Cheng Yaoyao had never suffered such a great injustice! She walked forward along the alley angrily, and when she turned the corner, she saw Xie San standing there, talking to someone with his back to her.
The person was thinner and was almost completely blocked by Xie San's tall figure. Through the gap, Cheng Yaoyao still saw her face clearly. She had a braided hair and kept rubbing the ends of her braid while talking to Xie San. Wasn't she the person who talked to Xie San on the ridge last time?
To be fair, this girl's appearance was considered outstanding in Tianshui Village. She had fair skin, wore a pink dacron blouse, and blinked her eyes. The girl's thoughts were written all over her face, and she couldn't hide them.
Cheng Yaoyao moved closer to listen to what they were saying. He heard a sweet voice: "Thank you, Third Brother..."
Cheng Yaoyao's anger, which was only a little bit at first, immediately turned into a huge rage. He stomped his feet and wanted to rush out and beat Xie San up, but he changed his mind and forced himself to hold back.
She turned around and sneaked away from the other end of the alley, making a circle before returning home.
The yard was filled with the sweet and rich smell of steamed buns. Grandma Xie and Xie Fei were sitting in the yard washing vegetables. When they saw Cheng Yaoyao coming in, they said, "What were you and Zhao'er doing out there? The dough is almost too strong. I'll steam the buns for you so that Zhao'er can take them to the city later."
Cheng Yaoyao then remembered that he had just made a dough to make steamed buns.
Grandma Xie continued to nag, "Don't worry, I'm an expert at steaming steamed buns, I guarantee they'll be perfectly cooked. I've added eggs and sugar to the white flour buns, won't it be cooked tomorrow? Zhao Ge'er is easy to take care of, there's no need to be so meticulous."
"I didn't make the steamed buns for him!" Cheng Yaoyao muttered softly, pouted, threw the small basket on the ground, and went to wash his hands.
Xie Fei picked up the small backpack and opened it to take a look. She was surprised and said, "So many cicada monkeys! Sister, are you going to blow them up too and let brother take them away?"
"Whatever!" Cheng Yaoyao washed his hands and face carefully with soap, and his eyes involuntarily looked outside the yard.
Grandma Xie also asked, "Why hasn't Zhao Ge'er come back? Yaoyao, didn't you two go out together?"
Cheng Yaoyao said innocently: "He was talking to someone, so I came back first."
The cicada monkeys caught today are big and fresh. After cleaning the mud and sand, they are ready to be put into the pot. Cheng Yaoyao poured a little more oil today and fried the cicada monkeys until they were crispy. Then he sprinkled salt and coarse ground pepper powder while they were hot. It was so fragrant.
Cut off some fat from the pork belly and boil it into lard. Dice the rest and marinate with soy sauce and rice wine. Soak the dried mushrooms and dice them. Heat a little lard in the pot, pour in the diced pork belly and stir-fry, then add the mushrooms and garlic cloves and stir-fry evenly.
The aroma of dried mushrooms is more powerful than that of fresh mushrooms. You don't need to add anything else, it's already so delicious that it makes people drool. Then pour in some soy sauce, rice wine and white sugar, sprinkle a little more salt, and then pour in the water used to soak the mushrooms. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn to low heat and simmer slowly, allowing the juice to dry up little by little. The diced pork belly and dried mushrooms are coated with a layer of rich dark brown sauce.
Cheng Yaoyao picked up a little and gave it to Xie Fei to taste: "How does it taste?"
"Delicious!" Xie Fei nodded vigorously.
"You say everything you eat is delicious." Cheng Yaoyao also tasted a little himself and found it was indeed delicious, salty, fragrant, fresh and sweet, with a slightly salty taste, perfect for eating with rice.
Xie Fei smiled and said, "It's really delicious. My brother will definitely like it!"
In the yard, Grandma Xie was tidying up while staring at the door, looking a little worried. What time is it, why hasn't Xie San come back yet?
Speak of the devil, the courtyard door was pushed open. Xie San looked nervous, which was unusual for him: "Grandma, is Yaoyao back?!"
Grandma Xie said, "I'm in the kitchen. I came back early. What happened to you?"
Xie San didn't bother to answer and strode to the kitchen door. When he saw Cheng Yaoyao standing by the stove, his heart sank.
Grandma Xie came over and said in surprise, "Zhao'er, why are you sweating so much? Didn't you two go out together just now?"
"..." Before Xie San could answer, Cheng Yaoyao said, "Yes, I saw him talking to someone and he didn't care about me, so I came back by myself."
Grandma Xie said, "Zhao'er, you are sweating so much. Go wash your face and have dinner."
Xie San said, "It's too late. I have to catch a bus into the city."
Cheng Yaoyao paused and looked at her watch. It was already 10:50. She had been back for more than half an hour, and Xie San was still looking for her outside? Was he too stupid?
Xie Fei and Grandma Xie hurriedly surrounded Xie San and said, "Why are you gone so quickly? You haven't even had your meal yet! Yaoyao specially made steamed buns for you."
Cheng Yaoyao hummed, "Pack it up and eat it on the way."
"Yes, yes, yes." Grandma Xie said, "Zhao Ge'er, wait a moment, it will be ready soon!"
Xie Fei and Grandma Xie were very skillful. They wrapped the white, tender and hot steamed buns in oil paper, put the fried cicada monkeys in lunch boxes, and added some bayberry juice and dried bayberries to fill a bag.
Xie San changed his clothes and came out. Grandma Xie stuffed a bag of things into his arms: "Come, Zhao'er, take everything. You have a big appetite, so eat something if you get hungry at night! Or eat something at home before leaving?"
"It's too late, we have to hurry." Xie San walked out with his things, but his eyes were on Cheng Yaoyao.
Cheng Yaoyao stood at the kitchen door. When he met Xie San's eyes, he turned away and snorted.
Xie San looked at her deeply, but as Grandma Xie kept telling him many things, he had no choice but to follow her out the door.
Xie San went to learn how to drive, which was a very meaningful thing for the Xie family and Xie San. Grandma Xie had a lot of things in her mind, but when she spoke out, she only had the most plain advice: "... Learn things carefully, but don't work too hard, and take care of your body. Rest well when you have time to rest, and don't do any more work. Grandma doesn't want anything else, just want you to be safe, okay?"
When the two of them reached the alley, Xie Fei chased after them and stuffed a bottle of sauce into Xie San's arms, gasping for breath: "I almost...almost forgot this. This is the mushroom sauce made by Sister Yaoyao!"
Xie San looked behind Xie Fei, but there was no one there.
Xie Fei said, "My sister is at home."
Xie San's eyes dimmed, and the disappointment in his brows naturally did not escape the eyes of Grandma Xie. Grandma Xie said, "You were so angry when you came home just now. Did she run away without you?"
"No." Xie San put the mushroom sauce into his pocket.
Grandma Xie said, "You are still keeping it a secret for her! It took you more than half an hour to come back after she came back. Were you looking for her outside?"
Xie San's lips moved and he said, "My sister is spoiled, please don't say anything about her."
"You!" Grandma Xie poked his forehead with a finger, "You look exactly like your father!"
After watching Xie San's tall and straight figure disappear at the intersection, Grandma Xie and Xie Fei went back together. On the way, Xie Fei asked, "You always say that my brother looks exactly like my father. What exactly is the similarity?"
Grandma Xie said angrily: "You are a girl, don't ask such questions!"
Xie Fei stuck out his tongue and said, "Where's the mushroom sauce that Sister Yaoyao made for me? She also asked me to send it to you as soon as possible."
Grandma Xie was moved and said, "I thought she was just craving for food, but it turns out she made it for Zhao Ge'er."
"Sister Yaoyao is so nice to my brother." Xie Fei said with a smile, "There's half a strip of pork belly in that mushroom sauce, so it can be kept for a long time. My brother is in for a treat."
Grandma Xie glanced at her and said, "I think you are just like your brother. You both have your eyes on Yaoyao. Your brother is not nice to her?"
"That's fine." Xie Fei fiddled with her braid and said, "But many people are nice to Sister Yaoyao. She's so pretty, educated, and can cook delicious food. Everyone likes her."
Grandma Xie stopped talking and sighed deeply. How could she not see what even Xie Fei could see? Only Zhao Ge'er was so obsessed that he fell into it and eight horses couldn't pull him back.
The Xie family's courtyard had returned to its original tranquility. Only the full water tank and the newly added firewood pile showed signs that Xie San had returned.
Cheng Yaoyao was listless, and casually fried two kinds of vegetables. Everyone ate the mixed noodle steamed buns with the remaining half bowl of mushroom sauce. Xie Fei, however, ate without raising her head, and forgot the rule of not talking while eating: "It's so delicious, sister, this mushroom sauce is so delicious!"
"How can it not taste good if it has meat in it?" Grandma Xie put a little sauce on the steamed bun, took a bite, and was stunned.
It’s not like Grandma Xie hasn’t eaten good food before. She’s also a pretty good cook, but the taste of this mushroom sauce still surprised her greatly.
The meat sauce is salty, sweet and fragrant, with a thick sauce and rich flavor. If you chew carefully, you can taste the pork belly cubes, but the mushroom cubes are more delicious than the crispy meat cubes. The dried mushrooms have a chewy texture and are full of fat and sauce. When you chew them, you can smell both the meat and mushroom aroma, which makes you appetite.
With this small bowl of mushroom sauce, Xie Fei and Grandma Xie both ate one more mixed noodle steamed bun than usual!
After the meal, Grandma Xie drank a glass of waxberry juice, and then she felt her full stomach felt better. She said sincerely, "This mushroom sauce tastes really good, but I don't know how long it can be kept. Zhao Ge'er can't heat it up outside."
Cheng Yaoyao was drying some dried starberries with Xie Fei. Hearing this, he said confidently, "No. I put a little more salt in the mushroom sauce, and it's covered with a layer of oil. It can be kept for half a month without going bad."
"That's great." Grandma Xie smiled, "Why didn't I think of this before? Zhao Ge'er often works outside, and they have to eat dry food all day long. They can't afford to go to restaurants to buy food, and at most they can only eat some pickled vegetables. Their life is so hard."
Cheng Yaoyao's mind moved, and he began to think: "In a restaurant, a vegetable dish costs 20 cents, and a meat dish costs 70 cents, so of course I won't count it. My mushroom sauce contains both meat and vegetables, if..."
Dried berries are a snack, and only pregnant women and girls with spare money will buy them. However, this mushroom sauce is delicious and suitable for people of all ages, and its sales are definitely bigger than dried berries!
The basket of mushrooms that Xie San picked this morning was still in the yard. Cheng Yaoyao hurriedly poured them out and saw that most of them were chicken mushrooms. These chicken mushrooms were all broken, and they were best for making oil chicken mushrooms, but it would be a waste to make sauce.
"I'm going to pick some mushrooms and make mushroom sauce!" Cheng Yaoyao wanted to do whatever he thought of and rushed into the house to change his clothes.
Grandma Xie shook her head: "You are so quick to act and you can't keep your cool at all."
But it is precisely this lively personality that can attract the quiet and introverted Zhao Ge'er and make the Xie family's house lively.
In the room, Cheng Yaoyao found a light blue long-sleeved cardigan that was about 60% worn. This dress made her skin look especially fair, with modest puff sleeves and a nipped waist. If she wore it in the village, every girl would flock to it. Unfortunately, Cheng Yaoyao could only wear it to work.
Cheng Yaoyao unbuttoned her pink dress and was about to put on the blouse, but when she lowered her head, she was stunned.
The white skin on her chest was covered with crisscrossed red marks, which were particularly glaring.
Cheng Yaoyao's skin was white and tender, and a slight pinch would leave marks, but they would fade quickly. However, these marks were bright red, and some had even turned into a light purple, so you could tell at a glance that they were just left.
When she first lived in the dormitory for educated youths, Cheng Yaoyao was often bitten by mosquitoes all over her body, and was often laughed at by Han Yin. But there were no mosquitoes in Xie's house? She slept soundly these days.
Cheng Yaoyao stared at the marks in confusion. He touched them lightly with his fingers and immediately gasped. It was a little painful, but not like a mosquito bite.
She hurriedly took off her blouse, leaving not only her chest, but also her slender waist and long, white legs covered in red marks.
There was also a finger mark that seemed to extend into the area covered by the bra.
She took out a small mirror in disbelief and looked at her back. There were also red marks and fingerprints all over her back.
Cheng Yaoyao fell down on the bed, his mind was blank: Where did these marks come from? !
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