Chapter 41 He Yuan Cooks
At five o'clock, Chen Qing got off work exhausted.
The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the narrow streets, casting mottled light and shadows.
There were two little kids, one with two pigtails on his head, holding his chin and looking eagerly at the alley entrance. A big boy was sitting on the steps at the door, his hands casually resting on his knees, and his brows were frowning like the adults.
Suddenly, the little girl stood up and shouted happily: "Auntie!"
The little girl rushed into her aunt's arms like a firecracker. Chen Qing leaned over, opened his arms, and hugged the little girl tightly: "Why are you waiting for me outside the door?"
"The doctor said I should get more sun, so I sat at the door and got some."
“That’s great.”
Chen Qing carried her home and saw He Yuxiang at the door, dusting himself off and walking home. She asked, "What are we having for dinner?"
“Sautéed zucchini and white rice.”
He Yuxiang went to buy vegetables in the afternoon, and only zucchini was left.
Zucchini has a sweet taste and is easy to prepare, so it should be a popular dish. However, the supply and marketing cooperatives supply the most squash every day, and the machinery factories also eat the most squash, which has caused everyone to become numb to it.
Chen Qing carried Xiaoyu to the main hall and asked, "Did Su Juanjuan's parents send over 50 kilograms of rice?"
"Yes, it was a whole sack. I put it in the rice jar. Together with the sweet potatoes and the rice and flour I bought earlier, it will last our family for a month and a half."
The happiest thing for He Yuxiang today was seeing that the rice jar was full!
What a long-awaited grand occasion!
Chen Qing also had a sense of satisfaction. Since he became the head of the family, he had to buy miscellaneous things every day. It felt like a huge expense every time he went out. It was really a pleasure to be able to add some new things to the family and save some money!
She put the child down and went to wash her hands first.
Prepare to eat.
Just as the family of three picked up their chopsticks to eat, a domineering fragrance filled the air.
He Yuan from next door found the food the most difficult to adapt to when he came to Guangdong Province. Although he is from the north, his mother is from Xiangjiang River, so he grew up eating Hunan cuisine. After coming to Guangdong Province, his taste is extremely light. Today, when he moved into his new home, He Yuan planned to cook a good meal for himself.
The iron pot next to the stove was burning red, and the hot oil was poured on the chopped pepper and minced garlic with a "sizzle". The spicy aroma exploded instantly, mixed with the salty fragrance of the fermented black beans and the tenderness of the fish, turning into a cloud of white mist rising over the yard.
The strong flavor of the chili pepper and the richness of the fish fat blended in the steam, and the smell spread in all directions.
Chen Qing and the two children were sitting in the main hall eating light, oily zucchini, their noses twitching. Xiaoyu couldn't help swallowing her saliva: "Aunt, this tastes better than the ones in the state-owned restaurant!"
As the aunt and the only head of the family, Chen Qing acted like a parent and said calmly, "That's nothing. The dinner we had a few days ago was delicious."
Having said that, my stomach is really tempted!
Eighty percent of modern young people like spicy food, and Chen Qing is no exception. She can eat light food, but she actually has a strong taste.
This taste...
It smells so good!
She even wanted to climb over the wall to see who did it!
People in the compound could smell the fragrance. The aunt who lived across from He Yuan joked sourly, "Oh, this fragrance can attract people's souls! If my husband had this skill, I would bring him foot washing water every day!"
An old man also smelled the aroma and took out a half bottle of white wine, smacking his lips and muttering: "I don't even need to prepare any snacks, I can drink three cups just by smelling the spicy aroma!"
The Su family's parents were dissatisfied and complained while eating: "The spicy taste made me sneeze!"
Su Dongliang was a young man who couldn't help his curiosity and went to the kitchen to take a look.
When he saw a spoonful of oil sizzling onto the fish head, he wanted to curse the man as a prodigal son, but when He Yuan brought out a bowl of bright red and oily chopped pepper fish head, he couldn't stop swallowing his saliva.
Chen Qing next door couldn't help it, so he sent his ambassador, Comrade He Yuting, to the next door compound to spy on the enemy!
He Yuxiang was afraid that his sister would be infected with something bad again, so he volunteered to go to the next door to take a look, and came back to report: "The new resident, Researcher He, cooked the dish, and he gave a few chopsticks to the old man."
"He did it?" Chen Qing was a little shocked.
In her eyes, He Yuan was more like a scientific research talent who was out of touch with the world and had the temperament of a noble lady. So how could he cook?
He Yuxiang said: "He cooked it. I saw him bringing the dishes into the house. The old man even gave Researcher He a small piece of bacon as a reward."
Chen Qing had an idea, but she cut off her train of thought halfway through: "Forget it, let's eat. Let's smell the aroma and pretend to eat spicy fish head. Eat quickly, otherwise the smell will dissipate later."
It was normal in the 1970s to satisfy one's craving by enjoying the aroma of other people's meat. The two children had no objection and continued to eat.
Chen Qing ate the white rice mouthful by mouthful. Although he was in the courtyard, his heart was drifting to He Yuan's home.
The spicy fish head smelled so good, it must taste delicious. Chen Qing's saliva kept oozing out, and he could only stuff the zucchini into his mouth.
There was no way, her relationship with He Yuan was too bad.
Otherwise she would like to spend money to buy some to try.
After the meal, the fragrance faded away. Chen Qinghua turned his grief and indignation into motivation and worked hard on his side business!
Just as she was falling into a flow state while sewing clothes, there was a knock at the door.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
The table where Chen Qing was making clothes was facing the window, and she could also see the front door directly. She raised her head and asked loudly, "Who is it?"
"We're from the street office, collecting water and electricity bills." The person at the door responded loudly.
“…Here I come.”
Chen Qing took a dollar and went to open the door.
Everyone in the entire alley has a fixed amount of water, and the water fee is naturally charged according to the standard, 50 cents per household, and the electricity fee is checked on the meter.
"Your water bill is 50 cents, and your electricity bill is 30 cents, a total of 80 cents."
"OK."
Chen Qing gave him one dollar.
He gave two cents on the spot.
After Chen Qing got the receipt, he asked He Yuxiang: "Did you pour the water?"
He Yuxiang: "The subdistrict office notified us today and our time has been moved back half an hour, from 6:30 to 7:00."
Chen Qing frowned: "Why? Why did it get pushed back again? The later it gets, the easier it is to use electricity. Electricity is so expensive, and everyone's money is money!"
"Because the new residents here have been moved to 6 to 6:30, our family has to move back."
He Yuxiang had an argument with the people from the street office today, but it was of no avail. They said that this was done in accordance with rules and regulations.
Chen Qing immediately turned around and rushed out. Seeing the people from the street office walking towards a large courtyard, he followed them in.
The Su family from the outer courtyard of a large compound looked unhappy when they saw her coming. After paying the water and electricity bills, they immediately closed the door.
But everyone else in the compound came out to watch the fun.
Chen Qing did not beat around the bush and questioned the people from the street office on the spot: "Why has the water collection time for our family been postponed again?"
(End of this chapter)
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