Chapter 163 Li Lan's condition
Around 5: 30, Li Haitang started making hot pot. On both coal stoves were medium sized iron pans, and two chubby fish were stewed in them. The lid of the pot was covered, and the strong smell of ginger and onion pervaded the hall.
The fish hotpot was slowly simmering, and she went to the kitchen to clean up the big bowl of fish offal. She took it out alone and made a fish offal soup. She also cooked a large bowl of dried meat and returned it to the pot.
At exactly six o' clock, Li Jianhua and lu hongyu came over with a pair of children. Zhao Chunhua and Li Ya Li Hui also came.
As soon as he entered, Zhao Chunhua shouted, "Sister-in-law, what's good to cook tonight? It smells so good. I can smell it from a long distance."
Liu Fen walked over from the kitchen behind with a kettle in his hand and said with a smile, "Haitang is cooking fish hotpot for everyone to eat tonight. I've never eaten it before. Her cooking is very good. Everyone must be happy tonight."
Zhao Chunhua looked at the two pots in the middle of the hall and was slightly stunned, "This fish hotpot, are we eating directly around the pot?"
"Yes, she said there was no special stove to make hot pot in the house. That's the only way. Later, everyone will eat around the stove. It's just time for the fire to be roasted. It's fun to chat while eating." Liu Fen made tea for them with a smile and told everyone to roast by the stove first.
Lu Hongyu opened the lid of the pot and saw a big fish in it. The fish soup was rumbling and turning milky white. She swallowed and said, "It looks delicious. It smells delicious. I'm drooling."
A large group of children gathered around to see. In order for the fish to continue cooking, she put down the lid of the pot and said with a smile, "This is a good idea. We can cook in our own house in the future. We can eat around the stove. It can be very warm in winter."
"Sister-in-law, Jiangang brought a pot to your house, but he never came back. Do you know where he went?" Zhao Chunhua was just getting down to business.
Liu Fen told her what they had said before, and then sat down beside them, "They went to your mother's house. Later, they picked up jianhong and her three in town. They should be back soon."
Zhao Chunhua bit his lips and didn't know what to say. He felt a little uneasy.
Li Jianhua took a sip of tea and decided to say, "Second sister-in-law, don't worry. When second brother asks about the situation, I'll accompany him to the south after the new year. We'll find Li Lan first."
"Okay." At this moment, Zhao Chunhua's mind was in a state of confusion, and his heart felt as if it had been crushed by a huge rock.
Not long after, a familiar car roared outside the door, and everyone got up to open the door. Li jianhong just got out of the car and walked over with a smile. He walked to the door and smelled a strong fragrance, "Hey, what are you cooking tonight? It smells so good."
"Fish hotpot tonight. Jian hong, Chunmei, Chunxing, come in. It's cold outside. Come inside and warm yourself up." Liu Fen greeted them warmly.
Li Haitang stood at the back of the crowd with a cup of hot tea in her hand that was only half drunk, but she was the tallest, and she could see the situation ahead at a glance. When the three of them walked in, she nodded to li jianhong and shouted to her cousin, whom she hadn't seen for three years, "Chunmei, Chunxing, it's been a long time."
"Sister hoi tong, long time no see." The two sisters smiled at her in unison, a slightly awkward smile.
The two sisters inherited half of their looks from Li Jianhong and half from their father, Zhou Yu. Not to mention how beautiful they were, they looked pretty, and they were dressed very neatly. They had changed a lot since they were young. If they met on the road, they might not recognize them.
"Sit down and roast." Li Haitang moved a bench for them. As for Li Jianhong, Li Tao naturally called.
When Li Jianguo and the Li Jiangang brothers came in, Liu Fen closed the door of the hall. The cold wind was howling outside, and it was impossible to withstand the cold wind without closing the door.
When the two of them sat down together, Zhao Chunhua, who had been feeling uneasy, hurriedly asked, "Jiangang, did you get anything?"
Li Jiangang glanced sideways at her, took the hot tea that Duan Jinqiao had sent over, took a sip, and then answered, "Zhao Nan called back in two months. They were apprentices in a beauty salon, eating and sleeping. They only had forty yuan a month, which was not enough for them. They also asked their family to send money to him. Your eldest brother and sister-in-law sent a hundred yuan, and less than a month later, they wrote back to ask for money, but this time they didn't send it. I just got the address there and asked your brother if he wanted to bring him back together. Your brother said he didn't care. He made a decision as a father, and I didn't persuade him any more. Let's go and bring li lan back after the new year."
"Okay, bring li lan back. Ask Zhao Nan. If he comes back, we'll go back together. It's fine if he doesn't come back."
Now that Zhao Chunhua had figured it out, her family really couldn't get too involved, or else she wouldn't be able to live a good life on her own.
In the past six months, Li Jiangang went to work at Li Haitang's place. In less than six months, he earned nearly a year's worth of money. He paid his salary on time every month and never missed a point. At the end of the year, a hundred yuan red packet was issued, and there were several bags of all kinds of new year supplies, which were even better than the welfare of the cement plant. He also helped him learn how to drive now, and in the future, he would earn more money by helping the sports cars in the shops. She lived in peace at home. She could eat and drink well. She had money in her hands, so she could buy whatever she wanted to eat and wear. Now that many people in the village are envious of her, she has figured it out and is satisfied, and will never do anything stupid again.
"Anyway, at the beginning of the year, there weren't many things in the shop. I'll accompany second brother to the south." Li Jianhua made his decision. Originally, his elder brother was the most suitable one to go, but the shop couldn't leave him, so he had to accompany him.
Li Haitang gave them a suggestion: "Go early, the fifth and sixth day of the seventh lunar new year. If you delay the train ticket, you will be very nervous. After all, there are more and more people working in the south now. There are too many people and it is easy to get into trouble. Also, bring her back early and feel at ease."
Yes, third uncle second Jiu, sister haitang is right. There are a lot of people going to the south. When I went there this spring festival, I was almost squeezed into jerky. And there were a lot of thieves and pickpockets on the train. When they got off the train, many people were shouting and shouting. Their luggage and money were stolen. In a strange place, it's really hard to walk without a penny if you don't have friends and acquaintances to look after you. Many people really pick up garbage to survive the most difficult period." Zhou Chunmei, who had worked there for more than a year, was most familiar with the situation.
"Okay, then I'll go to tan city tomorrow to buy a train ticket." When Li Jiangang heard them say that, he immediately made up his mind.
Li Haitang put down his teacup and said, "Second uncle, don't go to tan city tomorrow. I'll ask my classmate lin peipei to buy it for you."
"Okay, then say thank you to the little girl on behalf of your second uncle." Li Jiangang chuckled. It would be best if someone bought it for him. He just stopped running back and forth. He had to transfer several trains to tan city.
Li Haitang nodded. The matter was settled and dinner was ready.
Liu fen went into the kitchen and brought out all kinds of clean vegetables and various marinated side dishes. She put them on the table beside her and Duan Jinqiao came out with bowls and chopsticks.
"These vegetables are raw. How do you eat them?" Lu Hongyu thought he was eating fish around the stove, but now it looks a little different.
Li Haitang lifted the lids of the two pots and smelled the rich smell of fish. She cut the large bowl of white tofu into squares and poured it into the two pots. She replied, "Cook and eat. For example, spinach, coriander, cabbage, and so on, you can eat them when you heat them. For the rest, you can cook them a little."
"Oh, I see."
Li Tao handed out the bowls and chopsticks to everyone. The adults sat at one table and the children sat around the other. It was not crowded. Just as soon as it was ready, everyone took their chopsticks and began to eat.
"The rice is ready. Everyone will come here to fill it later." Liu Fen put the pot of rice on the table next to her, and she sat down beside Li Jianguo with a bowl and chopsticks.
"Wow, it's so delicious. The fish is so sweet and delicious." Li Yang, who had a piece of fish in his hand, was enjoying it. Most of them used to eat fried fish, and the stew was less drinkable. It turned out that fish was better made like this.
Li Haitang smiled and put some of the other kinds of tofu skin, taro tofu, and tofu into the pot. "Whatever you want to eat, just put it in and cook it yourself. You can also finish the fish before you cook it."
The adults also learned from her at the table. A few women took the chopsticks and put the vegetables in the pot to cook. The men took the food while drinking.
"Jin qiao, don't you like radishes? The radishes in here are already cooked. They are delicious. You can take them yourself. Be careful not to burn them." Li Haitang also liked carrots. The delicious taste of fish was already soaked in. The radish tasted really good.
"Okay."
Duan Jinqiao flipped his chopsticks inside and picked up a big carrot stick. He took a bite. It was sweet and soft, and he said with his tongue, "Wow, it's delicious."
The other children who grew up in the countryside had long been fed up with carrots. It was obvious that the two of them were eating so hard that they both went to pick one, and then everyone couldn't stop eating.
Radish, cabbage, pork slices, tofu skin, taro tofu, bean curd, bean sprouts and so on were quickly swept away by them. Then Li Haitang put some coriander in and asked, "Who doesn't eat coriander?"
Everyone nodded in unison. They all didn't like it. She was the only one who liked it.
Li Haitang chuckled, "It's so good that none of you are going to eat such delicious food. That's great. I'll take advantage of myself today. You can eat fish."
Li Tao didn't like it very much, but he didn't refuse it either. He picked one and tasted it. Seeing Li Yang frown, his head suddenly flashed and he suggested, "Sister hoi tong, sister chunmei, the other brothers and sisters, let's play games."