Xie Tingyu was popular, and with his invitation, many strong laborers in the brigade were willing to come and work.
There were at least 30 people working there, and he also hired an experienced craftsman to build the house.
In rural areas, it is free to hire laborers to build houses. If anyone wants to build a house, they can ask for help. All you need to do is to prepare a full meal for the laborers before the construction begins and when the house is completed. In theory, a meal with meat is considered respectable.
In order to prepare the first and last two meals, the host family would borrow meat and grain coupons from relatives and friends.
Ye Qingshui also pretended to borrow food coupons and meat coupons from others.
In total, she managed to borrow two kilograms of meat coupons, and she went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought eight kilograms of meat in one go.
Since the misty morning, Ye Qingshui has been busy preparing the first meal for the construction of the house. She pinched the meat with even fat and lean meat and divided the eight pounds of pork into two parts. Half of it was marinated and used to make Dongpo pork.
Fry the other half of the pork belly until the skin is crispy, soft and golden. Cut the taro into thin slices and fry them. Put a layer of pork belly and a layer of taro together in a steamer. Pour the thickened sauce on top and steam over high heat.
The overwhelming fragrance rolled out from the window of the woodshed, one wisp after another.
When wisps of blue smoke began to rise from Grandpa Ye’s firewood room, the villagers in the neighborhood would become anxious.
Ye Shisan sniffed the delicious smell of meat and his mouth was watering.
"What on earth is this girl from the Ye family doing? How can she cook so deliciously?"
Aunt Thirteen patted her husband's head and said, "Look at you, you look like a starving man. Go, pick up your bowl, and let's go to Uncle Ye's house for dinner."
They agreed to help Ye Qingshui's family build a house, so they definitely couldn't avoid this meal.
The other people who helped the Ye family build the house were also looking forward to it. Although they were not sure whether the Ye family would be kind enough to cook a meal of meat to reward everyone, even if there was no meat, the food would be better than usual.
This man is like a mule. He needs to be well fed and watered so that he has the strength to work.
People who are too stingy will build a house that is petty and thrifty.
At noon, the members who had finished their farm work came to the Ye family's homestead. Grandma Ye and Mom Ye enthusiastically set up the table, dishes and chopsticks, and called on everyone to have a meal.
When Ye Qingshui brought out the meat from the woodshed one after another, the fragrant aroma of meat surrounded everyone.
The breeze brought the delicious and sweet aroma of meat, lingering around people's noses. They let out a small "wow" and a look of joy appeared on their faces: there really is meat to eat!
This meat is so delicious!
The fragrance was so captivating that everyone's saliva was secreted.
Ye Qingshui served the meat and divided it among everyone himself. Each person got a piece of braised pork, a piece of taro, and three pieces of Dongpo pork. Everyone was free to eat the vegetables on the table.
Just as Ye Qingshui put the meat into the bowls, the next moment the members immediately lowered their heads and wolfed down a bite.
The bright red pork skin was fried until soft and wrinkled red, and it sizzled with oil when you took a bite. The fat of the braised pork was so white and covered with sauce that it was steamed until it was soft and would burst when you sucked it. The taro was soaked in the meat flavor, soft, glutinous, sweet, and fragrant, and it went deep into my heart.
Unfortunately, most of these people had never eaten meat before during the New Year, and this was their first time to taste such delicious meat. The meat was rich in ingredients and tasty, and the meat was juicy. For a while, the sound of smacking the meat could be heard everywhere.
“It’s so delicious!”
After finishing the meat in the bowl, they unceremoniously scraped up all the sauce in the pot and poured it over the rice to finish it.
Before they even finished their opening meal, they were already thinking about their closing meal.
"Shui's cooking skills are as good as her grandfather's, and both of them cook delicious food." The old members couldn't help but sigh.
Ye Qingshui's grandfather is very skillful. He has been a fireman in the army for decades and has first-class cooking skills.
"I think she is much better than her grandfather. How can Uncle Ye make such delicious braised pork?"
"No, Uncle Ye's cooking is still the best." A group of elderly members couldn't help but argue.
This flavorful meat dish brings back decades of memories, and although the taste and people have changed, the happy and satisfying feeling you get when eating meat is exactly the same.
Ye Qingshui smiled, and she was very satisfied. Beads of sweat flowed down her face. She lowered her head and was about to wipe the sweat with her sleeves, but Xie Tingyu held her hand and took out a clean handkerchief from his bosom to wipe her sweat.
Liu Yiliang took a quick glance at this scene and couldn't help but chuckle.
Shen Weimin followed his line of sight and saw Brother Yu wiping someone's sweat. He recalled how this guy used to treat female comrades with indifference, like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves. He simply couldn't bear to watch it anymore.
Liu Yiliang bared his teeth and said, "I knew my sister-in-law was a good person a long time ago. Brother Yu will have to admit defeat sooner or later."
After he said that, he lowered his head and stuffed the meat into his mouth.
"It's probably called... one thing conquers another."
…
After eating and drinking their fill, everyone burped and felt filled with an unprecedented sense of joy. They were like busy and hardworking worker ants, planing wood, moving bricks and cement.
Mother Ye and Grandma Ye were busy wiping tables, picking up stools, and returning the borrowed tables and chairs to their neighbors. Uncle Ye was like a foreman, working with everyone and running around to give orders.
Ye Qingshui put away the bowl and washed it by the water tank. The Ye family was filled with a lively and vibrant atmosphere.
Prosperous and thriving.
Du Xiaohe came to the construction site to wipe the sweat off Uncle Ye's face and bring him water. Uncle Ye felt so happy that he couldn't help but secretly hold Xiaohe's hand.
"Go sit aside. You are not needed for this kind of rough work."
Xiao He said nothing, but smiled sweetly at him, then followed his lead and worked with everyone else.
Xie Tingyu raised his hands and listened carefully to the key points explained by the craftsman.
Suddenly a voice called him: "Brother Yu—Brother Yu!"
"Follow me quickly, your mother is here!"
The monkey who lived in the town wiped his sweat, patted the back seat of the bicycle, and shouted at Xie Tingyu.
Xie Tingyu's dark pupils were stunned for a moment, but soon regained clarity, "What is she doing here?"
The monkey said, "How should I know this?"
Xie Tingyu returned the drawings to the craftsman and got on Monkey's bike.
It was not until he had ridden the bike for about ten minutes that Xie Tingyu came out of his mixed emotions.
Since his mother and father divorced, Xie Tingyu could only see her during the holidays. Every New Year's Eve, when she could make it back, she would secretly give him a large sum of New Year's money to compensate him.
He only saw her a few times in a year.
Zhang Yuanchao stopped at a state-owned restaurant and dropped off Xie Tingyu. He stood outside by himself, smoking Daqianmen cigarettes intermittently to kill time.
However... He had only smoked less than half of the short cigarette on his fingertips when he saw his brother Yu walk out with an expressionless face.
Soon after, a young woman followed out. Despite her age, her youthful and beautiful face could not be concealed.
Her eyes were slightly red, "Stop the rain, mom can't do anything about it."
Xie Tingyu said coldly: "I know, if there is nothing else, I will leave first."
"Monkey, lend me your bike."
Zhang Yuanchao took a deep puff of his cigarette, nearly choking on the smoke in his nose. He watched helplessly as his brother Yu rode away with his bicycle like a robber.
At the entrance of the state-owned restaurant, he and Yu Ge's mother were left looking at each other in bewilderment, while the freshly served food inside the restaurant had not been touched and was still emitting a fragrant aroma.
Wen Zhihua smiled at the young man in front of her and invited him to have dinner at the state-owned restaurant.
Zhang Yuanchao was a little at a loss. The pressure was not so great when he was facing Yu Ge, but when he was facing Yu Ge's mother, he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet.
Wen Zhihua heard from Zhang Yuanchao about his son, that he was seriously injured in the summer, and that he got married. Her expressionless face suddenly moved, and she became very interested.
Zhang Yuanchao then continued, "Brother Yu got married here. He found her in the village..."
He scratched his head and said, "Maybe you guys don't think much of her, but Brother Yu still cares about her."
Wen Zhihua's tone was somewhat kind: "As long as he likes it, I know his temper very well. The girl he likes must be very good."
She said: "I neglected him all these years in order to find his brother's whereabouts."
"You are his friend, so you can take care of him for your aunt if you have the chance."
Zhang Yuanchao was very surprised when he heard for the first time that he had a brother. He even knew that Brother Yu had a stepsister, but he didn't know that he had a biological brother.
Wen Zhihua noticed Zhang Yuanchao's surprise and couldn't help but say:
"Tingyu has a twin brother named Tingjue. Juejue was kidnapped when he was five years old. I have been looking for him for fifteen years, and only this year did I have some clues... I may not return to the capital in the next few years. I just talked to him about this, and he was really angry."
Monkey heard her indignant tone and was surprised that she didn't even know about Yu Ge's marriage. He vaguely remembered that Yu Ge's parents seemed to have divorced that year. As he listened and imagined, he suddenly felt that Yu Ge was a little pitiful.
He didn't know what to say, so he just ate his food in silence.
…
Yejia Village.
As the sun sets, the members who have worked all afternoon get off work and go home in groups of three or four to eat.
Ye Qingshui watched the sun gradually sink and the sky gradually darken. She thought that Xie Tingyu would be back soon, and it was very difficult to walk on the mountain road at night.
After finishing dinner, Ye Qingshui went back to the room and saw the dark shadow in the corner. It was silent, with only the regular sound of its breathing.
Ye Qingshui was almost startled.
She found a match, struck it and lit the wick, and the dark room became bright.
The soft and warm light illuminated Xie Tingyu's handsome face and also shone into his gloomy and lonely eyes. His pupils were like a ball of inky black ink, and his eyes were lifeless.
He leaned against the wall without saying a word, hidden in the darkness, like a silent background.
Ye Qingshui was frightened by Xie Tingyu's unable to hide his decadent look.
She said, "Aren't you hungry? Go eat. Uncle thought you weren't coming back for dinner tonight and almost ate all the meat! But Auntie stopped me and left a lot of meat for you. It's all the lean meat you like."
He didn't say anything in the corner.
Ye Qingshui thought this was a bit strange.
She came closer, squatted down and looked at him, and his eyelashes trembled.
"Shui'er's mother is so nice."
Ye Qingshui seldom saw Xie Tingyu so depressed and decadent. Under the clear moonlight, two tears unexpectedly shed from his bright and picturesque face.
It was so hot that it dripped onto Ye Qingshui's hands. She spread out her palms, and the man's tears were a little hot.
Ye Qingshui seemed to have thought of something in a flash.
In her previous life, it seemed that it was also around the Mid-Autumn Festival when she accidentally saw him in a depressed state. At that time, he also said something like this.
She comforted him for a long time, using all her skills, and finally made him laugh. From then on, Xie Tingyu gradually became better to her, as if he had fallen in love with her.
Many years later, Ye Qingshui recalled that this was just his young master pretending to be pitiful and coaxing her. In fact, this moment was just his occasional insignificant sadness, but she regarded it as redemption. She was able to comfort Xie Tingyu, which was unique.
It was understandable that he fell in love with her.
But now, as he opened his hands and looked at the wet tears in his palms, Ye Qingshui felt a little confused.
Soon, she was held tightly in his arms, and the hot tears slowly flowed into her neck.
Xie Tingyu's voice was hoarse and unclear.
Ye Qingshui didn't know how to comfort him. She heard him mumbling a lot, but she couldn't hear clearly what he said. Xie Tingyu was really weird. Even when he was sad, he refused to show his vulnerable side.
She couldn't hear clearly what Xie Tingyu was saying.
Ye Qingshui felt depressed after hearing this and didn't want to bother with Xie Tingyu anymore, but he couldn't bear to see how pitiful he looked.
Considering this scene, Ye Qingshui had experienced it once in his previous life and understood it a little bit. The content was roughly that he lost his mother when he was very young, and his father and mother didn't love him, which was very pitiful.
Ye Qingshui took a deep breath and walked out of the house. She ran outside and folded many long reed leaves before coming back. She squatted aside, in the dim light of the oil lamp, patiently folding small things. Under the dim light, her dexterous hands pulled out two threads from the dead leaves, and along these two thin threads, she folded it into a jade katydid bit by bit.
Under the light, the katydid with two long whiskers on its antennae looks majestic and ferocious, very lifelike.
Ye Qingshui placed it in Xie Tingyu's hand and said softly, "This is a toy I had when I was a child. Have you seen it? My uncle said that only the most obedient and lovely children can get it."
"Here, now it's jumping into your hand."
Xie Tingyu watched the katydid fly into his hand after being blown. He lowered his head, her black hair was glowing like honey. Her eyes, reflecting the warmth of the light, were quiet and gentle.
Xie Tingyu couldn't resist the temptation and kissed her.
Warm lips, a little wet, fell on the corner of Ye Qingshui's eyes, and she blinked uncontrollably.
The author has something to say:
Pingshengjun: Brother Yu, you are taking advantage of this opportunity to act like a hooligan again
You scheming dog, you can be more honest
Don't always eat water tofu
Brother Yu: What are you doing?
This is clearly out of control.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
