Finally, it was Auntie's turn. Su Xueli and He Yulan coaxed and persuaded her to sit in the barber chair, and then Su Xueli ran around serving He Yulan as she permed Auntie's hair.
After the last step was completed, He Yulan put a perm cap on her second aunt and waited for the heat to finish.
He Yulan finally let out a long sigh of relief, sat down, and took a sip of water.
Su Xueli glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost noon. She then quietly went to the back.
Su Yunfeng was washing vegetables when he saw Su Xueli arrive and asked, "How many people are outside?"
Su Xueli said, "The customers have all left, leaving only my second aunt and me. My second aunt will need a while to get her hair permed. We'll all be eating here today. Why don't you cook a pot of porridge and stir-fry some vegetables? I'll go out and buy a couple of cooked dishes and some sesame cakes."
Su Yunfeng agreed.
These days, everyone is hungry and craves meat. Su Xueli went to a roast chicken shop, bought a roast chicken, then went next door to buy a pork knuckle, and finally went to a sesame seed cake stall to buy four oven-baked sesame seed cakes.
When she arrived at the barbershop with these luxury foods, He Yulan was both surprised and remorseful, saying that she thought her cousin had gone to the market to buy her things, but she didn't know she had gone to buy food.
They kept saying that she should be the host and that it was her place to show hospitality; how could they let her pay for things?
As he spoke, he insisted on stuffing money into Su Xueli's hand.
Su Xueli's face fell, and she said, "Yulan, I don't like you like this. I'm the older sister, and you're giving me money to buy some food. Do you think I can't afford it? Besides, there's my second aunt too. It's not like I'm buying it for you to eat alone."
He Yulan gave up when she heard her say that, her face full of gratitude.
My second aunt's hair wasn't permed properly, and she couldn't leave. Since they were relatives, she had no choice but to stay and have dinner with her niece-in-law.
Su Xueli carried the meat and sesame cakes to the back. Su Yunfeng was cooking a pot of rice porridge on a honeycomb briquette stove. The vegetables were chopped. He would take the pot off the stove after the rice porridge was cooked and then stir-fry the vegetables.
"Wow, sis, you bought roast chicken and braised pork knuckle! They smell so good!" Su Yunfeng's eyes lit up.
Su Xueli tore a piece of meat off the pork knuckle and stuffed it into his mouth, laughing as she said, "It tastes even better, doesn't it?"
"Mmm, it smells so good. My sister really loves me."
Su Xueli said, "That's because my younger brother also dotes on his older sister."
Watching her cousin skillfully cook porridge and stir-fry vegetables, Su Xueli couldn't help but marvel at the greatness of love. At home, her cousin was a gentleman who "didn't touch the kitchen" and "never lifted a finger to cook," but now he was so adept at cooking porridge and stir-frying vegetables.
"Chef, what kind of food have you made?" He Yulan came over.
Su Yunfeng saw her smile and said, "Stir-fried cabbage with vinegar and hot and sour shredded potatoes are both your favorite dishes."
He Yulan smiled shyly and moved closer to him to watch him cook.
Su Xueli walked out, no longer wanting to be a third wheel.
Upon arriving at the shop, my second aunt, wearing a perm cap, muttered, "Sherry, I don't even want to imagine what my hair will look like after the perm. Will I be laughed at to death when I go back to the village..."
Su Xueli raised her chin: "Second Aunt, if anyone dares to laugh at you to your face, I'll talk back to them. I don't eat your food, drink your perm, or spend your money. Is it any of your business?"
Auntie smiled and affectionately patted her head, saying, "My little girl, you're so adorable. Oh my, my Mingshen is so lucky to have such a wonderful girl! Auntie sincerely hopes you two will be happy together and grow old together!"
Su Xueli felt a pang of sadness and said, "Second Aunt, how could that be? He has someone else in his heart, you must know that."
Auntie Su looked at Su Xueli in surprise and asked in a low voice, "You knew, child?"
Su Xueli nodded. "He told me himself that he only wants to marry her and that they love each other very much."
Auntie turned her face to the side and said slowly, "It's really impossible for others to judge matters of the heart; only the fish knows whether the water is hot or cold."
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