Because they had brought a lot of things today, and the sun was already very bright at this time, and the station was such a long distance from the school, they took a taxi back to Shengshui Town after they arrived.
school.
Of course, Yan Fei did not go with them, because Yan Fei had to go to his second uncle's house first and put down the lotus roots he had brought to his second uncle before returning to school.
After the two of them arrived at the school, it took a lot of effort to move the vegetables and lotus roots upstairs. The two of them stood at the entrance of the corridor and rested for a while before Xiang Jin took out the key and opened the door.
Just when she was about to insert the key into the keyhole, the door was opened from the inside, and what Hao Ran saw was her grandmother's kind face.
"I heard someone outside talking, so I guessed that it was you who were back, and it turned out to be true!"
"Grandma?!" Xiang Jin called out first.
"Oh," the old lady responded, and then seeing her sweating profusely and her face flushed with heat, she couldn't help but look outside, "The sun is really strong outside right now?
"
Xiang Jin said, "It's okay!"
The old lady nodded, and then Yan Chen politely called out, "Hello, Grandma Qiao!"
"Oh, okay, okay, come in, come in," Xiang Jin and her grandmother hurriedly stepped out of the way, and Xiang Jin and Yan Chen entered the house one after another.
"Ouch, what are you carrying? Look how tired you are from this journey?" The two of them entered the house. Only then did Xiang Jin's grandma see what they were carrying, so she hurriedly
Reach out to help pick it up.
Xiang Jin said, "They are all vegetables. The ones in this snake cloth bag were given to us by Grandma Mo and Grandpa Zeng. This bag of lotus roots and lotus pods were given to us by Yan Fei and others. They said there were
Old lotus root and young lotus root, grandma, these
We will use the old lotus roots to make soup, and we will use the young lotus roots to boil in water and eat them cold or stir-fry, or chop them into small dices and mix them with minced meat to make dumplings.
Eat, these dumplings are delicious, crispy and fresh!”
Her grandma said with a smile on her face, "Okay, it's up to you, you can eat it how you want, and we'll do it when the time comes!"
With that said, she hurriedly called Xiang Jinyanchen to sit at the coffee table over there.
Xiang Jin looked around the whole room and then asked, "Hey, grandma, where is grandpa? Why don't you see anyone else?"
Her grandma said, "Oh, your grandpa went to the dormitory building next door. I heard that Teacher Zhang's family is a beekeeper. They brought two big buckets of honey to sell in the school. Your grandpa said that the weather
It’s too hot. I’ll go buy two cans and drink them with water to cool down!”
"Oh," Xiang Jin nodded.
"Go, go, go sit over there and rest for a while. I'll put this dish in the refrigerator and then cook for you!" Her grandma pushed her towards the living room.
Xiang Jin followed Shanruliu and sat down to rest.
Her grandma took the vegetables out of the bag one by one, then found the bags and packed them into categories, and finally put them in the refrigerator one by one.
Then she went to place the lotus roots again. She first separated the old and tender lotus roots, then left a few pieces for lunch, and then put them in bags and put them in the refrigerator. Finally, she hesitated when she saw the lotus roots.
Got up.
"This lotus..."
Xiang Jin said, "Grandma, you don't need to put that lotus pod in the refrigerator. I saw that Yan Fei and the others picked a long section of the lotus stem when they picked it. When the time comes, do you think we have that bottle at home?"
If so, just fill it with some water and insert it, and it will be fine for a few days. If you want to eat it, just take one, peel it off and eat it."
"Oh, okay, then I'll look for it," her grandmother responded.
Xiang Jin then said, "If there is no bottle, then just get that small basin and it will be the same."
"Yes, yes, there seems to be a can and bottle, I'll go find it!"
After a while, her grandma found a pear can bottle and brought it out, then filled the can with water, then inserted the lotus pods one by one into the bottle and put it on the coffee table.
Xiang Jin said to Yan Chen, "This is pretty pretty, just like a flower!"
Yan Chen glanced at the bottle of lotus pods, then nodded, "Yeah!"
Xiang Jin and her grandmother went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Xiang Jin got up and washed her hands. Then after a while, she came back and picked up a fruit in the fruit plate and peeled it.
After peeling the skin, she handed it to Yan Chen. Yan Chen looked at his hands and then stood up to wash his hands.
After Xiang Jin handed the fruit to him, she picked up the second one and started peeling it. She had just cut it halfway when her grandfather came back with several jars of honey. When he saw the two old men, he immediately smiled.
Come.
"When did you come back?"
"Grandpa!" Xiang Jin called.
"Grandpa Ouyang," Yan Chen stood up from his seat and called politely.
The old man pressed his hand down, "Sit, sit, sit, don't be so polite!"
Yan Chen sat down as instructed and said to Jin, "We just came back a while ago."
Yan Chen said, "Sixteen minutes past eleven!"
Hearing him telling the time so accurately, Xiang Jin's grandfather burst out laughing. After hearing her grandfather's voice, Xiang Jin's grandmother walked out of the kitchen with a knife and said, "Buy a few
A jar?"
Xiang Jin and her grandfather looked at her wearing an apron and holding a menu, and asked, "Did you do it?"
Xiang Jin and her grandmother asked, "What time is it? Shouldn't we be cooking?"
Xiang Jin and her grandfather nodded, "Then let me help you," and he stood up from his seat.
But her grandma came over, looked at the jars of golden honey and said, "What kind of honey is this?"
Xiang Jin and her grandfather said, "It's the cauliflower nectar and the loquat nectar I'm talking about. Oh, in short, it's the honey collected from various flowers in the countryside, but the ones with the most ingredients are the cauliflower nectar and the loquat nectar.
"
Xiang Jin and her grandmother nodded, and then asked, "Are there many people buying?"
Xiang Jin and her grandfather nodded and said, "It's not bad. When I went there, the price of one barrel was almost gone. There were two or three people in line in front of me. I always filled it from the second barrel."
Xiang Jin and her grandmother nodded, "It seems like business is pretty good, huh?"
Xiang Jin and her grandfather nodded, "I heard that their family raised dozens of boxes of bees. Teacher Zhang and his parents would pick those bee boxes to the rapeseed fields as soon as the rapeseed flowers bloomed.
Next to it, we then build a simple shed in the open space nearby and keep the bees there until the rapeseed flowers bloom."
Xiang Jin and her grandmother said, "Oh, that's not easy."
"Yes, it is said that April, May and June are their busiest seasons, but they only make money in one month of the year."
Xiang Jin and her grandmother said "Oh" clearly, and then they went to the kitchen to prepare lunch, leaving Xiang Jin and Yan Chen alone in the living room.
While nibbling the fruit in his hand, Xiang Jin took a jar of honey and looked at it. In this era, in this corner of the country, there shouldn't be that kind of fake honey, right?
Yan Chen asked, "What are you looking at?"
Xiang Jin said, "Oh, it's nothing, it's just that the color of the honey is really beautiful. It's bright yellow, even more beautiful than the color of gold?"
Yan Chen said "hmm".
Xiang Jin ate the fruit in her hands for a while, then got up and went to the kitchen to get a small spoon. Then she opened one of the glass jars and scooped out a spoonful of honey. Just as she was about to
When she was trying a bite, she saw Yan Chen looking at her, so she changed the direction of the spoon and put it in front of Yan Chen, "You want to try it too?!"
Yan Chen tilted his head to the side, "I don't want to taste it, it's too sweet, you can taste it yourself!"
Xiang Jin stubbornly placed the spoon in front of him, "Well... try it, try it. This honey is different from the sugar. It has the fragrance of flowers."
Seeing her persistence and seemingly coquettish expression, Yan Chen could not defeat her, so after hesitating for a moment, he opened his mouth and took the spoonful of honey into his mouth.
Xiang Jin saw that he had eaten a whole spoonful, and a happy smile suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth, "How is it? How does it taste?"
Yan Chen said, "Well, it's very sweet, but not as greasy as sugar. It's mixed with a refreshing floral fragrance, which seems to taste like loquat flowers and plum blossoms. After swallowing it, there is a feeling in the stomach.
My buttocks feel cold."
"Really?!" The smile on Xiang Jin's face became even brighter after hearing this, and then she took a spoonful and ate it into her mouth, "Well, it's delicious, it's delicious," and it was just as he said.
, it seems that this honey is real.
Yan Chen watched her scooping up honey with the spoon he had just eaten without caring at all. His heart suddenly trembled, and his eyes involuntarily moved to her charming pink mouth.
His Adam's apple rolled up and down involuntarily, and then he immediately turned his head away and stopped looking at her.
Xiang Jin took one spoonful and then another, and then asked him, "What do you think of the taste of this honey? Is it delicious?"
Yan Chen said lightly "Yeah", "It's okay!" But he still didn't look at her.
Then Xiang Jin asked again, "Then do you want to take another bite?"
"If you don't want to eat, you can eat, but you should eat less. I'm going to wash my hands." After saying that, he stood up and went straight to the bathroom.
"Oh, okay," Xiang Jin nodded while looking at his back, and then covered the glass jar.
After lunch, Yan Chen accompanied Xiang Jin and her grandfather to play a few more games of chess, and then stood up to say goodbye. Before leaving, Xiang Jin said to him, "Remember to come for dinner at five o'clock?"
Xiang Jin and her grandparents also hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, come for dinner then, and you will come right here after school."
"Well, okay!" Yan Chen agreed without delaying.
Xiang Jin's grandmother immediately put a jar of honey into his hand, "Take this with you and drink a cup each morning, noon, and evening. It's good for your health."
Xiang Jin nodded to him, and Yan Chen reached out to take it, "Okay, thank you Grandma Qiao, Grandpa Ouyang, I'll leave first then?"
"Okay, let's go, let's go!" Xiang Jin and his family of three walked him to the door.
After Yan Chen left, Xiang Jin and her grandmother said, "Oh, by the way, Xiao Jin, where is Yan Fei, why didn't you see him today?"
Xiang Jin returned to the living room, took out a lotus pod and peeled it off, "Yan Fei went to his second uncle's house, and he also brought lotus roots to his second uncles. Also, he was busy doing business, so he didn't
Do you have time to come?"
"Business?!" Xiang Jin and her grandparents were stunned.
So Xiang Jin explained it to them and then said, "The weather is so hot. What if he doesn't give the food to the students as soon as possible, and it will spoil by then?"
Xiang Jin and her grandparents laughed after hearing this, and then her grandmother said, "This kid is really funny. How much money can he make at one time?"
Xiang Jin gave a few peeled lotus seeds to her grandparents, "It's probably worth more than one hundred or two hundred yuan."
Xiang Jin's grandfather nodded, "Well, this kid has a lot of potential!"
Xiang Jin rolled his eyes in his heart, he was not using his energy on the right path!
After Xiang Jin's grandma took a lotus seed into her mouth, she asked Yan Chen about his grandparents, "Hey, Xiao Jin, are your grandma Mo and grandpa Zeng in good health recently?"
Xiang Jin nodded and said, "Well, they are all in pretty good health, quite strong and tough."
"It must be very hot today for growing vegetables in their greenhouse, right?"
Xiang Jin said, "It's okay. At this time, there is no need to build a shed like in the winter. They are planted directly open to the outside, so it is not too hot when picking vegetables, and what they are planting now is
They are the kind of vegetables that bear fruit on the seeds or on saplings. They rarely grow green leafy vegetables like that, except for what they need to eat at home, so they can just stand and pick when picking.
Or you can pick them by bending down slightly."
Xiang Jin and her grandparents nodded, "This is a bit easier."
"Yes," Xiang Jin said, "but Grandpa Zeng's family also grows mushrooms, but fortunately they pick their vegetables in the morning, usually from six-thirty to eight-thirty or nine in the morning.
It looks like the weather is not too hot during this period."
"Well, this is not bad," her grandparents said again.
He followed Xiang Jin and said, "Grandpa and grandma, I want to tell you something, that is, I want to go back to spend time with them after the holidays every month."
After hearing this, her grandma nodded immediately, "Well, sure, no problem, no problem. Your Grandpa Zeng and Grandma Mo treat you well. You should go back and spend more time with them. It's not easy for the two old friends, son."
My wife and eldest grandson both work outside the home, and we rarely come back to see each other once a year. I heard that sometimes we rarely see each other for several years."
Xiang Jin nodded, "Well, Brother Haoze only comes back every few years. Yan Chen and his aunt came back once last year, but they didn't stay at home for long before going back to work. Yan Chen and his uncle haven't come back in recent years.
return."
Her grandmother said, "Fortunately, Yan Chen has been by their side these past few years, otherwise how lonely would the two old people be?"
Xiang Jin said, "That's right, after the college entrance examination next year, Yan Chen won't be able to be by their side anymore."
"Yeah, that's right," Xiang Jin and her grandparents nodded again. Yan Chen has good academic performance and will definitely be admitted to a good university next year.
"I'm back. Did you just eat two casual meals in the past two days? I see that the food in the refrigerator is no different from before I left?" Xiang Jin said suddenly.
Her grandparents looked at each other and then laughed. Her grandma said, "We haven't done much cooking in the past two days. According to you, we just go to the small restaurant to eat."
Xiang Jin nodded, "Very good, very good. Oh, do we still have any flour at home? Why don't we make some dumplings in the afternoon, while we still have a lot of time."
Her grandfather looked at his watch and then stood up, "Okay, then I'll chop the meat."
Xiang Jin and her grandmother also stood up and said, "Then I'll go make some noodles!"
Xiang Jin said, "Then I'll deal with the lotus root."
The three members of the family divided the work and cooperated together. The final filling was made by her grandfather under Xiang Jin's guidance and her grandmother standing aside to watch.
"Well, it smells so delicious!" Her grandma sniffed hard, and then said, "We rarely buy lotus roots to eat. Even if we do, we buy old lotus roots to make pork rib soup. We use young lotus roots like this.
I have never made dumplings before."
Xiang Jin said, "We rarely eat lotus roots." The first time I made lotus root dumplings, Yang Juyun saw people digging lotus roots when she was passing by Sunjiawan. She bought some and brought them back to Xiang Jin.
"The latest time was after we finished the exam, Yan Fei and his family dug some up for Grandma Mo and others, and then we packed them."
"Your grandma Mo and the others also like to eat this dumpling?" Then her grandma asked.
Xiang Jin nodded, "Yes, I like it. They all like eating lotus root dumplings, especially Grandpa Zeng and Yan Chen, they really like it!"
"Then we also eat dumplings at night?" her grandma asked her with a smile on her face.
Xiang Jin said, "Okay!"
At nearly 4:30 in the afternoon, Xiang Jin and her grandfather made a dumpling and said to their mother-in-law and grandson, "Then you two make the next one while I go cook?"
After Xiang Jin's grandmother placed a stack of printed dough in front of Xiang Jin, she said, "Go, go, hurry up, the children will have to study in the evening."
So Xiang Jin and her grandfather walked towards the kitchen.
About ten minutes later, Yan Chen arrived, and Xiang Jin said to him, "Let's eat dumplings tonight?!"
"Okay," Yan Chen rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the bathroom. After coming out, he stood at the dining table and wrapped up with them.
"Hey, Xiaochen, you know how to make dough?" Grandma Xiang Jin couldn't help but said when she saw him picking up a piece of dough and slowly putting fillings into it.
Yan Chen said, "I can pack a little bit."
Xiang Jin said, "He can make bread, and the bread is very beautiful," but he can't cook.
Xiang Jin and her grandmother nodded frequently and said, "Very good, very good. Boys should still know some simple kitchen chores, so that they won't go hungry even if they live alone outside in the future."
Xiang Jin looked at Yan Chen and chuckled, "Yeah, yeah, I think so too," Yan Chen tilted his head and glared at her warningly, then Xiang Jin turned his head and whispered to him.
, "Actually, your fried vegetables are pretty good." As for the meat dish, it's simply hard to describe.
Yan Chen's eyes suddenly lit up, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, "Hurry up and make dumplings!"
"oh!"
Although they were eating dumplings in the evening, Xiang Jin and her grandfather still made three more dishes besides the dumplings, including two meat dishes and one vegetarian dish, the two meat dishes were a stir-fry and a cold dish.
"Grandpa, it's amazing, you can actually cook so many delicious dishes in such a short period of time," Xiang Jin gave her grandfather a thumbs up without hesitation during the meal.
Her grandfather just laughed and said, "Is it delicious?"
"Yeah, delicious!" Xiang Jin nodded.
Then her grandfather said, "Then you and Xiaochen should eat more. We can't leave this dish to tomorrow. So, let's try to finish our meals in one meal and don't leave any leftovers for the next meal."
Eating old food is not good for your health!"
Xiang Jin and her grandmother also said, "Yes, yes, eat fresh food. We also make fresh food for every meal."
Xiang Jin and Yan Chen nodded, and then heard Xiang Jin's grandfather suddenly sigh, "Oh, I didn't expect this lotus root dumpling to be really delicious, fresh, fragrant and crispy!"
Xiang Jin looked proud and arrogant and said, "Really? Then let's make more dumplings like this to eat in the future!"
Xiang Jin and her grandmother laughed and said, "How can I make it often? I haven't seen this sold in the vegetable market here?"
Xiang Jin thought for a while and then nodded, "That's true, but it doesn't matter. We have it over there. We have a large lotus pond planted in Sunjiawan over there, at least dozens of acres. Every autumn
They will start digging when the harvest begins. If we see it next time, we will bring more, Yan Chen, don’t you think so?"
"Um!"
After the meal, Yan Chen gave Xiang Jin six hundred yuan directly. Xiang Jin was confused and looked at him and asked, "What are you doing?"
Yan Chen said, "Please help me give your grandparents some living expenses."
Xiang Jin said, "I guess they won't accept it."
Yan Chen said, "Give it to them!"
So Xiang Jin walked towards her grandparents.
After a while, Xiang Jin's grandparents came out of the kitchen with the money and gave it back to him, "What do you think your child is doing? Our Xiaojin didn't get living expenses in your family.
Why are you so polite in our house? Come on, good boy, put it away!"
Naturally, Yan Chen would not accept it. He looked at Xiang Jin and said, "She didn't stay at our house long, and she also bought groceries."
Xiang Jin said, "I just bought it once, okay?"
Yan Chen raised his eyebrows and asked her with his eyes: Is it just once? I even bought it when I went back yesterday.
Xiang Jin averted his eyes and pretended not to notice.
Xiang Jin and her grandmother asked, "How long? Or half a month? Besides, she lives in your house and doesn't pay for the rent, water and electricity bills, so she should buy food, right?"
Yan Chen said, "This is also the money I gave you to buy groceries, and I didn't give you more. My monthly living expenses in that small restaurant are almost this much."
Xiang Jin and her grandparents still didn't want to accept it, and Yan Chen didn't want to accept it either. One side felt that it was inappropriate to accept it, and the other side felt that it would be inappropriate not to give it to him. The atmosphere became tense for a while, and Xiang Jin stood up and said.
"Grandpa and grandma, based on our family's previous diet, how much did our daily living expenses cost? You don't have to be secretive, just tell the truth!"
Her grandparents were a little embarrassed, "Xiaojin, this is inappropriate!"
Xiang Jin said, "Oh, let's face it, Yan Chen is not short of money, and according to his character, he will definitely not be willing to let him eat our food here for free."
After her grandparents hesitated for a while, her grandfather asked her grandma to take out the accounting book from the drawer of the bedside table in their room.
Then her grandma did as she was told. After Xiang Jin looked through it, he took the three hundred yuan directly from her grandma's hand and handed it back to Yan Chen, "I looked at it and roughly calculated it.
Let’s do the math. Including rice, noodles, meat, vegetables, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, fruits, water and electricity bills, the average monthly living expenses for each person in our family is this much. If you want to give, just give this much, grandparents.
You’ll just accept those, right?”
Yan Chen didn't take the money, but frowned slightly and said to Jin, "Don't worry, it's so much. I won't give you a discount. We buy and cook by ourselves. It will definitely be better than other people's small restaurants."
It’s much cheaper here, and the purpose of opening a restaurant is to make money, such as the expenses for water, electricity, and travel expenses to buy food, and they must have a proportion of profits themselves.”
After Xiang Jin and her grandparents looked at the money in their hands, they sighed and advised, "Yes, my child, take it. The money you gave is enough. Grandpa Ouyang and I are already very rich."
Sorry," her grandmother waved the money in her hand.
After a moment of silence, Yan Chen still pushed the money back to Xiang Jin, "Just use it as my living expenses for the next month!"
Xiang Jin was startled, then turned it over to her grandparents with a smile on her face, "Hey, you heard it too, next month."
After her grandparents stared at the money for a while, they finally took the money with a helpless sigh, "Oh, why are you so polite as a child? We are not outsiders?
"
Yan Chen said, "It's not polite, it's how it should be!"
Xiang Jin hugged her grandma's arm and said coquettishly, "Oh, grandparents, it's like this. When I lived in Grandma Mo's house, they didn't want my money, but I always felt that living and eating in their house was free.
I was embarrassed to drink for free, so later Yan Chen and I went to the street to catch a show.
I couldn't help but drag him to the vegetable market to buy some vegetables and go back. Even though Grandma Mo gave me a harsh scolding when I went back, saying that I was spending money indiscriminately and should save the money for later when I have some use for it.
Then I took it out and spent it on the blade, but in my heart I just felt at ease, at ease, and very happy!
I think Yan Chen feels the same way. You let a young man eat and drink for free, and he is not short of money. How can you make him feel so embarrassed? Isn't that right, Yan Chen?"
"Um!"
Her grandparents laughed, and her grandma said, "Okay, then we'll accept it!" Then her grandma said to Yan Chen, "Then you're not allowed to give more in the future?"
Yan Chen glanced at Xiang Jin and saw Xiang Jin squinting at him and smiling, so the corner of his mouth also raised a slight smile, "Okay!"