Chapter 425 Parental Love (Part 2)
The next morning, Xie Zhiqiang got up early and cooked a pot of corn porridge.
Xie Dawei picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp. Then he wiped his mouth, patted his butt and left.
"Son, I'm going to work. There's not much food left at home. Remember to go buy some food after you finish eating."
"Dad, don't go. I don't have much money in my pocket."
"Just take it from the small iron box in my room. Lao Zhou, let's go to work."
Xie Dawei opened and closed his mouth, mumbling a string of words.
Anyway, it's summer vacation now and my son is at home, so I just leave three meals a day to Xie Zhiqiang.
Young men are just sitting around doing nothing at home, so it's only right that they do something more.
After assigning the housework, he pushed a bicycle, holding a can of teacup in his hand, wiped the seat with his sleeve, and called for someone next door.
Xie Zhiqiang watched the two of them walk out arm in arm, picked up the rag and resigned himself to his fate and started to work.
I didn't go out early today, and the smog had already dissipated for the most part.
If you go out early in the morning, the air is so polluted that you can't even see the face of the person opposite you.
The current economy is still in its infancy, and even in the city, there is not much green space along the road.
From time to time, you can see steam rollers working on the side of the road.
The most popular clothing nowadays is of course the Liberation Suit, but occasionally you can also see older people wearing long gowns and jackets.
They sat on the doorstep with pipes in hand, squinting at passers-by.
The old lady with bound feet was hunched over and walked unsteadily with a cane.
When he saw the primary school students wearing red scarves going on a group trip, his face wrinkled into big chrysanthemums.
Xie Zhiqiang was walking on the road, carrying a bamboo basket in his hand.
The sun was coming up and I was sweating a little after walking for a long time. I raised my hand to wipe the sweat from my forehead.
He takes after his mother, with naturally fair skin and a handsome face.
In high school, there was a bold female classmate who came up to him and told him that she wanted to date him. After thinking about it, he decisively rejected her.
Because I haven’t found anyone I like yet.
His father said that finding a partner is a major event in life and cannot be taken lightly.
After all, they are dating each other, and the next step, if nothing unexpected happens, is to get a marriage certificate.
To buy groceries, he went to Xidan, where there were many small vendors setting up stalls in the open air with wooden carts.
Selling Chinese cabbage, various fruits, bowls and chopsticks, palm-leaf fans...
There is not only food, but also various things in life, most of which are closely related to food, clothing, housing and transportation.
Xidan was not as prosperous as Qianmen originally, but in recent years, more people have set up stalls and the business atmosphere has become more intense.
Some old men living nearby had nothing to do, so they brought their small stools and took a seat on the side of the road.
He would spread out the palm-leaf fans he made himself, with a pot of brewed jasmine tea at hand, and sit there for the whole day.
The back of "Bangerye" was so oily from the sun that he didn't sell many fans by the last day, and his back was also sunburned.
The old man closed his stall and went back home dejectedly. He was sure to be scolded when he got home.
Xie Zhiqiang passed by each stall and looked at each one.
I plan to buy some vegetarian food today. I just ate fish yesterday, so I need to de-greasing my stomach today.
What kind of family is this? How can they eat meat every day?
I was carrying a basket to buy some cabbage when I found a new stall.
There was a girl with two pigtails standing at the stall, arranging the cabbages one by one with deft hands.
This man was a very particular person and would cut off any vegetable roots that came into contact with soil.
When the sun shines, the green color of the cabbage shines like jade.
Perhaps his gaze lingered for too long, the girl stopped moving and raised her head, revealing a pretty little face.
Not at all embarrassed, he took the initiative to greet: "Do you want to buy some cabbage?"
Xie Zhiqiang nodded for some unknown reason, thinking that even if this person had a little mud on his face, he would still look good.
Facing the business that came to her door, the girl's smile became more genuine: "How many do you want?"
The tips of Xie Zhiqiang's ears turned red, and he pretended to rub them, trying to cover it up a little.
"Three, please."
His father should have eaten stir-fried Chinese cabbage for three days straight.
Xie Dawei: My son, have you forgotten that we eat from the same pot?
"Okay, here you go."
The girl weighed it and quoted a price.
Xie Zhiqiang grinned and took out the pocket money he had taken out of the iron box from his pocket and handed it over.
The girl said enthusiastically, "Take your time. If our cabbage tastes good, come back next time."
"Okay, thank you."
After a long walk, I finally bought three large cabbages.
When she reached the corner, she secretly looked back at the cabbage stall not far away. The girl then began to serve the aunties who came over to pick and choose.
He had only one thought in his mind: why does this person smile so beautifully?
I shook the water from my head and prepared to buy some onions, ginger and garlic to plant at home.
Last time, he followed the third uncle to learn carpentry, and spent a lot of effort to fix the leaking foot basin he made for his father.
It was always left at the kitchen door, and he had to carefully put it away every night.
I’m afraid that if I’m not careful, his father will chop it into pieces and use it as firewood.
Buy some extra onions, ginger and garlic and plant them in the leaky foot basin. That’s how he lives!
He walked happily to another stall: "Uncle, give me a handful of each of these."
A group of people left the cabbage stall, and there were fewer cabbages on the wooden cart.
The lady selling dishes and bowls sitting next to her on a small stool was fanning her.
He started to persuade her, "Xiu Lan, you should take a break. If you stand for too long, your feet will hurt when you go home at night."
Gao Xiulan wiped her face with a towel and took a few big gulps of cold tea.
Sitting cross-legged on the curb: "Auntie, I'll sit down and rest for a while."
He wiped his hands and took out a washed cucumber from the bag hanging on the handlebars.
He broke it into two pieces and gave a small piece to his aunt.
The cucumber crunched in my mouth. My aunt asked, "By the way, Xiulan, is your dad's leg injury still not healed?"
Gao Xiulan sighed slightly: "No, it used to hurt on rainy days, but now it hurts even when I lie in bed at night in the summer.
Soaking my feet and applying ointment haven't helped. I plan to save some money this summer and take my dad to the hospital in the city."
Old Man Gao once had his leg broken in the village because he refused to lead the Japanese soldiers. He was in excruciating pain and had blood all over the ground.
While everyone was gone, I gritted my teeth and crawled to the village clinic to apply medicine, and my fingernails were almost worn out.
He managed to survive, but his left leg was disabled. He walked with a limp and could not do heavy work regularly.
The whole village was looted, and Gao Laodi's wife and children were all killed. In the end, only Gao Xiulan, who was not at home, was lucky enough to escape.
The father and daughter have depended on each other for these years, and their lives have become much better after liberation.
The commune would also give some food to Old Man Gao every month. The father and daughter grew vegetables in their own fields, and Gao Xiulan was responsible for transporting them to Xidan in the city to sell.
Unexpectedly, this year, Mr. Gao fell again at home alone, and the injury was more serious than before.
She went to apply medicine and found that both legs were swollen.
"No wonder you have to sell so many cabbages every day. Going to the hospital for treatment is really not cheap."
What my aunt didn’t say was that if it was a minor illness, it would be fine, but if it was serious and couldn’t be cured, it would be a bottomless pit.
Gao Xiulan encouraged herself: "I still have to save money to take my dad to the hospital. I heard from people in our village that the doctors with scalpels in the city are very good."
"That's right. People wearing white coats in hospitals are all intellectuals."
Gao Xiulan rested for a while, brushed off the dust on her butt, shook her braids, put on a smile again, and continued to guard the stall.
"Everyone, look, look, these are cabbages just picked from the fields.
They are big, and one can be used to stir-fry three dishes."
The aunt looked at Gao Xiulan and thought to herself what a pity.
The girl is not bad looking, but she has a seriously ill old father at home. Not only does she have no one to help her, but she also has someone holding her back.
The conditions for this marriage proposal are really low.
Originally, she thought the man was diligent and efficient, and was secretly planning to introduce him to a girl for her nephew who was a temporary worker at a scrap yard.
After asking today, I completely gave up the idea.
…
When Xie Dawei got home from get off work at noon, he washed his hands, ran to the main room and sat down to see what dishes would be served for lunch today.
His face turned green and his chopsticks trembled as soon as he saw it.
"Son, was our money stolen?
There are three dishes on the table, and you gave me all cabbage!
Your father is a human, not a rabbit."
Xie Zhiqiang pointed to another plate of pickles on the table: "Isn't this another dish to go with rice?
Besides, Dad, don’t be fooled by the plain appearance of this stir-fried cabbage with green onions, ginger and garlic.
It tastes pretty good too.”
Xie Dawei snorted coldly, put down his chopsticks, and snorted coldly.
Turning his head, he said, "Do you think I'm stupid? Can this cabbage actually taste like meat?"
Xie Zhiqiang first picked up a piece of rice with chopsticks and ate it with relish.
"Dad, you'll know if you try it yourself."
Xie Dawei was skeptical: "Really?"
Xie Zhiqiang nodded frantically, looking sincere.
Xie Dawei picked up a piece of food with chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and just after taking a bite, his face turned green again.
"You added too much salt again!"
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