Chapter 204 Bitterthorn Flower
An Xin expressed her understanding for Bai Yichen's cautious behavior, but still waved her hand disapprovingly and lectured the two grown men.
"You don't have to be so cautious. Just use the diesel in my car. No one says you have to buy diesel at a designated place. You can also buy it from a private person."
Of course, purchasing diesel from a private individual was an excuse An Xin had already thought of, so that she had a reason to take out diesel from her personal storage.
Anyway, the supervision is not very strict these days, and there are countless people reselling various materials privately. It is not difficult to buy some diesel or something.
Moreover, in a few months, the country will be fully liberalized. By then, the people of the whole country will be in the ignorant stage of development, and various economic developments will be in their infancy. At that time, everyone will be able to do whatever they want?
Bai Yichen's eyes deepened when he saw An Xin's indifferent attitude. Finally, he sighed helplessly in his heart and said to Kaizi.
"In that case, let's follow Anxin's wishes. Mao, fill up the brothers' cars with all the spare diesel in our car."
As for buying diesel from private individuals, An Xin should have her own ideas, right? Otherwise, how could she be so confident?
After receiving the affirmative instruction, Kaizi did not hesitate and immediately walked and talked.
"Okay, I'll arrange for the brothers to unload the diesel and fill up the truck with fuel."
After saying that, he strode towards the brothers who were squatting together smoking and greeted them.
"Brothers, hurry up and finish smoking. Put out the cigarette butts and go get gas and fill up the water tank. After that, we'll have dinner and let the next group of people get on the truck."
Sanmao Huzi and others who were squatting on the ground immediately echoed.
"Okay, let's get started after we finish smoking."
Seeing that the men were getting ready to work, Bai Yichen walked up to An Xin and said to her.
"Come on, let's go into the restaurant and take a rest. Let the proprietress make us a pot or two of licorice tea to drink to moisten our throats."
Driving such a truck on the road in such hot weather is indeed a torment. He happened to know that the specialty of this small restaurant is licorice tea, so he might as well go in early and ask the proprietress to make the tea first, and then wait for his brothers to come over and drink tea after they finish their work.
An Xin nodded, a smile appeared on her lips, and she followed Bai Yichen into the restaurant.
"Let's go. I also want to go in and see what the specialty of this small restaurant is. It's the home-cooked dishes that our man will always remember."
Bai Yichen walked in front with the corners of his mouth slightly curled, without looking back, but he could feel An Xin's gaze always on him. This gaze was not perfunctory like before, but it was always on his back. He felt that his entire broad back was hot and he subconsciously replied.
"You'll know once you get in!"
An Xin also laughed it off.
"Oh! Wait and see!"
As they were talking, the two of them walked into the restaurant one after the other. It was a very ordinary family restaurant. The hall was very small and could only accommodate four tables. The four homemade wooden tables were neatly placed in the hall, with a pile of small wooden benches stacked next to them. It looked quite antique.
Next to the window is an open floor-to-ceiling wooden door. When the door is open, one can walk directly from the living room to the small courtyard at the back. The air outside the courtyard with the fragrance of soil rushes straight into the living room, making people feel very comfortable.
Next to it is a small kitchen. Perhaps because it is narrow, the entire operation room looks smoky and exudes bursts of food aroma.
An Xin walked over and through the curling smoke, she saw two middle-aged men and women in the operation room, busy cutting vegetables or frying food in a wok.
Seeing An Xin looking into the operating room through the window, the middle-aged woman smiled innocently and greeted her.
"This guest should go to the backyard for a walk, or sit in the living room and wait for a while. The kitchen is producing a lot of fumes, and I'm afraid they will get on you, which would be unpleasant."
An Xin stood outside the kitchen operation room, stretched her head through the window, and said with a smile on her face.
"Don't worry about me, just do your thing. I'm just curious about what home-cooked dishes you have, so I came over to take a look."
The middle-aged woman heard the curiosity in Anxin's words, and the smile on her face became more sincere, and she answered casually.
"Alas, we are in the countryside, how can we have any good food? Thanks to the passing drivers who often take care of the business, this small shop can continue to exist and allow our family to make a living. It's just some homemade bacon and seasonal vegetables."
As they were talking, An Xin saw the middle-aged woman take out a dish that looked like flowers from a basin, and she asked curiously.
"Madam, this thing in your hand looks like a flower. Can it be used to cook?"
If you don't go out, you won't be surprised when you go out. I have never seen this kind of white flower before. I didn't expect that the proprietress of this remote country restaurant would use it to cook.
An Xin, now seems to understand a little bit, what the proprietress meant by seasonal vegetables. It turns out that at this season, some vegetables, no matter if they are flowers or plants, as long as they are edible, can be used for cooking.
An Xin suddenly felt like she had gained some knowledge.
Bai Yichen walked over at this time and happened to hear the conversation between the two. He looked at the small white flower in the proprietress's hand and explained with a smile.
"This is a local tree that grows flowers called bitter thorn flowers. They have the effects of promoting salivation and cooling down the body. Locals often use them to cook. It is said that after boiling them in boiling water, they are put into cold water and stir-fried. They go very well with rice. Since this is your first time here, I specially asked the proprietress to make this bitter thorn flower dish. You can try it later."
He has been to this small restaurant many times and eaten there many times. He feels that this dish is very good. This time he brought Anxin out and brought her here to taste it.
In the man's heart, he just wanted An Xin to know that this time, he would definitely take her to walk the same paths he had walked, eat the same food he had eaten, see the mountains and rivers she had wandered, and the plains she had struggled on.
The proprietress listened to Bai Yichen's explanation without saying much. She looked up and glanced in Bai Yichen's direction with a smile and joked.
"What this young man said is very correct. If I remember correctly, this young man has eaten in our restaurant many times, right? He must be very familiar with this dish in our restaurant. It is indeed called bitter thorn flower, that's right."
An Xin stood silently outside the kitchen operation room, reciting the name of the dish silently, with an indescribable expression flashing across her face.
"Bitterthorn flower? Does it sound hard to swallow?"
Especially the bitter one, as soon as An Xin heard it, she felt that she might not be able to eat this dish.
Because Chinese people have the habit of adding the word "bitter" in front of something that is hard to swallow.
Obviously, Anxin's worries were unnecessary. Bai Yichen didn't say anything, but just stood there silently with a smile on his face.
As soon as An Xin finished speaking, the proprietress and the boss in the room looked at each other and laughed heartily. Then, the middle-aged boss smiled and said to An Xin.
"Little girl, you don't know that the reason why this dish is called bitter thorn flower has nothing to do with its taste. It's because the big tree that grows bitter thorn flower grows in the harshest Gobi Desert. In this barren land, the annual rainfall is very small, not enough for other plants to grow. That's why the bitter thorn flower tree thrives. People named it bitter thorn flower based on its growth environment."
Having said that, the boss' smile faded slightly and he said to An Xin.
"As for how this dish tastes? It will be served later. You can taste it carefully. If you like it, please tell our restaurant about it. If you don't like it, just don't order this dish in the future."
An Xin: “…”
Well, this time she was a little ignorant. She seemed to understand that the meaning of this dish was not in eating it, but in the tenacious environment in which it was born. Just like people, you cannot determine where you are born, but you must strive to develop upward.
An Xin suddenly realized something. What a coincidence. Wasn’t she the one he was talking about for so long?
She herself is that jar of bitterthorn flowers. She cannot decide her own birth, because she was indeed born in a relatively poor family, but she can grow herself into a delicious dish through her own efforts.
Of course, compared to Anxin’s enlightenment, what would the boss be thinking if he understood Anxin? Maybe he would faint on the spot out of anger.
People say that the bitterthorn flowers represent the local people. Although they were born in difficult environments, they strive hard for a better life, right?
Next, everyone talked about some local food and special dishes. An Xin finally realized some of the cultural and dietary differences between the north and the south. But she had to admit that chatting with the two middle-aged couples in the hotel was a very pleasant experience.
From these two middle-aged couples, An Xin learned a lot about the local culture, customs, food culture, etc., which was a great benefit to her.
Bai Yichen stood quietly beside An Xin, without saying a word from beginning to end. Instead, he listened to the conversation of the three people with a smile on his face, explaining one or two geographical terms from time to time, giving people a feeling of peace and tranquility.
Before they knew it, a long time had passed. By the time Kaizi and his brothers had finished filling up the diesel and the truck's water tank and entered the hall, the proprietress and the boss of the small restaurant had already prepared a table full of dishes, most of which were local specialties, giving people a refreshing feeling.
The table was full of dishes, including meat, fish, vegetables and flowers. The combinations were quite light, nutritious and delicious.
Of course, the fish and meat are all raised by themselves, especially the plate of fried fish. According to the boss, they catch wild fish from the nearby river and fry them as snacks for the children when they have nothing to do. This time, the plate of fried fish is a gift.
In response, An Xin took out a bag of candy from the car and gave it to the boss and his wife as a return gift.
Since a small restaurant can survive in such a difficult environment for a long time, it must be inseparable from the kindness of the boss and the boss's wife. Therefore, An Xin gave them a bag of candies as a snack for their children.
Bai Yichen followed An Xin silently, watching the woman generously give out the candies she had prepared to buy for him as snacks on the road before getting on the bus. He said nothing, but the look in his eyes when he looked at An Xin had a hint of depth and love.
This woman is smart and capable. She is calculative when she should be and generous without hesitation when she should be. It can be seen that she is a girl who has a clear distinction between love and hate and is kind-hearted. How could she have the good of marrying a woman like An Xin and having her as her wife? Does it mean that she has picked up a pearl covered in dust?
After the proprietress and the boss served the last dish, they brought another pot of rice, stood beside the table, and said to everyone.
"Dear guests, all the food in your restaurant has been served. Everyone gather around and try it. If you think it tastes good, you are welcome to come next time."
Bai Yichen hugged An Xin and walked forward to express his gratitude.
"Thank you, boss! How about we eat together?"
It's already this late, and people have prepared a table full of dishes for them, so it's time to take care of them and have lunch together.
An Xin also agreed with Bai Yichen's point of view and greeted him.
"Yes, boss and madam, come and eat together!"
"Yes, it's time to eat, why don't we eat together, Boss!"
Everyone invited the boss and his wife to dine with them, but the honest boss and his wife waved their hands firmly.
"No, no, we've already eaten. We still have to move a piece of land to the backyard and plant some greens. When you come back in a few months, we'll have greens to eat."
Country people's emotions and cognition are always kind. They believe that doing business should follow business rules. When selling to customers, how can they continue to cook and eat together?
What's more, they did have to go to the backyard to turn over a vegetable patch and sow some vegetable seeds.
After a few months, the vegetables grown from these seeds can be exchanged for money.
Hearing that this honest and kind couple would not eat with them and were going to farm again, An Xin was quite generous.
"Okay, let's settle the bill first, and you guys can go to the back to farm. We'll leave after dinner."
The proprietress waved her hand shyly.
"No, no, pay after you finish eating!"
An Xin gave some kind words of comfort.
"Hey, boss lady! You guys go and farm later. We'll continue to drive our cars after dinner. Why don't we settle the bill first? Don't dawdle."
After saying that, he stood up and took the proprietress to the kitchen to settle the bill first.
It saves people from going out to farm while they are still worrying about whether the people in front of them have eaten well. Will he run away without paying the bill? How terrible this is!
Nowadays, people who open a small restaurant on the roadside and have to farm to feed their families are considered to be working hard to make a living. Anxin believes that everyone who strives to survive, whether he is a farmer or a leader, deserves respect.
After all, labor is the most glorious.
As the saying goes, live by the mountain, live by the mountain; live by the land, live by the land. This is what they are talking about, right? Their ancestors have made a living by farming for generations, but they have been able to rely on the poor land to support their family and survive with difficulty.
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