Chapter 199 Someone's Trying to Steal the Steamed Buns
Breakfast was still communal stew. Around 8 or 9 o'clock, the music band would start playing and singing again. Whenever a relative came to pay their respects, a string of small firecrackers would be set off. The crackling sound of firecrackers never stopped throughout the morning.
Lunch was another banquet, with the dishes slightly different from the previous night. After the banquet, the funeral procession began.
The courtyard was packed with people dressed in mourning clothes. Two coffins were carried out of the mourning hall by more than a dozen strong men. A crane at the entrance hoisted the coffins onto the hearse. As Zhang Pengju smashed a clay pot, the men, women, and children behind the hearse burst into mourning.
The music ensemble led the way, and the sound of gunfire echoed as white paper money fluttered and fell all over the ground.
Around 2 PM, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang Tianmin were laid to rest, bringing the funeral to a successful conclusion.
Over the next two days, Zhang Pengfei repaired the leaky parts of the house and took Chen Jingyang to visit his old school. Before they knew it, it was time to return to Beijing.
Early that morning, Zhang Pengfei got up and tidied up the bedding.
The bed legs were left unattended for the time being. Chen Jingyang suggested replacing the entire bed, but Zhang Pengfei ultimately did not take his advice.
He also suggested rebuilding the house, but Zhang Pengfei did not respond.
Even the best bed is just a decoration if no one sleeps in it.
Even the best house will slowly collapse if no one lives in it.
Everything was ready, except for one last thing: picking dates.
These aren't the kind of dates that hang on the tree and dry on their own. If they're not picked in time, they'll all fall to the ground and rot. It's better to pack them up and take them with you.
When Hua Hua heard that she was going to pick dates, she jumped up and down with joy. She ran to the kitchen, grabbed two bamboo baskets, kept one for herself, and gave the other to Chen Jingyang.
"What are you doing?"
“Put it on your head!” Hua Hua pointed to the tree. “If my brother climbs up the tree and shakes it, the dates will fall down. If you don’t put the bamboo basket on your head, you’ll get hit and hurt.”
Chen Jingyang really wanted to ask: Why did you stand under the tree with a basket on your head when your brother was shaking the tree? Couldn't you have waited until all the dates had fallen to the ground before coming over to pick them up?
But on second thought, this might be part of Hua Hua's "wonderful" memories, so why not let him experience it as the locals do?
He readily accepted the bamboo basket.
Having not climbed a tree for many years, Zhang Pengfei's movements were a bit clumsy and awkward, and he failed to climb it after several attempts.
Fortunately, the jujube tree wasn't very tall. In the end, Chen Jingyang stood under the tree, supported his buttocks, and pushed him up, so he was able to stand smoothly on a large fork.
"Are you ready?" Zhang Pengfei asked with a smile, looking down at him.
Hua Hua quickly balanced the bamboo basket, tilted her head back excitedly, and replied, "All done!"
Zhang Pengfei grabbed a tree branch and shook it vigorously a few times. The jujubes fell to the ground like raindrops, some hitting the bamboo basket with a "thump-thump" sound.
Hua Hua stood still, hunching her shoulders and holding up her bamboo basket, letting the jujubes fall onto it while she screamed and laughed.
When they were kids, it was usually Zhang Pengfei's dad who climbed the tree, while his mom and his two siblings would scream from below.
Chen Jingyang held the bamboo basket high on his head and watched with a smile as his lover happily swayed the branches of the tree.
Sometimes happiness is simple. It doesn't require traveling to the ends of the earth or having romantic moments. Just in a dilapidated little courtyard, in front of a jujube tree that can be seen everywhere, one can feel an overwhelming sense of happiness.
Finally, all the dates were picked up, almost filling two fertilizer bags. Chen Jingyang weighed them and said they must weigh at least seventy or eighty pounds.
In addition, Zhang Pengju also dug up a bag of sweet potatoes and a bag of peanuts for them. When they left, the Cullinan was so full of stuff that it could hardly fit them all.
The two ultimately decided to send the food by courier, otherwise it would be too difficult to carry.
Just before locking the door, Chen Jingyang gazed at the jujube tree for a long time, pondering, and asked Zhang Pengfei, "Really, can't we dig up this jujube tree? It would be so much better to plant it in the yard of our villa!"
Zhang Pengfei decisively shook his head and refused: It's one thing to break the bed legs, but to dig up the jujube tree too? They don't want to leave him any hope at all!
Back in Beijing, he divided the red dates into several portions. Shang Feng, Du Mingxuan, Chen Fulai, Xu Fei, Lawyer Zhu, and even Liu Chengzhou each received a portion—special note: this portion was sent by Huahua.
He sliced the remaining red dates into pieces and dried them in the yard. After they were dried, he did something that left Chen Jingyang speechless—he steamed buns.
Chen Jingyang was incredibly surprised. He not only recorded the whole thing but also livestreamed it in WeChat groups, tagging Shang Feng and Xu Fei: "Look, look! My wife can steam buns, and she makes them with dried date slices!"
Xu Fei replied instantly: Chen Fulai can do that too!
Shang Feng: ...What's so great about it? What time will it be cooked? Although my Xuanxuan doesn't know how to steam, she can definitely eat more than any of you.
Du Mingxuan: Chen Jingyang, you shameless bastard! It's not like you know how to steam buns, what are you so smug about!
Chen Fulai: Fei Ge's cooking skills are pretty good, almost as good as mine.
Chen Jingyang replied to Du Mingxuan: It's precisely because I don't know how that I'm so smug! You shameless bastard, show me what smugness is (*′`*)
Chen Jingyang replied to Chen Fulai: My wife could steam buns when she was eight years old. Back then, he wasn't even as tall as the stove. He had to stand on a stool to put the steamer basket on. Don't try to show off your skills in front of Lu Ban.
Du Mingxuan: No way, I can't take it anymore! Chen Jingyang, you just wait, I'm coming to your house right now, and you won't get a single one of the steamed buns your wife made!
Chen Fulai: I also want to confirm if I'm just showing off my skills in front of Lu Ban (a legendary master carpenter). @Du Mingxuan, save a few for me later!
Chen Jingyang gasped, realizing he'd gone a bit too far with his boasting, and asked Zhang Pengfei, "Baby, how many did we steam in this pot?"
Zhang Pengfei thought for a moment: "I think there are twelve, why?"
Chen Jingyang was a little anxious: "Only twelve? How many more minutes until they're cooked?"
Zhang Pengfei glanced at his watch: "Fifteen minutes, I guess."
"Huh?!" Du Mingxuan and Chen Fulai might be at his doorstep in fifteen minutes!
Zhang Pengfei was puzzled: "What's wrong with you? You seem distracted. What happened?"
Chen Jingyang gave a wry smile: "Someone might come and steal our steamed buns!"
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