After finishing his meal, Zhao Qingyun looked at the untouched plate of mulberries on the table and felt a little depressed. He didn't know what was wrong with him; he had thought the person who saw them would be her, but it turned out he was overthinking it.
Grandma Jiang subtly hinted to him, "Qingyun, wash these mulberries. I want to eat them. This plate should also be returned to Xiaolai. She's already brought several over."
Zhao Qingyun's gloom vanished. He took the mulberries to the kitchen, soaked them in salt water, and then tidied up the bowls and plates that Xu Lai had brought earlier, taking them to the other side of the table.
He pretended to knock on the gate to the yard, then went inside. He only saw Grandma Xu watching TV; Xu Lai was not in the living room.
When Grandma Xu saw him coming, she asked with some surprise, "Xiao Zhao, is there something you need?"
Zhao Qingyun greeted Grandma, then placed the plate on the table and said, "I washed all the plates and bowls that Xu Lai brought over before, and I'm returning them now."
Grandma Xu said politely, "I'm sorry to trouble you to make this trip."
Zhao Qingyun waited for a while, but still no one came, so she decided to say goodbye: "It's getting late, so I'll head back now."
Grandma Xu stood up and saw him to the door. As soon as Zhao Qingyun returned home, Xu Lai asked from the stairwell, "Grandma, who came just now?"
Grandma Xu picked up the remote and changed the channel, saying, "Little Zhao from next door is bringing over a bowl."
Xu Lai said "Oh". She had just finished taking a shower. The old house wasn't very soundproof, and she had heard people talking downstairs while she was showering. She wondered who would come over so late.
Zhao Qingyun returned to his room, unbuttoned two buttons on his shirt, and was about to go wash up when he received a message that the other company was not satisfied with the proposal, so he organized an online meeting for his employees.
It was already 10:30 when it was finally over. The height of the chair and the table in the room were not quite right, and sitting for a long time caused his back pain to flare up again.
He opened the balcony door, intending to have a smoke before washing up. He flicked the lighter, creating a flame, and the cigarette ignited the next second.
There was a noise coming from the balcony door next door. The next second, Xu Lai came out of her room. Seeing that he was there, she greeted him, "Hi, you're still awake?"
Zhao Qingyun leaned against the railing and nodded to her in response.
He watched Xu Lai quietly as she watered her flowers with a small watering can. The gardenia buds were multiplying and would soon bloom.
Because it was evening, Xu Lai's hair was loose and draped over her shoulders. Zhao Qingyun glanced at it and estimated it reached her waist. Her hair was very well-maintained, making one want to touch it.
Before he knew it, the cigarette had burned down to his fingers. Xu Lai quickly reminded him, "Your cigarette is almost finished burning. Be careful with your hands."
He snapped out of his reverie, stubbed out his cigarette, and seeing Xu Lai about to return to her room, Zhao Qingyun coughed lightly and said, "Let's exchange contact information. We can look out for each other if anything happens."
Xu Lai looked puzzled, then suddenly realized that the two of them hadn't added each other as friends. Because they lived close by and saw each other every day, Xu Lai had forgotten about it.
She took out her phone and asked, "Should I scan your QR code?"
Zhao Qingyun handed her the QR code. Xu Lai scanned it, clicked "Apply," and then said, "Okay, please approve it. I'm going back to sleep."
Zhao Qingyun looked at the friend requests on WeChat and a smile appeared on her lips.
Xu Lai woke up early in the morning to find her parents already in the car, ready to leave. She couldn't say anything sentimental, and just watched silently.
After they left, Xu Lai hopped on her electric scooter and prepared to go to the market to buy groceries.
Her main purpose was to buy rock sugar and white wine to make mulberry wine.
Having been home for so long, and having cooked almost all the dishes she needed to, she really didn't know what groceries to buy to take home.
Passing by a beef stall, she saw that the beef looked good and went up to say, "Boss, give me two pounds of beef brisket."
Back home, Xu Lai took out the jar she had washed the day before, and then, according to the ratio, put in a layer of rock sugar, a layer of mulberries, and then poured in white wine. After sealing it, it would be ready to drink in two months.
After finishing these tasks, she called Xu Yan to go to the field to find Qingming grass. He was going back to school tomorrow, and Xu Lai wanted to make more Qingming dumplings so that he could bring some to his classmates to try.
This morning there was a light drizzle, which wet the ground. After spending half an hour in the field, my clothes were covered in moisture.
This time, she made a new flavor of qingtuan filling: bamboo shoot and cured pork filling. She used the bamboo shoots she picked last time and paired them with cured pork from home. Even without making qingtuan, it's enough to eat two extra bowls of rice on its own.
Xu Lai cooked a lot and even filled a jar for Xu Yan, instructing him, "This must be eaten within two days. Don't eat it if it spoils."
For dinner, she made braised beef brisket with tomatoes. Xu Lai had developed a habit of automatically explaining things whenever she cooked. She subconsciously said, "Blanch the beef brisket, wash it with warm water, and make sure it's warm water. If you rinse it with tap water, the meat will become tough."
Xu Yan leaned against the kitchen doorway and saw his sister muttering to herself. He asked, "Sis, what are you muttering about?"
Xu Lai realized that she had unconsciously started talking again. She smiled awkwardly and explained, "I'm used to filming videos, so I can't help but talk."
She simply took out her phone, set it up, and prepared to record a video. "Next, put rock sugar in the pot and stir-fry the beef brisket until it caramelizes. Then add star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and dried chili peppers, and add an appropriate amount of boiling water. When the beef brisket is almost cooked, add tomatoes and potatoes and stir-fry evenly. When the potatoes are stewed until soft and mushy, it's ready to serve."
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