The three exchanged glances and all turned their sympathetic gazes toward Xiao's father.
Xiao's father couldn't bear to speak ill of his wife, nor could he speak ill of his daughter-in-law, so he could only say to his son in a gruff voice, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and come inside."
He deliberately raised his voice, wanting his mother inside to know that he had heard those hurtful words and to remind her to comfort her heartbroken son.
As it turned out... his mother did hear it, but she ignored him and dragged the other three into the house.
"Oh dear, why did it take you so long to get back? Aren't you cold? Hurry up and get on the kang (heated brick bed) to warm up."
As soon as Gu An'an and Xiao's mother got onto the kang (a heated brick bed), Grandma Xiao saw Xiao's father standing still and started chattering, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and get the fish to the kitchen. The smell is so strong, you can't leave it unattended."
Over the years, they have been living in the Hongqi Commune area and have had little time to see their parents. However, whenever they do meet, their parents treat him very well, calling him their "youngest son."
It's rare for me to spend a little more time with my parents, and as a result, he went from being the youngest son to a clueless, spoiled brat. Who can I reason with?
However, he didn't dare say anything and obediently took the things to the kitchen, also bringing Xiao Yuheng along. "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up, don't try to push this job onto me alone."
He felt better after hearing those words; he too had a son who bullied him.
Xiao Yuheng glanced at Gu An'an, who was surrounded by people fussing over her, then looked at the fish on the ground, and resignedly picked up another bag of fish and headed to the kitchen.
"Aheng, keep those alive and raise them. Kill the rest when you have time, and deal with them later."
"good."
Hearing his wife's instructions, Xiao Yuheng was full of energy. Gu An'an told him to find time to clean up, but as soon as he entered the kitchen, he started working on it cleanly and efficiently.
"You do it, my old bones won't be able to handle it for long."
Xiao Yuheng: ... How can these words sound so unbelievable coming from his father? His father exercises regularly and would never say he's weak. He's really learned to be clever in order to avoid doing chores.
However, he also felt sorry for his father, who hadn't been home for years and should do more chores. Just as he was thinking this, he heard his grandmother's voice coming from the next room.
"Where is Aheng?"
"He's cleaning fish in the kitchen."
Before I had even finished washing my hands, the old man spoke again, “How could you let your son do it all by himself?”
Xiao's father: "...What's there to be embarrassed about? You're in your mid-twenties, can't you even do something like that?"
Anyway, he was wronged today, so he's giving up and quitting.
Gu An'an was thinking about how many fish there were and how long it would take Xiao Yuheng to clean them. Just as she was about to offer to help, Grandma Xiao beat her to it.
"Old man, hurry up and help me kill the fish."
"Why is it me again?"
Although he didn't go out, he was still busy at home.
"Hurry up and go. There are no more questions. You've been here and you haven't moved an inch. You're not as nimble as you used to be. You're trying to slack off."
Grandpa Xiao still felt a little guilty when talking about this, but could he be blamed? It was just too cold here.
However, he didn't dare to say anything and obediently went into the kitchen to help Xiao Yuheng kill fish.
In the middle of the killing, Grandpa Xiao suddenly asked, "How come you caught so many?"
Three large sacks, it would take half a day to kill them all.
Hearing the slight frustration in his grandfather's voice, Xiao Yuheng said directly, "Your granddaughter-in-law is too lucky."
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Xiao smiled broadly, "Oh my, An'an is just perfect in every way."
During the months they lived in the Red Flag Commune, Gu An'an often brought them things, and the two sides got along very well. Now, in the eyes of the two elders, it's hard to say whether Gu An'an's status is higher or lower than Xiao Yuheng's.
Although Grandpa Xiao was a bit old, he was very capable when it came to work. After a while, Dad Xiao was also brought over. The three men sat on small stools, cleaning the fish and listening to the laughter and chatter from next door. It was a kind of happiness.
The fish had just been cleaned and Gu An'an had warmed up enough, so she went into the kitchen and started preparing various dishes.
With so much food, Gu An'an made several different flavors, with pickling and smoking being essential. "Mom, everyone in the family can handle spicy food, so how about I make a jar of fish with chopped chili peppers?"
Xiao's mother had never eaten there before, but she highly praised Gu An'an's cooking skills. She would nod and agree with anything Gu An'an said.
Next, the Xiao family was extremely lively. With a head chef and many helpers, they worked incredibly fast and finished processing the fish in no time.
"Shall we have this fish prepared four ways tonight?"
The others' eyes lit up immediately. "Great, great, we'll take care of the preparations."
Gu An'an gave an order, and people immediately got to work: braised fish, old-fashioned Northeastern stewed fish, crispy small river fish, and fish head with chopped peppers. Liang's mother next door smelled the aroma and heard the lively sounds from next door, and once again sighed with regret.
The Xiao family members were among the few people she knew who were easy to get along with, but they just weren't meant to be.
"Xiaoqiu, what do you want to eat tonight? Mom will make it for you."
Liang Qiu knew exactly what her mother meant, and smiled, saying, "Anything is fine, there's nothing I particularly want to eat."
"Oh dear, we're both stewing fish, but why does it taste so different from mine?"
"Hehehe! This chopped chili fish head is delicious, I like it."
Grandpa Xiao is the least able to eat spicy food in the Xiao family, but now his chopsticks are flying everywhere as he tries to pick up food from the chopped chili fish head.
"Old man, eat less! Don't tell me if your stomach hurts later."
Grandpa Xiao: ...If you want to eat, just say so. Don't make me sound so weak.
However, he still turned his chopsticks and tasted the other dishes, and each dish satisfied him greatly.
"If I keep eating like this, I won't want to go back to Beijing."
Hearing such high praise, it would be a lie to say that Gu An'an wasn't happy. Grandpa and Grandma Xiao are getting old, and she was very willing to cook some food for them. She had even made a list of recipes in her mind.
Little did she know that just as her recipe was finalized, she received another piece of news...
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