Chapter 21 Television
Once the lard was rendered, Sister Wang used a slotted spoon to scoop out the cracklings and drain them into a bowl.
"These pork cracklings are so fragrant! They're delicious stir-fried with cabbage or used as filling for steamed buns!"
Nan Zhiyi: "Sister-in-law, please take this back for Xiaoling and the children. My parents just passed away... I'm still in mourning, so I can't eat meat."
Sister-in-law Wang was stunned.
It turns out her parents have passed away...
How much suffering this child must be going through!
When she looked at Nan Zhiyi again, her eyes were filled with pity.
"Sigh..." Sister Wang sighed, no longer refusing, and carefully put away the bowl of fragrant pork cracklings. "Then I'll take it back. I'll put this lard in a jar for you, cover it well, and it will keep for a long time."
She gave a few more instructions on how to preserve the oil before leaving with the oil residue and her own enamel basin.
"Take care, sister-in-law. Remember to watch TV after you finish eating."
Nan Zhiyi saw him to the door.
Sister-in-law Wang smiled and said, "Okay, I'll have Xiaoling and the others come over to join in the fun."
After seeing Sister-in-law Wang off, it was already dark.
Nan Zhiyi went to the kitchen.
She washed a small earthenware pot, scooped out a bowl of millet, rinsed it clean, added water, and put in a small handful of red dates. She then placed it on the coal stove to cook.
As the aroma of millet and red dates slowly filled the casserole, she picked up a spoon and gently stirred it.
When Gu Xiao returned, he went straight to the kitchen to find her, carrying two aluminum lunch boxes as usual.
"Understand the meaning."
Nan Zhiyi turned around: "Fifth Brother...look, the millet porridge I cooked is so thick..."
Before she could finish speaking, tears were already falling.
Gu Xiao placed the lunchbox on the stove, grabbed her wrist, and looked her up and down with a slightly nervous expression.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Nan Zhiyi choked up, "I...I feel uncomfortable...Fifth Brother, I'm afraid I'll implicate you...Today when we bought the TV, they...they were all talking behind my back...saying really nasty things..."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiao relaxed.
"Zhiyi, the matter of our family background is something I've been responsible for since the moment I decided to marry you. I can handle taking care of the family. No matter what others say, it doesn't matter. You only need to focus on one thing: live a good life and be happy. Don't worry about anything else."
His gentle gaze stirred her heart, and she couldn't help but throw herself into his arms.
Gu Xiao took the opportunity to hug her, one hand stroking her back, the other hand clasping behind her head, pressing her even closer to him.
The two embraced quietly in the kitchen.
After an unknown amount of time, Nan Zhiyi wiped her tears on his chest: "Fifth Brother, you're so good to me. You looked so fierce... I thought you'd blame me... for causing trouble..."
Gu Xiao ruffled her hair.
Is it her fault?
He only blamed himself for not acting quickly enough, leaving her to face those storms alone...
All his thoughts ultimately boiled down to a kiss on her cheek: "Silly talk."
Nan Zhiyi was a little embarrassed and nudged him, saying, "Look at the porridge I made."
She turned around and lifted the pot lid.
A faint smell of burning wafted into my nostrils.
"ah!"
The part that was right next to the bottom of the pot was emitting a burnt smell.
She glared at Gu Xiao: "It's all your fault! You insisted on hugging me for so long!"
Gu Xiao picked up a spoon, avoiding the badly burnt parts, and stirred the still-good part on top: "It's drinkable."
He picked up the bowl, scooped out the top layer of porridge that wasn't burnt, and then scooped the slightly browned porridge from the bottom of the pot into another bowl.
The two sat at a small table, enjoying the food from the cafeteria.
Nan Zhiyi sipped the half-bowl of perfectly good millet porridge in her own bowl, while Gu Xiao calmly finished the bowl of porridge that had a burnt taste.
Nan Zhiyi suddenly smiled, with a hint of mischievousness in her smile.
"We are truly a model family of diligence and thrift."
Gu Xiao chuckled softly.
Now she is more intimate and relaxed in his presence.
After the meal, Gu Xiao washed the dishes in the kitchen.
Wang's voice rang out from outside the courtyard gate: "Zhiyi, we're here."
Nan Zhiyi explained to Gu Xiao, "This afternoon, Sister-in-law Wang spoke up for me, so I invited them to my house to watch TV."
She hurried to open the door.
Sister-in-law Wang stood at the door with her four children: the oldest boy was about ten years old, a slightly younger brother, a girl older than Xiaoling, and the youngest was Xiaoling, who had pigtails.
Xiaoling grinned as soon as she saw Nan Zhiyi.
"Sister-in-law Wang, Xiaoling's brother and sister, and Xiaoling, hello everyone, please come in!"
Sister Wang handed over a plate wrapped in a clean white cloth. "Here, freshly made scallion pancakes. You can heat them up and eat them tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, sister-in-law!" Nan Zhiyi accepted it without hesitation.
The group entered the living room.
Nan Zhiyi gestured for the children to sit on the sofa and turned on the television.
The black-and-white screen flickered a few times, showing a documentary about the revolution.
"Wow!" The children's eyes widened, instantly captivated by the magical, moving world, even their breathing became soft.
Nan Zhiyi took out fruit candies and snacks and distributed them to the children.
The children were too shy to accept it until Sister Wang nodded, at which point they took it, looked at each other, and grinned foolishly.
"You should thank your auntie quickly."
The children said in unison, "Thank you, Auntie!"
Nan Zhiyi waved her hand: "You're welcome, you're welcome."
In her eyes, these snacks and candies were worthless trinkets; she... even rarely ate such rough snacks and candies.
She also handed the plate of snacks to Sister-in-law Wang.
Sister-in-law Wang refused to take it and sat down on a small stool next to her, telling Nan Zhiyi not to be so polite.
Nan Zhiyi: "Then don't be shy, sister-in-law. You guys watch TV first, I'll go to the kitchen."
Gu Xiao had already washed the pots and pans. When he saw her carrying the plates in, he raised an eyebrow.
"Scallion pancakes given to me by my sister-in-law."
Gu Xiao took the pancake, transferred it to his own plate, and washed Wang's plate as well.
Nan Zhiyi blushed for no apparent reason. "Fifth Brother, I can wash this plate myself..."
"The water is cold, I don't want you to get cold."
Gu Xiao washed his hands and then took her wrist, leading her back to the living room.
He nodded to Sister-in-law Wang and went into the bedroom.
Nan Zhiyi sat on a small stool next to Sister Wang and started watching TV.
Sister-in-law Wang whispered, "Your Commander Gu may seem cold, but he's really warm to you."
Nan Zhiyi said shyly, "...He's a really good person."
She felt a little uncomfortable discussing her husband with others, so she pretended to be engrossed in watching TV.
Actually, television programs were really boring for her, and her mind had long since wandered off somewhere else.
After a while.
Sister-in-law Wang added, "Never mind what those people are saying, life is for yourself. Commander Gu treats you well, that's more important than anything. Take it slow, I think you're capable of living a good life."
Nan Zhiyi knew that Sister-in-law Wang meant well in comforting her, so she nodded vigorously, "Sister-in-law, I know."
After watching the documentary, the TV started showing model operas again.
The heavily painted facial makeup seemed to be singing a high-pitched tune.
The children were so engrossed in watching that they held their breath.
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