Chapter 54: Enjoying the Blessings of My Wife After Being a Guest

The kitchen team leader said with a look of disgust, "There's nothing we can do. We can only let him cut potatoes. He almost cut his fingers off just to cut half a basin of potatoes. When we make stir-fried potatoes, we usually cook ten basins at a time."

"Anything else?" He Chengze was amused and asked the kitchen squad leader to say more so that he could go back and entertain Jiang Xueyi.

"Another one?" the kitchen squad leader asked. "Let him carry the steamer. It's a relatively easy job. Two people were carrying a large steamer, but he took a few steps and lost his grip, almost crushing the other one under the steamer."

"Luckily I was passing by and picked up a handful." The passing cook replied.

The cook squad leader sighed deeply, "In the end, we had no choice but to have him pick out the coal ash. I figured, 'There's nothing wrong with that, right?'"

"What happened?" the cook squad leader asked. "He only worked the pick for a few seconds before he came to me and said he was quitting. He said our stove burns hard coal, and the ash is so lumpy, and the ash makes him cough. His nostrils are all black, and it's dirtier than carrying manure in his village."

He sneered, "His father even asked me, saying that people come to the kitchen to enjoy themselves, so why is everyone's life so tiring?"

"I scolded him. During the last flood relief operation, our kitchen staff didn't sleep for three days and three nights. We carried iron pots on our backs and ran with the troops. When we handed the hot steamed buns to the soldiers, our hands were burned and blistered. This is not a place for comfort."

The kitchen squad leader said reluctantly, "Deputy Brigade Commander He, you're not really planning to assign him to our kitchen squad, are you? This guy can't stand any hardship. Do you want him to be a decoration or a mascot?"

"How is that possible?" He Chengze patted the kitchen squad leader's shoulder to show encouragement, "Your arrangement is very good. I just want them to give up when they see the difficulty."

At six o'clock, Jiang Xueyi planned to cook, but when she thought about whether Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Yaozu would come to eat for free, she lost the mood to cook.

It was not until 6:40 that He Chengze came back.

She looked behind He Chengze and didn't see Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Yaozu. Her eyes lit up and she asked, "Where are they?"

"They left." He Chengze said with a smile, "I just went to the station to ask, they took the next bus."

Jiang Xueyi let out a long sigh, slumped in her chair, and gave a thumbs up: "You still have a way."

She said, "Tell me how you got them both to leave. I thought they looked like such a jerk that they would have to stay for at least another three to five days."

Speaking of this, He Chengze wanted to laugh.

He mentioned the matter of letting Jiang Yaozu train with the new recruits and working in the kitchen.

Jiang Xueyi was so amused that she waved her hands repeatedly: "Jiang Yaozu is not cut out for work. You ask him to sit in an office, organize documents, and do some brainless work, he can do it. But asking him to join the army and train every day is harder than climbing to the sky."

"Yes." He Chengze said, "After this incident, I'm afraid my father-in-law and my brother-in-law won't come again in the short term."

He glanced at the kitchen: "By the way, it's already this late, where's the food?"

Jiang Xueyi waved her hand: "I was worried that they would come to eat for free again, and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to eat, so I simply didn't cook."

He Chengze was happy and picked up the little bun: "Okay, then our family will go out to eat today."

"It's a celebration." Jiang Xueyi said with a smile, "We've finally gotten rid of the plague god."

She rubbed Xiaomi's chin and said, "Xiaomi, stay at home and wait for us to come back. We will bring you some big bones to eat."

Xiaomi: "Woof woof!"

When he arrived at the state-owned restaurant, He Chengze ordered braised pork, spicy and sour potato shreds, and a dish of braised pork with garlic sprouts.

When he heard the squad leader of the kitchen team say that Jiang Yaozu could cut his hands while shredding potatoes, he became craving for this dish.

Jiang Xueyi looked around but didn't see anything she wanted to eat.

The menu of the state-owned restaurant is actually similar to that of the Women's Federation canteen, and both are considered public meals.

After finally going out to a restaurant, she wanted to eat something special.

Finally, I ordered a dish of soy sauce fried rice.

This soy sauce fried rice is made with leftover rice, soy sauce and lard, and is served with pickled radish.

The cooking master has a perfect control of the heat. The rice is stained with a light brown sauce, and each grain is distinct. The lard residue has absorbed moisture and is crispy and delicious. The best thing is the pickled radish, which is sour, sweet and crisp. One chopstick of radish can make you eat half a bowl of rice.

Seeing how delicious she was eating, He Chengze couldn't help but scoop a spoonful of soy sauce fried rice.

They praised it highly after eating it, and in the end the couple shared a large plate of soy sauce fried rice and finished it all.

There were two pieces of braised pork left, so I packed them up and took them back to Xiaomi. Although there were no big bones, the braised pork in the state-owned restaurant was also a specialty.

He Chengze held the little bun in one hand and held Jiang Xueyi's hand with the other.

The two of them walked back slowly.

He Chengze said: "Are you free next Sunday?"

"Yes." Jiang Xueyi said, "What's wrong?"

He Chengze: "Captain Kong, he and his wife have moved in a while ago. They said they wanted to invite a few of us colleagues to their house for a housewarming party. It would be lively and lively. Since the house is not occupied anymore, it would be nice to add some popularity."

"Okay." Jiang Xueyi agreed immediately.

She looked at He Chengze with a teasing look in her eyes: "When we go to the Kong family for a feast this time, do we have to bring gifts?"

He Chengze touched his nose guiltily: "I only forgot that one time, but I've remembered it for you until now."

He said, "Indeed, we're going to someone's house for dinner, especially a housewarming party. We can't go empty-handed, right? What gift should we bring?"

"Just like when we went to the Qi family for dinner, we should bring some homemade cakes." Jiang Xueyi said, "It will show closeness without appearing to be partial."

"It's not good to send too much or too little. If it gets to the ears of Captain Qi and Sister Fang, it will cause trouble."

He Chengze: "Then I'll leave it to you to arrange, just make sure you have the plan."

"Okay." Jiang Xueyi said with a smile.

She teased the little bun: "I'll take you to visit next week."

The little bun giggled.

When he reached the door of the photo studio, He Chengze stopped and did not move.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Xueyi asked.

He Chengze said with a hint of nostalgia: "Nothing, I just remembered the photo we took."

"That photo, isn't it on your desk now?"

He Chengze said confidently: "Seeing things reminds me of people."

Jiang Xueyi was happy: "You can see me every day when you come back from the barracks. Whatever you see reminds you of me."

He Chengze leaned close to her ear and exhaled hot air: "During the time I was in the military camp, it wasn't that I couldn't see you. I even wished you could become smaller, put you in my pocket, and take you to the military camp with me."

This person.

Jiang Xueyi's ears felt hot and she glared at him with tears in her eyes.

He Chengze: "I remember I said at the time that after the little one was born, we would take a family photo as a family of three." He added, "It's better to do it early than late, let's take it today."

Jiang Xueyi glanced at her watch. It was only 7:40, so it was still early. "Okay."

The two of them carried the little bun into the photo studio.

The old man at the photo studio still remembered them: "Hey, you are here again."

"Yes, I want to take a family photo." He Chengze said with a smile, "Master, you still remember us."

"Of course I don't remember." The old master pointed to his head, "I was very impressed."

He teased, "This time you've gone from a family of two to a family of three, with one more person to share the burden of taking photos."

Jiang Xueyi and He Chengze looked at each other, and both remembered the funny old lady and laughed.

The old man adjusted the position of the camera and said, "Taking a family photo, right? Okay, I'll give you a 20% discount today."

"Hey, thank you, Master." Jiang Xueyi held the little bun in her arms and stood very close to He Chengze in front of the curtain, head to head.

The little boy had never seen such a scene before. He opened his glass-like eyes wide with curiosity and looked left and right, feeling very curious.

"Come, let me take a picture of you first." The master said, "Follow me, shout, three, two, one, eggplant!"

Jiang Xueyi and He Chengze shouted in unison: "Eggplant."

He Chengze also waved the little bun's hand: "You call me Eggplant too."

The flash went off and with a "click", the photo was frozen.

The little boy was very brave and was not scared at all by the noise of the flash. Instead, he stretched out his chubby little hands that looked like lotus roots and tried to reach the camera.

The little boy was very strong now, and Jiang Xueyi couldn't hold him down. Afraid that he would fall, she quickly supported his waist with her arms. As a result, the end of her braid brushed against He Chengze's nose, and he sneezed, which made the little boy giggle and his eyes narrowed into two crescents.

“Crack—”

The old master quickly took a picture of this funny scene.

The family photos were developed and taken away by He Chengze.

It was still the same place, on the desk in his office.

It is beautifully called "seeing things reminds you of people."

On Sunday afternoon, Jiang Xueyi started making pastries to bring to the Kong family.

First, mash the pumpkin, purple sweet potato, pitted red dates, corn... into a paste, mix it with rice flour, and then pinch it into colorful small pieces.

Then use a mold to press the small dough into various animal shapes, steam them in a pot, and the colorful animal rice cakes that are both beautiful and delicious are ready.

He Chengze crossed his arms and watched from the side: "This mold was made by the carpenter when we went to the market before."

"That's it. I originally wanted to wait until the little one was a little older and make some complementary food for him." Jiang Xueyi said with a smile, "Now that I'm visiting the Kong family, I've put it to use."

The rice cake came out of the pot with a fresh and pleasant rice aroma. He Chengze picked up a piece and tasted it: "It tastes good."

Isn’t it enough to eat it? I pinched another piece

Jiang Xueyi squinted at him and said, "Eat two more pieces. When they're all gone, I'll take the empty box to the Kong family as a guest. When Captain Kong asks, 'Hey, why did you give me an empty box?' I'll say that Deputy Brigade Commander He ate it all."

He Chengze touched his nose guiltily: "I'm just trying it out for you." He added, "If I make a mistake, it wouldn't be good to give it away."

He pinched some rice cakes from the side of the pot and fed it to the little bun: "Come, little bun, try it too."

"You eat the cooked food yourself and give the leftovers to the little one." Jiang Xueyi said, "You are really a good father."

He Chengze walked away with the little bun in his arms, feeling guilty, and did not forget to help Jiang Xueyi carry the lunch box: "I'll carry it, I'll carry it."

Because they lived close to each other, they were the first to arrive.

When they arrived at the Kong family and saw Xue Jun, they were stunned.

Xue Jun was wearing a long white dress, plain white without any decoration.

It’s not that white doesn’t look good. Xue Jun is good-looking and has a scholarly air. White actually suits her very well.

This housewarming party is a festive occasion after all. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to wear white?

Captain Kong stepped forward to welcome the two people into the house. When he saw Jiang Xueyi, a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.

Because Jiang Xueyi was wearing a red and black plaid skirt today, with her hair tied into a bun at the back of her head and fixed with a red hairpin, she looked more festive than Xue Jun.

Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "Captain Kong, this is homemade rice cake. I'll give it to you to try."

Just as Captain Kong was about to take it, Xue Jun glanced at the food box calmly: "Come if you want to. It's really awkward to bring so many things."

He Chengze said with a forced smile: "It's not that much. I just thought that we could eat together later and it would be lively. The cakes made by my wife are famous in our compound. Sister Fang and the others all praise them."

Xue Jun curled his lips, looking unhappy.

Seeing this, Captain Kong quickly pulled her into the bedroom, closed the door, and said, "Oh, my aunt, we're having a party, and you're dressed so pale. I won't say anything, but who are you showing your displeasure to?"

"This isn't the same as when we were on Qiongzhou Island. The people around me are all lower in rank than me. You can be rude to anyone you want," said Captain Kong. "That's Deputy Brigade Commander He, one level higher than me."

Xue Jun stamped his feet in anger: "I already said I didn't want to have a housewarming party, but you insisted on inviting people. It would be great if it's just the two of us at home. A bunch of kids will come later, what if they mess up the books in my study?"

"I'll help you clean up after you make a mess, okay?" Captain Kong said, "Just give me some face and spend the day in peace."

He muttered quietly, "If you had learned even half as much as that Jiang Jie next door, I wouldn't have to worry about this."

Although Captain Kong spoke quietly, they were the only two people in the room, so Xue Jun heard it immediately and raised his eyebrows: "If you think she is good, go live with her, and let's get divorced!"

Captain Kong: "Hey, hey, hey, don't talk about divorce all the time."

He put his arm around Xue Jun's shoulders and coaxed her softly, "How could I possibly like her? She came from the countryside and only attended literacy classes. How can she compare to you? You're a high school graduate."

What Xue Jun is most proud of in her life is her academic qualifications.

Hearing this, he was no longer angry. He raised his chin and hummed, "That's more like it."

Captain Kong pushed her out and said, "Alright, alright, let's go out and entertain the guests. It's not a good idea to leave them hanging there."

Xue Jun: "I'm giving you face."

"Yes, give me face." Captain Kong said.

While the two of them closed the door to discuss, He Chengze and Jiang Xueyi were sitting in the living room.

There wasn't even a cup of tea. Two adults and one child, three pairs of eyes, staring at each other.

It's so embarrassing.

When Captain Kong came out, he saw that the coffee table was empty and slapped his head: "Oh, it's all my fault. I was busy. I'll go boil some water and make tea for you."

He went into the kitchen to busy himself, and Xue Jun sat opposite the two adults and one child.

Continue to stare at each other.

Seeing that Xue Jun obviously didn't want to talk to them, Jiang Xueyi didn't say anything either, and the awkward atmosphere continued.

Fortunately, the embarrassment didn’t last long and a savior arrived.

Captain Zhao brought Liu Lu and Zhao Xiaorui in. Jiang Xueyi saw that Liu Lu's belly was bulging, so she quickly offered her a seat: "Come, sit here with me."

Liu Lu sighed and said, "You guys came quite early."

He Chengze: "We live next door to Captain Kong's house. It would be inappropriate if we came at the wrong time."

Liu Lu looked at Xue Jun and said, "This must be Mrs. Xue, right? Hearing about her is worse than meeting her in person. Captain Kong has truly married a beauty."

Since Xue Jun moved into the military dormitory, Captain Kong would pack her meals from the cafeteria and bring them back to her.

Don't go out of the front door, don't go out of the back door.

When coconut candy was delivered to her home, it was Zhao Xiaorui who received her.

This was the first time Liu Lu met her.

Xue Jun looked down upon Liu Lu's eagerness to praise others. She curled her lips and said, "It's not bad."

"Cai Gen Tan" says, "Slanderous words are self-evident, and flattery penetrates the skin."

How can such a flattering and fawning person be a good person? He must be a villain.

He had no idea that the other person was just being polite.

Captain Kong came out of the kitchen carrying a kettle and happened to hear this. He quickly tried to smooth things over, "Sister-in-law, you're too kind. Ms. Xue has a small face and can't handle praise."

Liu Lu smiled awkwardly and changed the subject.

Jiang Xueyi asked He Chengze in a low voice: "Small face?"

Xue Jun has a melon-shaped face, but it’s not small at all.

He Chengze suppressed his laughter and said, "This should be the dialect of their hometown. Small face means thin skin."

"Oh oh." Jiang Xueyi reacted.

She didn't think Xue Jun was shameless, but Captain Kong looked too pitiful and kept trying to smooth things over for Xue Jun.

In just a few words, Xue Jun offended a lot of people again.

Everyone was present and sat down to eat. Captain Zhao raised his glass and said, "Come on, let's congratulate Lao Kong and Mrs. Xue for moving into their new home and becoming part of our community."

Captain Kong grinned so hard that his teeth couldn't be seen, and he clinked his glass with Captain Zhao's: "Oh, you're welcome, you're welcome."

Xue Jun raised his tea and took a symbolic sip: "I can't drink alcohol, so I'll use tea instead. Thank you."

There is nothing wrong with using tea instead of wine. Women don't like to drink alcohol and can't drink alcohol. Using tea instead of wine is a common practice. But you didn't even drink up the tea, just took a small sip, which clearly shows that you don't give Captain Zhao face.

It was obvious that they were not welcome guests, and the smile on Captain Zhao's face faded a little.

It was a hot day, but Captain Kong's forehead was still covered with cold sweat, and he hurriedly called for the meal to begin.

When the dishes were served, everyone was stunned.

How can we eat hotpot in such hot weather?

Captain Kong thought to himself that it was bad. He had just arrived and had a lot of things to take care of. He was very busy these days, so he handed over the matter of organizing the housewarming party to Xue Jun.

Xue Jun also agreed. Captain Kong looked at the dishes prepared in the kitchen and thought everything was ready. He didn't expect Xue Jun to do this to him.

Xue Jun gave Captain Kong a proud look. She was smart. When there are many people, they should eat hot pot. It saves time and effort.

There was no sign of Captain Kong being dumbfounded.

He laughed awkwardly and said, "Well, hot pot in the summer has a unique flavor."

Captain Qi looked at Captain Kong's frozen face and felt sorry for him. He agreed, "That's right. Sweating more can help detoxify your body and make you healthier."

"That's right." Captain Kong put the dishes on the plate into the pot. "This is the dried squid, dried kelp, and dried razor clams we brought from Qiongzhou Island. They're all huge and delicious. Try them."

The dried seafood on Qiongzhou Island is really good, but the weather is too hot.

The hot pot kept emitting hot steam, making people sweat all over their heads and faces.

Qi Xiaohao stuck out his tongue and said, "It's so hot, Uncle Kong, Aunt Xue, I want to drink some ice soda."

Captain Kong: "...No." He then said, "There is tea. I'll pour it for you."

The tea was freshly brewed and was hot, very scalding. Qi Xiaohao took a sip and stopped drinking.

Privately, he complained to Zhu Changchang, "The best time was when Uncle He and Aunt Jiang treated us to Xiao Baozi's full moon banquet. Not only did we have our own table, but we also had plenty of soda."

"That's right. It was winter, and they had so many kinds of drinks." Zhu Changchang pursed his lips and said, "Now, in such a hot day, let alone hot pot, there's not even a bottle of iced soda."

They were sitting at a large round table, and the two kids thought they were complaining quietly, but in fact everyone around them could hear it.

Xue Jun had a cold face and pretended not to hear.

He Chengze couldn't bear to watch it any longer, mainly because he felt sorry for the little bun and the children. It's okay for adults to get a little hot, but children can easily get heatstroke if they are exposed to the heat: "I have an electric fan at home, I'll go get it."

After a while, the oscillating electric fan was brought in.

He even deliberately sat closer to his wife and children.

I opened all the doors and windows to ventilate the room, which made it feel a little cooler.

He Chengze picked up a cooked abalone and put it in Jiang Xueyi's bowl. Jiang Xueyi took his bowl and poured him a bowl of soup.

The couple performed these movements very skillfully, and it seemed that they often did so at home.

Fang Qin nudged Captain Qi with her elbow and gestured to him with a humorous look to look at He Chengze and Jiang Xueyi.

Captain Qi took a look and said jokingly, "Old He, you're making us look like unruly people."

"What's wrong? Are you envious of how nice my wife is to me?" He Chengze said with a smile, "If you're not convinced, ask your sister-in-law to serve you some soup too."

"Wow, look at how you protect your wife." Captain Qi said with a wink.

Captain Kong stared at him, feeling sad.

For so many years, he and Xue Jun always ate separately.

Xue Jun also likes to read while eating. Sometimes, the two of them don’t say a word to each other during a whole meal.

He had an idea and picked up Xue Jun's bowl: "Wife, I'll serve you some soup too."

Xue Jun took back the bowl, his eyebrows raised: "What are you serving? You're the only one who talks too much. Do you know what it means to not talk while eating and not talk while sleeping?"

She just couldn't stand the way He Chengze and Jiang Xueyi acted. Just eat your meal properly. Who were they showing off their affection for?

The phrase "Don't talk while eating and don't talk while sleeping" scolded everyone at the table.

Captain Kong smiled awkwardly and said, "You can't say that. Talking about interesting little things while eating can make the meal more enjoyable."

Xue Jun snorted coldly and didn't respond.

Captain Qi changed the subject and said, "If you ask me, we should all learn from Old He how to love our wives."

He Chengze smiled and said, "To love my wife is to go with the flow and let things take their natural course." He said with a hint of pride, "The manuscript my wife and Old Zhao's wife co-wrote has been submitted to the Provincial Propaganda Committee for selection. I'm waiting for my wife to rise to prominence and become successful so that I can enjoy the happiness of being a wife in the future. Now is the time to please her."

Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "Okay, so you are being nice to me now to please me. Just wait and see how I deal with you tonight."

The couple sang in unison, and the scene instantly became lively.

Xue Jun looked at her coldly, feeling unhappy. He suddenly said, "Sister Jiang, how did you get into the Women's Federation? Did the people in the Women's Federation see that you were a military family member and gave you a high score during the interview to take care of you?"