“Are you seated, all set?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Under the summer’s-end July sky, the roads were flanked by lush, shaded trees, yet Qin Yang felt unbearably hot, sweat dripping from his forehead down to his chin…
Finally home, Qin Yang took a cool bath with a bucket of water, only to find Lin Chuxia already busy in the kitchen when he came out.
Little Zhuangzhuang sat on the doorstep, holding snacks just bought from the supply and marketing cooperative, munching away and sniffling.
“Little Auntie, is that beef sauce for Little Uncle to take away? It smells so good.”
While simmering the beef sauce on a low flame, Lin Chuxia smiled back at him, “A portion is for your little uncle to take with him; he can pair it with meals at the unit. The rest is for us to eat.”
“But my mom said that since we’ve divided the household, we can’t eat food made by little auntie anymore.”
“Would Zhuangzhuang share something tasty with little auntie if you had it?”
His little head nodded vigorously, “I would share with little auntie.”
“See, that’s right. If Zhuangzhuang thinks of sharing delicious things with little auntie, little auntie also thinks of sharing delicious things with Zhuangzhuang. We call that mutual kindness.”
“But I don’t have anything nice right now,” the treats in his hand were also given by little auntie.
“You’re still young, Zhuangzhuang. When you grow up and become capable, naturally you’ll have lots of tasty treats, and then sharing them with little auntie will be just the same.”
The little guy’s eyes brightened, his tone determined, “I’ll remember, when I grow up and make money, I’ll buy goodies for grandpa, grandma, dad, mom, and little uncle and auntie…”
Upon seeing Qin Yang approaching, he repeated what he’d just said, as if seeking a witness.
Qin Yang ruffled his little head and stepped inside. The scent of the meat sauce was even more tempting now. Not just Zhuangzhuang, even he couldn’t help but take a few extra whiffs.
“There’s no need to go to all this fuss.”
He had seen those items earlier: three pounds of fruit candy and two pounds of milk candy, along with three types of snacks, plus a tin of malted milk essence – she said it was all for him. What would he, a grown man, do with malted milk essence?
But his heart felt warm, aside from his mother, someone was caring about him for the first time, even more meticulously.
No wonder all his acquaintances were constantly talking about wanting to find wives.
Lin Chuxia packed up the sauce, ending up with five jars.
“It wasn’t much trouble, these meat sauces won’t last forever, they need to be eaten fairly quickly. You can share some with your colleagues since you have plenty.”
In the workplace, social exchanges are quite important.
These weren’t expensive items, and for their kind of work environment, they were just right.
She didn’t know how Qin Yang handled interpersonal relationships at the unit and wasn’t planning to interfere. She just wanted to be as thorough as possible.
Lin Chuxia divided the remaining meat sauce into three parts, setting aside a small portion for their evening meal and asking Qin Yang to take the other two portions to his parents-in-law and his elder brother’s family.
Brother Qin and his wife just returned from the fields and were surprised that Lin Chuxia would still bring them food. Zhang Guilan, in particular, felt embarrassed remembering how she didn’t show a good face to her sister-in-law a few days ago, yet her sister-in-law hadn’t taken it to heart.
“Well, sister-in-law, it’s time to pick the tomatoes in the fields tomorrow. Have big brother take you to the market, then you’ll know how to sell them.”
Lin Chuxia nodded cheerfully, “Alright, that’ll trouble Brother Qin then.”
Mrs. Qin first asked about Lin Chuxia’s trip back home, then pulled her aside and said, “Don’t just think about giving it all to him; he’s a big lad and won’t lack food or drink.” Although she said this, her face couldn’t hide her joy.
“I heard their work environment over there is tough, often with shortages in supplies, and even if there are supplies, one can get sick of the communal meals. It’s good to take some meat sauce to add some flavor. In a bit, I’ll fry up some chili oil for him; I noticed Qin Yang really likes spicy food.”
Qin Yang, who had just entered, overheard this and immediately grinned, showing off his white teeth, “That’s great,” as he loved spicy food.
“You, you just don’t know how to pamper your wife. Is she having an easy time busying herself around?” Mrs. Qin chided him from afar, and Qin Yang, feeling a bit embarrassed, scratched the back of his head and looked at Lin Chuxia.
Lin Chuxia didn’t feel anything special; she used to work in catering and was used to doing things herself.
Dinner was just for the two of them. There were leftover steamed buns at home, so after boiling the porridge, she simply heated the buns on a sieve.
The beauty of being farmers; there was never a lack of vegetables to eat.
Lin Chuxia made a tomato and egg stir-fry, a cold mixed bean dish, and added her freshly fried chili oil, which greatly enhanced the flavor. With some beef sauce, it was simple yet perfect with rice.
Qin Yang wasn’t new to Lin Chuxia’s cooking, yet he was still amazed by it.
“This chili oil smells amazing, and the beef sauce is delicious too, Lin Chuxia, your culinary skills are truly unmatched.”
He alternated between a bite of steamed bun and a scoop of sauce, followed by a couple bites of the cold mixed vegetables, particularly picking places with chili, enjoying the meal thoroughly.
Lin Chuxia knew the beef sauce and chili oil tasted great; this was a recipe she had integrated from various sources and refined in her past life. Just the chili oil alone had attracted many customers to her restaurant, and later, when a food factory was established, their chili oil and beef sauce became products sold both domestically and internationally.
But seeing how Qin Yang was enjoying his meal, she felt the emotional value was off the charts and thought she didn’t make enough.
After dinner, Qin Yang was the first to take the dishes to the well to wash, and Lin Chuxia packed the cooled beef sauce and chili oil into a cloth bag.
Their train was at 7:50 tomorrow morning, and although Ancheng County had a train station, it was still some distance from Qin Family Village, so they still had to get up early.
Qin Yang went to Mr. and Mrs. Qin’s room to spend more time talking to his parents since he was leaving.
Lin Chuxia took the opportunity to draw water for a bath, and since they had separated from the larger family, they no longer needed to wash in their own room.
She hadn’t used her special space recently because living together with Qin Yang, he might notice something. She didn’t plan to share her secret with anyone.
When Qin Yang came back, Lin Chuxia was already dozing off. The man climbed onto the bed and directly pulled the quilt over to sneak in.
Just as Lin Chuxia thought he might want one last hurrah for the night, a strong arm stretched across her waist, pulling her closer to him.
Sensing her tension, he whispered by her ear, “Sleep, I won’t touch you tonight.”
Lin Chuxia rolled her eyes internally, praising him for his conscience.
But after hearing his words, she indeed slept more soundly, falling asleep almost immediately after he finished talking.
Qin Yang, however, wasn’t in a hurry to sleep. By the moonlight shining through the window, he watched the person with closed eyes, and only after hearing her steady breathing did he raise his hand to gently touch her brows and eyes.
The woman uncomfortably wrinkled her nose, which frightened him into lying still immediately.
After waiting a while without any response and her breathing becoming steady again, Qin Yang slowly turned back to continue watching her.
After an unknown amount of time, his thin lips pursed, then he slowly leaned in and kissed her forehead, finally closing his eyes contentedly.