"Young lady, we're here to take care of you, how could we let you do anything? Please don't be so formal."
"Okay, I won't stand on ceremony. Xiao Li, did Brother Zhang say where you two should stay?"
"The one to the left of the gatekeeper's room."
"Uncle Li and Aunt Li, you should quickly pack your luggage and get some rest."
"Then you don't need to till the land, we've got you covered."
"Okay, I'll go check the kitchen. I'll buy whatever I need in a bit."
"Zhang Hongmei, no need, the Party Secretary already told me to prepare it."
"Alright, you can introduce them to the two of you in a bit. I'll go back and check things out first, then come over for lunch."
"What does the girl like to eat?"
"Auntie, I'm fine with anything. You must be tired from your journey, so just make something simple."
Zhang Hongmei returned to Shuren Hutong and found out that the painting workers did not need her here; they just needed to come at four o'clock in the afternoon.
Zhang Hongmei rode her bicycle to the supply station and bought two jin of tofu, two cabbages, and two jin of eggs. It was always the same few things, but it was much better than nothing.
Back at Xinyuan, Xiao Li had already left. The elderly couple had tidied up their room. Aunt Li was kneading dough in the kitchen, and Uncle Li was turning over the soil.
Uncle Li smiled at Zhang Hongmei and went back to work.
Aunt Li also came out of the kitchen. She took the groceries from Zhang Hongmei and carried them into the kitchen.
“I didn’t know what you liked to eat, but I knew there was flour in the kitchen, so I thought I’d make you some pancakes.”
Zhang Hongmei followed into the kitchen and saw that there was only a small piece of white flour in the basin. She lifted the lid next to it and found that it was a mixture of flour, water, and flour.
"Aunt Li, I won't be coming over for meals very often in the future, but I have a request: we should eat the same things as each other. Whatever I eat, you should eat too."
"Knead these two dough balls together, and we'll make pancakes like this."
Zhang Hongmei spoke with particular seriousness and earnestness.
"How can that be?"
“If I say it’s okay, then it’s okay, and we’re all eating at the same table.”
Brother Zhang wants you to have someone to take care of you in your old age. Although he's here to take care of me, we're equals.
If you can't do that, then I won't come back.
"Sigh! I never thought I'd be enjoying such a blessing in my old age. I understand now, I'll treat you like family from now on."
"That's how Aunt Li should be. We'll have a long time to get to know each other, so we should both treat each other sincerely."
"I'll call you Hongmei. Go and rest. I'll call you when I've cooked dinner."
"Sure, I'm in my room. It's too much trouble for you to call me. I'll come over in a bit."
Zhang Hongmei returned to her room, cleaned it, and noticed that half an hour had passed. She washed her hands and went to the dining room in front.
In the end, Aunt Li didn't cook the same meal twice; she made pancakes separately for Zhang Hongmei. She cut them all into wedges. The pancakes were also made from a mixture of flour and water. From her cooking, it was clear that Aunt Li was a clean and efficient person; she cleaned up the kitchen after cooking, and the pancakes were cut into wedges and arranged very neatly.
The kitchen had a cement floor, and there were no water stains after cooking. Zhang Hongmei was quite satisfied with Aunt Li. If the kitchen were dirty and messy, she wouldn't even have the courage to eat.
I stewed cabbage and tofu, and also chopped some pickled vegetables.
Zhang Hongmei took out three plates from the kitchen, divided the pancakes into three portions, and took a corner of a pancake made from a mixture of flour, oil, and salt. The pancakes were probably dry and tasteless, as they likely hadn't been oiled.
Take out three bowls and divide the stewed cabbage and tofu into three portions.
When Aunt Li and her husband came in, they were taken aback when they saw the food on the table.
"Uncle Li, Aunt Li, please sit down. From now on, we'll eat the same meals. If Aunt Li wants me to have a separate meal each time, then cook for me separately."
"Hongmei, we understand."
After the three finished eating, Li Shuo said, "Uncle Li and Aunt Li, you can rest this afternoon. I'm not staying here tonight, and I don't know if I'll be coming over tomorrow. You can rest for the next few days. We'll slowly turn over the flower beds, and the flower branches won't be delivered until next Saturday."
I'll head back now. Uncle Li, you can help me familiarize myself with the area. If you need anything, you can come find me around 6 PM, or on Saturday or Sunday.
"How about we come and live with you over there? It would be more convenient for us to take care of you." Aunt Li was conflicted. She was the one who was supposed to take care of people, but once they got there, she and her husband wouldn't be able to do anything for them. She felt uneasy about staying there.
"No need. I usually go to school and then go home to sleep at night. You can just stay here and take care of the house."
"Uncle Li, let's go."
"Alright," the taciturn old man finally spoke.
Zhang Hongmei didn't ride her bike either; the two walked in silence the whole way.
"Uncle Li, come in and have some water. You can come find me here if you need anything. I'll come over every week. You two can stay here with peace of mind."
"Okay, I got it. I'll head back now if there's nothing else."
Zhang Hongmei saw Uncle Li off. She then went next door to take a look and saw that the three of them were working very efficiently. The main house had already been painted, and they were now cleaning up the kitchen and dining room.
Seeing that there was nothing for me to do, I went back to reading.
When Zhang Hongmei went over at four o'clock, the bathroom was also cleaned up. Instead of being painted white, it was plastered with cement, just like the bathroom in her own yard.
"Comrade, we've finished our work. Go check it out. We'll take all the trash out of the yard and clean it up before we leave."
"Thank you very much. I don't know anything about this, but I'll come back to you if I need anything in the future. Also, have you paid me my wages?"
"The wages have already been paid, so let's clean up the yard."
Zhang Hongmei carefully inspected each room. The lime water hadn't dried yet, so it was impossible to tell anything.
After seeing the workers off, Zhang Hongmei finally went home. She hadn't eaten enough for lunch, so she made herself some noodles with soybean paste for dinner. She finished a large bowlful and sighed contentedly.
In my previous life, I came from an ordinary rural family and never hired a nanny, so I felt really uncomfortable being with two people.
Oh well, I won't be going there much in the future. We'll get to know each other better as we spend more time together.
I didn't sleep in on Sunday either. My biological clock is set, and even if I stayed in bed, I wouldn't feel comfortable.
I spent the whole morning reading; even the dry and boring textbooks required me to sit down and read them carefully.
I had sesame seed cakes for lunch, too lazy to cook or move, and drank a cup of milk tea, which was sweet and delicious.
After finishing his homework in the afternoon, Xiao Li came over with a basket of apples. They weren't very big, but they tasted okay. Now he could have fruit to eat every day before going to school.
There are also day students in the class, but most of them are middle-aged people who have started families. However, they also eat lunch at school.
Next week she'll have to go back to the cafeteria. Actually, Zhang Hongmei was a little worried about whether she could be elected vice chairman, but not to the point of being restless.
Thinking about this reminds me of Zheng Meinu. I wonder how she will spend this weekend if she finds out I'm not there.
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