"Mom! Dad and I are home!" Guagua started calling his mother as soon as he returned to his yard.
This has become a routine. Guagua calls out every day when he comes home, and then hears his mother say that Guagua has worked hard in kindergarten.
Zhou Chengning parked his bike and said, "Mom is not at home, we will have dinner at grandpa's house."
Guagua was curious: "What did mom do?"
Zhou Chengning couldn't explain it too carefully to the child, "Mom and grandma are out for something, let's go to grandpa's house."
Guagua ran to the inner room, but couldn't find his brother. "Did Niu Niu go out with mom?"
If her mother takes her brother out without her, it’s because she is too busy at kindergarten!
Juan left in such a hurry that she didn't tell him clearly where Niu Niu was, but Zhou Chengning knew after thinking about it that he had left it with his father-in-law. "Niu Niu is at my grandfather's house."
"Okay, Dad, let's go to grandpa's house." Gua Gua didn't ask any further questions.
Zhou Chengning locked the door and took Gua Gua to his father-in-law's house.
The grandson woke up not long after his daughter left, but Xu Gensheng didn't get too upset. Now the grandson was sitting on the bed playing with the rag doll that his mother liked to play with when she was a child.
Fortunately, Caifeng was reluctant to throw things away, so her daughter's toys could be left to her grandson. He searched the house thoroughly before finding these little toys for the children.
When little Niu Niu saw his father, he immediately cried out to his father. When he opened his little arms, he almost fell on the bed and was supported by his grandfather.
Seeing his son-in-law coming, Xu Gensheng quickly handed the small trouble to his son-in-law and went to cook rice porridge himself.
"Oh oh oh." Niu Niu was hugged by his father. His chubby little hands patted his father's shoulders and looked out.
Guagua translated the baby's words, "Dad, Niu Niu is looking for mommy."
Zhou Chengning: "Mom is not here, Guagua is looking after his brother, and Dad is helping Grandpa cook dinner."
There's no need for help with rice and porridge, it's just Zhou Chengning's excuse for not wanting to bring Niu Niu.
After his father left, Niu Niu called out a few times. But when he couldn't see his father anymore, he didn't cry because his sister was there. After thinking for a while, he gave the doll to his sister.
"Niu Niu, I'm already a big kid and I won't play with children's dolls." Although she said that, Gua Gua still sat down on the edge of the bed, picked up the doll and played with her brother.
...
"Dad, when will Mom come home?" Gua Gua asked his father while resisting the strong sleepiness.
It is already nine o'clock in the evening. Zhou Chengning coaxed Niu Niu to sleep according to his wife's usual method. Although it was not so smooth and the process was a bit difficult, Niu Niu finally fell asleep.
He thought Guagua had already fallen asleep. "Mom will be back very late, or maybe not at all. Guagua should go to bed early because he has to go to kindergarten tomorrow morning."
Guagua: "Dad, Mom doesn't abandon the three of us, right?"
In Gua Gua’s four-year life, he has never encountered a situation where his mother did not come home at night.
Zhou Chengning: "Of course not, what are you imagining? Mom went out with grandma. Something happened."
"Dad, I'm going to bed. I have to go to kindergarten tomorrow." After hearing that her mother would come home and would not abandon her, her father and Niu Niu, Gua Gua prepared to go to bed with peace of mind.
"Go to sleep. If you don't, you won't be able to get up tomorrow." Although the family is living a better life now, the money saved is certainly not as much as when they were in trouble. Zhou Chengning waited until the children were in bed before turning off the lights. After turning off the lights, he never turned them on again. He sat by the bed. When it was almost time, he went to the gate of the yard to wait for his lover.
Xu Xiangjuan didn't come back until almost twelve o'clock. It was completely dark outside. She had no place to stay at her aunt's house, so she had to rush back home. Fortunately, she borrowed a flashlight. Although it was not very bright, she could see the road clearly.
"Why aren't you sleeping yet? What time is it? You don't want to go to work tomorrow, right?" Seeing her husband waiting at the door with a kerosene lamp, Xu Xiangjuan felt a warm current flowing through her heart, but she was harsh in her words.
In her previous life, she came back even later. There were no tricycles at that time, and people walked even slower, but her man still waited for her at the door at night.
Put the kerosene lamp in the truck bed temporarily, "Juan, I'm not sleepy, I'm glad you're back, I'll push the tricycle into the house and park it, there's hot water in the thermos in the kitchen, Juan, go wash up."
Xu Xiangjuan: "Are you not sleepy yet? Tears are about to flow out. Park the tricycle and lock the door. I'll go wash up first."
It is better to be in the room than in the endless darkness outside. Whether it is a flashlight or a kerosene lamp, there is only a little light. Even with this little light, Xu Xiangjuan can still see the sleepiness on Zhou Chengning's face.
If she didn't have something to do all the time, running here and there, and riding a tricycle back, Xu Xiangjuan would also feel sleepy.
Now that his lover has returned, Zhou Chengning felt sleepy and fell asleep peacefully. Xu Xiangjuan was also an early bedtime person, so she went to bed as soon as she washed up.
...
The funeral of Xu Xiangjuan's great-aunt took more than a week to complete. During this period of time, the family could not get together. Although Zhou Chengning would bring the child to help when he was free, the couple had different tasks. When they were free, either she would take care of the child or he would. Even for meals, Zhou Chengning would sit at the men's table while Xu Xiangjuan would sit at the women's table holding the child.
After finishing her work with her aunt, Xu Xiangjuan started to take care of her small business. The tables and chairs had arrived, but the shed had not been set up yet, so she was very busy.
His wife is spinning like a top every day, and Zhou Chengning feels distressed when he sees it. Fortunately, the teachers' summer vacation has arrived, so he helps out as much as he can at home to reduce the workload for his wife.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Guagua, if guests come, you shouldn't sit here, okay? Mom put a small stool here for you."
On the first day of the shed's opening, it opened to welcome customers an hour earlier than the scheduled opening hours. Guagua didn't look for Miaomiao to play. After waking up from a nap, he sat on a chair in the shed with his hands hanging on the table. He looked a little funny given his small stature.
"I know, Mom, when will the guests come?" Gua Gua was also waiting for the guests. Mom even cut watermelon for him to eat at noon. Today was a very grand day.
Xu Xiangjuan was not as anxious as Guagua. "Mom doesn't know either. Let's wait and see if Grandpa will call someone over."
My mother's old sisters are basically thrifty women. They might not be willing to buy a bowl of cold noodles at 80 cents. Needless to say, Aning is not the same. He is not suitable for promotion. It is not easy for him to ask his colleagues to come over, and none of his colleagues live close to him.
So the first wave of publicity still depended on her father. Her father said he would bring customers over, and she believed him. Yesterday, her father even took some cold noodles out for a stroll.
After waiting for a while, she saw her father bringing three uncles over. Xu Xiangjuan remembered that the conditions in the village were relatively good. It was indeed difficult to sell this in the early days, especially in the village. Most families could not afford it, and they had never even eaten cold noodles before. It was not like later when they could eat it everywhere.
When Gua Gua saw his grandfather coming with others, he obediently gave up his seat and sat on the small stool.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Uncles, today is the first day of business. If you eat cold noodles, you will get a steamed bun for free. If you eat here, you can also drink herbal tea for free."
It is not difficult to mix cold noodles. Wu Caifeng learned it after a few times. The main thing is that both cold noodles and cold noodles are delicious. Cold noodles are more popular. They are smooth and chewy. The soup is ready. After reaching this level, no matter how dumb you are, you can mix cold noodles. "You said it tastes good. I'll make it right away."
The uncles didn't expect that they would give away steamed buns and herbal tea. They had tasted them from Lao Xu and thought they were delicious, and 80 cents a bowl was worth it. I didn't expect that they would give away these things on the first day. I felt like I had made a good deal.
Xu Gensheng discussed the taste with a few old friends, whether to use more vinegar, whether to add spicy food and coriander, and whether to eat cold skin or cold noodles.
The guests decided on the flavor and what they wanted to eat. Xu Xiangjuan and Wu Caifeng started mixing the food. Zhou Chengning went to serve the herbal tea and steamed buns, and Gua Gua followed his father.
"Dad, let me get the steamed buns." Everyone was busy, even grandpa was busy talking. Gua Gua wanted to find something to do, so he saw his father holding a plate with three steamed buns in one hand and a bowl of herbal tea in the other, and he actively wanted to get the steamed buns.
She is a child, and her mother said that children cannot serve soup.
The steamed bun was not heavy, so Zhou Chengning thought about it and decided to give it to his daughter, and used his free hand to get another bowl of herbal tea.
There were three bowls of herbal tea in total, and he was afraid of spilling it, so he decided to make two trips.
The three uncles had not eaten lunch in the afternoon because they had to take care of their old friend's daughter's business. They were hungry. The little girl brought them steamed buns and they ate them directly.
The steamed buns are neither too big nor too small, soft and sweet, and very delicious.
"Do you make steamed buns at home? They're soft, sweet and delicious." An uncle finished a steamed bun in just a few bites and praised.
It’s not that the steamed bun was small, it’s that I was really hungry. The herbal tea was brought to me at the right time, so I finished the steamed bun quickly.
"Uncle, we make these steamed buns because they are pre-ordered in advance. We are giving them away on the first day of opening. The steamed buns we sell are twice as big as these. They are 30 cents each and 50 cents for a pair." While her mother was preparing one portion, Xu Xiangjuan had already prepared two portions and brought them over to promote her own steamed buns.
The large ceramic bowl from Haikou looked like it had plenty of food, so the uncles picked up their chopsticks and started eating.
"This herbal tea is delicious, can I have another bowl?"
"Of course, Aning, serve me another bowl."
Zhou Chengning was in charge of the steamed buns and herbal tea today. After hearing what he was told, he took the uncle's empty bowl to the kitchen at home to refill it.
"The cold noodles are delicious. Do we have to eat them here to get the steamed buns?"
"If we sell this bun, how much would it cost?"
The portion was large and it was really delicious to eat, the uncles asked one after another.
Xu Xiangjuan patiently repeated, "Uncle, today is the first day, and every time you buy a portion, you will get a steamed bun for free, whether you take it away or eat it here. If you specifically want to buy steamed buns, they are 20 cents each, and 50 cents for three."
Xu Xiangjuan now sets the price at 1 cent for every additional application, giving customers a sense of value for money.
Xu Gensheng spoke at the right time, "My daughter's steamed buns are delicious, I won't cheat you. Look at how many peanuts are used in one bowl, the ingredients are quite rich. To be honest, we don't sell steamed buns, we only make them when someone buys them. These steamed buns are not easy to sell, and everyone can make them at home."
Wu Caifeng: "If you want to take the cold noodles home, you need to bring a bowl. We don't pack them now. Each portion is well placed. We won't give you less. Each portion is the same. The bowl needs to be bigger, otherwise it won't fit."
Their family has plenty of ingredients, so of course the bowls have to be big.
The three uncles finally went home to get bowls. One of them also bought three steamed buns, plus the steamed buns that came with the second serving of cold noodles, a total of four steamed buns.
Because the uncles had already eaten a bowl of soup here, they bought one extra portion to take home, so there were two portions in total. Xu Xiangjuan deducted 1 dime from the bill, and the uncles felt that they had made a good deal.
Xu Gensheng no longer needs to do promotion. Old friends just hold cold noodles or steamed buns and promote the product to anyone who asks about it.
"Mom, are there any other guests?" Gua Gua couldn't wait to deliver the steamed buns. It was so much fun to deliver the steamed buns.
"There should be more. If you feel hot, please sit in the inner room."
"It's not hot. I have a fan."
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