It was half past five and Ye Tianya and the others still hadn't returned, so Ye Zhiqiu had no choice but to prepare to cook.
As for Wang Fugui, he was so happy after being coaxed by Ye Bailu that he took her to buy a kite and soda...
The old man couldn't stand the childish talk of the children, and a few words would make him laugh out loud. After being so happy, he naturally couldn't hold his wallet!
After arriving in the kitchen, I saw three small pieces of meat. I weighed them and estimated that they weighed about two taels!
He knew it couldn't be too much. Six taels of pork was enough for the whole family, and it would be hard to divide it up for making braised pork. Seeing the garlic sprouts and celery, Ye Zhiqiu knew Wang Xiaolan must be planning to stir-fry the pork, so he started to light the fire and add water to boil the meat.
They were part of the street office's "Four Pests" eradication team, so it was normal for them to be back late. I just don't know what the second brother and his friends were up to, why were they not around so late?
There was nothing to worry about. He was just a teenager, so what was there to worry about? Since I could cook for myself, I didn't have to make porridge like Wang Xiaolan did. I could just steam the rice.
By the time Ye Zhiqiu had washed and cut the vegetables, the pork was almost cooked. He took the pork out and sliced it after it cooled down.
When the rice was just steamed, Ye Wubing came back with Wang Fugui and others.
He ran to the kitchen and told Ye Zhiqiu about what he had seen and heard today.
"It's such a pity you're not here, big brother. The rats, big and small, are laid out in rows on the ground. It's a spectacular sight.
I didn’t realize there were so many rats on normal days, but today we caught and killed over a hundred of them, rats of all sizes!
The sparrow catcher brought a fishing net this time and caught quite a few sparrows, at least several hundred. It would be great if we could share some with our family to eat!
Unfortunately, Director Gao said that the sparrows had to be counted for a task and could not be kept for himself. However, the mice had their tails cut off, and the rest was divided up.
My mother didn't want the rat. She said she wanted to promote her tradition and give this rare meat to neighbors in need."
Ye Zhiqiu couldn't help laughing and asked, "Hahaha... Is it because the mouse given to Mom isn't big enough?"
Ye Wubing was surprised and asked, "Brother, how did you know? It's really not that big."
"If it were bigger, she wouldn't be so generous. It's just that it's too small and has no meat, so she thought it would be better to pretend to be generous for once and show off! It's worth it!"
Even though I wasn't there, I knew what my mother was thinking. Now that the things have been divided, why haven't they come back yet? "
"Well, that's just bragging! Today, my mother led a group of women to fetch water to irrigate rat holes. Her team caught nine rats, one or two more than the other teams.
So she was in the neighborhood office compound, bragging about her accomplishments today! As for Dad, his job today was to help dig and fill puddles.
So he stayed there too, bragging about how he could carry heavy things with such swiftness when he was in the village..."
This really suits this couple; they're capable of such a thing! They were so caught up in their boasting that they forgot to go home and cook. That's a pretty high level of selflessness!
As soon as they finished speaking, the couple came back, blaming each other!
"It's all your fault for not reminding me to come back and cook!"
"Wife, I saw that you hadn't come back yet, so I thought it was still early..."
"Are you stupid? I don't have a watch, how can I know the time?"
"But I don't have a watch..."
"Wasn't there someone wearing a watch among the people you were sitting with? So this is all your fault!"
The two quarreling people came to the kitchen. Ye Zhiqiu said with a smile: "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have helped with the cooking. I should have let you come back and cook on an empty stomach!"
Wang Xiaolan didn't mind this teasing at all. She pulled Ye Zhiqiu aside with a gossipy look on her face and asked, "Son, how was your visit to Xiaomei's house today?"
Ye Zhiqiu pulled Wang Xiaolan's hand away and said helplessly, "Okay, okay, everything is going well. We have agreed to meet in a few days, right?
"Can you please stop being so nosy? You need to know everything! No wonder my little sister is so hard to teach, it seems I inherited your gossipy nature!"
The two of them pressed for details, but Ye Zhiqiu didn't dare reveal anything, fearing that everyone in Sanlitun would know about his girlfriend's family situation that day!
It’s not that Ye Zhiqiu is imagining things, but Wang Xiaolan just loves to brag about her children!
When people gossip, they always talk about who's child is this or that...
She is so good, she always talks about how great my eldest son is, how great my second son is, how great my daughter is...
Although it is normal to be proud of one's children, if it is too much, Ye Zhiqiu really can't hold it back!
Now when he goes out, all the gossip girls and grandmas on the street know him as a buyer!
It is exaggerated to such an extent that if someone comes to look for Ye Zhiqiu and asks his name, some people may not be able to remember where he lives for a moment.
But if you ask a buyer named Ye where his home is, 90% of people can tell you the way!
After the people returned and the rice was steamed, Ye Zhiqiu began to cook. Dinner consisted of only two dishes: stir-fried cabbage with lard and twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts and celery!
Ye Wubing wanted to add some cilantro to his twice-cooked pork, but was severely criticized by Ye Zhiqiu! If he already had celery, he'd add cilantro. Should he also add some zheergen? Seriously!
When Ye Zhiqiu finished cooking the dishes and brought them back to the living room, the rice was already served.
He picked up a piece of meat that was half fat and half lean and gave it to Ye Bailu, praising her: "You listened to your brother today and stopped crying when he told you not to. I'll reward you with a piece of meat!"
Ye Bailu smiled happily and said, "Thank you, big brother. I love you the most!"
Ye Tianya joked, "Girl, you only love your big brother, so don't you love your father? Don't you love your mother?"
"Love daddy, daddy, will you reward me with a piece of meat? Mom, do you want love, but you must reward me with a piece of meat! Grandpa, second brother, do you want love?"
Everyone looked at each other, and then quietly picked up their food and started eating.
At such a young age, she's already figured out the whole business of love. When she grows up, those wild boars and toads will have to sell their bodies to support her. It's going to be a disaster...
After the meal, several people lit up cigarettes and smoked. Ye Tianya asked, "Son, are you going back to work tomorrow? Do you want me to ride your bike?"
Ye Zhiqiu shook his head and said, "I have to go to work tomorrow. How can I not go to work after the holiday? For now, I can only go to the factory and learn how to cook from my master. I want to learn how to make big pot dishes."
Wang Fugui asked curiously, "Grandson, don't you take turns learning from two masters?"
Ye Zhiqiu explained, "Well, my second master's restaurant was converted into a large cafeteria! So he felt bad about keeping it, and since the internal combustion engine factory needed a small chef, he simply brought my senior brother into the factory.
Because he just started working, I don't know if he can take me in to learn how to cook, so I can only put my learning plan on hold for the time being. It's okay, I'll just follow my master and learn some big pot dishes first."
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