A Young Woman's Heart

"It was just an accident..." Mo Xueyao calmed down and finally mastered the knack, and her dumpling-making speed also increased.

The wrapped dumplings are placed on a plate to the side. You can put as many as you want into the plate later, or you can eat them as you go, just like having hot pot.

The dumpling filling is beef and cabbage, which is quite luxurious, considering it's many times more expensive than pork.

Moreover, beef is generally not minced for dumpling filling. After all, it doesn't matter if the meat used for filling is of slightly lower quality, as long as it doesn't contain lymph nodes or spoil.

Li Wanyan had already diced all the tomatoes and then poured them all into the pot.

As the bubbles rolled, the rich aroma of tomatoes began to fill the fruit shop.

This can be considered a homemade hot pot broth. Originally, I was going to add some chili peppers, but Grandma Jin can't handle spicy food, so I made it into a tomato broth instead.

When there were no guests, my father came over and added some MSG and salt to the pot, and also put in a few slices of fresh lemon to enhance the fruity flavor.

Although Mo Xueyao likes spicy food, she is not actually very good at handling spicy food, so this tomato soup is also very good, at least it can bring out the original natural aroma and freshness of the food.

After the tomatoes were almost cooked through, my father poured in some boiling water, then added the chicken pieces and some sesame oil to enhance the flavor.

Mo Xueyao's mouth was watering so much that she couldn't wait to pick up her chopsticks and take a bite.

"Boss, what are you making? It smells so good."

Tomato and chicken hot pot.

"The food was pretty good, wasn't it?"

"Haha, it's alright, isn't it?"

"Why is there lemon in it?"

"Add some tangy flavor to the soup," the father replied, then smoothly steered the conversation back to business. "How about buying some lemons? They're good for making tea or soup. My lemons are absolutely fresh; they just arrived yesterday. Plus, lemons can be kept in the refrigerator for a long time, so you don't have to worry about them going bad."

"Is your lemon sour?"

"It's sour, but it also has a hint of sweetness," the father said, cutting off a small slice from the lemon he had already halved for cooking. "Here, you can try it."

The male customer pinched a lemon slice between his fingers, took a bite, and his face scrunched up: "It's too sour!"

"Really? But if you chew it a little more, it will taste sweet."

"It seems so?"

"Right? I never cheat people in business, okay?"

"Then get me two."

"Two isn't enough, is it? How about three for a family of three?"

"Uh... okay, but there are four people in my family."

"Two children?"

"Yes, it's twins, a boy and a girl."

"Then we definitely need four, right? Twins would be great, a boy and a girl at once, and they'd have each other for company."

"It's alright, twins cost a lot of money too." The middle-aged man smiled.

"Judging from your appearance, you must be a doctor, right?" the father began to make pleasantries again, and subtly added another lemon to the bag.

"how do you know?"

"You can tell at a glance that you have the professionalism of a doctor," the father complimented. "Is there anything else you want to buy?"

"I almost forgot what I told you. Buy me a box of apples. The patient is being discharged. Let's celebrate."

"You're celebrating for the patients? Shouldn't the patients be giving the doctors red envelopes?" the father joked. "These apple varieties are up to you, but if you're giving them as gifts, you'd usually get Red Fuji apples, they're 2.8 yuan a pound. There are samples here, why don't you try some?"

"Why would I accept red envelopes? I don't like them." The man used a clean toothpick to pick up a piece of apple that had turned slightly yellow from being left out for a while. "The main thing is that the patient had been staying with me for a year, and I was happy to see her discharged. She's such a lovely young woman, and she can finally continue to enjoy life—how much is a box?"

"You're such a kind person." The father gave a thumbs up. "Then I'll be generous too. Ten pounds a box, twenty-five a box, I'll just round it down for you."

"How much are those lemons?"

"Two yuan each, four for eight yuan." Actually, fruit was quite expensive these days, relative to the prices of goods in this era.

"Thirty-three in total."

"Yes, should we pack this box a little nicer?"

“Sure.” The middle-aged man paid the money readily. “Your shop hasn’t been open for long, has it? I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t noticed.”

"Yes, it just opened not long ago."

"Your business will definitely be great in the future."

"Haha, then I'll take your good wishes!"

As he spoke, the father deftly repackaged the box of Fuji apples with kraft paper and ribbons, making it look quite presentable.

"Alright, take care, and be careful."

My father was always busy doing business, and he seemed to be able to become friends with every customer who came to his door, showing exceptional enthusiasm.

It is probably precisely because of this approachable nature that they have so many repeat customers.

The key point is that the father is also quite eloquent.

After all, he was a junior high school graduate, and back when he was in school, he was considered a scholar.

The light rain continued to drizzle, but it was clear that the sky was getting darker. The tomato, potato, and chicken stew was finally cooked through, and the dumplings that were added along with the potatoes were also done.

Taking advantage of the fact that the fruit shop wasn't busy around eight o'clock, everyone was finally able to gather around a table and leisurely enjoy their dinner.

Father poured himself a cup of rice wine, took a leisurely sip, and exclaimed, "Ah—this life is something even the gods wouldn't trade!"

"Eating hot pot in winter, with meat and wine, is truly a blessing compared to our generation," Grandma Jin said with a smile.

"Speaking of which, Aunt Jin, isn't it alright for you to leave your shop unattended?"

"It's okay, the doors are all closed this afternoon, we're not doing business."

"Haha, you're not short of money, are you?"

"Yes, we're all getting on in years, we should enjoy life when it's time to enjoy it."

"Speaking of which, Aunt Jin, you've always lived alone?" The father coughed as he looked at Mo Xueyao, who was about to put a large piece of chicken into her mouth.

"..." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes, picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks, took a small bite, and looked obedient and elegant.

Of course, it was all an act.

Actually, she was very impatient.

But in front of outsiders, you still have to try your best to act like a girl...

Although she always protested why girls had to act like girls, and why girls couldn't act like boys, since they were all human beings, why did they have to differentiate their behavior according to gender? But she was still forced to do so by external pressure.

This reminded her of something Lu Xun once said.

—Just because it's always been this way, does that mean it's right?

But as the saying goes, it's not so easy to actually rebel. In many cases, going with the flow and conforming to the masses is the best way to protect yourself, and of course, it's also the easiest and least strenuous.

“Alas, my husband died in the Korean War, and my son died in the Vietnam War…” Grandma Kim sighed. “So, I’ve been alone ever since.”

"Uh..." The father's throat moved, but in the end he didn't say anything, as if he hadn't asked about the topic at all, and he changed the subject. "Speaking of which, I was thinking about whether I should sell some cigarettes and health products at the fruit shop as well. Aunt Jin, do you have any connections?"

"Of course."

……

Chapter 130 Furniture Design

Tuesday, only a short part of the week has passed.

If Monday is when you haven't quite recovered from the weekend, and Wednesday feels like you're halfway through and have a glimmer of hope, then Tuesday is when you can't really muster any energy.

It's like someone walking at night, knowing the journey is long, so they have little motivation to quicken their pace.

And this Tuesday was another rainy day.

The rain kept falling on and off, from Sunday until Tuesday, making Mo Xueyao feel wet and cold all over.

On Tuesday at noon, the Art Practice Club held another club activity. After lunch, everyone lazily gathered here. Since it was still early, it was quite leisurely.

"Teacher Qiu, can I make this coffee?" Mo Xueyao asked, holding her glass. This glass was given to her family by her godfather and then given to her by her family.

The cup is engraved with the words "Commemorating the Reform and Opening Up in 1978". It was originally painted with red paint, but it has been used for a long time and the paint has mostly peeled off.

"Of course, it's here for you to make your own coffee." Teacher Qiu smiled. "It's just instant coffee, cheap stuff."

Even instant coffee isn't something most ordinary people can drink often.

After all, this thing is still a bit expensive.

If you're really going to buy it to drink, why not choose the better-tasting cola?

However, in winter, hot coffee definitely makes people feel warmer.

A water dispenser was moved into the small club office, taking up a corner space. While making the space feel cramped, it also allowed everyone to have hot water in the increasingly cold weather.

Mo Xueyao poured a packet of instant coffee into her glass, then filled a glass with hot water from the water dispenser. Since she didn't have a spoon, she closed the lid and shook it vigorously. Once it was mostly mixed, she sat down at the long table with her cup in her hand.

There are only a few empty seats left in the club. If a few more new members join, it will probably be very crowded. Therefore, Gao Yuan, as the club president, does not plan to recruit any more people.

"Phew...it's so warm..." Mo Xueyao held the cup with a satisfied expression, pressed her face against it, put her legs under the chair, and felt as if her whole body had become warm.

"Phew—yes, it's warm~" Mo Xiaoxiao said, holding her own teacup. Her little face was like a soft rice cake, its shape changed from being squeezed on the table.

Mo Zhuyou, sitting opposite, didn't say anything because she had already fallen asleep, seemingly because she was always sleep-deprived.

Mo Xiaoxiao, as the older sister, doesn't have this problem; at most, she just has slightly heavier eye bags.

However, the club activity room wasn't as quiet as I had imagined, because Gao Yuan was hammering away at a pile of wood.

"Gao Yuan, what are you doing?" Li Wanyan asked, squatting down beside him.

This is the only relatively spacious activity area in the entire club activity room.

"Try making a chair."