Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 195 Thoughts

It's approaching noon.

"Dad, Li Zhe, dinner's ready." Wang Ting came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of stir-fried eggs with wood ear mushrooms.

Li Zhe also washed his hands and went into the kitchen to help serve the dishes.

Chen Shufang said, "Li Zhe, don't get involved, please take a seat."

"It's alright, Auntie. I've been sitting for too long, so I'm just stretching a bit." Li Zhe carried a plate of aspic and a plate of fried meatballs out of the kitchen.

Wang Guangwei came out of the house with a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor). "Li Zhe, you can drink, right?"

"I drink it occasionally."

"Alright, let's have a couple of drinks at noon today. Sit down, Tingting will serve you." Wang Guangwei teased with a smile, "It's rare to see this girl so diligent."

Wang Ting was a little unhappy: "Dad, how can you talk to your own daughter like that?"

"Just kidding, I was just joking." Wang Guangwei unscrewed the bottle cap and was about to pour wine for Li Zhe.

Li Zhe couldn't let him pour him a drink, so he took the bottle, poured one for the other person first, and then poured one for himself. "Does Auntie drink?"

Wang Guangwei said, "She only drinks one glass during holidays. She's in a good mood today, so let's pour her one too."

Li Zhe poured another glass of wine and placed it on the opposite side of the table.

Several dishes were already laid out on the table: braised ribbonfish, stir-fried eggs with wood ear mushrooms, aspic, and fried meatballs.

"Come on, let's have a drink first." Wang Guangwei picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp.

Li Zhe hadn't expected the other person to drink so heavily, but someone who could hold the position of office director must be able to drink a lot.

Li Zhe also picked up his glass and drank a glass.

Chen Shufang, holding a plate of stir-fried shredded carrots and meat, said, "You two drink slowly, the dishes haven't all been served yet, don't get drunk later."

"You've only had one drink, you won't get drunk," Wang Guangwei said. "Li Zhe, have some food."

"Okay." Li Zhe replied, then called out to the kitchen, "Auntie, there's enough food already, you don't need to cook anymore, come out and eat together."

Chen Shufang replied, "You guys eat first. I have one more dish here, it'll be ready soon."

Wang Ting changed the tea leaves, carried the teapot over, and poured Li Zhe a cup of tea. "If you have something to do this afternoon, drink less."

"It's okay, Sun Tao is keeping an eye on things at the shop. If I drink too much, I'll just go home and sleep," Li Zhe replied with a smile.

Previously, when he escorted Wang Ting home, he never went upstairs, nor did he try to curry favor with Wang Ting's parents.

But now that we're here and have had formal contact, even if it's just for Wang Ting's sake, we have to make a good impression.

Chen Shufang came out carrying a plate of braised pork and placed it in front of Li Zhe: "Tingting said you like to eat meat, so I went to the market this morning to buy some. How does it taste?"

"Thank you, Auntie. Please sit down and eat with us."

Seeing Chen Shufang take off her apron and sit down in the chair opposite him, Li Zhe raised his glass and said, "Auntie, thank you for cooking such a delicious meal. I'd like to toast you. I'll drink it all, but please feel free to drink as you like."

Li Zhe picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp.

Chen Shufang took a small sip. "It's really spicy! Li Zhe, start eating and eat more vegetables!"

Li Zhe picked up the braised pork from the plate in front of him, took a bite, and frowned slightly. The pork was very salty and had a slightly fishy smell.

Li Zhe made many mistakes in his previous life and also learned some lessons.

When you go to an unfamiliar place, the person who is most enthusiastic towards you, the one who makes you feel good at first, is most likely testing you. This kind of person is either shrewd or has some ulterior motive, so you should be careful when dealing with them.

When you meet a decent person for the first time, they are not familiar with you and don't want anything from you, so why would they be so enthusiastic towards you?
Chen Shufang asked with a smile, "How does it taste? Is it to your liking? Tingting doesn't like fatty meat, so eat more if you like it."

Although Li Zhe didn't get married in his previous life, he did go on blind dates and have partnered with others; he experienced everything that was supposed to happen.

He was already used to this kind of tactic used by mothers-in-law to test their sons-in-law.

Of course, it's also possible that Li Zhe is being cunning, and Chen Shufang didn't mean it that way; she just wasn't a good cook and her food simply didn't taste good.

But whatever the reason, Li Zhe would not compromise himself.

He laughed and said, "Auntie, you've been fooled. This is old sow meat, it's tough and smelly. It's best to add more white wine to remove the smell and stew it in a clay pot for an afternoon, then it will taste better."

"Really? Let me try it." Chen Shufang also picked up a piece, took a bite, and frowned. "Ugh, it's really not good! This butcher is really dishonest. I'll go find him tomorrow and make him give me a refund."

Chen Shufang stood up, picked up the plate of braised pork, and said, "Li Zhe, eat the other dishes first. I'll reheat the braised pork the way you told me, and your Uncle Wang can have it tonight."

Wang Guangwei: "..."

I... thank you.

Wang Ting placed a piece of ribbonfish on Li Zhe's plate. "Have some of this. My mom makes really good ribbonfish." "Okay," Li Zhe replied with a smile, took a bite of the ribbonfish, and praised, "Delicious! Auntie's cooking is really good."

"Eat more if you like it." Chen Shufang came out of the kitchen and cut another plate of luncheon meat. "The braised pork wasn't done well this time. I'll make it for you again next time you come."

“Okay, next time I come, I’ll bring you some meat from the shop. Our meat is all high-quality, specially supplied by the Chongwenmen Market. Combined with your cooking skills, it’ll be absolutely delicious.” Li Zhe finished speaking and raised his glass. “Uncle, let me toast you again. Let’s drink slowly, half a glass at a time…”

Before Li Zhe could finish speaking, Wang Guangwei picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp.

"I……"

Li Zhe had no choice but to do it.

Chen Shufang greeted, "Li Zhe, eat more vegetables. You can't just drink alcohol without eating. Try some of the other dishes Auntie makes."

Li Zhe tasted the other dishes, and they all tasted good. He praised, "Delicious! Your cooking skills are comparable to those of the head chefs in state-run restaurants."

"I'm glad you like it." Chen Shufang replied with a smile, then changed the subject: "I heard you bought a courtyard house in Beijing, and it's quite large."

Li Zhe put down his chopsticks. "Yes, the location is in Suzhou Hutong. The front and back yards together are over 600 square meters. The landlord just went abroad a few days ago and sold the furniture. I'm thinking of buying new furniture after the New Year."

"Wow, that's really impressive." Wang Guangwei exclaimed. No matter what era, courtyard houses in Beijing are always in high demand. "By the way, where does your family plan to spend the New Year this year, in Beijing or Daying Village?"

“Originally, I wanted to invite my parents to Beijing for the Spring Festival, but they felt that the village was more lively and wanted to spend the festival there. However, I still have business in Beijing and can’t stay in the village all the time, so I’ll just have to travel back and forth between the two places.”

Chen Shufang then asked, "I heard there are three siblings in your family. Is your brother married?"

“We got married a couple of years ago, and my little niece can already walk now.” Li Zhe picked up the teapot and poured some tea for Wang Guangwei.

“That’s true, people in the village get married young.” Saying this, Chen Shufang glanced at her daughter.
"However, it's different in the city, especially for college students. I read in the newspaper the other day that college students should prioritize their studies and are prohibited from getting married while still in school. Tingting is a sophomore now, so she can't get married until she graduates. That means she'll have to wait at least three years."

Wang Ting blushed and complained softly, "Mom, why are you bringing this up..."

"I respect Tingting's opinion on marriage." Li Zhe wasn't very interested in marriage.

Marriage has its warmth, and not getting married has its freedom. As someone from a later generation, he had long ago realized this.

However, feelings can change in an instant; let alone three years, things can change even in three months.

He's always been someone who enjoys life, and now he's in the prime of his life. He can go three years without getting married, but he can't go three years without touching a woman.

To put it bluntly, what if Wang Ting graduates from university and their relationship changes? Wouldn't Li Zhe be a complete fool for remaining celibate for over two years?

We can't do business that loses money!

"Come on, Li Zhe, let's have another drink." Wang Guangwei raised his glass and clinked it with Li Zhe's.

Li Zhe has a good alcohol tolerance and manners when drunk, so he's not worried about the effects of drinking too much. If Wang Guangwei wants to drink, then let him drink.

During the meal, Wang Guangwei frequently raised his glass, and the two of them drank a whole bottle.

Wang Guangwei wanted to open a second bottle, but Wang Ting stopped him: "Dad, you've had enough to drink. Let's call it a day. Li Zhe has something to do this afternoon."

“Look at you, everyone says daughters are more outgoing…” Wang Guangwei joked with a smile, but before he could finish, his wife interrupted him: “Yes, it’s not a small amount for the two of you to drink a whole bottle. You two have some tea, I’ll go cook some noodles.”

Wang Guangwei was quite satisfied with Li Zhe and said with a smile, "I made this braised noodle dish. You should eat more of it later."

After adding water to the teapot, Li Zhe refilled his teacup and said with a smile, "Of course. I had never eaten authentic braised noodles before. I tried it once in the capital and fell in love with it."

After the noodles were cooked, Wang Ting carried two bowls of noodles, giving one to Wang Guangwei and the other to Li Zhe.

Li Zhe didn't stand on ceremony, took a bite, nodded, and praised, "Delicious, it's my favorite flavor."

Wang Guangwei stirred the noodles with his chopsticks: "I'll have another bowl later. After drinking, you need to eat more."

Li Zhe ate two bowls of noodles with braised meat sauce, helped clean up the dishes, chatted with Wang Guangwei for a while, and then said goodbye and left.

Wang Ting also went out with him and saw him off to the bus stop.

Only Wang Guangwei and his wife remained in the house.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Chen Shufang leaned back on the sofa in the living room, rubbing her shoulder with her right hand: "Ugh, I'm exhausted. I can finally rest for a bit."

Wang Guangwei sat down on the sofa next to him: "Would you like me to give you a shoulder massage?"

"How could I trouble you, Director Wang?" Chen Shufang sat up straight, opening the bag Li Zhe had brought as she spoke.

"Let me see what I brought. The oranges are quite big and smell really good. There's also a box of Daoxiangcun pastries; don't open it, take it to the old lady." She then took out two packs of cigarettes from the bag and handed them to her husband, "Yours."

Wang Guangwei glanced at the two Marlboro cigarettes and a look of delight appeared on his face. "Wow, these are really good cigarettes. You can't buy them outside. Little Li is so thoughtful."

Chen Shufang snorted, "Look at you, so pathetic. Two packs of cigarettes and you're all bought off."

Wang Guangwei put the cigarette on the coffee table, glanced in the direction of the door, and asked in a low voice, "That braised pork, did you deliberately make it salty?"

(End of this chapter)