"Hehe, thank you. I was being petty, please don’t mind, Secretary Jiang."
"Director Wei, in that case, I’ll leave now. I still need to see the two people from our village."
Wang Ailing is sleeping, and Kong ngjie is working now.
She only t Wang Ailing. "Sis, do you guys get a holiday for the New Year?"
"On the 29th of the lunar month, Kong ngjie and I will go back together. She arranged it with the day before yesterday."
"Alright, no need to inform the family to pick you up at the station, right?"
"No need." Wang Ailing was still a bit groggy, just getting used to the rotating shifts.
Jiang Xinyu noticed this too. The girl hadn’t completely woken up yet, so she decided not to disturb her.
Originally planning to go ho, but since she saw Wei Kaiyun, she thought she should treat him to dinner. After all, her job and Wang Ailing’s temporary work were all thanks to his help. She shouldn’t pretend not to know, even though her job wasn’t particularly important to her.
"Sis, I’m leaving. I’m treating Director Wei to dinner tonight."
"Okay, you go ahead, I won’t tell Kong ngjie."
"What’s up?"
"Kong ngjie is all about pleasing the leadership right now. If she knew you were treating the director to dinner tonight, she’d definitely be unsettled."
"Hmm, that’s okay." No way she’d play matchmaker between a lead and supporting actor.
"Sis, I’m leaving now. I’ll bring you sothing tasty tomorrow."
"No need, the als at the textile factory are pretty good. I just want to drink so malted milk when I get back."
"Okay, and there’s at to eat. I bought two sets of organ ats and saved so for you."
"Make sure to save so for ."
Wang Ailing reluctantly saw Jiang Xinyu off and went back to sleep.
Originally wanting to stroll around, she decided to go ho and prepare instead.
Once ho, she used the well to pump water, filling the water tank, releasing so leaves, and slowly lighting the fire.
She set aside ten pounds of rice for the evening’s al.
Since she was boiling water, she cleaned both the inside and outside of the ho, thinking she’d go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy two thermos flasks when she had ti.
By 4 PM, the house was tidy, the curtains were up, and after the blankets were laid on the kang bed, a cozy feeling imdiately filled the ho.
Though she hadn’t prepared a kerosene lamp, there were candles in her space, all suitably arranged.
By 5 PM, she gathered the rice. She took out marinated pig liver, cut a plate, and so sausages for another plate.
The lungs were cut into shreds, to be cooked with shredded cabbage and so dried chili peppers, with a bit of vinegar, to make sour lung shreds. The large intestines and braised pork were served in two bowls, to be stead when the rice was cooked.
This made four dishes, all at. This should be considered high-end, right?
The dishes were ready, and the rice could be drained too. The rice soup was scooped out and set aside as a dessert with a bit of sugar added after the al.
The pot was cleaned, and she placed the rice sieve, rice pots, and both bowls of at inside, then covered it with the lid and stoked the fire.
Having boiled for two hours in the afternoon, the kang was already warm. Sleeping tonight shouldn’t be too uncomfortable.
The other pot was also cleaned, ready for stir-frying later.
At exactly 6 PM, soone knocked on the door, and knowing it was Wei Kaiyun, Jiang Xinyu greeted, "Welco Director Wei, please co in. Right now, I’m not on duty yet, so treating you to dinner shouldn’t count as bribery, right?"
"Would treating to one al count as bribery?"
"Isn’t that the case? Director Wei, please co in."
Wei Kaiyun admired the tidy ho with a touch of envy; girls really are better.
Jiang Xinyu led Wei Kaiyun into the west room and offered him a seat. "Director Wei, here’s rice soup with sugar, have a bowl first, and I’ll go fry the dishes so we can have dinner soon."
The dining table was set in the west room as Jiang Xinyu didn’t want the dining table in her own living quarters.
Wei Kaiyun looked at the thin slices of pig liver and sausages, swallowing his saliva embarrassingly as he sat down with the rice soup. Not bad, it’s quite sweet.
With just one dish, Jiang Xinyu quickly brought in the flavorful sour lung shreds, then hurriedly fetched the braised pork, large intestines, and lastly a pot of rice.
"Director Wei, don’t be shy, these pigs have been raised in our village for a year, you’re in for a treat."
"Secretary Jiang, I’m truly lucky, I haven’t had at for almost half a year, finally getting to enjoy a proper al today."
"Don’t be polite, eat as much as you like."
Jiang Xinyu helped Wei Kaiyun serve a bowl of rice and got herself a bowl of rice soup with lots of sugar.
"Director Wei, don’t hold back, eat quickly, otherwise it won’t taste as good when it’s cold."
Wei Kaiyun picked up his chopsticks and had no ti to speak anymore.
"Director Wei, if you have a strong stomach, eat more at and less rice."
"Alright, you eat quickly, I’ll finish the rest."
Jiang Xinyu ntally comnted: Are you a rice bucket?
But she only had one bowl of rice, ate two pieces of at, and tried a few bites of the other dishes; the rest were indeed finished by Wei Kaiyun.
Watching him eat, although fast, he didn’t seem crude.
"Thank you, Secretary Jiang." Wei Kaiyun put down his chopsticks after having three large bowls of rice and consuming all the dishes on the table, even mixing the braised pork and stead intestine broth with rice.
"I’m honored, Director Wei."
"Secretary Jiang, did you make all these? Your cooking is quite good!"
"Girls from the countryside all know how to cook, as long as you like it, Director Wei."
"Jiang Xinyu, are you really planning to start working after the New Year?"
"Yes, there’s no rush now, I want to stay around a bit longer; once I start working, it’ll be just holidays to rest, and if our director decides to work overti, us secretaries will have to accompany him working overti."
"You’re pretty savvy." Wei Kaiyun humd.
This guy, flipping out right after eating, really doesn’t make sense.
"Director Wei!"
"Jiang Xinyu, I find you to be different from others."
"Isn’t everyone just the sa with one nose and two eyes? What’s different?"
"Never mind, I see you like to play dumb.
Jiang Xinyu, about that palm reading for , can you give more details?"
"Director Wei, I’m sorry, I really can’t say more about this, secrets of heaven must not be divulged."
"Jiang Shen Gun, are you playing mysterious again?"
"I don’t an that, I really can’t say much; if you believe, just pay more attention. If not, just forget it."
"I believe. Let help you wash the dishes."
"No need, I’ll do it myself."
"You’re heading back to the village tomorrow?"
"Yes, in this cold weather, I don’t want to stay outside."
"Alright. You’ve prepared everything pretty quickly and thoroughly."
"I bought things like foot basins, and the carpenter drove over to deliver them. With a car, I could bring more things."
"Okay, you rest, I’ll head back."
Seeing off Wei Kaiyun, Jiang Xinyu tidied up the house, skipped the bath, just washed her feet, and went to bed on the kang.
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