Zhao Shufang didn't stand on ceremony, since her family often sent some meat to Su Hang.
“Perfect timing! When Chaosheng came back this morning, he asked me to cook something nice for the men for lunch. I didn’t know what to make. Now that you’ve brought the beef over, I can make them some braised beef cold noodles.”
Upon hearing the words "braised beef," Su Ning swallowed hard.
"I've been wanting to make this braised beef for a while, but I've never done it before. I'm afraid I'll mess it up and waste it. I'll ask you for your advice on how to make this braised beef."
"Hey!" Zhao Shufang laughed immediately upon hearing this. "What's there to learn? Come and eat if you want. Let's eat here for lunch. Let Xiao Hang come too. She went home a while ago and hasn't come back since. We all miss her terribly."
Upon hearing this, Suning thought, "That's great!"
She quickly stood up and said, "Auntie, then I really won't stand on ceremony with you. I'll go back and bring Xiao Hang over right away. She's packing her things at home, saying she wants to stay with you for a couple of days. I was going to bring her over this afternoon, but I'm going back to get her now."
"Alright, alright, then go ahead!"
Zhao Shufang felt happy whenever she thought of that little girl.
Which family would complain about having too many daughters? Daughters are so wonderful! They're like warm cotton-padded jackets, the kind that keep out the wind, so much better than sons.
Although his son is successful, his two eldest daughters, Liang Mei and Liang Fu, are much more considerate than Lin Chaosheng and his wife.
Zhao Shufang genuinely felt this way, but there are too few people with this kind of awareness nowadays.
Most families still prefer to have boys, believing that they are strong laborers who can do more work and continue the family line.
But according to Zhao Shufang, without women, how can the family line continue? That's utter bullshit!
Most importantly, raising a son and raising a daughter are the same; there is no question of which is more useful or less useful.
Nowadays, some families in the village sell their daughters just to feed themselves or their sons. They are simply inhuman!
Zhao Shufang grew angrier the more she thought about it, and her cleaver became increasingly heavy-handed, making Liang Fu, who was watching from the side, tremble with fear.
After returning home, Su Ning excitedly called out to Su Hang in the room, "Xiao Hang! Are you ready?"
Su Hang was braiding her hair. She was fair-skinned with a baby face and big, bright eyes. She was lively and cute.
"All packed up, what's up, bro?"
Su Ning pushed open Su Hang's door and saw her braiding her hair. She immediately said, "Hurry up and comb your hair. We're going to your brother Chao Sheng's house now."
"Didn't we agree to do it this afternoon? Why the rush?"
"Didn't you take the beef to Aunt Zhao? Aunt Zhao said she wants to have braised beef for lunch and also make cold noodles. She also said she wants me to pick you up and have lunch with her."
"What? Really!" Upon hearing that there would be braised beef and cold noodles, Su Hang jumped up from his chair with excitement and quickly finished the last part of his embellishment. "Alright, alright, let's go!"
Su Ning placed Su Hang's luggage in front of the bicycle, and Su Hang sat in the back seat. The two then headed towards Lin Chaosheng's home.
When they arrived, Lin Chaosheng and the others had already returned. Liang Mei was sunbathing in the yard, and Liang Fu and Lin Shansheng were trimming the fur of the Angora rabbit.
"It looks like this rabbit is pregnant."
Liang Fu had a long-haired rabbit on her lap when she suddenly felt something was wrong. She touched its belly and found it was huge.
Lin Shan Hai went over to take a look and immediately exclaimed happily, "It really is! Rabbits are quick to brood; in less than a year, our yard will be full of rabbits!"
Everyone laughed. Lin Chaosheng suddenly thought of the rabbits he had given to Li Daniu and wondered how they were doing.
"It's so lively!"
Su Hang got off his bicycle, ran straight to Liang Mei, pushed Lin Chaosheng aside, and hugged Liang Mei.
"Sister-in-law, I've missed you so much! I brought you and Xiaofu some new clothes. Let's go inside and try them on."
Su Ning, being perceptive, handed the bag to Su Hang, and then sat outside chatting with Lin Shansheng and the others.
“Auntie, I bought you a set too, but I didn’t buy Uncle Shanhai’s.” Su Hang said a little embarrassedly, “I don’t know how to buy clothes for men, but I bought a lot of fabric. My older brother said he’ll get you a sewing machine as soon as the department store gets one, and it should be soon.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shufang was shocked and quickly said, "Oh my, why are you buying clothes for your aunt? Your aunt is already in her seventies or eighties, unlike you young girls who look good in anything."
"Auntie isn't seventy or eighty years old at all!"
Several women were chatting and laughing in the main room. Zhao Shufang told them to ignore them and just let them try on the clothes to see if they fit, and then continue making braised beef.
"The braised beef is ready!"
As Zhao Shufang shouted, the pot lid was lifted, and steam rushed up, white mist spread, and a rich aroma filled the nostrils of everyone present.
The dark brown chunks of meat were half-submerged in the sauce, their surface glistening with an amber sheen, while the broth continued to bubble and simmer.
With a gentle poke of the tip of her chopsticks, Zhao Shufang felt the beef tremble and reveal its marbling, exposing the deep red muscle fibers inside, each strand soaked in the rich sauce.
"Wow, this braised beef..."
Lin Shansheng swallowed hard, and so did the others, their mouths watering from the drool.
"It smells amazing!" Su Ning exclaimed. "I've seen other people make it before, but neither the color nor the aroma can compare to what you make, Auntie!"
"Oh my, it's not as exaggerated as you guys make it out to be!"
Zhao Shufang was a little embarrassed by the praise and quickly said, "You guys wash your hands and get ready to eat. I'll just put the cold noodles in the pot, cut up the side dishes, and mix the broth, and we can eat."
"Let me help you cut the vegetables."
Su Hang came out of the room and offered to help Zhao Shufang cut the vegetables.
Wow, these tomatoes are so big and round!
Su Hang's eyes widened as he looked at the tomatoes Lin Chaosheng had fished out of the well.
"What's this? Look at this!"
Lin Shansheng pulled the bucket out of the well, and there was a big, round watermelon inside.
Even Suning was shocked when he saw this huge watermelon.
"Chaosheng, where did you get this big watermelon from?"
Lin Chaosheng laughed and said, "Of course it was bought. We'll cut it up and eat it in a bit. It's so hot, it'll be perfect for cooling everyone down."
Upon hearing this, Su Hang was immediately moved, feeling that the Lin family was incredibly kind to them and treated her and her brother like family. Otherwise, they would have hidden the watermelon away long ago; why would they have taken it out for them to eat?
"Chaosheng, where did you buy this watermelon?"
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