Chapter 100 Bai Lili is missing
The next morning, Song Zhi told Taotao that he met Howard on the street in Song City yesterday.
Howard is two years older than Song Zhi. They were high school classmates but in different grades. But because both of them are outstanding enough, they still have some contact and are just nodding acquaintances.
When Song Zhi and Tao Tao got married, Huo Huaen got the news from somewhere and asked someone to send gifts and cash to Ruyi Village.
Speaking of this, Taotao has an impression.
Because this person is not very familiar with Song Zhi, but he is very generous! The gift plus the gift money is worth a fortune!
Even Song Zhi himself was frightened at that time, so he discussed and analyzed the situation with Bai Zhenggan. Huo Huaen is in politics, and Song Zhi is in scientific research. There is no specific intersection between the two, and no one knows why Huo Huaen suddenly gave such a valuable gift...
The father-in-law and son-in-law thought about it for a long time but still couldn't understand it, so they had to give up.
This time, Song Zhi met Howard on the street and they had a pretty good chat. Song Zhi invited Howard to come to his home in the evening for a home-cooked meal, and Howard gladly agreed.
Tao Tao listened and said thoughtfully: "We have lent our coal stove to Zhang Chun and Sister Chun Mei to make candy. We only have the charcoal stove. Why don't we make a hot pot?"
Song Zhi had no objection, so he nodded.
Tao Tao asked again, "Is he coming alone? Does he want my dad or my brother to come and keep him company?"
Song Zhi, "Let's eat together with him!"
Tao Tao was curious and asked, "His wife didn't come?"
Song Zhi, "They're already divorced!"
So he told him about Howard and his ex-wife.
Howard's ex-wife Zhou Lu was also a child of the military compound and grew up with Song Zhi.
Zhou Lu and Howard have been engaged since childhood.
Howard is a strong person, but Zhou Lu is stronger than him... When Song Zhi was in high school, he heard that Zhou Lu had someone else in love, but her family insisted that she marry Howard. In order to show her resistance, Zhou Lu even attempted suicide. In the end, she was beaten up by her furious father and the two were forced to get married.
They are naturally a pair of resentful couple.
After marriage, due to the urging of Zhou's father, Howard and Zhou Lu gave birth to a son.
But once Zhou's father retired due to illness, Zhou Lu immediately started divorcing Howard. After two or three years of arguing, Howard finally agreed to divorce. Zhou Lu then went abroad with her ex-boyfriend, and it is said that they got married and settled in a foreign country.
Tao Tao was very surprised. "Didn't they say that we live in a new society now and that we value free love? Why are there still arranged marriages?"
Song Zhi, "Back then, Huo Huaen's father sacrificed himself to protect Zhou Lu's father. Uncle Zhou was grateful and raised Huo Huaen like his own son, but he didn't expect this to arouse Zhou Lu's rebellious psychology..."
After hesitating for a while, Song Zhi said, "Back then, everyone liked to compare Zhou Lu and Guan Haishan. Guan Haishan's personality is a bit weird, and Zhou Lu is only more extreme than Guan Haishan."
Tao Tao, "Why would I care what his ex-wife does? It's just dinner tonight! I see. I'm going out to buy groceries! Please stay home for lunch and help me wash the vegetables!"
——When you entertain guests and cook at home, washing vegetables and dishes is essential. But now it is the dead of winter, Taotao thinks the water is too cold and doesn't like to wash vegetables.
Song Zhi responded.
Taotao pushed her bicycle out of the house and went to buy ingredients for dinner, which she then piled up at home. At this time, Song Zhi had already gone out and no one knew where he was going.
Taotao rode her bike out again.
She is going to Yuan Chunmei's house.
At this moment, Yuan Chunmei was lying in state at home.
After what happened yesterday, the leaders of the Guest House had a talk with Yuan Chunmei, hoping that she would rest at home for a while and avoid this period of time being at the center of public attention.
However, Meng Guoqiang was invited to have tea with the police because he was suspected of committing hooliganism.
Only Yuan Chunmei, her mother-in-law and her son were at home.
The mother-in-law kept nagging Yuan Chunmei to remember Meng Guoqiang's kindness, and said that since you are so sick, only Guoqiang will still be willing to want you, and you can have a home, a husband and a son! Now Guoqiang has been taken to the police station. Do you think you can still feel at ease lying in bed at home? Why don’t you go and do something to rescue Guoqiang? Or you can go to your dad or brother to find a solution...
Yuan Chunmei ignored her mother-in-law's nagging.
She lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling of the tent.
——Is she really wrong?
If possible, she doesn't want to die. She still misses the world, loves her husband, loves her son...
At the same time, Bai Lili is her good friend, and she certainly knows how kind, lovely, considerate and gentle Bai Lili is. If not for this, she wouldn't have thought of letting Bai Lili also experience the true love in the world that she had experienced!
But who would have known that Bai Lili herself didn't want to get married.
How could there be a woman in this world who doesn't want to get married and start a family?
Yuan Chunmei closed her eyes.
The mother-in-law is still nagging.
But now that we've come to this point...how has Guoqiang wronged you? Look, in order to save money for your treatment, he spends every penny carefully. Look again, he is already the deputy director, but he never wears a decent pair of shoes or smokes an expensive cigarette... Isn't it just to save money for your treatment? How come you're still lying here with such a clear conscience? You’d better find a way to rescue Guoqiang as soon as possible!
Yuan Chunmei is so annoyed!
Until now, she seemed to understand...
Everything she does seems to be for her own satisfaction?
——She had been married to Meng Guoqiang for two years when she fell ill. As a couple, if one of them falls seriously ill, the other should stay with him/her forever. Isn't that basic morality? How come when the Meng family said it, it became that Meng Guoqiang felt sorry for her? Does she have to be grateful to Meng Guoqiang and the Meng family?
What if it was Meng Guoqiang who was sick?
Will the Meng family still be like this?
——She took it for granted that she imposed her own preferences on her good friend Bai Lili.
Does she really understand Bai Lili? Do you know why Bai Lili doesn’t find a partner? Why does she think that Bai Lili is not living a good life because she doesn't have a partner?
She actually...
I also want Bai Lili to marry Meng Guoqiang!
What’s even more ridiculous is that when she made this decision, she was so sad and helpless! She even felt that she had sacrificed herself for the happiness of her husband, son and best friend. She is noble and selfless!
Until yesterday, Bai Lili scolded her, saying, "It's not that I can't find a partner! It's because I think I'm better than most people. I can't meet a young man as good as me, so I don't want to settle!"...
Recalling the past, Bai Lili's clear and angry voice was like one slap after another, making Yuan Chunmei extremely embarrassed.
She covered her face and sobbed.
The mother-in-law kept muttering, "Since you still have the energy to cry here, go find a way to rescue Guoqiang! Take your medical records with you, cry at the police station, and just roll on the ground... Who would dare to really mess with you? Maybe Guoqiang will come back!"
Then he sighed, "Guoqiang is the only one in this family who has made a name for himself! He became the deputy director, how rare! His brother's family, his sister's family, and his father and I...are all counting on him! What if he is sentenced or demoted..."
Yuan Chunmei sneered inwardly.
Meng Guoqiang only has a junior high school education. To be precise, I dropped out of junior high school after only one semester. He can't even recognize all the words in an entire book of quotations from God. How can he be qualified to be promoted and become deputy director?
Isn’t it because she has a terminal illness?
He works in the boiler room. He is lazy every day and avoids work every month, but he is always included in the advanced evaluation every year!
Why?
Because he would definitely bring up her illness when he made his year-end summary, and he would speak of it with such deep affection and passion... He would also always use moral blackmail on his colleagues in his words and threaten them overtly or covertly, saying that if they didn't choose him as an advanced worker, they would be trying to force his sick wife to death.
Most people are kind.
As a result, Meng Guoqiang got the opportunity to be promoted and his salary increased by several levels.
Speaking of wages, it's even more ridiculous.
Not a penny of Meng Guoqiang's money would be given to her; but all her money must be handed over to her.
As a cancer patient, Yuan Chunmei has never received special treatment. Even because she is a woman and a younger generation, she has to give way to men, the elderly and children when eating meat and vegetables...
It was thanks to Bai Lili's daily delivery of medicinal soups and drinks over the past four years that she was able to slowly restore her health.
Even so, Meng Guoqiang still went to her office at noon every day without fail... It was ridiculous that she used to think that this was a manifestation of his love for her, but now that she thought about it, he was just taking advantage of her herbal soup! He even eats and drinks more than she does!
For four years, she survived on the medicinal soup sent by Bai Lili, while Meng Guoqiang relied on snatching the medicinal soup from her mouth, nourishing himself to have a rosy complexion and a fat and strong body!
Yuan Chunmei never thought that her terminal illness, which was already unfortunate, would actually bring Meng Guoqiang a good opportunity for promotion, wealth, and the death of his wife!
The mother-in-law was still nagging, and because Yuan Chunmei ignored her, she became more and more angry, and her consolation turned into accusations -
"...You are such a jinx! Our whole family is dragged down by a sickly person like you! If it weren't for you, my son, the deputy director of the heating department of the Municipal Party Committee's logistics department, would have wanted to marry any woman he wanted? If you don't care about my son, then get out of here! It's better for you to die early, so that you don't have to occupy the shit pit without doing anything!"
Yuan Chunmei laughed angrily, "How did I burden you? Did you spend a penny to buy medicine for me? The money for my medicine, follow-up examinations, and chemotherapy was all given by my parents! You took all my salary and didn't give me a penny... You never cooked a decent meal for me, and never bought me a piece of clothing with my salary. I was sick, and I was the one doing the housework in spring, summer, autumn and winter. I was still doing it no matter how uncomfortable I was. How did I burden you?"
The mother-in-law was speechless for a moment.
After a long while, he finally got back on track, "Isn't it me who buys groceries and cooks? Isn't it me who takes care of the kids? You talk as if I'm eating and drinking for free here!"
Yuan Chunmei sneered, "I have done all the housework, even your underwear was washed by hand! Do I still need to buy groceries and cook? You said you looked after my child? Do you feel guilty for saying this? How did you look after the child? Ask Junjun, will Junjun admit it? You are a rural woman, you don't have a penny income, you only know how to compare with others and gossip about others all day long, you live in my place and you eat and drink for free, what else have you done?"
The mother-in-law was silent for a long while, then started to cry, "Oh my God! I can't live like this anymore... Guoqiang, my son, please come back soon, this vicious woman you married treats your mother like this... Oh my God, I can't live anymore, I can't live anymore..."
At this time, someone knocked on the door——
"Excuse me, is Yuan Chunmei at home? I'm Bai Lili's sister, please open the door!"
I heard that Bai Lili’s sister is here?
Yuan Chunmei's mother-in-law was already rolling on the ground crying...
Suddenly, he jumped up and ran into her room like the wind and closed the door!
Yuan Chunmei quickly got up from the bed and opened the door with tears on her face.
Bai Taotao stood at the door, staring at Yuan Chunmei whose eyes were red and swollen.
Yuan Chunmei looked behind Bai Taotao...
Seeing that she was the only one here, he couldn't help but feel disappointed, "You..."
Bai Taotao introduced herself: "I am Bai Lili's younger sister Bai Taotao."
As she spoke, Taotao grasped Yuan Chunmei's hand and said sincerely, "Yuan Chunmei, I came here to tell you that your husband is so good and you love him so much... So please live well, work hard to overcome the disease, face life with strength, and live a good life with your husband... Don't worry about my sister anymore."
As she spoke, Taotao transferred an endless stream of spiritual power into Yuan Chunmei's hands.
Yuan Chunmei: …
How could she not understand Bai Taotao's implied meaning?
——A broken pot with a rotten lid, you scumbag, come and love it! Just stop plotting against my sister!
Yuan Chunmei was so ashamed and angry that she wanted to die.
"Taotao, I, I...at first I really thought I had made the right decision. I thought it would be good for everyone. Mainly, Meng Guoqiang was very nice to me. I didn't expect that he thought I was dying, so he was just dealing with me on the surface. That's why..."
Yuan Chunmei sobbed for a few times and said to Taotao: "Taotao, I still don't dare to go find your sister and apologize to her... Can you do it for me..."
"cannot!"
Bai Taotao said seriously: "Because you are no longer worthy of being my sister's friend. Please stay away from her and don't bother her in the future."
After saying that, Taotao stopped inputting spiritual energy and turned to leave.
Yuan Chunmei covered her face and cried bitterly.
Song Zhi was not idle either. He went out for Bai Lili.
He went to the post office and called several of his high school classmates who were doctors in Kyoto. He told them about Yuan Chunmei's condition and asked them to introduce experts in this field. After he had established connections, Song Zhi went to find Bai Dongsheng and talked to him for a long time...
After get off work at noon, Bai Dongsheng went to find Yuan Chunmei's parents and brother.
——Yuan Chunmei had a younger sister who also died of cancer at a young age. So her family still feels sorry for Yuan Chunmei. Knowing that Bai Dongsheng repaid evil with kindness and even contacted medical experts in Kyoto to treat Yuan Chunmei... they were both ashamed and moved!
Little did they know that the Bai family’s wish was: they hoped Yuan Chunmei could survive and be locked together with Meng Guoqiang for life! Don't ever have any bad ideas about Lili again.
Taotao went home after finishing her work.
Song Zhi hasn't come back yet.
She squatted in the kitchen and sorted the vegetables piled in the corner.
The weather was too cold, and Taotao had just passed a lot of spiritual power to Yuan Chunmei, so her hands and feet were frozen.
Taotao ran upstairs, got some hot water with a hot water bottle, filled it, then took a Japanese book and got into bed, covering her hands and feet while reciting the text.
It was almost noon when Song Zhi came back.
Taotao heard some noise downstairs and shouted, "Song Zhi! Song Zhi——"
Song Zhi went upstairs quickly and pushed the door open.
Taotao was naughty and deliberately called him over, then held his face with her cold hands.
Song Zhi frowned, "Is it so cold?"
Taotao nodded aggrievedly.
He immediately took off his coat and trousers, got into bed, held Da Baitao in his arms, and said incredulously, "Yesterday was colder than today, but I didn't see you this cold yesterday... Is it possible that your period is coming soon? That's not right, weren't you just gone for a few days?"
Tao Tao was unhappy, "Why do you remember that?"
Song Zhi: Then how come everything is alright? It concerns one’s own interests and happiness!
But he didn't dare to argue, as if he offended the little ancestor, he would be the one who suffered.
He just held the big white peach obediently.
Song Zhi has a high body temperature and carries spiritual energy. Taotao was warmed by his warmth and felt very comfortable with the fragrant spiritual energy, so she couldn't help but doze off.
"Song Zhi... I'll just sleep for a short while, and then the two of us... will cook some noodles for lunch... I, I'll sleep for a while and then get up to cook some noodles..." Taotao fell asleep before she could finish her sentence.
Song Zhi didn't move. He knew that once he left, the temperature in the bed would slowly drop. So it would be better to let her sleep for a while while he went downstairs to do the housework.
About twenty minutes later, when Taotao fell asleep, Song Zhi got out of bed quietly, put on his cotton coat again, and hurried downstairs.
The first thing he did was to drag the fire box and the thin quilt to the kitchen, make a charcoal basin, put it in the fire box, and then cover the fire box tightly with the thin quilt. Then he started a fire in the small charcoal stove, boiled a pot of water, poured it into the thermos, and used the thermos cup to make Taotao a cup of brown sugar tea.
Then I started to boil water in a pot and cook the noodles.
Taotao was going to invite Howard to dinner in the evening, so she bought a lot of meat and vegetables and piled them all in the corner.
When Song Zhi saw a piece of burnt pork trotter, he cut off a palm-sized piece of meat, half fat and half lean, cut it into small pieces and threw it into the soup pot. See another tomato? I chopped it up and threw it into the soup pot, then washed a few cabbage leaves and two chives...
I guess it's about time...
Sure enough, Da Baitao's lazy and charming voice came from upstairs, "Song Zhi——"
Song Zhi smiled.
He really loves his and Taotao's little family.
——He was needed at all times and had never been deliberately treated coldly.
——She always had various requests of him, asking him to do this or that, in order to make their lives better.
——She managed this small home with great care, keeping it clean and tidy, and taking care of him to ensure he was healthy and well-dressed.
"Taotao, come down and eat noodles!" Song Zhi shouted.
The big white peach fell silent.
Soon, she rushed downstairs.
"Wow! It smells so good!" Taotao praised.
See that firebox in the kitchen?
Taotao's eyes lit up, she took off her shoes, lifted the thin quilt and crawled in. "Ah! It's so warm!" Dabaitao looked very happy.
Song Zhi smiled and handed Taotao the cup of sweet brown sugar water with the aroma of black tea, then turned around to cook noodles.
Taotao drank the brown sugar water slowly.
Brown sugar is sweet and fragrant, while black tea is mellow and slightly bitter.
Brown sugar removes the bitterness of black tea, and black tea relieves the greasy sweetness of brown sugar. Add to that the slightly scalding temperature, and everything goes together just right.
Taotao drank brown sugar water while watching Song Zhi cook.
There were two charcoal pots in the kitchen, and the temperature was gradually rising.
Song Zhi took off his cotton coat and wore only the gray sweater knitted by Taotao, with the snow-white shirt collar showing at the neckline.
He has a slender figure, a gentle gaze, and his hands move swiftly and skillfully.
I saw him breaking the noodles in half and throwing them into the soup pot, so as to prevent the noodles from being too long and dripping with water when slicing them... Then he threw the washed cabbage leaves into the soup pot, and after the noodles were boiled for a while, he cracked two eggs into the pot, and after they were poached into shape, he began to season them, and finally sprinkled them with chopped green onions...
The steaming pot of noodle soup was divided into two bowls, one large and one small.
Taotao held her bowl of noodles, looking unhappy, "There's so little soup!"
Then he stared at Song Zhi's bowl and said, "There's so much soup in your bowl!"
Song Zhi explained, "Your bowl is no longer able to hold more soup..."
Taotao put a few chopsticks of noodles into his bowl, "You can have more now!"
"How can you be full with just that little?" Song Zhi was a little helpless. He picked up his big bowl and poured noodle soup into her bowl. He didn't stop until the soup was about to overflow from her bowl.
But Taotao was still not satisfied. She grabbed the edge of his bowl and took two sips of the hot soup. Then she sighed with contentment, held her own bowl, and ate slowly.
“This noodles is delicious!”
Tao Tao praised, "Song Zhi, are you the noodle spirit?"
Song Zhi, who was eating noodles, was stunned.
——Noodle spirit?
He glanced at the pork trotter piled in the corner and was in a dilemma for a moment: when he roasted the pork trotter later, should he make it taste better or worse?
Pig trotters are precious. If they are not cooked well, wouldn’t it be a waste?
But if it is cooked deliciously, will she say he is a pig trotter expert?
Tao Tao continued to praise, "Song Zhi, why is the noodle soup you cook so delicious! I declare that you are the best cook of noodle soup in our family! I am the second!"
"puff--"
Song Zhi almost burst out laughing.
The young couple sat together in the fire box, eating simple noodle soup...
It was a delicious and heartwarming meal too!
After lunch, Song Zhi and Tao Tao stayed in the warm firebox for a while...
Song Zhi got up and prepared for dinner.
Taotao had eaten her fill, drunk her fill, and taken a nap, and had also absorbed a lot of spiritual energy... She was now refreshed, so she planned to come down and prepare dinner with Song Zhi.
Song Zhi felt sorry for her, "Just sit in the firebox and command me! By the way, you should practice your Japanese... When the holiday is over and school starts, you will have a lot of study to do!"
Taotao thought about it and agreed.
So she sat by the fire with her textbook, reciting the text, and talking to Song Zhi; Song Zhi wore an apron, stewed soup, washed vegetables, sliced meat, and made sauces...
At five forty-five, the doorbell rang.
Song Zhi and Tao Tao knew that Howard had arrived.
Song Zhi's hands were covered in oil, and Taotao went over to open the door.
A handsome man in a black tweed coat and a light gray plaid scarf stood at the door, his hands full of gifts.
Tao Tao looked at this man and tentatively called out, "Howard?"
The person who came was Howard.
He looked at the beautiful and lively girl in front of him with a smile, a little surprised - she was Song Zhi's wife and Lili's sister Bai Taotao?
If you look closely, you will find that Lili and Taotao are only 30% similar.
Taotao is as beautiful as a fairy from outer space, with an unrealistic and ethereal feeling.
Lili is still gentle and cute.
"Yes, I'm Howard," he said with a smile, "...and you're my sister-in-law Bai Taotao?"
Bai Taotao smiled and said, "Come in quickly!"
She turned aside, made way, and shouted, "Song Zhi! Howard is home!"
Howard looked around the small yard.
——This yard is indeed very small. Including the yard, the area is only about 70 to 80 square meters. The area of the house is even smaller, only about 40 to 50 square meters. It is a two-story building.
But in this cold winter, there are several clumps of lush evergreens planted in the yard, a brand new women's bicycle and a half-used 28-style bicycle are parked on the side of the corner, and several blooming chrysanthemums are planted on the other side of the corner. There is a trellis in the middle of the courtyard, which may have been covered with grapes or loofahs? But now it has withered, so the hostess hung green orchids around the trellis, and a pot of blooming daffodils was placed on the eight-immortals table under the trellis.
It is these tiny dots of green, a few clusters of chrysanthemums and daffodils that are not many but enough to add the finishing touch...
This makes the small courtyard exude a warm spring atmosphere.
Song Zhi had already washed his hands and rushed out of the kitchen, "Hua En!"
Howard looked at Song Zhi in surprise.
——Song Zhi was wearing a light grey hand-knitted sweater, dark grey trousers, and a floral apron… plus his warm eyes and a relaxed and happy smile on his lips…
Howard glanced at Bai Taotao subconsciously.
When Song Zhi was studying, he was taciturn and had a very gloomy temperament.
Because of his good looks and excellent academic performance, some female classmates also admire him... However, after getting close to him for a while, they will find that he has a very dull personality.
He couldn't laugh at things that everyone found funny, and he didn't understand what was so funny; he couldn't understand things that made anyone happy, and he didn't know what was worth celebrating...
He seems to have no interest in anything except studying. Even if others talk to him about studying... they will find it boring because they are not on the same level.
As time went by, no one was willing to approach him anymore.
The "coincidence" with Song Zhi on the street yesterday was intentional by Howard. He had something on his mind. Although his first impression was that Song Zhi had not changed, but his temperament was completely different from before, he did not think too much about it.
Until now, Song Zhi appeared in front of Howard as a typical housewife...
Howard couldn't help but wonder: What was the reason that turned Song Zhi, an academic fanatic, into a docile sheep?
"Song Zhi! You've really changed a lot!" Howard walked over, shook hands with Song Zhi, and handed over the gift in his hand, "It's a small gift, a token of my appreciation."
Song Zhi was a little embarrassed, "Sorry, I was washing vegetables, my hands are too cold." He took the gift and said, "It's good that you're here, but it doesn't have to be like this."
Tao Tao stood aside and saw them talking like this, and knew that they were not familiar with each other, so she said, "Huo Huaen, let's go to the living room!"
As she spoke, she walked into the living room first.
Song Zhi also said to Howard, "Hua En, go sit in the living room for a while. Dinner will be ready soon! We're having hot pot today!"
Howard followed Taotao into the living room.
The first floor of this small house only has a living room, kitchen, bathroom and a small bedroom. Song Sui lived in the small bedroom, but he stayed with Xing Xing from morning till night and would not come back until night time...
Howard looked around the living room again.
The living room is quite spacious, about 20 square meters. The sofas have been deliberately moved, with the double sofa facing the single sofa, and a table in the middle with a fire box under the table.
Look around again -
In fact, there were no complicated or valuable decorations in the living room. There were just some pottery jars, a few books, and some peculiarly shaped stones placed on a few simple wooden shelves, and that was all.
But it looks exceptionally elegant.
There are also several oil paintings of flowers hanging on the wall, which are obviously in the style of Kwan Hoi-Shan.
Howard came closer and took a look...
It’s true!
Taotao smiled and said, "All the paintings in our house were painted by Shanshan."
Howard asked, "Are you familiar with her?"
"Yes!" Taotao said, "She is my best friend."
Howard was a little surprised.
Guan Haishan's love for Song Zhi was a very famous story in the Beijing government compound, the military district compound, and in junior and high schools. Both Kwan Hoi-shan and Howard's ex-wife Zhou Lu are known as "witches" because they are the kind of people who can really go crazy and die for their lovers.
Who would have thought that Bai Taotao not only subdued Song Zhi, but also dealt with Guan Haishan? !
Taotao smiled and said to Howard, "When we lived in the countryside, our house was big and we could heat the kang. Now the house is small, and Song Zhi and I don't live here often, so we use a firebox... Howard, do you mind taking off your shoes and going up to the fire?"
Howard looked at the firebox and nodded, "I do want to try it."
Tao Tao went to get a pair of cotton slippers and said, "Please come in! Sit down for a while and I'll make you a cup of tea. Song Zhi will be ready in the kitchen soon."
Howard nodded, "I'm sorry to trouble you."
After a while, Taotao brought over three cups of tea and chatted with Howard for a while. She learned that Howard came to Song City with his widowed mother, son and little nephew, and was currently living in the Guest House.
This year, the family will stay in Song City for the New Year.
Tao Tao asked in surprise: "Does your family have any important relatives in Song City?"
Howard thought about it, nodded with a smile, "...Yes."
——I hope I can become related to your family by marriage.
Song Zhi started serving the dishes.
In fact, he just brought a small charcoal stove over, and then moved the soup pots and the dishes he had prepared over one by one. There were four or five meat plates, three or four vegetarian plates, plus dipping sauce plates, soup bowls and so on, filling up the table.
Howard was very moved, "Song Zhi, did you do all this?"
Song Zhi nodded with a smile, "I didn't do anything! I just boiled a pot of soup, and then washed these vegetables, which were still raw. Oh, and the hot pot dipping sauce was made by Taotao... That's the essence!"
Taotao smiled and said, "Let's eat!"
She first gave Howard a bowl of thick soup and said playfully, "Howard, guess what kind of soup this is? Guess and you'll win a prize!"
Then she added a bowl of thick white soup for Song Zhi and herself.
Howard looked at Taotao for a while, then picked up the bowl and drank the soup.
This was of course broth, with an extremely mellow and delicious taste, as if it had the freshness of pork bones and the saltiness of pickled meat... He couldn't tell what kind of soup this was.
"I can't guess." Howard said simply.
Tao Tao giggled, turned to Song Zhi and said, "If my sister Li Zi were here, she would definitely be able to test it out!"
Howard's expression changed.
Taotao smiled and said to Howard, "This soup base has chicken bones, pork bones, cured spareribs and fish heads, as well as a little dried squid, rice wine, half a potato and a whole piece of mashed tender tofu!"
Song Zhi looked at Tao Tao lovingly and said with a smile, "This is the idea she came up with... She said it was a waste recycling method! But I've tried this soup, although the taste is a bit mixed, it still tastes very good... Oh, by the way, Hua En, don't worry, I've filtered the residue with gauze, so there won't be any fish bones, so you can drink it without worry."
Howard was somewhat moved.
He came to Song Zhi's house as a guest today just to get to know Bai Lili's family indirectly.
Sure enough, Lili's sister is also a very capable girl in managing the household. Is it because of this that Song Zhi was captured by Bai Taotao?
Then the Bai family must have a very good family atmosphere.
Bai Taotao finished a bowl of soup and praised, "Song Zhi's cooking skills are really good! I can eat three bowls of rice with this soup!"
"Really?" Song Zhi asked doubtfully.
——Usually her stomach capacity is like cat food, he doesn’t believe that she can eat three bowls of rice!
Bai Taotao suddenly felt guilty, "Hehehe...eat three bowls a day, okay?" Then she put on a serious face, "Today's dishes are so good, who's going to eat rice? Just eat meat! Come on, Howard, give me another bowl of soup! After adding more soup, we can put in the vegetables!"
Howard had a meal...
It was a dinner he would never forget.
To be precise——
He was stuffed with dog food.
But one thing is certain, that is... Song Zhi, who was so sinister before, has now become so humorous, cheerful, sunny and warm, and Bai Taotao is the key person.
In addition, the way Bai Taotao and Song Zhi get along with each other also gives Howard a glimmer of hope for his future life.
The three of them ate and chatted about Song Zhi and Huo Huaen's campus life, Song Zhi's life in Ruyi Village, and Song Zhi and Tao Tao's life in Kyoto as a student and teacher...
Before I knew it, I had finished my soup and had a full meal.
Looking at the time again——
It's already half past eight at night.
Howard was very sensible. After drinking the freshly brewed tea by Taotao, he said he was leaving.
Taotao took out a box of snacks she had prepared in advance, nodded, and handed it over. "This is the snack made by my sister Li Zi... She works at the City Guest House and is a snack chef. Don't be fooled by her often making those fancy things, but in fact, the mung bean cakes she makes are the most delicious! Today we had hot pot and roasted a fire... If you get a sore throat, eating some mung bean cakes is good for cooling down. Take it!"
Since it was Lili who did it, Howard certainly wouldn't refuse.
He took it with both hands and said to Bai Taotao: "Thank you for the hospitality. Today..."
Just about to say goodbye——
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door in a hurry, "Brother! Sister-in-law... hurry up! Come out and help, Lili is missing!"
Bai Taotao, Song Zhi and Huo Huaen were all stunned.
Song Zhi recognized that it was his brother's voice, so he asked loudly, "Song Sui, what's going on?"
Song Sui pushed open the gate breathlessly and said in horror, "Nansheng went to pick up Lili after her night shift, but she didn't show up after waiting for ten minutes... When we went in to ask, we found out that she had left ten minutes ago! Nansheng looked everywhere for her but couldn't find her, so he asked someone to tell us to hurry up and look for her... Brother, sister-in-law, you guys should hurry up too!"
Tao Tao's pretty face turned pale. She looked at her watch and her voice trembled, "Oh my God! My sister got off work at eight o'clock. It's already half an hour?"
Song Zhi comforted her, "Don't worry, it might be because the New Year is coming soon, so he went out to buy things...You stay at home and don't go out, I'll go and see!" As he said that, he turned around to get his cotton coat.
Taotao shook her head, "No, no, no, I'll go look for it too..."
Howard didn't even bother to say a word to Song Zhi and Tao Tao, and ran out with the box of mung bean cakes.
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