Chapter 52: She really made me laugh out loud.
Back then, when Zhou Congsheng was on a mission on the border, he single-handedly rescued Chief of Staff Zhao from the enemy. At that time, he was injured in the back by an explosion and was in a coma for more than three months in the hospital. When he finally woke up, he not only didn't cry, but he was also smiling.
Now things are really messed up; because he can't see his wife, he's feeling wronged.
Zhao Yue and Song Biao rubbed their faces simultaneously and stealthily made their way into the main room.
After a long while, a basin of white noodles was cooked. The toppings were tomato and egg, and stir-fried pork with chili peppers. Shen Yuzhu also made a cucumber salad. In the end, she was the one who cooked the meal. Zhou Congsheng's cooking was edible, but the taste was not worth mentioning.
Zhao Yue and Song Biao had originally planned to watch Zhou Congsheng act coquettishly during the meal, but to their surprise, he sat on his chair steadily and ate slowly and methodically.
On the contrary, the two of them acted as if they were starving ghosts who had just been reincarnated, and they wouldn't stop until they had eaten their fill.
"Sister-in-law, your noodles are so delicious, even better than those from the old noodle shops in Beijing."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Shen Yuzhu pushed the tomato and egg dish towards Zhao Yue, finding the girl's temperament incredibly endearing.
"Eat more if you like it. Your Captain Zhou said you'll be staying here with me for the next couple of nights, and I'll cook you something delicious tonight."
Zhao Yue suddenly lifted her head out of the bowl, chewed a couple of mouthfuls of noodles like a little hamster, and swallowed them down in one gulp.
"Really? Really? Thank you, sister-in-law, thank you, brother."
Song Biao looked at her with bright eyes and said, "Thank you, Captain. Thank you, Sister-in-law."
Zhou Congsheng was so angry at Zhao Yue that he laughed. When he wasn't on a mission and was resting, he would occasionally jump up and curse, calling her a "worthless bastard" and a "heartless old bachelor"...
He felt like he had never heard the word "thank you" before, and now that he was able to eat the food Zhuzhu cooked, she was even thanking him. It was truly a rare thing.
"You bear, if you can keep this up and not make me and Lao Song apologize to people every other day, I'll be incredibly grateful."
"Hehehehe..." Zhao Yue smiled, but while eating her noodles, she secretly rolled her eyes at Zhou Congsheng. Shen Yuzhu looked at her clever and quirky appearance and burst out laughing.
Seeing that she was happy, Zhou Congsheng also slightly tugged at his lips, but immediately suppressed it when he looked at Song Biao.
"Why are you thanking me? You don't live here. Tonight, you can switch places with Professor Yao. After dark, we'll arrange for him to stay with the male educated youth."
"Huh~?"
"What do you mean 'ah'? This is an order."
Song Biao immediately wilted. Shen Yuzhu blinked and said, "Comrade Song can still eat here. I see you can handle spicy food quite well. I'll make some spicy dishes for you to try tonight."
The three men all stared at her with shining eyes. If it weren't for the midday sun, Shen Yuzhu would have felt as if several searchlights were shining on her.
Meanwhile, at Lü Guangzhi's home, a table was set with a meal, including chicken, eggs, and fish. The people from the agricultural research institute, who had been busy all day, looked somewhat complicated upon seeing the meat dishes on the table.
The group quietly huddled together to one side. Yu Manman, Qiao Nianyu, and Xiang Congjun stayed on the outer edge. The three of them didn't know why they had to come out of the yard to talk about things when it was time to eat.
“We’re here because the research institute provides subsidies. The villagers don’t earn much in wages all year round. They even killed a chicken today. I think we should chip in for some money for food.”
“I agree. When we signed up to go to the countryside to do field research, we were determined to endure hardship. How can we let the villagers subsidize us?”
"Me too. My family is from the countryside near Beijing. The commune members raise chickens to lay eggs. When the peddlers from the supply and marketing cooperative come to the countryside, they exchange them for needles, thread, kerosene, and the like. If we hadn't come, the brigade leader's family definitely wouldn't have killed a chicken."
...
Yang Ping had been with Professor Yao the longest. As soon as he spoke, others followed him. Seeing that everyone was saying the same thing, Yu Manman and Qiao Nianyu also took out three cents from their pockets.
Xiang Congjun was getting impatient and didn't move for a long time. Yang Ping counted the small bills in his hand and stared straight at him.
"You're going to join the army? Don't you have any money on you? I have some here, I'll pay you first, and you can pay back when you get back..."
"No, no need, I brought it, here you go."
Yang Ping nodded. He hadn't thought of this before. It was only when he passed by a house and saw the soldiers who came to protect them pay first that he felt he should give them some.
He originally intended to give it to them secretly, but he didn't expect Captain Lü to cook such a lavish meal. He figured everyone would feel a little embarrassed, so he called people to give it to them together, since he would be going to the countryside frequently in the future.
Paying in advance ensures that when younger students come over, they'll remember to pay their fellow villagers first before eating; it's a matter of principle.
Professor Yao, who had washed his hands in the courtyard, nodded approvingly after hearing Yang Ping's words, and took out a dollar from his pocket and handed it over.
"You did the right thing."
Xiang Congjun, standing at the back of the crowd, felt quite resentful seeing Yang Ping receive praise from Professor Yao.
"Senior Brother Xiang, what's wrong?"
"Nothing much, it's just that the brigade leader arranged such a meal for us without expecting any money from us. Now that we're rushing to give it to him, wouldn't it be a bit of a embarrassment?"
"I think so too. Captain Lü was so happy to see us come to Xiangyang Production Team. Now, Brother Yang is giving us money right after we finish eating. What does he take our kindness for granted? Sigh!"
Yu Manman muttered something, but her voice was very soft. Her family was not well-off, and she was not used to the food and drink when she first arrived here. She had finally received her salary and subsidies after a month, but she hadn't been able to buy anything for herself yet. She had already spent three cents on food.
I've asked so many people to say this, it would be too much of a shame not to give it to them.
"Alright, alright, we can't help it when we're from the countryside. This food may seem ordinary to us in Beijing, but to them it's like celebrating the New Year. If you're feeling uncomfortable, then eat more later, okay?"
Both of them were pleased by Qiao Nianyu's comfort, but they still felt a little awkward inside.
After all, for their family, this kind of meal was something they could only eat during festivals, even if it wasn't during the Lunar New Year.
Lunch went fairly well, except for Qian Cuilian's dark expression. Even seeing the small change placed under the rice bowl didn't change anything. When Lü Guangzhi saw her off, he followed closely behind, not daring to turn around and look at the old woman's face.
The chicks we raised with such care were killed just like that. My wife kept crying while cooking; it was so pitiful.
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