“There are no sheep-raising villages around here. If you want to drink goat milk, you have to go to Daxing Village over there. That’s a long way, about 4 or 5 kilometers!”
The stall owner said slowly as he arranged the live chickens on his stall.
"What, 4 or 5 kilometers?"
Zhou Qiqi's eyes widened, and she instantly deflated, her shoulders slumping.
She counted on her fingers and realized that a round trip was ten kilometers, a full ten thousand meters.
Just thinking about how I get out of breath after walking two laps around the 400-meter track makes my legs feel weak.
But then I thought, why would Shen Huaichuan travel ten kilometers every morning just to get me fresh goat milk?
She bit her lip, a warm feeling rising in her heart, and the corners of her lips unconsciously turned up, but she still couldn't help complaining.
This guy clearly has a mouth, why doesn't he speak?
If she had known it was so far, she definitely wouldn't have let him go through all this trouble every day.
Today, Deng Cuixiang also bought some meat to make dumplings at home.
“That day it was raining heavily. My eldest son found someone’s wallet and chased after the person for ten miles to return it. He was honest and returned the money. He deserves a reward!”
On the way back, I invited Qiqi and Yingying to come along.
"It's more lively when there are many people eating dumplings. Since none of the men in the family are here, we can have a good time to warm up and let you all try Sister Cuixiang's cooking!"
Qiqi did not refuse.
In my past life, I lived alone in an apartment and had never experienced such a lively neighborhood gathering.
She turned around and went home to get a few bottles of canned oranges, while Yingying brought over a few cans of luncheon meat.
Deng Cuixiang was mixing fillings in the kitchen when she looked up and saw what the two people were holding. She immediately got up to stop them.
"You've come all this way, but what did you bring? Take it back, take it back! You're not allowed in until you take it back!"
Qiqi raised an eyebrow and put the canned food on the table.
"You're allowed to reward the kids with dumplings, but we aunties aren't allowed to?"
Since she had said that, Deng Cuixiang didn't refuse.
The two washed their hands and then came over to help.
Deng Cuixiang had already prepared the dough. Qiqi was in charge of cutting the dough into pieces and rolling out the wrappers, while Deng Cuixiang and Yingying were in charge of wrapping the fillings.
Yingying is from the South and had never made dumplings before. She stood there dumbfounded, holding the dough, completely at a loss.
"It's okay, I'll teach you!"
Deng Cuixiang patted Yingying's hand and picked up a dough sheet to demonstrate.
"First, put in the filling, then pinch the edges together, and finally fold it like this, and there you have it!"
She's also from the South, and her family had never made dumplings before, but after marrying a man from the North, she gradually learned how to do it.
Yingying watched very attentively and even learned the techniques, but when she tried to wrap them herself, she couldn't get it right. Either the wrapping would tear and the filling would leak out, or the wrapping would be crooked and ugly, making her a little embarrassed.
Qiqi wiped her hands on her apron and gently patted her shoulder.
"It's okay, Yingying made them herself. I'll cook them separately later. I want to eat them."
Deng Cuixiang joked with a smile.
"You still want to take it? My Xiangyang, that is, my youngest son, used to love eating the soup with the broken skin, you can give him all of this!"
Before he could finish speaking, a series of hurried footsteps approached.
A little boy wearing a blue striped shirt and carrying a crooked army green backpack rushed in like a gust of wind. When he saw the dumplings on the table, he jumped up and down excitedly.
"Yay! Dumplings! Dumplings! I love dumplings the most! Long live Mom!"
As she spoke, she was about to throw herself into Deng Cuixiang's arms.
Deng Cuixiang laughed and dodged away, saying with disdain.
"Jiang Xiangyang, you mud monkey, why are you covered in mud again? Go away, get away from me!"
The little boy scratched his head and was about to leave when Deng Cuixiang called him back.
"Wait a minute—I don't see any guests in the house. Let me greet them first!"
"This is Aunt Zhu, and this is Aunt Zhou."
Jiang Xiangyang grinned, revealing his two front teeth.
"Hello Aunt Zhu~ Hello Aunt Zhou~"
Deng Cuixiang added.
"Aunt Zhou is the one who brought you roasted chestnuts last time~ This time she brought you canned mandarin oranges, and Aunt Zhu brought you canned meat."
Jiang Xiangyang's eyes lit up immediately, "Long live Aunt Zhu! Long live Aunt Zhou!"
"That's just how this kid is—so talkative!"
Deng Cuixiang held up a strainer as if to hit him, but Jiang Xiangyang laughed and ran away.
Qiqi smiled as she finished rolling out the last dough ball, glanced at her watch, and hurriedly took off her apron.
"Oh, it's 12:05. I need to go to the entrance of the military dependents' area to bring Zhouzhou over."
Zhouzhou usually gets home around 12:15.
Deng Cuixiang pressed her down.
"Don't run around anymore. You've worked all day, sit down and rest for a bit. Let Xiangyang go call them. They're all the same age, classmates."
"Jiang~ Xiang~ Yang~!"
"Here!"
Before the words were even finished, the little monkey came running over in a flurry, straightened his body, and saluted.
Deng Cuixiang stood with her hands on her hips, issuing orders.
"Do you know Aunt Zhou's niece, Chen Duzhou, Zhouzhou? Go to the entrance of the military dependents' area and bring her to our house. She's having dinner with us today!"
Jiang Xiangyang's eyes lit up.
"Zhouzhou? I know her! She's that pretty little mute girl from Class 2, right? I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
After saying that, he took off running.
Deng Cuixiang chased after her, calling out.
"You brat! Don't you dare call her 'little mute'!"
She looked at Qiqi with some embarrassment.
"Qiqi, don't mind him, that's not what he meant. I'll definitely teach him a lesson when he gets back!"
"Hi, it's nothing."
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