Bai Nuo pursed her lips as she watched Hu Mingmei go to wash the vegetables. It was as if a drop of thick honey had suddenly fallen into her heart. The honey melted silently and thickly coated her heart, making her feel both sweet and heavy.
He seems to really enjoy making money, but once he has it, he doesn't seem to have a strong desire to possess it. He just throws the money at her without caring whether she spends it recklessly.
It seems like I've never paid attention to this matter before!
Hu Mingmei was filling a basin with water from the water vat, pretending not to see Bai Nuo approaching. Turning her head, she saw Bai Nuo holding money, staring blankly at her. Hu Mingmei's eyes darkened, concealing the overwhelming emotions within, and she softly called out, "Nuonuo?"
"Huh?" Bai Nuo snapped out of her daze and realized that she had been staring at the other person in a daze. She let out a confused "Ah" and then suddenly came back to her senses.
"I'll go put the money away right away and then come find you!" Bai Nuo's ears turned red. She quickly said this and turned to leave, trying to hide her ears, which were as red as ripe shrimp.
Bai Nuo practically rushed to her room, slammed the door shut behind her, took out the small box containing her meal money, opened it, and put the money inside. She even counted her money box—besides cash, there were a few bank stubs.
Wow, she's got some savings now. Those days of starvation seem like they were just yesterday, but in the blink of an eye, so much has happened.
Bai Nuo brushed away all her sentiments, put away the money box and the half-bag of money, changed into some lighter clothes, and went out.
As Bai Nuo passed through the main room, she peeked inside and saw the strange old man happily eating his snacks, while the others chatted idly. Remembering the old man's odd behavior, Bai Nuo breathed a sigh of relief.
Turning around, Bai Nuo and Hu Mingmei went to the kitchen and started working. One washed the vegetables and the other chopped them; one tended the fire and the other cooked. Although it wasn't as lively as the main room, the two helped each other and didn't feel bored or tired. Instead, they felt a warm and cozy atmosphere.
In this warm atmosphere, Bai Nuo prepared one dish after another, all made with pork: braised blood tofu with scallions, stir-fried pork intestines, stir-fried pork kidneys, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, garlic spare ribs, cold pig's ear salad, pork tripe and chicken soup, braised pork ribs, and stir-fried vegetables.
Although there weren't many dishes, the portions were very generous. The entire kitchen was immediately filled with delicious aromas.
"Do you think he'll even like these simple home-cooked dishes?" Bai Nuo hesitated, looking at the large table of food she had prepared. That strange old man was always so big-headed; what kind of dishes hadn't he seen? Would he even look at these plain meals?
“He wouldn’t dare to cause trouble right now!” Hu Mingmei said calmly, a smile playing on his lips. “Just do your best. If it really doesn’t work, we’ll think of another way. There’s no need to kill him.”
In Hu Mingmei's life creed, there is no such thing as asking others for favors. If he is not tempted by food, he will think of another way.
Bai Nuo nodded; that was the only way.
After thinking for a moment, Bai Nuo took out some chili powder and placed it next to the pork intestines.
When Bai Nuo and Hu Mingmei brought the dishes into the main room, Lu Ying and the others finally stopped chatting. Some carried tables, others carried dishes, and soon everyone gathered in the main room of the Bai family.
Two large square tables were put together, and the old woman sat on the table. Bai Yu and Jiang Qiao'er were on her left and right. Next to Bai Yu sat Long Yi, Long Er, Long San and Xia Donglai. Next to Jiang Qiao'er sat Aunt Liu, Jiang San Niang, Lu Ying and that strange old man, Hu Mingmei and Bai Nuo, who sat near the door.
The wind was strong at night, howling loudly. Closing the door shut out all the wind. A stove was burning by the door and in the corner, the red flames and candlelight reflecting each other, dispelling the cold in the room.
"Old man, I'm sorry, this is just a simple meal from a remote mountain village. I hope you won't mind!" Bai Nuo smiled and served the strange old man a bowl of pork tripe and chicken soup before saying this, as no one at the table touched their chopsticks.
The eccentric old man stared at Hu Mingmei in a daze until Bai Nuo placed the soup bowl in front of him, at which point he came back to his senses. “I am a beggar. I can eat anything. I don’t crave any delicacies.”
Bai Nuo smiled subtly.
After getting started, no one needed to call for dinner, and everyone started eating. Bai Nuo kept an eye on the strange old man's reaction. When she saw him take a bite of chili and show a pained expression, she was startled. She quietly picked up some pork intestines, coated them with chili powder, and after eating a round of dishes, she saw the strange old man imitate her and take another bite of pork intestines, still with a pained expression, but the strange old man didn't say a word.
Bai Nuo's heart sank.
Not long after dinner, Bai Nuo and the others heard cursing and the sound of something falling to the ground coming from next door. Xia Donglai went out to check for a while and then came back, saying, "The Bai Dalin people are fighting!"
It goes without saying who they fought with.
No one was surprised by this outcome. Any normal man would be furious and confront someone if his child was almost pushed to the ground.
Unless Bai Dalin isn't a normal man.
The next morning, it was still a sunny and breezy day. Bai Nuo hung the pork strips that had been marinating overnight under the eaves to air dry and make them into cured meat.
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