They left the kitchen one after another, and Goudan stayed in the kitchen to clean up the mess. They had just cooked, so there were inevitably some residues on the stove and the wall.
As soon as they sat down, Xi Nian and the other three came over, and Zhong Yuxiu greeted them with a smile.
"Comrades, please sit down. Come and try the mutton soup made by Goudan."
Zhong Yuxiu served them each a bowl of soup, and also served a bowl to Haonan and Tian Shangguo, and finally hers; she took a sip of the mutton soup, which was full of freshness and richness in her mouth, without any fishy smell, and was very delicious.
"Why haven't I seen Goudan today?" Xi Nian took a sip and nodded repeatedly. "The soup base is very flavorful, better than the one made by the chef in the state-owned restaurant."
Zhong Yuxiu smiled and said, "I'm busy in the kitchen."
"Your Goudan's cooking skills are amazing." Xi Nian praised unabashedly, his eyes full of envy. "I wish I had a robot like this, so I could come home to delicious food every day."
"Then you can learn more. Cooking is also a skill. Once you learn it well, you can make whatever you want to eat without waiting for anyone."
Xi Nian shook his head. "I don't have that talent. I can cook it well, but it won't taste good."
Zhong Yuxiu felt balanced. It was rare for her to meet someone with similar clumsy hands as her. She felt so happy!
"That's not so bad. At least I won't starve to death when no one cooks. No matter what I do, it won't work. Before Goudan came along, I lived alone, with only two meals a day. I felt lonely and hungry quickly."
"Your choice of words is very interesting." What words?
Zhong Yuxiu smiled slightly and said, "Eat some food."
The group enjoyed the food and drinks, and there were leftovers on the table. Haonan and Tian Shangguo even put some rice on their plates to mix with the rice. The other two guards were still hesitant, but seeing this, one of them took the plate with the remaining soup to the kitchen to get some rice.
"Excuse me." Xi Nian was a little embarrassed.
"That's fine. Not wasting food is a good habit and a virtue." Zhong Yuxiu smiled calmly and gently, not surprised by this. She raised her chin slightly and looked at Hao Tian and the others. "They've always been like this. They're reluctant to throw away the soup after every meal."
Xi Nian chuckled, "Life is better now than before, but only slightly. There are still many people down there who don't have enough to eat."
"Yes! So, we must speed up the development of science and technology." Thinking about the days when she went to the countryside and had no food to eat or warm clothes to wear, if she had not had the support of the mountains and Yan Rushan to take care of her, she didn't know what her life would be like.
As the two talked, they watched the other four people finish the soup and rice on their plates. Only a few drops of soup were left on the plates, and not a single grain of rice was left.
Before leaving, Xi Nian handed her two train tickets and said, "The tickets are for 9:30 tonight. There's still time to go now."
"Thank you." Zhong Yuxiu took it and held it in her hand. "Comrade Xi Nian, please wait a moment."
Under Xi Nian's puzzled gaze, Zhong Yuxiu got up and went to the utility room, packed up some New Year's goods and said, "Return the gift. Be careful on the road."
"I'm honored to accept this. Goodbye." Xi Nian led his men away.
Zhong Yuxiu stood at the door and watched the people walk away. She turned around and said, "Comrade Hao, Comrade Tian, come here for a moment."
"What's wrong?" Haonan and Tian Shangguo were cleaning the table. When they heard her words, they put down their things and came over. "Comrade Zhong, is there anything we can do?"
"No." Zhong Yuxiu handed them the train tickets. "It's 7:30 now, and the train leaves at 9:30. Have you packed your things?"
Haonan and Tian Shangguo nodded, "We packed it up early this morning."
"Then let's go."
"Let's wash the dishes before we leave." Haonan took the ticket and, according to the destination written on it, he took one and gave the other to Tian Shangguo.
Zhong Yuxiu said, "You don't have to pack. Goudan can do it. The train station is not close and there are no buses tonight. Go and get your luggage. We are going to the Yan family. Comrade Yan Rushan will take you back."
"No need to trouble them, we can call a comrade to come and pick them up; Comrade Tian's bicycle and sewing machine need a taxi. I have a comrade in the transport team in Beijing, and the transport team has also arrived home. It would be a good opportunity to trouble him to deliver them."
Comrade Zhong and Yan Rushan are in contact, so it's okay to ask him for help; however, they can't let Comrade Zhong bother others for trivial matters.
"Transportation team, do they have trucks?"
"Yes, the truck."
Zhong Yuxiu understood, "Then you can contact them. It's inconvenient to carry a sewing machine on a small car."
"Okay, I'll go right away." Haonan abandoned the dishes and ran to contact his comrades; Tian Shangguo continued to pack up, and Zhong Yuxiu took the cleaned dishes to the kitchen and gave them to Goudan, asking Goudan to wash them.
After contacting his comrades, Haonan went upstairs with Tian Shangguo. A moment later, the two came downstairs carrying a military luggage bag, and went to the utility room to pack up the things they had bought and take them away.
Zhong Yuxiu went upstairs and took out a cotton-padded jacket and put it on. "Let's go. I'll see you off. Comrade Hao, what time will your comrades arrive?"
"We'll be at the gate of the compound in half an hour."
"Then we need to ask someone to help move these things out." The compound is so big, how to move them is a problem.
Haonan said, "Comrade Zhong, Comrade Tian Shangguo and I will be enough. The heaviest thing is the sewing machine. Stack the bicycle on top of it and tie the other things to it. The two of us can carry it and go. No need to ask for help."
"Will it work?" Today's sewing machines are really heavy.
"Okay, you don't have to see us off; we can just carry our things to the gate of the compound, and my comrade should be here soon."
Tian Shangguo echoed, "Take care of yourself. We won't be here for the next half month, so you need to be more careful. If you don't have anything to do, don't go out. Stay warm at home."
"I know, I know. Go ahead and tie it up." Zhong Yuxiu stepped back and let them tie everything to the sewing machine. After witnessing the sewing machine become a small mountain, Zhong Yuxiu was still a little worried. "Let's call someone to help. It's just a phone call away."
Then stuff some delicious food or a pack of cigarettes in it.
Haonan shook his head hurriedly, and Tian Shangguo disagreed, "Comrade Zhong, thank you for your concern. There's no need to call for help, we can handle it."
Zhong Yuxiu was skeptical. The sewing machine itself was heavy, and with all those things added to it, it was too much and too heavy.
"Don't worry, we will do our best. If we really can't do it, we will just walk slowly." It's better not to ask for help unless it's necessary.
"Okay then, you guys go ahead and I'll go pack some New Year's goods for you to take home." After she finished speaking, Zhong Yuxiu went straight to the storage room.
Haonan and Tian Shangguo looked at each other, and helplessly said no to Zhong Yuxiu's back. How could they have the nerve to ask for her things again?
Zhong Yuxiu ignored all this and went to the storage room to rummage around, packing half of the snacks and dividing the meat into one third and packing them separately. She then went to the main room to unpack the New Year goods and gifts that Xi Nian had brought over, and gave each of them some dried seafood, but ignored the mountain products, as they were not popular in the mainland, especially in rural areas.
Only after packing two large bags did Zhong Yuxiu stop.
"Comrade Zhong, there are too many things." I can't take them all!
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