The Northern Stories of Chef Lao Tan

Chapter 176 You are going to do a lot
When the old mother saw her son and grandson come back, she was so happy that she could not close her mouth from ear to ear.

The fifth sister's parents-in-law (second uncle and second aunt) were also happy, and greeted Lao Tan and his son warmly and cordially.

After exchanging pleasantries, Old Tan's mother asked, "You came back at this time, did you work there?"

"What are you doing? It happens that Jiaheng is on vacation. Come back to visit you and stay for a few days." Old Tan replied.

"I still have more than ten days to celebrate my birthday, can I stay until then?" Mother asked.

"Yes, I will leave after celebrating your birthday." Old Tan said.

"That's okay, aren't you celebrating the New Year at home?" Mother asked.

"I don't stay at home, and the restaurant is always open during the New Year. I have to go back." Old Tan said.

"Happy New Year's Eve, it doesn't matter if you're at home or not, you and your father just come back and have a look, I don't want you adults, I just miss my family, I can't see it——"

The old lady was a little disappointed when she heard her son say that she would not be at home for the New Year.

The old lady is 81, [-] in Chinese New Year.

As the saying goes, life at seventy is rare since ancient times, let alone eighty.People don't ask for anything else when they are old, they just want their children to be safe and always be by their side.

The old lady gave birth to six children. Except for the old son who is far away in the provincial capital, the five daughters are all close by, and they come to visit from time to time.Sometimes the daughter does not come, but the grandson and granddaughter often come.

"Where's your mother? Why didn't you come back with you?" The old lady asked the eldest grandson.

Jia Heng said: "My mother is at work, so I can't come back."

"Your mother is busy all day long and has no time. She hasn't come back for more than two years—" the old lady complained.

"My mother is the manager now, she is busy, and sometimes she goes on a business trip, and she can't come back for several days." Jia Heng said.

"Are you at home when your mother is on a business trip?" the old lady asked.

"Yes, I'm at home by myself." Jia Heng said.

"What about the meal? Who will cook it for you?" the old lady asked.

"I don't eat much in the morning. I go downstairs and take the school bus directly to school. I eat at school at noon, and after school at night, I eat a bowl of noodles downstairs. Sometimes I eat sauerkraut pork. After eating, I go upstairs. There are dumplings and wontons in my refrigerator. Cook when you're hungry." Jia Heng was reporting to his grandma.

Hearing that Jia Heng was at home by himself, the fifth sister, father-in-law and second uncle said to Lao Tan: "You are also bold, Jia Heng was at home alone when he was ten years old."

The fifth sister-in-law and the second aunt said: "That can't be done. Seeing that Jiaheng grows up, he looks like fifteen or six. He is still a child, and he can't be alone at home--I'm scared when I hear it. This child is in your hands. It's an old crime--"

Old Tan smiled helplessly.

Fifth Sister also blamed: "You two are really, Jia Heng just left him at home when he was ten years old—" Then he pulled his eldest nephew and asked: "Jia Heng, are you afraid at home?"

"Don't be afraid, I'm used to it. Auntie, I can cook dumplings now, and I can make instant noodles, but I can't fix it when I put eggs in it, and it always flies."

The child's words made everyone in the room laugh.

The fifth sister cooked a table of dishes.

Stewed stupid chicken, stewed pork with sauerkraut, stewed carp, fried chicken fillets, scrambled eggs with leeks, fried pork with garlic sprouts --- Jiaheng eats gobble it up and taste delicious.

Lao Tan, his brother-in-law, and his second uncle were drinking and chatting.

"Are you managing for others now or are you a shareholder?" asked the old brother-in-law.

"It is managed by others, and there is a 20.00% dividend every year." Old Tan said.

"That's not a lot," said the old brother-in-law.

"20.00%? How much can there be?" Fifth Sister asked curiously.

"Not much." Lao Tan replied: "Not in the first two years, but only started last year. Last year, there were three stores, gross sales of 5 million, net profit of 2 million, and 400,000. But they didn't get it. This year, we opened two more and invested in them all.”

"Isn't it money to invest in it?" said the old brother-in-law.

"That's right." Old Tan nodded.

Lao Tan now earns [-] yuan a month, and with year-end dividends included, he is considered a high income.

"No plan to buy a car?" the old brother-in-law asked.

"No, the company provides a car for the Chinese New Year. I drink too much and can't drive it. I don't plan to take it." Old Tan said.

"Don't drink and drive, safety first." The second uncle glanced at the old brother-in-law, and then said: "Your old brother-in-law won't listen to you, and just drives after drinking. Nothing happened. It's too late to regret the accident."

The old brother-in-law said: "Aren't we in the countryside? It's not as strict as the city. Besides, I don't drink too much. I know if I drink too much, so I don't drink."

"Are you still sure? Hand in the car keys tomorrow." Fifth Sister said.

When it comes to driving, Old Tan’s mother said: “You don’t drink and drive, and you don’t drink while driving. There are countless people. I haven’t heard people say that before drunk driving is the court, and behind the car is the hospital. If your third sister and her brother-in-law didn’t do that because of drinking ? Into a vegetative state?”

The old brother-in-law told Lao Tan about the car accident of the third sister and her uncle.

Old Tan's third sister and younger uncle don't have a car, but ride a motorcycle.That day, I went back to the old man's house with my daughter-in-law. I drank a lot of wine with my old man at noon, and I was still drunk when I came home in the afternoon.

I didn't care about it at the time. I came out of the old man's house with my daughter-in-law on my back. I just got on the road from the village entrance, and a car came head-on, and it turned out to be a tragedy.

"How are you doing now?" Old Tan asked.

"Last two days, I heard that she was discharged from the hospital, and she is being raised at home—" the old brother-in-law smacked his lips, and said, "I don't know anyone, I am incontinent, and I can't live without people around me. Hey, it's useless——"

"Is that serious?" Old Tan asked.

"That's not right, his wife is taking it easy, she's taking care of her at home." The old brother-in-law said.

"No compensation?"

"He has insurance for his car, but he is driving under the influence of alcohol, so he won't be able to pay much."

The second aunt said to the old brother-in-law: "Look, this is the benefit of drinking. If you don't drink, can something happen? Tell you, you can't drink while driving."

The old brother-in-law nodded in agreement.

After the family had dinner, the second uncle and the second aunt went back to the old house in the west courtyard, the mother lay on the kang and took a nap, Jiaheng and his cousin continued to sit in front of the computer and play games.Lao Tan and his brother-in-law were drinking tea and chatting on the kang, while Fifth Sister was tidying up in the outhouse.

"What do you plan to do when you come back this time? Why don't you visit the houses of the eldest sister and the second sister?" the old brother-in-law asked.

"Go, if you have time this time, go and have a look." Old Tan said.

"Now is the time to be free, and the family has nothing to do. Every time you burn your ass like fire, you don't go if you don't go. This time, if you have time, you will walk around the house-in two days, the third sister's house will kill pigs, you Good time to go." said the old brother-in-law.

"Will your family kill this year?" Old Tan asked.

"Kill it, why not kill it, kill it in the first two days of my mother's birthday." The old brother-in-law said.

"Uncle, my grandfather said he would kill a sheep." The player playing the game interrupted.

"Really, it's lively enough." Lao Tan laughed.

"The old man is getting old, so I don't ask him to raise sheep anymore. In the last autumn of this year, he sold all the sheep. Two of them were kept, and one was killed last month. The remaining one will be killed on my mother's birthday. " said the old brother-in-law.

"It's fine if you don't raise them, as it will save my second uncle from going out to herd sheep and you still miss it." Old Tan said.

"That's not true, good luck, if it's windy and rainy, the road on the mountain is slippery, and it's not a crime if you fall, besides, our family is not short of that kind of money. Your fifth sister and I both go to work, and the salary is paid every month. " said the old brother-in-law.

"My second aunt also drives a lot, right?" Old Tan asked.

"Well, quite a lot, enough for the old couple."

After packing up, the fifth sister went into the house and sat on the kang, and asked the two children who were playing games: "When we eat dumplings tomorrow morning, what kind of stuffing do you two eat?"

Jia continued: "I eat minced meat, Mom."

"I also eat minced meat." Jia Heng said.

"You're asking for nothing, who doesn't eat meat?" the old brother-in-law said to Fifth Sister.

The fifth sister rolled her eyes at her brother-in-law, and said, "Mom doesn't eat meat." Then she said, "Tomorrow morning, you go to the west courtyard and call the old couple, don't tell them to start a gang."

"No, I told you when I left just now." The old brother-in-law said.

"Then shout out too." Fifth Sister ordered.

"Yes, I see." The old brother-in-law agreed, and said to Lao Tan: "See, your fifth sister can kill me. I have no status at home."

Old Tan laughed.

Jia Xu interjected: "Dad, you can just listen to what my mother says, and follow it. What my mother said is almost the ultimate order. Besides, you have never won."

"Go, don't have you everywhere."

Jia continued to laugh, turned his head and went to play the game.

The fifth sister asked Lao Tan: "How is the restaurant your family runs in Hohhot?"

"Very good, business is good." Old Tan said.

"How is Wang Xiaoyan's daughter doing there?" Fifth Sister asked.

"Very good." Old Tan replied.

"You have to make sure that the people who invest in it are all from the front of the family. If you don't invest in it, you will have a bad reputation." Fifth Sister said.

"Funding is no problem."

"That's fine. There are still a few people going to our house. Do you still need someone?"

"Yes, we plan to open five stores during the Chinese New Year, with a large number of dignitaries."

"They are all in Hohhot?" Fifth Sister asked.

"No, there are three in the provincial capital and two in Hohhot." Old Tan said.

"You are going to do something big." The old brother-in-law said.

　The update is a bit slow, and it has been interrupted for two days, sorry.

　　For the past two days, I have been moved by Henan. To be honest, I am very proud to be a Chinese.

　　Only our Chinese nation can be moved like this, and there will be scenes of "one party is in trouble and all parties are supporting".

　　During the epidemic, I was isolated at home and was moved by Wuhan, so I had the urge to write something.It was at that time that I began to write my first novel, "A Cook's Once Upon a Time".It's more of a memoir than a novel.It is the story of the ten years before the kitchen.

　　It is now ten years later, but it is difficult to write.

　　To be honest, it is difficult for a cook to cook, but it is difficult to write a book.Especially memories, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes sad.

　　Let's not talk about it, let us pray for Henan, come on Henan!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)