Chapter 52 Fried Potato Chips
When Cheng Cheng woke up in the early morning, only she and Xiao Xiao were at home; Zhou Yue was not there.
She didn't think much of it, assuming Zhou Yue had gone to the cafeteria to buy breakfast.
I was brushing my teeth when I saw Zhou Yue come back from outside, holding an iron rake in his hand, his trouser legs covered in dust, his face ruddy, and beads of sweat dripping from his forehead and nose.
Cheng Cheng paused, her mouth full of white foam, staring blankly at the man. After spitting it out, she mumbled, "You went to dig the ground?"
When did you get up?
Why didn't she hear a sound at all?
The man was covered in dust, his back almost soaked with sweat. Cheng Cheng looked at Zhou Yue and felt that the man walking towards her step by step in the morning sun seemed to be glowing!
Zhou Yue chuckled softly as his wife stared at him intently. He turned on the tap to wash his hands, but his eyes remained fixed on her, carrying a hint of barely perceptible expectation.
"Zhou Yue! You're amazing! Your initiative is top-notch!"
He did what he said he would do. No, Zhou Yue didn't say anything but he did it himself. And he didn't ask for credit for it. He just did it simply. This kind of man who is proactive and has full of energy is really more and more handsome the more you look at him!
"I'll add an egg for you!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yue smiled. He usually felt happy when his wife praised their daughter. His wife was cheerful and generous in expressing herself. The interaction between her and their daughter gradually gave him a clearer understanding of the concept of home. The warmth he felt made him yearn for it.
But now, he was receiving the treatment his daughter was receiving. His throat tightened slightly. He realized that the same tender, focused gaze his wife gave their daughter felt like this when it fell on him.
It felt like a piece of candy was in my heart, a sweet sensation spreading through my soul. I couldn't help but smile and said gently, "I'll work another morning tomorrow and we should be done. Don't go during the day."
Is your hand better now?
Zhou Yue lowered his head slightly, looked at his wife's hands, and reached out to her.
"It can't be that fast, but it doesn't hurt anymore." Cheng Cheng muttered as she reached out her hand.
"Go wash up now!"
The water was constantly heating on the stove, which made things much more convenient. Cheng Cheng urged him to have noodles for breakfast and to add a poached egg for Zhou Yue!
"good."
Meeting his wife's bright eyes and the joy in her expression, Zhou Yue suddenly understood something, and his steps became lighter.
After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Cheng Cheng went to the room to wake the little guy up.
She heated oil in a pan, cracked four eggs, and fried four golden-brown sunny-side-up eggs. The eggs were indeed being used up a little too quickly!
Even if they have a quota, it's still better to raise a few chickens to lay eggs. Nowadays, each household can only raise three chickens, which is allowed, but if they raise more than three, they will be considered "capitalist tails".
She didn't want to raise too many chickens, just three to lay eggs. She would ask Sister Tuoya where to buy chickens if she wanted to raise them.
Before long, the fragrant scallion poached eggs were ready.
It was a little later than usual. Zhou Yue slurped up his noodles, and the three of them were almost in sync, slurping and slurping.
Cheng Cheng scooped a spoonful of her mother's chopped chili peppers into her noodles. It was fragrant, spicy, and appetizing. Since coming to the Northwest, the thing she consumed the fastest was actually her mother's chopped chili peppers!
Not only does she love it, but after she strongly recommended it, Xiaoxiao and Zhou Yue also fell in love with it, so they consumed it exceptionally quickly!
She brought two bottles of chopped chili peppers, and had already finished a third of them. She had already sent a letter to her mother to let her know she was safe, and hoped to receive a package from her mother before the remaining stock ran out.
"By the way, Zhou Yue, remember to tell Guan Jue and the others to come back early this afternoon."
Except for the first two days when Zhou Yue came back for lunch, starting from the third day, the man left in the morning and didn't return until the evening. After having dinner at home, he would rush off to class.
Aside from sleeping, the man rarely stayed at home. Cheng Cheng belatedly realized just how busy Zhou Yue was. If she hadn't been supervising him, he probably would have been working late into the night.
She didn't understand their work, but she made arrangements for their lives. When Zhou Yue came back from class in the evening, she would cook a bowl of noodles for him as a late-night snack, without interfering much.
These past few days, however, Xiaoxiao has been a little upset. She hugged her neck and said unhappily that her father didn't have time to play with her anymore.
Indeed, since arriving in the Northwest, Zhou Yue has had significantly less time to spend with his daughter, which has been compressed into three time slots: when he gets up in the morning to eat breakfast, when he eats dinner in the evening, and when he takes Zhou Yue to school. Only during these times can the father and daughter have a chance to communicate.
Sometimes Zhou Yue comes home too late at night, and the little guy has already fallen asleep while waiting. He can only see Zhou Yue the next morning.
Cheng Cheng had no choice but to comfort the little one and try to distract her, reminding her that everyone is an independent individual with their own things to do.
The little girl will be going to school in September; she'll be a big girl then. When she goes to school, her father will go to work. It's the same for both of them; neither of them will have time. It won't be like when Zhou Yue was on leave visiting his family, when the father and daughter could spend every day together.
Xiao Lingxiao is very sensible. Although he understands that his father is busy with work and is doing great things, he is still a little unhappy!
Cheng Cheng shrugged, realizing there was nothing she could do about it. She decided to leave the minor conflict between father and daughter to Zhou Yue to resolve himself.
She still doesn't have a job, which is worrying her. When her daughter goes to preschool and Zhou Yue goes to work, she'll be all alone at home.
After arriving at the base and living there for a while, Cheng Cheng realized how difficult it was for family members to find a job. Of the more than 10,000 people at the base, family members made up half of them, making their jobs extremely sought after!
Moreover, she has to wait in line for a job. Sister Zhong Yan arrived half a year earlier than her, but she still hasn't been assigned a job. Yesterday afternoon, Sister Zhong Yan said that she would be willing to do anything, even picking up sheep droppings, as long as she could have a job!
She wouldn't even get a turn to pick up sheep dung, isn't that infuriating!
Cheng Cheng didn't have high hopes, since Zhou Yue's salary was more than enough to support their family of three.
Zhou Yue washed the dishes, and the family of three went out together, but they separated at the fork in the road. Cheng Cheng took Xiao Xiao to the service store to buy ingredients to prepare for tonight's big meal.
Around 2 PM, Zhong Yan arrived with her two sons, Luo Cheng and Luo Xin.
The two brothers look a lot like Sister Zhong Yan. One is thirteen years old and the other is nine. The boys are not shy at all and have a sweet tongue. They greet people as soon as they arrive.
Zhong Yan sent the two brothers to play with their younger siblings, and she joined the potato-peeling team, asking curiously, "Xiao Cheng, are you going to peel so many potatoes?"
"Yeah, let's make a potato family photo tonight!"
Cheng Cheng smiled. If there was one ingredient that was most abundant and easiest to buy at the service center, it would be potatoes. They were cheap and plentiful. Even a skilled cook like her couldn't cook without rice.
With Zhong Yan joining in, Cheng Cheng packed a bowl of potatoes and said, "I'll go slice them."
Toya and Xie Jiaohua arrived early and had already peeled half a bucket of potatoes, making them even more curious about the potato feast that evening!
They don't eat potatoes every day, but they appear on the table every few days, and they're already tired of them.
Cheng Cheng skillfully sliced the potatoes, soaked them in salt water for a while, then took them out and drained the water, preparing to fry potato chips.
Inside the main room, several children were playing Gomoku. Xiao Lingxiao's Go skills have improved by leaps and bounds. After playing a few games with his older brothers, he has mastered the skill of letting others win without being taught.
The little girl frowned, wondering why her brother Xiaoyu didn't go down here, so he could make a line from the lower left and right sides.
Alas, the little one sighed with worry.
In the kitchen, thinly sliced potatoes slid into the oil with a whoosh, instantly creating a sizzling sound. The oil sizzled and bubbled, carrying the potato slices as they rapidly expanded, and the aroma rose with the steam, filling the entire room.
The children in the living room sniffed, and Gao Xiaoyu couldn't help but say, "Little sister, let's go downstairs later!"
Xiao Lingxiao readily agreed, "Mhm!"
He jumped off the stool and ran into the kitchen with his short legs.
Cheng Cheng had just finished frying the first batch of potato chips and was scooping out the light yellow, fluffy potato slices when she saw several children running in. She immediately ordered, "Go wash your hands."
Immediately, the children rushed out in a swarm.
Cheng Cheng placed the fried potato chips on the table and called Tuoya and the others over to try them.
Little Sweetie was tied to Xie Jiaohua's back, waving her arms outstretched, staring intently at the direction of the potato chips, and making "ah ah ah ah" noises.
"Our little sweetie has such a keen nose! You want some too, don't you?" Cheng Cheng teased her with a smile. The little sweetie responded with "Ah ah ah," "When you grow a little older, Auntie will fry some for you, no rush!"
"Aunt Cheng, these fried potato chips are so delicious!" Gao Xiaoyu's eyes narrowed, his face full of delight. "Mom, let's make fried potato chips when we get home!"
I never knew potatoes could be eaten like this!
Xie Jiaohua took a bite of a potato slice. It was crunchy and delicious, but it required a lot of oil. She had watched her younger sister pour oil into the pan, and her heart was clenching. She couldn't bear to waste oil like that!
"It can taste even better!" Cheng Cheng sprinkled chili powder on top, and the aroma instantly filled the air.
She fried five or six batches of potato chips, gave one batch to the children to satisfy their cravings, and saved the rest to serve to the guests when everyone arrived.
Now let's start preparing tonight's feast!
As the sun set, Zhou Yue returned at six o'clock with his students, Luo Yuquan, and Xiao Zheng. Soon after, Xie Jiaohua's lover, Gao Jun, also arrived.
There were more than ten people, and the living room couldn't hold them all, so they moved the table to the yard and brought over tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks from next door to make sure they had enough.
One dish after another was served. The first dish served was fried potato chips, sprinkled with chili powder, which were both spicy and crispy!
"Master's wife, let me do it."
Zhou Yue's students rushed into the kitchen to help, some serving dishes, others counting bowls and chopsticks, and they all got to work without being told what to do.
Cheng Cheng's last dish was pan-fried tofu. The tofu was cut into cubes, coated with egg wash, and pan-fried until golden brown on both sides.
Then pour in the prepared sauce, reduce the heat to high to thicken the sauce, allowing it to fully penetrate the tofu. Finally, sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve!
"Sister-in-law's cooking smells amazing! It's incredible!"
Eight dishes and a soup—that's an incredibly generous spread! The first appetizer, fried potato chips, was amazing. Wow, after eating potatoes for so many years, I never imagined it would be this late!
Luo Yuquan was genuinely envious of Lao Zhou's good fortune at this moment, and glanced at him with his small eyes: "Lao Zhou, do you want to say a few words?"
Let's eat! I can't wait!
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yue looked at his wife beside him, a gentle smile appearing in his eyes. "This family depends on you for everything, inside and out. You are the leader of our family. Now, let's have our leader say a few words to everyone."
"Please say a few words, Master's wife!"
Guan Jue cheered and clapped from the sidelines!
Caught off guard, Cheng Cheng didn't expect Zhou Yue to say that. She glanced at the man, half reproachful and half sweet, and stood up gracefully amidst the laughter of the crowd.
"I am very happy and warm-hearted to have invited everyone to my housewarming party today. First of all, I would like to thank you all, especially Sister Tuoya, Sister Zhongyan, and Sister Jiaohua for your help."
"We've come all over the country to gather here at this table for a meal. I'm grateful for the fate that has brought us together. Without further ado, let's eat!"
If we say any more, the food will get cold!
In an instant, all you could hear was the sound of chopsticks hitting chopsticks and chopsticks hitting bowls. The pot of braised pork with potatoes in the very center was the most popular. The potato chunks were stewed until soft and tender, soaking up all the meat juices. When you bit into them, you found a soft and powdery interior, with a salty and savory flavor and the aroma of meat. You wanted to smack your lips after you finished eating.
The pan-fried tofu dish also received unanimous praise, especially from Zheng Jinbu, who was so moved that her eyes welled up with tears, saying that this was the taste of her hometown!
He barely touched the other dishes on the table, focusing instead on the pan-fried tofu. He had been serving in the army for over two years and hadn't been home for more than two years.
She held back her tears, and seeing this, the others at the dinner table fell silent, a sense of homesickness creeping into their hearts.
Who hasn't left home, far from their hometown and family, to settle down in the Northwest, striving and dedicating their youth to this land?
Toya brought mare's milk wine from home. Fate brought them together at this moment, together in this big family, so let's cherish the present.
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Author's note: Goodnight, see you tomorrow!
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