Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Mushroom Stewed Chicken

"The man is Feng Lianshan and the woman is Duan Hehua..."

Feng Lianshan is a fifth-level technician in a factory area, and Duan Hehua works as a waiter in the factory canteen. The couple has also reorganized their family.

The man and his wife were among the first group to follow the large army to build the factory, but they lost their lives due to a cold on the way.

Duan Hehua's husband hanged himself, and there are many different opinions about the reason for his suicide.

"Theoretically, they are not qualified to live in the staff building. It was because Duan Hehua went to the housekeeping office and caused a big scene that the higher-ups assigned them this building." Sun Xiumei blinked twice and lowered her voice deliberately: "I heard that it was related to the death of the man before Duan Hehua..."

If they didn't have leverage over him, how could the House Management Department give such a good house to Duan Lianshan?

"Is Zhenzhen Feng Lianshan's daughter?" Wang Nian asked.

Sun Xiumei shook her head and curled her lips in contempt: "Zhenzhen is Duan Hehua's daughter, and Feng Liang is Feng Lianshan's biological son."

As the old saying goes, if there is a stepmother, there will be a stepfather, but in this case, the biological mother is worse than the stepmother...

"It really opened my eyes! How could a mother treat her daughter like this? The child came out of her belly."

Liu Chaoxian had just seen Duan Hehua's hypocritical expression. Who could have expected that it was her biological mother.

"Before Duan Hehua and Feng Lianshan got married, they lived in a single dormitory with their daughter. I heard from people there that... Duan Hehua felt that her daughter had brought bad luck to her previous husband."

Feudal superstitions could not be widely propagated, so Sun Xiumei's voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible.

"Nonsense." Wang Nian sneered.

Some people will blame others when they are unhappy, even if Zhenzhen is just a two or three-year-old child.

No matter how much they blame others, they never feel that there is anything wrong with themselves. Instead, they feel lucky that their idea is correct because others are living a miserable life.

"I just feel sorry for Zhenzhen. If it weren't for the help of the lesbians in the dormitory, the child probably wouldn't be alive today." Sun Xiumei said.

Duan Hehua is not afraid of any more people even if she messes around, but it's a pity for the child.

"It's no problem to give the child a full meal." Wang Nian opened the lid of the beehive coal stove. His expression was obscured by the mist rising from the clay pot, making his tone even colder: "She can only rely on herself for the rest."

Just like her in her previous life, having kind people to help her is only temporary, if she wants to live a good life she can only rely on herself.

If you only think about relying on people who are good to you, you will never feel at ease.

As the aroma of chicken soup wafted through the air, the sky was already enveloped by an orange halo.

Wang Nian threw a handful of washed wild mushrooms and a few dates into the pot and put the lid back on.

After observing for a few days, Wang Nian found that the vegetables irrigated with evolutionary water not only had a better growth trend, but also had a much shorter growth cycle.

Since they started growing vegetables in the yard, they haven't been to the vegetable market to buy vegetables for a long time.

Green vegetable seedlings can be harvested almost every two days. The normal growth period of bamboo shoots should be two and a half months. Wang Nian’s seedlings in the greenhouse were as tall as Shi Shuwen’s calves in less than a month.

In winter, there is a shortage of vegetables at the vegetable market, and the only food available is either radish, cabbage, shepherd's purse, or taro.

Wang Nian not only has lettuces, but the cucumbers and tomatoes in the greenhouse have also bloomed and are about to bear fruit.

"You got water spinach?"

Look... in a blink of an eye, Wang Nian picked up a bunch of water spinach that was originally available in October.

The small handful of garlic sprouts that Liu Chaoxian had grown with great difficulty were instantly overshadowed by the others. They didn’t taste good even before they were fried.

"Give you a handful?" Wang Nian smiled, and gently pinched the water spinach stems, which made a crisp sound. "I finally got this water spinach at the vegetable market last month. I left some stems in the ground, but I didn't expect it to grow so well."

"You can plant anything and it will grow. My mother-in-law feeds her with feces every day, but she still doesn't produce sweet potatoes..."

Liu Chaoxian was talking about the dozens of flat lands allocated in the factory. Granny Hu planted sweet potatoes there, and Wang Nian benefited from that and ate fried sweet potato leaves for several meals. But when it was time to dig the sweet potatoes, there was nothing in the field.

Granny Hu was so upset that she couldn't eat or sleep for the past few days, and she kept complaining about why there was nothing.

The land that Wang Nian was allocated was planted with peppers. He hadn't checked on it since he pruned the branches twice. It should be the fruit-bearing season soon, so he should go and check on the situation.

"No!" Liu Chaoxian was distracted by the crisp sound of water spinach, but he couldn't help but stand up: "I'll go pick some and stir-fry them, otherwise I won't be able to eat this meal tonight."

"First take down the nest in the corner, then let the ones in the shed grow longer."

"I understand!"

The pomelo tree that we dug up in the afternoon has been planted next to the chicken coop. It provides shade for the chicken coop in the summer, and the chicken manure can be used as fertilizer. It’s a good place to choose.

Liu Chaoxian laughed awkwardly.

How can we not compare... The tree in our house is still leaning against the water pipe, and Zhang Guiqiang is sleeping soundly in the house.

Looking at the other side, I saw my son also helping to dry the mushrooms, and I was immediately amused.

“Parents are truly the best teachers for their children.”

It was obvious that Shi Xiangming had not sat down to rest since he came back. After planting trees, he started chopping wood and made sure to fill the woodshed to the brim.

The younger ones were also busy, and Wang Nian was washing vegetables and cooking non-stop.

"Comrade Shi, let me pick some water spinach!"

"Just pick them as you like. I don't know what water spinach is." Shi Xiangming looked around the yard and shook his head with a wry smile.

Well... no one is perfect, and Shi Xiangming is not perfect either.

The green of the water spinach at the corner of the wall is very eye-catching. It is the only light green in the vast expanse of emerald green, and it stands upright like a military formation.

"How come the vegetables I grow are so obedient?" Liu Chaoxian thought as he pinched them.

"Sister-in-law Qiuhong."

After pinching a few, Wang Nian took Huang Qiuhong's arm and followed her into the backyard.

Liu Chaoxian looked up and saw that it was an acquaintance, and immediately laughed and joked: "Sister Qiuhong, are you here to pick water spinach too? Come on, come on, there are quite a lot here."

"We must pick some of these delicious water spinach. Look, I brought a basket with me!" Huang Qiuhong smiled and handed the basket to Wang Nian: "I just made some sesame candies a few days ago. Bring some for the children."

"Then sister-in-law, please eat here and come back." Wang Nian just took out the candy, and before he put his hand down, the children swarmed over.

"Some masters are waiting at home." Huang Qiuhong said, and glanced casually across the yard, pausing for a moment: "Why is Zhenzhen here with you?"

"Sister-in-law, do you know Zhenzhen too?" Wang Nian waved to Zhenzhen, who was hesitating in the corner and didn't dare to come over: "Come here, Auntie will share the candy."

The word "sugar" seemed to have magical powers. Zhenzhen licked her lips, grabbed the corner of her clothes and shook timidly, but still did not dare to take a step.

Shi Wan hurried over and took Zhenzhen's hand: "Sister, come and have some candy, or else Brother Liye will finish it all!"

"Shi Wan, when have I ever been so disloyal!" Zhang Liye put his hands on his hips unconvinced.

Zhenzhen was brought over by Shi Wan, and her big eyes immediately stared at Wang Nian's hand without blinking.

"One piece per person, and we can eat the rest tomorrow. The meal is ready." Having said this, Wang Nian directly handed the paper package to Shi Shuwen, and then reminded: "Wash your hands before eating."

"If we give them all, will there be any left?" Liu Chaoxian smiled.

Wang Nian raised his eyebrows and said sincerely, "How about we make a bet? If there is any left, I will let Liye be my son?"

"Okay!" Liu Chaoxian patted Wang Nian's shoulder proudly: "If you lose, give Xiaowan to me as a daughter. I like this child so much."

"Shi Xiangming." Wang Nian suddenly rushed into the distance and shouted, "Someone wants to snatch your girl away."

"I can send Shi Shuwen away." Shi Xiangming also smiled.

While the adults were joking around, the children had already washed their hands in the stream and returned to the backyard.

Shi Shuwen directed the children like a little adult: "Sister and sister Zhenzhen go in the front, and I go last."

The whole piece of sesame candy had been broken into pieces with a hammer, so the sizes were never the same. Shi Shuwen gave the two largest pieces to Shi Wan and Zhenzhen, and Zhang Liye's was a little smaller.

When it was his turn, he chose the smallest piece.

After everyone had put the food in their mouths, even Xiao Hei, who was wagging his tail wildly, got a taste.

"I lost!" Liu Chaoxian sighed. He was really impressed by Shi Shuwen, the little bastard, and was extremely jealous: "Tell me, how can a kid resist the temptation of candy?"

Shi Shuwen was the exception among them. He wrapped up the remaining candies and put them on the desk in the room.

"There are still some mushrooms left to dry. Let's eat them while they dry."

Not only is he very obedient, he also knows how to take the lead in doing real work. Just a few words from him can make the other children happily follow him to do the work.

Especially that silly boy in my family, it's really a waste of effort to do other people's work!

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing here today?" Wang Nian noticed that Huang Qiuhong's eyes were always following Zhenzhen's movements, and he was a little puzzled: "Is it because of Zhenzhen?"

"That's right." Huang Qiuhong's face turned cold and she said seriously, "We received reports from the public that Comrade Duan Hehua abused children, so we came to investigate the situation first."

The main job of the Women's Federation is to protect the women and children at Factory 431.

The first thing Huang Qiuhong did was to visit the dormitory building where Duan Hehua used to live and collected a lot of quality complaints from her former roommates.

Just now she passed by Room 3 and saw that family was having dinner, so she came to Wang Nian's place to take a rest.

I just didn’t expect to see Zhenzhen here...there’s no need to ask when the child is so thin.

"How old is Zhenzhen?" Wang Nian asked suddenly.

"According to the data we have obtained, they should be just over five years old." Huang Qiuhong measured the heights of Shi Wan and Wu Zhenzhen: "They are about the same height as a child who is about three years old."

"Look at that child's hands... they are only as thick as my two fingers." Liu Chaoxian put two fingers together and frowned.

The cotton jacket the child was wearing was very old and a little dirty. The cuffs were worn and the black cotton knotted together inside could be seen.

Wang Nian pinched Zhenzhen's shoulders and could even feel the protruding shoulder blades.

"The Women's Federation can only advise Duan Hehua to be nicer to the child. It shouldn't be able to punish her, right?" Wang Nian guessed.

Even in the society with perfect rule of law in the past, the scale of parents' education of their children was vague and not clearly defined.

Huang Qiuhong nodded: "As long as Duan Hehua does not admit to the abuse, we can't do anything to her. Even if she really beat the child... we can only persuade her."

It is natural for parents to beat their children... This is the most normal thing in everyone's mind right now.

The role of the Women's Federation is limited to criticism, education and persuasion, and serious cases will only be reported to the factory political department.

Although Zhenzhen was thin, her face was clean and there was no sign of being beaten. Huang Qiuhong had no way to teach her a lesson.

Wang Nian also said: "Zhenzhen has never been beaten. Duan Hehua just doesn't care about her."

No matter what the child wore or whether he was full, she just treated Wu Zhenzhen as a "transparent person".

"We will have a meeting tomorrow to discuss this situation. If it is really not possible, we can only contact the kindergarten to see if they can accept the child."

If the kindergarten can provide two meals a day, then even if the environment is not good, at least there is a place to eat.

Wang Nian also felt that this was the best solution at the moment.

Huang Qiuhong did not stay for dinner. Seeing that it was already dark, she quickly picked some vegetables and rushed home.

After such a delay, it was already past seven o'clock when Wang Nian and his friends had dinner.

The radio in Duan Hehua's house was deafening, mixed with loud laughter, and could be heard clearly throughout the entire building.

"Let's eat!"

Wang Nian pulled down the light cord, and the dark living room was instantly filled with warm light.

***

Huang Qiuhong's home.

"Mom, you're finally back!"

When Huang Qiuhong's figure appeared at the corner of the stairs, Zhang Meili immediately jumped up from the kitchen doorstep and cheered loudly.

"I was delayed for a while talking to your Aunt Wang Nian," Huang Qiuhong said, pointing to the basket she was carrying. "Please bring an extra bowl from the kitchen. I've brought back some meat."

"If I had known, I would have gone with you." Zhang Meili wrinkled her nose, regretting that she didn't go with you just now.

"Stop talking nonsense and eat your meal." Huang Qiuhong glanced at her greedy daughter and said, "If you go, will your aunt Wang Nian's house still have any meat left?"

He knew that his daughter was greedy and could eat a lot, so he deliberately did not say that the person he was going to look for was Wang Nian.

Zhang Liang poked his head out of the house and said, "I knew I could smell the aroma from far away. Is it mushroom stew?"

"You just have a very sharp nose." Huang Qiuhong cursed with a smile.

Recently, my family bought a desk for my child, and the house suddenly became even more cramped. We can only set up a small table at the door to eat.

Zhang Liang was moving the table out while complaining: "We shouldn't follow Xiang Ming and his wife. Our house should be as big as theirs."

Huang Qiuhong didn't know how many times she had heard these complaints. She just rolled her eyes silently and said nothing.

She just wanted the two kids to do their homework or read books at the table every day.

I took everything into consideration, but I didn't realize that my house was too small.

Huang Qiuhong didn't respond, so Zhang Liang muttered a few words and then continued, "It's also good to have a desk at home. It's convenient for me to work."

"Liguo, eat!" Huang Qiuhong pretended not to hear and added, "Your Aunt Wang Nian is stewing chicken. If you come too late, it will be gone!"

A family of four had three dishes, and the only dish was the chicken stewed with mushrooms given by Wang Nian.

Just as they sat down, the door to the next room was opened and Sister Hu leaned against the door frame with a bowl in her hand and greeted them.

“This chicken stew with mushrooms is really delicious.”

Sister Hu's family eats even worse than Huang Qiuhong's family. Their dinner consists of a bowl of sweet potato porridge with some salted vegetables.

"Ask your third son to come out and eat something." Zhang Liang said politely.

Sister Hu is waiting here... She turned around and called into the house: "Sanwazi, come out and eat meat."

Huang Qiuhong rolled her eyes at Zhang Liang and tapped the table with her chopsticks: "Your sister-in-law is already married, why are you still so stingy and unwilling to live a better life?"

Huang Qiuhong was not reluctant to give the children some meat, but it was a bit unreasonable for Sister Hu to save money on her own family.

"I get married, and then I get another one right away. My life... is more bitter than the yellow lotus."

"Which of your relatives from the Lu family is here again?"

Lu Rong's relatives came to his house like a revolving lantern, either this younger brother came to look for a job or that cousin came to look for a partner.

"Lu Rong's eldest cousin just got divorced at the beginning of this year. She couldn't stay in the city anymore and wanted to live in our house for a year or so." Sister Hu choked up as she spoke.

It would have been fine if her younger sisters and brothers had come, but this time even her cousin came to her house, and it was Popi who specially called her to ask her.

"What does your mother-in-law think?" Huang Qiuhong couldn't help but feel sorry for Sister Hu.

Sister Hu sighed, "You're just jealous!" She glared at the room and gritted her teeth as she exposed her mother-in-law's thoughts, "I just see that a rural girl can marry a chief engineer, so I always think my niece can marry someone better."

Grandma Lu has feudal ideas. Even though her last name is Qiao, she insists that outsiders call her husband by his last name.

The idea of ​​marrying someone of equal status still exists in people’s minds, but now it has changed in a different way.

For example, even though Shi Xiangming was divorced and had a child, Grandma Lu still felt that Wang Nian, a rural girl, was not worthy of her.

Especially those who saw that Wang Nian was living a good life after marriage became jealous and had other ideas.

Wang Nianxing...then others can definitely do it too.

So Granny Lu thought of her niece Qiao Yufen who was far away in Anhuai.

Without telling Sister Hu, he asked Lu Rong to call Qiao Yufen and even promised that he could help her find a leader who would not have to worry about food and clothing.

"Tell me...what sins did I commit in my last life?" Sister Hu shook her head and sighed.

"Sanwaizi, is the chicken delicious?" Huang Qiuhong suddenly reached out and touched Sanwaizi's head.

"Delicious and fragrant!" Sanwazi's saliva flowed as soon as he opened his mouth. He held a piece of chicken in his left hand and stuffed mushrooms into his mouth with his right hand.

Huang Qiuhong sneered and pointed at the mushroom stewed chicken with her chopsticks: "I dare say that no one in the factory is better than my sister Wang Nian in cooking."

Sister Hu nodded and turned back to look at Granny Lu.

Her old face was as black as the bottom of a pot, but she dared not say a word. Seeing her feeling aggrieved, Sister Hu was happy.

"Look..." Huang Qiuhong pointed at a basket of vegetables by the door and said, "I'm not a rural woman who eats melon seeds and chats at home every day."

"Is it okay for her to grow vegetables in her yard?" Zhang Liang swallowed the mushrooms in his mouth and interrupted: "The vegetables grown by sister Wang Nian are really good."

"We can eat more than enough for ourselves, and even share some with our neighbors."

When Huang Qiuhong went there today, Liu Chaoxian was picking water spinach. The large fields of vegetables in the field were refreshing just by looking at them.

"It would be great if we lived next door to Xiang Ming's house, so we wouldn't have to worry about having no food to eat in the future!"

"Then you work hard. If you can be promoted to chief engineer, we can also apply for a new house." Huang Qiuhong took the opportunity to pressure Zhang Liang.

Zhang Liang picked up the bowl and continued eating in silence.

"That's not all..." Huang Qiuhong recalled meeting Li Yan in the morning. She even found it unbelievable: "Someone asked Sister Wang Nian to host the banquet."

Since we moved our marriage to the factory hotel, we no longer have a place to hold wedding banquets or birthday parties.

Those who are not particular can just make something casually at home, but some young comrades have high aspirations and naturally try every means to make it better.

If there is no hotel, then we can just find someone with cooking skills comparable to those of a chef to be the chef.

This morning, Huang Qiuhong came back from the store and met her officemate Xiao Li on the way. The two chatted casually for a few words.

Xiao Li heard from Dr. Zhou Yuying of the factory hospital that Wang Nian was a good cook, so he went to find Huang Qiuhong to inquire about the situation.

This girl's parents both work in the Anhuai Municipal Government, and the father of the man she is looking for is also a factory executive.

The two invited all the acquaintances in the factory to their wedding, and a rough calculation showed that there were at least fifteen tables. The most important thing at the moment was to find a reliable chef.

"Maybe they have already discussed it!"

"It must cost a lot to cook a table of food, right?" Sister Hu asked curiously.

"Then I don't know..."

Building 43 belongs to the Shi family.

Wang Nian and a tall young lesbian were sitting at the desk and talking.

The female comrade was very tall, at least about 1.68 meters, and when she stood next to Wang Nian, she was a whole head taller than her.

Li Yan counted on her fingers and silently calculated the number of people she would like to invite: "About 14 tables, and if we prepare one more, 15 tables will be enough."

"I just need to be responsible for cooking?" Wang Nian asked.

"Yes." Li Yan raised her right hand and opened it, then put it down one by one: "The tables, chairs and benches are all borrowed from the hotel. There are also bowls and chopsticks. I also asked a few neighbors to help wash and cut the vegetables. You can be responsible for cooking when the time comes."

"Have you decided what to cook?"

"Originally I wanted six hot dishes, three cold dishes and a soup, but my wife said we have to learn the spirit of thrift, so I reduced two dishes..." Li Yan frowned when she said this, and seemed a little dissatisfied with her fiancé's suggestion.

Nine dishes were Li Yan's final compromise...

Wang Nian's eyelids twitched slightly, and he just waited quietly for Li Yan to continue.

Nine dishes, five meats, three vegetarian dishes and a soup were the final decision.

As for the specific menu, Li Yan has not decided yet. She has to wait for the ticket her parents send to see what is on it.

Now that we have discussed the dishes, the most important thing is definitely the reward.

"Do you want money or tickets?" Li Yan generously let Wang Nian choose for himself: "If these don't work, you can ask for anything you want."

"If there are cloth coupons, I would also like some wool coupons or cloth coupons," said Wang Nian.

Li Yan smiled, reached into her pocket with her fair and slender hand, grabbed a handful of tickets at random, put them on the desk and began to search: "I'll look for them for you."

While everyone was living frugally with their money, Li Yan just casually put a handful of bills in her pocket.

Wang Nian thought that Li Yan's family conditions must be good and she had never suffered any hardship since childhood, so she was so eager to make the wedding, which only happens once in a lifetime, a grand one.

"Found it!" Li Yan shouted happily in a low voice, and quickly stuffed the ticket into Wang Nian's hand: "The color of the wool in our factory store is not good-looking. If there is red wool like the one Doctor Zhou wears, it will be okay."

Wang Nianxiao.

This lesbian is not only innocent and cheerful, but also not a bit cunning.

Saying that the wool is ugly in front of people who want to buy it, doesn’t that mean Wang Nian has no taste!

"The yarn ticket is your deposit. After the banquet is over, I will give you one yuan per table. Fifteen tables will be fifteen yuan."

"OK."

Wang Nian accepted the wool ticket, and the two of them reached a verbal agreement.

Li Yan put down her crossed legs, stood up with a smile, and took a deep breath of the mushroom chicken soup in the air before going out.

From the moment she pushed the door open, she had decided to ask Wang Nian to be the chef.

Just by looking at the aroma that fills the house, there is no doubt about the chef's cooking skills.

The taste...is really fragrant!