After Shen Mingzhu went to take a shower, Shen Xiaobei took out three pounds of pork, a chicken, thirty eggs, and two pounds each of red dates, mushrooms, fungus, and peanuts from the space.
Then he carried all the dishes to the kitchen.
"Mom, these vegetables are what I brought back from the countryside."
"Hey, Xiaobei, why did you bring back so many dishes? How much did it cost?"
"It doesn't have to cost much, Mom! I'm a grown-up now, I can't just go home and eat and drink for free!"
"What are you talking about, kid? This is your home. Why do you need to bring so many dishes back home? If outsiders hear this, they will say that your father and I treat you as an outsider!"
"Haha, Mom, you're overthinking it! I'm working now, and it's only natural for me to come home from such a long distance and buy something for the family."
"Hey, kid, you're just wasting money!"
Xu Yongzhi complained about Shen Xiaobei's extravagant spending, but her face looked very happy.
She had worked hard for nearly twenty years to raise Shen Xiaobei and her two children. This was the first time she had received material rewards from her children, and she was naturally pleased.
But she also felt a little guilty towards Shen Xiaobei, her stepdaughter. After all, she had never treated her as her own daughter in the past.
"It's a little late today. I'll use the red dates and mushrooms you brought back to make chicken soup with this chicken tomorrow. What do you think, Xiaobei?"
"Okay, Mom, just watch and do it."
"Okay, then tonight I'll make stir-fried black fungus and pork, and then some fried peanuts. Your dad loves fried peanuts the most! When he comes home later and knows you brought some food tonight, he'll definitely be happy!"
Xu Yongzhi was arranging the dishes brought by Shen Xiaobei while chattering with a smile on her face.
Shen Xiaobei said he wanted to help cook, but she refused and insisted that she go back to her room to rest first, so Shen Xiaobei didn't insist anymore.
After Shen Mingzhu finished taking a shower and was washing her clothes in the bathroom, her father Chen Zhongshan came back with Shen Mingliang.
Shen Xiaobei heard the sound first, hurried out of the room, and called out a little stiffly: "Dad."
"Yeah, I'm back. Mingzhu is back too, right?"
"I'm back. She's washing clothes in the bathroom."
"Um."
Chen Shenshan was very happy to hear that his two daughters had come back together to celebrate the New Year. When Shen Mingliang came over to tell him about it, he immediately dropped the chess game he was watching halfway and walked home happily.
But when he returned home and heard Shen Xiaobei calling him, he still pretended to be serious.
He exchanged a few pleasantries with her and then went to the kitchen without saying anything else.
As soon as she entered the kitchen, Xu Yongzhi told Chen Shenshan that Shen Xiaobei had brought back a lot of dishes.
After hearing this, Chenchenshan said nothing, but casually touched the dishes on the kitchen table with his hands, feeling very relieved.
For dinner, Xu Yongzhi prepared five dishes and a soup, plus two homemade pickled side dishes. It looked quite sumptuous, and the family enjoyed the meal happily.
Xu Yongzhi has been a housewife at home for so many years, and Shen Xiaobei discovered that her cooking skills are actually quite good.
However, her family was poor before and they couldn’t afford good food, so she didn’t have much room to show her talents.
Now that the Chinese New Year is approaching, the family bought more dishes, and with Shen Xiaobei bringing back these dishes, Xu Yongzhi's meal was a bit of a show of her skills, and the dishes she cooked were all delicious in color, aroma and taste.
When the family was halfway through their meal, Shen Xiaobei glanced at Xu Yongzhi and suddenly an idea came to his mind.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally said, "Mom, Dad, Mingzhu and I are going to stay at home for about ten days. We have nothing to do anyway, so I think we can go to the farmer's market and set up a braised food stall."
“Shen Xiaobei, you——”
Before Shen Mingzhu could finish her habitual sentence "Why can't you see me being idle?", Shen Xiaobei stepped on her foot under the table in time.
She frowned and was about to curse, but Shen Xiaobei immediately winked at her playfully, signaling her to cooperate with her.
Forget it, Shen Mingzhu suddenly remembered that this woman had never been welcomed at home. If she took the lead in opposing her, her parents would definitely not support her.
So he changed his expression and asked her with curiosity: "Can you also make braised dishes?"
"Yes, Xiaobei, you can also make braised dishes?"
"Haha, I do know how to make some, like braised pork trotters, chicken legs and chicken wings. I can make all of those. Before I went to work at the commune, I set up a stall there to sell braised dishes for a while, and they sold pretty well back then."
"We are in the county town, and it is the Spring Festival. I think if I set up a stall to sell these braised meat dishes during this period, more people will buy them than when I set up a stall in the commune."
"Oh, Xiaobei, I never thought you'd learned to make so many things after your trip to the countryside! I heard Mingzhu say in her letter that you can make clothes now and are still teaching her, right?"
"Haha, Mom, I make clothes because I met a friend there who can make them. I heard her talk about it so much that I bought a second-hand sewing machine. I usually just tinker with it when I have nothing to do. For now, I can only make simple designs."
"Oh, being able to make some simple designs is already impressive! Mingzhu, did you hear me? Learn more from your elder sister in the future!"
"Got it, Mom. I will never be worse than her in the future, humph!"
When Shen Mingzhu heard what Xu Yongzhi said, she felt a little unconvinced and took two big bites of the rice in the bowl.
When Chenchenshan heard that his eldest daughter was now so capable and his youngest daughter was now so ambitious, he pretended to be focused on eating and did not participate in their conversation.
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