60s: I have a store

Chapter 553: Banquet for Director Li

Seeing that he had nothing to do here, Zhou Yimin invited her, "Aunt Li, there shouldn't be any trouble next, why don't you come to my house and sit for a while?"

After hearing this, Director Li was quite satisfied with the performance of the people in Zhoujiazhuang. He believed that there shouldn't be any trouble since they brought these people here themselves.

If any problems arise, she, as the person in charge, will definitely not be able to escape, which is why she was so nervous at the beginning, watching to see if any problems would arise. But now it seems that her worries were unnecessary.

"Okay, excuse me then."

Zhou Yimin found the old branch secretary and said, "Old branch secretary, I will entertain Director Li. Please bear with me here."

Even if Zhou Yimin didn't say anything, the old branch secretary would be watching here all the time. If any problems occurred, the reputation of Zhoujiazhuang would be ruined.

"Yimin, leave it to me!"

By then, it will not be easy for the young men in the village to find a wife.

After all, the girl's family doesn't want their daughter to marry into a village with a bad reputation.

Zhou Yimin didn't say much, and then took Director Li to his home.

Director Li walked into Zhou Yimin's home and found that the house was very clean and tidy, with many farm tools placed in the yard.

Although Zhou Yimin's family does not need to do farm work, they still have the necessary farm tools.

Director Li, who had sharp eyes, also saw some fishing gear and asked, "Yimin, do you know how to fish?"

Although she is not very enthusiastic about fishing, after all, there are so many things to deal with in the street office every day. On a day off, she sometimes has to help take care of her grandchildren and has no spare time to go fishing.

However, my husband likes fishing very much. When he has a break, he goes fishing.

Zhou Yimin could only explain with a smile: "I'm just fishing for fun."

Then he took Director Li and walked across the yard.

As soon as Director Li walked in, he was shocked by the things in Zhoujiazhuang's home. Milk powder and honey, which were very precious to ordinary people, were casually placed on the table.

If it were her, she would definitely not be willing to do so and would want to find a place to hide it, for fear of being seen by others.

Such good things must be given to family members. As for entertaining outsiders, one would still be a little reluctant to give them away.

The old man and Zhou Yimin's grandmother were sitting in the living room watching TV very attentively. They did not notice Zhou Yimin and Director Li walked in.

Director Li thought he heard some sound and thought it was the radio, but when he turned around and saw a TV series, he was shocked again.

You have to know that even if she wanted to get a TV series, it would still be very difficult. The production of TV series is very scarce, and those who can own a TV series are not ordinary people.

"Yimin, this TV"

Zhou Yimin explained: "These are all rewards from above."

Director Li finally felt relieved, for he was afraid that Zhou Yimin would do something he shouldn't do because of this TV series.

After all, she was still very optimistic about Zhou Yimin, and maybe she would need Zhou Yimin's care in the future. After all, Zhou Yimin had become a deputy section chief at such a young age.

While the two were talking, Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Zhou Yimin came to their senses and saw Director Li. They felt that he had an extraordinary temperament.

The old man asked, "Yimin, who is this?"

Zhou Yimin then introduced them to each other: "Grandpa, this is Director Li from the Street Office, Aunt Li, who takes good care of me."

"Aunt Li, this one is my grandpa, and the other one is my grandma!"

The old man stepped forward quickly: "Hello, Director Li! Thank you for taking care of Yimin!"

For ordinary people, this is a high-ranking official. If it weren’t for Zhou Yimin, it would be difficult to meet him.

Director Li did not look down on the old man. After all, he had a powerful grandson like Zhou Yimin. He quickly said, "Grandpa, that's not true. Yimin has helped me a lot."

Zhou Yimin's grandmother was not idle either. She immediately poured a glass of honey water over and said, "Director Li, please drink some water!"

She also didn't know whether Director Li liked to drink water or tea, but honey water was always right.

Director Li quickly took it and said, "Thank you!"

Zhou Yimin asked everyone to sit down.

Director Li felt thirsty, so he took a sip of honey water. The sweet taste immediately made Director Li realize that this was not just a cup of ordinary water, but a cup of water with honey added.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zhou Yimin said, "Grandpa, please take care of Aunt Li. I'll go cook!"

Director Li did not expect that Zhou Yimin could cook and was shocked. You know, in most families nowadays, the man is the breadwinner and the woman is the homemaker, so things like cooking are generally done by women.

The old man was not uncommon to see such scenes: "Go!"

Zhou Yimin came to the kitchen and took out the prepared things.

Zhou Yimin's grandmother wanted to come over and help, but Zhou Yimin refused: "Grandma, go back and sit down. Just wait for your meal."

As he said this, he pushed Zhou Yimin's grandmother out of the kitchen.

Grandma Zhou Yimin could only smile helplessly and then went back to the living room.

Before long, tempting aromas wafted from the kitchen, and Zhou Yimin, wearing a blue apron, was seen busying around in front of the stove.

Fresh ingredients are neatly arranged on the chopping board, including fat and lean pork belly, lively crucian carp, fresh green vegetables just picked from the vegetable garden, and a basket of golden country eggs, full of the flavor of life.

He rolled up his sleeves and cut the pork belly into even cubes, his movements so smooth as if he was carving a work of art.

"Sizzle--" As the meat pieces are put into the pot, oil splashes happily and the rich meaty aroma spreads instantly.

Zhou Yimin stir-fried the meat gently with a spatula, and when the meat turned golden, he added onions, ginger, garlic and secret sauce, making the aroma more mellow.

The pot was bubbling with food, as if playing a symphony of gourmet food.

On the other side, Zhou Yimin washed the crucian carp, made a few cuts on the fish, sprinkled salt and cooking wine on it and marinated it.

He skillfully heated the iron pan, poured in a proper amount of oil, and when the oil was 70% hot, he carefully slid the fish into the pan.

"Sizzle--" The fish skin quickly turned golden and crispy in the hot oil. He then added ginger slices, scallion segments and water, covered the pot and simmered it over low heat.

"Yimin, do you need help?" Grandma Zhou Yimin, who couldn't sit still, came to the kitchen door again, her kind eyes full of concern.

Zhou Yimin turned around and smiled, "Grandma, you just take a rest! Today I will show you and Aunt Li my cooking skills. I guarantee you will be satisfied with the meal." Grandma smiled and shook her head, "You have been clever and skillful since you were young, and now your cooking skills are even better."

After saying that, he turned around and went to the living room to prepare the dishes.

Director Li was sitting in the living room, chatting with the old man, and was immediately attracted by the fragrant aroma: "Wow, I didn't expect Yimin's cooking skills to be so good!"

The old man looked proud: "Yimin's cooking skills are no worse than those of ordinary restaurants!"

Although it is definitely a gap compared to a big hotel, Zhou Yimin is not a professional chef, so it is already very good to have it turn out like this.

Zhou Yimin washed the vegetables, added oil to a hot pan, and when the oil temperature rose, he quickly poured in the vegetables and stir-fried them quickly.

The vegetables made crisp sounds in the pot and soon became green and attractive. He poured a spoonful of lard on it, and the aroma immediately filled the air.

Finally, Zhou Yimin started to make egg soup.

He beat the eggs into a bowl, stirred them quickly with chopsticks, boiled water in a pot, poured the eggs into the pot, and watched the eggs slowly solidify in the water to form beautiful egg flowers. He added appropriate amounts of salt, chopped green onions and sesame oil, and a pot of delicious egg soup was ready.

When Zhou Yimin brought four dishes and a soup to the table, Director Li was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth.

The table was laid with bright red braised pork, fragrant braised crucian carp, tempting golden fried eggs, and a plate of shiny green stir-fried vegetables, paired with steaming egg soup. Every dish was mouth-watering.

"Yimin, this... this is too sumptuous!" Director Li said in disbelief, "There are four dishes, and three of them are meat dishes. Nowadays, it's not easy to have a meal of meat, and you actually made so much!"

Zhou Yimin smiled and said, "Aunt Li, it's a rare visit for you, so of course we have to treat you well. Come and try it and see if it suits your taste."

Director Li picked up the chopsticks and tasted the braised pork first. The meat melted in his mouth, fat but not greasy, moderately sweet and salty, and the rich aroma of the sauce spread in his mouth.

Her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "Yimin, what is it that you can't do? This braised pork tastes better than the one in the restaurant!"

Zhou Yimin scratched his head embarrassedly: "Aunt Li, I would be proud if you praised me like this."

Then Director Li tried the braised crucian carp, which had fresh and tender meat and rich broth, with even the fish bones soaked in fragrance.

"I didn't expect your cooking to be so delicious!" Director Li sighed as he ate, "I'm convinced. With your cooking skills, it's a pity that you don't become a chef!"

The old man sat aside, his face filled with a proud smile: "My grandson has been smart since he was young, and he learns everything quickly. In terms of cooking, he inherited his grandfather. His grandfather was one of the best cooks in the village."

Grandma came out of the kitchen carrying freshly steamed buns. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "Old man, don't flatter yourself. Yimin's skills are all developed by himself."

At the dinner table, everyone was eating and chatting, with laughter everywhere.

Director Li talked about the recent interesting things in the street office, the old man recalled the stories of Zhoujiazhuang in the past, and grandma interjected from time to time to remind everyone to eat more vegetables.

Zhou Yimin felt warm at heart as he looked at the happy scene.

Since the amount of food was so large, four people couldn't finish it.

Director Li looked at the table full of leftovers and said with emotion: "Yimin, you are too good at cooking. We can't finish so many dishes."

Zhou Yimin smiled and said, "If you can't finish it, just keep it and heat it up in the evening and continue eating."

After dinner, grandma picked up the dishes and prepared to go to the kitchen to wash them.

Zhou Yimin quickly stood up to help: "Grandma, let me wash it, you take a rest."

Grandma patted his hands gently and said, "No need. Just chat with Aunt Li and your grandfather. My old bones can still move around."

The old man poured tea for Director Li and Zhou Yimin, and the three of them sat in the yard and continued chatting.

"Yimin, this time the village matchmaking event was held thanks to your idea." Director Li took a sip of tea and said seriously, "Now many young people have found suitable partners, which solves a big problem."

Zhou Yimin said modestly: "This is the result of everyone's joint efforts. I just put forward an idea."

The old man nodded and said, "Yes, our village is what it is today thanks to everyone's unity. Yimin, this kid, has been worrying about the village a lot."

Director Li looked at Zhou Yimin with admiration in his eyes: "Yimin, you are not only smart, but also hardworking. If you have any ideas in the future, just tell me, and we will build a better street and village together."

Zhou Yimin nodded firmly: "Aunt Li, don't worry! As long as I can do it, I will spare no effort."

After Zhou Yimin's assurance, Director Li felt relieved. She knew that Zhou Yimin was not a man who talked big.

They chatted like this and before they knew it, it was already afternoon. Zhou Yimin saw Director Li yawning from time to time.

Zhou Yimin said at this time: "Aunt Li, there is a guest room here. If you are sleepy, you can go and have a rest."

Although Director Li was a little tempted, she understood that now was not the time to rest, and she also wanted to see how this blind date conference was going.
And you have to keep an eye on the time. If it's too late, you have to go back to the street office, and it's not very safe if it's dark.

"No need, Yimin, why don't you take me to see what the blind date convention is like?"

Zhou Yimin did not refuse: "Okay! Aunt Li, I'll take you there right away."

After saying this, he told the old man and took Director Li to the threshing ground.

Just as the two of them were walking and chatting.

Every Zhoujiazhuang villager he met on the road greeted Zhou Yimin warmly.

Seeing this, Director Li did not expect that Zhou Yimin was so popular among the villagers of Zhoujiazhuang.

The two of them soon arrived at the threshing ground, although there were many parents who wanted to go in and personally guide their children.

There were a few young men from Zhoujiazhuang who were like a piece of wood. When they saw so many girls, they didn't go up to them to get closer to them.

When the parents saw this, they almost couldn't help themselves and wanted to rush in, drag the child out and beat him up. If the situation continued like this, it would be hard to tell when he would be able to get married.

However, these people were kept outside by the old branch secretary and were not allowed to enter.

This is to allow young people to interact and communicate. It’s no big deal for the older generation to go in.

Many parents, seeing that their children are performing well, feel relieved and return home, waiting for good news.

However, parents who saw their children behave badly also went back. They could only turn a blind eye to such behavior, otherwise they might be tempted to drag their children out and beat them up in a fit of anger.

When the old branch secretary saw Director Li and Zhou Yimin, he walked forward with the smile on his face that never stopped.

It seems that she is very satisfied with this blind date event, otherwise she wouldn't have such a nice smile.

(End of this chapter)