Chapter 2020 Joining the Partnership

I have to say, Qin Yue's hands and feet are quick.

After a while, the stove was cleaned up.

Qin Yue made a beehive coal stove.

Round and black honeycomb coals are placed in the iron cylinder. After burning for a long time, they will turn into grayish white.

The beehive coal stove doesn't light up quickly, but it's very useful for keeping things warm.

With this stove, plus two powerful gas stoves, it is enough.

The stove was ready and Xia Tang had almost finished washing the vegetables.

She asked Qin Yue to do other things while she put on an apron and prepared to cook.

However, Qin Yue said "OK" but took no action. He lingered at the kitchen door for a long time, unwilling to leave.

Xia Tang put on an apron, put her hands on her hips, and looked back at him:

"What are you doing?"

Qin Yue said stickyly:

"See how you cook."

Xia Tang raised an eyebrow:

"Don't trust me?"

Qin Yue said with a chuckle:

"No... I was just wondering... how come you can cook."

After all, before in the village, Xia Tang would be frightened to tears even by lighting a match.

A few kids were roasting chestnuts, and she was always the one sitting and waiting to eat.

How come you can cook now?

Xia Tang chuckled, her eyes soft:

"I didn't know how to do it before, but now I know how to do it."

"Just wait and see."

Qin Yue was finally chased away by her.

She was the only one left in the small kitchen. Xia Tang washed her hands again and started cooking seriously.

She hummed a tuneless song while her hands moved in an orderly manner. As she did so, she felt as if she were back in the little kitchen of her previous life.

That smoky and cramped space is her utopia to escape from reality.

Cut the long and narrow ribs into small pieces, then marinate them with minced garlic, soy sauce, rice wine, honey, salt, etc.

The oval dark green leaves are splashed with cool water, and the refreshing scent instantly becomes richer and fresher;

The process of the tower-shaped gray-black fungi being opened, washed, and shredded layer by layer can make people imagine how rich and mellow the taste is;

There are also piles of red chili peppers, sliced ​​pork belly, juicy spinach and beans...

She just kept her head down and cooked seriously, her movements were busy but orderly.

It seemed as if she was not cooking, but rather making some exquisite handicraft.

All kinds of crispy and delicious dishes gradually take shape in her hands.

As the last dish of stir-fried spinach came out of the pot, I heard a loud noise coming from outside.

After hearing the chaotic sound of doors being pushed open and rustling, Chen Minzhi quickly raised her voice:

"You are... Xia Tang's little lover, right? Where is Xia Tang? Is he in the kitchen?"

Xia Tang pursed her lips and walked out of the kitchen with two dishes in hand:

"Sister Minzhi, you came at the perfect time."

When I went out, I saw Chen Minzhi leading a strange girl standing in the house, with a lot of things in her hands.

Behind her, Gu Yan just walked in from outside.

Xia Tang was a little surprised:

"You're here now, why bring so many things?"

Chen Minzhi smiled:

"Aren't you joining the new house? We just had a free meal, so we have to give you a warm and noisy celebration."

As he spoke, he put everything in his hand on the table.

There were rice buckets, firecrackers, new bowls and plates, rice wine, and two large bunches of freshly picked flowers.

Unlike the always enthusiastic Chen Minzhi, Chen Minyun beside her hardly spoke a word.

She has a long and narrow face and looks very quiet. Perhaps her face is very pale because she rarely goes out.

Seeing her sister talking passionately, she said nothing and just hid behind her sister with half of her face exposed, as if she was observing or avoiding.

When he met Xia Tang's gaze, he just nodded slightly, and then lowered his head again.

Seeing such cautiousness, Xia Tang couldn't help but sigh.

Such a good girl...what a waste of time.

However, Chen Minzhi was quite happy.

She couldn't tell the last time her sister left the house.

This time, she was willing to come out, which was a huge improvement.

With this valuable first step, she can now look forward to the second and third steps.

The meal is ready.

Xia Tang was originally enthusiastically arranging for them to sit at the table, but Chen Minzhi still insisted on setting off firecrackers and performing a small ceremony.

She put about 60% to 70% of rice in a small rice bucket and lit three incense sticks. She even led a few people to worship in a serious manner, saying that it was to bless the new house to be moved into smoothly and everything to be auspicious.

The simple ceremony also represents everyone's simple yet precious wish.

After a while, Gu Yan's wife Liu Qingmei also came.

She works as a teacher in the primary school attached to the herbal medicine factory. She looks very gentle and speaks slowly.

She is not an extroverted person, but she is a good match for Gu Yan.

Finally it was time for dinner and everyone sat together in a lively atmosphere.

Xia Tang didn’t make a lot, but the various styles and colors put together looked very lively.

Chen Minzhi also opened the rice wine she had just brought and poured a small cup for everyone except Chen Minyun who didn't drink.

Sweet and sour red chopped pork, crispy mint fried spareribs, tender green and light stir-fried spinach, tempting fried tofu with mushrooms, slightly salty and delicious dried mushroom fried rice...

Each one has a different aroma, and when put together, it's like a lively and exciting Manchu-Han banquet, which is so tempting to look at.

Chen Minzhi was full of praise and couldn't help but say:

"I knew that the sauce you made was delicious, but I didn't expect that you were such a good cook too!"

Qin Yue couldn't help but ask:

"Was Xia Tang also so good at cooking before?"

Chen Minzhi took a bite of the mushroom and said as she ate:

"Isn't that so?"

"When she first came to the factory, she had to hand over her meal tickets and wages to the Xia family. She was only given a few yuan a month, which was not enough for food. So she bought the cheapest mushrooms, chili peppers, and soybean paste and went to my house to stir-fry them into a sauce, and ate it with steamed buns. The taste... was better than the meat cooked in the cafeteria!"

What she said was normal, but it made others feel sad.

Especially Qin Yue.

He finally understood why Xia Tang cooked such delicious meals, but he felt particularly sad in his heart.

During the time they were apart, he always thought that Xia Tang had gone to live a happy life with his parents.

Even though his parents had passed away, he still believed that life in the city was better than living in the countryside.

But he never expected that her life... was so difficult in a place where he couldn't see her.

Xia Tang seemed to feel nothing.

She smiled warmly and asked others to start eating:

"Then try my fried pork ribs. I think they are as good as those made in our factory guesthouse."

The chef at the medicinal materials factory guesthouse is famous for his delicious cooking.

Even several nearby factories praised the dishes prepared by the herbal medicine factory's guest house.

Xia Tang spoke in such a very arrogant tone.

But when they ate it, they realized that what Xia Tang said was already very polite.

Chen Minzhi picked up a piece of pork ribs and put it into her mouth along with the mint. Her eyes immediately widened:

"Xia Tang, you taste... too good!"

The bones and meat are crispy and the meat is particularly fragrant. The slightly greasy meat flavor is mixed with the unique fragrance of mint. The flavors that are both independent and blended together are really amazing!

Gu Yan and Liu Qingmei also ate a piece each and praised it highly.

Liu Qingmei even smiled and said:

"Xiaotang, you've done such a good job. I won't be able to eat when I go back to the cafeteria on Monday."

Xia Tang also laughed: "It's not that exaggerated."

Chen Minzhi ate two pieces herself and couldn't help but give one to Chen Minyun:

"Try it too, it's really delicious."

However, Chen Minyun did not move.

Although he didn't move, his chin slightly raised towards his bowl.

Chen Minzhi seemed to be used to it. While eating, she arranged for the others to drink rice wine.

The rice wine was sent by her relatives from the countryside. The wine was a little whitish in color, and the sticky wine had a faint rice aroma. The alcohol content was not high, but it could easily make people drunk if they drank too much.

Several people were having a lively time eating and drinking.

In the bustling corner, no one noticed that Chen Minyun raised his arm, quietly placed his hand on the chopsticks, picked them up, and slowly picked up the piece of mint spareribs.

*

Xia Dashan was walking out of the factory.

The sun is shining brightly overhead.

The flame in his heart was burning like the sun, growing brighter and brighter.

He just went to the factory, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find Xia Tang.

He originally thought that Xia Tang must have been sleeping alone in the workshop these days.

Otherwise, she would be homeless and without any other relatives to turn to, so where else could she live except in the factory?

However, the shift worker told him that Xia Tang did not live in the workshop at all.

"I don't know where she lives."

"All I know is that she goes to and from get off work with the repairman from the machinery factory every day."

"Old Xia, aren't you her uncle? You don't even know this?"

The person who was speaking had a playful smile on his face.

The teasing on his face made him particularly annoyed.

Xia Dashan really didn't know.

If he knew about this the last time they met, he would have broken Xia Tang's legs.

A pure and innocent young girl is dating a man before getting married.

According to what those people said, she must have slept with that guy!

So shameless! There is no such shameless girl in his Xia family!

He was burning with anger.

It seemed that he had finally found Xia Tang's fault and was about to immediately use his authority as an uncle to teach Xia Tang a lesson.

But he didn't want to think about it.

When Xia Tang was homeless, where was his uncle?

It was even because of them that Xia Tang had no home to return to!

Xia Dashan walked in a hurry, and sweat even broke out on his face because he walked so fast.

Xia Tang's co-workers said that they heard from Chen Minzhi that another room was allocated to Xia Tang in the factory.

Just down the back street.

What else are you talking about? You’re moving into a new house today?

He even asked why he, the eldest uncle, was not invited to participate?

The more Xia Dashan listened, the angrier he became, and the fire in his heart burned more and more fiercely.

He walked quickly like this, and his pace became faster and faster, until even the flesh on his face could not help but tremble.

Shameless little whore, he must teach her a lesson!

Let's settle the accounts with her about everything including the yard!

If she is not educated, she really won't know who is in charge of the Xia family!