Lin Jianxue and Master Wang agreed on the labor fee, which was 15 yuan per square meter, plus 2 taels of food coupons.
She paid for the money and ticket readily.
After the payment and goods were paid, Master Wang and his wife got busy.
Master Wang was chopping the meat, Aunt Wang was kneading the dough, and Lin Jianxue was not idle either, and took the initiative to take over the task of soaking the soybeans.
After more than two hours of hard work, the sun was already setting.
"Alright! Lin Zhiqing, the buns are ready! And the stew is ready too!"
One and a half pounds of pork belly, seasoned with green onions and ginger. Aunt Wang was very skilled in cooking and made 25 fist-sized pork buns.
Lin Jianxue looked at the figure and nodded with satisfaction. After a busy morning and the previous conflict, she was really hungry.
She didn't hesitate to pick up a hot meat bun that had just come out of the pot, blew on it, and took a careful bite.
The outer skin is soft and sweet, the inner meat filling is plump and juicy, salty and delicious, the fat and lean parts are matched just right, and the mouth is full of fragrance.
It’s so delicious.
She sighed with satisfaction, sat down, and ate three in one go.
After eating and drinking her fill, Lin Jianxue borrowed a clean bamboo basket from Master Wang's wife, carefully stacked the remaining 22 meat buns neatly, and covered them with a clean cloth.
She took out the large enamel thermos she had brought with her - she had bought it specially before going to the countryside, it was double-layered and had excellent heat preservation effect - filled one layer with the stewed soybean pork trotters, and filled another layer with the stewed pork belly with vermicelli.
Carrying the heavy basket and thermos, Lin Jianxue thanked Master Wang and his wife, then turned and walked towards where Fu Zhawei's family currently lived.
She had been busy working and adjusting to life on the farm these days, and hadn't found the time to come over. This was her first time at the Fu family's current residence.
Before coming here, she had also imagined that the Fu family's living conditions after being sent down to the countryside would not be very good. After all, with their "special status" and living on this remote farm in northern Xinjiang, they were bound to face difficulties.
But when she came to the end of the little-traveled road that ran along the edge of the farm and saw the lonely house, her heart sank involuntarily.
How can this be a house?
This is clearly a dilapidated warehouse that has been abandoned for who knows how many years, or perhaps a converted cattle shed!
The adobe walls were crooked, with large chunks of the wall covering peeling off, revealing the varying shades of mud-yellow underneath. The thatch on the roof was also sparse, with even black rafters visible in some places.
The entire building covers a large area, but apart from being large, it has no other uses!
The most chilling thing is that this dilapidated house stands alone on the edge of the wasteland, without even a single neighbor around it. It is obvious that it has been deliberately isolated.
Lin Jianxue stood at the gate of the courtyard, looking at the gate that was casually pieced together with broken wooden boards, and her brows unconsciously frowned.
As she approached with her things in her hand, she saw a woman in an old navy blue cotton-padded jacket with several patches on it. She was bending over in the yard, holding a broken ladle and spreading rice bran on the ground to feed a skinny chicken.
When the woman heard the footsteps, she stood up and raised her head. Seeing a neatly dressed young girl carrying a lot of bags at the door, she was obviously stunned for a moment, and a trace of doubt and vigilance flashed in her eyes.
"You are...? Xiaoxue?"
Dong Yulan quickly dropped the broken ladle in her hand and walked over quickly.
"Oh, it's really you! How did you find yourself here? Come in! It's so windy and cold outside!"
A smile instantly broke out on Dong Yulan's face, and she pulled Lin Jianxue into the yard.
The Dong Yulan in front of him was much thinner and more haggard than in Lin Jianxue's memory. Her originally fair skin had become rough and dull, and there were fine lines at the corners of her eyes that could not be concealed. Her clothes were old and washed white, and there were red marks on her wrists from frostbite that had not yet healed.
When she smiled, her eyebrows and eyes curved, vaguely reminiscent of the Aunt Dong who always greeted people with a gentle smile in the high school staff housing compound.
"Aunt Dong," Lin Jianxue held her hand and spoke gently, "The educated youth camp is resting today, and I happened to make some food, so I thought I'd come over to see you, Uncle Fu, and Qingqing."
She glanced across the empty yard and asked, "Fu Zhewei... isn't he home?"
"Oh, it's Xiaowei," Dong Yulan's eyes softened as she mentioned her son. She quickly explained, "He's helping his father on the farm. I guess he'll be here soon."
As she spoke, she pulled Lin Jianxue to a worn wooden table in the middle of the yard and said, "Come on, sit down. I'll pour you a cup of hot water."
"Oh...I see." Lin Jianxue nodded.
She placed the thermos on the table, then moved the bamboo basket forward and lifted a corner of the cloth covering it, revealing the plump, steaming buns inside.
She held Dong Yulan's hand, preventing her from busying herself with pouring water: "Auntie, don't bother. I just steamed some meat buns, they're still hot! Come and try some!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com