Tan Yajun glanced at Ling Weidong, then turned back to Jian Dan, asking casually,
"That's true. Zhouzhou is already halfway through her birthday. Among us educated youth, who do you think would be the second one to celebrate her birthday?"
"That's right, you guys need to hurry, otherwise Zhouzhou won't even have a playmate,"
A simple and decisive shake of the head.
"I don't know, but it's definitely not me. I'm not even an adult yet. This kind of thing is a long way off."
Ling Weidong, who was behind him, paused in his steps. So decisively, he had blocked the way completely?
Tan Yajun also paused for a moment, with a slight hesitation.
"You'll be eighteen after the New Year, right?"
Simple turned around angrily, her cheeks puffed out.
"It's not Chinese New Year yet, and besides, that's the traditional Chinese age reckoning. I'm not an adult yet!"
"cough!"
Tan Ya-jun stumbled from the choking, almost choking herself. Seeing that she was about to explode, I quickly held back my laughter and comforted her.
"Yes, yes, you're not an adult yet, no rush,"
Then he exchanged a glance with Mingzhu, their eyes both understanding. This was truly meaningless!
After the commotion on the way, Tan Yajun's pent-up frustration had mostly dissipated. By the time they entered the educated youth compound, it was almost dark. Smoke was billowing from the chimneys of several rooms, including the main room. Bai Xiaoqin was heating the kang (a heated brick bed). Upon seeing the two of them enter, she stood up with a look of delight.
"Sister Yajun, you're back? Jian Dan, Mingzhu, Ling Zhiqing, you're here? Come in, come in."
He noticed that Tan Yajun was walking strangely, but didn't say anything. He led her inside before asking what was wrong.
"Sister Yajun, have you eaten yet?"
The two slept on a heated kang bed, which was very warm, and the room was filled with heat. Ling Weidong put his things down and turned to go back to his own room. Jian Dan and Mingzhu helped Tan Yajun take off her cotton-padded coat, smiled and helped her onto the kang. After listening to the two of them discuss cooking in a few words, they went back.
After a whole day of commotion, Lin Dongfang had been staying at Jian Dan's place. Only after they got home and had dinner did the two of them finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Oh, I'm finally back! What a day!"
Even after briefly recounting today's events, Lin Dongfang was somewhat surprised.
"Her parents sold her?"
"Didn't expect that, did you?"
The three children were playing on the kang (a heated brick bed), and they didn't speak too loudly.
Mingzhu also sighed.
"Who would have thought of this? Who would go home and be wary of their own parents?"
She paused for a moment, thinking of her own mother who had abandoned her husband and children.
"No, some people are good parents, while others only care about themselves."
Lin Dongfang reached out and grasped her hand.
"Don't think about that. Let's go see Dad first. Didn't he have a bit of a cold a few days ago? I wonder if he's fully recovered?"
Mingzhu was immediately led astray.
"Yes, then I'll go back and get some things and deliver them directly, including that Uncle Cheng,"
He choked on the water he had just drunk. What the hell is this Uncle Cheng?
After confirming that the person was Cheng Jia, Cheng Chao came back once, but he told them in a gruff voice not to go looking for that person, and then left. The children were so scared that they kept agreeing, but Jian saw the stubbornness in Cheng Chao's eyes and the struggle he had when he left. Now that they had confirmed that the person was family, how could he just ignore him completely?
Although they didn't go there, Lin Dongfang would visit Ming's father, and she would often bring him some things.
Upon hearing that they were going, he coughed a few times and quickly waved his hand.
"What are you going to return, Xiao An? Is there anything frozen in the kitchen?"
It's cold, so they've started letting their meat freeze naturally outdoors. Only some vegetables that need to be preserved are kept in the cellar. They burn a lot of fire every day, so the house rarely freezes.
Upon hearing this, Cheng An slid down to the ground.
"Yes, sis, I'll go get it."
These past few days, Jian Dan has been taking a break, and the two kids have been doing all the housework. The other day, Jian Dan casually mentioned that they still had some sticky rice flour and beans at home, so the two kids started making bean buns. Although they weren't as meticulous as the wives and aunties in the village, Jian Dan thought they were pretty good. They had everything they needed, and the taste was about the same, so she praised them highly.
A short while later, Cheng An returned with Lin Dongfang.
"Sister, I heated up some steamed buns and mantou. You can take them over and eat them in a bit."
He nodded simply, pointing to the net bag he had brought back.
"Okay, there are also steamed buns in there, take two boxes of them too, this stuff doesn't have as strong a flavor as meat and vegetables."
"Alright, then we won't stand on ceremony. We still have to go back and get things sorted out."
Aren't you going to go and take a look?
Jian Dan exchanged a glance with the two children.
"Let's wait for my brother to come back. We don't know the specifics yet, or what his concerns are. Let's not cause him any more trouble."
"It's not appropriate for us younger folks to interfere in our elders' affairs. Let's wait for him to return!"
It was a good idea, but I never expected that even though they were deliberately avoiding me, we still ran into each other.
The next day was a bright and sunny day, and the two children ran around wildly outside.
The New Year is just around the corner, and everyone is busy. Thanks to the wild boar litter from a few days ago, each family has received a lot of meat, and the whole village is filled with the aroma of meat.
Jian Dan was also planning the dishes for the New Year. Based on past experience, she estimated that even if Cheng Chao returned from a mission, he would probably spend the New Year in the military camp, just like Cheng Jin.
Jian Wenxiu took Jian Xin back and they should be back after spending the New Year there.
The person next to him needs no introduction; it hasn't been revealed yet. We'll just prepare two dishes and have Lin Dongfang or the child deliver them.
She and her two younger children spent the New Year together.
It's easy to prepare meals for three people.
While thinking about it, I turned back the clock. These things were frozen, so I needed to let them thaw beforehand.
There was still so much meat in the room; she wanted to take this opportunity to braise a pot of it.
She brought out plenty of beef, mutton, venison, and chicken—everything she could think of—plus pork buried in the snow in the backyard. If she didn't bring out every single thing, the two maids would have become suspicious.
When the two children returned, covered in sweat, Jian Dan had already placed firewood in both large pots.
"Sis, what are you doing? Didn't I tell you not to do any work?"
These past few days, the two children have been running the household, treating her like a delicate flower. She immediately stood with her hands on her hips, looking disapproving. It was simple and funny, and she quickly begged for forgiveness.
"I didn't do any work, I just put the meat in the pot. It wasn't tiring at all, really. Look, I didn't even wash those dishes!"
Cheng Rui's thinking was simple; upon seeing that it was indeed true, he was immediately delighted and ran over excitedly.
"Sis, what kind of meat is this? It smells so good!"
Cheng An sighed and walked over as well.
"Go sit over there and warm yourself by the fire, the two of us will take care of the rest."
They handed it over simply and decisively.
"Just keep an eye on the fire. Does it smell good? It needs to cook for another two hours and then simmer for another five or six hours, otherwise it won't be flavorful."
Cheng Rui was dumbfounded. He looked left and right, and both pots were occupied.
"What should we eat for lunch?"
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