After deducting his salary of twenty-two yuan, Chef Mo gave him seventy-three yuan, which was quite a sum.
As Zhou Mingli spoke, he took off his coat, revealing a dark turtleneck sweater underneath, and put on an overcoat.
As the saying goes, clothes make the man, and Zhou Mingli looked completely different after putting on his overcoat.
Jiang Ci put the money away and only noticed his attire when she turned around.
Her eyes lit up, and she walked around Zhou Mingli twice.
"My judgment doesn't seem to have declined."
Zhou Mingli hugged the person and asked, "Did you buy it for yourself?"
"How could I treat myself badly?" Jiang Ci retorted, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Although it looks good with a sweater, the suit that the butler used to tailor for you at the W family would suit you better with your current style."
That shop specializes in men's suits; the materials and tailoring are excellent, and it's a craft that has been passed down for many years in Country Y.
And there was no tie.
Jiang Ci really enjoyed the feeling of pulling on Zhou Mingli's tie and forcing him to bow his head.
Although when she was being reckless, that tie would always be tied around her wrist.
"I don't need to wear a suit now."
He was just a kitchen helper, and whether he was going to work or anywhere else, a suit was too formal an outfit and not suitable for the occasion.
Jiang Ci chuckled softly, "That's true."
"I need to buy a bigger wardrobe; there's not enough room for all my clothes," Zhou Mingli said, taking off his coat.
Jiang Ci: "There's no need now. I'll buy it after we move to our new house at the beginning of the year."
Zhou Mingli looked down at her. "Moving? Did your application for a house get approved?"
Jiang Ci blinked. "I forgot to tell you again."
"I've been allocated a house, and I should be able to go and get one when construction starts after the New Year."
Zhou Mingli pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Are you unhappy?"
“No.” Zhou Mingli shook his head, sighing helplessly, “Whether you look back or look at it now, the first house we lived in together belonged to you.”
This left Zhou Mingli feeling somewhat frustrated.
Jiang Ci thought about it carefully and realized it was true.
She chuckled and patted Zhou Mingli on the shoulder, "Then keep working hard and try to make sure that the first villa I live in in this era is bought by you."
"Yes, I will." Zhou Mingli's eyes held a determination even stronger than when he was joining the Party.
"You wanted to resign and start your own business at the beginning of the reform?"
Jiang Ci thought for a moment and said, "Not necessarily. I think being a diplomat is quite interesting."
“I don’t think I need to go down the same path as before. Doing business is certainly my comfort zone, but since I have the opportunity to choose again, it’s not wrong for me to make other choices, right?”
Zhou Mingli thought Jiang Ci was right.
But he has no intention of becoming a cook.
He would be willing to cook for Jiang Ci for the rest of his life, but he would definitely not choose to be a chef.
He kissed Jiang Ci on the cheek. "Now that you've made your choice, keep going."
Jiang Ci followed his example, kissing Zhou Mingli on the cheek and looking into his eyes.
Profound and serene, upon closer inspection, one can see a deep, rich tenderness and doting affection.
"You have to live with the choices you've made."
Because they are different individuals, they make different choices.
In this era, Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli are each other's support. Just knowing that the other is there gives them boundless courage to move forward.
That evening, the Zhou family went to the Cheng family's house for dinner.
Zhou Mingli's culinary skills have continued to improve, and he is still in charge of cooking today.
Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli have been busy with the Chinese New Year celebrations lately, so there haven't been any extra chores. They cleaned the house inside and out and bought some meat.
Time flies, and it's already Lunar New Year's Eve.
The two little rascals do nothing but play all day long, and have absolutely no worries.
Zhou Mingli was preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, which was quite a lot of food. Jiang Ci was helping him out and, incidentally... sneaking a couple of bites.
"I wonder if there will be fireworks tonight," Huang Zheyue said with great interest. "In the past, people would secretly set off fireworks during the New Year."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ci asked, "Won't they set off fireworks over at Tiananmen Square?"
Huang Zheyue's eyes widened. "How is this possible!"
After he finished speaking, he looked at Jiang Ci with a complicated expression, "Aunt Jiang, you must have never been to Beijing before. Beijing was in a period of destruction of the Four Olds, and fireworks were not allowed at all!"
"Even the practice of putting up Spring Festival couplets and setting off firecrackers only started to increase gradually the year before last."
Jiang Ci: "??"
Let alone Jiang Ci, Zhou Mingli didn't even know if there were fireworks at Tiananmen Square in the 1970s.
As far as I remember, there were celebrations in the square every year on major holidays.
Zhou Mingli pondered for a moment and said, "So, during the Lunar New Year, the activities in the square are all rather serious political events?"
Huang Zheyue nodded, "The leader even gave a speech there last year!"
This is something only long-time residents of Beijing would know.
Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli exchanged a glance, and Jiang Ci said, "That's it, looks like there's nothing fun to do this year."
Zhou Mingli said with a smile, "Shall we go watch the flag-raising ceremony tomorrow morning?"
Jiang Ci: "Okay!"
They pasted up the Spring Festival couplets and then added paper-cut window decorations.
Zhou Mingli made some sweet rice cakes with glutinous rice, but these were just desserts. Zhou Mingli usually makes more substantial dishes.
I was busy until evening.
The 40-square-meter apartment was filled with a wonderful fragrance.
The two children, Zhou Yang and Zhou Miao, were jumping and chattering away. One moment they were drooling in the kitchen, the next they were secretly taking some candy they had hidden to give to Huang Zheyue, and then they were playing cat's cradle with a red string. They were never quiet for a moment.
Huang Zheyue's leg hasn't healed yet, so she can't help much. All she can do is hand over a plate and serve food.
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