As soon as Sheng Xiping led Zhou Qinglan inside, the two sisters, Sheng Yunfang and Sheng Yunfei, came out.
The two men stepped forward, grabbed Zhou Qinglan's hands, and led her into the house.
"Sister Qinglan, we went to pick trays today. We picked a whole lunchbox full. Come here, we specially saved this for you."
When Zhou Qinglan went home last time, she vaguely mentioned to her parents that she was dating.
The Zhou couple didn't say whether they agreed or disagreed, only that they should tell Zhou Qinglan to be cautious.
However, ever since then, Zhou Qinglan has been coming to the Sheng family for a meal every now and then.
While he's at it, he can also give the Sheng family's children some pointers on their studies.
It's worth noting that Zhou Qinglan graduated from a proper high school, and her parents are also highly educated; the whole family are cultured people.
Zhou Qinglan is a very good student, and she has no problem tutoring the Sheng family members.
The two girls from the Sheng family had a very good relationship with Zhou Qinglan, and they always called her "sister" this and "sister" that.
If there's anything good to eat, save it for Zhou Qinglan, or send it to her.
Zhou Qinglan was dragged into the east room by the two girls, who then presented her with a tray as if it were a treasure.
"Pan Tuo Er" is a local dialect term; its scientific name should be raspberry or raspberry.
In the Changbai Mountain area, there are actually two different types of trays.
One type has fruit that grows downwards, is pink with a layer of fine fuzz on its surface, and looks like little lanterns, which is very pretty.
The fruit has a sweet and sour taste with a fragrant aroma; it's delicious, but it's rare and not commonly found.
Another type has fruits that grow upwards, are bright red, crystal clear, and do not have that layer of fuzz on the outside.
Just like the book says, they're like little balls made of coral beads.
This fruit is much sweeter, but it doesn't have that rich fruity aroma.
No matter what kind of fruit it is, they are all quite delicious.
In these days when snacks are scarce, trays are definitely one of the most beloved little treats for children.
Especially during the season when the 'palm-shaped fruit' ripens, which coincides with summer vacation, many children run up the mountain to pick them.
"Fang'er, where did you pick these trays? There are so many!"
Sheng Xiping followed the three into the house, saw the lunchbox on the kang table, reached out and picked up two pieces of food from the tray and put them in his mouth.
Hmm, it's sweet and sour, and quite delicious.
"My second and third brothers led us to pick them over on the second branch line."
"Everything around our forest farm has been picked clean, so we went a little further away."
Sheng Yunfang also picked up a few and put them in her mouth. The sweet and sour taste made the little girl very happy.
These days, kids don't have much homework during holidays.
The sensible ones know to help with chores at home, while the immature ones run wild all over the mountains and fields.
There are many logging areas around the forest farm. There are no large trees left in these areas, and other shrubs have grown back after the forest was cleared.
In forests like this, there are the most trays.
The Sheng family had no land, just this small vegetable garden, which Sheng Liancheng tended to in the mornings.
Sheng Xiping gets up early to do things like fetching water and chopping wood.
Zhang Shuzhen doesn't need her children to help with chores like washing clothes and cooking.
Now that's great, the kids are on holiday and they're all bored out of their minds. Why aren't they going out and showing off?
Upon hearing this, Sheng Xiping's expression changed.
Just as he was about to lash out, he saw Zhou Qinglan glancing at him.
Alright, let's wait a bit. We can't scold those brats in front of Zhou Qinglan.
"Mom, is dinner ready? I'm starving after a long day of work," Sheng Xiping asked towards the outer room.
Hurry up and eat. After you finish eating, take Zhou Qinglan back. We'll settle accounts with these bastards later.
"Alright, alright, I'll bring it up now," Zhang Shuzhen replied from the outer room.
"Go wash your hands quickly, let's eat."
As they were talking, Zhang Shuzhen brought in the food.
Upon seeing this, Sheng Xiping and the others quickly washed their hands and brought out the rest of the food.
The vegetables are in better condition now than before. Cucumbers, potatoes, celery, early green beans, and the like are growing and ready to eat.
That evening, Zhang Shuzhen stewed a pot of green beans and potatoes. The potatoes were early potatoes that had just been harvested a few days ago, and she picked out the smaller ones to eat first.
New potatoes don't need to be peeled. Just put them in a basket and wash them vigorously by the river, and the tender outer skin will come off.
If the potatoes are small, just cut them in half; if they are slightly larger, cut them into three or four pieces, and they will be perfect for stewing.
Northeasterners typically cook in large pots, often preferring to stew multiple dishes in one pot for convenience.
Otherwise, with eight people in this family, each with a large appetite, how many dishes would be needed to cook?
Simmer green beans and potatoes in the pot, then line the sides with flatbread. That's it!
I'll just pick a few cucumbers from my own garden, still with their blossoms and thorns, and add some scallions, lettuce, and soybean paste—that'll do for the meal.
Zhou Qinglan came over for dinner that evening, and Zhang Shuzhen specially cooked another plate of scrambled eggs and scallions.
"Qinglan, come over for dinner. Don't be shy. Eat whatever you like. Don't feel awkward."
Seeing that Zhou Qinglan didn't seem to be eating much, Zhang Shuzhen quickly piled a lot of eggs, scallions, and green beans onto her plate.
"These are half a trellis of green beans, not as wide or as small as cowpeas. They need to be stewed in oil for a while to taste good."
I deliberately put in a lot of oil; there are still oil stains. Try it.
When Zhang Shuzhen mentioned "half a trellis," she meant that the bean vines had just climbed to halfway up the trellis when the plants below began to flower and bear beans.
This type of green bean is a bit firm and doesn't easily become mushy. It needs a lot of oil and water, so it's not as tasty as cowpeas or horsehair beans, but it sets early.
Ordinary households don't grow too many; once the horseshoes are harvested, no one will eat these half-husks anymore.
"Auntie, you don't need to put so much on my plate, I can reach it all."
My aunt's cooking is much better than the cafeteria food.
The family members' team also grows some vegetables to supply the canteen.
But how can the cafeteria cook food with so much oil and salt like Zhang Shuzhen does?
The dish turned out watery and tasteless.
In comparison, the Sheng family's food was absolutely superb.
"Okay, eat as much as you like. It's our home, don't be shy."
Zhang Shuzhen loved hearing people praise her cooking skills, and when Zhou Qinglan said that, she was overjoyed.
The family quickly finished dinner, and then Sheng Xi'an and Sheng Xikang hurriedly took their books and asked Zhou Qinglan for help with a few questions.
By the time Zhou Qinglan had finished explaining things to them, it was getting late.
"Qinglan, it's getting dark. Let me take you home first. We can teach them when we have time."
Don't keep Aunt Tang and Uncle Tang waiting too long.
Zhou Qinglan is still staying at the Tang family's house. If she doesn't go back late at night, they'll have to leave the door open for her, which isn't good.
Besides, Sheng Xiping still needs to come back and take care of the family members, so of course he needs to send Zhou Qinglan back as soon as possible.
Zhou Qinglan nodded and bid farewell to the Sheng family, "Uncle, Aunt, I'll head back now. I'll come again when I have time."
"Hey, hey, come again often, my dear." Zhang Shuzhen and Sheng Liancheng nodded and smiled as they watched Zhou Qinglan leave.
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