On Zhou Chengning's last day at work, Xu Xiangjuan had been staying in bed for a few days. Today, she got up early to make breakfast for her husband.
The last two or three days of middle school are filled with exams. When the results are released, students and class teachers have to go back to school. Students get their report cards and class teachers hand out report cards. During the holidays, students are required to complete their homework and pay attention to safety at home.
The teachers don't have much to do and don't need to go back to school. They can start their vacation after supervising the exam today.
Zhou Chengning's invigilation work finished at three o'clock in the afternoon, and he could go home after cleaning up. Xu Xiangjuan prepared some delicious food in the evening to reward the child's father for his hard work throughout the semester, and cooked at home.
Aning can't eat freely even at her parents' home, but she can have a comfortable meal at home.
Zhou Chengning stood up after finishing breakfast, "Juan, I've gained weight now, and my clothes fit me just right and keep me warm."
"You said you gained weight? I can't tell at all." Nowadays, cotton-padded jackets are sold in a relatively large and bulky style so that they can be worn for several more years. It is difficult for Xu Xiangjuan to buy suitable ones, especially for a tall person like Zhou Chengning, for whom clothes are hard to buy.
It was impossible to stare at how many clothes Zhou Chengning was wearing, so Xu Xiangjuan hugged his waist and patted him a few times, making sure that he was not naked.
"Juan, you just said... I'll be back this afternoon." Don't think about me so much.
Zhou Chengning felt a little embarrassed when being hugged suddenly, and regretted what he said. In fact, it is quite nice to be hugged by your lover.
"What are you thinking about? I want to see if your clothes are worn properly and whether you are wearing anything empty." He used to pat me a few times, but today he patted me a few times after hugging me.
Hugging is not a good idea either, as she is wearing thick clothes and there is no direct feeling when hugging him. Patting is more practical and can also help to shake off the dust on her body.
Seeing her parents being affectionate and affectionate, Gua Gua continued to eat pancakes. After breakfast, she wanted to go find Miaomiao to play.
...
Guagua was unable to go directly to Miaomiao in the morning, so he went to buy meat with his mother. When it came to buying meat, Guagua was not unhappy at all.
Xu Xiangjuan thought about it and decided to make braised pork with pickled mustard greens, fried radish meatballs, and cabbage and tofu soup tonight.
In the morning, I took Gua Gua to buy meat and tofu, as well as some seasonings and spices. Spices are not often used in normal times, but they are still useful when making richer dishes during the New Year.
After Guagua and her mother finished shopping, they went to find Miaomiao. Xu Xiangjuan did not stop her and told her to remember to go to her grandmother's house for lunch.
After returning home and putting things away, Xu Xiangjuan waited for Niu Niu to wake up before feeding him milk. She also dressed Niu Niu neatly and took him to his grandparents' house.
The ingredients for cooking in the evening, including pickled mustard greens, have to be obtained from her parents’ home.
Whenever her father bought vegetables wholesale, she would take a few pounds back home, so there was no shortage of cabbage and white radishes at home. She also made pork with pickled mustard greens on a whim because she remembered that her mother's family had pickled mustard greens.
Of course, when the pickled mustard greens are ready, a small bowl will be sent to my mother’s house so that everyone can have a taste of the meat.
Gua Gua returned to his grandparents' house on time before lunch and stayed at his grandmother's house in the afternoon without going to see his little sisters.
Xu Xiangjuan was relieved about Guagua, and told her to remember to go home and not play by the river or the well. It would be best to stay quiet in the afternoon, which would also divert Niu Niu's attention.
Gua Gua likes to "preach" to his younger brother recently. Taking advantage of the fact that Niu Niu can't speak and can only make babbling sounds, he talks to Niu Niu about childish principles, which even the adults find funny.
The pickled mustard greens need to be soaked in water. Hot water takes about an hour, while cold water takes a little longer. Xu Xiangjuan had nothing else to do, so she soaked the pickled mustard greens in cold water.
Zhou Chengning had her day off early in the afternoon. After the exam was over and the papers were collected at three o'clock, the principal said a few words and distributed some New Year's goods to the teachers. She should be able to go home before five o'clock. She went home around four-twenty to cook.
In the afternoon, Xu Xiangjuan helped her mother make spicy cabbage. She spread the prepared chili sauce on the cabbage and sealed it in jars for storage.
It’s also an extra dish to eat during the Chinese New Year.
Just as she was getting ready, Aunt Cai came hurriedly to her and told her that Wang Qiang had a fight with her husband!
Xu Xiangjuan thought she was hallucinating and asked again, "Wang Qiang and who?"
Aunt Cai repeated, Wang Qiang and her man, Xiao Zhou, Zhou Chengning.
Xu Xiangjuan got anxious when she heard this. She put down the spicy cabbage, washed her hands, and asked Aunt Cai to take her to find Zhou Chengning. She ran a few steps and turned back to say to her mother, "Mom, help me take care of the kids at home. Don't bring them out."
Before Wu Caifeng could say a word, her daughter ran out. Niu Niu, who was lying on the blanket and being lectured by his sister, was not slow at all. After his mother ran away, he immediately started crying. Gua Gua was a little confused why his brother was crying, as he was smiling just now.
The lady just now seemed to say that the father had a fight, and the mother hurried to find the father and did not let the child go out.
Did mom and dad not want the child anymore? Gua Gua pouted and started crying along with his brother.
Wu Caifeng had been thinking that the children were fine and would not run away by themselves. When she looked to see what was going on, she saw that the two little kids suddenly started crying and she had a headache!
...
When Xu Xiangjuan and Aunt Cai arrived, Zhou Chengning was still wrestling with Wang Qiang. Wang Qiang was swearing at Zhou Chengning and he remained silent, but he looked very angry. There were only a few middle-aged women watching around, and they couldn't stop the men from fighting.
Without trying to persuade him to stop, Xu Xiangjuan went up and kicked and hit Wang Qiang, "You bastard, who told you to hit my man!"
Xu Xiangjuan kicked and hit him a few times, looked around, and picked up a big rock. "Don't stop me! I'm going to smash him to death today!"
"Juan! Don't be impulsive! Someone's going to die! Someone's going to die!"
"Crazy woman!" Wang Qiang was so scared when he saw that Xu Xiangjuan was really going to throw the stone at him that he almost died.
Zhou Chengning doesn't look like he can fight, but when he does, he's very crazy and very strong. Although Wang Qiang is strong, he doesn't have the advantage. Now Xu Xiangjuan kicks him a few times, so he's completely at a disadvantage.
Zhou Chengning took the opportunity to swing his fist and hit Wang Qiang hard several times.
A man heard the noise and came over to separate Zhou Chengning and Wang Qiang. Of course, Xu Xiangjuan couldn't really hit Wang Qiang with the stone. Seeing that they were separated, she protected her man behind her and smashed the stone in her hand to the ground with force. She looked fierce and said, "You piece of shit, if you dare to mess with my man in the future, I'll let you know how you die!"
Wang Qiang has a bad reputation in the village. His family is rich and powerful, so no one, men or women, dares to mess with him. So everyone unanimously advised Xu Xiangjuan to calm down.
Wang Qiang, who bullies the weak and fears the strong, was initially intimidated by Xu Xiangjuan, but when he thought of his brothers at home, he raised his hand to slap her, "You stinky bitch deserves to be punished!"
Xu Xiangjuan was much faster than him. Before anyone could react, she slapped Wang Qiang hard. Zhou Chengning quickly grabbed his lover who had slapped Wang Qiang and held him behind him to shield him. He had wanted to put his lover behind him as soon as Wang Qiang made a move, but his lover moved too quickly.
"Wait, I'll get a kitchen knife and kill this shit-eating thing!" Xu Xiangjuan did not insist on protecting Zhou Chengning, and turned around and ran away.
An uncle spoke up, "Qiangzi, hurry up and leave! Juan is going crazy and no one can stop her!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Qiang fled in panic.
Zhou Chengning followed behind Xu Xiangjuan, "Juan, he ran away."
Xu Xiangjuan stopped only after she heard Wang Qiang had run away. Several villagers who were watching came up to the couple and talked to each other, the general meaning of which was that Xu Xiangjuan was in big trouble.
Xu Xiangjuan: "At worst, I can fight him to death. He is just a bully at home and is afraid of a lunatic like me."
After hearing what Xu Xiangjuan said, everyone turned their attention to Zhou Chengning, not expecting him to be such an impulsive person who was asking for trouble.
Xu Xiangjuan couldn't stand listening to such words. "Uncles and aunts, my child is still with my mother. We have to go back to take care of the child. I won't say any more to you."
Zhou Chengning's car was still parked on the side. The car was not damaged and the package tied to it was not lost. It should contain New Year's goods distributed by the school. Xu Xiangjuan asked Zhou Chengning to take her back to their home first.
After returning home, Zhou Chengning looked a little depressed, "Juan..."
"You stay at home, I'll pick up the children." After this incident, Xu Xiangjuan's voice sounded tired.
Zhou Chengning: "I'll go with you."
"No, you can rest at home. You are tired after a long day... Boil some water to heat up our pot, wash the rice, and wait for me to come home and cook."
"Okay, I understand." Zhou Chengning spoke in a low voice, as if he had done something wrong.
Seeing her husband looking dejected, Xu Xiangjuan didn't know how to persuade him, so she decided to go and pick up the child and take him home first.
When they arrived at their parents' house, Guagua and Niu Niu were both crying, especially Niu Niu. His crying really gave Xu Xiangjuan a headache. Niu Niu's grandmother probably had the urge to throw the children back on the blanket.
"Mom! You... don't want me... and Niu Niu anymore?" Gua Gua choked.
Xu Xiangjuan's eyes were sharp. "What are you thinking about? You and Niu Niu are both my children. How could I not want you? Are you holding some candy in your hand?"
Guagua gradually stopped crying and muttered, "Grandma gave it to me. It wasn't... something I asked for."
Without Niu Niu, the little crybaby, Wu Caifeng could finally say something nice, "I gave this candy to Gua Gua, are you going to confiscate it?"
Xu Xiangjuan: "No, Mom, I'll take the kids home first."
Wu Caifeng was even more incredulous than her daughter when she heard about her son-in-law fighting. "Is your husband really that capable of fighting with Wang Qiang?"
Xu Xiangjuan didn't want to explain to her mother now. "Mom, I'll tell you tonight... This matter will probably spread again in the village. I took the pickled mustard greens away and sent the bowl and meat over tonight."
Niu Niu stopped crying when he was held by his mother. Xu Xiangjuan returned home and went to the inner room to coax Niu Niu who was tired from crying for a while. Niu Niu fell asleep soon after being coaxed by his mother.
Niu Niu fell asleep, and Xu Xiangjuan went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Braised pork with preserved vegetables is neither difficult nor easy to make. It requires boiling, frying and steaming. Now she cooks to empty her mind and doesn't think about anything else.
Gua Gua was standing next to her father who was sitting and making a fire. She had just asked her father if he was hurt by the bad guys. Her father said no. She gave her father the candy her grandmother gave her, and the pain went away after eating the candy.
Zhou Chengning did not accept the candy from his daughter, but peeled it and gave it to her.
Mom cooked in silence, Dad seemed unhappy, and Guagua stood by with a candy in his mouth, not saying anything either.
After Xu Xiangjuan finished cooking dinner, she served a small bowl of meat and a few carrot balls. "Aning, you and Guagua, have a good meal. I'm going to bring some food to my parents' house. You don't have to wait for me."
As soon as mom left, Gua Gua felt that the delicious meat was not as fragrant anymore, and dad, who usually could eat two bowls of rice, didn't even pick up his chopsticks to eat.
Guagua was still not very good at using chopsticks, so he used his spoon to scoop out a small piece of braised pork and put it on his father's rice, "Dad, you eat it."
It won’t taste good if it’s cold. Guagua also has to dig small pieces of braised pork for himself, but he is not as lucky as when he digs for his father, and he always gets pickled mustard greens.
"Guagua is so good." Zhou Chengning simply picked up a piece of meat for his daughter.
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