I've decided to go back to the early morning hours; let's see how long I can hold out!
"Hehe, I've learned something, Philosopher Hongmei." Liu Jingze kept bantering with Zhang Hongmei.
Zhang Hongmei didn't even bother with him. She finished making the buns, put the lid on the pot, and left.
Liu Jingze chuckled softly, thinking how wonderful this life was.
Zhang Hongmei prepared a plate of mixed cabbage hearts, tofu with scallions, and fried a plate of peanuts in another pot. After that, she added a bowl of tomato and egg soup. This was quite a generous portion.
"Jingze, go and wake Jianguo up for dinner."
"Yes, sir!"
"Strange thing!"
Liu Jianguo had no appetite when he was woken up, but when he got to the table and smelled the aroma of meat and egg drop soup, he immediately felt very hungry.
The three sat down to eat. Zhang Hongmei served each of them a bowl of soup, saying, "Brother Jianguo, have a bowl of soup first."
"Hongmei, do you still have persimmons?"
"No, this is canned food I made this summer. How is it? Does it taste good?"
"The taste is the same, Hongmei, how come you're so smart? How is your brain made?"
“My third aunt made one too, and she’ll definitely make one for you when you go back home for your vacation.”
"I want to eat tomato and egg noodles. I'll ask my mom to make them for me when I get home."
While eating, Liu Jianguo kept complimenting Zhang Hongmei.
Liu Jingze thought to himself, "This silly kid is never going to stop. He's the only one talking."
There were eighteen buns in a pot. Zhang Hongmei ate one, Liu Jingze ate three, and Liu Jianguo ate six.
"Brother Jianguo, are you full? Is there any more?"
"I'm full, finally full! I haven't had such a delicious meal in a long time, burp!" He then let out a burp.
"I'm full, that's enough." Liu Jingze said to himself, sipping his egg drop soup while inwardly complaining about Liu Jianguo. How could he eat more than him?
Zhang Hongmei cleared the table, leaving the peanuts behind, saying, "You two can grind your teeth if you have nothing to do. I'm going to rest for a while."
Liu Jingze didn't want to take a nap with Liu Jianguo, so he sat at the entrance of the main room with a newspaper in his hand.
Zhang Hongmei returned to her room, lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), and picked up a novel. She used to have her time very tightly scheduled, and now that she suddenly had so much free time, she really wasn't used to it.
I feel like I'm doing nothing, wasting my youth and my life.
I fell asleep without realizing it, and when I woke up an hour later, my nose was a little stuffy. Oh no, my nose was stuffy. I poured myself a glass of water and drank it quickly. I can't catch a cold.
Zhang Hongmei was startled when she came out of the house. "Jingze, you didn't take a nap?"
"No, I'm reading the newspaper. Hongmei, are you a little bored?"
"Yeah, there's not much entertainment either."
"How about we play chess?"
"What kind of game? Go or chess?"
"You also play Go? I only know a little bit of Go, but I'm okay at chess."
“Alright, let’s play chess.” The two placed a table on the kang (a heated brick bed), laid out the chessboard, and marked the Chu River and Han Border.
Zhang Hongmei had practiced with Zhang Shouyi for a while last year, but hadn't touched him for a year, and was checkmated after only a few moves.
This ignited Zhang Hongmei's competitive spirit.
Liu Jingze was very surprised to see Zhang Hongmei making progress little by little. His chess skills had been taught by a master, and most people were at about the same level as Zhang Hongmei in the first game.
I really underestimated Zhang Hongmei. This girl has truly delighted me and given me another unexpected discovery.
By the fifth game, Zhang Hongmei was starting to get into the swing of things, but it was time to cook.
Disappointed, he watched as Liu Jingze had once again put him in check.
"I'm done playing, time to cook."
"If you're still not satisfied, I'll keep you company in the future. I've been taught by professionals. I can even teach you and be your sparring partner."
"Okay, we still have five days. Please give me your guidance then."
Zhang Hongmei scooped out two large baskets of rice, stacked them together, and put them on one pot to steam, while she used the other pot to cook other dishes.
I stir-fried two plates of peanuts, and the main dish was spicy tofu. After thinking about it, I decided to stir-fry some hot and sour potato slices and stew some cabbage and glass noodles.
They're all big eaters; there won't be enough to eat if there aren't enough.
I cut a whole bowl of potato slices, chopped four cabbages, and soaked a bowl of glass noodles.
The tofu, the main dish, was cut into small pieces, filling two large bowls.
Liu Jingze: "Hongmei, are you making so much? Can we finish it all?"
"It's good enough if there's enough to eat. I've experienced their appetite firsthand; they can eat as much as half the people in our village."
"You can eat so much? You must be having a hard time."
"There's no other way. Since everyone here is a man, I'm the only woman, so I have to cook."
"I'll flip the wok while I'm cooking, you just add the seasonings. I'm worried you won't be able to lift your arms tomorrow."
"That's great. I didn't expect Brother Jingze to be such a warm-hearted guy."
"Hehe, a warm man? A gentle man? Is that what you mean?"
"More or less."
The two chatted and laughed as they chopped all the vegetables, waiting to start cooking at 6:20.
The first dish is braised cabbage with glass noodles, which takes a long time to prepare. The second is hot and sour potato slices, and the last dish is spicy tofu.
Liu Jingze didn't rush to put the table down. Instead, he waited until they arrived at Liu Jianguo's room and he would put the table there. He didn't want to eat in Zhang Hongmei's bedroom.
The two started stewing at 6:20. Because there was no meat, Zhang Hongmei deliberately added extra lard, something she doesn't usually eat, for fear of gaining weight.
This really does smell delicious.
Liu Jingze was in charge of stir-frying, while Zhang Hongmei added soy sauce and water when it was almost done, then added the glass noodles, and finally covered the pot to simmer.
"Hongmei, we've arrived."
Before Zhang Hongmei could even leave, Liu Jingze came out of the yard first. "You're all here. Come in and sit down for a rest. Dinner will be ready soon."
After Liu Jingze finished speaking, he led Dashan and the others into the house. The ten people followed behind Liu Jingze, looking a little uncomfortable. As they passed the kitchen, they smelled a delicious aroma. Erlinzi stopped and stood next to Zhang Hongmei. "Hongmei, is there still meat?"
"Brother Erlinzi, where did you get the meat? It's all made with lard. Hurry up and come inside. This dish will be ready soon. Just stir-fry a couple more. And to make matters worse, there's plenty of tofu today."
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"No need, you can come inside. Brother Jianguo is sleeping inside."
Da Shan and the others had already entered the house, and Liu Jianguo had also woken up. The group sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and greeted each other.
Liu Jingze came out and carried two tables inside, along with chopsticks and bowls, and brought in peanuts, saying, "You can eat a few peanuts first."
If Zhang Hongmei had said that, someone would have eaten the peanuts. But since it was Liu Jingze, no one touched them.
Two bowls of cabbage and vermicelli were brought in. Liu Jingze went out again to help Zhang Hongmei tend the fire.
After he left, the group looked at each other, wondering what was going on.
No one could understand Liu Jingze's actions. Only Erlinzi, who seemed more sensible, lowered his head and whispered, "Is he acting like he's the host? Is he here to entertain us?"
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