Aunt Liu handed over the phone and then left the living room, giving them space to talk.
"Xiao Lin, how are things over there? Are you settling in?"
"It's great, the neighbors are all very nice and take good care of us."
Hearing her grandson say this, Xia Huiying felt much relieved and quickly urged him to give the phone to Gu Mingyue, as she wanted to talk to her granddaughter-in-law.
"grandmother."
Hearing her voice, Xia Huiying's smile deepened, "Yueyue."
Another series of expressions of concern.
Gu Mingyue said with a smile, "Today, Aunt Qin from next door even brought over some fish soup, it smelled so good."
Xia Huiying smiled with relief on the other end of the phone, "That's good. You two live your lives well. If there's any chores around the house, let Xiao Lin do them. He's strong and not afraid of getting tired."
The phone wasn't very soundproof, and Lu Lin could clearly hear his grandmother's "care."
Gu Mingyue glanced at him and suppressed a laugh, "Okay, I understand. You and Grandpa should also take care of yourselves and get plenty of rest. I will write home often."
In those days, telephone charges were high, and unless it was something urgent, most people still chose letters as their means of communication.
When Lu Wanwan got home, she happened to be on the phone and eagerly answered it.
"Sister-in-law, I miss you."
The two had only been apart for a few days, but Lu Wanwan already felt that she was starting to miss him.
"Wanwan, I miss you too."
The two sisters whispered to each other for a long time until the person on the phone urged them to hang up.
Since her in-laws hadn't gotten off work yet, Gu Mingyue asked Lu Wanwan to convey her concern to them.
After paying the phone bill, the two left the supply and marketing cooperative carrying their purchases and found the market in the direction Zhao Xiulan pointed out.
Because this is a scene unique to islands, the market is located in a relatively secluded spot to be on the safe side.
The market was not far from the supply and marketing cooperative. After passing two large trees, the space suddenly opened up before the two of them.
There were still quite a few people at the market, with each stall displaying its wares.
There were vendors selling fish, seaweed, and their own chickens, ducks, geese, and homegrown vegetables.
A woman called out loudly, "Fresh seaweed! Just caught!"
Gu Mingyue's eyes lit up, and she pulled Lu Lin to the seaweed stall. "This is good, I can make you seaweed and pork rib soup."
Lu Lin smiled and nodded: "I love eating whatever you make."
When the woman saw a customer arrive, she enthusiastically introduced her business, "Comrade, you have excellent taste! My seaweed is the best in the market. It's not only of high quality, but also inexpensive."
Unlike the seaweed found while beachcombing, this seaweed was hauled back from a fishing boat; it was thick and delicious.
Gu Mingyue picked out a few large pieces, which only cost two cents in total, and no coupons were needed, which was really a great deal.
Seeing that she was a new face, her sister-in-law offered her some scraps of food.
"Comrade, don't underestimate these small ones. Take them home, wash them, and you can still eat them. They taste great in cold dishes."
Okay, thank you.
They then picked out some vegetables from other stalls.
Gu Mingyue patiently picked through the items, not forgetting to lower the price, and addressing the other party as "Auntie" and "Sister-in-law" repeatedly, making the other party very happy.
Since everyone recognized her, and then noticed the man next to her wearing a military uniform, they guessed she was a new military wife. They wanted to keep this customer and were happy to offer her a discount.
The meat stall was indeed running low on stock, but thankfully there were still a few large bones left.
Seeing that it would be gone if she didn't take it now, Gu Mingyue quickly grabbed it first.
The couple returned home laden with their purchases, walking towards the sunset.
"How about we make some seaweed and bone soup and some scrambled eggs later, and take them with us as gifts?"
Okay, let's do it together.
Before returning, Lu Lin had hurriedly learned a few dishes from her. Although he couldn't fully master them, he was able to assist her without any problem.
He turned his head to look at his wife; the setting sun cast a soft golden glow on her face, making her smile appear especially warm.
Wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys above the family compound, and the sounds of children playing could be heard not far away.
A sense of peace suddenly welled up in Lu Lin's heart. Here, wherever she was, was home.
After arriving home, Gu Mingyue put down the vegetable basket and started working with Lu Lin.
There was an open-air stove in the courtyard. Lu Lin cleaned the large pot, washed the bones, chopped them into pieces, and put them into the pot to blanch and remove the blood foam.
Gu Mingyue was washing the kelp on the side, gently rubbing it in the water to remove the sea sand attached to it.
"Are you done washing?" Gu Mingyue glanced at Lu Lin, saw him nod, and then started stewing the kelp and bones over a high flame.
Lu Lin glanced at the firewood in the house; it was the leftover from before, barely enough for them to cook dinner.
In the kitchen, the iron wok sizzled from the fire, and Gu Mingyue first fried a plate of eggs.
The golden egg mixture quickly solidified in the pan, emitting a fragrant aroma. Before serving, add a handful of chopped green onions for extra flavor.
Gu Mingyue packed the eggs into a lunchbox, and then went to pack the gifts she was going to bring.
The bone broth in the courtyard gradually began to simmer, the kelp soaked up the broth and slowly unfurled, a thin layer of oil floated on the surface, and the aroma filled the air.
Lu Lin was in charge of watching over the pot, occasionally lifting the lid and skimming off the foam with a spoon, his movements clumsy but earnest.
Gu Mingyue put the things in the basket, and carried the cooked kelp and bone soup in a basin. There was no bowl big enough at home, so this was the only way.
He Binglin lived in the front, and the two walked along the seaside path, where they met He Binglin who had come to pick them up.
"I thought you'd forgotten, and I was just about to go get someone."
"I didn't forget. Yueyue said it would be embarrassing to come empty-handed, so I prepared some dishes to bring with me."
"Sister-in-law, you're too kind. Let's go, Xing Yi is already waiting over there."
As soon as the two entered the door, Xia Qinghe, who had heard the noise, came out of the kitchen, carrying dishes in her hands.
"This must be Comrade Gu."
"Hello, sister-in-law. I just made some seaweed and bone soup and scrambled eggs. I thought we'd all try them."
Xia Qinghe quickly put down the dishes in her hands and said with a smile, "I've heard that Comrade Gu is a good cook. I'm really in luck today."
"Hello, sister-in-law. My name is Gu Mingyue. You can just call me Mingyue. I hope you will take care of me in the future."
"We're all neighbors, it's only right that we help each other out."
Xia Qinghe greeted them warmly and called into the house, "Yangyang, come out and greet the guests."
A little boy of three or four years old ran out of the house, his eyes gleaming with a cunning look, like a little fox, and he looked 90% like He Binglin.
“This is my son Yangyang,” He Binglin said with a smile. “He’s very mischievous.”
"Yangyang is so cute." Gu Mingyue squatted down to be at his eye level. "Would you like to try some of the snacks Auntie brought?"
They brought some local specialties from Beijing with them, thinking that the kids love sweets.
Yangyang looked expectantly at her mother, but first glanced at her mother. Seeing her nod, she agreed, "Okay, thank you, Auntie."
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