Pickled radish strips

Seeing that he really wanted to keep the red envelope, Song Shixia stopped teasing him. She never thought that Professor Ji had such a childish side behind his back.

Song Qiu Sheng felt that his brother-in-law, a university professor, was a bit silly. His parents gave him red envelopes just for him to spend, but he kept them for collection. He didn't know what he was thinking, but it seemed that he was not short of money.

Han Rong didn't expect her son and daughter-in-law to come home early. She couldn't say she was unhappy. She couldn't hide her joy and happiness on her face.

"Why are you back now? Why don't you spend the New Year at home?"

She became even happier when she saw her grandsons. The two little guys had gained weight and were wearing furry tiger hats on their heads.

Song Shixia greeted her mother-in-law enthusiastically: "Mom, it's cold outside, let's move our things in first. I brought back a lot of New Year's gifts this time."

Han Rong helped move things and smiled half complainingly: "We have everything we need at home. It must be tiring to carry so many things back."

Song Shixia introduced casually: "These are the poultry raised by my family. My parents raised them carefully and the meat is delicious. The pigs were killed before the New Year. The chickens and ducks are alive and you can continue to feed them."

Yu Fang from next door heard the car and stood under the wall of her yard to eavesdrop. When she heard Song Shixia say loudly that they were all poultry raised at home, she couldn't help but despise them. Only people from the countryside would show off that they raise pigs and chickens at home. Her house must be dirty and messy, and it is estimated that there is poultry feces everywhere, and Ji Weiqing must have suffered if she followed her to the countryside. But she didn't expect Aunt Han to not mind the rural daughter-in-law at all, which made her feel even more unfair.

Han Rong was overjoyed: "Your father and I are in for a treat. The pork raised at home must be delicious. Give me the chicken and duck quickly, and don't get your boots dirty."

Ji Yanran ran down from the upstairs.

She said in a cheerful voice: "Brother, sister-in-law, you are back!"

Song Shixia waved to her.

"Come and help move the stuff. Don't even think about running away if you're doing the hard labor."

The car was packed to the brim. Song's mother and father wanted to load all the ready-made food at home into the car so that their daughter could save face in front of her in-laws.

It took several trips back and forth to move all the New Year's goods. A whole row of them were placed in front of the kitchen door. Han Rong smiled so hard that her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Your mom brought so many gifts, so I didn't prepare enough for the New Year's gift."

Song Shixia smiled and said, "These are all poultry raised at home, and the vegetables are also picked from our own fields. They are not worth much."

Han Rong disagreed and said, "Buying vegetables during the Chinese New Year is not cheap. Cabbage, which usually costs three cents, has risen to six cents. You brought back a lot of wealth, which saved our family a lot of money."

Song Shixia felt very happy in her heart. She felt so lucky to have such a mother-in-law.

She held her mother-in-law's arm and said, "Fortunately, we came back early and saved the family a lot of money. If you round it up, we've made a lot of money. Have we invited guests yet?"

"Not yet. What a coincidence! Your father and I made an appointment for the tenth day of the lunar new year. We originally planned to wait for the state-owned hotel to open on the tenth day so that we could order food from the hotel. But we didn't expect you to come back early."

She couldn't cook alone. Her clever daughter-in-law was not at home, her younger daughter only knew how to cook noodles, and her older daughter was married so she couldn't ask her to help her cook. So she and her old man decided to order food from the state-owned hotel.

Song Shixia looked around: "Where is my dad?"

"Your father went out for a walk. He is not a man who has much time to spare. He is probably watching people play chess in the alley."

The first thing Ji Yang and Ji Yuan did when they returned home was to take off their clothes. They were wearing very thick clothes in the village.

Han Rong turned around and was surprised: "You haven't gained weight, why are you wearing so much?"

Song Shixia explained with a smile: "My home is close to the mountains, and the temperature is low, so I dressed them warmly."

After she finished speaking, she took her suitcase upstairs to pack her clothes. All the clothes she would wear back home had to be thrown into the washing machine for washing, but unfortunately it was not a fully automatic washing machine and had to be washed by hand.

Han Rong took the opportunity to ask her son: "What do Xiao Song's parents say?" There have been guests visiting the house every day these days, and it is really impossible to get away to visit the in-laws in other places.

Ji Weiqing took out a red envelope and said, "This is a meeting gift for me."

Han Rong felt puzzled: "I asked Xiao Song's parents about their attitude. Why are you showing off the red envelope to me?" The red envelope was quite thick. It seemed that the in-laws were very satisfied with her son.

Ji Yang, who was playing with his brother on the carpet, suddenly interrupted: "Grandpa and grandma are not angry, and my uncle even gave us a gift."

Han Rong glared at her son and smiled as she tried to get words out of Ji Yang's mouth.

When Ji Weiqing returned to the room, he saw Song Shixia changing clothes, from inside to outside.

It was indeed warm to sit by the fire in the countryside, but her sweater and hair were all covered with dust. She didn't feel the same at home, but when she returned to the city, she instantly developed a cleanliness obsession.

Song Shixia changed into clean clothes: "Are you taking a shower? I have to wipe myself and wash my hair, otherwise I can't stand it."

Ji Weiqing opened the closet to take out clothes.

"The bathhouse should be open. Let's go to the bathhouse together."

Song Shixia thought it was feasible, as the heating in the bathhouse would definitely be better than at home.

When Ji Yang and Ji Yuan heard that they were going to the bathhouse, they ran upstairs to get their clothes.

Ji Yanran glanced at her sister-in-law with envy, and Song Shixia had already noticed her little look.

"Is Yanran going?"

She jumped up from the sofa quickly.

"I'll go! Sister-in-law, wait for me!"

Yu Fang dressed up at home for a while, and just as she walked to the door of Ji's house, she met a family of four who were about to go out.

The corners of her raised lips stiffened slightly.

"Are you guys going out?"

Ji Yanran subconsciously avoided Yu Fang's gaze. She hadn't been in contact with Yu Fang for a long time. Ever since she knew Yu Fang's true face, she felt that she was hypocritical. She was even more angry that their friendship of many years was being exploited.

Song Shixia never regarded Yu Fang as an opponent. She was always smiling and talking.

"Yeah, let's go to the bathhouse."

She knew what kind of person Yu Fang was from her mother-in-law's words and Ji Yanran's mutterings. But Ji Weiqing had always considered Yu Fang a neighbor, so she would not take her to heart and create an imaginary enemy for herself.

There is no such thing as high-level green tea and white lotus. If a man refuses them decisively, can they use high-level skills?

Yu Fang stood at the door and smiled: "You guys are so leisurely."

Song Shixia chuckled: "If we can't relax during the Chinese New Year, then when can we relax? Let's not talk about the fact that we haven't showered for a few days and are dirty. Don't let your new clothes get dirty. Let's talk later."

After hearing this, Yu Fang actually took two steps back subconsciously. When she thought of the rooster crowing coming from Ji's yard just now, she felt that Song Shixia must be very dirty.

After they left, Ji Yanran started to complain angrily: "What did she mean by backing off just now? She even complained that we were dirty."

Song Shixia did not tell the naive girl the truth. Yu Fang just disliked her for being dirty but she would not dislike Ji Weiqing. Unfortunately, no matter how beautifully she dressed up, it was like walking around in front of a blind man.

The bathhouse has separate pools for men and women. Song Shixia and Ji Yanran went to the girls' pool, while Ji Weiqing took the children to the men's pool.

After taking a shower, Ji Yanran's cheeks and ears were red.

Song Shixia comforted her as if nothing had happened.

"It's okay. It's normal that your back is not clean because you can't reach it by yourself. It's cleaned this time."

Ji Yanran was so embarrassed. Why was there so much dirt on her body? Her sister-in-law rubbed it off for her. When her sister-in-law came back from the country, only her hair was dirty, and her skin was still white. She stayed at home all day and her body was so dirty. She wanted to cry.

The adolescent girl has a strong self-esteem, is sensitive and cares about her reputation. Song Shixia helps her keep the embarrassing secret, and Ji Yanran's affection for her sister-in-law rises sharply.

She sat on the sofa in a state of uneasiness, carefully moved to her sister-in-law's side, and smiled in a flattering way.

"Sister-in-law, why are you so white and I am as black as coal?"

When she saw her sister-in-law just now, she couldn't help but want to reach out and touch her. When her sister-in-law stood next to her, her body seemed to be glowing white. She felt that her sister-in-law's skin was as white as the white of a boiled egg.

"Maybe it's because I don't go out much and I don't like sunbathing."

Ji Yanran muttered in annoyance: "I like sunbathing. It's so much fun to sweat in the sun, play basketball, football, and run."

There was no concept of sunscreen at that time, and it would take at least another 30 years for sunscreen products to become popular.

But Ji Yanran is indeed much darker than other girls of the same age. If she is not darker, who else would be darker when she plays basketball and football in the hot summer? Even if she has a good appearance, it cannot be faked. Girls with ordinary skin color can be made to look white by her.

She thought for a moment and said, "You should study hard first. If you want to get fairer skin, you can take care of your skin with me after the college entrance examination."

Ji Yanran hugged her happily.

"Thank you, sister-in-law!"

"Let go, I'm almost suffocating because of you." This sister-in-law has extremely developed athletic cells and her arms are really strong.

Ji Yanran was taller than her peers, with a net height of 1.68 meters. Unfortunately, tall stature was not popular at that time, and many of her male classmates were probably not as tall as her.

Ji Yanran held her sister-in-law in her arms with a giggle.

"Sister-in-law, you are so fair and fragrant. I want to learn from you when I graduate."

Song Shixia was speechless. If this sentence were said by another gender, it would be blatant harassment.

"Get up quickly, before guests come to your house and you become a laughing stock."

Ji Yanran was reluctant to let go. No wonder her brother married his sister-in-law. She also liked his sister-in-law’s fragrant and soft body.

Han Rong came into the house from the backyard and said, "What are you two laughing about? I could hear you two laughing in the backyard."

Ji Yanran said happily: "My sister-in-law said that she would take me to skin care after I finish the college entrance examination. Maybe I will become fairer."

"Oh, you still know how to be vain. I thought you had a little son, so you tanned yourself until you were completely black."

Ji Yanran giggled: "I like sports, you can't let me exercise on a rainy day."

Han Rong didn't want to talk to her daughter: "Your brother is whiter than you. You are a girl and you sunbathe yourself so dark. Don't cry if you can't find a partner in the future."

Ji Yanran pouted in dissatisfaction: "Can't I find someone who doesn't mind my dark skin?"

Han Rong shook her head and called her daughter-in-law to help her.

She had just killed a duck and her in-laws had packed a lot of radishes for her. Fresh radishes are juicy, crispy and tender, and sweet when eaten raw, making them just the right size for making a pot of duck and radish soup.

Han Rong was lighting a fire in front of the stove: "Zhang Wanqing's daughter is pregnant."

Song Shixia didn't know Principal Hu's family very well.

"That's great, getting pregnant during the Chinese New Year is a double blessing."

My mother-in-law was not very happy and sighed.

"Pregnancy is a good thing, but she insisted that it was all due to your medicinal wine. No matter how I explained, she wouldn't listen."

Song Shixia didn't expect her mother-in-law to care about this matter. She comforted her,

"Mom, don't worry. Some people say that medicinal wine can cure hair loss and sweating. Just give them some psychological comfort. Anyway, we know it's not that powerful."

Han Rong thought it made sense: "Yes, you put so many precious herbs in it and you can always catch the dead rat. They say the effect is mysterious and it may not be the effect of the medicinal wine. We just don't admit it."

She didn't open a shop to sell medicinal wine. She gave some to others and received good feedback from her friends, so she asked her daughter-in-law to make some to sell to her family. She took the effects that everyone said as exaggeration, and her daughter-in-law saw it much more clearly than she did.

Song Shixia hides her merits and fame. She doesn't know that she has a medicinal wine that can cure all diseases. She makes the medicinal wine for her family to strengthen their bodies. It has nothing to do with her if others think it is effective.

The family entertained guests on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year. After breakfast, one black car after another parked outside the door. Only then did Song Shixia understand why her mother-in-law wanted to order food from the hotel.

She couldn't help but feel lucky that she took a bath with her family yesterday, otherwise she would have to entertain guests in a dusty state today. In addition to the Ji family's own relatives, the guests who came by car were extremely valuable. Song Shixia felt as if she had returned to her previous life.

Ji Weiqing appeared beside her without knowing when.

"Most of today's guests are relatives, friends, and colleagues with whom my parents have a good relationship. Don't be nervous."

Song Shixia calmed down. She was no longer the small boss who had no background and everyone wanted to tear a piece of her flesh from her. These customers would not pose any threat to her even if they were big shots.

Ji Weiqing held her hand anxiously.

"If you don't want to see me, just stay in the study. I'll help you reject him."

Song Shixia raised her eyes: "No, I'm just a little nervous."

She smiled and said, "You said they are relatives and friends. We should entertain the guests in person in the first year of our marriage. How can I hide?"

Ji Weiqing stared at her and said, "Don't force yourself to smile."

"I'm not forcing myself. Mom and I will just go and meet them." There was no point in running away, especially since she was the master of the house and those people were the guests.

Song Shixia went to look for her mother-in-law, but Ji Weiqing did not go upstairs.

In the past, he always stayed in the study when there were guests at home. No one except the teacher would come upstairs to disturb him. He didn't understand why she was nervous, so he stayed in the living room out of concern.

Han Rong couldn't help but feel lucky: "Fortunately you are back. We must let them see your cooking skills. Your father and I always fall behind in previous years."

Song Shixia only then realized that in previous years, Ji Weiqing did not go downstairs to entertain guests. The eldest sister helped in the kitchen, and Ji Yanran was a child, so it was always the father-in-law and brother-in-law who received the guests. The father-in-law was a straightforward person, and his speaking level was about the same as his chess level.

"It's okay. Today, I'll let you two elders regain your face."

The dishes in the kitchen are prepared in advance by the whole family working together to wash and cut the vegetables. Most of the fresh vegetables are brought from her home. My mother is very thoughtful. She packed a large sack with radishes, potatoes, sweet potatoes and cabbages grown in her own fields, and packed a large bag each of sun-dried bamboo shoots, cowpeas and lettuce, all of which were freshly dried last year.

"This mixed radish strips is delicious. Your mother's cooking skill is much better than mine."

The radishes are grown in my own vegetable garden and watered with well water mixed with spiritual spring water. They are juicier and sweeter than ordinary radishes, and have no spicy taste, so they can be eaten as fruit.

Song Shixia and her mother-in-law put the cold dishes on the table in advance. There were two pork and two vegetarian dishes. The pork dishes were halved pig ears and braised beef. She prepared a sauce for dipping. The vegetarian dishes were cold bean curd and cold pickled radish strips.

Han Rong held the jar tightly and was reluctant to leave.

"I really don't want to share such a big jar of pickled radish strips. It goes really well with white porridge."

Song Shixia comforted her, "Mom, if you like, let my brother bring some more. Radishes are worthless in the village."

Han Rong was not polite this time: "That's great, these pickled radish strips go better with rice than the pickled cucumber strips I've had before."

The hot dishes included four kinds of meat and three kinds of vegetables. The staple food was steamed bread with milk flavor, which was more tempting and delicious than white flour steamed bread. After all the stir-frying was done, water was boiled in a large pot, and three large steamers were placed inside to keep the hot dishes warm.

Han Rong was so tired that she couldn't even straighten her back. "You've worked hard. Go wash your hands and change your clothes."

Song Shixia warned, "Mom, you should also take a rest. Don't hurt your waist."

Han Rong was tired but still smiling

"I'll go put some medicinal wine on it."

Song Shixia changed into the cream-colored coat given by her elder sister. There was heating at home, so it was just right to wear a single layer of clothing underneath.

Friends and relatives of the Ji family had long heard Han Rong bragging about her daughter-in-law's beauty and good cooking skills, but unfortunately they heard that they wouldn't be able to see her in person during the Chinese New Year as she had gone back to her parents' home to celebrate the holiday.

Seeing Han Rong busy in the kitchen, the uninformed guests couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. Her son's wedding seemed like nothing had happened, and her daughter-in-law went back to her parents' home during the New Year and refused to see any guests.

The job of entertaining the guests fell on Ji Yanran. Fortunately, her brother was sitting in the living room reading a newspaper so she didn't have to fight alone. She secretly hoped that her elder sister would come soon, as she would feel relieved with her elder sister around.

God did not hear Ji Yanran's prayers and instead let Dean Shen arrive first.

Ji Weiqing hadn't seen his teacher since the winter vacation. After the teacher and student exchanged greetings, they began an academic discussion, talking about some thesis discoveries, but Ji Yanran couldn't understand anything they were saying.

She poured tea for the guests and was really envious of Ji Yang and Ji Yuan who could play with cars without any worries, while she had to deal with guests asking her about her academic performance and testing her knowledge at any time.

The guests did not know Song Shixia and thought she was a distant relative of the Ji family. No one connected her with Ji Weiqing.

It was not until they saw her coming and going freely in Ji's house as if it were her own home that everyone realized something was wrong.

Ji Yanran was stopped by a guest and questioned.

"This is my sister-in-law. She and my brother came back from their hometown early. Today my mother and sister-in-law are cooking for us. My sister-in-law's cooking is delicious!"

Upon learning that Han Rong's daughter-in-law was exactly like she boasted, everyone found it unreal. Could it be that she was not good enough to have failed in introducing Ji Weiqing to a girl?

Almost all the guests present had introduced potential partners to Ji Weiqing, but he had only met the female comrade introduced by Principal Hu. They did not get along well at the first meeting and there was no follow-up. No one knew what Ji Weiqing told others, but rumors spread that he was "arrogant and conceited" and had "Western syndrome."

Someone said, "Heroes have always loved beauties. Weiqing's education and status make him a hero."

Everyone smiled kindly. Ji Weiqing didn't pay any attention to them. Ji Yanran went to find her sister-in-law angrily.

Song Shixia was putting her hair up in a bun: "What's wrong? You're angry with someone on New Year's Day."

Ji Yanran blurted out, "They say my brother is a hero who loves beauties, how can he be so superficial? Sister-in-law, you cook delicious food, you are smart, and you have a good personality. Don't they see all these advantages?"

Song Shixia put on her hairpin and smiled at the mirror.

"I don't know them, so it's normal that they don't understand me. There's no need to be angry. If you think positively, they'll even compliment me on how pretty I am."

Ji Yanran was so angry that she lost her mind for a moment, but her sister-in-law calmed her down with just a few words.

"Sister-in-law, you are so generous. I want to learn from you."

"I'm not being magnanimous. You'll understand when you get to my age." No one said anything bad about her. At most, they thought Professor Ji was choosing a partner based on appearance. There's nothing wrong with choosing a partner based on appearance, but how can you live with someone who's ugly and dislikes you?

Song Shixia packed up and went downstairs. Almost all the guests had arrived.

Ji Ran arrived too late to hear the guests' discussion. To her, these were all her parents' colleagues, whom she had known since childhood. She sat among the guests and chatted with them in a familiar manner.

Someone said something and everyone looked towards the stairs. Song Shixia blinked in surprise. Why were they all looking at her?

Ji Ran put down the fried peanuts in his hand and stood up.

"You look really good in this outfit. It turns out that white clothes are suitable for tall and fair-skinned people like you."

Song Shixia hurried downstairs and took her elder sister's arm: "If you hadn't given me up, how would I have new clothes to wear?"

Ji Ran waved his hands, "What's the point of giving it up? It's suitable for you to wear."

Ji Ran pushed her to introduce her to the guests.

"This is my sister-in-law. Uncles, aunts, and aunties, please recognize her. She is a candidate for this year's college entrance examination."

"What? Still a high school student?"

Ji Ran quickly explained: "No, my sister-in-law just returned to school last semester. She scored over 600 points on her first exam, and her midterm and final exam scores have been steadily improving." She didn't say too much to avoid putting pressure on her sister-in-law.

Principal Hu echoed: "Her score is good enough to get into Yenching University. Maybe they can become teacher and student in the future."

The smile on Song Shixia's face was decent but not awkward. Okay, the pressure is now on her.