17
Zhou Xiye Has Taken a Liking to Her
Zhou Xiye drove back, and Zhang Zhao and Wang Changkun, crouching by the windowsill, watched their leader step out of the car expressionlessly before heading to his office. The two of them quietly ducked down.
Zhang Zhao looked at Wang Changkun with a gossipy expression: “Sending something like that, a driver could’ve handled it. Why did the leader have to go in person?”
Wang Changkun, still somewhat naive, replied: “Maybe he wasn’t at ease. After all, the blasting is in a couple of days.”
Zhang Zhao shot him a disdainful look: “The leader even had the mess squad buy a chicken for him, using his own meat coupons.”
Wang Changkun thought it was normal: “Weren’t you all eating at the village head’s house the other day? Giving a chicken in return is only fair. Our leader never takes advantage of anyone.”
Zhang Zhao smacked Wang Changkun’s head: “You’re such a blockhead. Think about who’s at the village head’s house? That impressive female comrade from the train.”
Wang Changkun finally caught on, slapping his own head: “Good heavens, no way! The leader has taken a liking to her? But he’s married—that would be a mistake.”
Zhang Zhao stroked his chin, also feeling the situation was tricky, but he didn’t dare ask the captain directly.
…
Jiang Zhizhi had originally planned to make braised chicken pieces, but then she thought about how Yang Fengmei always boiled vegetables first, adding just a dab of oil after taking them out of the pot, or rubbed the pan with a bit of lard before stir-frying.
If she made braised chicken pieces, she’d need both oil and a lot of soy sauce, which would only cause more trouble for them.
So, she simply chopped the chicken into large pieces and stewed it in plain water.
She didn’t dare add too many seasonings, afraid of wasting them and upsetting Yang Fengmei, so she just added a bit of salt. Just before it was done, she tossed in a few potatoes.
Just then, Liang Dazhuang entered the yard, sniffing hard: “Good heavens, what’s that amazing smell? Is it meat?”
As he spoke, his eyes lit up, and he hurried to the stove, eagerly lifting the lid off the pot.
Seeing the chicken broth glistening with golden oil, along with the chicken and potatoes in the pot, he exclaimed: “My god, it’s chicken! Good heavens, where did this come from?”
Old Liang and Yang Fengmei rushed over as well. Seeing the stewed meat in the pot—better than what they’d even eaten during New Year’s—their expressions turned serious.
Jiang Zhizhi quickly explained: “Captain Zhou sent this over, saying I should stew it for all of us to share.”
Hearing it was from Zhou Xiye, Old Liang and Yang Fengmei breathed a sigh of relief.
Old Liang squatted by the pot, puffing on his pipe, and called out to Yang Fengmei: “Go pull a couple of scallions. They’ll taste great added just before serving. And if we had some fried flatbread to go with this, it’d be absolutely divine.”
But Yang Fengmei scowled: “Still thinking about fried flatbread? That would use up too much oil and flour. Xiao Jiang, really, how could you stew the whole chicken at once? We could’ve made it last for several meals.”
Back when they slaughtered a chicken for New Year’s, they could make it last until the Lantern Festival.
Jiang Zhizhi was taken aback: “Huh? It’s so hot out, I thought it wouldn’t keep, so I stewed it all.”
Liang Dazhuang was practically drooling: “Mom, stop nagging. If it’s cooked, let’s just eat it. I’m already craving it.”
Yang Fengmei couldn’t help muttering: “No idea how to manage a household at all. Good things shouldn’t be eaten like this…”
As she grumbled, she went inside, and Old Liang followed.
Old Liang looked at Yang Fengmei’s dark expression and scolded: “That chicken was sent by Captain Zhou. Just eat it—why all the unnecessary complaints?”
Yang Fengmei retorted indignantly, “Such a big chicken would be wasteful to finish in one meal. Those who don’t manage a household never understand the value of rice and firewood.”
Old Liang snorted coldly, “What do you know? Do you think Team Leader Zhou sent this chicken for us? It’s for Comrade Jiang. We’re just benefiting from her favor.”
Yang Fengmei gasped, “You mean Team Leader Zhou has taken a liking to Little Jiang? Not you?”
Old Liang raised his dry tobacco pipe as if to strike Yang Fengmei, who dodged fearfully. Furious, he cursed, “Are you blind and stupid? What disgusting thoughts fill your head? Is your mouth only good for spouting nonsense?”
Yang Fengmei suddenly felt relieved. After all, those educated girls would do anything to return to the city, and Old Liang was no saint either—he’d had unclear relationships with female educated youths before. Seeing him bring back such a pretty one, how could she not worry?
Old Liang glared at Yang Fengmei. “Enough! Go eat now. If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll skin you alive.”
Feeling reassured, Yang Fengmei went out and found Jiang Zhizhi much more agreeable. “Alright, since it’s already cooked, let’s eat.”
Liang Dazhuang happily went to fetch scallions and a big bowl, urging Yang Fengmei to serve the food quickly.
Jiang Zhizhi stood aside, wondering what Old Liang had said to Yang Fengmei inside that made her attitude change so drastically after coming out.
Yang Fengmei served both chicken legs to Jiang Zhizhi, gave the wings and neck to Liang Dazhuang, and gave Old Liang a large piece of breast meat. She only took a small piece of meat for herself with a big bowl of potatoes.
Jiang Zhizhi felt somewhat embarrassed. Seeing the Liang father and son eating happily as if this were normal, she picked up one chicken leg and gave it to Yang Fengmei. “Auntie, you have this chicken leg. I can’t finish it anyway.”
Yang Fengmei was flattered. After all, the best food at home had always gone to the men and sons. Even when her daughters were home, they never got such treatment.
“No, no, I’ll just have a little. Your arm is injured—you should eat more.”
Liang Dazhuang nodded while chewing chicken. “Yes, yes, Comrade Jiang, eat more so your arm can heal faster. Mom, this chicken is so fragrant! The broth is delicious too. Can we cook some noodles in it tonight? That would be amazing.”
Yang Fengmei sternly said, “Enough! You’re eating better than a landlord already. What more do you want?”
As she spoke, she transferred the chicken leg from her bowl to Old Liang and took a dry, hard sorghum flour bun to soak in the broth instead.
Jiang Zhizhi watched as Old Liang ate the chicken leg without any hesitation, smacking his lips with enjoyment. Seeing Yang Fengmei’s willingness to sacrifice, she thought this was self-imposed suffering that no one else could interfere with.
After the meal, Yang Fengmei’s attitude toward Jiang Zhizhi improved significantly. When Old Liang and Liang Dazhuang went back to their rooms for afternoon naps, Yang Fengmei cleaned up while saying to Jiang Zhizhi, “Do you have any dirty clothes? I’m going to the river to do laundry later and can wash yours too.”
Jiang Zhizhi shook her head. “No need, I can wash them myself.”
Yang Fengmei smiled. “Don’t stand on ceremony with me. Your hand isn’t convenient.”
Now it was Jiang Zhizhi’s turn to be flattered. “Really, Auntie, I can manage with one hand.”
Yang Fengmei didn’t insist. “Alright, if you need any help, just let me know. By the way, you should keep your distance from those people at the Educated Youth Housing.”
Jiang Zhizhi was surprised. “Why?”
Yang Fengmei snorted coldly, “Those people all have eight hundred tricks up their sleeves, constantly thinking about how to scheme against others. You clearly look naive and easy to fool—don’t let them deceive you!”