She took the bowl aside, rinsed it clean, and then went to put it away. Zhao Qingyun kept holding her, and Xu Lai couldn't help but say, "Let go first, I need to put the bowl away."
He let go of her, and after Xu Lai finished her work, he hugged her again, pressed her against the cupboard, and kissed her lips.
After a brief kiss, he kissed her lips and said, "I'll go back and wash up first, then I'll come back."
He returned to his home, which was pitch black and covered in a layer of dust because no one had lived there for several days.
He didn't have time to clean up; he simply carried his luggage upstairs to his room.
After taking a shower, he even styled his hair before going next door.
Xu Lai had just finished showering when there was a knock on the door. Her heart trembled, and she went to open the door. Their eyes met, and Zhao Qingyun closed the door, picked her up, and threw her onto the bed.
Xu Lai felt a sense of weightlessness, then his hot body leaned in, and the two kissed.
The two hadn't seen each other for a few days, and tonight was particularly unusual. Xu Lai was pinching him so hard she was leaving marks, but he still wouldn't let up.
Two hours later, she finally fell asleep comfortably in bed. Zhao Qingyun hugged her and also fell asleep.
He didn't have to go to work the next day. He had taken a week off and came back early this time, so he still had one day of vacation left.
After Xu Lai woke up, she also started to settle scores with him, "Who was that guy who called you 'brother' that day?"
Zhao Qingyun didn't expect her to remember this. After returning home that day, he was called over for drinks by Zhao Duo, so he didn't explain to her and later forgot about it because he was busy.
He explained, "She is the granddaughter of my grandfather's nanny. Her mother had been trying to get her involved with me, which I found very annoying, so I used that as an excuse to hide in Heng County."
Xu Lai said "Oh," and then added, "So, taking care of Grandma Jiang is just one of the reasons."
Zhao Qingyun nodded: "I guess so."
He thought for a moment and then said, "Are you coming home with me for Chinese New Year this year?"
Xu Lai paused for a moment, then didn't give him a direct answer, "We'll talk about it later."
She had planned to go up the mountain to dig for bamboo shoots today, but she was too tired last night and didn't want to move, so she gave up the plan.
Zhao Qingyun took on the task of cooking, so when his grandmother saw him wearing an apron and wielding a spatula in the kitchen, she was a little confused. She even thought she had gone into the wrong kitchen.
But when she saw the corner of the wall near the kitchen stove, which was pitch black, she knew there was no mistake. It was where Xu Lai had accidentally dropped firewood when she was a child, setting the entire wall on fire.
Zhao Qingyun prepared three dishes and a soup. Xu Lai took a bite and, to be honest, the taste was a bit worse than hers, but it was already better than a lot of other people's.
Grandpa and Grandma found it novel and took a bite themselves, offering symbolic encouragement. Zhao Qingyun, still wearing her apron, felt reassured after receiving their affirmation and picked up her bowl to eat.
A day later, she carried a hoe up the mountain, with Xia Ning following behind to take pictures.
Xu Lai had finally managed to get Xia Ning to come out, but now it's much harder to get her to come. She has to work on weekdays and rest on weekends. It took a lot of persuasion to finally get her to agree today.
It's even colder on the mountain in winter; every breath you exhale turns into mist immediately.
Based on her previous experience digging bamboo shoots with her grandfather, Xu Lai first looked for bulging mounds, and second, she observed which way the tips of the leaves drooped.
She first looked for a bulge, and sure enough, there was something there. It took her ten minutes to dig out the bamboo shoot completely intact.
Xu Lai felt sweating profusely and was just about to look for the next place when she heard Xia Ning say, "Lai Lai, isn't there one over here too? It looks like it."
Xu Lai turned to check, "It really is, they're twins."
She dug up the soil next to her and pulled out the bamboo shoots. Unexpectedly, there were more bamboo shoots next to each other. In the end, she dug out a total of four bamboo shoots from this clump.
She was satisfied and continued searching for the next place. Xia Ning, who was filming later, also wanted to try the hoe. She had to admit that the moment she dug out the bamboo shoot was really satisfying.
The two spent the morning in the woods, digging a full basket of bamboo shoots. It was still early, and many villagers hadn't gone up the mountain to dig for bamboo shoots yet. They were among the first to do so, so the bamboo shoots were big and of good quality.
Xu Lai gave a bag to Xia Ning, keeping some for herself. She peeled the bamboo shoots, cut them into pieces, and planned to make a stew.
She took a piece of cured pork, which was the last piece in the house. She would go to the market to buy meat another day and make her own cured pork and sausages.
Cut the cured pork into small pieces and soak it in water for ten minutes. Put the winter bamboo shoots in cold water and bring to a boil to remove their astringent taste.
Cut fresh pork ribs into pieces, put them in a pot of cold water along with cured pork, bring to a boil, skim off the foam, and remove them for later use.
Heat oil in a pot, sauté scallions and ginger slices until fragrant, add pork ribs and salted pork and stir-fry briefly, then pour in a splash of Shaoxing wine.
Then pour in boiling water, simmer for ten minutes, remove the scallions and ginger slices, and put the cured meat and bamboo shoots into the casserole. Simmer over low heat for one hour.
Finally, add the bean curd knots and cook for another five minutes, then it's ready to serve.
The aroma filled the entire kitchen as soon as the dish was served. Xu Lai took a bite and found the flavor to be just right. Since the cured pork itself was already salty, she didn't add any extra salt.
Zhao Qingyun wasn't home, so he couldn't enjoy it. She saved some for him to drink when he got home from get off work in the afternoon.
Grandma took a sip of the soup and said, "It's delicious. Seasonal ingredients always make things taste so fresh."
Xu Lai also chopped some kimchi and put it in a small dish. When you get tired of eating, just take a piece of kimchi, which is very refreshing.
Looking at the kimchi, she suddenly had a craving for spicy chicken noodles, but she didn't have any at home, and she was too lazy to cook.
Xu Lai sent Zhao Qingyun a message, "Bring me a few packs of spicy instant noodles when you get off work."
Zhao Qingyun replied with an OK, and went to the convenience store as soon as it was time to leave work.
He took three packs, and seeing other types of instant noodles nearby, he took one of each.
The cashier looked at him, dressed in a suit and tie, and buying so much instant noodles, and thought to herself, "You really can't judge a book by its cover."
When he got home, he carried a large bag inside, and Xu Lai subconsciously asked, "Did you go to buy supplies?"
Zhao Qingyun shook her head: "I just took a bag of each, so you can choose whichever you like next time you're craving something sweet."
Xu Lai opened the bag and took out a packet of cream cheese turkey noodles; she decided to have this for dinner.
Since her grandparents couldn't eat instant noodles with her, she cooked two dishes to go with the leftovers from lunch, which was just right.
She heated up the soup and brought it to Zhao Qingyun. "I saved this for you. It was cooked at noon, but it's a pity you're not here. It will definitely taste worse if I eat it now."
Zhao Qingyun took a sip. "No, it's still very delicious."
He took a few sips and then went to cook noodles for her. Xu Lai watched his retreating figure, a smile playing on her lips.
Zhao Qingyun also fried an egg for her and brought it over. Xu Lai picked up a piece of kimchi and paired it with the spicy chicken noodles. "Delicious."
She placed a piece of food on his plate. "Would you like to try some?"
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