Lin Chuxia didn’t delay either, borrowing momentum to ride the cart to a stable spot.
“Brother Su, we meet again. I have to rely on you once more, thank you so much.”
Su Wensong waved his hand, “No need to thank me. The rain is getting heavier. Hurry home.”
Lin Chuxia also knew it wasn’t the time to chat, and after thanking him again, she pedaled the cart.
As soon as she entered the door, she saw her brother-in-law, Qin Han, wearing a raincoat getting ready to go out. Upon seeing her return, he came over, “Your sister-in-law asked me to check on you. It’s good that you’re back. The rain seems to be getting heavier.”
“Yes, I made you all worry,” she said.
Lin Chuxia got off the cart, while the Qin family’s elders and Zhang Guilan, upon hearing the noise, all came out.
Zhang Guilan pulled a plastic cloth over her head and followed into the house to move things.
Seeing Mr. Qin about to come out too, Lin Chuxia hurriedly gestured with her hands, “You don’t have to come out; we’re almost done moving everything.”
After everything was moved into the side room, the rain started pouring harder.
Mrs. Qin came over under the eaves, saw Lin Chuxia drenched, and handed her a towel, “In the future, if the weather’s bad, don’t go out. It’ll be no good if you catch a cold.”
“Okay, I’ll listen to Mom.”
Lin Chuxia cheerfully complied, thinking that once the Bun Shop opens, she wouldn’t have to suffer like this.
Yet, she once again felt the warmth of the Qin family today. Though Qin Yang wasn’t at home, the Qin family’s elders and her brother and sister-in-law truly cared about her.
After taking a hot shower and changing clothes, Lin Chuxia saw it was still early and started to prepare the offal she had bought in the morning.
Pig’s heart and liver were relatively easy to clean, while the hardest to clean were the lungs, large intestines, small intestines, and pig’s feet.
Thankfully, her brother helped her fetch water.
When she returned, she had already informed her in-laws and her brother and sister-in-law, and since it was raining and they were all home, they would have dinner together.
Zhang Guilan heated water on the side, watching Lin Chuxia clean the intestines with flour, and couldn’t help saying, “This is the first time I’ve known to clean the offal this way. Before, I wanted to buy some because it was cheap, but wasn’t sure how to prepare it.”
“This way it’s clean, without any stench,” Lin Chuxia explained.
The pig’s feet were prepared by Mr. Qin, scraped and scalded, very clean.
When everything was washed, she began to stew the meat. Stewing was Lin Chuxia’s forte, and she planned to make everyone a stewed delicacy.
Green onions, ginger, star anise went into the pot, followed by half a bottle of fermented tofu sauce, and the secret seasoning she had previously taken from her space. After bringing it to a boil on high heat, she reduced it to a simmer on low heat. Soon, the entire room filled with the aroma of cooking meat.
Little Zhuangzhuang, who had just now frowned upon seeing the pig offal, now was sniffing the air with his small nose, “Mommy, what meat are you stewing in the pot? It smells so good!”
“Don’t worry about what meat it is, anything your little auntie stews is delicious, just wait to eat,” not wanting to leave any psychological impression on her son, Zhang Guilan didn’t tell him.
The fire didn’t need tending, so she stood up to wash her hands, “I’ll go and make some flaky deep-fried flatbreads, they go well with the stew.”
“Make some two-grain flatbreads too, those are good for cutting the greasiness.”
“Sure, I’ll also make a cold bean dish with plenty of minced garlic, that’s tasty too.”
The two sisters-in-law discussed and agreed on the plan, while Mrs. Qin, looking on with a constant smile on her face, thought, “It’d be even better if Yangyang were home.”
Such a sensible and sweet daughter-in-law will surely become more and more beloved by her son, and she felt justified in insisting on this marriage for him.
The setting sun slowly painted the entire sky a shade of crimson, and the yellow sands of the Gobi were touched with a warm orange hue.
Qin Yang had finished his meal at the canteen and was ready to head back to his dormitory.
The beef sauce and chili paste that Lin Chuxia had brought him were all gone, and he couldn’t help but find the cafeteria’s food increasingly bland, as if his taste buds had become too particular.
Calculating the time, his family should have received his letter by now. He had intended to send 50 yuan home as usual, keeping only a little over ten for himself. But upon reaching the post office, he suddenly changed his mind, holding back just three yuan for himself and sending the remaining 60 yuan back home.
His father was on medication all year round, and the family had no savings. They had just split the family assets and were immediately in debt due to famine. And yet, Lin Chuxia had brought him so much delicacy, which he knew without asking must have come from her personal savings.
Qin Yang knew that Lin Chuxia was not the favored one at home. She only had one new dress, which was probably all of her savings.
If this had been two months ago, Qin Yang definitely wouldn’t have paid any attention to how many new dresses a woman had, even if that woman was his wife.
But now, he wanted to give her the best of everything, to make her life as comfortable as he could within his means, because she was Lin Chuxia.
“Qin Yang!”
A voice interrupted his thoughts, and Qin Yang stopped in his tracks, one hand in his pocket, watching the woman approaching at a quick pace from afar.
Xu Sijin ran all the way there, eyeing the tall man standing against the light, straight in stature, with a cold and stern look that emanated a sheer sense of coolness and detachment.
Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to look away from him until she stopped about two steps from him.
“What is it?” Qin Yang asked, slightly frowning when the woman stopped him but said nothing.
Xu Sijin snapped back to reality, “Oh, Mr. Bai was asking me about the quota for family members accompanying the staff, and I was wondering if you’re planning to have your family come along. You see, our department has limited quotas for accompanying family members, and they generally prioritize couples who have been married for many years but live apart. I was thinking that it might not look good if you, having just gotten married, were to apply for one, especially since you are in the rising phase of your career. The leaders think highly of you, and it would be best not to let personal matters affect their perception of you…”
“Am I that familiar with you?” Qin Yang interrupted her endless chatter.
Xu Sijin paused, facing his impatient gaze, feeling as if a needle had pricked her heart.
“I… I just wanted to remind you, considering we’ve been colleagues for many years, I wouldn’t want small matters to affect your career.”
“I know how to handle my own affairs,” Qin Yang spoke coldly.
He didn’t like his matters being poked and prodded by an outsider. He had no intention of applying for his family to accompany him, and his reason for not doing so wasn’t for the sake of his career, but because he didn’t want Lin Chuxia to suffer here.
Not wanting to entangle any further with her, Qin Yang simply said, “I have no plans to let my family accompany me,” and then he walked away briskly.
Xu Sijin was still feeling hurt by Qin Yang’s attitude, but her eyes lit up when she heard his response.
Watching the man’s chilly departing figure, she suddenly realized that her well-intentioned advice, even if Qin Yang had a cold personality, shouldn’t merit such a response—perhaps it was because she had mentioned his wife that he was unhappy.
That’s right, Qin Yang had reportedly been forced by his family to go home and get married. How could there be any affection for a wife from an arranged marriage? And why would he bring her along to accompany him?
Judging by Qin Yang’s attitude, he probably wasn’t too pleased with the wife he had just married.
With this realization, Xu Sijin caught up to him once more, “Qin Yang, I made this chili paste myself and even added white sesame seeds to it. I’ve heard you like spicy food, so I’m giving it to you.”
Qin Yang didn’t stop in his tracks and didn’t even glance at the bottle of chili paste, “Sorry, I don’t accept things from strangers. Please don’t follow me; it doesn’t look good for me.”
He was a married man now and understood the need to keep his distance from other women.
Xu Sijin was incredulous.
Was she a stranger?
Although they were not in the same department, she worked in the union and interacted with all the workers. They had known each other for at least three years, and yet he had called her a stranger?
Besides, she, a woman, didn’t mind, so what impact would it have on him, a man?