Read Novel Full Chapter 112
Chapter 112 : a Little Girl
“Brother Qi, sister-in-law, you guys clean up first. I’ve booked a restaurant for tonight. Let’s go and try Haicheng’s specialties together.”
“Wei Qi, there’s no need for anyone at home. The two of us can do it ourselves.”
“How about this? I’ll withdraw the guards, and Auntie will stay here to take care of you. She doesn’t live here but will come over at mealtime to cook. Aunt Qian is an expert at cooking Haicheng dishes. You’ll see when you try them. You might not want to leave after tasting them.”
In the evening, they had dinner at the most famous private restaurant in Haicheng, which is backed by the flowing river. As the saying goes, you don’t know the taste of fish until you’ve eaten catfish.
The flavor of fresh catfish can be revealed just by steaming it. The braised pork is brown-red in color, sweet but not greasy, and melts in your mouth.
The eight-treasure duck meat is tender and fragrant, served with shrimp and green beans, offering a rich taste.
Jiang Li’s favorite is the Leishayuan, which is a boiled glutinous rice ball rolled in a layer of fried dry soybean powder. It’s salty, sweet, and soft.
As Wei Qi introduced the dishes, Jiang Li occasionally added a few words, which greatly surprised him. “Sister-in-law has been to Haicheng?”
Jiang Li smiled and shook her head. “I’ve heard people talk about it. It’s just talk.”
“My mother was from Haicheng. When I was a child, she would occasionally cook dishes like xiaolongbao. I also ate the Leishayuan when I was young.”
“Aunt Qian’s crab roe dumplings are the best. If you like them, ask Aunt Qian to make them in the fall. It won’t work now because the crabs aren’t fat, and they’re not very tasty.”
Wei Qi is obviously a person who loves food and is particular about it, which contrasts with Jiang Li.
After the meal, both the host and the guests were very happy. Jiang Li declined Wei Qi’s suggestion to send a car to pick them up and took Qi Shaoqiang’s hand, walking back slowly.
The wind was no longer so chilly and cold, and Jiang Li even noticed that many sycamore trees along the roadside had sprouted new buds.
“I will report to school tomorrow. When school starts, I’m afraid I won’t have much time to spend with you.”
Jiang Li was actually a little worried. Qi Shaoqiang’s decision to quit his job came as a shock, leaving everyone confused.
Not only that, but Qi Shaoqiang’s boss, the director of the food factory, also strongly disagreed. When he heard Jiang Li was going to Haicheng for college, he even said he would give Jiang Li a month’s vacation to send her to school.
“I know. Just focus on your studies. I’ve actually discussed this with Wei Qi. He said he could introduce me to a job in the security department of the agricultural machinery factory near the school.”
Jiang Li thought about it. The job at the factory sounded good, but the security department often required shifts and patrols. Qi Shaoqiang retired because of a leg injury. His legs felt uncomfortable in cloudy or rainy weather, so this job might be a bit hard for him.
“Security department? Isn’t it too tiring?” Jiang Li felt a little distressed.
Qi Shaoqiang touched Jiang Li’s head and said, “Don’t worry, this is only one-third of my previous training! And for some reason, I didn’t even suffer from my leg injury this spring.”
Jiang Li was enlightened. Perhaps this had something to do with the spiritual spring water Xiaoting usually gave her. This year, in addition to Qi Shaoqiang, even the old lady seemed more energetic.
“We don’t have enough money. After buying the house, it’s basically all gone. When I have some free time, I’ll set up a small stall to earn more.”
“I still have to buy a house, and setting up a stall doesn’t cost much. I can work and visit the stall after work.”
Compared to Yongfang County, the atmosphere in Haicheng is more open.
Along the way, she saw several people setting up stalls openly, and passers-by didn’t seem surprised. Jiang Li was a little excited, as she could finally do something big.
The two were so excited that night, playing around for a while. By the time they went out, the event had just finished, and since it was only the first day, they didn’t have time to go to the hospital to buy more.
The new experience was novel to both of them, and Qi Shaoqiang was like a child who had just tasted candy, repeating it over and over again.
Jiang Li was so exhausted from being rubbed by him that even her fingertips were covered in sweat.
In a daze, she only heard Qi Shaoqiang say in her ear, “Lizi, we also want a little girl. I will definitely be a good father.”
Jiang Li was exhausted and nodded. To be honest, when she thought of the little girl from Xiaoting’s family, her heart felt extremely soft.
Qi Shaoqiang felt refreshed in the morning and exercised in the yard at dawn.
Aunt Qian had already prepared breakfast and was warming it on the fire. She brought it out when she saw Jiang Li get up.
Jiang Li drank a bowl of fragrant Meiling porridge, paired with shrimp pot stickers sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped green onions, and took two bites of the aunt’s freshly rolled scallion pancakes, her mouth full of the aroma of green onions.
Because of his exercise, Qi Shaoqiang only wore a short-sleeved shirt. He had a broad waist and narrow shoulders, firm muscles, and long legs that Jiang Li could never get tired of looking at. While looking at the handsome man, Jiang Li ate her meal and felt content.
The two of them went to the school to register together, received their books, and went to the assigned dormitory. Although they decided not to live on campus, they could still keep their beds in case they had to go back to school occasionally for some reason.
The dormitory is an eight-person room with bunk beds and several long tables in the middle. The bathroom and faucets are shared.
When Jiang Li arrived, there were already several girls inside packing their things, and she greeted them one by one.
Jiang Li introduced her name and age, and also learned about the situation of the other people in the dormitory. There was only one girl in the dormitory who was a local, and the others were from various places. They ranged in age from sixteen to twenty-five.
Everyone was quite friendly when they met for the first time. There was only one bunk bed left in the dormitory, and Jiang Li chose the upper bunk. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but she was a bit of a germaphobe and couldn’t accept others sitting on her bed.
After packing up the bedding, it was almost time for dinner, so a few girls invited Jiang Li to go to the cafeteria together.
The school provides subsidies, so eating in the cafeteria is still very cost-effective. It was Jiang Li’s first time at the school, and Qi Shaoqiang had to leave for something, so Jiang Li went to the cafeteria with several roommates.
After tasting the dishes in the cafeteria, Jiang Li began to miss the food cooked by Chen Xianyun.
The girls were all easy to get along with. The oldest, Wang Hong, was from Northeast China. She was an only child and had a big-sister vibe. Zhu Zhu, a small girl with a round face, was a local and the youngest, only 17 years old. She was cute and innocent.
Another married girl in the dormitory was named Chen Jing. She had gotten married in the place where she was sent to work in the countryside and had two children. She left home to go to college and was reluctant to leave her children behind.
The remaining few also had their own personalities, but without exception, they were all easy to get along with. Jiang Li breathed a sigh of relief. While studying at school, she didn’t want to encounter anyone as difficult as Jiang Hongmei again.
After checking the class schedule, Jiang Li went back to the dormitory and prepared to go home. When she pushed the door open, she found a thin girl with a single braid sitting in the only place in the dormitory where no one was.
Seeing Jiang Li come in, the girl looked up and smiled, “Hello, my name is Sun Yulian. It seems that I am the last one to arrive in our dormitory.”