After dinner, Grandpa Sun called his grandson, "Come on, Xiao Mian, go with Grandpa to tinker with those peppers!"
Sun Aimin knew that his father was craving cooking again. Whenever the younger generations of the Sun family had time, the old man would seize every opportunity to teach them his cooking skills.
He followed and asked, "Dad, what are you going to teach the child to do?"
Grandpa Sun replied, "Today I'm taking Xiao Mian to learn about the commonly used red peppers. He can't just look at them; he has to make them so he can understand what the aroma and taste described are like.
Today, I'm going to make chili oil and chili meat sauce. The red chilies we can buy here are limited, so if you have the chance, I'll go out more often and see for myself. The same variety of chilies can have very different quality depending on the soil and climate.
Oh, by the way, let’s make more today. When it’s done, find some clean cans to put it in and let the old Chinese doctor and his family you mentioned try it.
I'll have your mom pack you some homemade bacon and sausage later. They've done so much to help me find a school for my child, and I don't know how to thank them enough to give them something homemade. That's how I feel about it."
Sun Aimin nodded and said, "Okay, I understand, Dad. I'll see about the rest when I get to Mafang City. I will definitely find a way to repay this kindness."
When they were making chili oil and chili meat sauce with Old Man Sun, little Sun Mian started crying and coughing from the fumes. Sun Aihua quickly took the child aside and said to his father and brother, "The child is still young and can't stand the smell. You two can just tinker with it here. I'll take Xiao Mian out first."
As she spoke, Sun Aihua carried Sun Mian out, saying, "Come on, go play outside with your aunt. Let your grandfather and your father handle it themselves. We don't want to suffer this!"
Sun Mian, however, was still a little unsatisfied. He kicked his legs in Sun Aihua's arms and said, "Auntie, please put me down. Ahem, ahem, ahem, I haven't seen enough!"
Sun Aihua didn't listen to him. She pinched his little face and said, "You're already coughing and you still want to watch? Wait for next time. Next time, I'll get you a small mask, and you can go with your grandfather to tinker with the peppers!"
Sun Mian couldn't resist his aunt Sun Aihua, so he gave up struggling and went to the yard with Sun Aihua. He sniffed hard with his little nose, feeling the fragrant and stimulating scent.
Sun Aihua couldn't help but laugh at her nephew's infatuated look. She thought Sun Mian was perfect in every way, but she often sighed secretly, regretting that she was not so lucky to have such a lovely child.
She and her husband, Yu Qingxiang, teach at the county's primary school and No. 1 middle school, respectively. Now, both approaching their forties, they're anxious about not having children, even if they don't say it.
Asking them to adopt a child? Just asking where to adopt from is a big problem. They often hear about someone in a certain place adopting a child because they can't have another child.
Although no one specified where the child was adopted from, everyone who knew the situation knew that the child was bought and his origin was unknown.
Although they both thought about adopting a child, the children in the welfare home were either too old or physically disabled. Why would they bring back a burden?
To buy a kidnapped child? They were both intellectuals, and they would never do such a thing.
The old couple of the Sun family were also worried about their daughter and son-in-law, but they only sighed about this matter in private and basically would not discuss it in front of their daughter, for fear of putting too much psychological pressure on her.
These days, when the old couple of the Sun family heard Sun Aimin mention the family of traditional Chinese medicine, they had some thoughts in their minds.
While Sun Aihua was taking the child away, Grandpa Sun said to his son, "When you go to Mafang City this time, can you help your sister and your brother-in-law ask about infertility and see if Dr. Luo has any good solutions?
If you have a good idea, please call home and I'll tell your sister to ask them to go for another checkup during their vacation to see if they can take any medicine to help with their condition."
Sun Aimin nodded and agreed to this matter. If he found the right person this time and cured his sister and brother-in-law's infertility, it would also be a relief for his parents.
The next day, Sun Aimin stayed at home for another day. On the morning of the third day, the Sun family packed their belongings and placed them on Sun Qi's tractor, covering it with thick straw and cotton mattresses. Sun Qi drove Sun Aimin and his son to the county bus station, while Sun Aihua rode her bicycle back home.
After arriving at the bus station, Sun Aimin asked his nephew, "Xiaoqi, do you want to go out and try your luck?"
Sun Qi scratched his head sheepishly and said, "I'd like to go out and see what I can do, but I don't know what I can do. I see some young people in the village working outside, and their salaries are only three or four hundred yuan, which is too low. I can earn several three or four hundred yuan a month at home."
Sun Aimin asked again, "Have you ever thought about opening your own restaurant? With favorable policies now and more opportunities available, you should venture out and explore more while you're still young."
I'll go to Mafang City first to see what's going on. If there's a good opportunity, how about going over there and working with my uncle?"
Sun Qi smiled and nodded in response, "That's great. Uncle, let me tell you the truth, I really want to go to a big city, but I have no relatives or friends there, and I always feel a little nervous and afraid to go out.
If you take the lead, then I won't have anything to fear. I'll talk to my dad later. If you need help, just call home and I'll pack my bags and leave right away!
A simple conversation instilled in the young man a deep yearning for city life.
The ultimate path for my younger brothers and sisters in the family was to go to college and leave the countryside, but I was the only one who stopped studying after graduating from high school. I followed my father and second uncle to attend wedding banquets in the countryside.
How could Sun Qi not be curious about the wonderful world outside? He often fantasized about carving out his own niche, but he also had a natural awe of the unknown, so much so that he didn't have the courage to mention his idea of venturing out to the world to the adults at home.
After talking with his uncle Sun Aimin, Sun Qi suddenly found that the confusion he felt in the face of the unknown world was slowly disappearing, and was replaced by gradually clearer thoughts.
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