That day, they pulled her out of the water, patted her face with their rough, large hands, and then carried her on their hard shoulders, bouncing her back and forth.
She was jostled so hard she saw stars and her internal organs ached.
When Sun Xiuhe tried to pull her down, he simply threw her to the ground.
This person is decisive in saving people, and equally decisive in abandoning them.
At the same time, Shen Che was also recalling the scene from the day before.
The day before yesterday, she lay in his arms looking radiant and almost dead, but now she puffed out her cheeks and glared at him, looking charming and lively.
It’s lively and energetic.
He smiled and looked at Song Zhaodi, then said to Zhao Lanzhi, “Auntie, it seems like your Zhaodi doesn’t like me?”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Lanzhi looked at Song Zhaodi in surprise, pulled her forward, and said to Shen Che, “How could that be? You are my Zhaodi’s savior. She was telling her grandparents the night before last that she wanted to thank you properly.”
“Right, Zhao Di?”
Chen Che wore a dark blue coarse cloth shirt, the cuffs and trouser legs tied tightly with cloth rope, simple and neat. He sat on the oxcart, one leg bent halfway across the plank, the other leg hanging casually, straight and long. He raised his wheat-colored face, revealing a row of neat, white teeth, and looked at her with leisure.
He seemed to be patiently waiting for her reply.
Ignoring his rudeness, this man had indeed done her a favor, so Song Zhaodi raised her lips and smiled at him with her eyes crinkled, “Thank you for saving my life, my benefactor.”
Shen Che seemed quite satisfied, nodding as his gaze drifted casually over her chest, a strange glint in his eyes that quickly disappeared.
“Auntie, are you going to town?” he asked Zhao Lanzhi.
Zhao Lanzhi was unaware of the unusual look he gave her daughter, and replied with a kind smile, “I picked some wild vegetables, and I’m going to take them to town to sell.”
Shen Che glanced at the water celery behind them, but unlike the others, he didn’t express any doubt that ‘water celery can’t be eaten.’ Instead, he jumped off the oxcart and stood next to Song Zhaodi.
With his imposing physique and broad shoulders, he stood before me like a small mountain.
Song Zhaodi looked up and stole a glance. She felt like he could slap her to death. No wonder his shoulders were so hard.
A rough and hearty male voice followed, buzzing.
“I’m going to town too, so I can give you a ride.”
It takes more than an hour to walk from Shuangping Village to the town, and a round trip takes nearly three hours. If you take an oxcart, you can save at least half the time.
Zhao Lanzhi hesitated for a moment, then agreed, “Then I’ll take advantage of you.” As she spoke, she took out a few copper coins from her bosom and was about to hand them over.
But Shen Che stopped him, saying, “It’s just along the way, why would it cost money?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he bent down, picked up a bundle in each hand, and easily carried the two bundles of water celery onto the oxcart. Song Zhaodi didn’t even have time to help.
Shen Che and Zhao Lanzhi sat in the front, chatting idly, while Song Zhaodi sat in the back, her eyelids beginning to droop as the oxcart swayed.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when the oxcart suddenly swayed. Song Zhaodi opened her eyes in confusion and met Shen Che’s probing eyes, which were like those of a hawk.
She felt a little embarrassed and confused when she heard Chen Che say, “Your mother is over there. She said she’ll come back after chatting with your eldest uncle for a bit.”
Following the direction he pointed, Song Zhaodi saw her mother, but she was only a few feet away from them.
Seeing the relief in her eyes, a hint of amusement flashed across Chen Che’s eyes.
He can’t possibly eat her, can he?
The moment she jumped off the oxcart, he suddenly asked in a low voice, “How do you plan to repay this life-saving grace?”
Song Zhaodi almost lost her footing and quickly steadied herself by supporting Shuiqin. Meeting his expectant gaze, she took a breath.
“I will send a generous gift tomorrow…”
“Not enough.” Before she could finish speaking, Chen Che interrupted her.
A twitch appeared on Song Zhaodi’s brow, and she asked warily, “Then what do you want?”
Chen Che’s bright eyes stared straight at her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. She thought to herself that if he dared to utter any rude or arrogant words, she would definitely give him a good scolding.
Unexpectedly, all he said in the end was, “No rush.”
At this moment, Zhao Lanzhi returned, followed by her maternal uncle Zhao Zenghua.
Zhao Zenghua said he knew a tavern cook who could help make an introduction to see if he could sell water celery directly to the tavern.
So the water celery was unloaded from the oxcart, and Chen Che drove the oxcart away.
“Shen Che is not as reckless as the rumors say. It seems the rumors are unreliable.”
Zhao Lanzhi had a good impression of Shen Che, and her tone was complimentary. Song Zhaodi remained silent.
The eldest uncle carried two bundles of water celery and led them through two alleys before stopping behind a wooden door from which smoke was rising.
“This is the tavern kitchen I was talking about. I know the chef there, but I’m not sure if I can get him to take this water celery.”
After all, in people’s eyes, this is just wild grass for feeding livestock.
Although she had already tasted the deliciousness of water celery, Zhao Lanzhi was still not very confident and subconsciously looked at Song Zhaodi.
“Uncle, don’t worry, I’m confident they’ll accept it.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zenghua glanced at Song Zhaodi and felt that his niece was somewhat different, which made him very gratified.
“Zhao Di has grown up.”
Song Zhaodi and her daughter were led into the kitchen. After Zhao Zenghua explained their purpose to a sweating cook, the cook glanced at the water celery behind them and chuckled.
“Zeng Hua, are you kidding me? That’s just water grass for feeding livestock.”
“This isn’t waterweed, it’s called water celery. If you cook it my way, it’ll be tender, sweet, and delicious, even better than radishes and cabbage. I guarantee you’ll be able to sell it.”
Song Zhaodi spoke with conviction and great confidence.
When she entered the kitchen, she had already observed that the tavern mainly served cabbage and radishes, which were either boiled or stewed.
This kind of dish is not a good accompaniment to alcohol.
Hearing the voice, the cook looked at Zhao Di. Zhao Zenghua explained from the side, “Tiechui, this is my niece, Song Zhao Di. She has a way of making this water celery delicious.”
Iron Hammer nodded, looking Song Zhaodi up and down, still disbelieving. He said, “Young lady, it’s not that I don’t believe you. This is a tavern; our customers don’t eat many vegetarian dishes, and you have so much…”
“That’s because the vegetarian dishes here don’t suit the guests’ tastes. I’ll make a dish of water celery first, and Uncle Iron Hammer can try it before we decide.”
Upon hearing this, Tiechui smiled and glanced at Zhao Zenghua, saying, “Young lady, you’ve got quite the nerve. I’ve been a chef for many years; how could I be inferior to you?”
Song Zhaodi said, “You won’t lose anything by giving it a try. If it works out, it will also benefit your tavern business.”
After thinking for a moment, Iron Hammer agreed, “Fine, I’ll let you try.”
So Song Zhaodi immediately grabbed a handful of water celery, picked it clean, washed it, blanched it in boiling water, and then cut it into small pieces for later use.
Then, prepare the sauce: finely chop scallions, garlic, and chili peppers, add appropriate amounts of salt, soy sauce, and aged vinegar to a bowl, mix well, and drizzle with sesame oil.
Finally, mix the sauce and water celery together.
“It’s done, please have a taste.” Song Zhaodi gestured for Tiechui to try it.
With a puzzled look, Iron Hammer picked up a small piece of chopsticks, put it in his mouth, chewed it a few times, and then his eyes lit up.
“Hmm, not bad, not bad.” Iron Hammer nodded repeatedly. “Crisp, smooth, and deliciously sour and spicy.”
After saying that, he picked up another big mouthful with his chopsticks, exclaiming, “Delicious!”
“I’ll take both of your bundles of water celery.”