Chapter 70: Emotional Arousal. Are you really not capable of this?! ...
"Come in and sit down." Zong Xiao had an impression of him. When Tian San made trouble that day, the owner of the tavern spoke up for him.
There is no harm in making more friends with such sensible neighbors.
The tavern owner was a bit embarrassed at first; how could he bother someone when their shop wasn't even open yet? But the meat smelled so good that his fat son cried and insisted he come over to buy some.
The child had just been ill, and now he wanted to eat something. As a father, he was naturally willing to buy it for him, and here it is.
It just so happened that the dishes had not been touched yet, so Qiu Yun asked Sanshui to go to the kitchen and get another bowl, and then fill some for the owner of the tavern.
"You have to accept this money." The tavern owner stuffed the money into Zong Xiao's hands. He had eaten in restaurants before and estimated that these two portions were not cheap.
We are all businessmen, so why should we take advantage of others?
"No need. This dish is originally eaten by our family. If you feel embarrassed, why not go back and try it and tell us how it tastes. We have just opened a new shop and would like to hear suggestions from diners." She only served him one thing, and it was not a complete dish. Qiu Xuan would naturally not accept money from him. It would be better to do him a favor and make it better for both of us.
The tavern owner thanked him, "Thank you very much, boss. I wonder what your name is? We're all on this street so we can have someone to look after us."
Qiu Xuan smiled and introduced everyone in the room to him one by one.
"I remember everything." The tavern owner saw that they were a big family making a living on their own.
Honestly, there aren't many such partnerships in town. After all, they might be brothers now, but they might not be brothers later, just for money. Isn't Tian San the perfect example?
However, these were all what he thought in his heart, so he naturally didn't say it out loud.
"My last name is Guo, and my given name is Yi. My wife and children are sometimes in the shop too. I'll bring them over to show my support someday when you're not busy."
"Okay, thank you, Brother Guo."
As soon as the people left, the people in the room could no longer hold back and they all picked up their chopsticks to taste the food.
Whether it's braised pork or stewed pork elbow with ham, the sticky sauce hanging on the meat tastes delicious when paired with dry steamed buns.
If you have a bowl of steamed rice now, it would be simply delicious. In one word, delicious.
Qiu Xuan had actually never cooked such meat dishes with Zong Anji. This was the first time that Zong Anji had made stewed ham with pork elbow.
I don't know if he was born to cook, but he could actually replicate the steps 80% of the time.
"How is it?" Zong Anji had long wanted to hear everyone's comments.
"Both are delicious." Huaixue looked at him with a smile.
Zong Anji rubbed her little face and said, "You can only choose one. Which one do you choose?"
Huaixue is not stupid. She shook her head and said, "Don't choose, don't choose. I like both of them."
Children say so, but adults don't.
The first person to raise the question was Zong Xiao. He felt that one of the braised pork dishes was a bit sweet.
The next one was Yueyang. She pointed at the plate of braised pork that Zong Xiao had described as greasy and said with certainty, "This must have been made by Anji. Look, the meat isn't cut neatly at all."
After hearing this, everyone realized that it was true. Although the braised pork were all similar in color and appearance, there was one plate of meat that was basically the same size.
"The dishes must not only be delicious but also look good. You still need to practice more." Yueyang patted his shoulder and encouraged him.
The rest are Liu Zhong and Sanshui.
Liu Zhong felt that they were all similar and he couldn't tell the good from the bad, so he liked all of them.
Sanshui had been in the restaurant for a long time, so he analyzed all four dishes directly.
There is no good or bad, only advantages and disadvantages.
"The dishes prepared by the shopkeeper are good-looking and tasty, but they are a bit bland. For the diners who drink in our shop, it would be better if the dishes were a little stronger."
"The dishes made by the young shopkeeper are indeed average in appearance. As for the taste, I feel that the outside is flavorful but the inside is not so flavorful. But overall, it is still delicious."
Zong Anji asked anxiously, "Is it not tasty?"
Sanshui nodded. "It's not as flavorful as the shopkeeper's, I feel. Did the shopkeeper marinate the meat?"
Everyone looked at Qiu Xuan, waiting for her to speak.
"It's not pickled, I just poke some small holes in it with a bamboo stick."
Zong Anji really didn't expect this step. After listening to Qiu Yun's words, he learned another trick.
Seeing that no one else said anything else, Qiu Xuan said, "Then let's make these two dishes our signature dishes tomorrow. Prepare a few more pork elbows and stew them early tomorrow morning."
After dinner, Zong Anji took Huaixue and Yueyang back to the mountain. The earlier they went back, the earlier they would have to go down the mountain tomorrow.
-
At night, Qiu Xuan simply washed up and when she got on the kang, she found that there was only a quilt on it.
In order to save money, she only bought two quilts that day, one of which was used by Brother Liu Zhong.
She felt a little regretful, thinking she should have bought an extra bed that day. Now it was dark outside and the shop was closed, so she couldn't buy it even if she wanted to.
Zong Xiao came in from outside with a teapot and saw her sitting on the edge of the kang in a daze, not even getting on it.
"Why don't you come up? It's still warm on the kang." Zong Xiao closed the doors and windows and poured her a cup of hot water.
"There are no extra quilts." Qiu Yu regretted saying this. They were already married, so it should be no problem for them to sleep in the same bed...
Now that she said this, Zong Xiao might think more about it.
Zong Xiao hadn't really thought of this. He scratched his head and said, "It's okay. There's a quilt in Sanshui's room. I'll sleep there tonight."
"Why go to his place?" Qiu Xuan thought that she would sleep there sooner or later. Besides, it was not like she hadn't seen Zong Xiao's health condition before, so she stopped worrying about it and patted the edge of the kang, saying, "This quilt looks quite large. It should be able to cover two people. I'll sleep on your left side then."
Zong Xiao paused, then reacted.
"What are you standing there for? Come up quickly." Qiu Xuan took off her thick coat and got in first.
When she lay down, she realized that she hadn't just missed out on a quilt; she hadn't even bought a pillow...
"There's no pillow...how did you sleep yesterday?" Qiu Xuan felt uncomfortable lying down, so she sat up again.
Zong Xiao took off his shoes and socks and climbed onto the kang. He flipped the mattress upside down and said, "This is how you sleep with your pillow."
At least there is height under the head, so it's not completely flat.
Qiu Xuan tried it and thought it was okay.
The quilts sold in town were double quilts, and there was still plenty of room for the two of them to lie down on.
However, both of them were rather reserved at first, neither of them saying anything about standing too close to the other. There was a gap between them, through which the cold air seeped in.
Qiu Xuan felt a little cold on her back. In the past, she would wrap herself tightly in the quilt, leaving only her head exposed. But today, when she covered herself with the quilt like this, she felt that the wind was leaking everywhere.
Just as she was debating whether to move towards Zong Xiao, a pair of hot hands reached out from the side.
In the end, Zong Xiao couldn't help himself.
"You." Qiu Xuan only felt a heat on her waist, followed by a ball of hot air spraying on her neck.
Qiu Xuan wondered inexplicably, could it be that they were finally going to consummate their marriage tonight?
Although it has been almost a year since they got married, it has only been less than a month since they became friends.
It’s not too late to say it’s late, and it’s not too early to say it’s early.
Qiu Xuan did not dodge. She slowly turned around and faced Zong Xiao. This was the first time they were so close to each other while they were sober.
The room was dim, but Qiu Xuan felt that Zong Xiao's eyes were very bewitching.
She looked at him intently, and then touched him as if possessed by some unknown force.
Zong Xiao's Adam's apple rolled, but he still remained rational.
There is nothing here, only one quilt and mattress, and his injury hasn't healed yet.
He hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Not tonight..."
No? Qiu Xuan’s hand touched his chest, neither advancing nor retreating.
She has come this far, and he says no?
Qiu Xuan suddenly came to her senses from her trance and said, "You're really not able to do it, are you?"
Zong Xiao took a deep breath. He lowered his head and gently kissed the corner of Qiu Xuan's mouth, murmuring, "I can't hug you with my arms."
He was now lying on his side, his right shoulder barely able to move, and he could put his arm around her waist.
But if they were to do that, this posture wouldn't work. He wouldn't be able to hug or embrace her with his right hand, and he couldn't let her do everything.
Qiu Xuan's face turned red instantly.
She was so moved just now that she forgot about his injury. It was also her fault.
She pretended to be calm, but quietly moved backwards, as if trying to slip away from Zong Xiao's arms.
"A'ao." Zong Xiao exerted a little force with his right hand and pulled her back.
Seeing that she couldn't escape, Qiu Xuan could only think of other ways.
They can't sleep like this all night long. What's the point of facing each other?
Seeing that she still wanted to hide, Zong Xiao deliberately hissed.
"What's wrong? Did you pull the wound?" Qiu Xuan was really fooled. She had forgotten about his injury at that time, so how could she have forgotten it again just now?
"It's okay." Zong Xiao showed weakness, looking like a poor injured person at first glance. "It doesn't hurt, I just want to hold you like this."
He spoke so bluntly that Qiu Xuan no longer had the nerve to hide.
She lay down obediently and let him hug her, "Then sleep like this. If I touch your arm at night, you wake me up."
Zong Xiao naturally wouldn't wake her up. He had finally got this opportunity, and he just wanted to spend some more time with her.
I don’t know how long it took, but I gradually heard the sound of steady and regular breathing.
Zong Xiao lowered his eyes and saw that the person he had just wanted to sleep with was now fast asleep.
He looked at her peaceful sleeping face, lowered his head and kissed her lips again.
They both had a good night's sleep.
-
The next day, before dawn, the chickens next door were already crowing.
Qiu Xuan frowned and was reluctant to think about it. Although her family also raised chickens, the big rooster rarely crowed so early.
She huddled under the covers, trying to drown out the noise.
Zong Xiao beside him had opened his eyes. He was still lying on his side, in the same position as last night.
He slowly raised his hand and gently patted Qiu Xuan's back, continuing to coax her to sleep like a child.
When Qiu Xuan woke up again, it was already dawn outside and there were bursts of talking coming from the yard.
Zong Xiao was no longer on the kang, as he seemed to have gotten up long ago.
Qiu Xuan put on her clothes, washed up briefly and left the house.
I saw that in the originally empty courtyard, there was now a large square table, and it was full of things.
There are washed vegetables and steaming tofu.
"Did you go out and buy this early in the morning?" Qiu Yu asked Zong Xiao after seeing the items clearly.
"Well, these are what you asked for yesterday. Let's see if they are all here."
It was exactly what she wanted. Even the hair on the big pork elbow was burnt off and it was cooked very cleanly.
"When did you get up? Why didn't you call me?" Qiu Yu asked in a low voice after they reached a place where there was no one.
Zong Xiao pointed to the back of the house they lived in and said with a smile, "When the birds crow."
Well, if you called her at that time, she might not get up.
Liu Zhong bought breakfast, and he bought some meat buns.
Qiu Xuan couldn't eat any more after eating two. These buns were not as good as the ones she made at home.
She wiped her mouth, got up and went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Today is the first day of business, so we can't make any mistakes.
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