"Brother Jingze, I'm full now, so I won't be able to eat anything tonight. What do you want to eat tonight? I'll make it."
"I'm not eating either. If I'm hungry, I'll just have a sesame seed cake. Don't worry about me."
"Is it okay? Or should I heat up the sesame seed cake for you?"
"Hongmei, don't be so polite with me. You can eat it cold, and so can I." Liu Jingze was very disappointed.
Zhang Hongmei washed up with hot water from the thermos and then boiled two more kettles of water.
Upon hearing the knock, Liu Jingze opened the door.
"Hongmei, I've brought you something delicious."
"Brother Xiaoshun, you're here? Where's Uncle Zhang? Didn't he come?"
"No, I'm still in the army. I've come to bring you meat, eggs, and rice, but no fish."
"Hehe, I still have some fish pieces here. Are you coming over for lunch on Saturday?"
"Yes, this is the carpenter the commander found."
Zhang Hongmei was still wondering who was helping to move the meat.
"Master, let me show you the room. When can we play?"
"I'm thinking of starting tomorrow, so I won't bring the timber over. I can just cut it up and come here to install it."
"Okay, these are the two rooms."
"What do you want to fight?"
"A bed, a standing wardrobe, a large desk in one room, a round table in another room, and a soft couch in the room with the round table."
"Okay, I got it. I'll take the measurements right away."
"Hongmei, how about braised pork on Saturday?" Wang Xiaoshun saw Zhang Hongmei come out and quickly went over to her.
"No problem, braised pork belly, braised fish chunks, stir-fried matsutake mushrooms with pork, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and stir-fried potatoes with vinegar. Are these okay?"
"That's great! Rice?"
"OK."
"Wait, where did this tomato come from?"
"Hehe. You'll see when the time comes. There are over twenty pounds of meat here, right?"
"That's right, I snatched this from the logistics department. Those brats even wanted to give me the hindquarters, but no way, I'll take the ribs. Hehe, they're no match for me!"
Liu Jingze watched the two getting along well, thinking that Zhang Hongmei treated him no differently than anyone else.
The carpenter came out and said, "It should be ready in about two weeks."
Thank you.
After Wang Xiaoshun and the other person left, Zhang Hongmei locked the door and looked at Liu Jingze staring straight at her.
"Jingze, you're acting strange today?"
"It's okay, where do you want to go tomorrow?"
"I haven't decided yet. If I have nothing to do, I'll go to the school to take a look, or I'll go for a walk around the neighborhood to see where the non-staple food supply station is, where the grain station is, and once I've settled my household registration, I should be able to get grain coupons and such."
"Then the first thing to do tomorrow is to go to the police station. It should be quick."
"Okay, once it's done at the police station and reported to the neighborhood committee, you'll get your food coupons next month."
Zhang Hongmei went back to her room, drew the curtains, turned off the lights, and entered the space.
After taking a shower and washing all my clothes, I came out and lay down on the bed to sleep.
The next day, the two ate noodles, and after finishing, they took the property certificates and their letters of introduction to the nearest police station.
Not many people are registering their household registration now, so an hour later Zhang Hongmei took the newly issued household registration certificates to the street office.
"Comrade, this is my household registration certificate. I have registered my household in your street. Please help me with the process."
The auntie from the neighborhood office put on her glasses and looked at Zhang Hongmei's household registration certificate. "Okay, young lady, actually you can't register your household, but since the police station has processed it for you, our neighborhood office will accept it. However, you won't have any food coupons this month, and you can't get double food coupons. It says you're coming to school, so if you get your food coupons from our neighborhood office, you can't get them from the school."
“It’s the same everywhere in Hongmei, except the school gives a subsidy. I forgot about it yesterday.” Liu Jingze was so preoccupied with his emotions that he genuinely overlooked the matter.
"Thank you, ma'am. I'll just collect my food rations at school."
When the two returned home, Liu Jingze apologized to Zhang Hongmei again.
"Jingze, what's wrong? Is something so important that it's making you so conflicted?"
"I understand. Hongmei, what would you like to eat for lunch?"
"How about we make duck bone soup, and then stir-fry shredded carrots and wood ear mushrooms with pancakes?"
"Okay, then I'll go light the stove."
Zhang Hongmei soaked dried black fungus in hot water in the kitchen, washed and shredded carrots, and also prepared scallions and ginger slices.
Once the fire in the stove was burning brightly, Zhang Hongmei put the duck carcass into the pot, added scallions and ginger slices, and then left it there.
By this time, the wood ear mushrooms had been soaked and soaked, then washed and shredded. Two large flatbreads were also taken out, shredded, and two eggs were added. Now, while waiting for the soup to be ready, the flatbreads were stir-fried.
After lunch, the two rested for a while. In the afternoon, they went to the grain station to familiarize themselves with the layout, and then to the non-staple food supply station. Zhang Hongmei was lucky enough to buy tofu and two cabbages.
"Tonight we'll use the leftover duck bone broth to stew tofu, and add some cabbage leaves."
Liu Jingze felt uncomfortable looking at Zhang Hongmei, who hadn't changed at all. He'd rather she argued with him. He'd figured out his master's thoughts in the last couple of days, and she had really disappointed him.
I only have brotherly and sisterly feelings for Wenhui, how could I do this?
But Hongmei showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever with herself. Did this mean she didn't care about her at all?
The two arrived home, put down the groceries, and it was still early.
"Hongmei, shall we go to the school and take a look?"
"This time? I won't go. I'll go tomorrow morning. I don't have anything else to do tomorrow, so I can spend the whole day at school. I have to pick up the photos the day after tomorrow. I also have to cook lunch."
"Then I'll pick up the photos for you the day after tomorrow?"
"No need, I'll go see if there's anything I like, and if there is, I'll print a few more. Brother Jingze, I really don't want to hold you back. I can live alone in the city, so it'll be the same in the capital."
Liu Jingze felt that Zhang Hongmei was constantly rejecting him, and he felt an unprecedented sense of frustration.
Zhang Hongmei was kneading dough in the kitchen. The pancakes at home would be finished tonight, and they would steam buns tomorrow. It wouldn't matter if she came back late at noon.
Liu Jingze stayed with Zhang Hongmei in the kitchen, explaining the layout of the school to her.
"The school cafeteria food is pretty good, and we get a subsidy of 25 yuan every month. Girls get 25 jin of food coupons, and boys get 30 jin."
"Hehe. I can support myself without any problem. The benefits at the top university are still better."
"Also, most of the students in the school are recommended, and they are all model workers in various industries. Students like us who took the exam only make up a small portion."
"Hehe, no matter how it came about, it's all luck."
"What I mean is, they might discriminate against our kind of exam, so be careful."
"It's okay. I don't live on campus, so we haven't spent much time together and there won't be any conflicts. Even if there are conflicts, I won't suffer any losses."
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