Ye Qingshui and Xie Tingyu returned home carrying a bag full of jade, pearls and antiques. The couple sealed the doors and windows tightly, and then Xie Tingyu took out the treasures from the backpack one by one.
Use a clean cloth to wipe off the dust and dirt on them bit by bit.
The jewels sparkled so brightly that they almost blinded Ye Qingshui's eyes. She was so confused that she couldn't speak.
It was the first time for her to see so many treasures, antiques as "cheap" as cabbages.
Ye Qingshui was a little incoherent. She said, "I, I...how should we deal with it?"
Any one of these items could be sold for a sky-high price fourteen years later. Faced with such a hot item, Ye Qingshui felt his heart pounding.
Facing them is like facing a pile of banknotes, mountains of gold and silver.
This is undoubtedly a heavy and huge amount of property.
Xie Tingyu wiped them patiently, his movements gentle and meticulous, "This belongs to Shui'er, you can do whatever you want with it."
"You even paid for Teacher Zhou's medicine."
Ye Qingshui felt even more complicated after hearing this. How could he have deserved to be treated like this?
Perhaps in the eyes of others and in the context of the times, these antique jewels are not valuable, but in the eyes of those who cherish them, they will always be priceless treasures.
Mr. Zhou must cherish them very much, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to hide them.
Ye Qingshui glanced at the man and said, "How much is the cost of medicine worth? Besides, it's to save lives..."
As her husband, Xie Tingyu blamed Ye Qingshui for spending money recklessly from beginning to end, but he was very supportive of her.
But if it was another man, there would have been a quarrel a long time ago. Xie Tingyu smiled and said, "If it was someone else, Teacher Zhou would not be willing to give it to him."
At this moment, countless thoughts flashed through Ye Qingshui's mind. Should he take it for himself with a clear conscience, pretend to be deaf and dumb and know nothing, and accept everything, or...
When Ye Qingshui thought of the seriously ill old man in the hospital, how he cleaned the public toilet every day and endured decades of poverty, how he lit the oil lamp and wrote page after page of trembling words with his life...
The idea in Ye Qingshui's mind became clearer and clearer. She said to Xie Tingyu, "This is not ours. We won't take advantage of it. Let's hide it for Teacher Zhou and return it to them when they figure it out."
"This matter must be kept to myself and no one can tell it."
Xie Tingyu didn't react much after hearing this. He looked at the little girl's conflicted expression and felt a little amused. He pinched Ye Qingshui's face.
"Seeing how conflicted you are, I'll take you to see Grandpa's collection later."
Although these antiques are valuable, they also have a price, but some things are truly priceless.
Liu Yiliang is right.
After Xie Tingyu finished polishing the antique with great effort, he bent down and secretly kissed her when she was not paying attention.
"My water is really good."
Ye Qingshui was kissed unexpectedly. She was completely numb. The kiss on the side of her face felt like an electric shock, going straight to her heart.
But Xie Tingyu turned around and put away the antiques, his eyes clear and serious, as serious as he could be.
It was a beautiful spring day, with clear, light sunlight falling on his body. He was so hot that he took off his heavy sweater and casually put on a small vest. The thin cloth stuck to his strong chest, his muscles were tight and full, full of strength.
Ye Qingshui covered his face and turned his head away silently.
Xie Tingyu wiped the sweat off her forehead, rubbed her head and laughed.
What a thin-skinned, shy girl.
…
Taking advantage of the remaining heat after the Lantern Festival, Ye Qingshui planned to prepare the after-work meal that she owed to her fellow villagers. On this day, she went to the store early to queue up and happened to see Monkey.
Zhang Yuanchao was slightly stunned when he saw Ye Qingshui. He asked with a smile:
"Are you here to buy pork today?"
At this time, Ye Qingshui was no longer the timid and inferior rural girl who always avoided people. She had already taken off her mask, revealing her smooth and fair face.
In the dim morning light, the woman's smooth face was as clear as filtered water, clean and fresh, and her face looked even more tender than the tofu sold in the state-owned restaurant at the end of the street.
Zhang Yuanchao almost didn't recognize Ye Qingshui.
He suddenly stuttered, "Sister-in-law, do you want fat or lean meat?"
If Ye Qingshui buys pork herself, she would prefer lean meat, as neither she nor Xie Tingyu likes fatty meat. But for a meal to end the workday, the fatter the better. Meat that is 60% fat and 40% lean is so fragrant that it makes your mouth sizzle with oil.
Ye Qingshui said: "60% fat meat."
Zhang Yuanchao waved his hand and cut out 70% fat from a piece of evenly fat and lean pork belly.
The pork chef at the store was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, "Zhang Erhou, look at how you cut it, how can I cut it if you cut it like this? Go away, go away, don't make trouble."
Zhang Yuanchao laughed and scolded: "They are building a house and preparing a meal after work. They bought ten kilograms of meat. What's wrong with giving them a little extra fat?"
Ye Qingshui went back contentedly with the small piece of fatty pork belly. Zhang Yuanchao ran over and called her.
He scratched his head embarrassedly, "Sister-in-law, don't take those nonsense words I said before to heart."
"Don't let this cause you to become estranged from Brother Yu..."
Ye Qingshui no longer cared about these things. She picked up the beautiful piece of pork in her hand with satisfaction, and two dimples appeared on her face. She said, "Yeah."
When Ye Qingshui heard the name Xie Tingyu, her dimples became deeper and sweeter like mountain spring water.
Zhang Yuanchao looked at the girl in front of him who was not as tall as him but had been bullied by him before. He couldn't help blushing when he thought of all the times he had bullied her in the past.
He scratched his head and thought for a long time, but couldn't figure it out. In the end, he could only say:
"If you buy pork later, just give me a call and I'll give you as much fat as you want."
Ye Qingshui doesn't like fatty meat and prefers lean meat, but when she saw the blushing young man, she nodded.
"good."
The apology, which came decades late, sounded sincere and heartfelt. But Ye Qingshui didn't take it to heart. She was even calm and at peace. She was more concerned about the pork and the meal after work.
She looked at Zhang Yuanchao who was still reluctant to leave and said seriously, "I'm leaving first."
Zhang Yuanchao didn't know what to feel when he saw Ye Qingshui pedaling the bike skillfully and disappearing as quickly as a flying swallow.
He had witnessed with his own eyes the process of this rural girl gradually changing from being ugly to being beautiful. He remembered something Liu Yiliang had said before, and suddenly felt a little emotional.
No matter how beautiful a face is, it will age, but a beautiful and kind heart is a priceless treasure.
But it seemed that he realized it a little late, and Zhang Yuanchao felt a little disappointed.
…
After Ye Qingshui returned home, he met Liu Yiliang.
When Liu Yiliang heard that the Ye family was going to prepare a meal before work, he brought over two kilograms of fresh pork shanks and some ribs early in the morning.
Last time he had a free meal at the start of work, but he was working at the animal husbandry station and couldn't find time to build a house, so this time Liu Yiliang specially brought some meat to subsidize Ye Qingshui.
At this time, the grandmother and uncle of the Ye family were going to borrow tables and chairs from other people's houses. Ye Qingshui washed and cut the ten kilograms of pork. She scooped out a few spoonfuls of pea flour from the jar, and her palms were white.
Xie Tingyu was washing a full load of vegetables. Liu Yiliang felt a little envious when he saw the couple working together.
Especially when Ye Qingshui picked a few leaves from his brother Yu, and his brother Yu did not mind her dirty hands covered with powder, but smiled. The harmony and sweetness between the young couple surprised Liu Yiliang.
"Brother Yu, this year looks good."
Xie Tingyu smiled mysteriously and continued washing the vegetables.
Seeing Liu Yiliang bringing so much meat, Ye Qingshui couldn't help but scold him: "It's good that people are here. You really spent a lot of money!"
Liu Yiliang smiled innocently: "It's nothing, I've also eaten many meals here."
Ye Qingshui then added another dish.
In order to prepare this opening meal, the Ye family worked from dawn to noon. The aroma of meat wafting from the woodshed spread far away, and it was so delicious that it made people drool.
Before noon, the open space outside the house was filled with people and the table was no longer able to accommodate everyone.
This time there were more people coming, a family with their children, holding the older child in their left and right hands and the younger child in their right hands, and they sat down with the man.
That's because everyone heard that the meat cooked by Ye Qingshui was so delicious that it made people drool, and everyone didn't want to be left out.
Ye Qingshui had anticipated this situation. The large piece of braised pork he made last time was barely enough for each person, and everyone had some fat in their stomachs.
There was definitely not enough to share this time, so she made steamed pork with rice flour. Each piece of meat was cut thinly and steamed until it was juicy. The bean flour was blended with the essence of the fat, making it soft, glutinous and fragrant, with a taste similar to meat.
Liu Yiliang and Xie Tingyu distributed the food one after another. When the dishes were served, everyone held their breath, and the anticipation in their greedy, dark eyes was simply unstoppable.
"What is this? It smells strange..."
"It tastes delicious too, with lots of fat!"
The steamed pork with rice flour is dazzlingly white and oily when served. The fat meat mixed with pea flour tastes softer and more glutinous. The fat meat is steamed to have a smooth texture. Although the meat is fat, it is not greasy.
Some people were so impatient that they swallowed the meat in one gulp, and the meat slid straight down their throats. After eating it, they were stunned.
Although there was no braised pork with sauce, the braised pork was still there. Each person had three pieces of steamed pork with rice flour and two pieces of braised pork. The meat was rich and fragrant, and the mouth was full of fat. It was a great pleasure to eat.
As they ate and chatted, someone couldn't help but sigh: "Ye Shuiya's family is really blessed with good fortune. Their lives are getting better and better."
"She married a good man and became his wife. She is different from us rural women who have to work hard to earn a living."
"But she's also very hardworking. She helped us dig a well. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have been able to get so much food at the end of the year."
After eating the meat, everyone felt refreshed and satisfied.
Someone dreamed: "It would be great if we could eat meat like this every day."
As soon as he finished expressing his feelings, he was immediately attacked by others, "You wish you could eat meat every day!"
But I have to say, this meat tastes really delicious. The meat cooked by Ye Qingshui tastes different from others.
The educated youth not only craved meat, but also envied the good relationship between the couple.
Zhao Yan lowered her head silently. After so many days, her face was still pale and never as rosy as before.
This was the first meat she had eaten in many days.
He Fang didn't know what it tasted like when she held the meat in her hands. She could only hear people praising Ye Qingshui. These country folks would praise whoever gave them meat. The Ye family was going to build a house, but she didn't really want to help them build a house. However, everyone at the educated youth center had gone there, so she had no choice but to go with them.
She and Zhao Yan left soon after dinner.
"Why don't they eat the meat? Why are there so many left?"
"These delicate female educated youth are so wasteful. They even dare to waste meat. They will be struck by lightning!"
One man quickly picked up the meat they had left behind and started eating it with satisfaction, while the others were so slow that they regretted it to death.
…
After Ye Qingshui finished cooking a meal, for several days in a row, people in the village praised her for her delicious cooking. It sounded like free flowing water. After the Chinese New Year, the Zhang family wanted to ask Ye Qingshui to prepare a wedding banquet, and the Li family wanted to ask Ye Qingshui to prepare a wedding banquet for the funeral of their 90-year-old grandmother.
Ye Qingshui declined all of them. She didn't have that much free time to wash vegetables and cook for others.
She is not a fireman!
So the villagers' wish to eat the meal cooked by Ye Qingshui was completely dashed. They would have to wait until the next wedding of the Ye family to have the blessing of eating. But when would the Ye family have the next wedding?
The meat made by Ye Qingshui has become an unforgettable memory in many people's hearts. Some educated youth even returned to the city and ate meat every day after several years, but they would never have the excitement they had at the beginning, which was the delicious surprise and happiness they tasted during the poor and difficult years.
That bowl of meat became their courage to comfort themselves during the difficult years and to still yearn for a better life.
Many years later, I never had a meal of meat as delicious as that one.
…
Ye Qingshui declined the invitation to host wedding and funeral banquets, and took time to buy a map and went to the publishing house in person with Zhou Cunren's manuscript.
When the people from the publishing house saw that the name was unfamiliar and they had never heard of it, they became much less polite.
Looking at the manuscript again, it was tattered and I frowned. The author was not a famous person, let alone an expert. Who wanted to publish a book from a remote place?
"We have no shortage of science textbooks and tutorial books here."
Ye Qingshui was rejected one after another. After running around for more than half a month, all the publishing houses in the city rejected her. She went to find the leader who had awarded her the award and attended her celebration party in the past.
The people from the county cultural department recognized Ye Qingshui, the girl who had accomplished great things at a young age. After listening to her words, they enthusiastically introduced Red Flag Publishing House to her.
Red Flag Publishing House has promised to organize scholars to review the manuscripts seriously.
However, a few days later, when Ye Qingshui and Xie Tingyu happily came to the publishing house with Zhou Cunren's other manuscripts, Hongqi Publishing House changed its mind again.
"The book was indeed written very carefully, and the content is very good. The character of this teacher Zhou... I'm afraid it won't pass the review. He should try to reform himself now. How can he publish a book?"
Ye Qingshui took back the other part of the manuscript with disappointment. The manuscript, which was in good condition before it was sent to him, became fragmented, with several pages missing and covered with stains. Upon closer inspection, it looked like human footprints.
When the people from the publishing house saw this scene, they felt guilty at first, and then said sarcastically:
"It's just a crappy book. If it wasn't recommended by the leader, who would have the time to bother with you?"
Ye Qingshui suppressed the anger and sadness in her heart. She did not refute the fact that Zhou Cunren had a bad background. Instead, she held her breath and said something cruel:
"Whether it's a broken book or not, wait and see."
She walked out of the publishing house holding the manuscript. Xie Tingyu looked at her expression and knew what had happened inside. He touched her head comfortingly:
"Don't be sad, Brother Yu will take you to eat delicious food."
Ye Qingshui didn't want to go to the state-owned restaurant for dinner. A meal in a state-owned restaurant would cost 80 cents or 1 yuan. At this time, her voice was a little choked, but she still insisted: "Don't waste money."
Xie Tingyu also smiled and said, "No, Brother Yu will do the job for you, don't worry about it."
As he said this, he carried his wife onto the bicycle and took her to the store to buy a pound of pork belly.
He drove her home and picked a handful of chives from his private plot. He took some flour from the jar, broke it up and kneaded it, then rolled it slowly with a rolling pin, turning it into round doughs...
Xie Tingyu scooped a few spoonfuls of bone soup, waited for the water to boil, and put the dumplings in. Although his movements were a little slow, he was not impatient, and the whole process looked smooth and elegant.
Even the creases on the dumplings look so pretty.
When he brought the dumplings to Ye Qingshui, a warm smile appeared in his eyes, "Would you like to try some?"
The leeks that have just sprouted from the fields in spring are tender, green and sweet. The dumplings are big and soft, with thin skin and thick fillings. When you bite through the skin, the hot soup will flow all over your mouth.
Xie Tingyu watched her eating dumplings bite by bite with her head down, feeling an indescribable sense of satisfaction in his heart.
He said: "Good things take time, Shui'er, don't be discouraged... You have to know that you are not the only one doing this, I am also involved."
As he was talking, he suddenly laughed and opened the letter from home that had been sent from the far north.
"Tingyu: I am writing to you as if I had met you in person. My child, when you made that decision... Grandma will always be proud of you..."
Ye Qingshui still had a dumpling in his mouth, so he quickly swallowed it and asked, "What did grandma write?"
Xie Tingyu read it to Ye Qingshui slowly and steadily.
When Ye Qingshui heard Grandma Xie praising her grandson like this, the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily, but he felt warm in his heart. It felt so good to be proud of one's elders.
Xie Tingyu continued to read: "Tingyu, grandma has carefully read the manuscript you sent for a few days and is very happy. The country has always attached great importance to the cultivation of a new generation of young people. We are also thinking about how to promote the reform and progress of education. When I saw the manuscript you sent today and the story you told in the letter, grandma couldn't help crying. Grandma thanks Mr. Zhou for his persistence. He has made extraordinary contributions in his ordinary position. Only with people like him who stick to their beliefs and care about education can our country make progress and young people can see hope!
After our review, this two-pound manuscript has no mistakes, is rigorously written, and has detailed content. But in order to better contact the publisher, I hope Tingyu will send the rest of the manuscript to the capital as soon as possible. "
Xie Tingyu recited slowly and in a steady tone. His pronunciation was clear and his voice was as beautiful as a chime, sometimes clear and sometimes deep. After listening to it, Ye Qingshui's face was already covered with tears.
She murmured in disbelief: "Grandma is really amazing."
"Can Mr. Zhou's book be published?"
Xie Tingyu wiped her tears and nodded: "It should be no problem, let's go and send the manuscript."
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