At sixteen, Liu Suqin graduated from junior high and went south with her cousin to work. Like most factory girls, she met a young male colleague she liked, quickly fell in love, got married, and th...
Chapter 3 Chapter 3 The first firing in the new home.
Maybe it’s because young people sleep well, or maybe it’s because both of them were very tired today. On the first day of moving into the rental house, the two of them adapted well and slept soundly.
Lin Nanjiang went back and boiled a bucket of hot water for his wife to take a bath. After Liu Suqin finished washing, she changed into pajamas and lay down on the bed in a refreshed state. She fell asleep almost as soon as she touched the pillow and was completely unaware of Lin Nanjiang's movements while he was washing and packing up.
When she woke up the next day and didn't see yesterday's dirty clothes in the bathroom, she asked Lin Nanjiang in surprise, "Did you wash the clothes you took off?"
Lin Nanjiang stood at the back, holding a toothbrush, waiting for water to be collected. He nodded nonchalantly, "I washed them last night and hung them in the yard. I'm afraid they're all dry by now. That's the good thing about living on the first floor. It's very convenient for drying clothes and quilts."
This is not what Liu Suqin wanted to say. She subconsciously felt that men should not do this, especially since she was a little tired when she came back last night and didn't even have the mood to clean up her underwear after taking a shower. Wouldn't Lin Nanjiang have to scrub her dirty underwear?
But then I thought, why not?
She washed his underwear for decades in her previous life, and it was time for him to repay her.
Besides, I insisted on staying in Shenzhen with a big belly in this life. I would rather live in a cramped and messy village in the city than let my family be together. I am not here to continue to be a nanny for my husband and children.
Liu Suqin was determined to change. Her children had to be raised scientifically and her husband had to be retrained. It was not advisable to raise children as a widow, otherwise the children would be unhappy in the future and would always blame her as a mother for not doing a good enough job and the father for being completely invisible.
In this life, the child’s father must also participate in raising the child.
Since the baby hasn't been born yet, it's natural to start by taking care of the baby's mother.
Thinking of this, Liu Suqin felt at ease and praised him casually, "Well done, thank you for your hard work."
Lin Nanjiang's mouth almost stretched to his ears when he heard this, but he still pretended to be modest. "It's just washing two pieces of clothes, what's so hard about it? Besides, you're pregnant, so it's not good for you to squat on the floor to wash clothes and mop the floor all the time. From now on, let me do these chores."
Liu Suqin was stunned. She had heard that men needed encouragement and affirmation, but no one told her that the effect was so amazing. Just by talking a few words, she made him take the initiative to take over the housework in the future?
But this was a good thing for her, so Liu Suqin didn't care about that. She quickly took advantage of the situation and said, "You're really thoughtful. I'll listen to you."
Lin Nanjiang straightened his back, feeling he had never felt so tall and mighty before. He took on the responsibility and said, "It's natural for a man to take care of his wife and children. From now on, just eat and drink well, take care of yourself and the baby in your belly, and I'll take care of all the household chores."
"I see."
Responsibility makes people grow. Carrying the weight of an entire family, Lin Nanjiang was full of energy early this morning. Liu Suqin only took the time to comb her hair and apply face cream when she saw that he not only folded the quilt, but also collected the clothes that had just been washed last night and folded them one by one.
Liu Suqin: ...
Yes, but not necessary.
Are you bored of collecting and folding clothes early in the morning?
But she also discovered that treating men requires a little skill. The essence is to praise them as much as possible. If you use the right method, you will find that they will be particularly obedient. At least it is much easier than tutoring children with their homework.
Lin Nanjiang was in high spirits at the moment, and she couldn't let him down, so she waited patiently for him to make a move, and even closed her eyes and praised him, "You folded your clothes so neatly."
Well, it’s better than what their daughter folded when she was seven years old.
Lin Nanjiang's mouth corners instantly became harder to suppress than AK, "You also discovered? I'm the best at folding clothes. From now on, let me fold the clothes at home."
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
After Lin Nanjiang finished his work, he looked at the floor again. It was clean and there was no need to mop or take out the trash. Then he took the keys and went out with his wife.
Even though they dawdled before going out and walked leisurely on the road, it was not yet seven o'clock when they arrived at the vegetable market. The not-so-big vegetable market was bustling with people and it was the busiest time of the day.
Lin Nanjiang quickly took his wife's hand and carefully protected her in front of him.
They didn't have anything to buy for the time being, so they looked around the market, asking prices at any less busy stalls. After a quick look around, the couple fell silent. "Shh, pork is 2.8 yuan, eggs are 1.6 yuan, and even vegetables are a few cents a pound. These vegetables are too expensive."
Liu Suqin agreed with this. No wonder a box lunch cost seven yuan yesterday. The cost was not low.
Lin Nanjiang felt bad about the prices, but since they had rented a house and were staying, they had to eat. His salary was more than enough to support his wife and children. Seeing Liu Suqin's approval, he changed his tone and said, "Although this market is expensive, it has a wide variety of items. There are chickens, ducks, fish, meat, and seafood. The fish and shrimp are still alive and kicking, so fresh. I'll buy some for you from time to time. They say fish and shrimp are good things. Not only are they nutritious, but eating them can also make children smarter."
Liu Suqin turned around and saw her husband's serious eyes when he spoke. It was obvious that he was indeed thinking about this in his heart. He would buy her more fresh fish and shrimp to nourish her body in the future. Her heart softened and said, "How can I eat alone? If we need to nourish our bodies, we should nourish them together."
"I can just eat in the factory cafeteria. I don't need to take any supplements. I can save the money and give it to you and the baby in your belly to eat something good."
Liu Suqin disagreed. "My children and I rely on you to earn a living. As the backbone of the family, you should also take care of your health and not burn yourself out."
"It's not that serious. I'm young and strong. I won't collapse as long as I have something to eat. Besides, life is better now. We're no longer hungry. What else can I be dissatisfied with?" Lin Nanjiang said that his wife was making a fuss, but in his heart he was very touched by her concern. He held his wife's hand a little harder, his eyes full of expectations for the future. "Don't worry, wife. As long as the two of us work hard and work together, our lives will only get better and better."
Liu Suqin knew very well that what he said was more to comfort himself than to tell her.
She was determined to give birth to a baby in Shenzhen. The pressure of food, clothing, housing, transportation and survival of the future child all fell on his shoulders. Although he didn't say it, he must have been nervous and confused in his heart.
Although she had decided that she would not be idle for the next few months and had to find ways to earn money to supplement the family income, Lin Nanjiang did not know about this and could not believe that a woman with no education, no experience and a big belly like her could come up with a good idea.
After all, he is only twenty-two years old this year.
He was so young and naive, but he was able to support her "extraordinary" decision under tremendous pressure. He did a good enough.
At this moment, Liu Suqin also held her husband's hand and said, "I believe that as long as our family stays together, things will get better and better."
The two of them stared at each other silently in the noisy and chaotic vegetable market, surrounded by pedestrians walking back and forth. Lin Nanjiang wanted to reach out and touch his wife's cheek, to help her tidy up her messy hair, but he was concerned about the surrounding environment. He just raised his hand and put it down silently, just lowered his head and smiled at her, "Are you hungry? Let's buy some breakfast to eat when we go back?"
"I want to eat the fried noodles from my hometown."
After hearing this, Lin Nanjiang also felt a little greedy, "Then let's go find out if there's any fried noodles for sale."
Liu Suqin was less optimistic. "I didn't see anyone selling fried noodles at the huge night market yesterday, and I don't think there are any at the wet market either."
After walking around the entire vegetable market, she still couldn't find any fried noodles. However, she found dried rice noodles in a store. Shenzhen locals often eat thin rice noodles, while coarse rice noodles are mostly eaten by outsiders. It was a pleasant surprise to find dried rice noodles from their hometown. Liu Suqin immediately weighed two kilograms and prepared to make it herself.
Since I was going home to make breakfast, I bought some oil, salt, soy sauce and other seasonings from the grocery store nearby. I also cut a piece of pork belly, eggs, vegetables, onions, garlic and dried chilies, which are also essential for fried noodles.
After carrying the bags back to the rental house, the couple immediately got busy, boiling water to soak the noodles, washing and chopping vegetables. Lin Nanjiang took the lead and rolled up his sleeves, "Wife, I always can't control the heat when soaking the noodles. I always over-soak them and they fall apart after a few stir-fries. This is up to you. Leave the rest to me."
Liu Suqin didn't compete with him.
She had rich experience in cooking in her previous life, but it was just okay until she became addicted to her phone. Unlike her peers, she was not fascinated by short videos. Instead, she preferred to browse blogs and books. She loved searching for recipes in books and strictly following the blogger's steps. She almost never made mistakes and that's how she learned a lot of delicious food.
But some people's cooking skills are innate, such as Lin Nanjiang.
In his previous life, as his two children were born and went to school, his salary as a factory worker became tight, so he switched to working as a migrant worker with a higher salary. He ran around at various construction sites all year round and was so exhausted outside that when he got home he basically acted like a boss. He would never sit down if he could lie down, and he wouldn't even pick up a fallen soy sauce bottle.
But even so, he occasionally cooks and stir-fries noodles or rice, and the taste is quite good.
During the first two years when my son went to college in another city, he would ask his father to make fried noodles for him as soon as he came home during winter vacation, saying that they tasted better than those in other restaurants. He was so greedy that he was almost dying of greed.
Liu Suqin thought that she would enjoy her husband's cooking skills for the rest of her life, and she agreed with this arrangement. While busy, she shared her secrets to soaking rice noodles with him without reservation. "If you want the rice noodles to be neither too hard nor too soft, the key is to boil the water, add the rice noodles, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for about fifteen minutes. After soaking, rinse it twice with cold water."
The gas stove boils water quickly. By the time Liu Suqin finished soaking and rinsing the rice noodles, Lin Nanjiang had also finished preparing the food. They couldn't find chili powder in the vegetable market, and they forgot to buy a stone mortar when they bought dried chili strips. In the end, he used a knife to chop the dried chilies, but it was not as uniform in thickness as pounded ones, which did not affect their use.
When everything was ready, Lin Nanjiang reminded Liu Suqin, "I'm going to turn on the fire and cook the pot. Stay away so you don't get splashed with oil."
Liu Suqin then took two steps back, but her determination to watch remained firm.
Lin Nanjiang thought his wife was hungry, so he didn't delay any longer. He lit the fire to heat the pan, poured in oil, stir-fried the meat, added onions, garlic and chili peppers, and then added the vegetables and vermicelli.
The kitchen only had a small exhaust fan, which was of limited effectiveness. Liu Suqin simply opened the door, and soon the aroma drifted out along with the smoke, attracting the landlord, who was standing with his hands behind his back. "Xiao Lin, Xiao Liu, what are you two cooking so early in the morning? It smells so good!"
Lin Nanjiang was busy with the wok and had no time to pay attention. Liu Suqin introduced, "This is the fried noodles from our hometown. Uncle Chen, have you tried it? Would you like some?"
The landlord said a few polite words. Liu Suqin knew that he was still looking at the door and was not leaving. She was very interested, so she invited him warmly, "Don't worry, we made more fried noodles, enough for one more person. But we just added chili peppers. Can Uncle Chen handle spicy food?"
"Yes, my son likes Sichuan cuisine and often invites us to eat out."
"Then you can stay and eat with us." Liu Suqin said as she took out three plates. She liked to eat fried noodles on plates.
When she came back after washing the dishes, Lin Nanjiang had also turned off the fire. The oily and shiny fried noodles were sprinkled with chopped green onions and evenly placed on the plate. It was a delicious dish with good color, aroma and taste.
Uncle Chen was being polite at first, as if he couldn't refuse their hospitality, but he was so intoxicated by the delicious taste after taking the first bite that he called his wife to come and eat with him in the yard.
The landlady came out and was speechless when she saw them. "You already had a few big buns this morning. How dare you go to the young couple's door and ask for food?"
Uncle Chen grumbled, "I didn't ask for it. Xiaolin and Xiaoliu made too much and insisted on treating me. Besides, I invited you here to eat good food out of kindness, why don't you, an old woman, know how can you not appreciate my kindness?"
There were benches and chairs in the landlord's yard. Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang also sat in the yard with their plates to eat. They nodded in agreement and tried to smooth things over for the landlord. "Yes, yes, we took the initiative to invite you."
Aunt Chen knew what kind of person the old man was, but the dishes were already served, so what could she do? In the end, she went back to get a pair of bowls and chopsticks, took a few bites from the old man to taste the food, and praised it endlessly.
Liu Suqin was just trying to build a good relationship with the landlord. A bowl of fried noodles was nothing. Unexpectedly, when they were washing pots and dishes at home, Uncle Chen came strolling over again, carrying a bag of longans and grapes.
Without waiting for the couple to say anything more politely, Uncle Chen waved his hand and said, "The longan is grown at home, so it's free. If you like it, just call me next time when you want to make this noodle."
After saying that, the old man went for a walk with his hands behind his back, leaving Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang looking at each other in bewilderment.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. "How about we try to set up a stall selling fried noodles?"
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