Since it started selling breakfast and dry food, the snack stand's daily business has become even more popular. The stall is busy from the morning until it closes in the afternoon, and Li Hehua also has more regular customers.
Seeing that the breakfast business was quite good, Li Hehua planned to add a few more drinks: soy milk porridge and spicy soup, which could be eaten with steamed buns, steamed buns, and roujiamo.
Li Hehua specially bought three large wooden barrels with lids, washed them inside and out with clean water many times, and then boiled them twice with boiling water to disinfect them. After washing them, he used them to store soy milk porridge and spicy soup to sell.
Porridge and spicy soup are very easy to make and can be made in a pot at home, but soy milk needs a stone mill. There is a family in this alley that has a stone mill, but it is okay to borrow it once or twice, but it is not convenient to borrow it every day. So, Li Hehua bought a stone mill and put it in the yard. The first thing he did every morning when he got up was to grind soy milk. He sweated profusely every day and had to take a shower before going to the stall.
The stone mills of this era were all made of stone and were very heavy. They took a lot of effort to push, and people with less strength could not push them. If you were not very strong, you would be sweating profusely and gasping for breath after pushing it for a while.
When Li Hehua pushed the mill for the first time, her arms were sore for several days, but she gritted her teeth and persevered. After a few days, she got used to it. At the same time, she also found that grinding soy milk was very helpful for losing weight. After pushing the mill for several days in a row, she was pleasantly surprised to find that her new clothes had become loose again. She lost weight much faster than before, and now she weighs only about 130 to 140 kilograms at most.
Li Hehua couldn't help but touch his face, and took out the mirror he bought to look at himself. He found that the fat on his face had been reduced a lot. His face used to be full of fat, but now it was only slightly fleshy. His facial features looked much clearer, and he gradually had a delicate feeling. In addition, the original owner's skin was fair, so his face looked okay now, at least not ugly.
Thinking about how ugly the original owner was when he first came here, and then looking at her now, Li Hehua felt that she had been sublimated. This was progress. Bubbles could not stop coming out of his heart, and he felt that working was not tiring at all.
"Boss, what are you so happy about?" asked the customer who came to buy breakfast. But this voice...
Li Hehua raised his eyes and found that it was indeed Gu Dafeng standing in front of him. The smile on his lips froze, "Nothing, nothing. Oh, what do you want to buy?"
Gu Dafeng didn't care, as if he didn't notice Li Hehua's awkwardness. He smiled and ordered two steamed buns and a roujiamo, then skillfully took the food and sat down at the table in the back to eat.
Li Hehua curled the corners of his mouth.
Gu Dafeng would come to her place every day to buy breakfast and sometimes to have lunch. He had been here for five consecutive days. At first, Li Hehua treated him as an ordinary guest and treated him warmly. However, the truth could not be hidden. Li Hehua learned his identity from Cao Simei and became embarrassed.
Li Hehua asked Cao Simei, but Cao Simei said that she had already made it clear to Gu Dafeng. Gu Dafeng knew Li Hehua's attitude, but he didn't know why he still came to her to buy food every day. Maybe he really liked the food on the stall.
Li Hehua couldn't figure it out and could only treat him as an ordinary guest, even a little colder than an ordinary guest. He hoped that this person would not have other ideas and that they could just treat it as an ordinary host-guest relationship.
Seeing this, Cao Simei was also anxious. She couldn't help but find Gu Dafeng again and pulled him aside to talk, "Hey Dafeng, what are you doing? Didn't I make it clear to you a few days ago?"
Gu Dafeng lowered his head and was silent for a moment, then raised his head to look at Cao Simei and said what was in his heart, "Sister, I know what she meant, don't worry, I won't disturb her. I just went back and thought about it, and felt that she was really good. It would be a blessing to marry a woman like her. She doesn't want to get married now, but that doesn't mean she won't change her mind in the future. Maybe she will want to get married again in the future. So I thought, anyway, I'm not in a hurry to start a family now, it's better to come and meet her more often and get to know her. If she wants to get married in the future, I can still fight for it."
Gu Dafeng was really upset when he heard that Li Hehua didn't want to see him that day, so he couldn't stay for a moment and left immediately. After returning, he comforted himself in his heart not to care about it, it was no big deal. But self-consolation didn't work. Looking at the Roujiamo and Jiangxiang Pancakes he brought back, he couldn't help but think of her again.
She always smiled when she sold things and had a gentle attitude, which made people feel comfortable. The things she made were really delicious, and he had never eaten such delicious food before. Moreover, it was amazing that she, a woman, could support such a large stall by herself and still be busy in an orderly manner.
He had never seen such a woman before, and she was different from all the women in the village he had met before. She was very special and had a special attraction. Although she was not good-looking and fat, she did not make people feel ugly. Instead, they wanted to get along with her.
If I could become husband and wife with a woman like this, life would be very enjoyable.
Gu Dafeng didn't know why, but he came to town again the next day, bought food from this stall, and wanted to come again the next day after eating. He kept coming like this for several days.
He planned to come when he was free in the future, but he would not be so shameless as to disturb her. He just thought that at least he could take this opportunity to get acquainted with her, so that when she changed her mind, maybe there would be a chance. Then he could let Sister Cao talk to her, and it would most likely work.
Anyway, he doesn't particularly want to marry a woman now, so if he looks for a woman again, he will still look for one that suits his taste. He is willing to wait patiently.
After hearing what Gu Dafeng said, Cao Simei didn't know what to say. In fact, there was nothing wrong with what he did. He didn't disturb Sister He anyway. Couldn't she come to buy food?
And to be honest, his behavior is quite pleasing.
So, Cao Simei sighed and couldn't say anything, but she hoped in her heart that Li Hehua would really change his mind one day.
It was almost time for dinner, so Li Hehua removed the breakfast items to make room for lunch.
He first moved the steamer and other items onto the cart and then turned around to get the wooden barrel containing soy milk and porridge. However, as soon as he turned around, someone had already brought the things over.
The person who came turned out to be Zhang Tieshan, who had not been seen for several days.
Li Hehua was surprised for a moment, then took the initiative to greet him, "Zhang Tieshan, are you here to sell prey today?" because she saw the prey placed on the ground.
Zhang Tieshan stared at Li Hehua without blinking.
Li Hehua was puzzled, "Zhang Tieshan, what's wrong with you?"
Zhang Tieshan didn't say anything, just hummed softly, walked around Li Hehua and put the three wooden barrels on the cart. Without Li Hehua's intervention, he moved the remaining things in no time.
Li Hehua felt helpless. Why did Zhang Tieshan have to help her with work every time he came, leaving her with nothing to do?
After moving the things, Zhang Tieshan did not leave, but sat down at the table.
Li Hehua guessed that he wanted to see Shulin. After all, he hadn't been here for several days and must be missing his son. So he made him a large portion of rice with toppings and brought it to him. "Have some lunch first. When Shulin gets out of school, you can come with me to pick him up."
Zhang Tieshan nodded and lowered his head to eat.
Li Hehua then went to cook for other guests.
At noon, the number of customers gradually increased. Li Hehua was so busy that he could not rest for a moment, and Dahe was also busy all the time. Even so, there were still many people waiting for a seat to eat. Dahe had to serve food, collect money, and clean the table, so his speed could not keep up with Li Hehua's cooking speed.
After Zhang Tieshan finished the last bite of rice, he wiped his mouth, picked up his bowl and put it in the wooden basin where the dirty bowls were placed. Then he rolled up his sleeves and walked forward to take the meal prepared by Li Hehua and brought it to the guests without saying a word.
Li Hehua was stunned. Seeing him coming to help again, she felt really embarrassed. It seemed like she had to be a free laborer every time he came. Should she hire another person? But it was really hard to find a suitable person, and it would take a while.
After waiting for a long time until the number of customers gradually decreased, Li Hehua wiped the sweat from his head and breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Zhang Tieshan was also sweating from working hard, he quickly brought him a bowl of mung bean soup and said, "Thank you for your hard work. I'm sorry that you have to help me every time I come. I will hire someone else. You don't have to be so busy next time."
Zhang Tieshan paused while drinking his soup, looked up at her, and said calmly, "No need to recruit anyone."
"Ah?" Li Hehua was puzzled.
Zhang Tieshan pursed his lips and lowered his voice, "I will help you in the future, you don't need to hire anyone."
Li Hehua blinked and waved his hands quickly, saying, "No, no, no, how can I ask you for help?"
Zhang Tieshan said firmly, "I'll help you!" Seeing that Li Hehua was about to refute, he added, "Anyway, I have to come here to sell prey and read books, so I'm just sitting around doing nothing. If you really feel bad, you can provide me with breakfast and lunch as my wages."
Li Hehua still felt it was inappropriate. How could that little breakfast and lunch be considered wages? More importantly, they had no relationship, and it was inappropriate for him to be her helper.
"Zhang Tieshan, you still..." Li Hehua was interrupted by Zhang Tieshan before he could finish his words.
"Okay, it's settled." Zhang Tieshan made the final decision in a domineering tone, and then drank the green bean soup in the bowl in one breath. He put down the bowl and stood up to clean the table, leaving Li Hehua no time to stop him.
Li Hehua bit her lower lip, puzzled. Is Zhang Tieshan a pushover? Is he the kind who likes to help others? He doesn't seem like that. He had treated her badly before...
Zhang Tieshan knew that Li Hehua must be confused about him, but he didn't know how to explain it.
The last time he heard that she wanted to meet a man, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable. He didn't want to stay any longer and went home in one breath.
He originally thought that the inexplicable discomfort in his heart was because her current body was the same as his ex-wife's. After all, they were husband and wife. Even if he knew that she was not the same person inside, her body was the same. So when he looked at her, he couldn't help but feel that something was not right.
But they were no longer husband and wife after all, and he was the one who divorced her, so it was normal for her to remarry. Moreover, she was not the original Li Hehua, not his original wife, and they had no relationship strictly speaking, so the discomfort was just a temporary feeling that something was wrong.
He seemed to have been there too often recently. He should go to the stall less often in the future. It was not good to go there too often. If others misunderstood him, it might delay her from finding a partner.
So he didn't go to the stall for the past few days, and even Shu Lin couldn't resist the urge to go and see it.
He thought life would be the same as before, but he couldn't help but think of her dating a man from time to time. He couldn't help but wonder in his mind whether she would be successful in finding a man. If so, would she marry that man, cook all kinds of delicious food for that man every day, run a snack stand with that man, and give birth to a child for that man, who would be better and gentler than she was to Shulin...
I kept imagining these scenes in my mind. The more I thought about them, the more suffocated I felt. I couldn't help but feel very resistant to these scenes.
He suddenly realized that deep down he didn't want her to cook for other men, didn't want her to run a snack stand with other men, and even more didn't want her to have children for other men and then treat them as well as she treated Shulin.
Zhang Tieshan has always been a clear-headed person and has never deceived himself. After the repulsive thoughts filled his mind for several days, he began to examine himself, and then he understood his true feelings: he was possessive of her, he wanted her to be busy only with him, and he wanted her to be good to his children only.
He wanted to marry her, not Li Hehua, but her, the real her.
Although he didn't know when this thought came up, he accepted it and faced it! He always did things quickly, accurately and ruthlessly! He never dragged his feet and went for what he wanted.
So, he came today.
She may be too resistant to him now. After all, he was the one who divorced her. When she was still living in his house, he treated her badly, and his mother and brother also treated her badly.
He thought about it carefully, trying to remember when she became a different person. He found that she changed on the day he gave her the divorce letter. She must have been no longer the original Li Hehua at that time, but he didn't find it. Then his family took out all their resentment and anger towards Li Hehua on her: his mother cooked without her and always misunderstood her; he treated her badly, and even made her live in the woodshed and sleep on the firewood for so many days. In the end, they forced her away...
Thinking about it now, I really regret it. He was really not good to her.
She must dislike him in her heart.
But it doesn't matter. He can treat her with his heart, be extra nice to her in the future, and use all his energy to treat her well. He believes that he will be able to have her again.
He wanted her to be his wife, not any other man's wife!
Zhang Tieshan moved all the tables, chairs and benches onto the cart and did everything without asking Li Hehua to do anything. Then he pushed the cart back to the yard and unloaded what needed to be unloaded.
Li Hehua really didn't contribute at all.
After finishing the work, Zhang Tieshan handed the prey he brought to Li Hehua, "Here you go, I hunted it yesterday, I have already skinned it for you, and cleaned the internal organs for you, you can just roast it directly."
Li Hehua looked at the prey in front of her and refused to take it. She had already made him do so much work, and now she was going to take his things? How could she do that? These prey were worth a lot of money if sold to the restaurant.
"You can sell them in the restaurant. It would be a waste for us to eat them. Besides, we have no shortage of meat. I cook meat dishes every day. Shulin has gained weight now."
Zhang Tieshan didn't listen to Li Hehua and handed the prey forward again, "Here! This is for Shulin and you to replenish your body. I caught a lot and sold them at the restaurant. These two are the remaining smaller ones. They won't sell for much money. It's just right for you to eat. If you don't want to eat them, I won't sell them."
Li Hehua frowned, still refusing to take it, "Then take it back for your mother and brother to eat."
Zhang Tieshan said, "We have some at home. This is for you. Don't refuse it."
Seeing that Li Hehua still had no intention of taking it, Zhang Tieshan simply took the prey into the kitchen and put it there.
Li Hehua: “…” Is there anything like this?
Forget it. He must not want his son to suffer and wanted to nourish Shulin's body. She was just taking advantage of it. After all, it was not specially for her to eat, so it would be inappropriate to refuse too much.
Thinking of this, Li Hehua didn't say anything about Zhang Tieshan's behavior. She just asked Zhang Tieshan to do it for a while while she went into the kitchen to prepare tomorrow's ingredients. When Shulin was about to finish school, she called Zhang Tieshan to go to the school together.
"Zhang Tieshan, let me tell you, Shulin can write quite a few characters now. A few days ago, he could only write simple characters like one, two, three, but now he can write many other characters. He has made rapid progress. Master Gu said that Shulin has a natural memory. He can remember something after reading it once, and then copy it exactly. Just like the last time he drew a picture, he only took a look at it, and he could draw it almost exactly." Li
He Hua couldn't help showing off Shu Lin's intelligence to Zhang Tieshan.
Zhang Tieshan raised the corners of his mouth and listened very attentively.
Seeing that Zhang Tieshan was listening with great interest, Li Hehua continued, "Shulin is actually a child prodigy. No other child in the school can compare to him. However, his favorite thing is painting. He can paint for a long time without moving. Moreover, Master Gu said that Shulin's painting is getting better and better, and his lines are becoming more and more fluent. In time, he will become a master of his generation."
These were truly what Master Gu said. Li Hehua was extremely happy when she heard them. She felt a sense of pride and honor that she had not experienced in all these years. Only then did she understand why there were so many parents who could talk about their children all day long without feeling tired, because she was the same now.
Li Hehua was talking about Shulin all the way. Zhang Tieshan didn't interrupt her at all, but listened very carefully. The two of them talked and listened at the same time until they were outside the school. Li Hehua was surprised to find that she had been able to talk all the way without stopping even though the other party didn't say a word. Was she such a chatterbox?
Li Hehua glanced at Zhang Tieshan embarrassedly and found that he had a faint smile on his face. He scratched his head and turned towards the school gate, waiting for Shulin to come out.
Zhang Tieshan caught a glimpse of her little movement out of the corner of his eye, and the curve of his mouth widened even more.
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