Chapter 707 Liu Ping'an 13
Xu Damao leaned against the car body, and the paint surface, which was a little mottled due to years of erosion, now became a unique backdrop for his happy story.
He folded his hands in front of his chest, and that posture seemed to announce to the whole world his certainty of this happiness. His eyes looked into the distance, full of tenderness and attachment, as if he had seen the warm lights at home and Xiao'e's gentle smile through the layers of mountains and winding roads. He raised his head slightly, his face was filled with happiness, the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose, forming a beautiful arc, and he slowly said: "Xiao'e, that is really a caring person, just like the warm sun in winter and the breeze in summer, warming my heart and making me feel comfortable. All the pores on my body are open."
"Every morning, before the sun rises, she gets up like a hardworking little bee, and makes breakfast for me. Soon, bursts of fragrance waft out of the kitchen, making my stomach itch. Guess what's delicious? There's hot soy milk, which is cooked just right, not too watery or too thick. A sip of it will give you the aroma of beans, which goes all the way down your throat to your stomach. There are also golden fried dough sticks, which are fried fluffy and crispy. When you bite them, they make a "crunch" sound, and the aroma of oil fills your mouth. The most amazing thing is the dumplings she made by herself. The dumpling skin is so thin and translucent, yet very tough. When you take a bite, the tender and juicy meat stuffing mixed with the fragrance of leeks bursts in your mouth. The taste is simply amazing! I can eat a full bowl of it every time, and my belly is so round like a ball. "While talking, Xu Damao gestured on his belly with his hands, with an intoxicated look on his face, as if he was sitting at the dining table enjoying the delicious breakfast.
"Before I go out, she is like a careful little housekeeper. She will carefully tidy up my clothes, turn up my collar neatly, button up my clothes properly, and help me tuck the corners of my clothes into my waistband, for fear that I will not dress properly. After that, she will hold my hand and gently remind me to be careful on the road. That voice is soft and sweet, and it makes my heart sweet. At night, if I come home late, I can see the light on in the house from a distance. The light is like a warm embrace, waiting for me to come home. When I enter the door, the steaming food has been placed on the table, and it is still steaming. She will also feel distressed. She would ask me if I was tired, and handed me a hot towel to wipe my face. She was so considerate. If I encountered any troubles at work, I would tell her about it. She would be like a patient listener. She would sit beside me quietly, staring at me without blinking, and listen to me carefully. After I finished pouring out my troubles, she would give me some advice, comfort me, and say some heart-warming words. With her by my side, all my worries disappeared, just like the cloudy sky suddenly cleared up and became bright all of a sudden. "Xu Damao became more and more excited as he spoke, and he began to gesture with his hands, as if he wanted to vividly show everyone every good thing about Xiao'e.
Another colleague couldn't help laughing out loud after hearing this. The laughter was so clear and loud that it echoed in the lounge area. He pointed at Xu Damao and said jokingly, "Damo, you have married a good wife. You have found a treasure! You must cherish her in the future. Don't be ungrateful. Otherwise, if your sister-in-law is kidnapped by someone else one day, you will have nowhere to cry!" As he said this, he deliberately wiped his tears, which caused everyone to laugh again.
"Of course, I, Xu Damao, have decided that Xiao'e is my lifelong love!" Xu Damao patted his chest, and the "bang bang" sound seemed to be his oath of love to Xiao'e echoing in the air. His eyes were firm and persistent, and his face was full of seriousness. He said word by word: "I will definitely treat her well, hold her in my hands and cherish her, and live a prosperous life with her, just like the big red lanterns hung during the Chinese New Year, festive and lively!"
After a short break, everyone got back on the truck. Xu Damao got into the cab skillfully, holding the steering wheel firmly with both hands, his eyes full of enthusiasm. Colleagues also returned to their seats and fastened their seat belts. With the roar of the engine, the truck ran happily on the road, like a happy horse. The goods in the car also swayed gently with the bumps of the car, making a "rustling" sound, as if singing for the happy life of Xu Damao and He Yuzhu. The dust that was raised shone with golden light under the sunlight, as if paving a layer of bright starlight for their happy road.
Days passed slowly but firmly like the gurgling stream. In this seemingly ordinary but warm time, He Yuzhu and Xu Damao were like two stars favored by fate. Not only were they happy and happy in the vast starry sky of family life, shining with warm and sweet light, but they were also like a ship with sails hoisted on the long journey of their careers, making new progress and heading towards a broader world.
With his superb cooking skills and his well-known reputation in the factory, He Yuzhu has become more and more respected in the factory cafeteria. Each of his dishes is like a carefully crafted work of art, with good color, fragrance and taste, which makes every employee who tastes it praise it. Gradually, his name spread more and more in the factory, like a spring breeze, blowing through every corner.
Finally, the leader saw a talent and decided to let him take charge of an important project in the canteen - preparing a banquet for the upcoming large-scale meeting in the factory. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fully demonstrate his superb cooking skills! When He Yuzhu heard the news, his heart was beating like a little rabbit. He was so excited that his face flushed, as if he saw himself shining at the banquet. He was also so nervous that his palms were sweating, fearing that he had not done well enough and failed the trust of the leader.
Since then, He Yuzhu has been like a clockwork, coming to the canteen early every day. When the canteen is still filled with morning mist, he begins to carefully select ingredients. His eyes are like a sophisticated scanner, carefully examining every vegetable and every piece of meat. He gently picks up a carrot, puts it in front of his nose and smells it, feeling the fresh breath; he pinches it gently with his fingers to judge its freshness. For meat, he is even more strict, observing the color and texture of the meat to ensure that every ingredient is of the best quality.
He Yuzhu racked his brains when thinking about the combination and taste of dishes. He often sat alone in the corner of the cafeteria, with a tattered cookbook spread out in front of him, sometimes frowning, sometimes resting his chin in deep thought, as if the whole world was left with only him and those dishes. He would repeatedly recall the dishes he had cooked, thinking about how to cleverly combine different ingredients to create a new taste. Sometimes, in order to season a dish, he would cook it himself, trying again and again, constantly adjusting the proportion of seasonings until he reached the perfect taste in his mind.
Chunyan saw it with her own eyes and felt pain in her heart. She knew how much effort He Yuzhu had put into this project, so she took the initiative to take on all the housework at home. Every day, she got up before dawn, walked into the kitchen quietly, and prepared a nutritious breakfast for He Yuzhu. She would fry the eggs until they were golden and crispy, and cook the porridge until it was thick and sweet, and would also serve it with side dishes that she had pickled herself. After He Yuzhu finished breakfast and went to work, she began to clean the room, wash clothes, buy groceries and cook, and tidy up the house in an orderly manner. In the evening, when He Yuzhu dragged his tired body back home, he was greeted by a warm light and a table of steaming hot meals. Chunyan would take the tool kit from his hand with a smile, ask him to wash his hands and eat quickly, and would also thoughtfully serve him a bowl of soup to warm him up.
However, He Yuzhu encountered many problems in the process of preparing the banquet. One of the dishes required a special seasoning, which was like a treasure hidden in the deep mountains and forests and was difficult to buy in the market. He Yuzhu ran around the nearby seasoning stores of all sizes and asked one stall owner after another, but all he got was a shake of the head. He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, pacing back and forth in the cafeteria, with beads of sweat on his forehead, and he kept muttering: "What should I do? Without this seasoning, the taste of this dish will be greatly reduced."
Chunyan saw it all and was anxious. She looked at He Yuzhu's increasingly haggard face and vowed to help him find the seasoning. She used the connections she had accumulated over the years to ask for information. She called distant relatives, asked neighbors, and even ran to some remote alleys to find people who might know the whereabouts of the seasoning. Her footsteps covered every corner of the city, and her voice spread to every possible place.
Finally, the hard work paid off. Chunyan found the seasoning in a time-honored seasoning shop. When she returned home carefully holding the bag of seasoning as if she were holding the most precious treasure in the world, He Yuzhu was sitting on the sofa with a worried look on his face. Chunyan excitedly ran to him, handed the seasoning to him, and said, "Zhuzi, look, I found it!" He Yuzhu took the seasoning and his eyes lit up instantly, like a bright light suddenly appeared in the darkness. He was so excited that he hugged Chunyan tightly, and said in a trembling voice: "Wife, thanks to you, otherwise I don't know what to do. You are my lucky star. With you by my side, I am not afraid of anything."
With Chunyan's meticulous support and help, He Yuzhu, like a brave soldier, successfully completed the preparations for the banquet. On the day of the meeting, the cafeteria was bustling with activity and bright lights. Exquisite dishes were served on the table. The color, aroma, and shape made people salivate. The leaders and guests tasted the dishes made by He Yuzhu and gave him thumbs up and praised him highly. Some leaders smiled and said, "This dish is really amazing. It tastes better than those in the big restaurants outside!" Some guests kept taking photos to record this delicious food forever.
The factory leader publicly praised He Yuzhu at the conference. His voice was loud and passionate: "Comrade He Yuzhu did an excellent job in preparing the banquet for this large-scale conference. He used his superb cooking skills to bring honor to our factory, and made every one of our guests feel the enthusiasm and sincerity of our factory. Here, on behalf of the factory, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and high respect to him!" After that, the leader personally gave He Yuzhu a generous bonus.
He Yuzhu felt as sweet as honey when he received the bonus. The first person he thought of was Chunyan, the woman who silently supported and accompanied him behind his back. He decided to use the bonus to buy Chunyan a beautiful dress to make her look more beautiful and charming; he also wanted to take her out for a big meal so that she could enjoy this wonderful time. He seemed to have seen Chunyan's bright smile when she put on the new dress and heard her happy laughter in the restaurant.
Xu Damao was appreciated by the leaders of his unit because of his conscientious work and quick and good completion of the transportation tasks. The leaders decided to let him take charge of an important long-distance transportation project. This project not only involves a long transportation distance, but also has high-value goods and heavy responsibilities. Xu Damao knew that this was a trust from the leaders and a good opportunity to exercise himself, so he took the task without hesitation.
After Xiao'e heard the news, although she was a little worried about Xu Damao's safety, she still encouraged him, "Da Mao, I believe you can definitely complete this task, just go with peace of mind, I'm at home." Xu Damao felt warm at heart when he heard this. He held Xiao'e's hand tightly and said, "Wife, don't worry, I will definitely come back safely. When the task is completed, I will accompany you well."
During the transportation, Xu Damao encountered many difficulties. Once, the car broke down on the way. There was no village or store in front and it was raining heavily. Xu Damao and his colleagues braved the heavy rain and checked the fault under the car. After Xiaoyun learned about the situation, she called him anxiously to ask about the situation and kept comforting him, asking him not to worry and pay attention to safety. With Xiao'e's encouragement, Xu Damao and his colleagues worked together and finally repaired the car and continued their journey of transportation.
After several days and nights of hard work, Xu Damao finally completed the transportation task successfully. When he returned home, Xiaoyun excitedly threw herself into his arms, and the two hugged each other tightly, as if time had stopped. Xu Damao looked at Xiao'e's haggard but smiling face, and secretly vowed in his heart that he must work harder in the future to let Xiaoyun live a better life.
On a sunny weekend, He Yuzhu and Chunyan invited Xu Damao and Xiao'e to their home. The two families set up a big table in the yard, and He Yuzhu personally cooked a sumptuous meal. Everyone sat together, eating delicious food and sharing bits and pieces of life. Laughter and joy echoed throughout the yard, and the sun shone on them, reflecting a warm and beautiful picture.
He Yuzhu picked up the wine glass and said to Xu Damao with a smile: "Da Mao, our lives have been getting better and better since we got married. We have to continue to work hard to make our lives even better!"
Xu Damao also picked up his glass, clinked it with He Yuzhu's, and said, "That's right, Zhuzi, let's compete and see whose life is happier!"
The two women looked at them and smiled happily. In this ordinary yet beautiful day, they felt the warmth of the family, cherished each other's friendship, and looked forward to a better future together.