Seeing that she was lying down again, Gu Xingdong walked to the table and blew out the candle. He sat down by the kang in the dark, took off his clothes and lay down.
There was still a chill in the night in late spring and early summer, and the little bit of heat accumulated during the day had long since collapsed. Chen Lishu turned her head and saw through the moonlight that he was only wearing a vest and lying down without a blanket, she pursed her lips and hesitated.
Say: "Are you okay?"
Gu Xingdong turned sideways, stretched out a pair of long arms to hold her in his arms, put his firm chin on the top of her head, closed his eyes and whispered softly: "Go to sleep."
The sound of "Sleep" seemed to have a hypnotic effect. Chen Lishu gradually closed her eyes. She unexpectedly fell into a rare, sweet and peaceful sleep.
The next day, when she woke up, Gu Xingdong was no longer around. His quilt was folded like tofu and placed squarely on the kang cabinet.
Chen Lishu got up, packed herself up, and then opened the door and went out. When Gu Xingdong saw her coming out, he went to the kitchen to bring out the hot food for her. Not long after, he handed over an enamel jar, which was still steaming.
"Mom and I asked for brown sugar and eggs. Drink them while they're hot."
He had to go all out to talk to Li Xiulan about this kind of thing. Chen Lishu's face felt a little burning. She picked up the enamel jar and blew on it twice and took a sip. She felt a sweet fragrance rushing into her throat and into her heart.
"I don't have a fishing rod at home, so I found a bamboo pole and made one myself. It just so happens that it's still early and the sun isn't hot. We'll leave after you finish eating."
Chen Lishu nodded.
After she finished eating and washed the dishes, the two of them took the fishing rod and bucket and walked towards the river.
Chen Lishu didn't know much about fishing. Gu Xingdong was sitting by the river fishing, and she took the basket she brought with her to cut pigweed and pick mushrooms.
In one morning, Gu Xingdong caught three fish, and Chen Lishu cut a large bundle of pigweed and half a basket of mushrooms.
When she got home, she first chopped the pigweed, mixed it with a little cornmeal, and fed it to the chickens and pigs at home. Then she washed her hands and took the money to buy meat at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Gu Xingdong's vacation will end tomorrow. She is going to cook him something delicious.
When she thought of him leaving, for some reason, Chen Lishu felt suddenly depressed and reluctant to leave.
All the way to the supply and marketing cooperative, I cut two pounds of meat, and after thinking about it, I drank another pound of wine.
When she got home, Gu Xingdong had already helped her clean up the fish. Three fish weighing about two pounds were neatly placed in the basin.
Chen Lishu washed and diced the meat and mushrooms and prepared to make fried pork with mushrooms.
The three fish were stewed directly in one pot. A little cabbage was added to enhance the flavor. The staple food was not stuffed rice, but cornmeal pancakes. They were made from fish pot stickers. Half of the pancakes were soaked in the fish soup, and half of the crispy pot stickers were cooked.
After being soaked in fish soup, it also carries the fragrance of corn, making it soft, glutinous and sweet when you take a bite.
Chen Lishu's timing was just right. When the fish came out of the pot, everyone in the Gu family just came back from work.
"It smells so good!" Gu Xingye sniffed and ran to the kitchen in a few steps. He wanted to break off a piece of pancake and put it into his mouth without washing his hands. Li Xiulan, who came from behind, slapped him on the back of the head.
"You're in your twenties and you're still so impatient. When will you be able to find a wife like this?"
"Mom, you can't be gentle when you strike. You're not smart to begin with. If you hit her again, let alone your wife, your son won't even know how to count."
"Stop talking. Hurry up and wash your hands and eat." Gu Shoufu was also greedy when he smelled the aroma of vegetables. He scolded his son and went to the yard to fetch water and wash up.
The three fish stewed into a large pot, which was enough for a family of more than ten people. Chen Lishu brought out the wine, and Gu Shoufu rarely had a few drinks with his sons.
"Oh. I've only been back for two days, and now I'm leaving again." Li Xiulan was a mother, and she couldn't help but feel a little sore in her eyes when she looked at her son opposite.
"It's a good thing for Xingdong to serve the country as a soldier. Besides, it's not that far away. When you're not busy, you can go and have a look when you think about it." Gu Shoufu glanced at his wife and comforted her.
"Yes, Mom, if you miss me, just go there with Lishu. We have a dormitory for visiting relatives. You don't have to worry about food and accommodation." Gu Xingdong said.
Looking at his little wife on the side, he didn't know why, but he started to think about her before she left.
After dinner, Li Xiulan did not let Chen Lishu help clean up, but directly drove her back to the house and asked her to talk to Gu Xingdong for a while.
Originally, Chen Lishu wanted to pack Gu Xingdong's bag, but he only brought back two changes of clothes in total. It didn't take long to pack them.
"You know the address. Remember to write to me." Gu Xingdong's eyes never left her since she entered the room.
"Yeah." Chen Lishu nodded.
Gu Xingdong stretched out his hand and pulled the person into his arms. Seeing the clear eyes she looked at, he fell in love with her more and more. He wished he could make the person smaller and put him in his pocket and take him away.
The couple talked for a while and saw that it was getting late. Gu Xingdong had to catch the train tomorrow, so they took a rest early after washing up.
The next day, Chen Lishu went to the town with him. First, she went to the photo studio to pick up photos.
As soon as the two arrived at the place, they saw an enlarged photo of the two of them displayed in the window, and next to it was a solo photo of Chen Lishu.
Although it is only a black and white photo, her facial features are delicate and her dark almond eyes seem to be able to speak. If you look closely, she is no worse than the stars in the movie.
Gu Xingdong's face turned dark when he saw these two photos. He stepped forward and opened the store door. The photographer was taking pictures of a young couple. When he looked up, he saw the two people coming in. He greeted warmly: "You two are here to get some."
The photos are already developed, wait a moment..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw Gu Xingdong walking straight to the window and taking out the two photos.
"Hey, what's going on with you? Why are you touching my things so casually?" The photographer saw his move and immediately threw away the camera in his hand to stop him, but he was still a step too late.
"Your stuff?" Gu Xingdong looked at him with a half-smile, "Did you get my permission?"
The photographer hesitated for a moment. It was really unkind to put up the photo without the consent of the person involved. But he took the photo. Besides, although this man is wearing a military uniform, who knows if he borrowed it. There is also the guy who came with him.
Women don’t dress like rich people.
After thinking about this, he decided to take a step back: "Comrade, do you think this is okay? I don't want the money you paid for the photo. This photo..."
"No." Before he could finish his words, Gu Xingdong refused directly: "Pay the money and give it to me together with the negatives."
When the photographer heard what he said, he became angry and sneered: "You want the negatives? Brother, are you here to stir up trouble? You don't want to ask around. I, Zhao Kang, have been operating in this area for more than ten years, and I am also a respectable person.