When Xu Gensheng came back, the bowl in his hand was empty, and he looked quite happy. "They all said it was delicious after taking a bite. I didn't give them more, so they asked me if I could sell it in advance."
He didn't go to a specific restaurant, but went around to all the restaurants he knew. If they wanted to eat, he would let them take a little with their chopsticks and go, and he wouldn't give them any more.
Xu Xiangjuan: "It's not possible to start early. The shed hasn't been built yet. We'll talk about it after it's built. I'm also exhausted in the past few days. I'll start after I rest."
We probably have to wait until early July. There is no such thing as a break after the business starts. After all, the store doesn’t open early every day, in the afternoon. It will have to close for three days for the Niu Niu’s first birthday party.
Guagua was still thinking about treating everyone, "Mom, can I invite Miaomiao and Sister Xixi to our restaurant to eat cold noodles? It's free because they are my friends."
Xu Xiangjuan listened to Guagua's words, "You are so generous at such a young age? Why don't your friends pay? Grandpa's friends have to pay when they come here to eat."
Wu Caifeng: "Oh, how can three kids eat one bowl of rice? Doesn't Guagua usually take advantage of other kids in kindergarten? You should stop talking."
Although my granddaughter's words were a bit exaggerated, they were also the truth. Xixi and Miaomiao would usually give her food, so it should be a give-and-take relationship.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Mom, I haven't said a few words yet...Okay, Guagua, don't bring a bunch of friends to me."
"My only good friends are Miaomiao and Sister Xixi." Mom meant that she agreed, and Guagua immediately smiled.
Gua Gua was not very interested in what the adults were talking about. After eating his cold noodles, he went out to play with Miao Miao.
"The shed should be a little bigger. Dad, you can find a few familiar and reliable people and pay more for it. But it must be sturdy and will not fall down in the strong winds and rains in summer."
There are heavy rains and typhoons here from time to time in the summer, so the sturdiness of the shed is the most important thing, and there is no need to pay too much attention to its appearance. After all, it is only provided for guests who need to sit here and eat.
"These are just some minor issues, no trouble, they are all reliable."
Wu Caifeng was worried, "Will the things outside the yard be stolen?"
Xu Xiangjuan: "No, the foundation of the shed is dug into the ground. If someone wants to steal, we can hear the noise. As for the tables and chairs, we will move them in when we close the stall."
Petty thieves are not so rampant now, and the ground is not concrete, so it is easy to set up a shed.
Wu Caifeng: "It's mainly the tables and chairs. They need to be retrieved in time to avoid losing them."
Xu Xiangjuan: "I won't forget it."
After her parents left, Xu Xiangjuan cleaned up the kitchen.
Zhou Chengning followed Xu Xiangjuan, "Juan, I want to eat more."
"I can only eat one bowl today. I'll get sick of it after the second bowl."
Zhou Chengning didn't dare to ask for a second bowl when his father-in-law and mother-in-law were around, but as soon as they left, he immediately asked for another bowl. "Not greasy, delicious."
Xu Xiangjuan couldn't refuse Zhou Chengning's general requests, and this time was no exception. "There's not much cold noodles left. Can I make a bowl for you?"
"Okay." Zhou Chengning stood beside his lover and watched eagerly.
Xu Xiangjuan prepared cold noodles for Zhou Chengning, "I think you don't want to eat dinner... Niu Niu will sleep in and wake up today, remember to watch over him, I still have to go out and buy loofah with my mom, and I'll call Gua Gua home when I come back."
In fact, loofah is easy to grow. It is soft whether it is fried or cooked into soup. Some people find it sweet, but some people don’t like it. Niu Niu doesn’t like it, but Niu Niu is still a little kid, so there is no need to consider his taste.
The loofah is sold in the village by tractors. It is sold all day long. It is not as fresh in the afternoon but it is cheaper. As long as it has no cracks, it doesn’t matter if it is a little old, you can cook it into hand-rolled noodles.
Niu Niu is almost one year old. He is no longer the little ball he was when he was just one or two months old. Now he is a little ball and doesn't look so fragile. Zhou Chengning is much more comfortable taking care of the child. He listened to his wife's instructions, "Go see Niu Niu after dinner and fan him with a palm leaf fan."
...
In mid-to-late June, the weather was hot and cicadas were chirping. Xu Xiangjuan had not yet taken a nap and was fanning Niu Niu with a palm-leaf fan while he took a nap.
Fortunately, the inner room is not stuffy, otherwise it would be very uncomfortable to have no electricity at home in the summer.
Xu Xiangjuan also felt sleepy, so she put the palm-leaf fan aside. She drowsily heard someone knocking on the gate. She woke up with a start, put on her slippers, and went outside to see what was going on.
It was her mother calling, and Xu Xiangjuan quickly opened the door.
Wu Caifeng hurriedly said, "Juan, hurry up and go to your aunt's house with mom. Your aunt is gone."
Xu Xiangjuan: "Mom, wait a moment, I'll change my clothes and ask Dad to bring Niu Niu to me."
Xu Xiangjuan remembered this incident. Her great aunt was almost ninety years old this year. She had never had any serious illness or disaster in her life, and passed away due to old age.
My aunt lives in the neighboring town of Qushui and can pass by the town middle school. When she and her mother go there, they have to inform the child’s father.
After changing clothes quickly, Xu Xiangjuan carried Niu Niu, who was still sleeping, home.
Her grandmother had passed away a few years ago, and it was the younger generation who lived nearby who went there to discuss funeral arrangements.
As for her father, even if he doesn't go there today, he will still go to help later.
Xu Xiangjuan arrived at the town middle school on a tricycle at around 2:00 p.m. and asked her mother to wait for her at the gate while she went in to talk to the child's father.
"Hello, is Zhou Chengning in class?" Xu Xiangjuan saw three or four teachers in the office and asked the teacher closest to the office door.
Wang Qing was not the teacher closest to the classroom door. Seeing that it was Teacher Zhou's wife, he answered for her. "It's Teacher Zhou's wife. Teacher Zhou is teaching a class in the second grade classroom right now."
The school is not big, and the sound of reading during Chinese class can be heard almost everywhere in the school. Teacher Liu is not there, and Teacher Hao is sitting in the office, so only Teacher Zhou is teaching the Chinese class, so it is easy to find him.
Teacher Zhou had already taught a class of third-year junior high school students and could have had a holiday. However, Teacher Liu's wife fell and broke her bones and was hospitalized for a few days. Teacher Liu stayed with her, so Teacher Zhou was asked to take over his class during this time.
"Okay, thank you." Xu Xiangjuan went to find Zhou Chengning.
The town middle school now has only one floor, so there is no need to go upstairs. Although it is a bit roundabout to find it, it is not troublesome.
Following the sounds of reading, Xu Xiangjuan found a classroom where Zhou Chengning was standing on the podium, holding a book in his hand and his mouth opening and closing. The students below were reading noisily, probably reciting.
Zhou Chengning noticed Xu Xiangjuan standing at the door and hurried out of the classroom, "Juan, what's wrong?"
Xu Xiangjuan spoke quickly, "My aunt passed away. Mom and I are going there today. You and Guagua can go to Dad's house for dinner tonight. He will cook some rice."
When Xu Xiangjuan handed Niu Niu to her father, she had already arranged what to eat in the evening, and rice porridge was the quickest.
Zhou Chengning: "Juan, what time will you be home?"
"It's very late, probably around eleven or twelve o'clock. Don't worry about me. I'll ride the tricycle away. Niu Niu, please be careful. I'm leaving first. My mother is waiting outside." After giving instructions, Xu Xiangjuan turned and left.
Zhou Chengning could only go back to the classroom to attend class. He felt more at ease when his wife rode away on the tricycle, as riding a tricycle was always faster than walking on the road.
Several teachers in the office started a conversation because of the appearance of Teacher Zhou's lover.
Wang Qing seemed to be an insider, so Sun Hui asked him directly, "Is that really Mr. Zhou's lover?"
She looked like a respectable person, wearing a short-sleeved Dacron shirt, black trousers, and her long hair was tied up. Although she was not tall, she was not short either. She had a fair complexion and a pretty figure. How could she not be the vulgar and shrewd woman who abused Teacher Zhou?
Wang Qing was also helpless. His prejudice against Mr. Zhou's wife was not as deep as Mr. Liu and Mr. Sun's, but he was still surprised when he saw her. "Yes, I saw her on the first day of the first lunar month. Later, I also said that Mr. Zhou and his wife were a perfect match, but everyone just listened and didn't take it seriously."
Sun Hui: "Huh? It's really not a second marriage?"
Wang Qing laughed, "It's not a second marriage, it's the original wife. Teacher Sun, don't you think Guagua and Teacher Zhou's lover are very similar?"
At first Wang Qing didn’t think they looked alike, but the more he looked at them, the more he felt they looked alike. Of course, there may also be subtle reasons. As long as you accept the fact that she is your biological daughter, the looks of mother and daughter can be said to be cast in the same mold.
Teacher Sun originally thought that Guagua's cute appearance was due to Teacher Zhou, and that the daughter looked like her father. "So, it is true that she looked like her father. So, it was Teacher Zhou who was frugal before? Has she come to her senses now?"
Wang Qing: "Teacher Zhou is indeed frugal. Maybe his wife couldn't stand it, so she treated him very well, making delicious food and forcing him to eat, so that he wouldn't abuse her all the time."
The more Sun Hui thought about it, the more he felt that it was highly likely that Teacher Zhou had abused him. "It has something to do with the living environment I grew up in. Now I shouldn't say that Teacher Zhou's wife is lucky, I should say that Teacher Zhou is lucky."
Wang Qing agreed, “Who says it’s not true?”
Sun Hui: "I have never seen Mr. Zhou and his wife standing together. I used to think that the tall Mr. Zhou would look thin when standing next to the fat lady."
Wang Qing: "Teacher Sun, you are exaggerating."
Hao Man didn't have any thoughts about Teacher Zhou, but when she saw Teacher Zhou's lover, she still felt psychologically unbalanced.
I didn't expect that what the naughty kid Guagua always said, "My mom is very beautiful" and Xixi's response, "Guagua's mom is very beautiful", were actually true.
Women always compare themselves unconsciously. A white complexion can hide a hundred uglinesses. Teacher Zhou's wife has fair skin, not to mention her looks, which can be rated highly. It is completely different from the imagined dull skin and mean looks.
The way she dresses and looks doesn't look like a housewife working in the fields, but rather like a cultured person working in an office.
Zhou Chengning was not in a hurry to pick up the child after class because there were no classes in the afternoon. He could just pick up Gua Gua and take him home later.
Sun Hui still had a gossipy heart, and when he saw Teacher Zhou coming back from get out of class, he said, "Teacher Zhou, you have already talked to your lover, right?"
Zhou Chengning: "Yes, my wife has something urgent to do, so she asked me to take care of the baby at home."
"Is the little kid Niu Niu?" Sun Hui only knew the nickname of Teacher Zhou's son after hearing what Gua Gua said.
Zhou Chengning: "The right one is Niu Niu. Niu Niu is young and difficult to take care of. He is more dependent on his mother."
Sun Hui: "My wife was bloated for two or three years after she became pregnant and gave birth. She complained to me and scolded me every now and then, saying that giving birth is indeed very hard. I listened to whatever she said and followed her wishes."
Zhou Chengning: "My wife hasn't changed much since she gave birth. She still has a good temper and doesn't take her anger out on me."
Well, I originally wanted to hear Teacher Zhou talk about how his wife scolded him, but he was caught off guard by the display of affection. Teacher Sun was packing up the lesson plans, so he should just calmly prepare to teach his students.
Wang Qing found it funny. Teacher Zhou was indeed a talented person. He could always make people speechless... Maybe he learned this from Guagua, who was really good at talking.
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