Zhao Hu scratched his head and smiled foolishly.
Zeng Wenjuan put down her things and said to Zhao Hu, "You must have not eaten well or slept well on the train these few days! I'll make you a bowl of noodles now, you two can chat first."
"Sister Wenjuan, the radishes in your vegetable garden have been harvested. My mother dried the radishes and pickled the leaves into sauerkraut for you. I brought them all to you." Zhao Hu stood up and started to pick up the things he brought.
Zeng Wenjuan saw a pile of pickled cabbage and it smelled delicious. She smiled and said, "Okay, let's have noodles with pickled cabbage for lunch. You guys chat first. I'm going to the kitchen."
After that, Goudan followed Zeng Wenjuan to the kitchen. There must be dumplings on the way and noodles on the way out. Zeng Wenjuan scooped two spoonfuls of flour.
"Mom, I want to eat noodles too." Goudan said from the side.
Zeng Wenjuan nodded: "All of them, all of them."
After the flour is kneaded, it is fermented. Then cut some pork and stir-fry it in the flour. It tastes great.
Zeng Wenjuan lit the fire and put the noodles into the pot with warm water. After boiling over high heat, she added the pork. After stewing until fragrant, she added oil and salt.
When the noodles are almost cooked, add soy sauce and vegetables, continue to simmer for about ten minutes, add chopped green onions, and the noodles are ready.
"What are you talking about? Come over and have dinner!" Zeng Wenjuan came out and shouted after seeing the two of them talking seriously.
Zhao Jianguo and Zhao Hu didn't actually talk about anything. It was mainly about some of Zeng Wenjuan's past experiences at home. However, Zhao Jianguo felt very distressed after hearing about it, and his expression turned unhappy. Facing a person like Zhao Jianguo who had a strong intimidating effect, Zhao Hu didn't dare to smile anymore.
Zhao Jianguo took a deep breath, trying to soften his expression, and smiled at Zhao Hu, although there was still a hint of seriousness in that smile: "Let's go, let's go eat, don't keep your sister-in-law waiting for too long."
Zhao Hu nodded with relief and followed Zhao Jianguo into the restaurant. On the table, the bowl of steaming noodles exuded an enticing aroma. Goudan couldn't wait to sit on his little chair, his little eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Dad, Uncle Zhao Hu, the noodles smell so good!" Goudan clapped his hands excitedly and spoke in a baby voice.
Zeng Wenjuan brought the noodles to them one by one and said gently, "Try it and see if it suits your taste."
"Thank you, Sister Wenjuan." Zhao Hu brought the noodles and started eating them with a snort. It was obvious that he was hungry.
He has been eating dry food with hot water while riding in the car these days. He was about to vomit. Now eating noodles is simply a delicacy.
At the dinner table, Zeng Wenjuan helped Goudan to fill a small bowl. The child was eager to eat, so a little less would not be too hot. Then she said while eating: "Huzi, you should take a rest in the afternoon. My parents will come over in the evening, and then I will tell you what to do next!"
"Okay, thank you Sister Wenjuan, I will listen to you and Brother Jianguo." Zhao Hu replied after taking a big mouthful of noodles.
………
…
The sky gradually darkened, and Chen Yitang and Zeng Yike came to Zeng Wenjuan's house after get off work.
Zhao Hu saw that the two of them were a little restrained and said, "Hello."
"Young man, don't be polite. Just treat it as your own home and don't be too restrained." Zeng Yike said with a smile when she saw Zhao Hu. In the afternoon, Zeng Wenjuan asked someone to tell them that Zhao Hu was here. They could also see that the people in the village chief's family were all real people.
Zhao Hu smiled shyly. If it was an ordinary villager, he would still chat with him even if he didn't know him. But this was an official, his status was different, and he was afraid of saying the wrong thing.
"The meal was just ready. I met a battalion commander in the afternoon and saw he was holding two fishes, so I exchanged one with him and made steamed fish. We sat down and ate while chatting." Zeng Wenjuan brought the last steamed fish to the table.
Goudan sat in his special seat, Zeng Yike and Chen Yitang sat on both sides. Whenever Goudan made a move, the two would help him pick up food, truly showing the love between great generations to the fullest.
Zhao Hu didn't feel too alienated now. He ate quietly and ate until his belly was full under the encouragement of Zeng Wenjuan and Zhao Jianguo.
Seeing that they had almost finished eating, Zeng Yike started talking about business: "We don't recruit many people in the south. Even if we do, we basically send them to other places or the north. If you're willing, I can write you a letter to the north."
"Okay, thank you, auntie." Zhao Hu said with some excitement and gratitude.
"You're welcome. I just wanted to repay your family for helping my daughter. Today I see that you are indeed suitable for military service. You have broad shoulders and a fat body. Just do your best and don't embarrass me." Zeng Yike said as she gently fed Goudan food.
Zhao Hu stood up and said with full energy: "I promise to complete the task and will not embarrass you, Sister Wenjuan, and Brother Jianguo."
"If you go to the north, the eating habits, living habits and weather there will be different from ours. Can you hold on?" Zeng Yike asked Zhao Hu while looking directly at him.
"If there are difficulties, we must find ways to overcome them and resolutely not be deserters on the battlefield." Zhao Hu said with high morale.
"Good boy, I have high hopes for you. I hope to see you at an awarding ceremony one day!" Zeng Yike smiled and patted Zhao Hu's shoulder.
Zhao Hu smiled innocently.
The next morning, Zeng Yike took the letter of introduction and the train ticket to Zhao Hu.
"Someone will pick you up when you get to your stop on tonight's train. Do a good job, young man."
Zhao Hu was very happy when he saw the enlistment notice and the letter of introduction. He was going to be a soldier now, and he would definitely make a name for himself.
"Thank you, Chief. I will work hard."
"Do you have thick clothes? It's snowing over there. If I ask you to go there like this, you will definitely freeze to death." Zeng Yike asked with concern.
Zhao Hu didn't know how cold the winter was in the north, but the cotton-padded jacket he was wearing was a new one he had made after coming here, and it had the thickest cotton.
"No, I'll go out to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some."
"The clothes in the supply and marketing cooperative are suitable for the weather in the south. I'll give you a military uniform first! That way you won't get frozen." Zeng Yike still cares about the younger generation.
"Thank you, Chief." Zhao Hu smiled innocently and followed Zeng Yike to get a military uniform. When he put it on and walked on the road, receiving everyone's attention, he felt particularly proud.
Return to the family compound.
"Uncle Huzi, you look so handsome in this clothes!" Goudan playfully hid inside Zhao Hu's coat and praised him.
Zhao Hu picked Goudan up and said, "Looks handsome, right? When you grow up and join the army like your uncle and your father, you can also dress so handsomely. Men who defend their country are heroes and the most handsome."
"Okay, I also want to be a soldier to defend my country." Goudan said extremely happily, touching the small tag on his clothes and smiling.
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