Chapter 83 I Want to Go to University



The store still has a wooden door. With the help of Aunt Cao, Lin Minjun closed the last board with a snap, and the two of them walked towards the tricycle.

When Lin Minjun stepped on the tricycle and rode slowly forward, she saw Erwa running towards his brother and jumping onto the back seat of the bicycle.

Erwa caught up with his brother, jumped onto the bicycle while he wasn't paying attention, and grabbed the seat with his hands.

"If you want to get on the bus, just call me and I will stop. Don't jump on." Yan Li said in a deep voice.

Erwa stuck out his tongue and suddenly said, "Brother, I know who you like."

Yan Li paused for a moment.

"You like my sister, don't you?" Erwa tilted his head, looking like I had guessed it long ago.

The handlebars of the bicycle suddenly tilted and the bike almost fell down. Fortunately, Yan immediately supported himself with his legs. His legs were long, and he could hold on to places that Erwa could not reach, so he supported himself and the bike stood steadily.

Erwa was startled at first, but when he saw that the bicycle was not overturned, he immediately asked, "Is it? Is it my sister?"

He smiled slyly: "I saw it all just now. When my sister was talking to Director Su, you kept looking at my sister."

Erwa put his face on his brother's back and laughed dully.

In fact, he had always been very afraid that Lin Minjun would find a partner and get married. After all, after marriage, Lin Minjun would definitely not be able to live in the big compound anymore.

Erwa was worried about his sister getting married. What if she got bullied outside? What if someone plotted against her? She was so sincere. If someone treated her well, she would be twice as nice to them. Erwa was always worried that his sister would be bullied outside. He was even more worried that if his sister was really bullied, he would not be able to help her out because he was not yet an adult.

A long time ago, Erwa even thought that it would be better if his sister did not get married. He did not want to get married either. The two siblings could depend on each other and his sister would not have to be bullied.

But after thinking about it carefully, Erwa felt that this idea was wrong. His sister was so good, how lonely would she be if she lived alone all her life? Moreover, he didn't know whether his sister really wanted to get married. Later, when he saw Luo Lin, Erwa was sure that his sister probably still wanted to get married.

Since his brother liked his sister and his sister also wanted to get married, Erwa's mind quickly turned to, why can't he help push it? The two of them can try to get in touch, what if? What if they fall in love with each other? Wouldn't he have found a brother and a sister, and they would truly become a family?

As soon as he thought of this possibility, Erwa's mouth was about to be crooked with laughter. He stretched out his finger and poked his brother's back, whispering: "Brother, my sister and that Luo Lin have completely broken up. It's impossible. You still have hope. Do you want me to give you some advice and think of a way to pursue my sister?"

He thought for a moment and said, "Brother Zhou Ran told me before that girls need to be pursued. I'll ask him later. He will surely come up with a good solution. You have to think of a way yourself too. You can't just rely on others to find a partner."

Erwa was chattering in the back, constantly coming up with ideas.

"Stop talking." Yan Li suddenly interrupted.

Erwa: "What's wrong, brother? Don't you want to pursue my sister? Don't you want to be with my sister?"

How could I not want to?

But Yan Li felt that this probably wouldn't work.

When he just came back, in order to express his gratitude, he always called Lin Minjun his sister, and to avoid suspicion, he still calls her Xiao Lin.

He put himself in the position of an older brother, and Xiaolin also believed from the bottom of her heart that he was the older brother and she was the younger sister, and the two treated each other like brother and sister.

What would Xiaolin think if I suddenly changed my mind and said I wanted to pursue her? She would definitely be shocked.

Yan Li thought she would be frightened, so he decided to just watch from a distance.

She thinks that she is a brother, so she should be a brother for life, protect her and solve all problems for her.

But Erwa also knows about this, and he might let it slip.

As a public security officer who had also been on the battlefield, Yan Li actually knew many ways to make a child shut up, but in a hurry he used the dumbest one.

Yan Li turned around and looked at his brother, saying calmly, "Shut up and don't tell anyone."

Erwa glanced at his brother's clenched fists and the faintly visible blue veins on his arms, and realized that he was not as calm as he looked.

"No, I absolutely won't tell you." Erwa stretched out his hand and pulled on his mouth, indicating that he had already sewed his mouth shut.

He will never say anything, he will only take action!

Last time, Director Su came over specifically to invite Lin Minjun to cook for him, and the reward was more than 180 yuan. Lin Minjun took it to heart.

At the appointed time, Lin Minjun went to the place agreed with Director Su, and was taken by Director Su to the family who was going to treat guests.

It was a military compound, and when entering, you were checked again and again, and only after your identity was confirmed to be correct could you enter. Lin Minjun was secretly nervous during the check, fearing that she would be refused entry because she was from Yunnan and did not have a formal job.

Fortunately, this was not the focus of the investigation. After the investigation, someone still needed to provide a guarantor. Lin Minjun followed Director Su and waited at the gate for a while before a guarantor arrived.

After leaving the guardhouse, they walked into the courtyard. Director Su pointed to the middle-aged woman beside him and introduced her: "This is the daughter-in-law of the old man who is celebrating his birthday today. You can just call her Teacher Shen."

Before coming here, Lin Minjun had already roughly understood that the birthday master's surname was Zhang, and he was the leader of the army, and was also the host of today's dinner. Now when she met the master's daughter-in-law, she greeted him and said, "Hello, Teacher Shen."

"You must be Xiao Lin, right? I didn't expect you to be so young." Teacher Shen was also very easy to talk to, but he gave Lin Minjun a look of surprise.

Lin Minjun pursed her lips, smiled and said nothing, her hands clenched tightly.

I walked all the way from the guard room to the family building, and after going upstairs I greeted the old man and the old lady. The old man was reading a newspaper with his reading glasses.

After greeting everyone one by one, Lin Minjun was no longer nervous. Before coming, she was worried that this family would be difficult to talk to and would treat her like a servant. After coming, she was sure that this family was very polite. Their attitude towards her was not like that towards a helper or maid, but just a normal attitude towards a craftsman. This was very good.

Lin Minjun suddenly relaxed a lot and felt much more comfortable.

The business banquet was scheduled for the evening. It was a little after one in the afternoon, just the right time to prepare a table of dishes. Lin Minjun first found Teacher Shen and reported the menu she was going to make.

After reporting, she asked, "Teacher Shen, do your guests have any dietary restrictions? For example, they don't like to eat watercress, or they can't eat spicy food?"

Teacher Shen was a little surprised: "You still have to be so particular?"

"It's not that particular. Everyone has their own preferences." Lin Minjun said after careful consideration: "I was thinking that since it's the old man's birthday, everyone should come to celebrate happily and have a happy meal. It would be best if everyone is taken care of. So if there is something you can't eat or don't want to eat, please tell me in advance and I can make adjustments now."

The old man heard this, put down the newspaper, and spoke with full energy: "There is no need to avoid any food. These dishes are all fine. I just want more dishes without chili peppers. Old Wu has a bad stomach and can't eat spicy food."

"Okay, it's boring to just eat the vegetables, I'll make some soup." Lin Minjun nodded.

The old man praised her with admiration, "You are so thoughtful, Xiao Shen. You found a good person this time."

Teacher Shen took Lin Minjun's hand and patted it in a friendly manner, then nodded with a smile: "No, it was Xiao Su who recommended her. She made a good choice."

Director Su was also standing nearby, laughing.

Teacher Shen: "Then I'll go find someone to buy some vegetables now, and I can start cooking right after I get them back."

The people that Teacher Shen found were very efficient. Not long after Lin Minjun's menu was announced, basket after basket of vegetables were delivered. They were all the freshest ones. There was a bucket of yellow croakers still bubbling in the water.

Lin Minjun went into the kitchen to cook. She moved her knife and made clattering sounds on the chopping board. Soon the cut ingredients were turned into food and put on a plate and taken out of the pot.

The meals were served by Teacher Shen, while Lin Minjun was only responsible for cooking in the kitchen. After the last dish was served, she became nervous belatedly, wondering how the guests would like the taste.

She began to tidy up and clean the kitchen, while listening to the noise outside.

About thirty or forty minutes later, the guests finished their meal and started chatting, and Lin Minjun listened even more attentively.

The sounds from outside came in.

"The food today is really good, with the flavor of Yunnan. Even though it may not look as exquisite as other restaurants, the taste is first-rate," said a customer.

Another person also said: "Indeed, when we were in the cadre school, we had a good relationship with our fellow villagers. We even visited their homes. The food we ate at that time tasted like this. I really miss it. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. We are all old now."

"It's not that we're old. Many years have passed and we've all grown into young adults and become what we are now."

In fact, as people get older, their sense of taste deteriorates, and what they miss may not be the delicious taste of their youth, but the time they spent together while eating that meal when they were young. Today, the meal made by Lin Minjun reminded them of their youth, and naturally they had many feelings.

It sounded like the guests who came today all had unanimous positive comments about the food. The sounds of laughter and chatter outside never stopped. Lin Minjun pressed his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, another guest said, "You must not have cooked the meal today yourself. You must have hired a chef from outside. Which hotel is he from? I have never heard of any chef from a hotel on the street who can cook such authentic Yunnan cuisine."

Teacher Shen smiled and pointed at Director Su: "It's not me who invited you today, it's the chef that Xiao Su invited."

Someone immediately asked, "Which hotel is this from?"

Director Su: "She is the owner of a rice noodle shop. I just happen to know her. She is a genuine Yunnan girl and her cooking skills are authentic."

She knew that Lin Minjun was interested in continuing this business and wanted to continue to help others cook and organize banquets in the future, so she kept praising her as if she was free.

But Director Su had already praised Lin Minjun to such an extreme that when people heard that she was just a chef at a rice noodle shop, they couldn't help but look down on her: "Rice noodle shop..."

The man drew out his words and stopped talking, nor did he say he would treat me next time.

Someone asked excitedly: "Where is this rice noodle shop? I'll go and try it when I have time."

Director Su took a piece of paper and wrote down the address of the store.

At this time, Lin Minjun did not understand what it meant to "a great dinner" but she had eyes and ears, and she found that everyone was enjoying the meal very much. At the end, some people were singing and some were tapping on the table to keep the beat.

Some people also mentioned the delicious food they had eaten in Yunnan.

"Ham, stuffed tofu, bait, bean powder... I haven't eaten these things for many years. I don't know if I will have the chance to go to Yunnan again in this lifetime to taste them."

Mr. Zhang sighed, "I still like stuffed tofu and ham the most. When we celebrated the New Year there, the villagers invited us to have New Year's Eve dinner together. There was ham stewed chicken on the table, and wild mushrooms picked from the mountains were also put in it. The taste was the most delicious in the world. It's a pity that I have never tasted it again."

"Dad, when you feel better, our whole family will go with you to eat again." Teacher Shen said quickly.

Old Master Zhang smiled, sighed and said nothing. When he was young, he ran around everywhere, but as he got older, his body was full of problems. He knew that he would no longer have the energy to travel far.

Lin Minjun heard it and kept it in mind.

After everyone finished eating, they said goodbye one by one. When they all left, Teacher Shen walked into the kitchen and said, "Xiao Lin, thank you so much today. I can't remember how long my dad hasn't been so happy. He also said that you are thoughtful and meticulous. All the dishes are tender and tasty. Although the presentation is sacrificed a bit, the older ones with bad teeth can still eat them. He asked me to say thank you on his behalf. Thank you."

As she spoke, she took out a small paper bag wrapped in red paper. It was bulging with money.

Lin Minjun had just finished cleaning the kitchen. Her hands were still wet. She wiped them on her apron helplessly and said, "It's okay."

Teacher Shen handed over the red paper and said, "This is the reward we agreed on at the beginning. I added a little more as a good start. Thank you for helping me cook today. You took the trouble."

He was really polite and his smile was really happy. Lin Minjun thought of what the old man had just said about wanting to eat ham. After a moment's hesitation, she finally overcame her shyness and looked up at Teacher Shen and said, "Teacher Shen, I just heard the old man say that he wanted to eat the specialties of Yunnan. Let's not talk about other things. I have a way to get that ham. I can buy it for you. I guarantee it's the most authentic. I don't need you to pay me anything. Just consider it a good deed and let the old man fulfill his wish."

"Really? Can you really buy it?" Teacher Shen immediately shook Lin Minjun's hand: "How much is one leg?"

Lin Minjun said honestly: "I don't know yet. I have to call back and ask. It shouldn't be cheap. Making ham requires a whole pig leg, which is not cheap in itself, plus there is the shipping cost."

"I want one no matter how much it costs. I've thought of it, and now we have such an opportunity. We must find a way to satisfy you." Teacher Shen said generously: "Just contact me, no matter how much it costs, even if you want to pay more. If not, I have to give you a little more red envelope. This is really troublesome."

"No need." Lin Minjun thought about it and said, "You really don't have to pay me, but if you really want to thank me, next time you encounter this kind of cooking, if anyone wants to eat Yunnan-style food, just think of me, okay?"

"Why not? Of course you can." Teacher Shen liked Lin Minjun even more.

She is a straightforward person and likes to associate with open and honest people. If Lin Minjun accepted money today or made other requests secretly, she would feel that this person is not to her liking and would not associate with her again.

But Lin Minjun said it so frankly, and Teacher Shen was happy instead. "Don't worry, if there is such a thing in the future, I will tell you first if I know anything about it."

She looked at her kitchen and said in surprise, "No, that's not right. I only invited you to come over to cook. How come you cleaned up the kitchen? It's so clean. Who can tell that you just cooked?"

“It’s something that’s easy to do. I like to clean up while cooking. If the kitchen is a mess after cooking, I still have to spend time cleaning it up, so I just do it when I can.” Lin Minjun said with a smile.

Teacher Shen: "No, you are too polite. Is this basket filled with leftover ingredients?"

"Yes, there's some beef in it, some shrimp, and vegetables. I put them all together."

The next second, Teacher Shen put the basket into Lin Minjun's hands and said, "My cooking is not good, so it's a waste to give these to me. You can take them back and eat them."

Lin Minjun tried to refuse several times but couldn't get away with it. Seeing that Teacher Shen was about to get angry, she had no choice but to accept it. She said helplessly, "Then I'll help you contact them as soon as possible and try to get the ham delivered as soon as possible."

"That's great!" Teacher Shen saw Lin Minjun out the door and said, "Someone will come to celebrate your birthday soon, so I won't see you off. You can go out directly after you reach the guard room. Don't be afraid."

Lin Minjun carried the basket and walked out of the compound. When she was about to take the bus home, she suddenly saw a person on the side of the road who looked strangely familiar.

The man turned around, and Lin Minjun called out, "Director Su."

Director Su hadn't left yet, and it was obvious that he was waiting for me.

Seeing Lin Minjun coming out, Director Su came over pushing his bicycle. He smiled before he even got close to her. "It seems like you and Teacher Shen really get along well. She even let you take these back."

"She's being polite." Lin Minjun said embarrassedly.

Director Su pushed his bicycle out and motioned Lin Minjun to follow him. "Don't be modest, Xiao Lin. I find that you are too modest, or you are not confident. You don't know how well you have done. You did a great job today. It is because you did a good job that people are so polite to you."

"Isn't it good to be humble?" Lin Minjun followed behind.

She was a little confused. When she was a child, she grew up in the countryside. The villagers praised her for her delicious cooking and efficient work. She had accepted the compliments without humility. However, her uncle's family said that girls should not be like this. Girls should be humble and not be complacent.

Director Su said helplessly, "You are too humble. You are good, and others' compliments to you are sincere. Why can't you accept it? You are just that kind of person."

Lin Minjun was stunned for a few seconds and continued walking forward.

After walking for a while, we were about to reach a fork in the road. Director Su turned around and said, "Xiao Lin, I will no longer work in the hospital. I have transferred to another position. Now I am working in the Merchants Bank. If you have any questions, you can come to me."

Lin Minjun was a little curious, "Aren't you a doctor? How can you transfer to another position?"

"Who told you I'm a doctor?" Director Su was also surprised: "I'm in charge of personnel, a clerical job. I was also a clerical job at China Merchants Group. It's almost the same."

"China Merchants Bank." Lin Minjun repeated, "What is this place for?"

Director Su explained in detail: "Hasn't our country now been reformed and opened up? We have also opened up to the outside world. We need to attract foreign capital to invest and build factories here. Then we can buy the things they produce. Things that we couldn't buy before will be available in the future, and they will be cheaper. If they come here to build factories, won't they also have to recruit workers? We can provide more jobs. In short, this is a place to deal with foreign businessmen."

Lin Minjun vaguely understood that there was a period of time in his previous life when Lu Deping only talked about foreign businessmen but kept silent about foreign investment.

Director Su sighed, "This is a lateral transfer. I could have gotten a better position, but I didn't have enough academic qualifications, so I was rejected. I suffered a great loss in academic qualifications."

When Lin Minjun heard this, her eyes suddenly lit up.

Director Su: "What's wrong? Do you have something to say to me?"

"There is one thing." Lin Minjun was quite embarrassed. "Actually, I have always wanted to go to school, but I couldn't find a way. I am grown up now, and the school will definitely not accept me."

"You want to go to school? That's a good thing. Why are you embarrassed?" Director Su looked at his watch and saw that it was still early. He simply pushed his bike to the side of the road and asked Lin Minjun carefully, "Tell me more about your plan."

Lin Minjun's face was like a ripe peach, blushing slowly, "I want to go to college."

The author has something to say:

The Transformation of Illiterate Ajun


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