Chapter 209 Preparing to Go Out
Taozi frowned, looking thoughtfully at Mancang.
After a long silence, he suddenly asked, "Sis, do you two sleep in the same room?"
Hey, is this kid deliberately trying to cause trouble?
Mancang and I still had half a plate of fried dumplings left over from our breakfast. We put the dumplings on the coffee table and replied to Taozi's comment, "Yeah, it's so cold, where else would we sleep if not in the east room?"
Taozi, feeling awkward, stopped talking and lowered his head to touch Xiaodi's head.
Place two clean chopsticks on the plate and say to Brother Liu, "Have some fried dumplings, they're still warm."
Brother Liu picked up his chopsticks without ceremony, looked at the dumplings, and smacked his lips: "Hey, they really smell delicious."
As he spoke, he picked up a golden-brown, crispy fried dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth; you could even hear the crunchy sound of him chewing.
"Yes! Haochi, Haochi!"
Brother Liu spoke indistinctly, giving a thumbs-up.
After swallowing the dumpling, he nudged Taozi with his elbow: "Quick, try one, it's delicious."
Taozi didn't say a word, but pouted and moved to the side of the sofa so that Brother Liu's elbow couldn't touch him.
Brother Liu clicked his tongue at Taozi, then laughed and said to me, "Haha, ignore him, that's just how he is."
We hadn't even finished talking about rescuing people when I asked, "Weren't you rescuing people? What are you two doing here?"
Brother Liu ate his dumplings and quickly swallowed them before replying, "Anyway, we're responsible for your area. We haven't been in touch for a long time, so we thought we'd come and see how you've been. It's been extremely cold all year, so if you're short of food, we can help you out."
"Haha, it's all thanks to Brother Liu! He still remembers me. I have enough food to eat right now, so I can manage for a while!"
"That's good. There are vegetables in the greenhouses at the base now. If you need any vegetables, you can go there."
What? The farm has fresh vegetables? I'm really tempted!
Besides dried vegetables, our house mainly consists of cabbage, radishes, and potatoes. The few small green vegetables in the vegetable basin are really economical to eat.
"Haha, Brother Liu, if you put it that way, then I'm really going."
Brother Liu pointed outside: "Follow our car?"
I would like to, but I haven't forgotten the purpose of Brother Liu and the others' visit.
I asked Brother Liu, puzzled, "Hey? What's the situation with your recruitment? I can't just go back with you guys with an empty car, can I?"
Brother Liu chuckled sheepishly, "Hehe, we just arrived and came straight to your house, haven't even gone out to recruit people yet."
I just laughed speechlessly; these two really showed how to misuse a public vehicle.
I was a little hesitant: "I want to go, but I can't go to my house, I still have pigs to raise here."
Taozi suddenly spoke up: "We can pick you up when we go back tonight. You can stay at the base for one night and come back with us when we come out tomorrow morning. It won't interfere with feeding the pigs at home."
After hearing this, Brother Liu slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Hey! That's a great idea!"
I thought about it quickly, and this is indeed a good idea.
Actually, I could just give the supplies to Brother Liu and ask him to exchange them for some vegetables.
But it's been a long time since I've been to the Baizhen base, and I'm missing Aunt Liu and the base director. Luckily, there's a free shuttle bus available, so it wouldn't hurt to go and take a look.
It's been a long time since we've traveled far, so I thought I'd take Mancang along to broaden his horizons.
If you go there in person, you can exchange for other supplies in addition to fresh vegetables.
It would be even better if we could buy more dairy products.
Just thinking about the rich, milky flavor of milk tofu and milk skin makes my mouth water.
I nodded firmly: "Okay! I'll go back with you guys tonight!"
Taozi and Brother Liu were both delighted to hear that I was going back with them.
"good!"
Brother Liu shouted and stood up, pressing his hands heavily on his knees.
"Then we'll go recruit people first, and we'll come pick you up when it gets dark."
Today, Brother Liu and Taozi drove a minivan. Even if they hired a few more people, it could still fit Mancang and me.
As they walked towards the door, Brother Liu and Taozi turned back and smiled at Mancang, who was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed): "Bring this little guy along too."
"Haha, I'll bring it."
As I spoke, I casually picked up a can of amber peanuts from the windowsill and handed it to Brother Liu: "You two eat them in the car. It's cold and boring in the car, so eat something sweet to conserve your energy."
Brother Liu declined a couple of times but then accepted it, beaming with joy.
These amber peanuts are made using the same method as amber walnuts. The peanuts are coated with a layer of syrup, making them crispy, sweet, and delicious.
After seeing the person off at the gate and returning, Mancang was still sitting sullenly in the corner of the heated kang.
"What's wrong? Fully invested?"
I noticed that Mancang seemed a bit off, so I asked him with concern.
Mancang asked cautiously, "Aunt Cheng, should we go with them tonight?"
I sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and tidied up the dishes on the table, replying, "Yes, let's go to the Baizhen base to get some new gadgets. We haven't been out for over a year, so let's take a stroll around."
Mancang fell silent again.
I could guess that Mancang was probably afraid of interacting with outsiders, so I could only comfort him, "Don't be afraid. You have to deal with people eventually. It's good to practice beforehand. Besides, they are all very nice people. They are very nice to me and they will be nice to you too."
I feel like he doesn't like me.
Mancang's voice was very soft; I almost couldn't hear him.
I wondered if I'd misheard: "Don't like you? Who?"
"It's that young uncle who doesn't like me."
I chuckled to myself, knowing that Taozi would only cause me trouble, and probably rolled his eyes at Mancang behind my back quite a bit.
"That's just his personality, you don't need to worry about him. The older uncles like you, and you have an aunt who's even gentler than me and can cook delicious food, how could she not like you?"
When Mancang heard what I said, his mood improved a lot, and he asked me with wide eyes, "Really?"
I smiled and nodded, then stood up and said, "Of course it's true. Don't worry, just think of it as Aunt Cheng taking you out to play."
After calming Mancang down, it was time to clear away the breakfast dishes.
As I carried the bowls and chopsticks down, Mancang, ever observant, followed suit.
I haven't been out for a long time, so I started packing before noon to head to the Baizhen base.
It's too cold outside, even with the air conditioning on in the car, it will still be cold. First, we need to prepare clothes for Mancang and me to wear when we go out.
We had stocked up on a lot of hot water bottles at home beforehand, so we filled four of them with hot water before leaving the house, one for each of us.
Next, we need to bring some supplies that can be exchanged; we can't just take things from others for free.
The house is full of rabbits. Bring four live rabbits with you. Whether they raise them or kill them is up to them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com