm only carrying it like this because it's not hot, okay?" Jiang Anxia complained. If it were really hot, she would definitely carry it bowl by bowl!

As a result, she was called stupid again. Is she really that stupid?

Jiang Anxia fell into deep self-doubt.

That's impossible! If she were stupid, how did she get into a prestigious university in her previous life? I wonder.

Forget it, I'm not going to think about it anymore. For the sake of the hair on her head, she'd rather not use her brain. So be it!

Whatever!

Unconsciously, Jiang Anxia admitted to her foolishness for the sake of her hair.

Jiang Nanqiu looked at Jiang Anxia, ​​who was trying to explain herself, with amusement, thinking she looked silly.

"Is there any more in the kitchen? I'll get it. You can just sit here." Jiang Nanqiu felt it was better not to say that the girl was stupid, otherwise what if she really was?

"There's still some left," Jiang Anxia honestly replied, indicating that there were still vegetables in the kitchen.

Jiang Mu said to eat simply, which meant removing the meat dishes, but there were still four bowls of dishes, the portions were just right.

Jiang Mu and Zhou Laidi knew exactly how big their family's appetites were, and they were well aware of this when they cooked.

Even if you can't finish the stir-fried dishes, there won't be much left over.

It's just perfect.

Jiang Anxia sat at the table waiting, mainly because she wanted to help, but was met with a cold rejection.

She could only prop her chin up with her hands and look at the delicious-looking dishes on the table.

Although it's a vegetarian dish, it looks incredibly appealing thanks to the skillful cooking of Jiang Mu and Zhou Laidi.

She knew exactly what it tasted like after eating it for several months.

That tasted much better than what she made.

Hmm...it's incomparable.

Jiang Anxia thought to herself, this is a secret that can't be told. She won't let anyone know that she's a terrible cook.

"What are you thinking about? Let's eat!" Jiang Nanqiu sat down next to Jiang Anxia and gently touched her with her hand.

"Hmm..." No, she had only thought about it for a moment! How come they ate so quickly? The key question was, when did Jiang Nanqiu sit down next to her?

That's amazing.

"By the way, boss, did you finish what I asked you to do today?" While eating, Jiang's father suddenly remembered the task he had asked Jiang Zhuohua to do that morning.

“It’s done. I told them it would start at eight in the morning.” Jiang Zhuohua nodded.

This is a major event involving the distribution of grain; he will definitely make sure the information is disseminated.

"Isn't it a bit too early to distribute the grain this year?" Jiang's mother said casually while eating.

"The snow came early this year, so we have to distribute the grain earlier." Father Jiang originally wanted to distribute the grain according to the usual time, but since the snow came early this year, they had to distribute it earlier.

"Indeed, it's half a month too early. It's only the beginning of November and it's already like this. The weather is getting colder and colder." Jiang's mother glanced at the dark courtyard, which was unlit by any lamps.

"It's alright, it's better to split it up sooner so everyone can have a good New Year." Father Jiang didn't seem to care.

He felt there was no difference between distributing grain earlier or later.

Jiang's mother nodded and remained silent.

Yes! As the year draws to a close, every household's surplus grain is starting to run out.

The brigade will distribute grain tomorrow, so they'll be able to eat better during the New Year.

"It's getting cold, wear warm clothes if you go out, and don't get sick." After thinking for a moment, Jiang's mother gave another instruction, but her eyes fell on Jiang Anxia.

Jiang Anxia paused in her eating, unsure whether to swallow or spit out the food; in any case, it was difficult to swallow.

Isn't this obviously referring to her?

"I understand." Regardless of what she was thinking, Jiang Anxia nodded obediently.

There was nothing that could be done; the original owner was sick more times each year than the entire family combined.

The person most prone to illness in the Jiang family was the original owner, whose constitution was not very good.

"Grandma, I'll keep a close eye on Auntie." Little Jiang Xing said Jiang Anxia's name mercilessly.

This made Jiang Anxia's heart choke.

Little girl, all that pampering was for nothing. This is how you treat her.

"Okay, Xingxing must keep a close eye on your little aunt." Jiang's mother grinned.

She didn't name names, but the little girl blurted it out.

"Okay." Little Jiang Xing was full of confidence; she would definitely keep a close eye on her aunt.

Jiang Anxia looked up at the sky speechlessly. She's all grown up now! She's not a little kid anymore!

She is still quite self-aware and not that unreliable.

Filled with sorrow, Jiang Anxia ate her fill, even eating half a bowl more rice than usual.

As the saying goes, "Turn sorrow into appetite." This perfectly describes Jiang Anxia's current mood.

She should eat more; winter is the season for gaining weight, and she should too.

"Eldest son, third son, remember to wash the dishes." After saying that, Jiang's mother put down the bowl in her hand, got up and left the main room.

Jiang Zhuohua and Jiang Nanqiu exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with deep helplessness. Didn't they always wash the dishes after meals? Why were they being reminded to do so today?

Zhou Laidi chuckled softly. It was a recurring event in the Jiang family routine: the Jiang brothers washing dishes.

Jiang Anxia quickly finished eating the rice in her bowl, put it down, and said, "Thank you for your help, Big Brother and Third Brother."

"Just a little girl," Jiang Zhuohua said with a smile.

"Hehe..." Jiang Anxia chuckled, stood up, and ran towards the kitchen.

She's going to wash up and get into bed early to warm up.

"Oh right, third brother, remember to heat the kang (heated brick bed) for Xiaxia." Jiang Zhuohua immediately remembered what his mother had said that morning.

"Yes, don't worry!" Jiang Nanqiu nodded in reply.

P.S.: Here's wishing everyone a Happy New Year and all the best! (^o^)