Zhang Hongyan brought a large pot of stewed cabbage and pork belly to the table and called out into the room:
"Qingqing, Gou Dan, go and call your dad back for dinner."
"Okay, we'll go right away," Xia Qingqing put the sunflower seeds she hadn't finished eating on the table, grabbed Gou Dan's hand, and headed outside.
Xia Heping was chatting with two men next door. There was not much work to do in the fields in winter, so this was a rare moment of leisure for them all year round.
When Xia Qingqing brought Gou Dan over, Xia Heping was just about to get up and go home. The host was about to have dinner, and it would be too tactless for them to stay any longer.
When Dazhu saw Xia Qingqing leading her younger brother into the house, he immediately smiled and said, "Oh, our college student is here! Is she here to call your dad home for dinner?"
"Yes, hello Uncle Dazhu, hello Uncle Shengli," Xia Qingqing greeted politely.
Ever since she got into university, the elders in the village would bring up her status as a university student every time they saw her, which made her quite embarrassed, but since they didn't mean any harm, she couldn't say anything.
Gou Dan ran over and grabbed Xia Heping's hand: "Dad, come back with us quickly. Mom has prepared the food and is waiting for you to come home for dinner."
"Hey Heping, you're really lucky. Once your Qingqing graduates, she'll be sitting in an office. Her future is limitless," Zhang Shengli said with a hint of envy.
How can I not be envious?
After Xia Qingqing graduates, she can get a job in the city, marry a city person, and maybe even bring Gou Dan to the city later.
Oh no, I heard that Gou Dan's grades are also very good. Maybe he'll be a college student someday.
Tsk, if both siblings can get into university, Xia Heping's family will be incredibly successful, the whole family will rise to the top.
Zhang Shengli and Xia Heping have been close since childhood. Zhang Shengli is only two years older than Xia Heping, but their children are already married, and last year they even had a grandson.
Alas, there's no hope for their children. They only hope that their grandson will be ambitious and get into university. If he can, the Zhang family's ancestral graves will be filled with auspicious smoke.
Hearing his good friend's words, Xia Heping gave a simple and honest smile: "How can you say for sure? It all depends on the school's arrangements."
"Others may not be able to say for sure, but your Qingqing is definitely fine," Dazhu said confidently. Jingbei University is the best university in the country. If even students from Jingbei University can't sit in an office, then who can?
They, being from the countryside, don't understand much, but they know that sitting in an office is more lucrative than being a factory worker, and in their eyes, it's the best job.
"Then I'll take your good wishes to heart. Once my Qingqing gets a job in the office, I'll treat you to drinks," Xia Heping said with a hearty laugh.
Dazhu laughed and punched him on the shoulder: "It's a deal, I'm waiting for this drink."
“That’s right. If you don’t treat us to drinks then, I’ll come to your house to find you,” Zhang Shengli said with a smile.
Gou Dan looked at this and then at that, patted his forehead, wondering what was wrong with his dad. Now he was acting just like his mom, unable to stop chatting with people.
Xia Heping really couldn't stop talking. Although he was honest, who doesn't like to hear compliments, especially someone like him who was always inconspicuous in a crowd? He would be even happier to hear praise from others.
Seeing that he showed no signs of stopping, Xia Qingqing stepped forward and reminded him, "Dad, let's go home for dinner first. Mom is still waiting at home."
If we don't go back soon, the food will get cold.
Xia Heping nodded hurriedly: "Okay, okay, I'll go back right away. Dazhu, I'll come to your house to play again this afternoon. I'll go back and have a meal first."
When the three of them returned home, Xia Heping was greeted by his wife's dark face.
Zhang Hongyan, hands on her hips, glared at him unhappily: "So you know how to come back? Were you bragging to Dazhu and the others again? Do you think you're gods who don't need to eat?"
Seeing that his wife was angry, Xia Heping quickly stepped forward to apologize: "Hehe, honey, I just chatted with them for a few more minutes and lost track of time."
Zhang Hongyan slapped his hand off her shoulder unhappily: "I really owe you something. You've been busy with all this time, and I've never seen you say you'd help me."
"It's all my fault, thank you for your hard work, wife. I'll wash the dishes after dinner," Xia Heping said with a careful, apologetic smile.
Gou Dan chuckled to himself. See? Just now, when he called for his dad to come home quickly, his dad wouldn't listen to him. Now he's getting scolded.
Xia Qingqing glanced at the dishes on the table and came to Xia Heping's rescue: "Mom, why don't we eat first? The food won't taste good if it gets cold."
"Hey, let's eat first," Zhang Hongyan said, then turned and glared at her husband, "I'll deal with you later."
With the fragrant pork belly as a side dish, Gou Dan filled a bowl with rice and finished it in no time, then quickly licked the bowl clean again.
Watching her son devour his food at lightning speed, and then comparing it to Xia Qingqing who still had more than half her rice left, Zhang Hongyan couldn't help but frown secretly: "Qingqing, is it because Mom's cooking isn't to your liking?"
"Of course not, Mom's cooking is the best. I'm just not very hungry right now," Xia Qingqing quickly explained.
She had just eaten too many sunflower seeds and secretly drank a cup of milk tea, so she didn't feel hungry at all.
Zhang Hongyan was relieved to hear that the problem wasn't with her cooking skills.
Xia Qingqing looked at the rice in her bowl with a dilemma. She really couldn't eat anymore, but she couldn't throw it away. Many families want to eat rice but can't get any. Even if her family didn't lack rice, she couldn't just waste it like this.
"Mom, how about I save this half bowl of rice and reheat it tonight? I really can't eat anymore right now."
Gou Dan had just finished his second bowl of rice when he heard this. He reached out and took Xia Qingqing's bowl, pouring the rice into his own bowl: "Sister, you don't need to go to so much trouble. I'll eat it for you."
Without stopping, he steadily picked up a piece of pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat and put it in his mouth, then shoveled a big mouthful of rice into his mouth, enjoying the meal immensely.
Xia Qingqing subconsciously swallowed as she watched him eat; in later times, this would definitely be the standard for a mukbang (eating broadcast).
After finishing the meal, Xia Heping took the initiative to clear the table and then went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Zhang Hongyan nodded in satisfaction, thinking that this man knew what was good for him.
She doesn't want to spoil men. She earns just as much as they do, and she's not idle when it's time to work in the fields. Why should she do all the housework?
Of course, Zhang Hongyan, who was angry at the moment, completely ignored the fact that the water in the house was carried by the men and the firewood was chopped by the men from the mountain.
Seeing the man obediently washing dishes in the kitchen, Zhang Hongyan returned to her room to make clothes with peace of mind.
The New Year is just around the corner, and she wants to make new clothes for each of her two children. As for her husband and her husband, she won't be making any this year, because Qingqing bought them brand new military overcoats.
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