Chapter 69 Xiao Yangzhi's New Year
Chapter 69 Xiao Yangzhi's New Year
It was said that Xu Mingyuan should join in, but Xiao Yangzhi just asked him to hold the bowl, and she used chopsticks to dip the batter and smear it on the back of the Spring Festival couplets.
"Brother, do you see it's crooked?"
Yang Zhi raised his hands high and measured the edge of the door frame.
"Uh... a little to the left, yes, and then up, okay, you can stick it on."
Xu Mingyuan took a few steps back and directed her.
Xiao Yangzhi received the instruction and smoothed it out carefully after sticking it on, trying not to miss any wrinkles.
Xu Mingyuan had nothing to do, so he just watched Xiao Yangzhi busy herself.
This little thing can be left to her alone. Xu Mingyuan can't be said to be lazy, but seeing that she was enjoying it, he didn't bother her.
"I'll post it."
"It's okay. I can do it."
There was only one banner left, and Yang Zhi didn't ask for his help. After painting it, she stood on tiptoes and tried to raise her body as high as possible.
The shirt tucked into the pants jumped out, revealing the white and tender skin around the waist.
The corridor of the old neighborhood was still very cold. Seeing Xiao Yangzhi shivering in the wind, Xu Mingyuan still went over and took over her work.
“Is it crooked?”
"Well, just a little to the left, a little to the right, and a little more to the left..."
"So be it."
Xu Mingyuan was not as perfectionist as her, so he just stuck it on.
Yang Zhi was in a good mood. Whenever she encountered difficulties, her brother would always come to help her.
The banner was not as easy to post as the couplets. It looked a little too far to the right, but it was difficult to take it down once it was posted. Yang Zhi stood on tiptoe to smooth out the corners and smiled slightly.
It doesn’t matter, there will always be some imperfections in life.
Xiao Yangzhi usually buys New Year's goods herself, and Xu Mingyuan doesn't have the time.
When Xu Mingyuan saw the couplets she personally selected, he felt an indescribable feeling in his heart, and in the end he could only smile.
First couplet: A harmonious family brings prosperity and everything goes well every year.
Second line: If people are obedient, good fortune will come to them and they will have peace every year.
Horizontal banner: Peace in all seasons.
This couplet has a sense of irony in describing Xiao Yangzhi's experience this year, and every word is inappropriate.
But it was a beautiful vision after all. Xu Mingyuan put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Come into the house quickly. You're freezing to death."
Yang Zhi returned to the house, took out a rag and wiped the table and windowsill, making some noise from time to time, making the house seem less deserted.
In previous years, Yang Zhi seldom saw her brother, even during the Chinese New Year.
She knew in her heart that her brother did not consider this place his home and was very resistant to her, a stranger who suddenly broke in.
But Yang Zhi had no choice, she couldn't control anything, and she liked it here very much. Even though her uncle and mother broke up and got back together, she still felt that this was her home.
She didn't care whether the food was good or not. No matter how good the game in the hotel was, it was just as good as the chicken soup in the small shop. No matter how soft someone else's bed was, it was not as comfortable as sleeping in her own bed.
So Yang Zhi would rather her brother take his anger out on her than not find a way to keep him here, even if it was only for a year?
We have to spend a full year at home.
Yang Zhi knew very well that her brother was a capable man, he would not care about such a small matter, he would be left behind by her...
"Okay, that's enough. Don't just sit there cleaning up. I feel so busy watching you."
Xu Mingyuan finally couldn't bear it anymore and quickly stopped her.
Since you love doing housework so much, do you want to choose cleaning as a job in the future?
Taking advantage of a gap when Xu Mingyuan sat up, Yang Zhi slipped over and sat next to him.
He grabbed another handful of melon seeds and peeled the shells lightly with his fingertips.
It was almost noon when Xu Mingyuan remembered that he should order a meal. He called 114 and asked the Kubi customer service on duty for the hotel number.
"Brother, you don't have to order food. I can do it."
A hint of determination flashed in Yang Zhi's clear eyes, but then dimmed in the face of Xu Mingyuan's doubtful look.
After making several phone calls, all the big hotels needed advance reservations, and were unwilling to accept orders when they heard that it was for delivery. One of them was able to deliver, but the customer service was hesitant for a long time, and Xu Mingyuan finally understood that they wanted to pay more.
He asked for more money right away. After talking for a long time, Xu Mingyuan was very annoyed and hung up the phone.
Thinking about it now, it would have been better to just make the deal right away, but as the saying goes, good horses never turn back, so Xu Mingyuan didn’t go back.
Seeing Xiao Yangzhi shaking his arms, Xu Mingyuan took a look and said, "Okay, go ahead and see what good things you can come up with."
"Ok!"
Yang Zhi nodded vigorously.
Not long after, I heard the sound of knocking coming from the kitchen.
Xu Mingyuan was frightened when he heard this, so he went over and opened the kitchen door. He saw Xiao Yangzhi holding a kitchen knife in both hands and had already chopped off a thigh of the chicken.
Seeing Xu Mingyuan coming in, Yang Zhi wiped the sweat off his forehead and said a little embarrassedly: "Brother, it will be done soon, you don't need to help me."
"Don't you want to thaw it first? Are you just going to chop it here?"
Xu Mingyuan had a dazed look on his face.
How come he has some life skills? This little Yangzhi has none at all.
Come to think of it, it's true. It's good enough that Xu Jun and Yang Hongyu, two geniuses, can teach her how to make noodles. At least, as long as she doesn't starve to death, it's a new day.
"I, I forgot..."
Yang Zhi's face flushed. She was only thinking about how to make it delicious and didn't spend any time thinking about other things.
Xu Mingyuan ignored Xiao Yangzhi's weak explanation and just asked her to soak the chicken. He took the kitchen knife and touched it, and found that the blade was almost worn flat.
It can be used to cut vegetables, but it can only be used as a saw for cutting meat.
When asked Xiao Yangzhi where the whetstone was, she searched for a long time and then stammered that she seemed to have never seen it. Xu Mingyuan was so angry that he flicked her head.
In the end, I had to take a bowl and use the bottom of the bowl to grind it for a long time before it was sharp enough.
Xu Mingyuan had forgotten how many years it had been since he last touched a kitchen knife. He opened his computer and searched, but couldn't find even a cooking video, only some recipes.
But not only was it difficult, it also required a lot of ingredients, and he only had oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar at home, so he couldn't make it even if he wanted to.
They usually go out to eat, and Xu Mingyuan has never cared about the specific conditions at home. Seeing that Xiao Yangzhi keeps the house clean and tidy, he thinks it is very good.
When he saw that the flame of the gas stove had not come up, he realized that there was only a little gas left in the gas tank, which needed to be shaken before it could be used. So he simply cooked the chicken in the rice cooker.
Xiao Yangzhi kept his head down and didn't say anything. He just followed Xu Mingyuan and helped him. He knew in his heart that he had messed up.
However, Xu Mingyuan did not blame her. After all, Xiao Yangzhi had to go to school and most of her energy was spent on studying. She also had to find time to do housework. It was already good enough for her to achieve this level and there was no need to be too demanding.
They casually fried two dishes, separated the chicken and chicken soup, and asked Xiao Yangzhi to fry an egg herself. The two of them worked until the afternoon and finally made four dishes and one soup.
"Brother, why don't you save two dishes for dinner."
"Let's talk about it later in the evening."
Xu Mingyuan was tired, and seeing Xiao Yangzhi enjoying herself happily, he didn't say much.
By eight o'clock in the evening, Yang Zhi's heart finally gave up, and he no longer took the opportunity of setting off firecrackers outside to secretly lean against the window.
But I didn’t feel as sad as I had imagined. It was just that I suddenly let go of something I had been pursuing for a long time, and I felt a little empty.
Seeing that his brother asked him to watch TV, Yang Zhi also sat down on the sofa, wrapped himself in a quilt, and then secretly leaned on his shoulder through the quilt.
He waited until the clock struck twelve in the evening. Seeing Xiao Yangzhi proudly taking out two plates of firecrackers with a thousand blasts each, Xu Mingyuan finally smiled helplessly.
I was too lazy to go downstairs to set off the fireworks, so I opened the window, took the firecrackers outside, lit them and threw them out. Listening to the crackling sounds of fireworks in the city, I finally made it through the day.
Xiao Yangzhi wanted to keep watch at night, but Xu Mingyuan was not interested.
But the sound of fireworks continued, and he couldn't fall asleep, so he had to continue staying in the living room watching TV.
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Zhi shook his body and woke up from his sleep.
Seeing that Xu Mingyuan had fallen asleep a long time ago and that the clock pointed to three in the morning, she didn't want to wake him up, so she turned the TV to mute, went to the bedroom, got a thick quilt, and gently covered him with it.
Yang Zhi huddled on the sofa, propped up his chin, forced himself to stay alert, and secretly glanced at Xu Mingyuan.
This is Yang Zhi's first chance to take a good look at her brother. The only thing she is worried about is that her brother will wake up in the middle of the night. How can she act as if she is not paying attention?
Yang Zhi tightened the quilt around her, dozed off without realizing it, and fell into a trance again.
(End of this chapter)