Chapter 169: Out of Place (1)
Hongdou is the eldest child in the Bai family. She has been a good helper to her mother and grandmother since she was young and has always been very smart.
Now, she knew that Taotao was the only person in the family who was willing to help her, or at least was willing to remain neutral and listen to her.
So Hongdou bravely introduced the boy to Taotao, "Fourth Aunt, he is Fan Heng... He, he is my good friend."
Taotao grasped the key point keenly.
——Hongdou said Xiaofan is her good friend, not her boyfriend or partner.
Taotao couldn't help but praise in her heart: Hongdou is indeed a smart girl! Regardless of whether Hongdou likes Xiaofan or considers Xiaofan as her boyfriend, just by saying "good friend", she can easily please Taotao...
She could even win Taotao's favor in the subsequent negotiations!
Fan Heng greeted Tao Tao very politely, "Hello, Fourth Auntie!"
Taotao smiled and greeted Xiaofan naturally, "Xiaofan is here, come in and sit down!"
She stepped aside to let the two boys enter the house, and then saw Song Zhi popping his head out from the corridor on the next floor...
It seemed that Song Zhi had completed the task successfully and watched Hongdou and Fan Heng go upstairs.
Taotao smiled and gave Song Zhi a thumbs up, then gently closed the door.
Only then did Song Zhi really go back to his own yard to get the things.
However, Taotao closed the door and turned around——
Then I saw Tang Liren and Xingxing standing at the kitchen door, glaring at Fan Heng? !
Hongdou was at a loss as to what to do and was almost crying.
Tao Tao, "Hongdou, have you introduced Xiao Fan to your grandma and your fifth aunt?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Hongdou seemed to have received the strongest support.
She took a deep breath and said in a trembling voice, "Grandma, Fifth Aunt, he, he is my...good friend Fan Heng."
Fan Heng was also very nervous. He bowed deeply to Tang Liren and Xingxing, "Hello, Grandma! Hello, Fifth Aunt! I, I am Fan Heng..."
Tang Liren and Xingxing didn't say anything for a long time, just stared at Fan Heng.
To be honest, the past two years have been a time of great uproar and turmoil, but Tang Liren and Xingxing have never had the heart to calm down and take a good look at Fan Heng.
Now I finally see it...
Fan Heng is a 19-year-old young man. He is handsome and wears very ordinary clothes, which may even be considered a little worn out. However, there is a kind of ethereal elegance that cannot be concealed. But he also had a very vicissitudes of life air... maybe because he was sent to labor camp for a few years?
In short, in him, two completely unrelated temperaments, youthful vitality and vicissitudes of life and fatigue, are wonderfully blended together.
It has the flavor of a prodigal son.
Taotao saw her mother and sister staring at Fan Heng, and Fan Heng was getting more and more embarrassed...
She smiled and said, "Mom, Xingxing, don't you need to watch the stove?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xing Xing turned around and ran to the kitchen, "Oh, I'm frying tofu!"
Tang Liren stared at Fan Heng again, then turned and went into the kitchen.
Feifei and Momo stood on the balcony, looking at Fan Heng curiously. The two little kids were still chatting in baby voices.
"Brother, how many soybeans are there? How many soybeans are there?"
——When Mo Mo called his brother, his pronunciation was very clear. When I call other people, it’s always Duoduo.
At this moment he was asking Feifei: Is this big brother Brother Huangdou?
Feifei first corrected his brother, "It's Big Brother, not Daduoduo..." Then he stared at Fan Heng for a while and told his brother, "He is not Huangdou brother, Huangdou brother is also a child."
That’s right, my mom has a family photo, and brother Huangdou in the photo is just a child!
Tao Tao smiled, "Fei Fei, Mo Mo, come over and say hello to Brother Xiao Fan!"
Two pink balls ran over hand in hand.
Hongdou quickly explained to Fan Heng, "These are Fourth Aunt's children. The older one is Feifei, four and a half years old, and the younger one is Momo, one and a half years old."
"Hello, Brother Fan!" Feifei greeted Fan Heng politely.
Xiao Mo followed suit, "Xiao Fan Duoduo is great!"
Fan Heng blushed, "Hello..."
Taotao asked Hongdou, "Hongdou, is there anything to eat at home?"
"Yes, yes, yes! Oh, I forgot that you just got home, Fourth Aunt. Come and sit down... I'll pour you some tea!" Hongdou said hurriedly.
Tao Tao asked casually, "What kind of tea is there?"
According to my previous habit at home, I would soak various scented teas in large enamel pots every day. And different teas will be brewed according to the different physical conditions of the family members.
Sure enough, Hongdou replied, "Today is licorice monk fruit, red dates and wolfberry tea."
Tao Tao said, "Give me a cup of red date tea! Same for the two little ones! What do you want to drink, Xiao Fan?"
"I, I can do anything!" Fan Heng replied nervously.
Hongdou smiled and went to the kitchen.
After a while she brought over tea on a tray, along with some snacks.
——Taotao and Fan Heng’s cups were exquisite fine porcelain tea cups with lids, and there were hand-painted pictures of flowers of the four seasons on them; Feifei and Momo used enamel cups with handles and no lids that were specially designed for children. The snacks were a plate of boiled peanuts, a plate of dried figs, a plate of pickled ginger, pickled cucumbers, and a plate of candy.
Fan Heng stared at the tea and snacks without saying a word.
Instead, Feifei and Momo pointed at the plate of dried figs and asked Hongdou in a baby voice what it was.
Hongdou asked Taotao, "Fourth Aunt, can my brothers eat this?"
Taotao had already picked up a dried fig, took a bite, chewed it, and found it sweet and tasty. She said, "Feifei can eat this dried fig, but Momo can't bite it, so he can just lick it... Feifei, you have to take care of your brother, you can't let him swallow it."
The two little dumplings were so happy that they clapped and cheered. Feifei picked up the largest dried fig and handed it to Fan Heng, "Little Brother Fan, have an eat!"
Fan Heng took it in a daze and held it in his palm.
Feifei picked up the second largest one and tried to break it with her little hands, but found that she couldn't break it, so she handed it to her mother.
Taotao took it, broke off the top of the dried fig, revealing the sweet and soft flesh inside, and then handed it to Feifei.
Feifei took it and gave it to Momo.
Mo Mo held it carefully, licked it, and found it was sweet?
"Good Qi!" Mo Mo said to Fei Fei happily.
Feifei then took a dried fig, took a bite, and nodded repeatedly, "Delicious! So sweet..." Then he told his brother, "You only have eight teeth, you can't bite it, you can only lick it!"
Momo nodded, "Okay, Seven!"
Fan Heng stared at the interaction between the Fei Mo brothers again and fell into a daze.
——In the past, he always knew that there were class issues between him and Hongdou.
Hongdou's grandfather and father are both high-ranking officials in the municipal party committee, and her grandmother and mother also have respectable jobs. Including Hongdou's uncles and aunts... they are all very promising.
But he never felt that there was any generation gap between him and Hongdou.
When they are together, they always have endless things to talk about, and no matter what they talk about... they can resonate with each other.
Until now.
The tea and snacks that Hongdou used to entertain guests at home were brought directly from the kitchen by her in no more than three minutes.
So, these things are always available in her home!
But--
Boiled peanuts are common, but they are not something a poor boy like him can afford if he wants to eat them.
He had never known what dried figs were before, and had never even seen them!
There is also White Rabbit milk candy! This thing is extremely expensive, but Hongdou’s family can always afford it!
This small dish of pickled vegetables is probably the only thing that every poor family has.
But the poor people eat pickled vegetables with their meals, but her family uses them to accompany tea...
It’s hard to describe the feeling.
Fan Heng couldn't help but look at Feifei and Momo again.
The brothers were still very young. The elder brother loved and treated his younger brother with courtesy. He was willing to give the biggest dried figs to the guests and then to his younger brother, and finally it was his turn. The younger brother trusted his elder brother unconditionally... Of course, it was because their family was well educated, but it also indirectly showed that this was a family that was not short of money.
If it were in his family, the brothers would fight and bleed just to have enough food to eat!
Let’s take a look at Hongdou’s house——
Framed on the wall is a giant ink painting of a pastoral landscape, with majestic brushstrokes and rich, passionate colors.
Seeing that his attention had shifted to the furnishings at home, Hongdou explained to avoid embarrassing him, "This painting was drawn by my fourth aunt's friend. It depicts our hometown, Ruyi Village. Isn't it beautiful?"
Fan Heng nodded.
Taotao smiled and said, "Is this a painting by Haishan? I haven't even seen it..."
Hongdou said to Taotao, "Sixth Grandma has passed away. It happened in March this year."
Taotao let out an "ah" and the smile on her face gradually disappeared.
Hongdou continued, "Third and fourth aunts, you are too far away. We wrote a letter to Third Aunt, and she came over with her contribution. As for us, Grandpa and Grandma are busy with work and don't have time, so my dad asked for leave to go back to pay his respects. Fourth aunt, don't worry, my dad has also raised money for you and Second Uncle."
Taotao sighed.
Hongdou continued, "My dad said that it was Aunt Haishan who saw off Sixth Grandma to her final resting place. After Sixth Grandma was buried, Aunt Haishan wanted to go back to Beijing, so she took a detour and came back with my dad. When she came home, she stayed with us at night, and sat in your yard during the day, and she also planted several flowers... Before she left, she gave us a large stack of paintings. The one on the wall was given by her, Fourth Aunt, Aunt Haishan also drew many, many paintings for you. We have kept them in your yard and will show them to you later..."
Tao Tao quickly asked, "Where is Hai Shan now?"
Hongdou, "Aunt Haishan said that now that the situation is better, she wants to go abroad to see the world. Uncle Liu contacted her with an art college in Ouzhou and asked her to be a visiting professor. So she said she wanted to take this opportunity to travel around Ouzhou, but she just said that, and we didn't know whether she had actually gone abroad."
Fan Heng couldn't respond.
——Hongdou Sigu’s friend is a painter, can she go abroad? And you want to go abroad to be a professor and teach other foreigners?
Fan Heng didn't know what to say, so he just continued looking around the living room.
In this small living room, the arrangement of furniture reveals everything about this family:
——There were several things covered with glass covers neatly arranged on the treasure chest. There were fountain pens that looked high-end, military medals, and several photo frames containing group photos of many people, all with words like "Award Meeting", "Outstanding Party Member", "Advanced Award", "Outstanding Progress Award" and so on written on them...
Hongdou introduced the prizes to Fan Heng in a low voice: the fountain pen was a prize her grandfather received when he went to Kyoto for a commendation meeting, the military medal was from her second uncle, and the other prizes were from her grandmother, her mother, and Second Uncle Song...
——On the other wall of the living room, there is a painting of "Haoran Zhengqi" in cursive script, and next to it is a painting of "Serve the People" in regular script with a slightly immature handwriting...
Hongdou then introduced to Fan Heng: "Haoran Zhengqi" was written by her grandfather, and "Serve the People" was written when she was twelve years old.
——On the chest of drawers next to the TV was a half-worn rag doll. It was bought with the money Huang Dou saved from picking up popsicle paper and cartons at the door of a state-owned ice cream parlor during the summer vacation to celebrate Hong Dou's tenth birthday...
——There are five bonsai pots in the house, representing the five families in the family. There are a few small red flowers in each bonsai pot. The little red flower is made of cut red paper pasted on both sides, with a small toothpick stuck in the middle. A simple and childish smiling face is drawn on the little red flower with a pencil.
Hongdou explained to Fan Heng that these were made of mung beans and dried potatoes, while she smiled as she arranged the little red flowers in the fifth pot.
The fifth pot represents Bai Xingxing. She is unmarried, so she should only have one small red flower. But Mung Bean and Potato were very stubborn and insisted on putting two little red flowers in Xingxing's bonsai, one to represent Xingxing and the other to represent Song Sui.
Every time Xingxing saw one, she would pull it out and throw it aside.
But no matter who sees it at home, they will always pick up the little red flower and put it back in place...
When Hongdou was talking about this, her smile was particularly gentle and her eyes were sparkling.
Fan Heng felt that she was like a sun shining with warm light, which made him dare not look directly at her.
He lowered his head, his eyes inevitably falling on the teacup.
Hongdou still cares about Fan Heng's feelings.
Seeing him staring at the teacup, she said to him, "This is licorice monk fruit tea, try it now."
Fan Heng opened the lid of the teacup.
The texture of this ceramic is so delicate and smooth, just like the skin and bones of a young girl. It is a feeling he has never experienced before.
For a moment, Fan Heng was stunned.
Taotao picked up a piece of pickled ginger and ate it, praising it highly. "The pickled ginger at home is still the best. I am in the northwest and I also make pickled ginger myself, but the taste is just not right."
After eating the pickled ginger, she picked up the cup and drank a sip of the fragrant red date and wolfberry water. She also noticed the teacup and said curiously, "I seem to have seen this set of cups at my third sister's house!"
Hongdou smiled and said, "It was sent back by my third aunt. She said that the State Guesthouse over there would exchange some broken or incomplete tea cups, bowls and plates every year. It's an internal disposal price, very cheap, cheaper than buying new ones outside. Last time my dad went to Kyoto for a meeting, my third aunt asked him to carry a big box back..."
Fan Heng became more silent.
——Hongdou’s third uncle seems to be a high-ranking official, very powerful.
Fan Heng looked at Taotao again.
——I heard that Hongdou’s fourth aunt and fourth uncle are also very capable. They are both scientists. Especially Hongdou's fourth uncle, who was a famous scholar at a young age, and his biological father was the commander-in-chief of Nandu, and his adoptive father was the commander-in-chief of Kyoto...
For some unknown reason, Fan Heng felt somewhat disheartened.
Hongdou seemed to sense his lost mood, and when Taotao wasn't paying attention, she reached out and squeezed his hand.
Fan Heng then noticed Hongdou's hands and his hands again.
——Hongdou’s hands were slender, white, smooth and tender; but his hands had thick joints, were covered with calluses and were in tatters.
Fan Heng took a deep breath and turned his head to the side.
Someone knocks at the door.
Hongdou ran to open the door, called out "Fourth Uncle", then turned sideways...
Song Zhi is here.
There was a group of children following behind him.
He brought a lot of things for his family, and it was estimated that he couldn't move them all in one trip.
So he was smart enough to go to the large flat first and call down the soybeans, mung beans and potatoes, and have them follow him to the small villa to carry the things before coming over.
So, the house was in an uproar again.
Everyone else was surprised that Taotao and Song Zhi brought back so many gifts...
Tang Li was so distressed that she scolded, "Bai Taozi! Did you empty the entire Northwest? You two brought such a small child and carried so many things back? How did you do it? Aren't you tired?"
Song Zhi, "Mom, we are not tired."
Taotao's attention was focused on soybeans, mung beans and potatoes.
——Huangdou is fifteen years old this year and looks like an adult already. He is over 1.8 meters tall, having completely inherited the genes of the Bai family. He is tall and thin, and his facial features are very similar to those of Brother Dongsheng, but his temperament is still very immature.
Huang Dou was very happy to see Taotao. He rushed over and called out "Fourth Aunt"... then scratched his head embarrassedly. Then he turned around and saw the two pink balls, Feifei and Momo. His eyes lit up, "Feifei? Momo?!"
Even Feifei couldn't recognize him, and instead excitedly shouted at Potato, "Brother Huangdou! Brother Huangdou!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Huang Dou laughed and said, "I am Huang Dou!"
Feifei was stunned and looked at Huangdou in shock. Then he stretched out his little hand and compared it with the top of his head. Then he stood on tiptoes and compared it with the top of Huangdou's head. He said seriously: "I look at family photos every day! Brother Huangdou is at most taller than me... this much!" As he said that, he gestured.
Huang Dou laughed, "We will all grow up! Little Feifei! Brother misses you so much!" As he said that, he picked Feifei up and spun around in the living room.
Green Bean is eleven years old. "Brother! Let me hug Feifei! Let me see how heavy he is..."
The youngest, Potato, was already nine years old. He was a half-grown child. He ran to Momo first, hugged him, and asked, "Momo! I'm Potato! Do you know me?"
Momo nodded, "Potato is good!"
Everyone burst into laughter again.
On the other side, Song Zhi pulled Tang Liren to look at the things he brought back from the Northwest.
The big heads are all local specialties.
Because of its special climate and soil, the Northwest produces many high-quality Chinese medicinal materials. Song Zhi brought back cordyceps sinensis, black hair algae, Cistanche deserticola, Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, lily, wolfberry, etc.
In addition, there are various high-quality dried fruits: raisins, dried apricots, red dates, walnuts...
In fact, the fruits in the Northwest are also very delicious. Song Zhi even brought a sack of melons! As well as the specialty milk tofu, a whole piece of butter, cheese, and a large bag of newly dried bitter roses for drinking in water.
In addition to these, there are also gifts that Song Zhi and Taotao carefully selected for everyone in the family.
Each female member of the family was given a windproof veil and a piece of native cotton cloth spun by the people of the northwest, with the patterns being particularly rough and bold, very much in the style of the frontier region. Each person also had a cross-body floral backpack, a comb and bracelet made of poplar wood, and so on.
Each of the men received a poplar wood root sculpture, and Bai Zhenggan, Bai Dongsheng, and Bai Nansheng each received two bottles of Hongchuan wine; the underage children each received a poplar wood pen holder, plus a large bag of snacks including fried dough twists, sesame cakes, a whole plate of honey with honeycombs, and forty sets of postcards of Western Region scenery issued by the post office.
Of course, I brought extra of all these things, after all, I was doing favors!
So Taotao also picked up a root sculpture and a bag of dried fruits, tied them up with a thin hemp rope, and handed them to Hongdou, "When Xiaofan leaves tonight, let him take them with him!"
Hongdou agreed with a smile.
The entire lively scene cooled down in an instant.
Huangdou, who had been smiling and holding Xiaofeifei and Xiaomomo just now, suddenly stopped smiling and glared at Fan Heng with murderous eyes; Mung Bean and Potato also looked at Fan Heng angrily and pulled Red Bean aside.
Hongdou was a little embarrassed, "Don't do this..."
Tao Tao asked with a smile: "Huang Dou, when do your father and grandfather usually get off work?"
Huang Dou continued to stare at Fan Heng. After a long while, he looked at the clock and replied, "That's about this time."
Tao Tao asked again, "You are going to go to school in September, right?"
Huang Dou had calmed down and stopped paying attention to Fan Heng. He also spoke to Tao Tao in a gentler tone, "Fourth Aunt, according to the plan, I will be a freshman in high school in September. My father's opinion is that I should go to high school step by step, saying that there is no rush... But I want to give it a try and take the college entrance examination directly."
"I was originally thinking that when Fourth Aunt and Fourth Uncle come back and I take my sisters and brothers to Kyoto to visit relatives, I would ask you to help me make a decision... But Fourth Aunt and Fourth Uncle came back directly, Fourth Aunt, Fourth Uncle... Can you please give me some advice!" Huang Dou said.
Song Zhi was very supportive of his nephews' love of reading, so he said, "No problem. I'll try to get you a few sets of real college entrance examination questions from this year and last year... Let's estimate our scores first."
Tao Tao also said: "This year's college entrance examination has passed, have you taken it?"
Huang Dou glared at Fan Heng again and shook his head, "No."
——The month before and after the college entrance examination this year was when the family was most upset about Fan Heng’s matter. His sister ran away three times in one month, and he went to catch her back twice... It was a chaotic situation, so how could he concentrate on the exam!
Tao Tao said, "It's okay. Ask your uncle to find more papers and books. We can take the test. We didn't make it in time for the college entrance examination this year, but it can't be wasted. We can go to the senior high school that is suitable for us and strive for the college entrance examination next year."
Soybeans should be used.
Fan Heng lowered his eyes.
He finally understood...why Hongdou was so stubborn in forcing him to study even though she knew he was not good at studying.
Because everyone in the Bai family studies.
Huang Dou is only fifteen years old and doesn’t even want to finish the first year of high school. He wants to go directly to university by taking the college entrance examination!
As they were talking, Bai Zhenggan, Bai Dongsheng and Tan Fenghui also returned from get off work.
As soon as they opened the door, Tan Fenghui smiled and said, "... Taotao is really back?"
——Just now when they were downstairs, several neighbors told them that Taotao from your family had returned. Tan Fenghui, her husband, and her father-in-law were a little bit unconvinced, thinking that Taotao didn't report the news!
Unexpectedly, as soon as I entered the house, I saw a room full of people!
Taotao's family was among them.
Everyone's attention was once again focused on Feifei and Momo.
Taotao quickly called out "sister-in-law", and then greeted her father and brother and sister-in-law. Tang Liren and Xingxing also came out of the kitchen. Needless to say, they met again, and it was very cordial and lively...
It was not until after some greetings that they saw Fan Heng that the atmosphere cooled down again.
Taotao instructed Hongdou, "Hongdou, your uncle and I brought back some melons. You and Xiaofan can cut some melons and we can eat them as appetizers before dinner..."
Hongdou's expression relaxed, she nodded, and pulled Fan Heng to the kitchen.
Tao Tao asked again, "Where's Song Sui?"
Everyone hasn't answered yet——
Xing Xing rushed to say: "Why do you care about him?"
Tan Fenghui said, "We didn't know you were back... Xiaosui usually eats dinner with us on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and today is Tuesday!"
Tao Tao, "Then Green Bean and Potato will have to run errands and call him over!"
Green Bean and Potato responded in unison and ran out the door.
Bai Zhenggan then stared at Tang Liren, pouted in the direction of the kitchen, and asked, "How dare that boy come to our house?"
Tao Tao said: "Dad, I asked him to come."
Bai Zhenggan was stunned.
Tan Fenghui's eyes turned red and she walked quickly to the balcony.
Bai Dongsheng glanced at his wife worriedly and said to Taotao, "Taotao, you...you don't even know the situation, how could you..."
Tao Tao, "It is precisely because I don't know the situation that I must understand it clearly. Brother, let me ask you... do you understand the situation?"
Bai Dongsheng, "Why wouldn't I... Of course I understand!"
"Then why don't you trust Hongdou?" Taotao asked back.
Bai Dongsheng was obviously angry, but thinking about his sister who had come from a long way, he tried to hold it in. "How can you ask me to trust her? She is my first child. How much hope do I have for her? She was also a very smart and obedient child when she was young... I love her more than other children. But look at me..."
"Ever since she met that good-for-nothing..."
Tao Tao corrected, "Xiao Fan."
Bai Dongsheng paused and took a deep breath. "Okay, what has she become since she met Xiao Fan? She stopped going to school at the age of fourteen and hangs out with Xiao Fan every day! Haven't we tried to persuade her? Haven't we done any ideological work on her? But she just chose to go her own way..."
Taotao, "Brother, I don't deny that Hongdou is a smart child. It is precisely because she is so smart that I believe in her choice. She insisted so much that we can affirm Xiaofan, so Xiaofan must be a child with merits..."
Huang Dou said bitterly: "What good does he have? He is a murderer!"
"That was his past!" Tao Tao said seriously, "It doesn't represent his present and future!"
Tao Tao slowly looked around at everyone in the family and said word by word: "I can understand that everyone loves Hong Dou, but we can't let Hong Dou feel that our love is a shackle. I have already had a preliminary understanding. In fact, everyone has not seriously talked to Xiao Fan..."
"It's better to do it today than to wait for a better day. Let's sit down today to have a good meal and chat... Everyone must promise me that no matter what happens, you will not get angry or lose your temper, okay?" Taotao asked.
Everyone fell into silence.
Xing Xing was the first to speak, "Although I don't think that second-rate guy..."
"Xiao Fan!" Taotao corrected again.
Xing Xing surrendered, "Okay, okay, Xiao Fan is Xiao Fan! Although I don't think Xiao Fan is a good person, I think what Fourth Sister said makes sense, I will listen to Fourth Sister! Let's have a good meal today, have a good chat, and get to know what kind of person Xiao Fan is!"
Song Zhi of course also stood up for his wife, "I agree with Taotao too!"
Tang Liren laughed, "She's your wife, of course you listen to her! You're such a loser... I've never seen you dare to go west when she told you to go east!"
Song Zhi smiled and said, "My wife is right, there is no need to object."
Tang Liren also expressed her opinion, "Taotao is right! Our family used to be a very good family, but I don't know what happened in the past two years. We suddenly started shouting and killing each other! Well, it's time to calm down and have a good talk about this matter."
Tan Fenghui stood at the balcony door and said with tears in her eyes, "I agree with Taotao too."
Bai Zhenggan and Bai Dongsheng looked at each other, then had to give in and nodded.
But Hongdou and Fan Heng listened to Taotao and took a few melons to the kitchen to cut them. They both knew that Taotao did this to provide a buffer.
Otherwise, the scene just now...
If Fan Heng had been present, a fight might have already broken out.
At this moment, he and Hongdou were in the kitchen and could clearly hear what the Bai family was saying in the living room.
When Hongdou heard her father say, "Hongdou is my most beloved child", her tears could not help but flow down; while Fan Heng was holding a few melons in front of him, completely at a loss as to what to do.
——He had never seen a melon and had no idea what to do with it.
However, when he saw the chopping board and the kitchen knife, he thought to himself: No matter what, I should wash the skin of the melon first and then cut it. This will never go wrong.
So he took the melon, washed it, and put it on the cutting board...
Hongdou quickly stopped him, "That's a cutting board for cutting meat, you can't use it to cut fruit. It will be bad if it gets stained with fishy smell."
As she spoke, she washed the melon again, took out the chopping board and fruit knife used specifically for cutting fruit at home, and took a large enamel tray, washed it, and put it aside.
Fan Heng watched quietly as Hongdou deftly cut the melon in half, scooped out the seeds, and then cut it into long thin strips. He then cut each strip until the skin and flesh were separated, but the melon was left on the skin.
Hongdou also cut off a piece of melon flesh, broke it in half, stuffed half into his mouth and ate the other half herself.
She praised, "It's so sweet!" Then she tilted her head and looked at him, "Is it sweet?"
Hongdou's smile was cute and sweet, and the look she gave him was bright and full of hope.
Fan Heng nodded silently.
sweet! It’s so sweet...and the melon is crispy at first, but after a few chews it becomes soft and melts into juice that is sweeter than honey and slides down your throat automatically.
He had never eaten such a delicious melon.
So this is called melon.
Hongdou said gently, "When you leave in the evening, take one for Xiuxiu to eat."
——Xiuxiu is Fan Heng’s half-sister.
Fan Heng said nothing.
At this time, probably because Green Bean and Potato called Song Sui over, the living room became lively again.
Hongdou cut two large plates of melon, and she and Fan Heng each carried a plate and walked out, "Come on, come on! Everyone, eat some melon! My fourth aunt brought it back from the Northwest, it's so sweet!"
Everyone stared at Fan Heng and no one spoke.
Tao Tao said, "Mom, Dad, brother, sister-in-law! Xiaosui... come on, come on, everyone, eat the melon! This melon is so sweet! We bought it on a transfer, and we only wanted to buy a few for the kids to satisfy their cravings. Wow... I didn't expect this melon to be so delicious! In order not to compete with you, we each ate four or five when we were still in the Northwest! Even Momo ate a whole melon by himself!"
Xing Xing, "You said it, don't argue with us!"
Tao Tao immediately turned hostile and refused to admit it, "Just because we don't fight doesn't mean we won't eat!"
Everyone laughed.
Then we ate melon together.
Everyone praised the melon for being so sweet...
The atmosphere relaxed slightly.
However, when eating the melon, Fan Heng noticed the Bai family's eating habits.
——The melon plate was first delivered to Bai Zhenggan and Tang Liren, who were the elders of the family. When Bai Zhenggan took a piece of melon, Tang Liren would take the adjacent piece of melon. Then it was Song Sui's turn, who was still a customer at the moment, and she took a piece of melon...
The next step was to take it according to seniority, starting with Bai Dongsheng. After Xingxing, the last of the second generation, had taken it, Hongdou gave it to Fan Heng first. She took it after Fan Heng had taken it.
Fourth Aunt's two children, Feifei and Momo, were so young, but they knew they had to wait until their older brothers and sisters in front of them had taken one before they could take one... They even knew they had to take the melon in order.
——Fourth aunt and her family have been away from home, and today is the first time they have come back. If even Fourth Aunt's children understand such family education and rules, it proves that Fourth Aunt also grew up in such a family environment, so she can educate her children naturally.
Fan Heng suddenly felt a little sad.
He looked at Anko.
Hongdou immediately gave him an encouraging smile: Don't worry, I will protect you!
He was very touched, but he also knew... it was no wonder that such a good family did not allow him to associate with Hongdou. If he was a member of this family, he would probably not agree.
Fan Heng felt heartbroken.
After finishing the melon, Tao Tao said, "Let's eat!"
But when the dishes were served, Fan Heng was surprised again!
Today is the welcoming banquet that the Bai family held for Fourth Aunt's family, so of course it was very sumptuous. Of course there are hard dishes like braised pork, steamed fish, and braised chicken, but there are also a lot of vegetables...
But this table is filled with a wide variety of dishes, and the presentation of each dish is very particular.
For example, there is a dish of stir-fried mushrooms with tender greens. All the tender greens have their stems facing outwards and are placed in a circle on a round plate. Mushrooms are piled in the middle, with the cap of each mushroom facing upwards, and there are cross patterns on the mushrooms. It looks so beautiful!
Other dishes cannot be shaped like this one, so two beautiful flowers are placed on the side of the plate, or thin carrot slices are carved into flower shapes for decoration, or two mint leaves are directly picked and placed on the top of the dish.
Every dish is like a work of art.
Taotao laughed at Xingxing, "If Third Sister was here today, she would definitely scold us... With your dish presentation skills, everyone will laugh at you if others tell them about it! No wonder no one wants you!"
Xingxing:? ? ?
Song Sui quickly said, "Someone wants it!"
Everyone laughed.
Xing Xing glared at Song Sui and scolded, "What does it have to do with you?"
Then she said sadly, "No matter how beautiful the presentation is, it's useless. We have to eat it in the end!"
Tang Liren felt distressed when she saw Song Sui lowering his head because of Xing Xing's scolding, so she scolded: "Bai Xingzi, just do whatever you want..."
Bai Zhenggan patted his wife's thigh under the dinner table at the right time and gave her a look.
Tang Liren looked at Fan Heng, then at Song Sui, and felt an extremely severe headache. She held her forehead with her hand, and finally turned around and yelled at Bai Zhenggan, "What are you still standing there for! Serve the food! My little grandson is waiting to eat!"
Bai Zhenggan had no choice but to pick up his chopsticks, symbolically picked up a mouthful of food, put it in his own bowl, and then told everyone, "Let's eat!"
This time, what shocked Fan Heng was not the rules and manners of the Bai family when eating.
But...
In his opinion, these dishes were already exquisite... like a painting, but Fourth Aunt actually looked down on them? And from the looks of it, it seems that the Bai family is also used to decorating dishes this way? ? ?
Fan Heng held the bowl and chopsticks but couldn't pick up any food for a long time.
Now that the family’s financial situation has improved, the Bai family ordered a large round table and also bought a turntable.
So if you want to eat something, just make sure that no one else is picking up food, then turn the turntable and the dish you like will be in front of you.
Hongdou has been taking care of Fan Heng.
"Fan Heng, have this braised chicken, it's my grandma's specialty!"
"This fish is delicious, but you have to be careful with the bones."
"Try a piece of braised pork. We have a secret recipe for our braised pork."
"This is sweet and sour meat,
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