Chapter 48 Milk Lumps
"Are you the new engineer Zhou's family?"
Toya had two distinctive patches of red on her cheeks from the high altitude, and her smile was as bright as the sunshine in the Gobi Desert of Northwest China. A basket was hanging from her elbow.
Inside were a few tender cucumbers with blossoms and thorns, several bright green zucchini and pumpkins, and a bunch of fresh chives.
“My name is Toya, and I live next door.” She handed the basket forward. “You just arrived today, so you probably haven’t had time to think about anything. These vegetables are ones we grew ourselves. Don’t mind them, just make do with them for now.”
"Not at all, not at all!" Cheng Cheng was both surprised and delighted. She quickly stepped forward and grasped the other person's hand, her smile bright. "Comrade Toya, this is wonderful! Thank you so much!"
"Come in and sit down."
Toya waved her hand, "Judging from the direction you came from, you're coming back from the cafeteria, right? Your family must have a lot of things to take care of, so I won't take up any more of your time. We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other later."
"By the way, this is the last batch of cucumbers. I just planted autumn cabbage and radishes in my field. I'll give them to you when they come out in the fall."
Toya pointed to a patch of green carefully protected by windbreaks in the distance, "The land here isn't good, it's hard to grow anything. The only things that are decent are cucumbers, pumpkins, and chives."
After saying that, he left in a hurry.
As Cheng Cheng watched the other person's departing figure, and then looked at the fresh vegetables in her hand, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.
"Zhou Yue, do you know who lives next door to us?"
Back home, Cheng Cheng put the vegetables she was carrying into the kitchen cellar.
The climate in the Northwest is dry, and if she wasn't careful with how she stored them, she worried that the fresh vegetables in her hands would turn into dried vegetables overnight.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yue shook his head. He had previously lived in the dormitory and was not familiar with the staff quarters.
Alright, Cheng Cheng took out the sausages wrapped in oil paper from her luggage, instructed Zhou Yue to organize the luggage, and then took the sausages and coal to the neighbor's to borrow a light from Comrade Tuoya.
"Xiaoxiao, are you staying here or going next door with Mommy?"
Xiao Lingxiao pointed to her small bundle; she was going to stay and pack her luggage.
So Cheng Cheng went next door alone, while the father and daughter stayed behind to pack up their belongings.
"Comrade Xiao Cheng, I can't accept this. Please take it back."
Toya waved her hands repeatedly, pushing the oil paper package back, resolutely refusing it.
Cheng Cheng pretended to be sad, "Sister Tuoya, are you disgusted?"
"Oh dear, no..." Toya was so anxious that she even blurted out a few words in Mongolian. After some tugging, she finally accepted it.
Cheng Cheng smiled again, her tone warm and affectionate, "Sister Tuoya, the sausages are homemade by my mom. You can steam them, stir-fry them, or put them in rice to make sausage rice, which is also very delicious. It's a specialty of our hometown, and I hope you'll like it."
A give-and-take relationship is the key to long-term harmony between neighbors.
Toya accepted the sausage and was very interested in the sausage rice she mentioned. Cheng Cheng carefully taught her how to make delicious sausage rice.
The two quickly became acquainted. Cheng Cheng and Sister Tuoya got along very well and chatted a lot. Cheng Cheng learned a lot about life at the base from Sister Tuoya.
As she was leaving, Toya gave her a small packet of milk curds wrapped in oil paper, saying cheerfully, "Take this back for Qiqige to eat, to help her chew!"
The girls on the grassland are all flowers, and they can all be called Qiqige.
Cheng Cheng accepted the coal without hesitation and took the red-hot coal back to light the stove.
The father and daughter had already packed their luggage, but Zhou Yue didn't know where to put some things, so he put them on the table and waited for his wife to come back and put them away.
"Is it good?" Cheng Cheng fed the little guy a piece of milk curd.
"It's so hard, Mommy!" Little Lingxiao muttered, slowly nibbling at the pale yellow milk curd in her mouth. Her little brows furrowed in confusion at first, but after a few seconds, a rich milky aroma melted in her mouth, and her eyes immediately sparkled like bright stars.
Mmm! Delicious!
Cheng Cheng smiled as she watched her daughter, then grabbed a pale yellow milk curd from the oil paper package, held it to the man's lips, and winked, signaling him to open his mouth.
Zhou Yue's expression softened, a gentle smile appeared in his eyes, and he looked at his wife, opening his mouth to take her in.
When her warm lips touched her slightly cool fingertips, Cheng Cheng abruptly pulled her hand back.
Zhou Yue's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. His gaze was fixed on the woman's bitten lower lip, and a slight smile appeared in his eyes. He chuckled.
Cheng Cheng bit her lip, glared at the man, and her idealized image of the big shot shattered.
With a milk curd in her mouth, she turned around to pack her things and directed the man to fetch water and boil it for a bath.
She found the vegetable seeds that Uncle Wang had given her. They were about the size of two palms and contained all sorts of vegetable seeds, wrapped in torn newspaper with the names of the seeds written on them.
Sister Tuoya said that the base would allocate vegetable plots to them. As long as they apply on their own, each household can be allocated a small plot of land to grow vegetables, but they need to clear the land themselves.
She found chive seeds inside. Chives are easy to grow and grow quickly, so she definitely had to plant them, along with scallions, and oh yes, she absolutely had to plant some autumn cabbage too…
Tomorrow she will ask Xiao Zheng how to apply for a vegetable plot at the base. Cheng Cheng skipped over Zhou Yue without even thinking about it.
Zhou Yue clearly doesn't care about these things; it's better to ask Xiao Zheng than him!
The weather isn't cold yet, so they haven't gone to the public bathhouse. If possible, Cheng Cheng would like to shower at home all the time.
Sigh, the only thing she couldn't quite accept about going to public bathhouses in the Northwest was the idea of taking a bath there.
After sitting on the train for several days, she could only wipe herself down and change clothes. She couldn't stand it anymore. She first gave the little one a bath and washed his hair, and then took a good shower herself before returning to her room with her hair still wet.
"Zhou Yue, go wash up."
The man nodded, stood up, and closed the door, shutting out the cold wind from outside.
Xiao Lingxiao sat at her desk, holding a pencil and doing her homework. Her little face was full of seriousness and focus, and she didn't even notice Cheng Cheng walking up to her.
It was a new math problem that Zhou Yue had given to Xiao Xiao on the train. The little girl had already finished the previous book of nine-square puzzles. With the little girl's perseverance, Cheng Cheng had already predicted that this new book would probably be finished by the little girl in no time!
Cheng Cheng sat down next to the little one, took out paper and pen, and began to write down her plans for the new home. First, she planned what to buy tomorrow, and then she planned to write letters to both sides of the family to let them know she was safe and sound...
When Zhou Yue returned, Cheng Cheng was writing a letter to her grandparents in Beijing. When she saw the man return, she asked him if he had anything he wanted to say to his grandparents.
Zhou Yue picked up the letter and read what his wife had written. He shook his head. His wife had written very thoroughly, taking into account all aspects. There was no need to add any more unnecessary words.
"Ah Cheng, although Xu Zhehai's stance is unclear, I have thought about his proposal carefully and it is feasible. Have you considered publishing it?"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Cheng paused, somewhat hesitant, "Will the publishing house accept it?"
She was just drawing for Xiaoxiao to play with. Nowadays, publishers mainly publish serious literary works and popular science books. Isn't her kind of doodles for children too childish?
Will the editors approve? Won't they think it's too unserious? A bit of a waste of resources?
Zhou Yue could read all his wife's worries from her slightly furrowed brow. He placed his large hand on her shoulder and said gently, "Don't worry, your idea is very good. When the Wright brothers built the first airplane, how many people laughed at them for being whimsical? Great innovations often seem like child's toys at first glance."
"What matters is not whether the form looks serious, but whether the attempt addresses a real need. The mission of a publishing house is to disseminate knowledge and beauty. Your work combines both and is highly innovative, which can greatly enrich children's spiritual world and cultivate aesthetic thinking. This is a very advanced educational concept."
"I think the publisher won't refuse."
As Zhou Yue spoke clearly and logically, the previously wavering light in Cheng Cheng's eyes gradually stabilized and brightened, revealing her usual lively spirit. "Okay, Engineer Zhou, I'll listen to you."
Zhou Yue had already taken Xu Zhehai's contact information, and Cheng Cheng didn't want to deal with him anymore. A stranger was no match for a relative.
Zhou Yue sat down to write a letter to her cousin Xing Huasheng, while Cheng Cheng organized the Journey to the West picture book she had drawn for Xiao Xiao, referencing the characters from the old version of Journey to the West she had seen before.
She's just a bit lazy; she's only finished a third of it after all this time.
This was only achieved after her beloved daughter kept chasing her around asking for the artwork every day.
She picked out a few of the little boy's uncolored drawings and some that had already been colored, sorted them out, and planned to send them to her cousin Xing Huasheng along with the letter.
"Alright, it's getting late, let's go to sleep."
On her first night in the Northwest, Cheng Cheng slept soundly and peacefully, not even noticing when Zhou Yue got up several times to tuck the blankets around her and her daughter.
I slept well all night.
The next morning, when she got up, Zhou Yue had already bought breakfast from the cafeteria.
Cheng Cheng woke Xiao Xiao up, and they got up, washed up, and ate breakfast.
Breakfast consisted of cornbread, thin porridge with little broth, and a dish of dark, shredded pickled vegetables. The taste wasn't particularly delicious, but it had its own unique flavor.
After breakfast, Zhou Yue was about to go to work, but he said worriedly, "Acheng, I'll leave Xiao Zheng here with you."
Cheng Cheng nodded, "Okay, you can go to work without worry. I'll take good care of myself and Xiaoxiao."
Don't worry about it, she's a grown woman, she definitely won't get lost.
Not long after the man left, Zheng Jinbu arrived.
"sister in law!"
Zheng Jinbu grinned, looking radiant. "Engineer Zhou instructed me to follow you, sister-in-law. Please let me know if you need any help."
Cheng Cheng chuckled and asked him if he had eaten breakfast.
"have eaten!"
Okay, let's go on a big shopping spree!
However, before they went to make purchases, they had to go to the logistics department's military grain supply station to register their grain ties, obtain their grain and oil supply book, and then go to the military service center to purchase rice, oil, soy sauce, and vinegar.
On the way, Cheng Cheng smiled and chatted with Xiao Xiao while holding her hand.
First, they asked about the base, such as who to apply to for the vegetable plots, who the base had, which units, and whether it was hiring, etc.
Suddenly changing the subject, "Xiao Zheng, I have a question for you. What health problems did Zhou Yue have before?"
Cheng Cheng looked at the other person seriously, "I hope you can tell me honestly and not hide anything from me."
"This...this..." Zheng Jinbu suddenly stammered, his body stiffening almost imperceptibly, his gaze fixed straight ahead, unable to meet his sister-in-law's eyes.
"Sister-in-law, Engineer Zhou, he..."
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Author's note: Goodnight, see you tomorrow~
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