"Yes, it would be best if we could see each other every day." Liu Jingze's biggest wish is to become a family.
The two went to bed separately, and the next morning they had dumpling soup again, along with two pancakes.
"Hongmei, will you come with me?"
"I'm not going. I'll go buy groceries now. You can go by yourself. It should be quick, right?"
"Very soon."
"Okay, I'll wait for you at home. I'll help you pack once they move out."
"No rush, I'll be going now."
Zhang Hongmei can only move things around the house little by little, like an ant carrying food, and it's not suitable for her to take things out of the space now.
There were still a lot of people. In the end, I only managed to buy two cabbages, two pounds of tofu, and I couldn't buy any eggs.
When I got home, Liu Jingze was already waiting at the door.
"How could it be so fast?"
"All the paperwork was complete, and both parties were trustworthy, so of course it was quick." Liu Jingze took the bicycle and pushed it into the yard.
"Brother Jingze, I have a bicycle voucher. Do you want to go buy a bicycle?"
"I have a bicycle, it's in my dorm."
"That's good. You should retrieve it; otherwise, it'll be a waste of time. When can you take over?"
"They're leaving tomorrow. I kept the furniture and gave them fifty yuan."
"Let's go take a look tomorrow. If it's not good, we'll redo it."
"Okay, let's see how it goes."
"Could they be in such a hurry to leave to avoid us?"
"They're just hiding. That boy, who's about your age, is in charge and insists on leaving tomorrow."
"If it were me, I'd leave tomorrow too. But I wouldn't sell the house; it's my home."
"Yes, there will be no home when I come back. Hongmei, I'm leaving. I have things to do today, so I won't be back for lunch."
"Okay, do you ride a bicycle?"
"No, I'll take a car."
I was home alone, so I decided to take out the meat and prepare braised pork.
I'm preparing to stew ten pounds of braised pork. I cut off half of it and put it in a bowl.
Light the fire and boil water. I changed the amount of water to ten pieces and put them into the pot, filling it to the brim. Once the water boils, I skimmed off the foam, added ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves, and then simmered it over low heat.
Half an hour later, I pierced it with chopsticks and found it could be pierced through. Then I used a strainer to scoop it out and put it in two basins. The fire in the stove was almost out.
Wait until it's cool enough to handle before cutting it. Then ladle out the water used to boil the meat and put it in a bowl, to be used later when stewing the meat.
After testing the temperature and finding it acceptable, I quickly cut it into small pieces.
Everything was chopped, the fire was turned on, and the sugar was caramelized. Then, the two bowls of meat were added and stir-fried.
This is hard work. Once all the meat is coated with the caramelized sugar, soy sauce is added, and it's still being stir-fried constantly. When the oil has rendered out, the broth is poured into the pot, along with a handful of rock sugar. Then the lid is put on and it's simmered.
I checked the time and it was already past ten o'clock. Time flies. I've been in the kitchen the whole time, and it's all greasy; I've lost my appetite.
After simmering for an hour, add salt, uncover the pot, and reduce the sauce.
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of meat. Zhang Hongmei picked up a piece and tasted it. She found it a bit bland, so she grabbed a handful of salt and stopped adding firewood.
After waiting a while until the fire in the stove was completely extinguished, I took the meat out. I didn't wash the pot; I'd stew potatoes and make steamed buns for dinner—all in one pot.
I closed the kitchen door, went into the room, drew the curtains, took a shower, and came out after washing my clothes.
I was a bit hungry after working for a while. I had half a pancake left over from the morning, so I spread some meat sauce on it, rolled it up, and it tasted pretty good.
I also made a bowl of milk powder; this is a very good lunch.
Zhang Hongmei was reading at home, unaware that the whole alley was talking about her.
Although everyone didn't gather together, the results were strikingly similar.
Everyone thought this little girl was extraordinary; she had already bought a house, and there was a pleasant fragrance wafting out every day, so her family must be very well-off.
Some children, not understanding the situation, cried and fussed, wanting to eat meat, but neither the sensible nor the ignorant ones came to ask Zhang Hongmei for it.
That's just how people are; the greater the gap between them, the less they want to have conflicts with you. This may be the meaning of people's instinctive fear or admiration.
However, the adults in the family have all advised me to try not to have any conflicts with Zhang Hongmei. It would be even better if we could maintain a good relationship.
Zhang Hongmei spent the entire afternoon reading, mostly literature. What can she do when she just doesn't have the talent for it? She figured she might as well start early; reading more books is definitely a good thing.
I waited until it got dark before getting up to stretch, then went into the kitchen to knead the dough. The dough needed to rest for a while before it would be ready to use. I found more than ten potatoes, peeled and washed them, and then, after thinking for a moment, I took out a few carrots, washed them, and stewed them with the potatoes.
I checked the time and it was already 5:30. I wonder when Liu Jingze will be back?
People really can't help but worry. I was just wondering when he would be back when I heard a knock on the door.
"Hongmei, I'm back."
"Okay, I'll open the door right away."
Liu Jingze came in carrying a bag. "Hongmei, this is imported rice. I heard it's quite delicious."
"Okay, let's try it tomorrow. Wang Xiaoshun also brought over a bag yesterday, but we haven't had a chance to eat it yet. We'll make potato rolls tonight."
"Okay, I love this. Is the stewed meat ready? It smells delicious!"
"That's right. We'll put a bowl of it in the stewed potatoes later, and the rolls will taste especially good, they'll all taste like meat."
"Just thinking about it makes me hungry."
Forty minutes later, the rice was cooked. Although there were a dozen or so potatoes, a small bowl of meat, and a few carrots, the potatoes and carrots were quite small, making it only two large bowls.
Zhang Hongmei ate a whole roll of steamed buns and a small bowl of potatoes, then stopped eating. Liu Jingze didn't eat lunch at all; he ate two bowls of vegetables and four rolls of steamed buns.
"This is so satisfying, it smells so good. Food outside can't compare to home cooking."
"Jingze, you take a break. I'll go wash the dishes."
"No need for you, I can do it myself. Do we still need to boil water?"
"No need, I've already washed up. There's enough hot water in the thermos for you. You can boil more water tomorrow."
Since Liu Jingze was doing the dishes, Zhang Hongmei went back to her room. She hadn't taken a nap that day and was actually a little sleepy now.
The next morning, Zhang Hongmei got up early and fried the rolls in a pan. She ate the leftovers for breakfast and ate fresh rice for lunch.
“Hongmei, I have to go out again today and I still won’t be back at noon.”
"Okay, I'll save some food for you."
After Liu Jingze left, Zhang Hongmei started preparing the dishes. The braised fish chunks would be stewed later; she prepared all the other dishes first.
At nine o'clock, Zhang Xingguo and Wang Xiaoshun arrived.
Zhang Xingguo had some reservations about Zhang Hongmei living in a small courtyard, meaning, why live in a small place when you have a big house?
“Uncle Zhang, I live alone. It’s too big and empty, and it’s also difficult to tidy up.”
"Why don't I just find someone for you?"
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