"I went to the county town this morning to buy some things."
Su Jingjing automatically ignored the work matter. She didn't want the people in the family compound to know, including Li Hanting, because it was too unbelievable that the original owner, who only graduated from elementary school, could possibly know English.
However, she couldn't hide it forever, nor did she want to live her whole life with the reputation of only having graduated from elementary school. She had to work hard to get into a university.
With the college entrance examination approaching this year, Su Jingjing plans to prepare for next year's exam.
When Huang Qiurong heard that Su Jingjing had gone to the county town again, the smile on her face faded considerably.
Didn't I visit the village store a couple of days ago?
Today she went to the county town again. No matter what, Su Jingjing can't change her extravagant spending habits. Luckily, she married Commander Li.
Su Jingjing kept her eyes on Sister Qiu Rong and noticed the changes in her expression. To outsiders, she was a spendthrift woman. She didn't want to explain too much to outsiders, as they would think she was showing off her wealth. In the 1980s, it was better to hide one's wealth.
The atmosphere became much quieter after that, and the two of them watered the plants in silence.
Huang Qiurong probably realized that her expression had changed too quickly and caused Su Jingjing to misunderstand. She was thinking of an excuse to break the awkwardness when she noticed that Su Jingjing had a band-aid on her finger.
She couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Jingjing, what happened to your hand?"
Su Jingjing was surprised that her sister-in-law Qiu Rong was still willing to talk to her. After realizing what was happening, she quickly replied, "Oh, I accidentally got burned at noon."
Is it very red and swollen?
"I applied the medicine, and I should be fine by tomorrow."
Su Jingjing didn't tell anyone that the man had put a band-aid on her wound. Even if she did, Sister-in-law Qiu Rong might not believe her.
As the sun began to set, Su Jingjing picked two vegetables, then packed up her things and returned to the front yard.
At this time, the two children had not yet been dismissed from school, and even Li Hanting had not finished training. Su Jingjing took out the meat she had bought that morning from the water tank and went into the kitchen to cook, seemingly ignoring the man's words.
Just then, there was a commotion at the door. Seeing Su Jingjing's actions, Li Hanting quickly stopped her.
"Didn't I say I'd come back to do laundry?"
He then picked up the bag and went into the kitchen.
He immediately started cooking rice, then turned to ask Su Jingjing how much rice to cook, and then sliced the meat thinly.
The man's smooth and effortless movements stunned Su Jingjing; it seemed that having him as an assistant was a good choice.
Li Hanting prepared the side dishes, and Su Jingjing only needed to stir-fry them. Her left hand was injured, and she could easily use her right hand to lift the wok.
This was the first time Li Hanting had seen Su Jingjing cook so skillfully; just smelling the aroma, he could imagine how delicious it would be.
Su Jingjing didn't hide anything from men. In any case, Li Hanting would at most think she was an imposter, and would never suspect that she had a different soul.
Fortunately, the sound of cooking blocked out the awkwardness between the two in such a confined space.
Just as I finished preparing the meal, the two little ones came running in from outside.
The little guy didn't even bother to take his bag off before heading straight to the kitchen.
Excitedly, she exclaimed, "Mommy smells so good!"
As he spoke, he even gave it a good sniff.
Li Cheng'an felt the same way. Just now, when he and a group of children returned to the downstairs of the family compound, they smelled a delicious aroma of food. Da Pang couldn't even move because of the smell.
Only he and his sister knew that their mother must have cooked something delicious at home.
However, his father had always told him not to tell anyone about family matters. He wasn't stupid, otherwise his fat mother would come and steal his food.
As the man was serving the dishes, Su Jingjing hugged the little one's soft body and helped her take off her handbag.
"Oh dear, our little glutton is back."
It was only then that she realized how light the schoolbags of children in the 1980s were. They probably only contained two textbooks, unlike children in later generations who carry huge schoolbags on their small bodies, which weigh down their backs.
However, knowledge was limited in the 1980s, so it seems I'll have to go to the county town next time to pick out some storybooks for my two children to broaden their knowledge.
"Yuanyuan only loves the food her mother makes."
Li Yuanyuan shyly hid in her mother's arms; she was now completely content with having her mother.
The harmonious atmosphere between the mother and daughter touched the father and son present, especially Li Cheng'an, who felt a strong urge to feel his mother's embrace as well.
But when he met his mother's gaze, he was so frightened that he immediately looked away.
Su Jingjing chuckled to herself, thinking, "You brat, I don't believe I can't win you over!"
"Alright, let's eat."
Such delicious food must be enjoyed promptly, otherwise it will taste a little worse once it cools down.
The family of four enjoyed a rare and happy meal together, with Su Jingjing and her daughter doing most of the talking, while the father and son listened attentively.
The aroma of today's meal once again stirred up the entire apartment building, making the simple meals at home seem unpalatable.
Wu Xiuying's home on the second floor
Liang Dapang was making a ruckus at the dinner table, "Mom, it smells like meat! When are we going to eat meat in our family?"
"Eat your food properly, what's all the fuss about?"
Liang Haishan shouted loudly, while stuffing pickled cowpeas into his mouth.
Liang Dapang immediately fell silent. He was very afraid of his father and had always been well-behaved in front of him. Today, the meat was just too delicious.
Wu Xiuying couldn't bear to see her son disappointed, so she gently said to Liang Haishan, "It's not Da Pang's fault. The last time we ate meat was during the New Year. It's normal for the child to be greedy."
Not to mention the child's cravings, she felt her mouth was so bland it tasted like bird food.
She felt incredibly aggrieved. Su Jingjing was eating meat every day; wasn't that just causing a commotion?
Liang Haishan glanced at the expectant eyes of the mother and son across from him and made a decision, "How about you go to the city this weekend and buy half a pound of meat? Remember, half a pound, don't buy too much."
"Oh, and I'll also buy half a jin of wine."
It's perfect timing that he can rest for half a day then, and having some wine with meat would be nice.
"Okay." Wu Xiuying and her son were finally happy. She would definitely bring the plate of meat to the door and make it smell so good that it would tantalize them.
However, Liang Haishan was really stingy. He sent most of his monthly allowance home, and the family of three lived a very frugal life in the city.
Liang Dapang was counting the days on his fingers; it seemed there were only two days left.
Yang Wei and his wife were happily eating when Ge Hong brought back some meat from her parents' home. They used it to stir-fry pickled green beans, which was enough to make a meat dish.
The aroma of meat outside was so strong that you could tell there was at least a pound of meat inside.
Suddenly, I felt that the few pieces of meat in my house were a joke.
Ge Hong threw down her chopsticks and lashed out at Yang Wei, "Since I got married, I haven't eaten meat more than a few times."
The more she thought about it, the more she regretted it. How could she have been fooled by Yang Wei's smooth talk?
She considered herself a teacher from a well-off family, and with so many wealthy men pursuing her, she didn't know what got into her head when she chose the poor boy Yang Wei.
With his meager allowance, he couldn't afford meat at all. Ge Hong always went back to her parents' home to take advantage of them, which made her sister-in-law hate her.
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