Xu Lai returned home, took a nap with the air conditioning on as usual, and when she woke up in the afternoon, the sun was still quite strong, so she put on a hat and sun protection sleeves, took a sickle and went to the cornfield.
Grandpa had already cut most of them early in the morning, and there was still a small portion left. She put down the kettle and bent down to cut the corn stalks.
The corn stalks were already very dry. They fell down as soon as the sickle was cut. The roots of the corn stalks were still edible. She took one, peeled off the leaves and skin, and took a bite. It wasn't as sweet as sugarcane, but it still had a hint of sweetness.
In no time, all the corn stalks were cut down, leaving only the roots in the soil. She took a hoe, dug out the roots, and turned over the soil again. This plot of land could be used to plant other crops later.
After finishing these tasks, the sun had just set, and she estimated it was almost five o'clock. However, the cucumber seedlings had not yet been planted. Fortunately, there were some bamboo stalks left over from before, so Xu Lai picked up a bunch and headed towards the cucumber patch.
Insert the pole into the soil next to it, tie the cucumber vine with straw, and it will climb up on its own once it feels the support.
Seeing that the leaves were wilting, she used a water ladle to scoop water from the field and watered each seedling several times until it was thoroughly soaked.
After finishing all that, she carried a hoe and a sickle home. When she got close to the gate, Zhao Qingyun's car was already parked in front of her house. Xu Lai walked around the car and saw him standing with Qin Huan.
Qin Huan held a plate of pastries in her hand. She didn't look at what kind of pastries they were; she just glanced at them between the two of them before looking away.
Zhao Qingyun didn't even let Qin Huan into the house, and said directly at the door, "I appreciate your kindness, but I can't accept this."
Holding the plate, Qin Huan said, "This is a mung bean cake I made myself. Try it. I added condensed milk and milk. It tastes great."
Zhao Qingyun frowned: "I don't like sweets."
Qin Huan persisted, "What about Grandma? She should like it."
Zhao Qingyun reached out to stop her, saying, "She can't eat sweets, she has diabetes. Also, please call her Grandma Jiang."
Having been rejected so many times, Qin Huan bit her lip, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I understand, I'm sorry."
Zhao Qingyun finally reminded her: "You've come to the village, so you'll probably stay for about a year. I hope you'll do practical work and focus your mind on the people."
He turned and went inside, loosening his tie as he went. What was going on? He was really annoyed.
The old lady listened to the whole story from inside the house. When she saw him come in, she said, "I'm afraid he's trying to be like Xiao Lai, first winning over your stomach, and then pleasing your heart."
Zhao Qingyun corrected her: "Grandma, Xu Lai has never thought that way. I've always liked her. Don't say that."
Grandma Jiang wasn't angry when he said that. "I was talking about Secretary Qin's behavior. He wanted to learn from others. If Xiao Lai didn't often bring me food, how would you have so many opportunities to see her?"
Zhao Qingyun said directly, "Anyway, don't accept anything she sends over in the future."
Xu Lai leaned the hoe against the wall, put the sickle back in its place, took off her sleeves and mask, wet them with water and soap, scrubbed them clean, and then hung them out to dry.
She washed her face, dried it, tied her hair back up, and then went to cook.
For dinner, she ate hand-pulled noodles. Although she is from the south, she loves noodles and has learned some kneading skills after living in City B for so long.
As she kneaded the dough, she thought about what she had just witnessed. Zhao Qingyun was truly indiscriminate in her acceptance of anything. Feeling uneasy, she kneaded the dough with a bit more force.
The dough doesn't need to be kneaded until it's very smooth. Since it's hot, it only needs to rest for half an hour. While it was resting, Xu Lai went to stir-fry the sauce.
First, prepare a sauce: two tablespoons of light soy sauce, one tablespoon of dark soy sauce, one tablespoon of oyster sauce, one tablespoon of soybean paste, one tablespoon of sweet bean sauce, and one tablespoon of sugar. Mix well and set aside.
Mince the lean meat, add salt and soy sauce and mix well. Pour oil into a pot, heat the oil, add the minced meat and stir-fry until it changes color. Then add scallions and garlic, then add the sauce and stir-fry evenly. The sauce is now ready.
Knead the risen dough a couple of times to release the air, then cut it in half, roll it out into a sheet with a rolling pin, cut it into strips, stretch and shake them apart, and put them into the pot.
Half of the dough was enough to make three bowls of noodles. Xu Lai rolled out the remaining half and sent it to Xia Ning. She originally wanted to send some to the neighbor next door, but then she remembered that he had already received some snacks from others, so she gave up the idea.
So Zhao Qingyun watched as Xu Lai carried the bowl forward. She gave the noodles to her third uncle and aunt. Just then, her third uncle had been talking about wanting to eat what she made.
When Xu Lai got home, he peeled a few cloves of garlic and said, "If you don't eat garlic with your noodles, the flavor will be half gone."
Grandpa and Grandma couldn't get used to it, finding it too spicy. Xu Lai took a bite herself, shoveled some noodles into her mouth, and said, "I think it's pretty good."
At first, she couldn't get used to it either. They usually eat cooked garlic or Laba garlic, and it's rare to eat raw garlic.
But she's been there for so long and gotten used to the food, and it's actually quite delicious. The only thing she's not used to is the garlic.
After taking a shower that evening, she changed into a nightgown, a gift from Xia Ning. It was a spaghetti strap style with a shawl over it, but she didn't wear it because she felt hot.
This was the first time she had worn this outfit since she came back. She usually wears pajamas, but she sweated while sleeping this afternoon, so she changed out and washed it. It won't dry for a while.
The air conditioner in the room had just been turned on, and it was quite cool at night. She opened the balcony door, leaned against the doorway, stretched out her legs, and played Snake.
The sound of a door opening came from next door. Xu Lai looked up and saw that Zhao Qingyun had come out. This time, he wasn't holding a cigarette, but just playing with a lighter.
Xu Lai scoffed, "Pretending."
She looked away and continued playing the game; she would soon become number one.
Zhao Qingyun looked in her direction, but didn't see her face at first glance. What caught his eye were her legs. This was the first time he had seen Xu Lai without trousers.
During the day, she usually wears trousers or a skirt that reaches her knees.
He glanced at it and hurriedly looked away, not daring to look again. Xu Lai had had enough fun and bumped into a small snake. Then she stood up and fiddled with her lotus flowers. The edges of the flowers had withered, but the middle was still fresh.
Zhao Qingyun waited for her to stand up, then looked over. He wanted to say a few words to her, but when he saw her nightgown, he quickly turned around and went into the room.
Even with just a glance, he could clearly recall that her hair was jet black, her skin was fair, and she stood before the lotus flowers, a picture of a lady playing with flowers.
He was thankful that they weren't standing that close; otherwise, he feared he wouldn't have been able to hide the sound of his heartbeat and his true reaction.
Xu Lai watched him turn and go into the house, and angrily plucked a lotus petal. Was he avoiding her like the plague?
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