Who doesn't love sweets?
Wang Wenfeng walked in from outside, his hair still damp with fine water droplets, carrying the moist scent of spring rain.
"Of course it's you, who else could it be?" Fang Li looked at him suspiciously as he returned from outside early in the morning. "It's raining outside, where have you been?"
"I went for a run." Wang Wenfeng said as he changed his shoes. His jacket wasn't completely soaked, but his tracksuit was covered with a fine layer of water vapor.
“You’re a doctor yourself, why are you running in the rain?” Fang Li reached out and gently patted her son’s arm, then pushed him toward the bedroom. “Go change into some dry clothes, don’t catch a cold.”
"It was just a drizzle, I wasn't even soaked after running," Wang Wenfeng argued, but followed his mother's lead into the house. He came out a little while later, changed his clothes, and went straight to sit down next to Zhan Chunlan. His eyes fell on the bag of candy on the coffee table. "I heard your strawberry candy has gone into production? I'd like to try some."
Fang Li raised an eyebrow: "Didn't you say you didn't like sweets?"
Zhan Chunlan smiled slightly and pushed the bag of candy toward him.
After sitting for a while, Fang Li instructed Wang Wenfeng to stay with Zhan Chunlan, and then went out with her vegetable basket.
The two chatted casually, and the topic gradually turned to their "cooperative" relationship.
Wang Wenfeng leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice: "What are your plans for the future? Dragging this out will damage your reputation."
Zhan Chunlan sighed softly, "I've also been looking for the right opportunity, but I haven't encountered a natural one yet."
“If all else fails, I’ll figure something out,” Wang Wenfeng said thoughtfully. “I heard the hospital is organizing a medical team to go to Beijing for an exchange in August. I’ll try to get a spot. We’ll just tell everyone that the return date is uncertain, and we don’t want to hold you back.”
Zhan Chunlan's eyes lit up: "Really? Is that possible?"
“Yes,” Wang Wenfeng nodded, “This exchange will last at least six months and possibly as long as three years.”
"Brother Wenfeng, thank you so much for all the trouble I've caused you." Zhan Chunlan felt very embarrassed that she had caused so much trouble for others.
He noticed the guilt on her face and softened his voice to comfort her: "Opportunities to go to Beijing for exchange and study are rare. Even without you, I would have tried my best to get them, so don't feel burdened."
Just then, Fang Li's voice came from the doorway: "What are you talking about? I heard you saying 'exchanging ideas and learning'?"
She came in from outside carrying a basket full of vegetables, and Zhan Chunlan quickly got up to take it. The basket was crammed full, with layers of various seasonal vegetables and fresh meat. Zhan Chunlan felt both warm and apologetic, feeling that Aunt Fang had gone to such lengths.
Wang Wenfeng calmly took over the conversation: "Nothing much. Didn't you and my dad mention before that a medical team might be organized to go to Beijing for exchange and learning in August? I said I wanted to try to get a spot."
Fang Li was tidying up the vegetables she had just bought when she heard this. Her hands didn't stop, and she said in a calm tone, "Don't talk to me about this. If you want to go, you have to work hard for it yourself. I won't give special treatment to certain people."
“I know Director Fang has always been a man of principle,” Wang Wenfeng said with a slight smile, “I never expected you to make an exception.”
“This trip will be quite long,” Fang Li finally raised her eyes, her gaze lingering on his face. “It could be as short as six months or as long as three years. Are you sure you can handle it?”
"Why can't you do that?"
Fang Li put down the dishes in her hand and looked at him meaningfully: "What will happen to Chunlan if you leave?"
Zhan Chunlan and Wang Wenfeng exchanged a knowing glance, then lowered their heads, not daring to look at her: it would be easier for her if he left.
Wang Wenfeng forced a smile and replied, "Everything has been arranged, so you don't need to worry."
Fang Li rolled her eyes at him, then turned and pulled Zhan Chunlan over: "You men are all like this. Forget it, whatever. Chunlan, come on, help Auntie cook. Let's ignore him."
When she said she was cooking with her, she really meant just keeping her company. Fang Li handed her the basket of bok choy and a small stool, saying, "You sit here and slowly pick the vegetables. Auntie will take care of the rest."
As Fang Li deftly tied on her apron, she listed her plans for the groceries she had just bought: "These bok choy are fresh, I'll make a vegetable soup; do you prefer braised or stewed ribs? I saw you seemed to like braised ribs last time, so let's make braised ribs. Eggplants are delicious this time of year, so I'll stir-fry some eggplant too. Broad beans are almost out of season, I don't know if you've ever had stir-fried broad beans with scallion oil in the cafeteria, I'll make some for you to try. I'm lucky today, they're selling river shrimp, I've learned a new way to stir-fry river shrimp in Jiangcheng, you can check if it's authentic later."
Zhan Chunlan sat obediently on the small stool, holding a bunch of bok choy in her hand. Her eyes sparkled as Fang Li introduced the dishes to her one by one. She didn't say anything, only nodding repeatedly: "Hmm...hmm...okay."
As Ms. Fang listened to her soft, sweet voice, she looked up and found that she was like a well-behaved kindergarten child. She had only been explaining the lunch arrangements for the afternoon, but the child was listening attentively. She felt a sense of being relied upon that she had never experienced with her own child before, which warmed her heart: "Just wait to eat. If there's anything you want to eat later, just tell Aunt Fang. If Aunt Fang doesn't know how to make it, you can learn."
Zhan Chunlan shook her head contentedly, her voice soft: "No need, I like everything Aunt Fang makes."
Fang Li chuckled and tapped her forehead: "You little girl, you make candy all day long, you must have tasted too much sweetness to be so adept at sweet talk."
The meal was served, with five dishes laid out in abundance. Only four people sat at the table—Fang Li, Wang Wenfeng, Wang Wenchuan, and Zhan Chunlan—making it seem exceptionally lavish.
Wang Wenchuan pointed curiously at the plate of bright red and oily stir-fried shrimp: "Mom, this bright red dish is quite novel. I've never seen you make it before?"
Fang Li explained with a smile, "This is a Jiangcheng dish that Mom specially learned, stir-fried river shrimp." As she spoke, she stretched out her chopsticks and deftly added several shrimp to Zhan Chunlan's bowl. "Come on, Chunlan, you taste it for Aunt Fang and see if it tastes authentic."
“Okay.” Zhan Chunlan readily agreed, picked up a shrimp and took a small bite. The salty and savory flavor with a hint of sweetness, the aroma of oil mixed with the smoky fragrance of chili peppers and a unique scent of scallions, ginger and garlic, immediately filled her mouth. Her eyes curved into crescents as she nodded repeatedly: “Mmm—that’s the taste! Just like the ones we make in Jiangcheng, the whole shrimp is so tender you can chew it directly.”
Upon hearing this, Fang Li couldn't help but smile, and reached out to add two more for her: "Eat as much as you like, and if you want to eat more in the future, just come to Aunt Fang, okay!"
Wang Wenchuan, always eager for a good show, quickly reached out with his chopsticks: "Mom, there's a limit to your favoritism, isn't there? My own son is still eating an empty bowl!"
He always remembered that during the Spring Festival, he waited downstairs for his mother, who said she would be there soon. However, she and his sister-in-law were enjoying a delicious meal in the warm room, while he stood in the snow on an empty stomach for two hours. When he came back, he had a cold for a week.
Fang Li patted his hand with a smile: "Can't you pick up food yourself when you have nothing to do? Don't you have hands?" Although she was sarcastic, she pushed the whole plate of shrimp towards the center, "Try it all, don't come back saying I'm biased."
Wang Wenfeng remained silent, only eating his food quietly. He barely touched the plate of stir-fried river shrimp in the middle. Although he had been to Jiangcheng many times and was used to eating a little bit of spice, he thought that Ms. Fang Li had gone too far with the chili peppers in this plate of river shrimp, making it look rather frightening.
Wang Wenchuan, however, didn't understand. He just smelled the salty, fragrant, and spicy dish and, lacking experience, scooped a large spoonful of shrimp and chili peppers directly into his rice.
The next second, tragedy struck.
As soon as he bit into the shrimp shell, a fiery heat shot from the tip of his tongue to the back, like someone had struck a match and thrown it down his throat. He instinctively shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth to try and quench the spiciness, but the chili oil had already soaked through the rice grains. With that one bite, the fire spread instantly, making his ears ring.
"Water—! Brother, water—!" Wang Wenchuan could barely speak, his throat burning from the spiciness, his lips turning red like sausages at an alarming rate. He gulped down tea from his cup, but plain water couldn't relieve the dry spiciness; instead, it made the spiciness even worse. Tears and snot streamed down his face, making him look like a pudding.
Fang Li handed over a handkerchief while laughing, "Who told you to be greedy? Of all these dishes, you didn't eat any, but instead went to fight with your sister-in-law for the stir-fried river shrimp. You got punished for it, didn't you?"
Seeing his younger brother's miserable state, Wang Wenfeng finally broke down, lowered his head and laughed out loud, casually pushing the braised pork ribs in front of him over: "Calm down, meat can relieve the spiciness."
Zhan Chunlan also got up and silently poured him a glass of cold water: "Drinking hot water when it's spicy is even more uncomfortable. If you really can't stand it, just hold the cold water in your mouth."
With teary eyes, Wang Wenchuan looked at his sister-in-law, who was only a year older than him, and said shyly, "Thank you, sister-in-law."
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