337 She must work very hard to lead grandma out of this mountain in the future
After Zhou Linglan had finished frying the sweet potato leaves, she handed the chopsticks to Mumu and Xiaomeizi and said, "Eat them while they're hot. It's going to get cold soon."
"Ah? Don't you want to wait for Ahang?" Mumu said.
"There's more. I'll cook another one for him when he comes back," said Zhou Linglan.
Mumu took the chopsticks and said, "What are you waiting for? Let's eat!"
Xiao Meizi was infected by Mu Mu and unknowingly picked up the chopsticks and started eating.
When Fu Yuanhang came back, the plate of sweet potato leaves was already empty.
This is the most delicious sweet potato leaves Xiao Meizi has ever eaten in her life. The sweet potato leaves made at her home are always dry and astringent, not delicious at all.
It turns out that adding more oil makes food taste so good.
Fu Yuanhang did not give the book and notes to Xiaomeizi immediately.
At this time Zhou Linglan asked Xiao Meizi to dig another garlic.
"I forgot that I also wanted to stir-fry a plate of sweet potato leaves." said Zhou Linglan.
Xiao Meizi was familiar with the route and went to dig another garlic.
When I brought it back after washing it, the roast chicken and sweet potatoes were already out of the oven.
The overbearing taste of the two-year-old hen, paired with wild mushrooms and black fungus, is incomparable to the garlic sweet potato leaves.
Xiao Meizi had never smelled anything so fragrant in her life, and she couldn't swallow all her saliva.
By the time she realized what was happening, Zhou Linglan had already taken off a hot chicken leg, placed it on a clean lotus leaf, and put it in Xiao Meizi's hand: "Eat it while it's hot."
Xiao Meizi kept swallowing her saliva, and by the time she reacted, the chicken leg had already been brought to her mouth and she took a big bite.
She wanted to speak, but was afraid that the food in her mouth would fall out, so she had to wait until she finished chewing and swallowed it before she said to Zhou Linglan with a red face: "Grandmother, chicken legs are too expensive, I shouldn't eat them. I, I'll just take a bite, and I'll give this back to you."
Xiao Meizi has never eaten such delicious food in her life.
During the Chinese New Year, my grandmother would kill a chicken and save some of the meat to stew with potatoes or mushrooms or black fungus as a New Year's extra dish.
The rest would be pickled, and only a little would be cut off to stew when the meat was very glutinous. Sometimes, when there was a chicken, or the brigade distributed pork or fish, their family would pickle it and eat it throughout the year. Only during the New Year and other festivals would they be willing to cut a slightly larger piece.
She had never eaten a whole chicken roasted or stewed like this in her life, let alone such a big chicken leg.
She will remember the taste of this bite for the rest of her life.
Mumu had already picked up the remaining chicken meat: "You eat that one, this chicken drumstick is mine, and these two chicken wings are for Ah Hang and I, one each, they are just right for the four of us. If you give them back to us, Ah Hang and I will have to fight over the chicken drumstick."
However, Fu Yuanhang was still speechless.
Who started a fight with you over a chicken drumstick?
Zhou Linglan smiled and said, "Mumu is right. Just enjoy your meal. I still have some old clothes and food that I can't take with me. I'll send them to you when no one is around at night."
Xiao Meizi lowered her head with red eyes.
She has always known that her mother's family are all good people.
The grandmother would often leave some fresh vegetables and grains at their door, sometimes some fresh fruits, and even candies and buns. She had also received these. The grandmother never said anything, but would quietly put them down and leave. She had seen this from a distance several times.
Su Taotao also took good care of her and grandma when she was at home, and she remembered it all.
But I don't know how to express my gratitude.
Now even her grandmother is leaving, and she is really reluctant to let her go. No one will be so kind to them anymore.
"Please find some time to collect the things in this private plot. I don't have enough time," Zhou Linglan continued.
Xiao Meizi couldn't hold back any longer and opened her arms to hug Zhou Linglan: "Grandmother, wuwuwu..."
Mumu was confused: "Hey, why are you crying when I asked you to eat chicken legs? Is it that bad?"
Zhou Linglan froze for a moment, then patted her back and touched her head: "I'll leave you an address, you can write to us, study hard, there will always be a chance to go out in the future."
Xiao Meizi and Zhou Linglan don't have much interaction on a daily basis, and they rarely have the opportunity to talk so much.
Xiao Meizi nodded randomly, let go of Zhou Linglan and grinned: "I will, Grandmother. I'm fine, but I can't bear to leave Grandmother."
As I laughed, tears started to flow again.
Zhou Linglan took a handkerchief and wiped her tears: "Eat it while it's hot."
Xiao Meizi nodded and stopped being polite. She would always have a chance to return the favor in the future. "Okay."
Zhou Linglan packed some chicken breast and mushrooms and black fungus and asked Xiao Meizi to take them back for the old lady to have a bite.
After the four of them finished eating the chicken, Zhou Linglan fried a plate of sweet potato sprouts, and everyone started eating the roasted sweet potatoes with the side dishes and sweet potato sprouts.
The sweet potatoes were roasted before they were even unearthed. They were soft and sticky, and they smelled really good. “It was the first time I thought sweet potatoes were so delicious. Even chicken couldn’t compare to them.”
Fu Yuanhang: "Why didn't you tell me before eating the chicken? I'll help you eat the chicken so you can eat more sweet potatoes."
Mumu was not fooled: "You still have to eat the chicken. My stepmother has raised it for many years. If I don't eat it, how can I be worthy of my stepmother who has worked so hard to raise it?"
When it comes to debating skills, Fu Yuanhang is really no match for Mumu.
He should eat more food.
Xiao Meizi had the best and most filling lunch she had ever had.
In the end, there were still a few sweet potatoes and taro left, so Zhou Linglan wrapped them in lotus leaves and saved them for eating on the train the next day.
Fu Yuanhang then gave Xiao Meizi the textbook and notes he brought from home:
"This is the fourth grade textbook there. The content is much more advanced than ours. I took notes and brought a few test papers with me. You can take a look at it when you have time."
The so-called going to school during those special times was actually like sweeping away illiteracy; one could not learn any real knowledge.
Especially in a village primary school like Qinglian Village, students may just have to recite eight or ten great quotes and do a few addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems to pass the final exam.
Most of the time, senior classes only have half a day of classes, and the other half of the day is spent working in the fields.
The bases are different. The schools in the bases are serious about teaching and educating students, and strive to cultivate successors for scientific research.
There are none of the messy and unhealthy trends outside, and it will not deprive students of their class time. Political thoughts must be grasped, and quotations from great people must be memorized, but cultural knowledge cannot be left behind.
Fu Yuanhang was extremely grateful for his decision to follow his brother and sister-in-law to the base, which allowed him to see a wider world.
Xiao Meizi took it carefully and nodded heavily:
"Thank you, Fu. I will definitely study hard. By the way, I have read the picture book you gave me last time many times. I can return it to you now."
Fu Yuanhang shook his head and said, "You keep it. I have a lot more."
Xiao Meizi breathed a sigh of relief. The booklet was her most precious gift and she was used to taking it out and reading it every day.
She also copied it, but she had no talent for drawing and could not even reproduce one tenth of Fu Yuanhang's.
She was absolutely reluctant to return it to Fu Yuanhang like this.
When they parted, Xiao Meizi watched them walk away holding the book and notes Fu Yuanhang gave her. On the top of the book was the chicken that Zhou Linglan had wrapped in lotus leaves for grandma. It was very fragrant and warm.
Xiao Meizi's vision blurred unconsciously. She must have studied very hard to learn skills, and in the future she wanted to be like them and lead grandma out of the mountains.
…