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Since she went to Qijia Village as an educated youth, she has only received letters from home, but never any message from home asking her to come back for the New Year.
She knew that her family's conditions were not good and there were few rooms, but she thought they could always squeeze in during the Chinese New Year.
But in her letters, my mother repeatedly said that my two older brothers had gotten married and there was no room left in the house. Not only did she complain about being poor, but she also frequently asked me for money.
At first, Huang Jingli secretly saved some money and sent it back, but later, her heart grew cold.
I don't know how they knew she got into university, but they actually sent a letter to the school telling her to come home.
This had never happened before, so Huang Jingli was a little scared.
After all these years, she's tired and weary, and she wants to find someone to marry.
However, how many good men are there in the world? Huang Jingli couldn't find a suitable one for the time being.
Being able to become friends with Huo Yingjie at He Tiantian's house suggests he's a good person. Although his appearance is average, he's capable and seems like a decent individual.
"Hehe, okay then, I'll ask around for you privately," He Tiantian said. Since Huang Jingli brought it up, and it was just a casual remark, asking around might just work out.
He Tiantian discovered that she had the potential to be a matchmaker.
"Thank you so much. Whether it works out or not, I'm grateful to you," Huang Jingli said with a smile. She was quite open-minded about marriage.
Cui Ying had just turned her back and calculated their facial features. Hehe, they seemed quite compatible. So, she looked at Huang Jingli with a grin and said, "I think you two can make it!"
"Haha, come here, I forgot we have a fortune teller, Cui Bansian, by our side," Huang Jingli said. "Quickly, help me with my fortune telling."
Cui Ying and Huang Jingli were close, so she knew that Cui Ying had a habit of counting on her fingers from time to time.
However, if it's true eight out of ten times, then you can be accurate.
"I've already calculated it." Cui Ying didn't like these things before, and her knowledge was only superficial; she couldn't explain it in detail.
"Hehe, if it really works out, I'll give you a big gift." Huang Jingli laughed, joking at the time.
The three women were playing with the child while talking about what had happened at school recently.
The three men were in the kitchen preparing meat and vegetables.
Pork rib soup is simmering on the stove to make the soup base.
"Wu Youliang, you chop some cabbage leaves, potato slices, wash some vermicelli, radish slices, and rice cakes; Hua Shan, you help me cut the meat," Huo Yingjie instructed, giving Wu Youliang a small knife and Hua Shan a larger one.
Wu Youliang had done these things many times at home and was very familiar with them.
Hua Shan took the knife and asked, "How do you suggest I cut it?"
"Slice the beef and mutton into thin slices for hot pot later," Huo Yingjie said, while he himself chopped chicken pieces with an axe.
"Okay, I'll slice it right away." Hua Shan laughed, holding the beef in one hand and the knife in the other. With what appeared to be a light touch, a thin slice of beef appeared on the large plate. "Is this right?"
Huo Yingjie looked at the sliced beef from Huashan, nodded, and said, "Not bad, just like that."
Wu Youliang was surprised, as he couldn't do that. He asked, "Brother Huashan, it seems you have some skill?"
Hua Shan smiled and said modestly, "I've learned some before."
After saying that, he began to concentrate on slicing the meat, and in no time, he had filled two large plates with it.
Huo Yingjie chopped the whole chicken into small pieces and blanched them in a pot.
Grandma Wang doesn't like hot pot because she's old and it's hard for her to digest, and it can cause her to get a sore throat. So He Tiantian ladled out some of the white radish and pork rib soup and made noodles for Grandma Wang to eat first.
After Grandma Wang finished eating, she took the children to play in the main room, while Huo Yingjie and He Tiantian ate with the guests.
He Tiantian took out a copper hot pot from home, cleaned it, put in burning charcoal, and soon the broth inside boiled. Everyone added their favorite ingredients.
There are quite a few seasonings prepared at home, including sesame paste, minced garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and so on.
Eating hot pot is always the most atmospheric, especially in winter, when it's steaming hot and you stay warm from beginning to end.
Huo Yingjie took out a bottle of sorghum liquor and drank with Hua Shan and Wu Youliang; He Tiantian took out the peach blossom wine that her mother Wang Shuping used to make and poured some for Huang Jingli and Cui Ying.
They chatted happily at the dinner table.
After finishing their meal, they didn't leave immediately, but instead discussed the content of this year's exam together.
Everyone shared their opinions, and various ideas collided, and they actually guessed a few questions correctly.
At 3 p.m., the four of them got up to say goodbye.
Huo Yingjie and He Tiantian escorted them to the alley entrance.
Back home, He Tiantian immediately asked Huo Yingjie, "Where is Wu Youliang from? Does he have a girlfriend?"
“Wu Youliang is from a county under the jurisdiction of Nanshi. I heard that his hometown is famous for its salted duck eggs. I’ve eaten half of one, and it tastes pretty good,” Huo Yingjie said. “As for a partner, I don’t think he has one. Anyway, I’ve never heard Wu Youliang mention one.”
"Oh, then you should ask around when you have time," He Tiantian said softly. Having been entrusted with a task, she felt obligated to do her duty, and regardless of whether it succeeded or not, she had to find out the details.
Huo Yingjie sensed this and asked in return, "You're not trying to set up your class monitor with Wu Youliang, are you?"
"Hehe." He Tiantian chuckled, "I guess so."
"How could you have such thoughts?" Huo Yingjie asked. He hadn't paid attention to these things before, but now that he thought about it, Huang Jingli kept talking to Wu Youliang whenever she had a chance to do something.
He Tiantian tilted her head slightly and said, "Actually, it wasn't my idea. Huang Jingli asked me privately if Wu Youliang had a girlfriend. If not, she wanted to date him."
"Hehe, I see," Huo Yingjie said. He had always known that Huang Jingli was purposeful in her actions, but fortunately, she had her principles. Even if she had her eye on Wu Youliang, she would first find out the truth. If Wu Youliang already had a partner, Huang Jingli would definitely not continue and would look for someone else.
"Okay, I'll ask around during the exam." Considering that Huang Jingli had always been well-behaved and self-aware, Huo Yingjie decided to ask for her.
"Then I'll leave it to you." He Tiantian smiled and tiptoed to kiss Huo Yingjie on the cheek.
Huo Yingjie was never satisfied. When his beloved wife threw herself into his arms, he didn't let her go easily and gave her a passionate French kiss on the spot.
"Cough cough!" Grandma Wang went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water and saw the young couple being all lovey-dovey in the yard on such a cold day, not even afraid of the cold!
To prevent them from catching a cold, Grandma Wang kindly coughed twice as a reminder.
The two, caught up in their passion, quickly separated, looking embarrassed. They went inside, staring at each other, and then secretly laughed together.
In the following days, Huo Yingjie and He Tiantian studied diligently and went to school to take the exam with full confidence.
I took exams for three days straight, and finished all the courses.
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