Chapter 009

Zhou Chengning finished work at 4:00 p.m. that day. On his way home, he stopped by Carpenter Chen’s house to ask about the small bed for the child.

It was rare in the countryside for a small bed to be made for a little child. Carpenter Chen took a look and said that it could indeed be done, with a cost of 30 yuan.

30 yuan was almost his entire month’s salary. Zhou Chengning couldn’t make a decision, so he took the design plan and went home to discuss it with his wife.

Xu Xiangjuan knew Zhou Chengning’s work schedule, and since she had spent the whole day at her mother’s house knitting, she was about to head back to cook when it was nearly time.

In the morning, she carried Niuniu and had Guagua carry her knitting bag and a bunch of vegetables to her mother’s house.

Guagua had become a little laborer, but she didn’t complain about the hardship because Mom had promised to make her something delicious.

They had lunch at her mother’s house. Xu Xiangjuan was the one cooking, rolling the noodles, and also frying some chili sauce.

At her mother’s house, there were some pork offal, such as pig liver and pig intestines. She didn’t touch the intestines but stir-fried the liver to make a sauce. She also specially stir-fried some small vegetables, putting them in separate plates. Since her mother’s house had pickled cucumbers, she cut up a plate of them. The noodles were served in clear broth, and everyone could add whatever they liked to the dish according to their taste.

Guagua was still not very skilled with chopsticks, but with some clumsiness and with her mother’s help, she managed to finish a bowl of noodles. Xu Gensheng had a big bowl, the largest in the house, and even after finishing, he was still not satisfied and wanted half a bowl more, but was stopped by Wu Caifeng.

It wasn’t just the noodles; they ate a lot of pig liver and vegetables too. Although Wu Caifeng also had two bowls of noodles, she didn’t eat as much as Xu Gensheng.

Before returning home, Xu Xiangjuan packed a jar of chili sauce to bring back. Her mother told her not to eat chili sauce after giving birth. Xu Xiangjuan, of course, couldn’t tell her it was for her husband, so she said that Guagua liked it and would dip it in her steamed buns and rice every day to help with her appetite.

Upon hearing that it was for Guagua, Wu Caifeng advised her not to let the child eat too much spicy food. Even if she liked it, she shouldn’t have too much; a little taste was enough.

She replied that she understood.

Whenever her parents asked her how she made such delicious food, she always answered that she was generous with the ingredients.

Many years ago, or even now, most households were reluctant to use enough ingredients. Salt was often used sparingly, and vegetables were mostly boiled without much flavor. She said she used more seasonings, and indeed, she did. Wu Caifeng could see it and felt a bit distressed, but she didn’t say anything.

After all, their family’s life was better now. She and her husband had worked hard for most of their lives. Since they could still enjoy good food, they might as well eat well while they could. When they passed away, they wouldn’t have any regrets.

Xu Xiangjuan knew very well how her cooking skills had developed. It was all for her son and daughter to have a good meal when they visited home, so she went all out in preparing various dishes. The result was that when she spoke with her daughter on the phone, her daughter would start by saying, “Mom, I miss the food you made,” and then begin ordering dishes. Niuniu was better; he wouldn’t say anything unless asked what he wanted to eat when he came home. He always said the food at home was better than anywhere else.

This was a form of recognition for her cooking skills.

When she returned home, the stove was cold, and the kitchen was quiet. Xu Xiangjuan first put Niuniu down and started a fire to cook. For dinner, she made garlic cowpea, adding some chili sauce to it. She also stir-fried mushrooms with vegetables, the mushrooms having been soaked in water before she left that morning, swelling up after soaking all day.

After the meal was ready, Xu Xiangjuan’s husband returned home.

“Give me the lunchbox, you eat first, I’ll pack tomorrow’s lunch for you.”

Zhou Chengning usually washed his lunchbox after lunch at school, so there was no need to wash it again. He handed the lunchbox to his wife, and she went to the kitchen. He then asked Guagua what she had for lunch.

“Noodles, pig liver, vegetables, Grandpa ate such a big bowl,” Guagua gestured a large circle.

“Spicy,” she added, pointing to a jar of chili sauce on the table.

Zhou Chengning then noticed the chili sauce. He picked up a pair of chopsticks that hadn’t been used yet, dipped them in the sauce, and tasted it.

It was fragrant and spicy, leaving a pleasant aftertaste. Although his daughter didn’t give many details, Zhou Chengning could already imagine enjoying a big bowl of handmade noodles mixed with chili sauce. It would taste so comforting.

By the time Xu Xiangjuan returned with the packed lunchbox, Zhou Chengning was already eating.

He felt that without the noodles, the cowpeas were still quite good with rice.

“What did Carpenter Chen say?”

“He said he could make it, but it would cost 30 yuan. I didn’t say anything and just came home to ask for your opinion.”

Thirty yuan had seemed expensive to Xu Xiangjuan in the past, but now she felt it was worth it. “I’ll bring 15 yuan as a deposit tomorrow, and we can pay the remaining 15 when it’s done.”

Zhou Chengning hesitated. “30 yuan is quite expensive…”

Xu Xiangjuan replied, “You don’t want to get a bed for Niuniu?”

Zhou Chengning immediately explained, “No, no, it’s just that we might not have enough money at home.”

“We do,” Xu Xiangjuan reassured him. “If we didn’t, how would I have thought to get Niuniu a bed? Don’t overthink it. If I want to buy something, it means we still have money.”

At this point, Guagua interrupted. “Mom, I want candy.”

“What candy? If you eat candy, you won’t be able to eat your meal.”

“I don’t want candy anymore.”

Finally, the big and small ones could start eating. Xu Xiangjuan thought about something and said, “Ah Ning, when you have a day off, let’s take Guagua and Niuniu to visit Grandpa.”

She knew that Ah Ning had deep feelings for his grandfather, but his parents’ family always made him feel disheartened.

“Visit Grandpa?” Zhou Chengning couldn’t quite believe his ears.

“Yes, visit Grandpa. Guagua hasn’t seen Great-grandfather either.”

Guagua asked, “Will there be candy?”

“Yes, Mom will give you two pieces of fruit candy.”

“Is there food?”

“If you keep asking, I won’t take you to see Great-grandfather anymore. I’ll only take Niuniu.”

Guagua finally quieted down.

Even when the little one was eating, she occasionally mentioned wanting candy.

That night, they had another conversation in bed.

Zhou Chengning hadn’t expected his wife to bring up the idea of visiting his grandfather. After his marriage, his relationship with his family had become even more strained, and they didn’t need to openly say it.

After three or four years of marriage, he had never visited his grandfather. He only encountered people from the village who would ask about his grandfather. When he heard that his grandfather was still in good health, he felt relieved.

Zhou Chengning was still hesitant. “My parents…”

“What’s wrong with your parents? We’re going to see Grandpa as a family. What does it have to do with them?”

“As long as you’re not upset.”

“Why would I be upset? Don’t overthink things.”

Xu Xiangjuan patted Zhou Chengning’s shoulder and returned to bed.

As autumn came and the weather grew colder, Zhou Chengning, being a big man with a high body temperature, enjoyed the warmth of the bed. Xu Xiangjuan thought to herself that once Niuniu’s bed was ready, she would have Guagua come over to sleep with her, keeping warm together in the bed.

…

On Zhou Chengning’s day off, the family got ready to go.

Zhou Chengning held Guagua’s hand with one hand and carried a bamboo basket with the other. Inside the basket were two bundles of cowpeas and a tin cup of crucian carp tofu soup. He was very careful while carrying the basket. Xu Xiangjuan, on the other hand, was focused on holding the soft, squishy Niuniu.

Grandpa Zhou’s house was next to Zhou Chengning’s parents’ courtyard, a thatched-roof hut.

If he remembered correctly, Zhou Chengning had an aunt. Xu Xiangjuan didn’t know much about Zhou Chengning’s family, but looking at the courtyard where his parents lived, she felt like they were mistreating his grandfather.

The tofu and crucian carp were something her mother had bought for her before, and they were kept in a basin. She had caught one fish and originally planned to just cut up some tofu and bring two bundles of cowpeas along.

However, her husband, Ah Ning, had told her that his grandfather hadn’t had anything good to eat for a long time and hoped that she would stew it and bring it over.

She was quite moved when she heard this, so she decided to stew the fish and tofu and bring it along.

Not to mention Ah Ning’s feelings for his grandfather, even she would think about bringing good food to her parents.

Many elderly people enjoyed sitting in front of their homes, basking in the sun. They would sit there when there was nothing else to do, and some even kept doing it for decades. Of course, if one day the village was missing an elderly person who often sat there in the sun, it was probably because they had passed away.

When the family arrived, the old man was sitting in front of the thatched-roof house on a bench. He wasn’t idle; he was stringing beads.