"Don't mention it. You're only doing this because of the clothes you're wearing. Otherwise, you wouldn't be talking to that kind of person! Where are you going, young man?"
A look of surprise flashed across Ji Yang's dark face, which was covered with acne. He hadn't expected that this young girl would see through human nature so clearly at such a young age!
"I'm going home to visit my family in Xishi. Where are you going, little classmate?"
"Me? I'm from Los Angeles, not far away. Where are you serving in the military, young man?"
"northeast,"
What type of soldier?
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Ji Yang's honest and straightforward face. "What branch of the military? I'm just a cook."
"Wow, a cook! That guy must be a great cook! What kind of food does he specialize in?"
Ji Yang was also deeply moved when he saw Xiao Jiu looking at him with such admiration.
"I like cooking, and I especially like cooking for people, but my dad always wanted me to join the army, so I ended up cooking in the army."
My dad is a chef, a national level-two chef. He specializes in Sichuan cuisine and is a native of Sichuan province.
My mother is a descendant of the Qin cuisine lineage. The two of them met while studying in Chongqing, and my father followed her there.
I'm different from them. I love noodles, and I'm the best at making noodles in my class. While others took years to become chefs, I only took a year.
Seeing the way this simple-minded young man's eyes lit up when he talked about cooking, Xiao Jiu could tell that he genuinely enjoyed it.
Upon learning that the young man had the noble surname Ji, Xiao Jiu thought of her eight still-single older sisters, and so...
"Hey buddy, who else is in your family? How many siblings do you have?"
“I’m the youngest in my family. My whole family are chefs. My maternal grandparents specialize in Qin cuisine, but I haven’t seen my paternal grandparents much. I have three older brothers, who are all chefs in state-owned restaurants. I’m 22 this year, and I’m the only one in my family who isn’t married yet. That’s why they’re sending me on leave to go home and go on blind dates!”
Twenty-two, their family's favorite food is Fourth Sister, but Fourth Sister already has beef tendon, and the other sisters...
Fifth and sixth sisters are definitely not suitable, seventh and eighth sisters are still too young, and eldest, second, and third sisters are older than him.
Sigh, she actually really wanted a brother-in-law who could cook, but oh well, it's not meant to be.
Although it was just a chance encounter, Xiao Jiu and the other person got along quite well, and Xiao Jiu even told the other person his name before getting off the bus.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Brother Ji Yang. My surname is Tao, and my given name is Tao, like the peach. Tao Tao, easy to remember, right? Hope we meet again someday!"
After getting off the train and standing on familiar ground, Xiao Jiu took a deep breath and exhaled.
"The air in my hometown is so much more comfortable!"
After two or three days of running around, I returned home dejectedly, and it was already dark.
Cuiju and Yuanyuan were having dinner when they were surprised to see her suddenly appear.
"Shouldn't you be in Changbai Mountain? Why are you back?"
"Ugh, don't even mention it, I've had such bad luck! Sis, I want your homemade egg noodles, I'm so hungry!"
Seeing Xiao Jiu's exhausted face, Tang Cuiju quickly stood up to knead the dough, while Xiao Jiu glanced at the food she hadn't finished eating.
"No rush, eat first, we'll talk after you finish eating. I want to lie down and rest for a while."
Xiao Jiu drew her bed curtains, changed her dirty clothes, and made her bed. Yuan Yuan lived in the bunk above her, so her spot was still available, and no one seemed to want to take it.
After Tang Cuiju and Yuan Yuan finished eating, she returned from washing up outside.
Once she felt calmer, she told the two sisters about all the bad luck she had experienced on the journey. When the two sisters heard that the train had exploded, they were stunned.
"No way, such a big thing, how come it wasn't reported in the newspapers or on the radio? We didn't know anything about it! My God, if our family found out, they'd skin you alive! Thank goodness you're alright, and thank goodness you came back. Please, sister, don't run around like that anymore. Look how scary this is!"
"This matter involves a wide range of people, so it's normal that it didn't make the news. But just keep it to yourself and don't spread it around. Just pretend that your sister didn't go anywhere. Tomorrow I'll just focus on studying with Yuan Yuan."
Tang Cuiju became increasingly frightened as she thought about it. After the meal was prepared, she wanted to set up a brazier to ward off bad luck for Xiaojiu, but Xiaojiu stopped her.
"Sis, that's feudal superstition, it's no good. Why would you do that? I'm perfectly fine, aren't I? Okay, I'm going to eat now. After I finish eating, I need to go to sleep. I haven't had a full night's sleep these past few days because of all this."
What can she do if she doesn't sleep? She doesn't want to be nagged endlessly anymore.
The hand-pulled noodles, rinsed in water, and the stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, combined together, made Xiao Jiu keep praising them.
"My sister's cooking skills are getting better and better! These noodles are so chewy and fragrant, they're so delicious! Do you guys want some?"
Cuiju and her husband had brown rice soup and cornbread for dinner, along with a cucumber salad, which was quite delicious.
After dinner, they drank a little wine in the yard to digest their food, while Cuiju and the other girl studied inside the house. Grandma Weng waved to her.
"Hey grandma, what do you want? Did you finish eating again?"
Grandma Weng flicked her forehead, "Go away, your grandma isn't that picky. I'm asking you, do you have any brown sugar?"
Xiao Jiu nodded instinctively, "Yes, and eggs too. How many do you want?"
"Can you give it to me tomorrow morning? I want to visit a distant relative of mine who just had a baby and is currently in her postpartum period!"
Just a pound of brown sugar will do; no need for anything else. I'd feel bad if I gave too much, and a pound of brown sugar is already a generous gift.
"Then you don't need to wait until tomorrow. I'll go out for a bit and bring it to you in a little while."
The supply and marketing cooperative sells brown sugar for 80 cents a pound and first-grade white sugar for 88 cents a pound. However, these sugars are sold by weight, and each regular employee only receives about 1.5 pounds a year, which requires sugar coupons. People like Xiao Jiu, who can be given a pound directly, are definitely not ordinary people.
She went out for a walk and came back, then wrapped a pound of brown sugar in oil paper and gave it to Grandma Weng.
Grandma Weng didn't hold back either, giving her a handful of Yuan Shikai silver dollars to play with, and Xiao Jiu didn't hold back either.
However, before leaving, he grabbed a handful of candy and put it on her table.
After they finished drinking and digesting their food, the two of them returned home and were sitting in front of a candle, writing furiously.
Xiao Jiu went up and pulled the light cord away from them: "What are you doing? How many times have I told you? You already have electric lights installed, why don't you use them?"
"Aren't you afraid of ruining your eyes in this darkness? Besides, kerosene lamps and candles are free, you might as well just turn on the electric light!"
"Are kerosene lamps and candles really that bright? Don't be fooled by their brightness and end up smelling a lot of soot. It's not like we can't pay the electricity bill. We can't cut corners on electricity, and we don't need ration coupons for it. Kerosene is hard to come by, and candles burn quickly."
Before Xiao Jiu could finish speaking, Tang Cuiju, feeling sorry for him, went to turn off the light.
"Don't worry about that. Candles can be reused, it's just a waste of a few strings. We can collect the wax, melt it, and it will still light a candle. Jiu, go to sleep, we still have a lesson to learn later!"
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