As soon as Fan Hua and the others got off the bus and arrived at Hutong, they smelled the aroma of meat and wine coming from various houses. The three of them looked at each other and couldn't help but quicken their pace. They had been running around outside for half a day and were really hungry!
Seeing that the three people had finally returned, Wang Guifen quickly tied on an apron and prepared to go to the kitchen to work.
Perhaps it was because there were not enough entertainment options at night in that era, and even electric lights had only been popularized for two or three years, so the custom was still to have the New Year's Eve dinner at noon, and as soon as it got dark in the afternoon, the family would gather together to make dumplings, and they had to make enough for at least two meals, and eat them from the night of the 30th to the morning of the first day of the new year, which symbolized abundance for many years to come.
It was obvious that this lunch would be the best meal of the entire year! Fan Hua couldn't help but look forward to it!
Fan Hua, who had always been sensible and considerate, washed her hands immediately after returning home and went into the kitchen to see if there was anything she needed help with.
Before entering the kitchen, she reminded Zhao Yilu and Fan Youcheng to wash thoroughly before entering the house, for fear that they might bring back some germs from the hospital. There were either elderly people or children at home, so she had to be careful.
As soon as Fan Hua stepped into the kitchen, Wang Guifen chased her out. "What are you doing here, girl? There's a lot of fumes in the kitchen. Don't get your clothes dirty. Get out of here quickly. I can handle this myself."
Fan Hua chuckled and said sweetly, "Grandma, let me help you wash the vegetables and lend a hand. It's too hard for you to prepare meals for so many people at home by yourself!"
Wang Guifen waved her hand. "Hey, it's just cooking. What's so hard about it? I stewed all the meat and vegetables yesterday. Today, I just need to steam them on the stove. I've also cut up the vegetables that need to be stir-fried. I'm just waiting for you to come back so I can start cooking. It's not a big deal."
Fan Hua looked at the various pots and plates neatly arranged on the stove, almost all filled with various side dishes, and knew that what Wang Guifen said was true. She couldn't help but give her a thumbs up, "Grandma, you are such a good cook! Not only are your dishes delicious, but you are also very skillful. I admire you so much!"
Wang Guifen smiled brightly when she heard her granddaughter-in-law praising her so much. "That's all I can do. I've been cooking since I was seven or eight, and I've been doing it all my life, so I'm pretty good at it. Okay, go out and spend time with the kids. I really don't need your help here!"
After hearing what Wang Guifen said, Fan Hua didn't insist and said with a smile, "Okay, then I'll stay with the children. Grandma, if you need any help, just call us anytime!"
Back in the house, He Xixiang and Zhao Xuyi were playing chess, Sun Simin was sitting on the sofa playing with a ball of thread with Xiaoxiao, Fan Youcheng and Ye Ye were playing with toy guns, piu piu piu at each other... and Zhao Yilu was chatting with He Siyan while drinking tea.
Fan Hua looked around and chose to sit next to Zhao Yilu. She was really curious about what the two brothers were talking about.
When Zhao Yilu saw Fan Hua sitting over, he took her hand and continued talking to He Siyan.
Fan Hua heard Zhao Yilu laughing and said, "Brother, look, if I hadn't gone to the countryside for you, how could I have married such a good wife? So I still got the better deal."
He Siyan chuckled. "You were only fifteen that year, still a half-grown child. If you hadn't conspired with grandma to lock me in the house, I definitely wouldn't have let you take my place. If you hadn't taken my place, you would have joined the army two years earlier, and you might be more than just a company commander by now."
"What's the matter? You secretly signed me up for the army without telling me. Everything is just right. We are all brothers, so there's no need to thank me. If you hadn't saved me back then, I wouldn't have been soaked in ice water for so long and developed a chronic illness. I wouldn't have suffered so much over the years!"
He Siyan took a sip of tea, his tone still gentle, his voice particularly pleasant, "Isn't it normal for a brother to protect his younger brother? But in all these years, I only protected you that one time, and the rest of the time, you protected me!"
"Brother, let's not talk about the past. This is the best now. I'm relieved that you've improved a lot since you came back this time. When it gets warmer in the spring, you should exercise more to make yourself stronger. After I leave Beijing, I'll leave the elderly here to you, especially my grandparents. They're not as healthy as my grandpa and grandma, so remember to visit them more often when you have time!"
He Siyan nodded slightly, and the two brothers clinked their teacups together, drinking tea instead of wine, and everything was said without words.
Fan Hua was listening to the conversation between the two silently. During these days when she returned to Beijing, she got to know the male protagonist He Siyan of the novel again, and her impression of him changed a lot.
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