Beef sauce

Sun Dong's temples were throbbing with pain, but he didn't dare open his eyes to call for a doctor. He didn't want to face the various stares from the outside world.

Fortunately, someone soon called to Grandma Sun, "Stop scolding your daughter-in-law, someone has come to buy something, go back and check on them."

Sun Dong thought he could finally have some peace and quiet, but soon he heard arguing next door, so he picked up his IV drip and headed out.

"How can you talk like that, old lady? I can buy whatever brand I want. Who gives you the right to look down on me? Someone like you running a shop? You'll go bankrupt sooner or later."

"Pah! Closed down? I've been running this shop for almost twenty years, I've seen all kinds of poor bastards. Someone like you is only fit to smoke two-yuan cigarettes in this lifetime. If you're not going to buy, then get out. You're just a cheapskate."

"Say that again, you fucking idiot? I..."

While listening to the two arguing, I also heard the people next to me describe what had just happened.

Sun Dong learned that this customer had come to buy cigarettes, but when he asked about several kinds of cigarettes that cost a few yuan, his mother said she didn't have any. She told the customer to buy cigarettes that cost more than ten yuan, but the customer refused, so his mother started arguing with him using foul language.

How could there not be any? The cigarette cabinet is right under the counter; he saw there were still plenty yesterday.

Seeing that the customer was about to get physical, Sun Dong quickly stepped forward to block Sun's grandmother, repeatedly urging her to calm down and apologizing profusely.

Seeing that Sun Dong still had needles in his hand, the other person didn't dare to go any further. They just snorted coldly, "People like you will go bankrupt sooner or later. What kind of people are you? You're terrible!"

After saying that, he turned and left.

When Sun Dong saw that Old Lady Sun was about to start cursing again, he roared "Shut up!" with a look in his eyes that seemed to want to devour her.

The onlookers fell silent. Had Sun Dong lost his temper? This was truly rare. For so many years, Sun Dong had always had a smiling face. Even a kind-hearted person can lose their temper when pushed to the limit.

Sun Dong pushed Grandma Sun aside, took a closer look at the cigarette cabinet, and immediately noticed that several kinds of cigarettes were gone, even though they were there this morning!

He turned around and looked around the shop. It seemed like a box of instant noodles was missing, as were some of the orange juice and other drinks. Many places were also in a mess.

"Was the store burgled?"

Upon hearing this, Grandma Sun's arrogance vanished instantly, and she laughed it off, saying, "How could that be? Is something missing from the shop? I don't see it."

Sun Dong didn't say anything, but someone outside said, "Sun Dong, your second brother came by at noon."

Grandma Sun wanted to yell at the person who spoke, but when she looked up, she couldn't tell who it was. She could only comfort Sun Dong, "Dongzi, don't listen to their nonsense. Your brother left shortly after you left, he..."

Before Grandma Sun could finish speaking, Sun Dong went straight out to the clinic next door and lay down with his eyes closed again.

He didn't want to hear anything his mother had to say anymore! If he had hesitated a little before about sending his mother away, now he was completely determined; his mother couldn't stay at home any longer!

Wang Yao was changing her clothes when she heard shouts coming from downstairs: "Beef, freshly slaughtered beef..."

Wang Yao immediately went to the living room and grabbed the deposit that Liu Xiangmei had placed on the table, saying, "Mom, I'm taking the money downstairs to buy some beef."

Before the words were even finished, the person had already vanished.

"The beef was fresh. It fell down the mountain and died in the morning. We found it at noon, unloaded it, and immediately took it out to sell."

When Wang Yao took a look, it was indeed very novel; it was like a pillow being delivered to someone who was just about to fall asleep.

She had originally planned to make some pork sauce for Li Jin that evening as a way of returning the favor. Although it wasn't as valuable as the pen, it was still a token of her affection.

Now that we have beef, it's even better to make beef sauce.

Wang Yao bought five catties of beef and returned home excitedly. "Mom, I'll put the beef in the pot first. You watch the fire for me and cook it for about forty minutes. I'll go to the market later."

"Why are you suddenly cooking beef? What are you trying to do?"

Wang Yao mentioned that Li Jin had given her a fountain pen, and now this was a return gift.

“This child is so kind and righteous; he still remembers that you saved Old Man Li and Li Cheng.”

Wang Yao nodded, "They're really good. After all, they're soldiers of the People's Liberation Army. Their character is top-notch. I'm off to the market now!"

As he spoke, he was swept away like a gust of wind.

Liu Xiangmei remembered the key points Wang Yao had just told her and dared not leave the kitchen.

By the time Wang Yao returned with a large amount of seasonings, the beef was almost cooked through.

Wang Yao followed the steps one by one as she remembered them.

The other three continued to watch from the sidelines. Although Wang Yao had poured half a pot of oil into the pan, which was heartbreaking to see, the aroma grew stronger and stronger, and no one cared about the waste of that little bit of oil.

Ginger, garlic, and chili peppers simmer in hot oil, releasing steam. As beef cubes and various seasonings are added to the pot, the aroma explodes instantly, filling the entire room.

While stirring, Wang Yao simmered the meat sauce over low heat. The meat sauce made a "bubbling" sound in the pot until all the water in the pot evaporated, leaving only a glistening sauce. Then she added sesame seeds and crushed peanuts.

Looking at the glossy, reddish-brown beef sauce with its rich aroma, everyone felt their mouths watering. If they hadn't eaten so much at noon, everyone would have mixed a bowl of rice with the beef sauce right now.

Even though there wasn't a single gap in their stomachs, everyone still took out a small spoon. They couldn't resist; who could resist? They had to try it.

"Wow, it's so fresh and fragrant! The beef chunks inside aren't dry at all. This is the first time I've ever had such delicious beef sauce."

"Exactly! Although this is my first time eating beef sauce, I think it's the best sauce I've ever had."

Liu Xiangqiu and her daughter praised it highly, and Liu Xiangmei still made sure to note down the key points before tasting it.

She savored it carefully, then gave Wang Yao a thumbs up, "Not bad, this tastes great."

Wang Yao chuckled and waved her hand, saying, "So-so, third in the world."

Thinking that he was going to the stadium and would pass by the Xinhua Bookstore, he decided to just bring the beef sauce to Li Jin.

Wang Yao kept only a small bowl, and took the rest in a canned jar to Li Jin's house. She remembered that Li Jin's house was upstairs from Xinhua Bookstore.

Li Jin never expected to see Wang Yao again before returning to his unit.

When he opened the door, he was stunned to see Wang Yao grinning foolishly at him.

"Brother Li, are Grandpa Li and Li Cheng both home?"

As soon as she said it, Wang Yao felt something was off. Calling Li Jin "brother" and Li Jin's father "grandfather" was all a bunch of nonsense.

But Li Jin didn't notice at all; he was only focused on opening the door and letting Wang Yao in.

"They went out for a walk and they're not here. Is there something you need from them?"

Wang Yao shook her head and handed over the beef sauce. "There was a vendor selling fresh beef on the way here. I made some beef sauce for you to try."

Li Jin took the still slightly warm bottle. "It'll definitely taste good."

Wang Yao chuckled, "If you like it, I'll make it for you again next time I come back."

"Won't it be too much trouble?" Li Jin said, but his eyes were full of anticipation.

Wang Yao waved her hand, "No, I really enjoy cooking. I'm happy that someone likes my cooking. This is also a way of thanking you for the pen. It may not be as valuable as your pen, but it's a token of my appreciation."

Li Jin smiled and said, "This bottle of beef sauce is more valuable than a fountain pen."

"Then I won't see you off next time you come back."

Li Jin's smile froze instantly.

Wang Yao laughed and said, "Just kidding. If you like it, I'll make it for you again next time."

He was about to leave when he said that.

Li Jin offered to walk her downstairs, but Wang Yao quickly refused. It wasn't like she didn't know the way; besides, her mother was waiting downstairs, so why bother him to walk her?

Li Jin stopped at the door and watched Wang Yao skip downstairs, humming a song. Although he didn't know what song it was, it sounded quite nice.

Once the noise of Wang Yao coming downstairs had subsided, Li Jin slowly closed the door, looked at the beef sauce on the table, and recalled his meeting with Wang Yao.

Thinking of Wang Yao, who had just sat across from him and jokingly said "I was just kidding," Li Jin chuckled. What an interesting girl.

Even at night, the stadium is still packed with people.

The four of them walked around the track again and again, with other runners passing by and other people taking a walk.

"Life is really getting better now. I just saw there are even food stalls outside!" Liu Xiangmei exclaimed.

Liu Xiangqiu said, "There are only one or two here. You didn't go to Hejie Street to take a look. At night, many shop owners set up stalls in front of their shops, and many old men are shirtless, playing drinking games and eating barbecue skewers."

"Really? I'd love to go and experience this kind of excitement sometime."

Wang Yao, linking arms with Sun Min, chimed in, "Let's learn how they grill them so we can sell kebabs at night when we open our shop."

Liu Xiangmei laughed, "We don't even know which way our shop faces, and you've already planned out all the business for us."

"Think about it. If our boxed lunch business is good, we can open a shop soon. Mom, if you had a shop, what would you sell?"

"If I owned a shop, I would definitely still sell food, because food is the most important thing for people."

"Specifically?"

"Specifically..."

The mother and daughter were imagining what they would sell and how they would run the shop if they opened one in the future, as if they already had a shop.

Early the next morning, the hardworking Ms. Liu Xiangmei set off for Lianchi Town on her tricycle.

Thinking that she could sell more than a hundred boxed meals today, she stomped her feet even harder, feeling that the flowers, water, and wind along the way were beautiful.

When she arrived at Liu Xiangchun's house, Liu Xiangchun had already picked all the vegetables that Wang Yao had mentioned yesterday and put them in a basket.

"Green beans, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers—that's all Yao Yao mentioned yesterday. There are fifty pounds of cucumbers in total. Can we finish all these cucumbers?"

Chen Hai loaded the vegetables onto the tricycle, one basket at a time. Liu Xiangmei took out her money to pay the bill. "If you can finish it, Yao Yao will make pickled cucumbers. Here's the money for the vegetables, please count it."