It was hard to resist hearing these words, but it was also hard to just sit there and do nothing.
Liu Li said, "Auntie, we won't delay you from showing off your cooking skills. Just give us a chance to help. Do you want to wash the vegetables or cut them?
You can assign us some work, and we can get it done while we chat, without wasting time."
"Okay, then you guys help me peel this..."
The three people who were successfully assigned the task were very satisfied. Chen Ming helped Aunt Zhou cut the meat and chopped the ribs, while Xu Manman and Liu Li chatted while picking vegetables in the living room.
Xu Manman asked, "When does school start for you? It's only a few days away from registration, right?" Zhou Ming was studying at Renmin University and Liu Li was studying at a normal school. Although they were at different schools, the start times of their studies were not much different.
"It's the end of the month, so just go a day or two in advance."
"So do you want to go to school as a day student or as a boarding student?" Although it is more comfortable to live at home, the school is far away, and if you go to school as a day student, it will not be easy to go to and from school every day.
"I've discussed it with Zhou Ming, and we've decided to board for the first semester and then see how things go. The school is too far away, and it's not convenient to commute back and forth every day."
"I wonder if you can get used to living in the dormitory now." Xu Manman talked about the situation of the dormitories in Peking University and Tsinghua University. The situation should be similar in every school now.
Xu Manman leaned over and whispered in Liu Li's ear, "Besides, the bathhouses here are all public. When we take a shower, as soon as we go in..."
Liu Li's eyes widened when she heard this. She was from the south and used to take a bath in a separate bathroom at home. When she went to the countryside in the north, she was a little uncomfortable taking a bath only once every few days in the winter at first. But after staying there for a long time, she gradually got used to it. The educated youth camp also had a separate bathroom.
I went back to my mother-in-law's house yesterday. There was a separate bathroom in the small building. I had never imagined the scene of a bathhouse in the north. Just listening to Xu Manman's talk, I felt the cultural shock.
Liu Li gritted her teeth and said, "Then... in winter I will come back on weekends to take a shower, and in summer... maybe I will be used to it by then." As a person who has lived in the countryside for several years, she is still confident in her ability to adapt to the environment.
After a while, Zhou Ming pushed the door open and walked in. After greeting the people in the room, he sat down next to Liu Li and listened quietly to their conversation.
By the time the pressure cooker is opened and the overbearing aroma of meat wafts from the kitchen, people who are getting off work have also arrived home.
Wang Yang was very happy to see the two new faces in the room. "Hahaha, it must be Manman and Xiaoming."
"Uncle Wang."
"I just found out you guys have arrived when I called Brother Xu this morning. He even asked me when we could go visit you guys at school. I never thought we would have such a chance to meet you."
Wang Yang is a rough man with dark skin. He wears a half-worn military uniform with stars and bars on his shoulders and collar, showing his strength in the army.
Standing next to Uncle Wang, Zhou Ming's father looked much whiter. He wore glasses and was a very elegant middle-aged man. The emblem on his military uniform also showed that he was of high rank.
Zhou Ming's mother is also in military uniform. She is middle-aged, but the years have not left too many traces on her face. She is a beautiful aunt with a majestic appearance.
In terms of appearance, Brother Zhou looks more like his mother, while Zhou Ming inherited his father's looks, being gentle and handsome.
Liu Li said that Zhou Ming's mother is now in the logistics department of the army, and Zhou's father is the political commissar.
Aunt Zhou Fen is a doctor in the military hospital. She must have taken leave to pick them up today.
They have a son and a daughter. One of them works in the Southern Military Region, in the same place as Uncle Xu Manman. The daughter is married and no longer lives in the compound.
Aunt Zhou came out with the dishes and said, "Come and clear the table, the children are hungry."
A group of people were busy serving dishes and setting the table.
Nine people, eight dishes: braised fish, steamed pork ribs with taro, dried tofu with garlic sprouts, roasted eggplant, smashed cucumber, pan-fried tofu, cabbage with vinegar, and egg soup.
Aunt Zhou was also very considerate and changed the staple food to rice.
Before dinner began, Uncle Wang solemnly pulled out a bottle of white wine from the cupboard. "It's such a nice day today, we must have a drink. Comrade Zhou Fen, take out the juice someone brought. Men, have some wine, and women, have some juice."
The dishes are set, the cups are filled,
Wang Yang raised his glass. "I never thought we'd have such a fate. This is the continuation of the friendship of our generation among the younger generations. Today, I welcome Manman and Chen Ming, and also congratulate Xiaoli on joining our family. Come on! Let's all toast."
Xu Manman brought the juice forward and clinked glasses with it, taking a sip of the juice in the glass. The icy cool taste of orange juice was a rare drink nowadays.
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