Chapter 66
Gu Xi carefully organized the items she had bought at the market that day. Looking at the growing stock of food in the cabinet, a sense of satisfaction naturally arose in her heart.
Perhaps because she lacked food and clothing from a young age and never had enough to eat, she had an obsessive love for hoarding food.
It was fine when I was taking care of my family, but now that I'm married, have my own home, and have money and cash on hand, I can't help but want to hoard things.
Considering the upcoming winter, we should definitely stock up.
After looking at the various foods stored in the cupboard, Gu Xi then looked at the meat in the basin.
There was a piece of pork shoulder that Shen Mingzheng had bought this morning, as well as a leg of lamb and lamb chops that he had bought at the black market. She turned to Shen Mingzheng and said, "Brother, we bought quite a lot of groceries today. Why don't we cook lamb soup and make lamb dumplings tonight, and invite you and your wife over for dinner?"
Shen Mingzheng had no objection to her arrangements.
Knowing that she had been eating at her brother and sister-in-law's house during the days he was away, and now that he was back, and that they had bought a lot of groceries at the market today, it was only right to invite her brother and sister-in-law over for a meal.
Since mutton soup takes time to cook, I plan to stew the mutton first.
Shen Mingzheng picked up the lamb leg and washed it clean. Following Gu Xi's instructions, he removed the meat from the lamb leg, keeping the meat to make dumplings, and chopping the bones to make soup.
Gu Xi thought, since we're eating meat today, let's eat to our hearts' content.
So I chopped up the five pounds of lamb ribs I bought today, threw them into a large pot along with the lamb leg bones, poured in most of the pot of water, added some ingredients for lamb soup, and put it on the coal stove to simmer. The lamb was slaughtered today, so the meat was still fresh and didn't need to be blanched before cooking.
Now that the weather is getting cooler, even if we can't finish it today, it won't spoil tomorrow, and we can eat it again tomorrow.
Next, Shen Mingzheng chopped the cut mutton into small pieces, then chopped the washed scallions, ginger and other seasonings, mixed them into the mutton, and then began to prepare the dumpling filling.
Fearing there wouldn't be enough mutton filling, I also chopped up the piece of pork shoulder, preparing to make pork and cabbage dumplings.
After completing these preparations, the two of them were not in a hurry. They rested for a while, and when it was almost time, they began to knead the dough and roll out the dumpling wrappers.
The two of them made some dumplings together. Seeing that it was almost time, Gu Xi washed her hands and went to her brother and sister-in-law's house to call for help.
When she arrived, Ji Ya was just coming home from get off work with her daughter.
These past few days, Gu Xi has been eating at her brother and sister-in-law's house, and she has figured out their get off work hours. Unless they have to work overtime, they always get home around this time.
"Auntie~~" Gu Tuantuan happily jumped into Gu Xi's arms when she saw her.
Gu Xi hugged the little girl and kissed her, then said to Ji Ya, "Sister-in-law, my brother and I went to the market today and bought a lot of vegetables. We're making mutton dumplings and mutton soup tonight. You should all come over for dinner."
Ji Ya was taken aback at first, but quickly realized who the "big brother" she was referring to was Shen Mingzheng, who must have returned.
Hearing her say "Big Brother" so naturally made me want to laugh.
Gu Xi herself probably didn't realize that she had let something slip, calling her lover "Big Brother," turning her own brother into just a "Brother." Gu Yuanyang had complained to her privately that his sister didn't call him "Big Brother" but instead called someone else "Big Brother," which made him quite uncomfortable.
Ji Ya had previously wondered if he was overthinking things, since Gu Xi always addressed Commander Shen or "Ming Zheng" directly in front of outsiders.
Hearing "Big Brother" now probably means that Gu Xi has been eating here every day recently and they've become familiar with each other. She's no longer as reserved and awkward in front of them as before, so she accidentally let it slip.
However, Ji Ya and her husband were somewhat aware of why Gu Xi called Shen Mingzheng "Big Brother".
I heard that Shen Mingzheng's mother originally planned to adopt Gu Xi. If Gu Xi hadn't returned to the Gu family, she would probably be the adopted daughter of the Shen family now, and Shen Mingzheng would indeed be her nominal "elder brother".
Later, the two got engaged, and probably got used to calling each other that, so they never changed it.
Ji Ya first asked, "Commander Shen is back?"
"Yes, he came back last night. He's off today, so I had him come with me to the town market to buy some things," Gu Xi said with a smile. "We also bought some pickled vegetables, preserved vegetables, and cured fish at the market today. Sister-in-law, take some back to eat later."
Ji Ya did not refuse, "Then I'll have to bother you."
The two families are now treating each other like relatives, so there's no need to be too polite. If Gu Xi comes to invite them, they will definitely go.
Gu Tuantuan said happily, "Let's go to Auntie's house for dinner!"
Before leaving, Ji Ya left a note for Gu Yuanyang, asking him to have dinner at her sister's and brother-in-law's house when he returned. She then left with her daughter and Gu Xi, intending to go over and help with the cooking.
Upon entering, one is greeted by the aroma of mutton soup wafting through the air, exceptionally fresh and rich.
Seeing that Shen Mingzheng was making dumplings, Ji Ya went to wash her hands and help roll out the dough.
Gu Xi and Shen Mingzheng had already made a lot of dumplings, which were placed on the cutting board next to them. They were all white and plump, and looked very appealing.
Gu Tuantuan stood on tiptoe to look and exclaimed, "Wow! So many dumplings! I love dumplings the most!"
Then she stretched out her little hand to count the dumplings. When she got to the end, she exclaimed, "Auntie, there are fifty-three dumplings here!"
Gu Xi asked, "How many can Tuantuan eat?"
"Hmm..." the little girl counted on her hands, "I can eat ten... no, twenty!"
Ji Ya said speechlessly, "These dumplings are big, you can't eat twenty of them." Homemade dumplings are generous with filling, and each one is round and plump, which is very pleasing to the eye.
“Then Dad will eat twenty, and I’ll eat fifteen,” Gu Tuantuan said again.
Ji Ya teased her, "Twenty might not be enough for your dad! What should we do? How about you eat less, you eat five, and your dad gets thirty, okay?"
Gu Tuantuan's face scrunched up. "Mom, I'll be hungry if I only eat five..."
"It's okay, you can have soup if you're hungry, there's even mutton soup."
Gu Tuantuan's face scrunched up even more, and she said hesitantly, "Can't Daddy eat less? Daddy eats too much..."
When Gu Yuanyang got home and saw his wife's message, he came over. As soon as he entered the door, he heard his daughter complaining that he ate too much. His loving father heart was breaking.
"Dad!" Gu Tuantuan called out happily when she saw him, "We're having dumplings at Auntie's house tonight!"
Gu Yuanyang looked at his beloved daughter with a complicated expression and decided to forgive her.
Gu Yuanyang also joined in making dumplings, and the group chatted as they made them.
Several people worked together and quickly finished wrapping the rolled-out dough.
Seeing that the mutton soup in the pot was almost done, Gu Xi moved the pot aside, put another pot on top, and started boiling water to cook dumplings.
While she was boiling dumplings, she was also boiling water on the earthen stove next to her, preparing to steam the dumplings.
She actually prefers steamed dumplings to boiled dumplings, but pan-fried dumplings are also good.
After all the dumplings were served, the mutton soup was also brought out.
Everyone first drank mutton soup, then ate dumplings. The soup contained large chunks of mutton ribs, which were very satisfying. Gu Tuantuan also ate with her mouth full of oil, thinking that the mutton today was really delicious, especially when dipped in sauce, the taste was even more amazing.
Others also praised it highly.
Gu Yuanyang asked, "Xixi, is this the mutton you ordered from the logistics department?"
Last Mid-Autumn Festival, he ordered some mutton from the logistics department for the holiday, assuming that his sister and brother-in-law had specially ordered the mutton to invite their family over for a meal.
Gu Xi paused for a moment, then said, "No, I bought it in town."
Gu Yuanyang didn't think much of it, assuming it was bought from the supply and marketing cooperative in town. The supply and marketing cooperative near the military base had a limited supply of meat and was subject to purchase restrictions. When the families had nothing to do, they liked to buy meat from the supply and marketing cooperative in town. There were fewer people buying meat there than at the military base, and most of the time, if you went early, you could still buy some.
Only Shen Mingzheng glanced at Gu Xi, but said nothing.
After eating and drinking their fill, everyone sat together and chatted.
Shen Mingzheng and Gu Yuanyang chatted about various things in the army, finding they had a lot to talk about.
Looking at the courtyard in the twilight, Ji Ya said to Gu Xi, "Xi Xi, your vegetables are growing so well, how did you grow them?"
They look very energetic, standing in rows.
They also planted vegetables in their yard, but all they could say was that they survived; as for how well they grew, that was another matter.
Gu Xi said, "Just plant them like that, fertilize them and water them. The fertilizer is dried river mud."
Although farmyard manure is good, the smell is too strong, and her nose is too sensitive to stand it.
Back in the countryside, it was fine, since the environment was like that and people often didn't have enough to eat. She didn't care about anything then, since everyone else was like that anyway.
Now that she's in charge and has money in her savings account, she doesn't expect to save money on the vegetables in the yard. Of course, she wants to treat herself better and hasn't chosen to use farmyard manure to care for these vegetables. Anyway, she doesn't grow many, so she just needs to take good care of them.
People yearn for rural life, but they would never yearn for a rural life where the air is thick with the smell of excrement.
Ji Ya suddenly realized and turned to Gu Yuanyang, saying, "Old Gu, did you hear what Xixi said? Dried river mud is fine too. You said it wouldn't work before."
Gu Yuanyang looked bewildered. "Huh? Really? Then I'll go dig up some river mud another day."
Neither of them were from the countryside. Even though Gu Yuanyang had been to the countryside for a mission, he hadn't paid much attention to these things and didn't really know what kind of fertilizer could be used for growing vegetables besides farmyard manure.
Chemical fertilizers are out of the question; I'm just growing vegetables in my own yard, so I don't need them.
The couple left with their daughter as darkness fell.
Gu Xi packed some pickles, preserved vegetables, cured fish, and dried goods she had bought that day into a cloth bag for them to take home and eat.
I had just seen my brother and sister-in-law off when there was a knock on the door.
Shen Mingzheng was heating bath water in the kitchen when he heard a noise and went to open the door. He found a thin, small girl standing outside, who looked to be about seven or eight years old.
Yu Xiaoyue was surprised that it wasn't Gu Xi who opened the door today, but Commander Shen. She immediately became nervous and stammered, "Commander Shen, hello. My name is Yu Xiaoyue. I'm looking for Aunt Gu."
At this moment, Gu Xi came out of the house and saw the two people at the door. She said, "It's Xiaoyue. Come in quickly."
Shen Mingzheng stepped aside to let the girl in, then closed the door.
Gu Xi greeted the little girl warmly and asked, "Xiaoyue, have you eaten yet? Would you like to eat at my house? We made dumplings today, but we made too many and have some left over. Why don't you have some?"
Yu Xiaoyue quickly waved her hand, "Aunt Gu, no need, I've already eaten."
"It's okay, there are only a few left. They'll spoil if we leave them until tomorrow. You can eat them."
Gu Xi picked up the little girl and carried her to the dining table. She took out the dumplings that were still warm in the pot and placed them in front of her, and also gave her a pair of chopsticks.
Seeing this, Shen Mingzheng finally understood why she had specially set aside some dumplings to keep warm in the pot.
Yu Xiaoyue found it hard to refuse such hospitality and didn't know how to turn down the food, so she could only eat the dumplings in silence.
This happened several times. At first, she would be fooled, but after it happened so many times, she realized that Gu Xi had specially saved it for her, and she felt indescribably touched.
She secretly made up her mind that she must teach Aunt Gu the dialect well, and when she was able to do so in the future, she would buy Aunt Gu delicious food and take good care of her!
After Xiaoyue finished eating the dumplings, Gu Xi asked, "Are you full?"
"I'm full." Yu Xiaoyue nodded obediently, a little embarrassed. It was not only because she had eaten Aunt Gu's dumplings again today, but also because Aunt Gu noticed that she hadn't been eating enough at night these past few days and had specially given her extra food.
Since she started school, her grandmother has been unhappy and has been cooking less food for her in the evenings. While everyone else's food intake remains the same, she and her mother have to eat less.
This has happened before.
At home, the key to the grain cabinet was held by Grandma. Every day, no matter how much food was cooked, Grandma would take out the grain and let her mother cook it. If less food was cooked, they would have to eat less.
Gu Xi patted the little girl's head and began to learn the dialect from her.
Shen Mingzheng was sitting on the other side, looking at some documents. He was surprised to see Gu Xi learning the dialect from the little girl. He suddenly remembered that when he was buying things at the market today, he heard her occasionally blurt out a few words of dialect. It turned out that she had specially learned it from this little girl.
Gu Xi told Yu Xiaoyue to go home after only half an hour of study today.
As they were going to bed that night, Shen Mingzheng suddenly asked, "Why did you suddenly start learning the dialect from her?"
"Isn't it good?" she asked, turning her head. "Learning the local dialect will make buying things much easier in the future. I can chat with the locals and won't have to worry about being ripped off."
That makes perfect sense.
Shen Mingzheng added, "You learn very quickly."
It seemed like she could memorize what the girl said after hearing it just once, and her dialect was so authentic that you'd think she was from there.
"Actually, it's not that difficult," Gu Xi said easily. "It's probably because I have a talent for languages. I also studied Russian and English when I was in school, and I can speak and write both of them."
She can also speak and write some other minor languages, which she will learn in future online classes.
After being a ghost for a long time, she had plenty of time to squander. Whenever she went to use other people's Wi-Fi and encountered students taking online classes, she could learn along with them.
Shen Mingzheng was somewhat surprised, not expecting that she had actually learned English.
Russian is not unusual, although there are very few Russian classes now, some schools still teach it. English classes are less common, but some high schools in Beijing do teach it, though they don't emphasize it much.
"Very impressive," Shen Mingzheng praised.
Gu Xi smiled, her eyes sparkling, clearly pleased with the compliment.
Shen Mingzheng suddenly asked, "Xixi, do you want to be a teacher? There are English classes here in the army, and I heard that there is a shortage of English teachers."
Gu Xi thought for a moment, then shook her head.
She doesn't like interacting with strangers, nor does she want to teach children. Once she becomes a teacher, she'll have to deal with just too many people—teachers, students' parents…
Just thinking about it makes my scalp tingle; I'm not really willing to do it.
Suddenly, she asked nervously, "Big brother, if I never go to work, will you look down on me?"
She's recuperating now and doesn't want to work, and nobody will say anything about it.
But what if she recovers later? If she hasn't found a suitable job she wants and continues to stay at home as a homebody, will she be looked down upon?
Shen Mingzheng looked at her, sighed softly, and said, "Xixi? Why would you think like that? Whatever you do, I will support you. If you want to work, then go to work; if you don't want to work, then stay home and read, draw, practice calligraphy—you can do whatever you want."
His salary was more than enough to support her, and she wasn't the kind of person who was idle or spiritually impoverished. She was able to manage her life well and gradually emerge from the shadow of her family of origin, which he found very pleasing.
The premise of working is that one needs to earn money to support one's family, and then find satisfaction and realize one's life value through work.
She doesn't need to think about these things right now.
As for what happens in the future, we'll talk about that later.
Gu Xi stared at him for a long time before throwing herself into his arms.
Shen Mingzheng reached out and hugged her, trying to steady himself. He was almost knocked off the bed by her, which was quite dangerous, but a smile appeared on his face.
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