From her words, Ye Cheng could tell that she must have come several times. Seeing that he was sleeping, she didn't dare to wake him. Her cautious manner was completely different from her previous shrewish self.
Ye Cheng knew why; it was because the four blue crabs brought hope to Widow Zhang, just as the tight-fitting warriors brought light.
"Auntie, you're so kind, you even brought me food." Ye Cheng came out.
"These are all crops I grow myself, they're not worth much," Widow Zhang said, handing over the bucket.
Ye Cheng looked at the cabbage, radish, and water spinach. Although they weren't expensive, they were all seasonal vegetables and very fresh.
"These are all good stuff, Auntie. Sit down for a bit, I'll get you a drink." Ye Cheng turned around and took a bottle of Coke from the refrigerator.
"There's no water, just Coke, Auntie, please make do with that."
"Cola is nothing, I don't usually drink it much anyway." Widow Zhang didn't stand on ceremony and just opened the bottle and drank it.
Ye Cheng opened a bottle as well and casually asked, "Auntie, have you sold your blue crabs?"
"Yes, they're sold. Four of them sold for 120 yuan." Widow Zhang couldn't stop smiling when she talked about the blue crabs.
Ye Cheng smiled but didn't say anything. Four for 120, each only sold for 30 yuan. If he told her he could sell them for 50 yuan each, he wondered if Widow Zhang would still be so happy.
"This is all thanks to you, second brother. Next time you go beachcombing, take me with you. I can do anything."
Ye Cheng slowly took a sip of cola without saying anything. After a moment of silence, he said, "Auntie, you're from the village chief's side."
Widow Zhang's expression changed, but she quickly put on a smile again. "Second son, what do you mean by the village chief's side? I didn't mean it. The reason I helped the village chief last time was because you kept climbing over my wall to peek at me, you know."
Widow Zhang's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and she glanced at Ye Cheng with a hint of shyness. Her expression was like that of a potato from the Tianshan Mountains, which was quite presumptuous.
"Pfft!" Ye Cheng almost spat out his cola. He had originally intended to give Widow Zhang a warning, but once her secret was revealed, he couldn't hold back anymore.
"Okay, Auntie, let's not talk about the past anymore. I'll call you if I need anything in the future, okay?"
"Then it's a deal, okay? Don't lie to me. You know how hard it is for your aunt to take care of the child alone. I don't have the strength, and it's too difficult for me to earn money."
The child is growing up and will soon be going to school, which is making me very worried.
Unlike you men, I don't have the strength, and with children to support me, I don't dare go out to work.
Second brother, you have to help your aunt!
As Widow Zhang spoke, tears began to fall from her eyes. It was clear that she, as a woman, was having a very hard time.
But Ye Cheng is in a tougher situation now, all alone with Zhang the widow, and with all that he's done in the past, if someone were to come in, he'd be in deep trouble.
"Okay, okay, Auntie, please stop crying. If someone comes in later, I won't be able to explain myself," Ye Cheng quickly comforted her.
"Tch, I've never seen you so timid before. Now you're scared, huh?" Widow Zhang rolled her eyes at Ye Cheng and wiped away her tears.
"Auntie, let's not talk about the past, let's not talk about the past, or I'll get angry." Ye Cheng said sternly.
"Okay, then remember to call me if you need any work in the future."
"Don't worry, definitely, absolutely, and certainly, okay?"
Widow Zhang then stopped crying and smiled, stood up and twisted her body, which was the same thickness from top to bottom, and said, "Then I'm leaving."
"Okay, Auntie, take care."
"Hey, wait a minute." Ye Cheng suddenly called out to Widow Zhang, took out 20 yuan and handed it over, "Well, consider this payment for the vegetables. I can't just take your vegetables for free."
Widow Zhang was stunned. She didn't expect Ye Cheng to give her money. "How can I do that? These are all grown by myself. They won't sell for much. They're all from the same village. If I take this money, people will talk behind my back."
Widow Zhang quickly declined. Although she was short of money, she really couldn't accept such a small gift of vegetables from her fellow villagers.
"That's not for groceries, it's for buying some books for the child, so that he can read more and have a bright future."
"This..." Widow Zhang's heart stirred. Her child was her only hope, and she also hoped that her child would be successful.
Seeing that Widow Zhang was softening, Ye Cheng stuffed the money into her hand and took two bottles of Coke, saying, "Take these to the children."
Giving a child cola would be condemned in later generations, with people saying it would cause weight gain and be bad for their teeth.
But in those days, there wasn't much to drink, especially in a small village like Baiyun Village, where cola was considered a luxury.
Widow Zhang was a little touched. She had come to deliver vegetables to Ye Cheng in such a humble manner because she needed his help, but she did not expect Ye Cheng to be so kind to her, especially considering that he was thinking about the children.
She pursed her lips, suppressed her emotions, and took the Coke. "Then I'll take it back for the kids to drink."
After saying that, Widow Zhang turned and left. Halfway out, she suddenly stopped, turned back to Ye Cheng, and said...
"By the way, second brother, I heard from the village chief, oh, Chen Jinhai, that they know you went to the beach to make money again today, and they said they're going to try to deal with you. Be careful."
Ye Cheng hadn't expected Widow Zhang to tell him the news, and he cupped his hands in thanks.
He couldn't even imagine how Chen Jinhai would deal with him.
As for the ball, some idiots can't survive without doing stupid things.
I'll take care of dinner first.
There were still some leftover braised pork that his older brother brought yesterday. Ye Cheng picked out a large white radish from the bucket, lifted it in his hand, and found it quite heavy, so it shouldn't be a hollow radish.
When you cut it open, you see a crisp, fresh radish.
Radishes are a great food; they can be eaten raw, stir-fried, or used in soups, and they also help with digestion.
A smooth flow of information leads to a pleasant mood.
However, radishes have a unique taste that Ye Cheng disliked when he was a child. He even got beaten once for not eating radishes.
As I grew older, I came to like it, especially radish and pork rib soup. I could skip the pork ribs, but I had to eat the radish.
There was no spare ribs left, so I had to make do. I took out the braised pork, heated it in the pot, and then added the radish.
Watching the radish soak into the braised pork broth and slowly turn the same red as the braised pork, Ye Cheng could imagine how delicious the radish would be in a moment.
Let's start stewing the braised pork and radish over low heat; this dish needs to be simmered slowly.
On the other side, Ye Cheng took out the water spinach. This was the local water spinach, with thicker stems and larger leaves.
In later generations, this type of water spinach became less common; the more common variety was the thin-leafed water spinach, and it's unclear whether it was introduced or improved.
Water spinach with thin leaves is usually stir-fried with the stems and leaves together, and eaten one by one. When it is stir-fried over high heat in restaurants, it can still retain its tender green color, which is very appealing.
However, Ye Cheng prefers to eat this local water spinach in a different way: he separates the leaves from the stems and stir-fries the leaves directly.
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