With one less person in the rented room, it really felt much more spacious. Although Yue Ting was very sensible, the room was just too small. So Wei Zhu asked to sleep on the top bunk and let Song Xia sleep on the bottom bunk.
"Mom, you get up earlier than me and go to bed later than me every day, so don't postpone it. I'm young, and I'm not tired from climbing up and down."
Under her daughter's insistence, Song Xia could only nod: "We'll rent a bigger house sooner or later, and it would be even better if we could buy one."
Wei Zhu's gaze was resolute: "That day will definitely come, but Mom, university winter break is coming soon. Aren't we going back? What will happen to my little brother by himself?"
"Either he applies to the school to continue living on campus, or he goes back to the county town alone. There's definitely no room for him here. It's up to him to decide what to do."
"How will my little brother manage to eat if he goes home alone? Should I go back with him?"
"What are you going back for?" Song Xia refused directly. "He'll be ordering you around doing this and that. Will you still have time to study?"
"I can always find the time. Otherwise, how could you feel at ease having me running around alone every day?"
Song Xia thought to herself, Wei Deng has become like this not entirely because of her spoiling him, her daughter has also contributed a lot, how could she have such a silly daughter!
"Otherwise, we can find him a job nearby. Aren't there some restaurants that hire temporary workers during winter break and even provide accommodation? That way, he can earn some living expenses himself."
"You want me to work during winter break?" Upon hearing this news, Wei Deng exclaimed incredulously, "Mom, I finally have a holiday, can't you let me relax properly?"
Song Xia, as usual, tried to deceive her: "You said Mom is going to set up a stall, your sister is going to study, and there's no one at home. It's probably covered in dust. What are you going to do if you go back alone? Can you clean it up and cook for yourself?"
Wei Deng hesitated, then said irritably, "Can't you go back for two days and get everything sorted out? I can eat out."
“Son, have you forgotten that our family’s financial situation isn’t good right now? You’ve been eating out all winter break, how much money has that cost? If you get a job during winter break, they not only provide food and lodging, but also pay you. I won’t take the pay; you can keep it for yourself. When school starts, I’ll still give you your living expenses.”
Hearing this last sentence, Wei Deng was tempted. If he could control all the money he earned from his part-time jobs, and then receive a living allowance as usual next year, it wouldn't be a bad idea.
The main problem is that these past two months have been too frustrating. Not only can I not save face in front of my roommates, but I also lack confidence when I'm with Mo Ru. No matter how much I earn in a month, I can at least have a good meal and some fun with Mo Ru, and maybe I can even get her to agree to be my girlfriend.
"But where am I supposed to find a summer job?"
"Mom will find it for you, she'll definitely find it for you during your vacation."
Finding a job was incredibly easy for Song Xia. Not only did the system help her filter job postings online, but her daily customers also provided her with connections. She remembered that Grandpa Zhao had mentioned that his daughter had recently opened a buffet restaurant and wanted to recruit her as the head chef.
If she treats Uncle Zhao and Sister Zhao to a few meals, the other party should be able to help with the job.
"It's no trouble at all." Sure enough, Grandpa Zhao readily agreed. "The new store is going to have a lot of foot traffic, so we need to hire new people. They'll provide food and lodging, so don't worry about that."
"Uncle Zhao, thank you so much. But this kid has never experienced hardship. If he does something wrong in the future, just teach him a lesson, talk to him if necessary, and deduct his wages if necessary. Don't give him any face."
"The shop is full of young people, so you should be able to get along with them. You don't need to worry too much."
"I'm not worried about him, I'm just afraid he'll cause you trouble."
After speaking with Grandpa Zhao, the matter was settled. However, it would be too crowded to have Grandpa Zhao and his family eat in the rented house, so she cooked some dishes separately, packed them in a box, and asked Grandpa Zhao to take them back.
"Dad, what are all these?" Grandpa Zhao has a son and a daughter, both of whom are married. He also has several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He usually lives with his daughter's family, but today he called all his younger relatives over.
"It was a dish that someone specially made for us as a thank you to your sister and me."
"There's such a way to express gratitude? Don't people usually treat guests to meals outside?"
"Brother, you don't understand. Sister Song makes it herself, and it tastes much better than anything you can buy outside." Zhao Yun couldn't wait to open it, and then she smelled an extremely strong aroma. Her pupils dilated instantly. "I knew it was something special!"
"It's pretty good, even packaged in a box, it looks so appealing." Zhao Lin swallowed hard. "Let's eat, let's eat."
Knowing that they had a large family, Song Xia prepared a total of ten dishes. The most classic ones were braised pork, crispy pigeon, salt-baked chicken, beer duck, braised shrimp, and stewed turtle with pork belly. There were also two cold dishes: smashed cucumber and vinegar peanuts, as well as a vegetarian dish of garlic bok choy and a mushroom soup.
There were relatively few vegetarian dishes, but leafy greens are prone to discoloration and loss of flavor when kept in packaging, so they are best stir-fried fresh. Therefore, she only prepared one.
But this was more than enough for the Zhao family. They were not short of money and had eaten all sorts of good food before, but today's dishes still amazed them. Even the picky children ate with gusto.
Grandpa Zhao's favorite dishes are braised pork and stewed turtle. His son, Zhao Lin, shares similar tastes. Zhao Yun and Zhao Lin's wife prefer crispy roast pigeon and mushroom soup. As for Zhao Yun's husband, he's been enjoying beer-braised duck today, drinking quite a bit of alcohol with the duck.
As for the children, salt-baked chicken and fried prawns were the best choices. The four children ate the two dishes completely, and each of them also drank a bowl of soup.
In fact, in the end, only some vinegar-pickled peanuts were left. The rest were all eaten. Old Master Zhao couldn't even bear to throw away the last bit, so he asked his daughter to pack it up and put it in the refrigerator so he could eat it tomorrow.
"Dad, Sister Song has such great cooking skills, why doesn't she open her own restaurant? The business would definitely be booming."
"Her business is doing well now, and she has her own plans."
"It's a bit of a shame that we can't eat this kind of food often. No wonder I heard from my sister that you've been discharged from the hospital, but you're still going to the hospital all the time."
"Xiaoyun, they went to so much trouble to cook such a delicious meal for us, so you'd better make sure you have your work arrangements sorted out."
"These are all minor matters. If this were a private kitchen, a month's salary for an employee wouldn't even be enough for one meal like this. From what Sister Song said, I understand that she wants to toughen up her son, so I'll treat him like any other employee. If he does well, I'll give him a bonus when the winter break is over."
"It's good that you know what's going on."
Zhao Yun was eager to get along better with Song Xia, hoping that she might have another chance to host such a banquet in the future. After the winter break, there was still the summer break, so there would be plenty of opportunities.
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