"Brother Qin is worried about you!" Qu Ting covered her mouth and giggled.
Tian Cai didn't want to discuss relationship issues, so she changed the subject. "I'm going to make kimchi tomorrow. Didn't you say you wanted to learn from me? Are you coming?"
"Come on!" Qu Ting couldn't help but slurp her saliva when she thought of the sour and spicy kimchi. Knowing that Tian Cai didn't want to talk about it, she followed her lead and changed the subject to pickles. "What else are you going to make this year?"
"Spicy cabbage, and some pickled radish. We also have dried cucumber slices at home, so we can mix that too. Just these three!" Tian Cai was not short of vegetables to eat. She would plant some green onions, spinach, and Chinese cabbage in a wooden box, and occasionally some bean sprouts. There were also several kinds of vegetables in the cellar, so she would never be short of vegetables to eat in winter.
"Then I'll come over and learn from you tomorrow."
"good."
In the evening, Tian Cai found a few jars, washed them clean, and placed them upside down on the stove to drain the water. Thinking of the help from the Wang brothers these times, she planned to send some of these things to his family after she finished making them, and also send some to Qinling.
The next day after breakfast, Qu Ting came. Tian Cai took out two cabbages, one for each of them. Qu Ting followed her instructions and explained every step in great detail.
The peppers were dried in the autumn and now they are crushed directly with a medicine grinder, and then some sugar and wild pears are added. Tian Cai also grabbed a handful of dried shrimps delivered from Qinling yesterday and put them in to enhance the flavor. When everything is done, the red cabbage in the basin looks very tempting.
"Hmm, not bad," Tian Cai picked up a small piece with chopsticks and put it in his mouth, nodding. "It will be more flavorful if you let it sit for a day or two. You can use the same method on radish. The ingredients are similar. You can try it when you get home."
Qu Ting also quickly took the chopsticks and picked up a piece herself. As soon as she put it in her mouth, her eyes lit up, "Delicious!"
Tian Cai then started to pickle the chopped radish, put it in a large bowl, and sent it to the Wang brothers and Qin Ling respectively.
The eldest sister was naturally very grateful. She looked no different from an ordinary person now. Except that she could not do any work that was too strenuous, everything else was fine. Anyway, there were two strong laborers in the family and she didn't have to go to the fields. She just had to wash dishes, take care of the children and cook at home. She had no free time in the day.
This greatly reduced the burden on the two brothers, and the whole family was very grateful to Tian Cai.
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Guo Wenxiu is a secretary in the county office and is also the deputy of the county magistrate's secretary. Her main job is to take minutes of meetings. Occasionally, she also helps leaders prepare some materials and write speeches. Her work is relatively easy.
The county magistrate's mother-in-law fell ill these days, so the county magistrate and his wife took two days off to accompany her in the hospital. Although Guo Wenxiu still had to go to work, she basically had no work to do. It was like she was taking a day off in the office under the guise of going to work.
Ever since she was diagnosed with hepatitis, she always felt tired. If she had to attend a meeting for half a day, she would not be able to bear it. Her memory seemed to have declined, and sometimes she did not have time to record what her leader said.
I have been criticized twice by my superiors just because of incomplete meeting minutes. Last time, Secretary Wang said that if I can't do it, I can choose to change my job.
Guo Wenxiu doesn't want to lose her current job at all. No matter what income or status this job brings her, she cannot be transferred.
Even though she had done nothing all day, Guo Wenxiu still felt tired. Seeing that it was almost time, she simply packed up her things and rode her bike home with heavy legs.
After returning home and parking her bicycle, Guo Wenxiu wrapped her clothes tightly and walked quickly into the house. She couldn't help shivering when she felt the warmth in the house. She leaned against the fire wall for a while before taking off her scarf and gloves.
The old lady heard the noise and pushed the door open with a smile. When she saw it was her, the smile on her face suddenly disappeared. She said indifferently, "You're back," and then closed the door with a bang.
Guo Wenxiu's word "Mom" was stuck in her throat, and a hint of bitterness appeared at the corners of her mouth.
Pengpeng, who was playing with toys on the kang, saw his grandmother coming back. He blinked his big eyes and asked, "Grandma, is Daddy back?"
The old lady sat back on the kang with an expressionless face, "It's your mother."
"Mom!" Pengpeng was even happier when he heard his mother was back. He threw away his toys and wanted to jump off the kang.
Before the little body could reach the ground, the old lady hugged him in her arms, "Hey, why do you have to get off the ground? It's so cold on the ground. Go back to the kang quickly."
"I just want to find my mother. I want my mother to sleep with me at night!" Pengpeng cried.
"Can't grandma sleep with you? Why do you have to look for your mother?" The old lady was unhappy and spoke without restraint. "Besides, your mother is sick, and her illness is contagious. Be careful not to infect you!"
Pengpeng refused and started crying even harder, "I don't want it, I don't want it. I want my mom to sleep with me, not with grandma. Grandma snores so loudly when she sleeps!"
The old lady's face froze, a trace of anger flashed through her heart. She looked at her grandson and tried to suppress it. She rolled her eyes and covered her face with her hands, pretending to cry, "Grandma is sad when you say that. Grandma is old, and you actually despise her? Wuuwuwu——"
Pengpeng was taught very well by his mother and knew not to make the elders angry. He quickly wiped his tears and rushed over to hug his grandmother, "Grandma, I was wrong. I will sleep with you."
He said he wanted to sleep with grandma, but in his heart he still wanted to sleep with his mother. He hadn't slept with his mother for a long time. While he was coaxing his grandma, he felt an unstoppable sense of grievance in his heart. He wondered if his mother didn't love him anymore and didn't sleep with him. The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt and he couldn't help crying out loud.
The old lady didn't care whether her grandson cried or not. When she saw that her grandson still knew to hug her for comfort, a look of satisfaction appeared on her face. So what if mother and son are connected by heart? At this time, she had the final say.
The inner room and the main room were separated by only one door. The old lady and her grandson did not lower their voices when they spoke, and Guo Wenxiu outside the door heard them clearly.
Pengpeng started crying and her hand was on the door handle. She was about to push the door open when she heard her mother-in-law say that her disease was contagious. Yes, her hepatitis was contagious. Pengpeng was still so young, and even though she was reluctant, she had to entrust the child to her mother-in-law.
It had been a long time since she had held her child properly. Thinking of that soft little body and his purring voice, Guo Wenxiu covered her mouth and tears couldn't stop flowing.
At half past five, Cui Weiying came back and the family washed their hands and had dinner.
Everyone was having a great time at the dinner table, except Guo Wenxiu. Her mother-in-law said that the disease was contagious, so she would take some food out of the menu for her to eat at the stove every time.
Guo Wenxiu listened expressionlessly to the bursts of laughter coming from the main room. She sat alone in front of the stove, and the stewed cabbage in her mouth seemed to have no taste.
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