Chapter 51
Inside a two-story building, the decoration inside gives the same feeling as the outside, simple and elegant, with snow-white walls, Chinese-style tables and chairs, and it is very clean and bright.
The first floor is mainly the living room and kitchen, and the second floor is the bedroom. Since Lin Youqing was transferred from Qingjian County to the Prefectural Committee, his family also moved from the county committee compound in Qingjian County to the staff building of the Prefectural Committee. This year is the sixth year that Lin Youqing and his family have lived here.
Today is the weekend. He Guijuan did not go to the hospital for duty. She was picking vegetables in the yard. The puppy Lele was playing with a ball in the open space and rolling around on the ground.
Today is the day when the college entrance examination results are announced. After the meeting, Lin Youqing did not stay in the office for long and hurried home.
"Where's Jiang Jiang?"
"I'm still sleeping. I was so nervous last night that I didn't fall asleep until late at night. I went back to sleep as soon as I found out the admission result."
"How did you do on the test?"
"Jiang Jiang was admitted to Capital University!"
Hearing this, Lin Youqing couldn't help but smile with pride, "Our daughter is really doing well."
"Let's buy some more dishes and celebrate."
He Guijuan agreed with a smile, "Okay."
"By the way, have you talked to Big Brother and the others over the phone? How did Tiezhu and the others do in the exam?"
"Tiezhu also passed the entrance exam and was admitted to our province's industrial university, but Fengyin was said to have failed." In fact, this was expected. Although Fengyin was a smart child since she was young, she was not willing to work hard and always wanted to take shortcuts. However, there are not so many shortcuts on the road to studying.
Lin Youqing sighed with relief, "It's a great joy to be admitted to university. When I have time, I should let Jiang Jiang go back to pay respect to her biological parents. Since I was transferred to the prefectural committee, Jiang Jiang has not been back yet."
"Anyway, there's still a long time before school starts, so I can pick a time to go back then."
Jiang Jiang's bedroom is actually quite large, but it seems a bit crowded because it holds too many things. However, they are neatly arranged and not too messy. The room has good lighting. Since leaving Dongxi Village, Jiang Jiang can no longer study with Master Yang, but she still likes to make clothes. In the study next door, there is a sewing machine that He Guijuan bought for her during the summer vacation of her sophomore year. She often draws her own drafts and buys fabrics at the free trade market to sew by herself. As long as it does not affect her studies, Lin Youqing and He Guijuan don't care about her. Occasionally, she will make some small gadgets to give to others. When she graduated from high school, classmates would give each other gifts, and Jiang Jiang gave sachets made by herself to her classmates.
On the desk were her high school textbooks, with "Lin Jiangjiang, Class 3 (1)" written on the title page in a very casual manner.
There was a mirror next to it. The girl in the mirror had snow-white skin and long, shiny black hair. She was in the prime of her life.
Jiang Jiang went to the bathroom to wash her face. When she came downstairs and saw someone in the living room, she was a little surprised, "Uncle Xie?"
The person sitting in the living room was not someone else but Xie Xiuming, who had worked with Lin Youqing in Qingjian County and was later transferred to the Provincial Party Committee Office. He was Xie Jinyan's father. Xie Xiuming wore a pair of glasses and looked very gentle, thin and well-mannered.
Xie Xiuming was very happy to see Jiang Jiang. "Oh, it's Jiang Jiang. Long time no see. Uncle heard that you were admitted to Capital University? That's great."
"Thank you, uncle."
Jiang Jiang and Xie Jinyan have been in correspondence. Xie Jinyan was admitted to the National Defense University of Beijing last year and started his sophomore year at the beginning of the semester.
"You and Jinyan will have company in the capital from now on. Your Aunt Huang always talks about you. Come to your uncle's house when you have time. It's vacation now anyway."
"Okay." Jiang Jiang knew that Uncle Xie and her father still had business to discuss. "Uncle, I won't disturb you and my father. I'll be out for a while."
"OK."
Jiang Jiang came to the yard and called Lele, and the puppy came running over with the ball in its mouth.
Lele is a Pekingese dog, who is six years old this year. His body is snow-white without a single stray hair. Jiang Jiang picked up the lively little dog, rubbed its ears with his chin, and took it out.
Jiang Jiang went home after walking the dog. When she got home, He Guijuan was already busy in the kitchen. Jiang Jiang let Lele play in the yard and rolled up her sleeves and went into the kitchen to help.
Jiang Jiang washed her hands and looked at He Guijuan who was frying some fried pork. She couldn't help but secretly eat a piece of it. "Mom, can I help you with something?"
He Guijuan gave her a glare and said, "Go and help wash the vegetables."
"Okay."
There were guests at home today, and the dinner was very sumptuous, almost as good as their New Year's Eve dinner. He Guijuan made sweet and sour pork, steamed spareribs with rice flour, stewed yellow croaker with tofu, beef with celery, and stewed three fresh delicacies, as well as ready-made beef tendon and eight-treasure rice pudding, filling the table.
Lin Youqing even took out the Maotai that he had treasured for a long time from the cabinet to entertain Xie Xiuming.
"Jiang Jiang, uncle will do one with you. Congratulations on getting admitted to Capital University."
Jiang Jiang also picked up his teacup and said, "Thank you, uncle. I toast to you."
After the two of them finished drinking, everyone had another drink together before starting to eat.
Jiang Jiang first ate a piece of pot-crusted pork, which is He Guijuan's specialty. After frying, it was seasoned with only sugar and vinegar, and a little green onion shreds were added as garnish before serving. It tasted sour and sweet, and was very crispy and delicious.
Steamed spare ribs with rice flour are also very delicious. The steamed ribs are salty, spicy and fragrant. They are fresh, fragrant and tender. The oil from the ribs has soaked to the bottom of the bowl, and the sweet potato cubes underneath are golden and shiny.
The skin of the fried yellow croaker tastes glutinous and is more flavorful than ordinary fish. After frying, it is stewed with tofu for about half an hour. It is crispy, fragrant and soft, and the soup is simply delicious when mixed with rice.
The celery beef fried by He Guijuan is particularly tender and smooth. Jiang Jiang actually doesn’t like celery very much, but the celery in the celery beef has the aroma of beef, and Jiang Jiang likes it very much because it is green.
The main ingredients of the stewed three fresh dishes are crackling skin, pork belly slices, and pork meatballs. He Guijuan also added black fungus, green vegetables, and fried tofu. The soup is thick and white, and very delicious. A sip of it will leave a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste.
The beef tendon was bought ready-made at a cooked food stall outside, and it tasted soft and chewy. The eight-treasure rice pudding was bought from a restaurant. It had a layer of rice sandwiched between a layer of red bean paste with a dense and delicate texture, and the sugar sauce poured on the outside had a strong aroma of wine. The taste was refreshing, the color was gorgeous, and the tendons were sweet, fragrant, and soft.
The meal lasted until after eight o'clock in the evening. Several people gathered around the table, eating and chatting, enjoying themselves. Lin Youqing and Xie Xiuming drank up the bottle of Moutai.
After dinner, they sent Xie Xiuming back home, and Jiang Jiang's family of three started to wash the dishes and clean up. After cleaning up, they took a shower. It was already ten o'clock in the evening.
After taking a shower, Jiang Jiang changed into a set of fine cotton pajamas. Her long, thick black hair was draped over her shoulders. Her face was as white as porcelain. Jiang Jiang's skin was ridiculously good, so white that you could squeeze water out of it. On her desk was a photo frame that Chen Qiannan had given her. She had already talked to Chen Qiannan on the phone at noon today, and learned from the phone that her good friend had been admitted to the Capital Dance Academy as she wished. Jiang Jiang picked up a book beside her and flipped through it, but she wasn't interested, so she decided to listen to the radio for a while and then go to bed.
Jiang Jiang had just turned on the radio when He Guijuan knocked on the door. "Jiang Jiang, are you asleep?"
She stood up and opened the door, "Mom and Dad, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Lin Youqing glanced at his wife and said, "Jiang Jiang, this is it. Your admission to Capital University is a great joy. Mom and Dad want to ask you, do you want to go back and pay respect to your biological parents?"
The vague figure of the middle-aged man in his mind gradually became clear again. Jiang Jiang thought of his biological father and was silent for a long time before nodding, "Yeah."
"Mom and Dad, I think I can go back by myself." A few years ago, Lin Youqing also mentioned to her that she should go back to Dongxi Village to worship her parents, but Jiang Jiang was young at that time, and Lin Youqing and his family were worried about her going back alone. However, they were busy with work, and it was not easy for them to go back, so Jiang Jiang sensibly rejected Lin Youqing's suggestion.
"I'm already grown up, you don't have to worry, and I can return in a day by taking a long-distance bus."
"Isn't your brother Jinyan on vacation? Your father and I just talked to him on the phone. He said he has nothing to do on vacation and can accompany you back to Dongxi Village." The couple really couldn't spare the time, but He Guijuan was worried about Jiang Jiang going back alone. Not to mention the problems she might encounter on the way, the interpersonal relationships in Dongxi Village are complicated, and Old Lady Lin doesn't like Jiang Jiang. She is worried that her daughter will suffer and be bullied.
"Will this be too much trouble for Brother Jinyan?"
"He's worried that you'll feel like a nuisance to him, so he's already packing his things. He said he'll be able to leave for Pyeongchang tomorrow to pick you up."
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