A pot of braised pork smelled delicious. Although she couldn't help but worry about the future of the two of them, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

"Weiwei, this meat smells so good! I didn't expect you to be such a good cook." Wang Ying asked curiously, "But why did you cook so much?"

“The two families next door are going to send some over. We’ll eat some, and you can take a bowl with you. We’ll ask the school kitchen to heat it up for you tomorrow. Just add a steamed bun, that’ll be enough. Otherwise, it won’t be enough.”

Wang Ying was instantly moved to tears.

"Weiwei, you're so kind."

"Alright, it's just a bowl of meat, there's no need for that. But you really need to take better care of that department."

Although Wang Ying recognized her mistake, her understanding was limited. Even though she had imagined how serious the regret she would cause would be, she did not expect it to be this serious.

Of course, that's a story for another time.

-

Lin Xiaomeng went home after get off work as soon as the braised pork was ready.

Seeing that her family members were strangers, Lin Xiaomeng politely asked them a question.

"Weiwei, is this your classmate?"

"Yes, Auntie, this is my classmate Wang Ying. This is my aunt."

Wang Ying immediately stood up and greeted her, "Hello, Auntie. Since all my classmates have gone home today, and I'm not leaving until tomorrow, Weiwei brought me back for a meal. I'm so sorry to trouble you."

"It's alright, it's alright. This is the first time Weiwei has brought a classmate here." Lin Xiaomeng put down her bag. "Weiwei, are you done? Do you need any help?"

"No need, no need, Auntie, just help me deliver the meat to the neighbor's house, I'll just stir-fry some vegetables and it'll be ready to eat."

Lin Xiaomeng laughed and said, "These past few days, the kids from the two neighboring families have been talking about eating the meat you cook. They've been counting down the days until you come back. Now that you're on vacation, the kids can finally satisfy their cravings."

"Alright, I'll go deliver the meat first."

"Um."

As soon as Lin Xiaomeng left, Wang Ying asked curiously, "You two get along really well as neighbors."

"This is the dormitory area. All the people living next door are my colleagues, so we naturally get along better."

"No, I mean you get along with them quite well."

"Well, since we live here, we definitely need to get along well with our neighbors."

Seeing that Lin Wei didn't say much, Wang Ying didn't ask any more questions.

After tasting a piece of pork belly, he completely forgot the question that had been bothering him.

"Weiwei, your cooking is amazing! It's so much better than the cafeteria food, or rather, it's better than the food at restaurants outside."

Lin Yuan laughed and said, "My sister used to sell boxed lunches at a stall, and there were so many people eating there every day that there was always a queue."

"This skill is sure to draw a long queue. If I ate it, I would definitely queue up every day."

“No, you won’t go to queue up.” Lin Wei laughed. “Do you know how much my boxed lunch costs? 8 yuan a bowl. Sometimes the ingredients are cheaper, so I sell it for 5 yuan a bowl.”

I can't afford it at all if I don't have money.

After spending a few months together, Lin Wei learned that Wang Ying's family was relatively well-off, but only moderately well-off. If they ate like that every day, they definitely wouldn't be able to afford it.

Sure enough, Wang Ying was shocked when she heard this. "What? Eight yuan a bowl? That's too expensive. A plate of braised pork at a restaurant costs... yes, about the same price, but it's not as delicious as yours."

"Alright, since it's delicious, eat as much as you like. I rarely cook, so I'll let you eat your fill."

Wang Ying wanted to eat more, but she felt a little embarrassed to pick up food after Lin Xiaomeng came back.

Seeing this, Lin Xiaomeng picked up the plate and put meat on Wang Ying's plate, saying, "Eat more. Weiwei is a very good cook. Don't be shy. I didn't know Weiwei was bringing her classmates back. Otherwise, I would have bought more vegetables."

"No, no, it's my fault for coming here, and besides, Weiwei's cooking is really good."

After the meal.

After handing the packaged meat to Wang Ying, Lin Wei took her to the bus stop.

"It's very convenient to take the bus here. You could walk back, but it's still a bit far. Take the bus for one stop."

"Thank you, Vivi. Oh, the car is here."

"Okay, be careful."

"You too, hurry back, thank you for the meat."

-

After seeing the person off, Lin Xiaomeng asked, "Is today the start of your holiday?"

"Yes, I'll stay home and rest until I'm 15 before going back to school. Auntie, I'll just stay home and prepare for the New Year. You don't need to worry about that. Oh, by the way, I'm planning to buy a refrigerator. Otherwise, with so many New Year's goods, what if they spoil if we don't keep them in the freezer?"

I definitely need to tell Lin Xiaomeng before buying any big items for the house, since it's her house.

To everyone's surprise, Lin Xiaomeng replied, "No need, no need. The store is already sold out. I asked the Su family to help me order one from the refrigerator factory. It should be delivered in the next couple of days. You can rest at home for a couple of days and help me receive the goods. It's still early. We can prepare for the New Year after the refrigerator arrives."

"Alright."

It's a good opportunity for her to stay home and think about what to prepare for the New Year and how to draw the blueprints.

"Fried meatballs and fried fish pieces are a must, and we also need to buy a fish, pork rib and lotus root soup, which are the three traditional dishes for the New Year in Jiangcheng."

Lin Yuan suggested, "I'd like to eat stewed pig's trotters, sister, can we add pig's trotters?"

"Of course, is there anything else you'd like to eat?"

"This is it, this is what I want to eat."

"I'll make it for you tomorrow, why wait until the New Year?" Turning her head, Lin Wei asked again, "Auntie, what dishes do you like to eat? Add one you like."

"Just add some greens. What you've prepared is all meat, and I guess the next few dishes you add will also be all meat dishes. Just add two more greens for me."

"Okay, how about making another sweet soup, like white fungus soup? Just make a small batch and drink it all the same day."

As she spoke, Lin Xiaomeng said, "Weiwei, I pay respects to your uncle and the two younger relatives every year during the Spring Festival."

“Auntie, we’ll go with you this year. Although my father wasn’t buried in Jiangcheng, we still have to go and burn paper money for him according to custom.”

"Um."

Looking at the lively atmosphere at home, Lin Xiaomeng couldn't help but tear up again.

To avoid being noticed by the children, she turned and went back to her room.

But children are sensitive, how could they not have noticed?

Lin Yuan tugged at Lin Wei's sleeve and whispered, "Auntie seems to be crying."

"Auntie misses her younger brother and sister, and she misses Uncle too. Please don't bother Auntie."

"Um."

-

With almost no rest, Lin Wei drew the basic outline of the shopping mall and office building in just two days.

The initial sketches were the simplest, because she already had a general idea of ​​what these shopping malls were like in her mind.

However, everything is difficult at the beginning, but once you get started, the following steps become much simpler.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, it's time to get ready for the holiday shopping.

As soon as the refrigerator arrived, Lin Wei went to buy radishes, lotus roots, and meat, and started frying meatballs at home.

"Meatballs, radish balls, and lotus root balls." Zhang Min couldn't stop smiling as she smelled the aroma. "It smells so good, so good! Weiwei, I never knew you had this skill."

When the topic of cooking came up, Zhang Min joked, "Weiwei, why don't we set up a stall together and sell meatballs?"