Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Jinjiang exclusive, plagiarism will be investigated (catch...
"That's what happened...Son, what do you think they're going to do in the future?"
Mother Zhang told her son about the young couple.
"Mom, everyone has their own way of living. They are happy now, and they will naturally know how to save money after they have children. You don't need to worry about this!"
He has parents around, and since they don't care, he obviously has his own plans.
It is also because they don’t have children yet. Their parents think they are still young and how many more years can they play? After they get married and have children, even if they want to play again, both sets of parents will not allow it.
So this matter is not a big deal, Zhang Mengzhi didn’t take it seriously at all.
"You are right."
After hearing what her son said, Mother Zhang realized that she had been worrying in vain.
"I won't care anymore from now on."
Mother Zhang decided that she would never ask about her guests' private affairs again. She was just a restaurant owner. All she had to do was for the guests to come and eat. It was none of her business to take care of anything else.
"That's right."
Her mother understood the situation, and Zhang Mengzhi felt relieved.
Most of the store affairs are still taken care of by Mother Zhang. Although she is busy every day, her spirits are better than those of the previous year.
She always felt bored at home before, but now she is busy from morning till night. Although she is a little tired, she feels a sense of accomplishment.
"Son, your uncle Mingcheng called and said that he would come to pick up your wife and take care of her in the capital in April or May when the capital gets warmer."
Mother Zhang remembered something. She took Zhou Guilan to make the phone call in the morning, so she was the first to know the news.
"I know. De Shuang's dad had called me when I was at school."
When the principal called him to the principal's office to answer the phone, he thought he had gotten into some trouble and had to ask the principal to step in.
Who knew that it was De Shuang's second father who called the principal's office. Fortunately, it happened only this time, otherwise if he used public resources for personal gain and was caught by the opponent, he would be finished.
"Your eldest wife has helped us a lot in the past six months. I have to think about what to give her."
Mother Zhang started to worry.
“Money is the best.”
Zhang Mengzhi is telling the truth, giving money is the best gift.
My eldest wife is old and has no job or pension. It is not a good idea for her to be supported by her son in the capital. She can't ask her son for money as a mother, right?
Therefore, giving more money is more practical than anything else.
"you're right."
Mother Zhang had an idea and was no longer worried. She would go back and give more money to the aunt. After all, having money in hand would make her feel less anxious!
Sure enough, at the end of April, Zhang Decheng and Zhang Deshuang took special leave to go back to their hometown to pick up their mother.
"Mom, we're here to take you home."
As soon as the two brothers got off the train, they hugged their mother and the three of them cried bitterly.
"Decheng, Deshuang, my sons!"
Passersby burst into tears when they saw this scene.
There are many cases of mothers and children being separated in this era, and many people still haven't found their parents or children, so it's easy to empathize with these three mother and children.
"Grandma, Grandpa, Second Dad, let's talk about it when we get back!"
Zhang Mengzhi took out a handkerchief and wiped the faces of the three people, and spoke softly.
"Okay. This is Meng Zhi, right? You've grown so big now. When I first saw you, you were very small!"
Zhang Decheng gestured with his hand, making Zhang Mengzhi smile helplessly.
"You must be joking, I was probably born not long ago."
He was only two palms long, but he had just been born. Although he had memories of his past life, he was too young! He spent his days either feeding or sleeping.
"We met again later, but you were a little older then, and you were very well behaved. No matter how we teased you, you didn't cry."
Zhang Decheng only saw Zhang Mengzhi a few times in total, because it was mostly his younger brother Deshuang who went back to his hometown to visit his mother, and he was often unable to leave.
"Yes, I still remember that the old man gave me a bag of candy!"
Zhang Mengzhi has been able to remember things for a long time, so he remembers everything clearly.
"As expected of the only college student in our family, your memory is amazing."
Zhang Decheng did not doubt Zhang Mengzhi's memory at all. After all, in his eyes, Zhang Mengzhi represented intelligence.
"Brother, let's go back to Third Brother's house first. Mom is tired after standing for so long."
Zhang Deshuang stopped his brother who had been talking. He didn't know what was wrong with his brother. He usually talked so much, but when he met Meng Zhi, he suddenly became talkative.
"Hey, look at what I've done. Mengzhi, let's go back and talk. I have a lot to say to you!"
Zhang Decheng liked this college student in their family very much. Not only was he good-looking, but he was also very polite. His appearance was completely different from the style of the Zhang family.
Perhaps due to years of persistence, the Zhang family's love for scholars has reached the point of paranoia.
As soon as I saw the scholar, my favorability rating was maxed out. Zhang Mengzhi was a scholar in their Zhang family, so not only was my favorability rating maxed out, but my filter was also turned up to the highest level.
"good."
Zhang Mengzhi did not refuse. She picked up the luggage of the two elders and put them on the tricycle.
"This tricycle is great. It can accommodate passengers in the back."
Zhang Decheng looked at the modified tricycle with great praise, saying that the rear compartment could protect against wind and rain, and seats were added on both sides for people to sit on.
"Uncle, Second Dad, you take Grandma and sit in the back, I'll ride the bike to take everyone home."
Zhang Mengzhi said while sitting in the front.
"good."
Zhang Decheng did not hesitate. He and his brother helped his mother into the car first, and then they got in and sat down.
"Let's go."
Zhang Mengzhi stepped on the pedals and the tricycle moved smoothly on the road.
"There have been big changes here. It's better than when I came back."
Zhang Decheng looked at his hometown city which he could not recognize at all. Although it could not be compared with the capital, it was much better than an ordinary small county town.
"Brother, you haven't been back for many years, of course you have changed a lot!"
Zhang Deshuang is fine. He just came back last year and the city is still the same as before.
"Yes, I've been away for too long. This is my root!"
Zhang Decheng looked at the houses on both sides of the road. There were very few two-story buildings. However, most of them were brick and tile houses, which looked much better than the mud houses in the countryside.
"By the way, brother, do you want to go back to the countryside?"
Zhang Deshuang asked his brother.
"Yes, now that I'm back, I have to go back to visit my grandparents' graves. I also have to visit my father. He has been taking care of our ancestral graves for us for so many years."
Zhang Decheng nodded. Now that he was back, he would definitely go back to the countryside to take a look.
"My grandparents will definitely be happy to see you, uncle."
Zhang Mengzhi mentioned earlier that the two families are within the fifth degree of mourning, and their relationship is closer than that of other families.
"Before I came back, your Grand Duke specifically told me to go back to the countryside to visit my father. He also brought a lot of nutritional supplements for him."
Zhang Decheng held his mother's hand and started chatting with his cousin.
"Thank the Archduke for me. I'll visit him in the capital when I get a chance."
When Zhang Mengzhi heard Zhang Decheng say this, he knew that General Zhang was willing to get close to his relatives in his hometown. With his attitude, grandparents would live better in the countryside.
Although the Zhang family is united, there are also differences within the family. My grandparents are not the oldest generation in the countryside and are occasionally coerced by their elders.
As we all know, not all elders are reasonable. No matter where you are, there are always some unreasonable people who like to meddle in other people's affairs.
As a clan, the Zhang family naturally has such old people.
Unfortunately, the other party was of a higher generation, and Grandpa Zhang had no choice but to compromise.
"Then I'll tell your Grand Duke when I get back. I don't know how happy he will be then!"
General Zhang has always wanted to meet his nephew, but unfortunately it is difficult for him to come back from the capital, and Zhang Mengzhi also has to study, and he cannot leave his family's shop, so General Zhang has not met Zhang Mengzhi until now.
"Don't worry, sir. I'll do what I say."
He always had to go to the capital to meet General Zhang, not only to maintain their relationship, but also to meet the man who made the Zhang family proud.
As they were talking, the Zhang family arrived.
"Brother, we're here."
Zhang Deshuang jumped out of the car first and helped his mother out.
“It’s here!”
Zhang Decheng looked at the large courtyard and found that his cousin's family was actually living well in the city. Although his brother always complained about it every time he went back, he always felt that it was not comparable to the capital.
But looking at the vegetables in the fields and the spacious house, it was bigger than the house he lived in the capital.
"How is it? Not bad, am I not lying to you?"
Zhang Deshuang looked at his eldest brother and said.
"Well, you didn't lie to me."
Zhang Decheng finally believed it.
"This cucumber is growing well. It's almost blooming."
Zhang Decheng looked at the cucumbers that had already sprouted buds, and knew he would have cucumbers to eat next month.
"Yes, ours wasn't planted too early, but some families' cucumbers are already edible."
Zhang Mengzhi hung the grown cucumber vines back up. The yard seemed a bit crowded because of the vegetables planted and the racks built.
"The tomatoes are all in fruit. I haven't seen tomatoes on the trees in years."
Zhang Decheng was not in a hurry to go into the house, but strolled around the small vegetable garden.
"We've planted eggplant, loofah, and peppers. The peppers are ready to be picked. Let's eat them at noon!"
In order to pick up these two cousins today, Zhang Mengzhi closed the fast food restaurant for a day.
"Okay, I'll pick it."
Zhang Decheng was very interested and decided to pick the peppers himself.
"Xiaoyu, take out the basket for me."
Zhang Mengzhi shouted into the house.
“Here I come.”
Zhang Mengyu was doing her homework when she heard her brother calling her. She ran out of the house immediately. She was the only one at home today. Her father was working overtime and her mother was out at the market.
"Brother, here you go."
As she handed the basket over, she secretly glanced at Zhang Decheng.
"Are you my uncle Decheng?"
Zhang Mengyu asked uncertainly because she had never met Zhang Decheng.
"Yeah, you are Xiaoyu, right?"
This was the first time Zhang Decheng met Zhang Mengyu. Although he had a daughter, she looked like him. She had regular facial features and was not ugly, but she was not beautiful.
It's rare to see such a soft and sweet niece, I couldn't help but tease her.
"Yes, Master Decheng, do you know me?"
Zhang Mengyu pulled her brother's arm and asked curiously.
"I know. Your father praised you to me after he returned to the capital!"
Zhang Decheng bent down and spoke to her, his tone gentler than usual.
"What did De Shuang's father praise me for?"
Zhang Mengzhi blinked her beautiful eyes, looked at Zhang Deshuang and asked the old man.
"Praise you for being beautiful and having good grades."
"Really? Thank you, Deshuang Erba."
When Zhang Mengyu heard the compliment, her eyes curved with smile.
"You're welcome. I'm just telling the truth."
Zhang Deshuang reached out and touched the little girl's head. As elders, it was hard for them not to like this well-behaved cousin.
"I still have to thank you. I love it when Second Dad praises me."
The little girl said smugly.
Second dad is so good at talking. He not only praised her for her good grades, but also praised her for her beauty!
"Okay, stop being so conceited here, go inside and pour tea for the old man and the second master. Wife, go back to the room and have a rest. It's hot now and you must be tired."
Zhang Mengzhi said to Zhou Guilan who was smiling as she looked at her son and niece talking.
"good."
Zhou Guilan did not refuse. She was indeed tired after standing for two hours.
"Big wife, let me help you go back and rest first. Brother, wait for me to come out and pour tea."
When Zhang Mengyu heard that his wife was tired, he immediately helped her back to the house.
"What a sweet little girl. If your sister were this sweet, I would laugh in my dreams."
Zhang Decheng said to his cousin.
"I heard from my second father that my cousin has a straightforward personality, similar to that of a man."
Zhang Mengzhi didn't believe what he said. This was something a father could say. If he really agreed with Zhang Decheng, he would be angry.
"Yes, I raised her as a boy since she was young, but she is just as unconvinced as a man."
Zhang Decheng got a headache whenever he thought about his daughter's temper. Fortunately, his son-in-law had a good temper and didn't argue with her, otherwise he would have been really troubled.
"This is good, so my cousin won't suffer any loss outside."
Rather than raising his daughter to be soft, Zhang Mengzhi hoped that the girl could stand up for herself. His cousin's personality might not be very pleasing to outsiders, but her family didn't have to worry about her being bullied outside.
"My cousin's husband is too busy at work to take care of the family, so it's normal to get some complaints."
It's impossible that when he can't take care of the family, he can't even listen to a few complaints from his cousin, right? My cousin's husband chose the country, and no one can say he was wrong, but it is a fact that he has let his family down.
"You can just say this here. If your Grand Duke hears it, be careful that he criticizes you."
Zhang Deshuang reminded his cousin.
"I would say this even if I was facing the Grand Duke. As long as my cousin doesn't go too far, I will stand on her side."
Zhang Mengzhi has always been caring towards his own girl. He did not stand on the side of his cousin's husband just because he worked for the country.
Working for the country is loyal, there is nothing to say about that. But this does not mean that he can just leave all the family affairs to his cousin, right?
Isn't it normal for my cousin to feel wronged? If it was just one or two times, my cousin wouldn't feel wronged. I think it's because this happens so often that she feels wronged.
"She is the only daughter in the family, so it is inevitable that she is favored a little. After she married her son-in-law, he often did not come home because of work. They had just started a family, and she felt sad. As a father, I cannot let her delay my work no matter how much I feel sorry for her!"
Like General Zhang, Zhang Decheng felt that national affairs should not be delayed due to his children's personal affairs.
The son-in-law doesn't do this for himself, he also does it for the sake of building the country and that's why he often doesn't go home.
"Master, everyone knows the truth, but some things only happen to you, and you have the right to speak as the person involved."
Zhang Mengzhi felt that the elders were always partial to her cousin's husband, which was a big mistake in itself.
"Now my cousin's husband feels guilty and will treat my cousin well. When he gets used to the Zhang family standing on his side, will he still take my cousin seriously? Anyway, the Zhang family will not make decisions for her, so naturally, whatever he says is what it is."
"Brother, we have to think about this carefully. We can't let what Mengzhi said happen to our niece."
Zhang Deshuang broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this, and realized that everyone's attitude towards his nephew's husband was inappropriate.
The family that loves the girl will love her. If they do this for a long time, the situation that Zhang Mengzhi mentioned will easily occur.
"I need to think about this carefully."
Zhang Decheng is not stupid. After all, he was able to sit in his current position and was not pulled down during the civil strife, which shows that he is quite capable. Just because he didn't expect something doesn't mean he really doesn't understand it.
With Zhang Mengzhi's reminder, he would not make the same mistake again.
The son-in-law looks good now, but as my cousin said, people's hearts are hard to predict! Who knows if the son-in-law who is good now will change in the future?
He and his wife raised their daughter like a treasure. If she were bullied, he would not hesitate to die.
Seeing that the two were reflecting on their previous behavior, Zhang Mengzhi ignored them and went to the kitchen to do something first.
"Big brother, second brother."
Mother Zhang came back on a bicycle with vegetables and meat hanging all over it.
"Third sister-in-law, give it to me."
Zhang Deshuang hurried to take the vegetables and meat from her car.
"It's okay, I'm used to it."
Mother Zhang waved her hand and said disapprovingly.
"You've worked hard, sister-in-law. We are not outsiders. Just eat whatever you want."
Zhang Decheng looked at the meat and vegetables in the basket and found that there was even a piece of beef. This was not cheap!
"Brother, it's rare for you to come back, so you should cook something delicious! It's not easy to eat hometown food in the capital, so I must let you eat it when I return to my hometown."
Mother Zhang parked the bicycle under the eaves and took the two brothers into the house.
"Mom, you're back. I just poured the tea."
Zhang Mengyu was holding two cups in her hands and spoke quickly when she saw her mother.
"I won't give it to your uncle and second father."
Mother Zhang said.
"Yes. Uncle, please have some tea."
The little girl handed the teacup in her hand to the two brothers.
"Thank you, Xiaoyu. This is a greeting gift from me."
Zhang Decheng took out a box and wanted to give him a gift since it was their first meeting.
"Thank you, sir."
Zhang Mengyu took it with both hands, opened it and saw that it was a beautiful hairpin.
“So beautiful!”
"Do you like it? Your aunt picked it out. She said that girls nowadays like this kind of hairpin."
Zhang Decheng smiled and said that even though he was a grown man he didn't understand these things, so he had to let his wife prepare them.
"I like it very much, thank you uncle and aunt."
Zhang Mengyu said happily while holding the hairpin.
"As long as you like it."
Seeing that she really liked him, Zhang Decheng finally felt relieved.
"Third sister-in-law, this is a little gift from us, please accept it!"
Zhang Deshuang took out some gifts from his bag and placed them on the table. Their mother had lived in the Zhang family for so long, and he didn't know how much trouble she had caused to this sister-in-law.
"No, no, take the things back. Auntie is our elder, and we should take care of her."
Mother Zhang knew that this was to express gratitude to the Zhang family for taking care of Zhou Guilan, but as she said, the other party was their elder and it was their duty to take care of them.
"You can't say that. My eldest brother and I are the ones who should really take care of my mother. If she wasn't in such poor health that she couldn't ride in a car, how could we dare to leave her in our hometown! Fortunately, my third sister-in-law is here, so we can rest assured!"
There was no way Zhang Deshuang was willing to take the things back, as they were originally prepared for the Zhang family.
And what he said was true. The Zhang family had put a lot of thought into Zhou Guilan's recovery. Not only accommodation, but also food had to be carefully prepared. Even every time she was sent to the hospital for treatment, someone would accompany her to write down the doctor's instructions.
"Sister-in-law, just accept the things! If you don't, De Shuang and I won't be able to see you anymore."
Zhang Decheng advised from the side.
"All right!"
Mother Zhang accepted the gifts with an embarrassed look on her face.
"Mom, where's the food?"
Zhang Mengzhi walked in and came over to get the food when he heard his mother coming back.
“Here it is!”
Zhang Deshuang quickly picked up the vegetables on the ground.
"Thank you, second dad."
Zhang Mengzhi took the dish and went back to the kitchen to busy herself.
He had already prepared the onions, ginger and garlic, and now all he had to do was wash and cut the vegetables.
I cut the vegetables first, then the meat. I saw beef, so I planned to make boiled beef for lunch. It happened that there were bean sprouts in the vegetables that Zhang's mother bought.
In addition, there is also pickled fish, the ingredients are fried by themselves, and the pickled cabbage is also from their own jars.
Like boiled beef and pickled fish, the key is tenderness.
When beef is overcooked, it becomes soft and hard to chew.
The fish meat is not hard to chew, but it tastes dry and tough.
Therefore, these two dishes are very challenging for the chef's skills. If you are not careful, they will be overcooked. Zhang Mengzhi is experienced and first cuts the beef into thin slices and marinates them and sets them aside for later use.
The same goes for fish meat, separate the fish meat from the fish bones. Slice the fish meat and cut the fish bones into several sections.
Add seasoning and white wine to the fish to remove the fishy smell, then add starch and set aside. Fry the fish bones, head and tail in oil until both sides are golden brown and then scoop them up.
Use the remaining oil in the pot to stir-fry the pickled red pepper, ginger, and chopped green onion until fragrant, then add boiling water and bring to a boil. Add the fish head and fish bones and simmer over high heat. Skim off the foam on the surface of the soup, and after the soup in the pot is cooked, shake the fish slices and put them into the pot. Heat oil in another pot, stir-fry the pickled pepper until it is fragrant, then pour it into the soup pot and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. When the fish slices are cooked, add MSG and pour into the soup bowl.
Another way is to pour the pickled fish into a bowl after it is cooked, sprinkle it with chopped green onions and drizzle with hot oil. Both methods are fine, depending on the choice of cooking. However, most people choose the latter.
Zhang Mengzhi did the same, so after taking the fish out of the pot, he poured a spoonful of hot oil on the fish, and a pot of sauerkraut fish was ready.
Then there is boiled beef.
Put the thinly sliced beef in a bowl, add salt, soy sauce, and wet starch and mix well. Put Pixian bean paste and dried chili in a wok and fry until brown, then add pepper, scallion, and bean sprouts and stir-fry until fragrant. Add boiling water and bring to a boil, then put the beef slices in the pot and cook until the meat slices stretch and the surface is shiny. Put it in a bowl and drizzle with chili oil. A pot of fragrant boiled beef is ready.
The ingredients used were very common, but the dish was so fragrant that even the polite Zhang Decheng and Zhang Deshuang could smell it.
The two brothers walked to the door involuntarily and looked towards the kitchen.
"Now I believe that you were not lying when you said Meng Zhi is a good cook."
Zhang Decheng said to his brother.
In response to his elder brother's words, Zhang Deshuang rolled his eyes.
"I wonder if there's braised pork today. I really miss it."
"Yes, I saw some pork belly among the meat my sister-in-law bought."
Zhang Decheng had very good eyesight. If General Zhang had not disagreed, he would have applied for the Air Force that year.
"Yes, of course. Mengzhi knew that my second brother liked to eat it, so when I went shopping for groceries, she told me to buy more pork belly. Mengzhi cooked braised pork for my second brother at noon!"
Mother Zhang said with a smile, while refilling tea for the two of them.
"What about twice-cooked pork?"
In addition to braised pork, twice-cooked pork is also one of the dishes that Zhang Deshuang misses.
"Yes, both."
Mother Zhang nodded and said that these were the dishes that must be served to guests.
"Did you hear that, big brother? You're in for a treat today."
Zhang Deshuang looked at Zhang Decheng proudly.
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