After training several young girls, Xia Liang made them uniforms that they had to wear every day to work. The girls were very happy to receive their new clothes. After all, those who had traveled all the way from their hometowns to Beijing were either from families that favored sons and wanted to sell them for dowries, or from families that had been tormented to the point of despair at home. So they didn't have any nice clothes of their own. Now, seeing the uniforms Xia Liang gave them, even though they were uniforms, the white shirts and black trousers looked quite nice together.
As the weather grew colder, the two little girls, who had originally planned to go back to their hometown, decided against it and called their grandparents instead. Han Yulan answered the phone and immediately asked, "Is this my precious granddaughter?" Holding the receiver, Gu Yunxi blushed slightly. At home, her grandparents and parents would call her "darling," but now, talking to strangers in the alley, Gu Yunxi, feeling like a grown-up, was still a little shy. She quickly reminded Han Yulan, "Grandma, I'm outside right now!" Hearing this, Han Yulan knew her granddaughter was shy and didn't tease her. She cut straight to the point, asking, "So, Yunxi, what's the matter that you called back?" Gu Yunxi breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her grandmother speak to her like this: "Grandma, we're afraid we won't be able to go back until winter break. It's been too cold lately, and Mom said she's worried we'll catch a cold on the train, so she told us not to go back yet. She'll take us back with her after winter break." Han Yulan was from Beijing, and she knew what the weather had been like lately, so she said gently, "It's alright, your health is the most important thing. You can come back after winter break, or Grandpa and Grandma can come to see you. You and your sister must be good and listen to Mom while you're in Beijing." "Okay, Grandma, go to school properly, okay?" Little Gu Yunxi cooperated perfectly: "Okay, Grandma, we understand. Grandma, how are you and Grandpa doing lately?" Hearing that her eldest granddaughter was concerned about her and her husband's health, Han Yulan smiled and exchanged a glance with Gu Weiguo, who was sitting beside her listening. They both saw relief in each other's eyes. Gu Weiguo took the phone and said, "My dear grandson, don't worry, Grandpa and Grandma are both fine. How are you?" Gu Yunxi said, "Grandpa, don't worry, my sister and I are fine, and Mom is fine too." Gu Weiguo continued, "That's good." Before he could say anything more, Gu Yuan, who was standing beside him... Zhi couldn't hold back any longer and snatched the microphone from her sister, saying, "Grandpa, my sister and I have no fun in Beijing at all. Mom is busy every day. I practice martial arts with my masters, and Mom hasn't taken us out to play at all." Gu Weiguo laughed heartily. This little one had even learned to tattle. Of course, he didn't ignore his granddaughter's mention of martial arts and quickly asked, "My dear granddaughter, who do you practice martial arts with?" "With Teacher Duan and the others. We have to practice every day and can't go out to play." Although little Zhi loved kung fu, she was still a child under six or seven years old, and she was quite upset that her mother didn't take her and her sister out to play. Gu Weiguo couldn't help but laugh heartily at his granddaughter's innocent words. He comforted his two granddaughters for a few moments and promised to take them out to play during the winter vacation. Only then did the two little ones hang up the phone, satisfied.
Xia Liang knew she had been too busy lately and had neglected her two children, which made her feel guilty. So she set aside a day to rest and spend quality time with them. Thinking the weather was a bit cool recently, perfect for hot pot, she went grocery shopping early in the morning. She bought some meat to cook with, pork bones for the broth, some vegetables, and a few fish to make meatballs. Carrying her basket full of groceries, Xia Liang was already planning what to do. First, she would break the pork bones to make the broth. She would fillet the fish, remove the bones, mince the fish meat, add starch, and water infused with scallions and ginger, stirring until it became sticky. Then she would put a pot of water on the stove to boil, and once it boiled, she could add the meatballs. The plump, white meatballs, like glutinous rice balls, floated to the surface, indicating they were cooked.
Recently, both Xia Dahe and Zhao Danxiang have been busy, and their overall mental state has improved significantly. Xia Dahe, in particular, feels completely different now that he's managing so many people. Before, when he was farming in the village, his family looked down on him and his entire family. Even though he later went to work in the county town, he was just an ordinary employee. Now, everyone in the factory respectfully calls him Supervisor Xia. And when they find out that the factory is run by his daughter, the envious and jealous looks they give him make him feel refreshed and invigorated.
After everyone got off work that evening, Xia Liang started putting ingredients into the pot. Little Gu Yuanzhi was already impatient; the hot pot her mother made smelled so good, her mouth was practically watering. Xia Liang told everyone to wash their hands and eat. Ji Xiaodie, who followed Ji Xiao in, exclaimed, "Sister-in-law, what did you make? It smells so good!" Xia Liang smiled but didn't answer. In Beijing, most people like mutton hot pot, but today she made a Sichuan-style version, not as spicy, but still very fragrant. She was just worried that adding too much chili would be too much for them. Everyone washed their hands and sat down to eat. The red slices of meat and white meatballs in the pot looked incredibly appetizing. Xia Liang also bought several bottles of soda, which were the children's favorite; they practically drank soda with every bite of food.
The meal lasted until evening. It was getting a bit chilly outside, and sitting around a steaming pot, enjoying the fragrant but slightly spicy hot pot, was incredibly comforting. Even after everyone was full, they stayed at the table chatting. Ji Xiaodie got up and went out. Xia Liang assumed she needed to use the restroom and didn't think much of it. However, she saw Ji Xiaodie waving at her from outside. Xia Liang, puzzled but without hesitation, got up and followed her. Seeing Ji Xiaodie's face, red from the smoke inside, even redder from the cold wind, Xia Liang worried she'd catch a cold and quickly asked, "What's wrong? Why didn't you say it inside? Your face is so red." Ji Xiaodie scratched her head and chuckled, "Sister-in-law, I want to open a clothing store, just like the ones you sell, like those franchise stores you mentioned before." Xia Liang thought something was wrong... With a mysterious air, she waved her hand and said, "Hey, if you want to open one, just do it. You have ready-made clothes in your own factory. For the shop decoration, just find the same batch that decorated ours before, and decorate it the same way as mine. Then just hang up my shop sign." Ji Xiaodie nodded, a little embarrassed. After all, this shop belonged to her sister-in-law alone. She only wanted to join because she saw that her shop was doing well. When she heard them talking before, she learned that other people had to pay a franchise fee, but her sister-in-law wouldn't charge her. She would just have to wait and see how much other people's franchise fees were before paying her sister-in-law.
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