When Huang Yi came in, Su Qingci was holding a glass of water and looking around the room.
This is a small two-bedroom apartment with a total area of less than 50 square meters.
To the right is the living room, which connects to a small kitchen in front, and to the left are two small rooms.
There is no toilet.
The toilet is at the end of the outside corridor, and one toilet is shared by one floor.
"Dad, you're back?"
"Uncle Huang."
"Hey, what are you standing for? Come and sit down."
Upon hearing the noise, Li Hongmei quickly began setting out the meal.
While her husband was washing his hands in the kitchen, she quietly told him about the gifts Su Qingci had brought.
Huang Yi paused for a moment, then said, "If you've accepted it, then accept it."
"When she leaves later, pack some of the dried sweet potatoes that Mom and Dad made for us, and some of the precious fried dough sticks that you hid away for her."
Li Hongmei nodded.
For lunch, we had thick white porridge. In southern Hunan, most people drink porridge in the summer.
However, it is usually cooked together with dried sweet potatoes.
After the sweet potatoes are harvested, most families will wash them and then use a knife or shredder to cut them into strips or shreds about the size of a chopstick tip.
Place it in direct sunlight to dry.
Once the moisture has evaporated, store it in a dry place. If stored properly, it can last for several years.
When cooking rice, grab a couple of handfuls and throw them in with the rice to cook.
Today, the Huang family didn't put dried sweet potatoes in their porridge; instead, they added a handful of mung beans.
The thickest consistency allows chopsticks to stand upright.
There were four dishes: stir-fried shredded potatoes, egg drop soup, cucumber salad, and stir-fried cured meat.
The cured pork was probably stored away for the Lunar New Year, and people were reluctant to eat it.
At this point, this was already considered the standard for entertaining distinguished guests.
The meal went fairly well. During the meal, Su Qingci learned that Grandpa Huang and Grandma Huang were not used to city life and had been living with their eldest son in the countryside.
Huang Yi also has an older daughter who has already started working. She got a temporary job at a pastry factory through her boyfriend's connections.
Dongdong is thirteen years old and just started junior high school.
The meal was a pleasant one for both the host and guests.
After finishing the meal, Su Qingci declined the couple's offer to stay, citing that she needed to meet up with the educated youth from the village in XX.
Li Hongmei carried several bags and stuffed them into Su Qingci's basket.
"This is a pound of sweet potato fries. You can take a couple and eat them as a snack when you have nothing to do."
"These are New Year's gifts from your grandpa and grandma Huang. They made the crispy fried rice cakes themselves by grinding glutinous rice into powder, mixing it with eggs and sesame seeds."
“You guys in the north probably don’t have this stuff, but you can try it and see what’s new.”
As she spoke, Li Hongmei took out a small red envelope from her pocket.
"This is our local custom. It's the first time a new customer comes, so we want to bring good luck. It's not much, just a wish for a good omen."
"Your Uncle Huang and I are so happy that you could come."
"Just treat us like your own uncle and aunt. Come visit us more often when you have time."
"Also, this piece of paper has the number of your Uncle Huang's mailroom."
“If you encounter any problems, or if someone makes things difficult for you, just send me a letter, and your Uncle Huang will come right away when he receives it.”
After some back and forth, Su Qingci finally couldn't refuse their hospitality and accepted Huang Yi and Li Hongmei's return gifts, blushing.
After thanking him again, he hurriedly left.
Huang Yi jokingly teased Li Hongmei.
"Comrade Li is usually very stingy, but he's been very generous today."
They do indeed have a rule of giving a red envelope to new customers on their first visit.
But that has to be a blood relative that the host values, or a new son-in-law, daughter-in-law, or child in the family of a valued relative.
Li Hongmei gave Huang Yi a coquettish glare.
"So, in your heart, I'm just a woman who only knows how to scheme?"
"Not to mention that Uncle Su is a great benefactor of our Huang family, I will remember the kindness of the Su family for the rest of my life, just for what happened to Tun Tun a few years ago."
A few years ago, during a difficult period, all the tree bark on the mountain was eaten.
Food prices are alarmingly high; even with money, it's impossible to find food.
Huang Yi's daughter, Tun Tun, wanted to save food for her younger brother.
I secretly saved the meager amount of leaves and rice bran dumplings I had each day, and I almost couldn't hold on any longer.
Just when the whole family was in despair, they received relief from Su Yi, who sent people from Kyoto.
That's how the family has managed to stay together until now.
"Besides, Qingci is such a nice young lady, so understanding and reasonable."
"People are reciprocal. She's good at handling things, so I'll naturally treat her the same way."
"Not to mention, we still owe the Su family a great debt of gratitude."
Su Qingci looked at the red envelope in her hand with a slight smile.
The money in the red envelope wasn't much, only 1.66 yuan.
But it made her clearly feel the Huang family's welcome to her.
"This Huang couple is quite interesting."
I originally planned to check out the black market to see if I could get my hands on any antiques.
But just now at the Huang family's dinner table, Huang Yi's unintentional remark made Su Qingci give up.
Huang Yi saw the wine and mung bean cakes that Su Qingci brought over and suspected that she had gone to the black market.
Taking the opportunity to talk about his official duties, he mumbled something along the lines of, "Now is the time to rush to harvest grain."
"The higher-ups are worried that the people below will buy and sell the grain, so they are keeping a close eye on it, which has made official duties much busier lately."
Su Qingci wasn't stupid; of course she knew this was being said to her.
After leaving the family compound, I planned to visit the county supply and marketing cooperative and then go straight back.
The alley behind the family compound.
She was dressed in polyester, with her short hair tucked behind her ears, and looked like a quick and neat woman.
She was secretly whispering to two men.
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