60s: I have a store

Chapter 179 Hami Melon

"Is this called cantaloupe? It's so sweet!"

After taking a bite, Zhou Zhiwen couldn't help but think of his wife, children, and old mother at home.

If it wasn't in the city, a little far from home, he probably wouldn't even take a second bite. He had to take the melon back and give some to his wife, children, and mother.

These days, we don’t even have enough to eat, let alone sweets.

In addition, this was the first time he had heard the name Hami melon.

Zhou Yimin smiled and said, "It is a variety of melon, or honeydew melon."

In later generations, many varieties of Hami melons were cultivated with different shapes and unique flavors. Some have a creamy taste, while others have a lemon scent, but they all taste as sweet as honey and have a unique fragrance.

"Eat it. Don't be reluctant. I'll let you take one home when you go back." As soon as Zhou Yimin saw Zhou Zhiwen's expression, he knew what he was thinking.

That is a habit of almost all Chinese people.

Whenever there is something delicious, I think about my wife and children at home.

Zhou Zhiwen hesitated: "This is very expensive, right?"

Luo Dapeng had been with Zhou Yimin for a long time, so he was not polite to him. He said to Zhou Zhiwen: "Brother Zhiwen, you still want to save money for him? Just take it if you give it to me!"

Zhou Yimin glanced at Luo Dapeng.

Then, he also said: "A friend gave it to me. It is a rare item here, but it is not very valuable in the place where it was produced."

OK! After hearing what Zhou Yimin said, Zhou Zhiwen started to eat without any worries. He ate the whole cantaloupe until only a thin layer of paper-thin skin was left.

This stunned Zhou Yimin.

Good guy!
Even if Zhou Yimin used a knife to peel the fruit, he couldn't make the skin so thin!

"Isn't Daqiu eating here?" Zhou Zhiwen couldn't help but ask.

He has come here more than once or twice, but as Da Qiu who lives here, I have never seen him eat here.

Luo Dapeng said, "He usually eats with his master at the steel mill and only comes back here to sleep."

After saying that, Luo Dapeng threw the melon rind to the dog beside him. That dog was the one from Zhou Daqiu's family.

When Zhou Daqiu's father heard that Zhou Yimin needed it, he asked his son to bring it over without saying anything. This was a good thing, as it reduced the burden on the family.

Although this kind of pastoral dog is easy to raise and will eat anything you feed it, and some dogs can even eat feces, they cannot eat that way all the time. You still have to give them some rice or something like that from time to time.

The family had grown attached to the dog and were reluctant to kill it. When the family was in the most difficult time, someone advised them to kill the dog and eat its meat, but they couldn't bring themselves to do it.

Therefore, keeping it here with Zhou Yimin to guard the door is also a good choice. For the dog, it is a good ending.

However, although Zhou Daqiu doesn't eat here on weekdays, if they have a meal here, they will still eat together. Luo Dapeng, Li Youde and others will have a good meal here every now and then.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Yimin picked up some things and went to the home of Director Li of the Street Office.

"Sister-in-law, my Aunt Li hasn't come back yet?" Zhou Yimin handed two Hami melons and two bags of milk powder to Director Li's daughter-in-law, Zhao Zhenguo's wife.

The young woman happily took the milk powder and cantaloupe and said with a smile, "Yimin, sit down for a while! Your Aunt Li just came back and went to the next yard to mediate a conflict."

There's also a lot of trouble in the yard next door. There's always someone causing trouble every few days.

The first, second, and third uncles in the courtyard only know how to cover up the situation. When something happens, they always want to suppress it. Now, the conflict has completely intensified and they have started to chop people.

As the director of the subdistrict office, can you not deal with it?

"Where's my brother Zhao?" Zhou Yimin asked again. "He? He's been very busy lately."

Although her husband has been visiting her house less recently, she is not dissatisfied at all, but rather very happy, because she knows that her husband is going to be promoted.

She discovered that Zhou Yimin was truly the lucky star of their family.

Ever since her mother-in-law recognized Zhou Yimin as her nephew, not only did it solve her son's breastfeeding problem, but it also brought great opportunities to their family.

Take her husband Zhao Zhenguo for example. Because of the invention and production of instant noodles, he has almost reserved a position as deputy factory director.

You know, today's instant noodle factories are not the same as the old noodle factories! They are not on the same level.

After sitting for a while, Director Li came back, still cursing. It was obvious that she was very angry with the neighboring courtyard. This was not the first or second time she had gone to the neighboring courtyard to do ideological work.

This time, it was even worse, and they even started using knives.

The street will never tolerate such behavior. Bring the public security comrades with you and catch those who should be caught. We must make a deep impression on them.

In addition, she has also removed the three uncles and temporarily selected three people to manage the courtyard. If they still can't do a good job, she will continue to change them.

Behind her, there was a timid little girl following.

"Yimin is here?" Director Li's expression turned from gloomy to bright when he saw Zhou Yimin.

"Auntie, are you busy lately?"

Director Li said helplessly: "They are all troublesome things."

Originally, dealing with those people who fled into the city to escape famine was already a big deal for their street office. Some courtyard houses were even more troublesome, with a lot of messy things happening.

Then she asked her daughter-in-law to bring out some food for the little girl named Pearl.

"Let her live with us for the time being," Director Li said.

This little girl depends on her father for everything. Her father was just stabbed and sent to the hospital for treatment. How could Director Li bear to ignore him?

It had become such a mess, and she was worried about leaving it in the yard next door, so she brought it here.

After Zhenzhu's father is discharged from the hospital, they will be arranged to live in other courtyards, so as to avoid being excluded when they return. Such an honest person is really not suitable to live in the courtyard next door.

"Okay, let her sleep in my room." She was no longer surprised by her mother-in-law taking in other people.

As the director of a family with a bunch of people, what can I do as it is my duty?
Then she told her mother-in-law that Yimin brought two more bags of milk powder and two melons.

"This is a honeydew melon. I've eaten it once before, but it wasn't as big as this." Director Li couldn't help but say after seeing it.

In fact, my country has a history of more than 2,000 years of Hami melon cultivation. Not only does it have the longest history of Hami melon cultivation, but it is also the region with the largest planting area, the richest variety resources, and the best quality.

This is also one of the products carefully selected by our ancestors.

In later generations, netizens joked: Any food that does not appear on a large scale in China must be not delicious.

It's not unreasonable.

As early as when Zhang Qian traveled to the Western Regions and Zheng He sailed to the West, delicacies from all over the world were introduced. Those that were retained were approved by the emperor. In short, when it comes to food, you can always trust "the strict selection of our ancestors."

The most obvious example is turkey. Turkey has been recorded as early as the Ming Dynasty. However, in the 21st century, it has not been raised on a large scale by Chinese people. The reason is that it tastes bad.

Afterwards, Director Li asked his daughter-in-law to cut a Hami melon for everyone to eat.

(End of this chapter)