Qiao Baozhu didn’t know that there were already many people waiting to see the fun between her and Shen Xiao over at Qingyan Mountain.
Now the couple is preparing to go home.
The cotton shoes that Qiao Baozhu made for her adoptive parents made the old couple happier than good cigarettes and wine. Seeing their daughter and son-in-law getting ready to go home, the old couple searched through all the boxes and drawers but couldn't find anything decent for the children to take back.
"Dad, Mom, we both have everything we need. You prepared everything you could before we got married, what can you find now?"
Qiao Baozhu tried to persuade her parents in a funny way, but the old couple didn't listen at all, as if letting their daughter and son-in-law go home empty-handed would cost them their lives.
"Why don't we ask mom to help us mix some cold dishes? I think those two cold dishes are better than the meat."
Shen Xiao suggested taking some cold dishes home to give the anxious old couple a way out.
"You guys finally came back, how can you just bring a box of cold dishes? Xiao Shen wants your mother to prepare the cold dishes for us tomorrow, right? Okay, let your mother come over tomorrow."
Qiao Changhai waved his hand and made the decision very generously. Bao Huihua stood by with a smile on her face, looking very proud to be able to do things for her daughter and son-in-law.
Seeing that the two elders misunderstood him, Shen Xiao smiled and waved his hands to explain: "The two elders misunderstood, I really think that the cold dishes made by mom taste different from those made by others. The chef in our army canteen also cooks delicious dishes, and I have also eaten the cold dishes made by the chef in the state-owned restaurant. I am not complimenting mom, but she cooks very deliciously."
Qiao Baozhu believed this. Shen Xiao ate the most of the two cold dishes just now.
"You're right! The cold dishes my mom prepares are indeed better than those made by many chefs."
"I didn't expect you to have such a powerful tongue."
Qiao Baozhu had a very proud look on her face, just like Wang Po boasting about her melons. Bao Huihua blushed and pulled her daughter's sleeve awkwardly, telling her not to be too ostentatious.
Qiao Changhai was very happy, but he was not happy because his wife's cooking skills were recognized. The cold dishes made by my old lady were indeed delicious, but they were not praised to this extent by Shen Xiao.
He was happy that Shen Xiao was willing to humble himself and give these two old men some face. As the son of a high-ranking official, what delicious food must he not have eaten?
"My mother's cold dishes have a key seasoning that other restaurants don't have. The sauce made with this seasoning is the secret to making the cold dishes delicious."
Qiao Baozhu looked very proud, and Shen Xiao suddenly realized that he had not expected that Bao Huihua actually had a secret recipe.
Since it's a recipe, he can't let others take it out.
With a gentle look on her face, she cooperated with Qiao Baozhu and said with a smile, "Then I will have a good time in the future. I can often eat delicious cold dishes."
While the young couple was chatting and laughing, Bao Huihua came over carrying two cans.
The can was filled with black liquid. Needless to say, Shen Xiao could guess that this was the secret seasoning that Qiao Baozhu mentioned.
"Yes, Baozhu can also make cold dishes. Sometimes she makes them even better than her mother's. You two can take these two bottles of soy sauce home first, and come back to get them when you are almost done eating."
soy sauce?
Shen Xiao looked at Bao Huihua in surprise, a little unbelievable: "Mom can make soy sauce?"
This is a skill that can make money.
Whether it is a public canteen or an ordinary person’s dining table, cooking cannot be separated from salt and soy sauce. Although some families live in poverty, they rarely ask for soy sauce. But people who are a little more particular will still use soy sauce for seasoning.
Brewing soy sauce is a skill. Since she has this skill, Bao Huihua should be able to find a good job.
Shen Xiao figured out this doubt in an instant.
Qiao Changhai is an excellent watch repairman and accounts for half of the sales at Huaguang Repair Shop. If it were a normal person, such a technical expert would have been poached by a big company long ago. Just because he is a disabled person, he can't even get a regular job.
Bao Huihua is a mute with almost zero social skills. She is not even qualified to sweep the toilets at a soy sauce factory.
Shen Xiao secretly felt regretful and also felt deeply helpless.
He thought of several seniors he met in his youth. They possessed extraordinary talents and made great contributions to the country's recovery. It was because they had studied abroad that they were framed by some people. Some of them committed suicide due to the humiliation, and some were sent to the cowshed.
Those people still have to survive in this era, let alone the disabled people at the bottom of society like Qiao Changhai and his wife.
Qiao Baozhu sat in the car and felt the deep sorrow emanating from Shen Xiao.
"that……"
Qiao Baozhu couldn't stand the depressing atmosphere in the car and felt that she'd better say something.
"Are we really going to visit someone tonight? If we are, we should buy something. It would be rude to show up empty-handed."
Qiao Baozhu brought up Shen Xiao's previous excuses, pulling him out of his sad and angry memories.
"Oh, Political Commissar Zhou did invite us to dinner, but I declined. I told you today just to trick the old man. If you're not home, the old couple won't eat meat. Let's leave those dishes for them."
Shen Xiao could see that the old couple were frugal, and he could also see how much they doted on Qiao Baozhu.
"They both really love you. They are like their own children."
In the cramped shack, there are not many daily necessities of the old couple, but instead, there are traces of Qiao Baozhu's life everywhere.
Her desk, textbooks, desk lamp; used combs, mirrors, towels, soaps; even the cabinet on the kang had her photos on it, and there was a child's toy on the windowsill.
This shows that the focus of the old couple’s lives is Qiao Baozhu. As long as it was good food, the old couple would not eat a single bite and would only save it for Qiao Baozhu.
"So I have to work hard to make money, bring my parents to live with me, and provide for them in their old age."
"I'll keep an eye on the houses in the family compound. Once there are three vacant rooms, I'll apply to move in. Then I'll bring my parents over so you can be reunited."
Qiao Baozhu was already satisfied that Shen Xiao could say such words as a son-in-law.
In this era, unless the son-in-law lives with the family, the elderly will not live with their daughter or son-in-law. Moreover, most men will not provide for their parents-in-law in their old age.
Qiao Baozhu had never planned to stay with Shen Xiao for too long, she just wanted to wait for the right opportunity. After making money, she divorced Shen Xiao, then returned to the city to buy a house and live with her adoptive parents.
The two of them were each thinking about their own things and didn't say anything else.
The car quickly drove into the staff quarters. Qiao Baozhu got out and carried her things into the house. Shen Xiao did not get out of the car. Only when he saw Qiao Baozhu enter the house did he step on the accelerator and drive out of the family compound.
Qiao Baozhu went into the house, unpacked some things, and lit a fire to heat the kang. It's almost November and it's so cold inside that my hands are freezing.
After putting water in the pot, Qiao Baozhu sat on a small stool and slowly lit the fire. Maybe because she hadn’t used the stove for a long time, Qiao Baozhu was not very skilled at it. After a while, a lot of black smoke came out from inside and outside the house.
Qiao Baozhu had to open the door and cover her nose and cough while making a fire.
She didn't notice that outside the yard, a little boy was standing outside her fence, peeking inside.
"Brother, there's smoke coming out of Uncle Shen's chimney. Let's go inside and ask Uncle Shen for some rice!"
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