Blanched Green Vegetables

Yao Xue had never eaten Song Shixia's cooking before. This was her first time eating at the Song family's. The large pot of steaming braised chicken on the table made her drool.

She secretly despised herself, wondering how she could become so fat after not eating meat for just two days.

There were five dishes on the table, three meat dishes, two vegetarian dishes and one soup. They were braised chicken, stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts, twice-cooked pork, scrambled eggs with black fungus and blanched green vegetables.

Originally, she planned to make only two meat dishes, one vegetable dish and seaweed soup, which would be enough for four people. But she realized that Yao Xue was not an ordinary city girl, so she added one meat dish and one vegetable dish.

Yao Xue was flattered. The first time she came to visit, her uncle and aunt slaughtered chickens and ducks to welcome her. The table was full and there were no shortage of hot dishes. If they went to a restaurant, this table would cost more than thirty yuan.

She knew Song Qiu Sheng's family background from the beginning and never despised him for being poor before, and the same is true now.

She had prepared herself mentally before coming here. No matter how poor the food, clothing, housing and transportation were, she would support them. She couldn't let her uncle and aunt see that she was timid. Song Qiusheng said that he would buy a house in the city, so she was prepared to temporarily overcome the difficult conditions.

However, everything was not quite what she expected. Although the Song family lived in the village, they had a large yard and a three-story building, and their uncle and aunt had specially made new furniture for them.

This table of food opened her eyes even more. Her father had a deep prejudice against the countryside, and she foolishly believed what her father said: people in the countryside can only eat meat during festivals. So what was this?

Yao Xue stood up, quickly opened her suitcase, and took out her camera.

"I want to take a picture of this table of food and show it to my dad."

Mother Song wiped her hands on herself uncomfortably.

"These are all randomly made dishes. They don't look good." Except for the taste, the dishes on the table were no better than those in a restaurant. They served the dishes on plates, but the dishes she made were not presentable at all. They were served in large basins and enamel bowls.

Yao Xue took a few photos.

"It's okay, Auntie. The dishes you cook are delicious and tasty. Just smelling them makes me hungry."

Song's mother finally relaxed.

"I'm not that great. The chickens and ducks I raise at home taste good, but my cooking skills are no match for the chef."

Song Qiu Sheng casually took Yao Xue's camera and placed it on the stool beside him, which made Song's mother's heart skip a beat.

"Qiu Sheng, why did you put the camera on there? What if it falls and breaks?"

Song Qiusheng picked up the chopsticks and picked up the food.

"No one comes to our house, so it won't fall if you don't touch it."

While eating, Song's mother was worried that the camera would fall to the ground, and she didn't dare to help take it away.

Yao Xue tasted a piece of chicken and unexpectedly found it tasted much better than the braised chicken in the state-owned hotel.

She raised her thumbs in praise.

"Auntie, your braised chicken is amazing! It tastes so good!"

Song's mother smiled and said, "If you like it, eat more. Look how thin you have become."

Song Qiu Sheng put two pieces of chicken wings into the small bowl in front of her. Song's mother looked disapproving.

"Why don't you give Xiaoxue some chicken legs? How much meat can chicken wings have?"

Yao Xue raised her head and explained with a smile: "I don't like eating chicken legs, I just like chewing bones."

Song's mother wondered, how could there be people who don't like to eat chicken legs?

Song Qiu Sheng knew the reason. Yao Xue was tired of eating meat since she was a child, so she didn't like eating chicken legs. He didn't need to tell his parents about this, so as not to scare them again.

At the dinner table, the topic of raising dogs came up again.

"Didn't I go to a relative's house during the Chinese New Year? I saw her dog had a big belly. It must have given birth to puppies by now."

"Okay, after dinner, ask your dad to go check. If there are any, catch two and keep them as pets."

Yao Xue ate her food while listening to their conversation curiously.

"Does keeping a dog protect you from thieves?"

Song Qiusheng frowned, his emotions not fluctuating too much, "Well, my parents found that two chickens were missing from our house. I don't know when they were lost."

"Could it have flown away? Can't chickens fly?"

Song's mother smiled and explained: "The chickens and ducks that are well fed will not fly away. They recognize home."

Yao Xue couldn't help, she just ate the food out of boredom, how come even the blanched vegetables tasted so good? !

She is from the south, and her chef also knows how to make blanched greens. She was a little surprised to see the blanched greens on the table. Although it is not as authentic as the one at home, it is really delicious.

Seeing that she liked to eat, Song's mother said, "Qiu Sheng said that you like to eat light and fresh food. The vegetables were just picked from the yard this morning."

Yao Xue usually eats until she is only 80% full, but today she ate extra full.

"Auntie, your cooking skills are amazing." She praised sincerely.

Song's mother's eyes narrowed into slits as she smiled.

"If you like it, remember to come here often and make this place your home."

Yao Xue nodded shyly for the first time.

She wanted to help after dinner, but Song's mother asked her to go and rest first.

Song Qiu Sheng and his brother's rooms are on the first floor, the women's rooms are on the second floor, and the third floor is a half-floor used specifically for storing miscellaneous items.

"Xiaoxue should sleep upstairs. Her elder sister doesn't come back often in spring and summer, so her quilts have been exposed to the sun. We will only use new cotton quilts after the New Year."

Song Qiu Sheng helped carry the suitcases. Yao Xue had three suitcases, all of which contained her clothes, accessories, and daily necessities.

Song's mother was surprised but didn't say much. She told him to take as many of his things as he wanted.

Seeing the camera placed casually, Song's mother placed it on the square table as if she were facing a powerful enemy.

"This kid is really brave. The camera must be worth a lot of money. He is not afraid of breaking it."

Yao Xue took off her high heels and put on small boots.

"Your mother is really warm and her cooking is delicious. Let's stay a few more days."

Anyway, the project at hand has come to a temporary end, so there is no rush to go back.

Song Qiu Sheng helped her open the suitcase containing her shoes and sorted the shoes under the bed.

"We can come back whenever you want. It's up to you. You've never eaten my sister's cooking. My mom's cooking skills improved during the Chinese New Year, and it was all thanks to my sister's teachings."

Yao Xue sat on the bed with her face in her hands, "Really? Can I go to your sister's house for dinner next time?"

If she had known that day would come, she would not have declined. She was worried that it would affect her sister's study, so she did not stay longer.

"Sure, she wants to treat you to a meal. Do you want to plant some trees?"

Yao Xue changed into a light foreign-style sportswear. She took off her necklace, tied her wavy hair into a ponytail, and wore sneakers on her feet.

"Auntie, Qiu Sheng and I are here to help plant the fruit trees."

Song's father quietly stepped aside, leaving the place for the young man. Song's mother glanced at the people in the yard. Xiaoxue changed her clothes and seemed like a different person.

Laughter and joy came from the Song family yard. Behind the farm fence, Huang Laizi had a vicious look on his face. He had been jealous of Song Qiu Sheng since he was a child. When he was young, Song Qiu Sheng was a sensible child in other families. He was hardworking and could help adults take care of his younger brothers and sisters. He never cried or made a fuss. When he grew up, he was more popular than him. All the young people in the village looked up to Song Qiu Sheng.

So when he had the chance to become famous, he betrayed Song Qiu Sheng without hesitation. He also learned a secret that Song Qiu Sheng was secretly dating the daughter of the richest man, and the big boss wanted to deal with Song Qiu Sheng because he looked down on his identity.

When Huang Laizi was hugging Song Qiusheng, he felt disgusted with him. A country boy wanted to eat swan meat, but he didn't even consider his own weight. Who knew that everything would change in the blink of an eye? Song Qiusheng was beaten to a state of collapse, but he was able to make a comeback. How could he be so lucky?

He originally wanted to poison the Song family's well water to kill all the poultry in the farm, but nothing happened when he poured two bottles of pesticide and rat poison into the pig trough. The first time he poisoned, he didn't know whether he put too little or bought fake drugs, so the Song family escaped.

The two lost chickens from the Song family had already been eaten by him and his mother. The chicken tasted so good that it made him change his mind. He decided to steal chickens from the Song family and sell them in the future. This was all because Song Qiu Sheng forced him to do so.

Fruit trees were planted around the wall of the house. Song Qiu Sheng patted the dirt on his hands.

"Let's wait until autumn to see if we can eat the fruit."

Yao Xue felt a great sense of accomplishment. "I planted this tree. Please leave some for me when the time comes."

Someone from the brigade came to inquire about Song Qiu Sheng's vegetable harvest and inadvertently saw Yao Xue.

"Is this your partner?"

"Yes, bring it back to meet my parents."

"You are amazing, you found such a pretty girl. Is she from the art troupe?"

Yao Xue didn't wear any makeup, only lipstick and eyebrows, and her temperament looked different from that of an ordinary girl.

"No, she doesn't like singing and dancing." Song Qiu Sheng had no intention of introducing Yao Xue, so the person who asked the question tactfully didn't ask any more questions.

Yao Xue doesn't like dealing with strangers. Before Song Qiu Sheng came, he said that he would not let her come into contact with other people in the village.

...

There was a knock on Ji Weiqing's dormitory door again. Almost every night someone would knock on the door, and without exception they were all elderly people.

Just after seeing off an academician of physics, an academician of engineering came. Every person who came to his dormitory was a senior whom he could not refuse.

As usual, they exchanged pleasantries and then got down to business.

"Is there any more tea?"

Ji Weiqing turned back to the dormitory and took out a jar of tea from the drawer. The first jar of tea that he was allowed to distribute on his own was almost empty, and it was still a long time before he could go home.

Academician Wenren was quite embarrassed: "I have trouble sleeping at my age. I don't know why your tea has a good calming effect."

Ji Weiqing remembered that a previous Academician Sun clearly said that tea can refresh the mind. It was hard for the predecessors to come up with so many excuses for the same jar of tea.

Su Aimin came back from taking a shower, holding a washbasin in his arms and a towel around his neck. He lived opposite Ji Weiqing.

"Were you robbed again?"

Ji Weiqing waved the can at him, "Do you want some?"

"Yes, yes, yes, wait for me to find a cup." Su Aimin hurried back to the dormitory, put down the washbasin and looked for a teacup. It's not that he hasn't drunk good tea before. When he attended an academic conference before, there were foreign professors in the conference. The organizer specially prepared Tieguanyin for him, and later there was Pu'er tea. He has drunk at least three kinds of famous tea.

But no matter what kind of famous tea, none of them tasted as good as Ji Weiqing's tea of ​​unknown variety. The tea leaves were placed in the iron can of biscuits. They looked ordinary, like ordinary tea foam, but after a sip, I felt refreshed and had endless energy after waking up.

Su Aimin walked to the door holding the cup and saw the local soldiers communicating with Ji Weiqing. He waited in the room for a while and seemed to hear "first place in the joint entrance examination".

He went out to congratulate them only after the conversation at the door was over.

"Congratulations, your sister got first place in the joint entrance exam?"

Ji Weiqing had a smile on his face.

"It's Xia Xia. She got first place in her first college mock exam."

Su Aimin was happy for him.

"Comrade Song is really amazing. It must be because of your guidance!"

Ji Weiqing curled the corners of his lips and said slowly, "It's not me, she has a talent for learning."

Su Aimin's eyes sparkled.

"Academia is about to have another pair of immortal lovers!"

Thinking about how she felt tired every day when she woke up, Ji Weiqing felt that it was unlikely. She probably just wanted to get a college diploma.

"Academics are boring, and I'm afraid she doesn't like it."

Su Aimin frowned and said, "How can it be boring with you around?"

The smile on Ji Weiqing's face flashed by.

"She can do whatever she wants."

Su Aimin was so impressed that he missed his wife and children at home.

The next day, the seniors in the entire base knew that Ji Weiqing's young wife was about to take the college entrance examination and had good academic performance.

Ji Weiqing has always kept a low profile and rarely mentioned his wife, but Song Shixia's name was well known to the elders.

The reason is simple: the medicinal wine and tea were prepared by Comrade Xiao Song for Professor Ji, and they all benefited from Professor Ji's help.

As soon as Ji Weiqing arrived at the laboratory, he was stopped by Academician Wenren.

"What major is your lesbian going to apply for? Physics? Or mathematics?"

Ji Weiqing thought about her lazy way of solving problems. She probably had no interest in physics and mathematics.

"She applied for the major she liked."

Academician Wenren patted Ji Weiqing on the shoulder.

"Remember to let her study mathematics, or physics, and have her come to the base with you. We all want to thank her in person."