under the spotlight

Chapter 198
Yu Guoqin, who is in his 60s, is more than ten years older than Jiang Yunjin, and has experienced many years of life experience. Although he is clean and tidy, his short hair that reaches the ears is not very sparse, but it is already gray. .

Asked by her daughter who hadn't come home for a long time, the little old lady was probably a little excited and a little bored, her wrinkled face suddenly turned red, and she stammered: "It's all, hey , it's all caused by Baozi."

The crispy rice porridge that just came out of the pot was still a little hot, and the little old lady was not in a hurry to eat it, so she simply put down her chopsticks: "A year ago, the weather was similar to now, and when you could just wear a jacket, sometimes One day I was hungry, so I made a few meat buns at home, and it was a little late to dance in the square.”

The little old lady looked at her daughter while talking, afraid that she would dislike her long-winded words and didn't like to listen. Seeing that her daughter not only listened with gusto, but also slowly ate the pouty white while listening, she spoke even more vigorously.

"Just as we were about to go out, our old dancing sister called and said it was your Aunt Zhao. Do you remember that they used to be in our factory, and they were all chosen together during the demolition and resettlement?"

"Well, I remember, Mom, go on, what's wrong with Aunt Zhao?" Lu Beicen answered with a smile.

"It is said that your Aunt Zhao had a quarrel with her daughter-in-law. She was so angry that she ran out of the house without eating dinner. She has diabetes and can't be hungry. She had a little seizure in the small square. They saw me and haven't gone yet. , just call me and ask Aunt Zhao to bring you something to eat, and I brought two big meat buns and a pot of tea to go."

"Your Auntie Zhao is probably full of bitterness and a few old sisters. She also has an appetite. The big meat buns have an appetite and are very delicious. I don't know which unit's retired old man, just that In the small square, there are old men and women in the evening. I didn’t know the old man at all at that time. When I smelled the smell of the buns, I came to ask where I bought the buns. Say I did it."

As Lu Beicen listened, the corners of his mouth turned up unconsciously. The big meat buns made by his adoptive mother, the smell is really irresistible to most people. You can't figure it out, how can she pick the stuffing well? The soup is not greasy yet, it is really delicious...

Smash your mouth, Lu Beicen chuckled and said, "Mom, don't talk about steamed stuffed buns anymore, it makes me drool, can you blame people for smelling it?"

"You child, if you want to eat, Mom won't wrap it for you. I didn't buy meat today. I'll buy meat for you to steam tomorrow morning." The little old lady looked at her daughter lovingly, and really wanted to eat her favorite food Everything was piled up in front of her.

"Well, Mom, you go on, what's next? Does that person want to buy buns from you?" Lu Beicen saw that this was going to be a crooked building, and hurried forward.

"That's not true. He asked someone once if I run a steamed stuffed bun shop. He said no. Anyway, I don't know why he made a lot of inquiries about my situation, and Tian'er followed me. I spoke up and joined our group. In the past, those who retired from their units didn’t like to talk to those laid off from companies like us, and then those old men and women kept making fun of us.”

The boredom on the little old lady's face surfaced again: "I'm so bored to death, you said that I have been serving your dad for most of my life..." The little old lady said smoothly, and suddenly realized that this dad The words were a little awkward, and after reading half of them, they swallowed them back into their mouths, and licked their lips before continuing:
"Anyway, I was fed up, so I excused my cold and didn't go to the dance. After a few days, my old sisters came to me and told me that the person really asked them to inquire about me, and they knew what was wrong with me. , I didn’t give the real letter, but came to persuade me, saying that the old man had confessed to them, he was retired from a government agency, his wife had passed away for two or three years, and a son and a daughter had married. He wants to find a companion, let them tell me."

"I pushed back straight away, and they took the words back. The old man was quite sensible, so he just said that he didn't like it. There's no need to avoid him. He didn't even go to the square dance, and said He just smelled the smell of the steamed bun I made, very similar to the smell of the steamed bun made by his deceased wife..."

The little old lady continued with a displeasure on her face: "What are you talking about? Putting some fennel powder in the buns can cause trouble, hey, who put some fennel in the stuffing of buns doesn't smell like that? I shouldn't have wrapped that bun."

Lu Beicen looked at the angry face of his adoptive mother, couldn't help but smiled and persuaded: "Mom, there are not many people in this place who use fennel to make buns. Isn't that special smell!"

"I didn't think of it at the time, but when I finally realized it, it was too late to regret it." The little old lady picked up the rice porridge, took a sip, and put fried eggs with chopsticks and toon in Lu Beicen's bowl.

"Is there a follow-up? You eat it too, don't just pick it up for me!" Lu Beicen also picked up a chopsticks of shredded lettuce mixed with sesame oil for his adoptive mother. The little old lady likes to eat this, and she remembers it clearly.

"Then I must have a good time when I have a cold. I listened to what they told me, so I was relieved, and went out again after a few days. It was all right for a while, and the old man didn't go too far." We came here. Later years ago, when the weather was warm for a while, we went out to dance a few times. I didn’t know what happened that day. Sprained, sitting on the ground and unable to get up."

"I heard from my old sisters that the old man jumped out of nowhere suddenly, saying that he ran faster than a rabbit, and he helped me up from the ground when he came over. I think he meant to He picked me up, but it turned out that he was not young at that age, but he didn't have the energy of a young man, I was so painful that I couldn't speak, so he supported me, one side with my old sister, and sent me home."

"Later, he saw Tian'er came here, and every time he came, he would bring me some small dishes. He said that he was fine anyway, and he was on the way to the vegetable market. He said that if he stretched out his hand and didn't hit the smiling person, then I wouldn't give it to him. Push it back no, I thought it would only be a matter of three to five days anyway, and it would be fine when my feet healed."

"He is also very kind, and he keeps himself clean. He doesn't smoke or drink. He usually just practices calligraphy and reads books. Later, when I sprained my ankle, my old sisters came to accompany me. Come to my house to play health mahjong, he can also get along, he never quarrels with others, and he has a really good personality."

Seeing the corners of Lu Beicen's mouth rising, the little old lady quickly said, "Don't laugh, girl, I don't have any other ideas. I just think that such a person is right and wrong. It's okay to play mahjong together. Big deal."

"It's just the end of the new year. My legs and feet are getting better, so I worked hard and made big buns once. It's a way to repay his favor. The vegetables he bought for me will never take my money. Although it's not much, then It’s always a matter of favor, and if someone finds out about it, they’ll say that I’m taking advantage of him.”

"Ha, it turned out that these more than a dozen buns got into trouble, and his daughter-in-law and daughter came to the door on the third day. The implication was that they did not support their father's remarriage, which made me seem to be catching up. I wanted to marry their old man for a second time, and said that I was trying to do what I liked, knowing that their old man liked the buns stuffed with fennel meat, so I deliberately did something..."

The little old lady blushed with anger when she said that, she was a person who didn't like to argue with others very much in her life, and Lu Beicen's heart ached when she saw her grievance.

"Mom, I'm not angry, we can't afford to be angry with such a person..." Lu Beicen quickly put down his chopsticks, put his hands on the back of his adoptive mother and began to rub and comfort her.

"You said that I have been clean and alone all my life. I really didn't eat mutton and got into trouble. Even among my old sisters, some people thought that I was thinking about moving again. I was so angry all night. Didn't fall asleep, got up in the middle of the night to pack my luggage, went out before dawn and came back by car, and didn't like to answer their calls anymore, I can't afford to provoke them, and I can't hide!"

Lu Beicen knows her adoptive mother's thoughts best. She feels that having experienced a man like her adoptive father in her whole life is already a debt owed in her previous life. Although she never mentioned divorce, even if he was such a jerk for the next ten years, the old man has her simplicity. She has the unwavering belief that she will feed him and even take care of him until he dies, but she doesn't really feel pain in her heart.

In the simple cognition of the adoptive mother, even if men are not all bastards like the adoptive father, they are all hands-off shopkeepers. They are used to opening their mouths for food and reaching out for clothes. Looking for a wife, especially the old companion, is more like looking for a nanny .The adoptive mother thinks that the life of being alone now is like a fairy. I can eat whatever I want, go wherever I want, and do whatever I want. This is a day that I can't even think of. It’s not that I don’t have food, drink, or money to spend on myself.

"Mom, why don't you go live with me in Huxia for a while, look at the house we bought, you haven't visited it once, I live alone, and my parents are too busy to take care of it. Me, I always eat together, you come with me, there are old ladies dancing square dance in our community, you can find a team soon after you go, and you can take care of me, I love to eat your food since I was a child, I can't think about it every day..." Lu Beicen began to complain, and he could only impress his adoptive mother in this way.

"Don't dare to say that, it's your house, you can just live in it, you have to think about it every day when mom is gone, and it's not easy to do work." Yu Guoqin quickly refused, although the reasons for this were these, in fact, the two of them knew each other He knew clearly that this was because he didn't want Jiang Yunjin and Lu Xusheng to feel incompatible.

"Mom, I didn't say this, it was my parents who said it. You see, they saw that I was busy years ago, so they asked Ah Hao to come twice. Before I came back, they told me to pick you up." In the past, they really didn't care about me, and you can still take care of my life." Lu Beicen is very clear that people like adoptive mothers are used to hard work all their lives, and if you tell her to invite her to enjoy the blessings, she will definitely not To go, there is only a trick, maybe there is still a way.

Hearing this, Yu Guo shook the head of the piano even more quickly: "The more reasonable people are, the more reasonable we have to be. You said that your biological parents didn't live together. If you take my adoptive mother to live with me, how will you feel better? Never mind Whether you are busy or not, how much money you earn, how big a person you are, when it comes to your children, you are all ordinary people with a fleshy heart, we can't stab a knife in it."

Seeing that her daughter wanted to continue persuading her, Yu Guoqin changed the subject as before: "Hurry up and eat, the dishes will be cold, I will make some soft hagi cakes when you leave, and you can take some back for you Parents also try something new, and now the green balls made with mugwort leaf juice are used in the city, I think nothing can compare to this soft Hagi incense..."

This is how it is with the adoptive mother. Life is very simple. All the wisdom and love of the old man are reflected in the meals. I try my best to make my daughter eat comfortably, and I can’t wait to fill the ditch for her , Leave all the delicious food that can be kept throughout the year to Lu Beicen.

The next day, I went up the mountain with my mother to pick spring bamboo shoots. When I came back, I cooked them with bacon and leeks. The bamboo shoots were still in the pot. Lu Beicen sat behind the stove drooling just like when he was a child...

On the third day, I went to the field to dig shepherd's purse, chopped pork and mixed it with stuffing to make spring rolls. The little old lady ironed the skin and sat behind the stove to light the fire. The hot rapeseed oil was tumbling in the pan, exuding a unique aroma. After frying the spring rolls, she had already eaten half of them. That was the taste of spring when I was a child...

If you can't finish eating and can't keep it, the little old lady will bring a plate from the host and a bowl from the west, just like when I was a child, it seems that time is frozen in the old days in this small village, three or two days later Well, all the grandparents in the village knew that it was the girl from the Fang family who was admitted to the University of B who came back, and sent the delicious food she had saved to their home.

The little old lady never asked about her daughter's job, let alone whether her daughter has found a boyfriend. In her heart, she never had to worry about her daughter's study and work. As for her daughter's marriage, she lived her whole life , maybe for the little old lady, if she had to choose again, she would definitely not choose to marry.

Such a primitive and simple life can make people feel peaceful and joyful, and time flies by like running water. On the morning before leaving, the little old lady began to take her daughter together, preparing a variety of mountain and wild food, and asked her to take them back to her parents Taste with friends.

While laughing and laughing, Lu Beicen's phone rang, probably because he was used to being undefended in such a place, and picked up the phone at will. When that familiar yet unfamiliar voice came from the phone, Lu Beicen was a little dazed.

"Xiao Bei, where are you? Are you on a business trip?" Jiang Zhongze's voice sounded.

Lu Beicen subconsciously replied, "I'm in Xiajiang, at my mother's house."

"I miss you! I will pick you up the day after tomorrow, I must come!"

Just as Lu Beicen was about to speak, she simply hung up the phone. She looked at the phone in a daze, and her adoptive mother looked at her and smiled: "Nizi, which boy is it?"

Before he recovered, Lu Beicen shook his head subconsciously. The little old lady looked like I knew everything, and said with a smile, "Nizi, if you like it, you can have a good time with her. You are not an old lady like me." Why are you afraid of wolves and tigers?"

"Mom, I didn't..." Lu Beicen quickly denied it, but she didn't know that her face was already burning.

"You don't like what you are doing in a daze? You are still blushing. You are like me. You are very awkward. You are buried in your heart. When young people fall in love, they like it if they like it. Why don't you dare to admit it? What is the era now, freedom Love, it’s different from before, don’t miss it and regret it!” The little old lady squinted her eyes and smiled, then left her uncomfortable face behind her daughter, and started to clean up the food by herself...

(End of this chapter)