Chapter 197: Prosperity 197: State-Owned Soy Sauce Factory
"Why don't we go back and talk about it?" Seeing that the provincial leader was still chatting with his in-laws, Shi Liancai hesitated for several times before finally speaking: "It's cold outside, and the children may get frozen easily."
Chu Yuan glanced at his grandson's red nose and quickly wrapped him tightly with a blanket. "Secretary Zhou, go and do your work first. Come to my house to find me when you're done."
"Okay, thank you for your help." Secretary Zhou really wanted to ask him for help with something, and seeing that there were children around, he did not delay any longer and made way for them to pass.
Gu Qingqing's eyes fell on A-Di, who was squatting on the side of the road vomiting profusely. She felt a little distressed. She handed Xiao Nian Nian to the man, walked over to him, squatted down and patted his back gently with her hand: "Are you okay, A-Sui?"
"Sister, I'm fine." Shen Sui took the handkerchief handed to him by his sister, wiped his mouth, and then held it in his palm.
"If I had known earlier, I would have let you have a good rest at home. I thought you had never been to your grandparents' house, so I wanted to bring you over to visit them." Her eyes were full of regret.
"I'm fine. I caught a cold and felt a little carsick. I'll feel better after I vomited." He comforted her, "Don't worry about me, sister."
Gu Qingqing ruffled his hair, pulled him up, and went back with the Shi family.
There are low, scattered thatched houses here, each one is quite far apart and not very densely packed.
The two brothers Shi Lianyun and Shi Liancai were talking to Chu Yuan and Gu Jin separately. Chu Dai was walking behind with the child in his arms. When he saw that Gu Qingqing had not come over yet, he paused and waited for her.
The woman came up with Shen Sui in her arms. Seeing the boy's pale face, she said, "Go inside and drink some hot water."
Shen Sui nodded.
The Shi family's yard was very lively. In addition to relatives who came to visit, there were also villagers who came to visit. When they saw them coming in, they couldn't stop talking.
Gu Qingqing first took them to greet the elders of the Shi family, then went to the kitchen to pour out two cups of hot water. Chu Dai drank one cup, Shen Sui drank one cup, and then took them into the inner room.
Chu Yuan and Gu Jin had already had their tea and were chatting with Shi Ji. Although Chu Yuan was not much younger than him, he still had to call him uncle because of their seniority.
The main room was bustling with activity. My aunt He Qiu Shui didn't see Gu Qingqing, so she guessed that they were in the room and brought in a charcoal stove.
"Qingqing, I heard that Ah Sui got carsick. Is he feeling better now?"
"I'll be fine after drinking some hot water." Gu Qingqing glanced at the side and saw Shen Sui sitting on a chair next to his brother-in-law. He was so sleepy that he hunched over the man's legs and fell asleep.
"Let him sleep on the bed." He Qiushui put down the charcoal stove and took Xiao Nian Nian from Chu Dai's arms. "Let aunt see our little baby."
Xiao Nian Nian was not afraid of strangers. He just grinned and shouted, "Grandma!"
"It's my aunt! Uncle~" He Qiu Shui corrected him.
Xiao Niannian shook his head and didn't see his brother, so he struggled to get out of her arms.
Gu Qingqing smiled and said, "Aunt, you don't have to hold him, he can walk now."
"Okay, it's a good time to go and play with your brother Chongshan." He Qiushui put him down and asked Chu Dai with a smile: "Adai, are you tired after driving all the way? Are you hungry?"
"I'm fine. Thank you, aunt, for your concern." With the elders around, he was not so lazy when sitting and sat up a little straighter.
"Dinner is about to start. Your grandmother and your aunt are busy in the kitchen." Seeing the boy lying on him, she said again: "Let Ah Sui sleep in his cousin's room?"
"It's okay, it's warm here." Chu Dai saw that he moved a little and slept a little uneasily, so he raised his hand and put it on his back.
Shen Sui looks cold and a little withdrawn, but he is actually very attached to them. That's why Gu Qingqing brought him here, because she was afraid that he would feel abandoned.
"Well, we'll have dinner soon. You guys can have fun. There are snacks here. Qingqing, you can fill your stomach first. I'll go to the kitchen to help."
Gu Qingqing nodded, "Don't worry about us, we are not outsiders."
"Right, right, right." He Qiushui brought a chair over and placed the enamel plate filled with melon seeds, peanuts and dried sweet potatoes on the chair. "Then your aunt won't care about you anymore. I don't know where your cousin has gone. He's nowhere to be seen in broad daylight."
She walked away mumbling something, and Xiao Niannian followed her out. His grandfather and grandma were all in the main room outside, so Gu Qingqing was not worried.
Next to Gu Qingqing was Shen Sui. She moved the stove a little closer and moved the chairs, and the three of them sat around the stove.
Grabbing a handful of melon seeds and eating them, she asked the man, "Stay here for one night? We'll go back tomorrow morning. After lunch at home, it's time for us to go back to the military area."
"All up to you," he said.
Gu Qingqing smiled and said, "It's quite comfortable to stay at home, but I want to go back after a few days."
Thinking of something, she said, "Do you remember what we said on the island?"
"Hmm?" The man smiled and took a piece of dried sweet potato from the enamel plate. "It's quite a lot. What did you say?"
"Photos," she reminded.
"It's in the study on the first floor." He said nonchalantly, "You can look through it yourself when you get back."
"Father's study?" Gu Qingqing hesitated: "Can I go in? Will it be bad?"
"It's OK to go in. There's nothing wrong with that." Chu Dai said, "In the study there are only some books and the calligraphy I practiced when I was a kid. His important things are in the room next to it with the sandbox."
Gu Qingqing understood, "I'll talk to Dad when the time comes. Go to the study to find something."
"good."
The inner room was still warmer than the main room and the space was smaller. With the door closed, the fire in the stove warmed the whole room. Shen Sui's breathing became heavier and he heard the voices of his sister and brother-in-law in a daze. He felt particularly peaceful in his heart.
Gu Qingqing and Chu Dai talked about future plans. "A Sui will go to the Children's Middle School after the Lantern Festival. Old Qin will soon leave the island. In three years, he will take A Sui to the capital."
"Well, are you worried about him?" The man bit a dried sweet potato and glanced at the boy lying on his lap.
"No," Gu Qingqing shook her head and patted the crumbs on her legs. "Mr. Qin treats him very well, and Ah Sui is very independent. I'm just a little worried that he won't be able to adapt to the northern climate."
Shen Sui was born and raised in the south. The only two times he had been out of the province in his life were with his elder sister and brother-in-law.
Chu Dai understood her worries. "The children have grown up and have their own ideas. If Tuantuan and Niannian go to the north to develop, we can't do anything about it. We can only visit them more often."
Gu Qingqing heard something else in his words: "...want them to go into politics? Is it your idea or Dad's?"
"Both, but it depends on them." Chu Dai smiled silently, the firelight reflected on his thin and resolute face. The man said, "Everyone in the Chu family is ambitious, Chu Jinghong and Chu Liuying are no exception."
It was rare to hear his son's name from his mouth. Gu Qingqing lowered his eyes and stared at the charcoal stove, deep in thought and silent.
She seemed to understand why her father had asked Secretary Zhou to come to Shi's house to find him. He wanted to do her a favor and pave the way for his two grandsons.
Although the Chu family has a wide network of contacts, having more friends is always good. When one reaches Chu Yuan's position, he has to think three steps ahead before taking one step.
Afraid that she would think too much, Chu Dai said, "Tuan Tuan and Niannian will have to walk their own path in the future. Dad and I will help them from behind when they need it. You don't have to worry about these things. It's still early."
Of course, the two children are still at the babbling age and have just started to grow up. We don’t know what their interests will be in the future.
"Qingqing? A'dai, come out and have dinner."
My aunt is shouting outside.
Gu Qingqing patted A-di on the back and said, "A-sui, eat first and then go to sleep."
Shen Sui woke up, was silent for a moment, and followed them to the main room.
The villagers who came to visit also went back, leaving only a few relatives of the Shi family and them.
Shi Qingzhou hurried back from outside and asked him where he had been. He shook the soda in his hand and said, "I went to the supply and marketing cooperative."
"Okay, let's eat quickly. The food will get cold soon in this weather."
Unlike the Gu family, the Shi family did not use a steamer to steam rice. Instead, they cooked the rice in an aluminum pot hung on a stove.
The rice cooked in this way will have a lot of crust and be very fragrant.
After serving Shiji a bowl of rice and then Chu Yuan a bowl, Gu Jin quickly stood up and said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. We can do it ourselves."
He Qiushui handed him the bowl with a smile: "Then I won't worry about you. Mom made a steamed egg for Tuantuan Niannian. I'll go to the kitchen to see if it's ready."
The two little guys were also very hungry. Chu Dai picked up a piece of fish, picked out all the small bones, and put it in Gu Qingqing's bowl for her to feed them.
Zhou Man had already come out with two bowls of boiled eggs and almost bumped into He Qiushui who was about to leave. She said helplessly, "Watch your way and don't rush so much."
He Qiushui was a little embarrassed, "Mom, let me help you."
"No, it's too hot. Go eat. There's nothing to do in the kitchen."
"Qingqing, feed this to Tuantuan Niannian. It's nutritious." Zhou Man put down the bowl and put a spoon in both porcelain bowls.
"Thank you, grandma." Seeing her son stretch out his little hand to grab the bowl, Gu Qingqing quickly held his hand tightly, then scooped some food, blew it cool, and fed it to Xiao Niannian.
Little Tuantuan, who was sitting in her father's arms, was also very satisfied when eating the smooth egg custard. Unlike Gu's egg custard which was not added with anything, Zhou Man added a little soy sauce to both bowls, both of which were brewed from her own soybeans.
The Shi family's skill in making soy sauce is well-known far and wide. Seeing that his eldest son was enjoying the meal, Chu Dai scooped a spoonful and put it into his own mouth. Little Tuantuan looked up at his father with grievance, obviously not understanding why he was stealing his food.
The taste is good, very mellow, and no worse than the one bought from the supply and marketing cooperative.
Shi Qingzhou just served him and Gu Qingqing a meal and brought it over. Chu Dai was moved and asked, "Cousin, what do you usually do at home?"
"Ah?" Shi Qingzhou didn't expect his cousin's husband to suddenly speak to him. He grinned and said, "I'm just working in the team. When I'm free, I help my grandpa and dad make some soy sauce."
Chu Dai fed a spoonful of egg custard to his eldest son who was squirming in his arms, and said with a smile, "How is your skill in making soy sauce, cousin?"
At this point, Shi Qingzhou couldn't help but pat his chest and said, "I have inherited my grandfather's true teachings. He is much more powerful than my father."
Gu Qingqing burst out laughing.
Shi Lianyun glared at him, obviously unhappy with him for not giving him face.
Chu Dai pondered for a moment, "Cousin, if I let you go to the state-owned soy sauce factory, would you be willing?"
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