I soaked some matsutake mushrooms, planning to make matsutake mushroom and chicken stew for dinner. Just as I was busy preparing the dish, the village elders and their spouses, along with Uncle Erhu, arrived.
Dad knew Uncle Erhu, the village chief, and they had met a few times since they got married a few years ago. The three of them were drinking tea and chatting in the main room, while Aunt Guo helped serve the dishes. Soon, Chen Hong had finished cooking all the dishes.
Aunt Guo helped set the table, and Chen Hong went to the cellar to take out five bottles of red wine. If they couldn't finish them, the village chief and Uncle Erhu would each take one bottle back.
Tonight's dishes, besides a braised rooster with matsutake mushrooms, braised beef, a platter of braised pork offal, and a cucumber salad with dried shrimp, are all seafood: steamed lobster, steamed crab, steamed grouper, braised silver pomfret, and a "family reunion" dish.
My father rarely gets to eat seafood back in his hometown. When this table of fresh and delicious seafood was served, he smiled proudly. His daughter was still so capable, even making seafood look and smell so good.
With Chen Hong's encouragement, Dad had come to terms with it and was all smiles throughout the meal, not showing the fury the village chief had anticipated.
The atmosphere at the dinner was relaxed and pleasant; the three of them had already met a few times before. Drinking and chatting, before the meal was even over, they had already made plans to help Chen Hong pick corn and dig peanuts the next day, even dividing up the tasks.
After finishing their meal and drinking a pot of tea, the three village chiefs took the red wine given to them by Chen Hong and headed home.
Chen Hong arranged for her father to go to bed early, and Yu Yang went to his room to sleep after washing up with his grandfather.
Chen Hong locked the front door, finished cleaning the house, and went back to her bedroom. Just as she was about to go to the bathroom to take a shower, her sister called. They exchanged greetings to let each other know they were safe.
Her younger sister told her that she had already met with Ms. Fang, the head of the kindergarten, and that Ms. Fang had seen the pearls she brought and was prepared to eat them all.
She offered 500,000 and 600,000 for the two Melo pearls respectively. For ordinary pearls, she would offer 2,000 to 500 yuan more per pearl than the price of King Fook. For the seven large pearls, she would offer 220,000 yuan each for the two largest ones and 50,000 yuan each for the five smaller ones.
If Chen Hong agrees, Xiao Yun will make the deal with her tomorrow. She also mentioned that she has already arranged to meet the headmistress's husband tomorrow to discuss the house purchase and ask him to help find suitable properties.
Chen Hong told her that she could make the decision about selling the pearls, as long as the price was reasonable, and that she would send her some things tomorrow, and that she should check the mail.
Chen Hong entered her spatial dimension after taking a shower; she hadn't been there for three days. Her father was coming, so she'd have to be even more careful using the space from now on. If she weren't worried about her father's health, Chen Hong wouldn't have gone through all that trouble by keeping him with her; she'd be living like a thief from now on.
As Chen Hong drove her car around the space, she thought to herself, "This time I suddenly changed my plan to buy a house in Jinan and decided to buy one in Beijing first, which is pretty good."
After all, such opportunities are rare. Chen Hong remembered that in her previous life, two years later, her younger sister's husband, Fang Yitong, would be transferred to work at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, where he would stay until retirement.
The kindergarten principal's family had always been very kind to my sister, constantly encouraging her to buy a house, and even lending her 300,000 yuan for it. However, my sister and her husband didn't seize this opportunity, unwilling to borrow money and incur debt.
Two years later, seeing the situation was unfavorable, she wanted to buy a house again, but prices had risen, requiring even more loans. She had also borrowed a lot from relatives and friends, including 300,000 yuan from the kindergarten director alone. So, as soon as her sister mentioned the kindergarten director, Chen Hong immediately changed her plans.
Buying a house is a complicated matter, so having a professional local helper can save you time and money, and prevent you from falling into traps. Why not take advantage of this opportunity?
Thinking of the headmistress's family, Chen Hong put down the large seashell in her hand. She decided to prepare gifts to send to Beijing tomorrow. She and the family were complete strangers; she was only benefiting from her sister's connections. She wanted to prepare something nice for them and avoid putting her sister in an awkward position.
I prepared one pound of dried abalone, all of which were six-headed abalone. I also prepared two pounds of dried sea cucumber, two pounds of mountain green tea, two two-pound bottles of honey, six pounds of dried shrimp, and two pounds of dried squid, all packed into a sealed cardboard box for my sister to give as gifts.
I also packed five pounds of dried shrimp, five pounds of dried squid, two pounds of mountain green tea, and a three-pound bottle of honey, and put them in another cardboard box and sealed it. These are for my younger sister. I'll send them to her when I have some free time tomorrow; they should arrive in about three days.
Harvest the soybeans in the field, and try to thresh them when you have time. Harvest the corn, peel it, and then dry it outside when you have time. We can't finish harvesting the peanuts tonight; we'll do it in a few days, they won't spoil anyway.
After picking all the ripe fruit, Chen Hong was in a terrible predicament. How was she going to get all this out? She couldn't possibly eat it all by herself! She was so worried!
Chen Hong took a quick shower after leaving the space, then went to bed and fell asleep immediately. She had to harvest the crops tomorrow.
After Chen Hong finished her housework and put the breakfast on the table, her father had already taken Yu Yang and the dog for a walk around the village.
That's just how my dad is; he's always the first one up in the house. If he weren't so bad at cooking, he could make breakfast himself. This morning, Chen Hong cleaned the house, did the laundry, and made breakfast.
As for the rest of the chickens, ducks, dogs, and vegetable garden, Dad fed them all and cleaned up everything. He even prepared the tools for working in the fields, sharpening the sickle until it shone brightly.
Chen Hong smiled, but felt helpless. What was she supposed to do with this old man? With his industriousness, Chen Hong wouldn't dare use the space anymore.
Within three days, he had become familiar with the entire house except for the kitchen and his own bedroom. He knew better than Chen Hong what was missing or what was missing in the house.
Thankfully, all he knows how to cook is noodles and stewed cabbage, and he hasn't been in the kitchen for years. Otherwise, he'd know every single mouse hole in the house—how could he possibly use the space? What a blunder! God, save this child! This child is having such a hard time!
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