Chapter 304 Can we still enjoy the melons in peace at the night market?
Instead of going directly to the canteen for dinner, Li Jianzhi and his son got some typical military camp dishes from the canteen, such as braised ribbonfish, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and seaweed and egg drop soup.
Each dish is generous in portion and will fill you up.
When Qin Xiang came over, she also brought a box of cold dishes, braised food from Feiyan No. 2 Factory, and cold kelp and jellyfish salad, etc.
Besides these, they brought more cakes and snacks, such as pork floss and seaweed cakes, which they planned to give to their neighbors and Li Jianzhi's comrades-in-arms in the next couple of days.
Li Qingfeng, around fifteen or sixteen years old, was a typical glutton with a huge appetite. As soon as he opened the food box, he immediately began to eat heartily. He commented, "Dad, the ribbonfish in your canteen... isn't flavorful enough. It's not as good as your cooking, which is the work of a twenty-year veteran of the navy."
Li Jianzhi remained expressionless: "..."
The son's words seemed to imply that his cooking skills had already surpassed 10% of the people in the military mess hall, and were still less than 0.1% nationwide.
Li Qinghui slowly ate the stir-fried cabbage with vinegar. Like her mother Qin Xiangxiang, she ate meat at every meal, but preferred vegetables. "The stir-fried cabbage is better than the one at our school. The heat is controlled very precisely, and it retains its crispness."
"Dad can probably reach this level five times out of ten!"
Li Jianzhi: "..."
Should Dad thank you for your comments? My Michelin reviewers, kids.
Li Jianzhi placed the fattest and most delicious section of the ribbonfish into Qin Xiangxiang's bowl, clearly showing his favoritism. Qin Xiangxiang ate slowly, and the family enjoyed the aroma and taste of the food in this small restaurant.
After eating and drinking their fill, the couple stood side by side on the small balcony, enjoying the view. Li Jian knew that the building was in a good location; in the distance, they could see the naval port and the flickering signal lights on the sea, like shooting stars falling.
Here, close to the sea, you can even faintly hear the sound of the tide crashing against the embankment, and with the sea breeze, you can also hear the indistinct sound of ship horns from warships.
"Want to watch TV?"
"Oh no!!!" Qin Xiangxiang immediately covered her ears. Right now, during prime time every night, "The Sequel to Factory Director Qin" was being broadcast again, making every day an ordeal.
That's why she didn't want to stay in the factory, and she was even less willing to go back to the old apartment building, preferring to stay alone in the small villa.
The villa offered good privacy, and with many celebrities, artists, and retired professors living nearby, people were curious about Qin Xiangxiang but wouldn't pry too much.
But in factories, schools, and crowded old apartment buildings... that would be terrible!
"Back in the day, Factory Director Qin came to me to buy pork! She was extremely frugal, only buying an ounce or two of pork each time, which was really heartbreaking! If I could go back to those days, I would give her an extra ounce or two of meat."
"I once bought spare ribs with her, she's a very thrifty woman."
"She hadn't joined the army yet, and she was raising her child alone. It must have been really tough for her..."
...
If time is a butcher's knife, then this butcher's knife has shattered all the "memories" of yesteryear into pieces, leaving nothing behind.
Li Jianzhi smiled and put his arm around her shoulder: "Director Xie is quite skilled, and the screenwriter didn't make things up either. The TV series is very well made, and everyone likes it and loves watching it."
Qin Xiangxiang slumped to the side and leaned against his shoulder, like a salted fish unwilling to turn over, closing her eyes peacefully.
"The kids have turned on the TV and want to take you out for a walk, but you probably don't want to watch it, right?"
Qin Xiangxiang opened her eyes: "Not necessarily, you'll appear in this episode too."
"Then let's not stay in the living room picking our toes, let's just make our way out."
Chief of Staff Li, along with his wife, fled the place where there was a television set. No matter how thick-skinned he was, he watched "Officer Li" and his wife "Factory Director Qin" interact on the television.
Chief of Staff Li's teeth were aching from the sourness.
Once outside, the sea breeze made her feel relaxed. Under the cover of darkness, Qin Xiangxiang used her little hand to touch the abs of the man beside her through his clothes.
Li Jianzhi grabbed her hand and said sternly, "What do you want to do, comrade? You're harassing an innocent man."
"You hypocrite!" Qin Xiangxiang raised her index finger and poked his forehead, pushing his big head back in.
"That ribbonfish was so fishy, how could you eat it... But you don't seem to have lost any weight." Qin Xiangxiang swallowed back the rare feeling of pity she felt for the man.
Li Jianzhi: "This is high-quality protein, and fish oil is also a good nutritional supplement. Maintaining a high intake of protein and calcium every day is the only way to protect my high-quality muscles."
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
Children, it is your father who has been insane for ten years straight.
The couple walked together toward the residential area. It was windy and a bit cold at night. Qin Xiangxiang moved closer to the man beside her. The couple reached the edge of the residential area, where there was a small night market.
The small night market consists of dozens of simple yet incredibly neat stalls. Many of the stall owners are military family members, while others are local residents. It is a very important place for the families of the base's officers and soldiers to relax at night.
The stalls were illuminated by dim incandescent lights, which lit up the goods below. The air was filled with the aroma of various foods, including roasted sweet potatoes, fried sugar cakes, and grilled seafood, especially the grilled squid, which emitted a pungent fragrance.
There were stalls selling clothes, as well as various small electronic products, such as watches and calculators. There were also stalls that repaired clothes, shoes, and tires, and even more food stalls, wonton stalls, and roasted chestnuts!
Li Jianzhi bought her a sweet roasted sweet potato, and the couple ate it as they walked. They also bought some roasted chestnuts and tried all sorts of snacks.
"The grilled squid was a bit overcooked, and the sauce was also very simple."
"That soup was made with MSG..."
"There are so few snacks."
Li Jianzhi's hands were full of things. He thought that it would be hard for a man with a wife by his side to maintain his body fat percentage. Qin Xiangxiang would stuff the food into his arms after taking a bite. That's how it is in their family. One big food critic leads four little food critics.
"Wife, you're right." Li Jianzhi threw away the half-eaten grilled squid and half a roasted sweet potato in his hand.
Qin Xiangxiang's eyes widened immediately, and she retorted mercilessly, "...You're so wasteful!"
Li Jianzhi: "Isn't the one in the wrong? You bought it."
"If you're not going to eat it, take it back and give it to Little Fatty."
Li Jianzhi: "Okay, okay, I forgot I had a trash can son."
Qin Xiangxiang took a stroll and found that there was a large flow of people, and quite a few young officers and soldiers, especially young naval officers and soldiers in their early twenties who were quite handsome. Every few steps, you could see several good-looking men.
So pleasing to the eye!
It's nice to stay here occasionally and take a stroll around. There are quite a few handsome young men from the military, tall and good-looking.
"Hey, hey—what are you looking at?" Li Jianzhi noticed his wife glancing at the handsome young man's face and couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
"These young soldiers are probably eighteen or nineteen years old, about the same age as your son. Don't think about anything else."
Qin Xiangxiang pinched his handsome face: "What a spoilsport!"
"Li Jianzhi, with so many stalls here, could our factory's food workshop also set up a stall here to sell our Feiyan Textile Factory's shrimp chips, seaweed, spicy small fish, and pickles..."
Li Jianzhi: "This idea is feasible."
"I'll give your cafeteria some more technical support, otherwise I'm really afraid you'll starve all that muscle away."
"I know you care about me."
The couple strolled around for a while, then returned to their apartment building. They figured that "Director Qin" should have finished airing, and they could go home and get some sleep.
"Mom, it's such a pity you weren't here. The TV show was so exciting today!"
"A lot of people just came knocking on our door, all saying they wanted to see 'Factory Director Qin.'"
...
Qin Xiangxiang took a shower, changed her clothes, and lay down on the unfamiliar big bed with her eyes closed, praying that these torturous days would pass quickly.
Li Jianzhi said a few words to the children, went into the room and closed the door. He sat down next to his wife, who was a bit of a slacker, and kissed her smooth cheek.
Qin Xiangxiang opened her eyes and saw his high nose, the skin on his handsome face was taut and elastic, and his dark eyes shone brightly under the light.
She thought to herself that she was refusing, but the army green bed started to shake, and she had no choice but to keep her eyes open and see the fine beads of sweat on the man's nose.
"I'm all sweaty and exhausted. I'm going to sleep."
Li Jianzhi gently stroked her long hair: "Every time it ends, you pretend to be asleep."
"To prevent you from doing bad things." She tugged at the pillow, finding it incredible, "You're forty years old, and you can still do it."
Li Jianzhi's handsome face fell: "...If you're trying to provoke me, then you've succeeded."
"I insist on going to bed early and getting up early every day, and eating a balanced diet, so that I can still provide my wife with a decent nightlife when I'm seventy years old."
Qin Xiangxiang: "Men really know how to brag."
"Then we'll wait."
Qin Xiangxiang said, "I'm just afraid that when you do that kind of thing, you'll twist your old bones."
Li Jianzhi: "Then even if I end up in the hospital, I'll still have an honor. I can just say it's with my beloved wife—"
Qin Xiangxiang covered his mouth, "You may not care about your reputation, but I do!"
After spending the night in the family dormitory, Qin Xiangxiang didn't rush to leave the next day. She planned to meet with many female family members. Whenever Qin Xiangxiang came to places like this, her primary purpose was to "gossip".
To get information, you need to know people like Sister Gao, the head of the intelligence department. In fact, every neighborhood has someone like that, a "know-it-all".
Li Jianzhi: "If you want to gossip, go find Sister Wang, the wife of the logistics director. She's from Shandong Province, has a loud voice, and is very kind-hearted. She knows all the gossip around here."
"You're like a tapeworm in my stomach."
Li Jianzhi smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'm going to the morning meeting first."
Qin Xiangxiang slept like a log. After getting up, she yawned and asked Xiaopang to go to the cafeteria to talk to the chefs and promote the "Li-style Recipes". She would then appear later and, through the child, offer some additional guidance on cooking techniques.
For example, the recipes for braising liquid, cold dressing sauce, and seasonings produced by Feiyan Factory No. 1. Qin Xiangxiang taught the canteen chefs the methods that would most easily improve the taste and flavor.
This is experience she gained after managing "multiple canteens".
"Sister-in-law, the stir-fried vegetables taste much better this way!"
“Our sister-in-law is Factory Director Qin.”
"Director Qin? The one from TV? Chief of Staff Li's wife?"
"Director Qin must really care about our Chief of Staff Li, afraid that he's not eating well. How come Chief of Staff Li is so lucky?"
...
As Qin Xiangxiang left the cafeteria, she ran into Sister Wang, who, just as Li Jianzhi had said, was a well-informed person.
Qin Xiangxiang gave Sister Wang the meat floss bread and braised food she had brought from home, and asked her about the situation.
"The most interesting thing in our military compound? Little Qin, isn't the most interesting thing you?"
"You're Factory Director Qin! Last night they broadcasted that your factory is about to have its college entrance exams, and there was that overcoat too. Your pig-raising class was really touching—it brought tears to my eyes."
Qin Xiangxiang: "???!!!"
Can't we just enjoy our melons in peace anymore?
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