Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Youtiao
The sun gradually slanted, and more and more people came into the alley.
Ye Jianguo and Ye Yanlin went home together after get off work. When they reached the entrance of their alley, they saw a figure standing upright.
Ye Jianguo took a few glances and saw that he had a different temperament from ordinary people. As he passed by, he turned back and asked politely, "Comrade, are you looking for someone?"
Gu Zhao came back to his senses from his deep thought, turned his head and looked at the man next to him with a determined look, then looked at Ye Yanlin who was following him, his brows jumped, he looked at Ye Yanlin's face a few more times, and slowly dug out a name from his memory.
Ye Yanlin, they both have the surname Ye, and if you look closely they look somewhat alike.
Gu Zhao stood up straighter, like a tall pine tree in the setting sun. As expected, the two people in front of him were his future father-in-law and brother-in-law.
So Ye Tan is Ye Yanlin’s sister?
Gu Zhao and Ye Yanlin are a few years apart in age and usually have their own circle of friends, but since they all live near the river, they always run into each other.
As I thought about it, a few blurry scenes came to my mind. In the middle of summer, the water level in the river was low, and a group of boys, big and small, were fishing in the river.
There was only a young boy holding a fragile little girl standing on the shore, watching, and occasionally picking up a few small fish and shrimps that were overlooked.
And Gu Zhao was the one who took the lead in slacking off at that time.
Thinking of this, Gu Zhao touched his nose, wondering if Ye Yanlin recognized him.
Coincidentally, Ye Jianguo also felt that he looked familiar. Thinking that he might be someone from the nearby factory, he asked, "I'm not sure who you're looking for. Do you want me to call someone for you?"
Gu Zhao looked at Ye Jianguo, feeling nervous, but he said calmly, "Thank you. I'm not looking for anyone. I'll leave now." After saying that, he nodded at the two of them, smiled, and really turned around and left.
Ye Jianguo followed the man with his eyes until he disappeared, then he whispered to his son, "This man looks extraordinary."
Ye Yanlin didn't pay much attention to what the man looked like, but thinking of the walking posture he had just seen, he said, "He looks a bit like Section Chief Zhao from the Security Department."
Ye Jianguo thought about it and nodded: "Yes, he does." Then he hesitated and said: "Could he be a soldier too?"
Ye Yanlin no longer wanted to pay attention to irrelevant people, so he turned around and walked home: "I wonder if Mom is back yet. I'm hungry."
Ye Jianguo looked at her a few more times and followed her home. After entering the gate and taking a look at the quiet yard, he knew that his wife had not come back, so he went to pour water and wash his hands.
Ye Yanlin washed his hands and went to the kitchen to find some steamed buns. When he saw the yellow croaker wagging its tail in the basin, his eyes lit up: "There's fish, Dad. Let's have fish tonight."
Ye Jianguo washed his hands and came over to take a look. Seeing the two fresh fish in the basin, he smiled and said, "These fish are hard to buy." Occasionally, they were sold out before they got off work. He hadn't eaten yellow croaker for several years.
"Just now, as I was walking up, I heard Aunt Liu in front of me say that the supply and marketing cooperative had yellow croaker coming in this afternoon. I was saying that I couldn't eat it anymore, so I thought my younger sister must have bought it."
Liu Ernai was famous for her loud voice in the neighborhood. If she shouted in their yard, it could be heard a mile around.
As he was talking, Ye Tan came out of the room. Seeing the two people in the kitchen, he looked around and asked, "Where's Mom?"
"You haven't come back yet?"
Sometimes on her way home from get off work, Xu Huiling would stop by the supply and marketing cooperative with others to buy things, so sometimes she would come back late and everyone in her family knew about it.
Ye Tan didn't ask any more questions, but pointed at the fish and said to Ye Jianguo: "Dad, kill the fish. We will have fish tonight."
Ye Yanlin stuffed the remaining steamed bun into his mouth, rolled up his sleeves and said, "I'll kill it."
At home, the jobs of killing chickens and fish are all done by men. Ye Yanlin is just average at cutting vegetables, but he has inherited his father's true skills in killing fish. He cleaned up all the fish in no time.
One fish was cleaned and the other was still in the water.
When Xu Huiling came back with the vegetables, the fish had been chopped and the tofu had been cut into small cubes, ready to be put into the pot.
"Did Xiao Tan buy the fish? I just went to the supply and marketing cooperative and heard that they had yellow croaker today. I was so disappointed that I couldn't buy any."
Ye Tan was peeling onions and garlic. She peeled two green onions cleanly and put them into Xu Huiling's hands. "I went out for a walk this afternoon. Just as I got to the door of the supply and marketing cooperative, a small truck carrying fish came over. I heard it was yellow croaker, so I grabbed two."
Xu Huiling glanced at her daughter's thin arms and legs in surprise. She had never expected her daughter to be able to grab a fish among so many people. She couldn't help but praise her: "Not bad, you've become more capable. You actually managed to grab it. By the way, are you okay? Does your leg hurt?"
She knew how fiercely people fought over things in the supply and marketing cooperative, and if she was slow, she would be squeezed out in a blink of an eye.
Ye Tan shook his head with a smile on his face, "I'm lucky, I'm one of the first batch, not many people know about it."
Knowing that her daughter was fine, Xu Huiling put down the dishes, put on an apron and started cooking.
After peeling the garlic, Ye Tan washed her hands and went to sit in the yard to enjoy the fresh air while waiting for the meal. Ye Yanlin was the one who lit the fire, so there was no need for her.
The evening breeze was relatively cool today, so the family moved the table and had their meal under a tree in the yard.
The soup made from the yellow croaker and tofu was milky white. Ye Tan took a sip and found it not fishy at all. With bright eyes, she said to Xu Huiling, "Mom, you are such a great cook. I can eat this fish for the rest of my life."
Ye Yanlin burst out laughing: "Then I can eat it for the rest of my life." As for fish, who wouldn't be happy to eat it every day for the rest of their life?
Ye Tan asked him, "Will my future sister-in-law be able to cook fish?"
Ye Yanlin paused, looked at his parents, and seeing no other expression on their faces, he said, "I think so. Don't all women know how to cook?"
Ye Tan smiled at him and shook his head: "That's not something you're born with. It also depends on talent. For example, my mom's cooking is delicious, which means she has a talent for cooking."
"Look at me again. I also learned from our mom. Do you think I can do it now?"
Ye Yanlin then thought of a meal his younger sister had cooked before.
It was because Xu Huiling felt that Ye Tan was going to get married, and she thought her daughter should learn to cook. Otherwise, what would the couple do for meals after they got married? They couldn't rely on their future mother-in-law to serve them.
It would be fine if she had a good temper, but if she had a bad mother-in-law, her life would be miserable.
So she felt that women should learn some kitchen skills. Even if it didn't get any better, at least they should be able to feed themselves.
Xu Huiling taught Ye Tan in the kitchen for two days, and then on a sunny afternoon, let Ye Tan try his cooking skills.
Ye Tan is not stupid. She can remember how to handle things and do them after Xu Huiling teaches her once.
In addition, Xu Huiling only taught simple home cooking dishes, and she explained them in detail before cooking. Xu Huiling felt that her daughter's cooking would not be too bad, so she let her cook a dish without any worries.
What he made was stir-fried bok choy. The whole process was normal. Ye Tan also strictly followed Ms. Xu Huiling's instructions step by step to put the food into the pan. The amount of oil, salt, sauce and vinegar was also moderate.
But for some reason, the dish looked good, but when I ate it, it tasted astringent and bitter.
After eating the meal made by his younger sister, Ye Yanlin didn’t want to eat vegetables for a week. He always felt that everything he ate was bitter.
Ye Yanlin had lost weight in those days, and when he looked back, he gave Ye Tan a glorious title:
A little expert in weight loss.
Lose three pounds with one meal.
After that, Xu Huiling reflected on her own teaching methods and taught Ye Tan again. Ye Tan started to cook, but the dishes were different every time and the taste was average. Once, due to improper handling, hot oil splashed and scared Ye Tan so much that he screamed.
After that, in order to save Ye Tan's little face, the whole family unanimously agreed that Ye Tan had no talent for cooking.
Xu Huiling never mentioned letting her learn cooking again, but she secretly discussed with her husband about finding a chef for her daughter.
Ye Jianguo thought about it and disagreed: "Don't think that a chef's cooking is good, but that's a job. He may not be willing to cook for himself when he gets home."
"It's just like when we go to work. You work during the day, but after get off work, are you willing to continue doing the same thing?"
Xu Huiling thought about it and realized that who would want to continue working after getting off work?
Xu Huiling was worried: "What should I do? I can't let Xiao Tan watch me cook."
She is obviously a good cook, so why is her own daughter so clueless?
Ye Jianguo didn't know what to do for the time being. He could only wait and see, and try to find a family with a good mother-in-law for his daughter later. Otherwise, he had to find a way to get a job for his daughter so that she wouldn't starve when she ate in the factory cafeteria.
But there are no job vacancies now.
Ye Tan bit his chopsticks and felt that he should find someone who could cook. If he couldn't escape marriage, he couldn't treat his mouth badly.
I wonder if Gu Zhao can cook?
Ask him next time you see him?
He said next time, and the next day Gu Zhao came to the door himself.
The time was chosen very well. Everyone who had a job at home had gone to work, and Ye Tan was the only one at home with nothing to do.
Ye Tan suspected that he was hiding somewhere and specifically watching her house. He showed up as soon as his parents and brother left.
Gu Zhao ignored Ye Tan's suspicious gaze and took out an oil-paper bag from behind him.
"The dough sticks are still hot, you can eat them."
Ye Tan smelled the fragrance wafting from his nose and raised an eyebrow, but did not answer: "Did you buy it?"
Gu Zhao: "My mother made it."
Ye Tan took a look and saw that the fried dough sticks were golden brown. He knew that Gu Zhao's mother's cooking skills were not bad. A mother-in-law who can cook...
Ye Tan glanced at Gu Zhao's resolute and handsome face again, and her liking for him secretly increased. He had a mother who could cook.
Seeing that she didn't take it for a long time, Gu Zhao thought she was embarrassed, so he handed it forward and said, "I don't mean anything else, it's just that the fried dough sticks my mother makes are very delicious, you should try them."
Ye Tan...
You have no other intention. You ran all the way from across the river to my doorstep just to let me taste the fried dough sticks made by your mother?
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