“Uncle Wei is here?” Ding Sha was a little happy to see him, she had a pile of things she wanted to do.
Uncle Wei stood up, “Hey, I’m here. Little brother asked me to make a crib, but I ran into some problems, so I came to ask you guys.”
“What’s the matter? Did something happen?” Ding Sha asked hurriedly.
“It's nothing much, just that I got some good materials recently, all good wood, including a kind of cherry wood, very stable and beautiful grain, but a bit expensive. I came to ask if you guys want it or not?” Uncle Wei gestured.
His old friend brought back a batch of wood from the overseas market, claiming it was some C9 level good wood. He didn't know what level it was, he just knew that this wood, no matter how it looked, felt or knocked, was dense and solid, a good piece of wood.
Xiao Jun nodded, “We’ll take it, Uncle Wei, just make it.”
Ding Sha also nodded, “Don’t make it too patterned, simple and elegant is good. I'm afraid it would poke the baby.”
Uncle Wei rubbed his hands happily and put away his tobacco pouch, “With you guys saying this, I feel reassured. Don't worry, I’ll definitely use good materials. When it's done, I’ll bring it to you guys, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
Uncle Wei left eagerly.
Xiao Jun sent Ding Sha back home and then went out to look for a parking space. He wanted to get everything done as soon as possible, otherwise it would be upsetting if he hadn’t gotten it done when he needed it.
After two or three days, he rented the parking space, got the license plate, and took care of all the paperwork.
Ding Sha took Gong Sister-in-law shopping at the vegetable market, bought a bunch of things and came back wanting to make hot pot for dinner.
Xiao Jun wasn't home, so Ding Sha verbally instructed Auntie Zhuang to stir fry the ingredients.
First, she stewed a pot of beef bone chicken soup in a small pot, simmering it slowly, and the aroma overflowed.
Then she had Auntie Zhuang prepare some dried chilies cooked in water then chopped, green onion sections, and a large plate of green onion and coriander, then wrapped some fragrant leaves, cassia bark, star anise, medlar and other spices to soak in liquor and crushed.
She lit the stove, poured half a pot of beef oil, and when the oil was hot, she first fried the green onions and coriander until fragrant then removed them. Then she added the chili sections, broad bean paste, some secret chili sauce and spices in succession, stirred well, then poured in a can of beer and a few rock sugars.
Finally, she threw in a handful of red and green Sichuan peppercorns.
After cooling down, in no time, a pot of numbingly spicy and aromatic beef oil base was done.
After making a mess in the kitchen, even her body was permeated with the smell of the spicy pot.
Gong Sister-in-law washed the ingredients while urging Ding Sha to go back and change her clothes.
When Ding Sha came out after changing her clothes, she saw Xiao Jun had come back, holding a paper bag in his hand.
He sniffed, “Smells good, hot pot for dinner tonight?”
“Yeah, hot pot.” Ding Sha smiled and went up to meet him.
Xiao Jun pulled her to sit down and handed her the paper bag.
"A gift for you."
"A gift?" Ding Sha asked, unable to hold back the upward curl of her lips.
"Take a look?" Xiao Jun looked at her expectantly.
Ding Sha opened the red paper bag and took out a red box. Opening it, it was a green and translucent jade bangle.
Xiao Jun helped her put it on.
The snow-white and delicate slender wrist looked especially beautiful with the bangle.
"Beautiful." Xiao Jun also thought it looked beautiful.
Ding Sha's wrist had been bare, which always made him feel uncomfortable. Now it finally looked right.
He planned to buy her the peace knot pendant he saw earlier, it would also suit her very well. He would buy it for Sand Sand next time.
"Dinner, dinner," Gong Sister-in-law brought out the yin-yang pot, "Xiao Jun is back!"
Xiao Jun helped put the induction cooker on the table, "Yeah, just got home."
"Wash your hands quickly, dinner is ready. I prepared a lot of dishes today..." Gong Sister-in-law nagged while going back to the kitchen.
Ding Sha also stood up, "Let's go, let's go! I'm starving!"
The four of them laid out a full table of dishes, yellow throat, pork stomach, spicy beef, plate after plate was put out, not afraid they couldn't finish it all. Xiao Jun's appetite had grown again recently, no matter how much was cooked, he could eat it all with a straight face.
"Xiao Jun, have you grown taller?" Ding Sha looked up at Xiao Jun's slender and rugged jaw.
Xiao Jun lowered his head to look at her, "Don't know, I haven't noticed recently."
"I feel like you've grown taller. When you first came back, I could still see your chin, now I have to crane my neck to see it." Ding Sha thought about it.
"With good food, and at the age of growth spurt, of course you'll grow taller." Gong Sister-in-law threw the spicy beef and pork stomach into the spicy pot.
"How come you're not growing fatter?" Ding Sha looked at Xiao Jun's face and slender body worriedly, "Do you have worms?"
"Hahaha, no way, when the height is fully grown, he will naturally gain weight." Auntie Zhuang said with a smile.
Ding Sha rubbed her nose and lowered her head to eat.
"I did gain some weight," Xiao Jun said in a low voice, "I only weighed 110 pounds before, now I'm up to 130."
Ding Sha glanced at him, "Better be fatter."
It wasn't that she was unhappy seeing him skinny while she was fat!
"By the way, the New Year is coming soon. Sister-in-law, are you going back home with Big Brother Zhuang or staying here?" Ding Sha suddenly saw the calendar on the side.
"We promised the kid to buy him new clothes for the new year," Gong Sister-in-law said apologetically, "so we can't stay with you for the new year."
"It's nothing," Ding Sha smiled at her, "You should go home for New Year's after all!"
"I guess I'll let the two brothers stay here for the new year, I don't expect anything from their mother anyway." Ding Sha added.
"Whatever you say." Xiao Jun cooked a lot of dishes and meat into the bowl in front of Ding Sha.
Si Le soon had winter break.
He carried his school bag and Xiao Shitou and came to the shop very consciously.
Going home and seeing his mother drunk somewhere again, Si Le expressionlessly tidied up the dirty and messy room, took the sleeping Xiao Shitou and went to the shop.
Xiao Shitou ate at the shop every day, and had become plump and round, sitting on the side blinking his big watery eyes at people, extremely cute.
Si Le had also grown taller and stronger. He even felt that every day was no longer filled with fatigue, but pleasantness.
Early in the morning, he received a parcel in the mail, opened it to see it was a magazine.
"Xiao Jun! Editor Hu sent the magazine!" Ding Sha shouted happily.
Xiao Jun came out from the kitchen, "It's here?"
"Yeah!" Ding Sha couldn't wait to look at it with him.
The interview about the shop was the opening article, with several photos of food and shop decor, followed by a large amount of text.
It included the interview content and home-style recipes prepared by Editor Hu.
Ding Sha read it with great interest.
The interview ended with—
"I don't know how others see it, but to me, this is not just a shop with delicious food, but also a shop full of warmth.
The boss and boss's wife are loving, the food is delicious, and life is happy too.
I really like this world."
Ding Sha couldn't help but copy this sentence into her notebook.
Editor Hu also attached a handwritten letter, the characters upright and bold, written with a fountain pen.
Very ceremonious.
Just like the modest and refined man himself.
"Mr. Xiao, Madam,
The new year is approaching, recently very busy. The magazine has been published, received many calls and letters asking about the shop's address, the shop is clearly very popular.
I intend to come again on New Year's Eve, to shoot and interview the family reunion dinner, may I?
- Hu Zhilin"
Ding Sha handed the letter to Xiao Jun.
Xiao Jun was a little embarrassed, "Sand Sand, your due date is near the end of the year, I'm afraid..."
Ding Sha touched her belly, "Then let's decline."
After all, nothing was bigger to her than the baby in her belly.
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