The Northern Stories of Chef Lao Tan

Chapter 462 The Tenderness of the Night
The dinner was very cozy.

Zhang Li and Yanhua saw that Lao Tan let go of half of his heart. Seeing that Lao Tan looked good, had a good attitude, and understood everything, he let go of 40.00%, and the remaining [-]% was a blessing.

Lao Tan warmed a jug of shochu for each of the three ladies, and he made ganoderma lucidum ginseng wine.Seeing him drinking, Yanhua and Zhang Li were a little worried, and after Wang Shulan's explanation, they told him to drink at ease.

In winter, the days are short and it gets dark early, so it is time to hold the lamps.

Four people sat around the kang table, the kang was hot under the buttocks, and the heating was good, so the room was warm and not cold at all.

Zhang Li and Yanhua had experienced the feeling of sitting on a kang to eat at the opening ceremony of Meiligu Primary School last time, but they never experienced it again.Both of them came from the countryside, and they not only have memories but also feelings for the kang, so they enjoy eating on the kang.

Lao Tan asked many things about the store, and Zhang Li answered them one by one, and then told him to just rest in peace and recuperate, and not to worry about other things, everything is fine.

After dinner, the four of them chatted for a while. While cooking, Wang Shulan turned on the kang in the west room. The room was also heated. Although it could not accommodate people, it was not cold.

When it was almost nine o'clock, Wang Shulan said to Yanhua and Zhang Li, "You two live in the Westinghouse, and I burned the kang, covered with new quilts, and it's not cold."

Zhang Li didn't chatter enough, and said, "It's just nine o'clock, so you're going to bed early?"

"You don't get tired after driving all day, go to bed early, and continue chatting tomorrow." Wang Shulan said.

Yanhua said: "Old Tan rests at this time every day, and we both go to sleep. I'm a little tired."

Wang Shulan and Zhang Li joked: "If you don't chat with Lao Tan in this room, Yanhua and I will sleep in that room."

Zhang Li blushed, but said unforgivingly, "You think I wouldn't dare, if it wasn't for the missing parts on my body, I would still give him a monkey."

Wang Shulan and Yanhua laughed.

Wang Shulan settled Zhang Li and Yanhua well, and when she went back to the house, she saw that Lao Tan had cleaned up the kang, so she went to wash the feet.

The two of them sat on the sofa and washed their feet in a basin. There was a hot water pot next to them, and they could heat the water whenever it got cold.

"How does it feel to see two confidante girls?" Wang Shulan asked in a low voice.

"I don't feel much." Old Tan said.

"Don't tell the truth, aren't you in a good mood?"

"Well, it's fine."

"I want to ask you something, Old Tan. I heard from Xiaomei that you were not married when you met Zhang Li. Why didn't you choose Zhang Li?"

Old Tan thought for a while and said, "You don't believe me when I say that I am loyal to love. At that time, my wife and I had a good relationship. We are the kind who share weal and woe. Most people can't separate them."

"Do you regret it now?"

"What regrets? No regrets." Old Tan said with deep emotion: "Speaking of failure, I neither know how to manage a marriage nor how to take care of a family, so I have come to this day—no regrets."

The first thing he said about no regrets was that he didn't regret not choosing Zhang Li, and the second no regrets meant that it caused today's divorce situation.

He went on to say: "Soak your feet and walk by yourself, throwing stones at your feet, if you don't cry out for pain, others don't know it hurts, just watch the fun.

I can do what I do today by myself. When I was young, I was full of vigor and disobedience. I didn’t know how to live, but I knew how to do it. I just thought about paying the money to the family. I didn’t know how to love my wife or care, and I was always outside.

I always feel that it’s okay for the daughter-in-law to bring a child at home, as long as there is no shortage of food and drink for the two of them, and they don’t care about the rest.Now I think I was wrong, it is not easy for a woman to bring up a child, I should not run away, even if I earn less at home, at least I can take care of the two of them, like a family.

In addition, I also fuck, I like to drink, and there is no distinction between men and women when drinking.I feel that there is nothing wrong with being open-minded in my heart. If I don't engage in male-female relationships with others, I just drink.But my daughter-in-law doesn’t think so, she’s afraid of turning things upside down, and if my daughter-in-law goes out drinking with a man and comes home in the middle of the night, I can’t stand it either.

But I didn't think of this at the time, and I still felt that I was reasonable.After a long time, my daughter-in-law didn't care about it, and I felt quite awesome. Look, my old Tan is not good, and my daughter-in-law doesn't dare to care about drinking with women outside.

Now I think it's stupid, what is a daughter-in-law?You just gave up, you can't be angry with me.It doesn't matter you, what you like to do, stay outside if it's good outside, and just get the money to go home.

In this way, it seems to be calm, you and I will not interfere with each other, and we are all free.In fact, the relationship is like this.

How can the couple not communicate?Who doesn't sleep in the same bed?One day or two days, one month or two months, half a year can be justified-12 years in a flash, this is not justified.It's fine if you go to prison, but if you don't go to prison, both of them are still normal——
Hey, even the best couples have to leave—”

Wang Shulan added hot water to Lao Tan's basin.After I finished washing myself, I dried my feet, put on slippers, went out of the house and poured out the water, and when I came back, I went to the kang to cover the quilt.

Wang Shulan covered the quilt, Lao Tan also soaked her feet, got up and went out of the house to pour water, and took off her shoes on the kang when she came back.

The two lay on their respective beds.

Wang Shulan turned off the light, laughed softly in the dark, and asked Lao Tan, "Why do you think they miss us?"

"How can you think? Think normally." Old Tan said.

"What do you think normally?"

"---"

"The two of them didn't know that you were going to get a divorce. They must think it was me when you got divorced after the New Year." Wang Shulan said.

"No, they know the situation of me and my wife. Besides, are you willing to live with a person who has cancer? You are willing or I am not." Old Tan said.

Wang Shulan reached into Old Tan's bed and pinched him, and said angrily, "What are you talking about? Are you looking down on me like that?"

Lao Tan grabbed Wang Shulan's hand and said, "I can't drag you down. After divorce, I want to be clean and live alone—the main thing is to recover from the illness first. If the illness is not good, it's useless to say anything——"

Wang Shulan changed from lying flat to sideways, facing Lao Tan, and said, "I know what you think, I am afraid that the cancer will not get better, and it will delay others. In fact, you don't have to think about it at all. What to do, let nature take its course is better than anything else." it is good.

To be honest, don't you feel tired of living these years?Like an ascetic, always suppressing yourself, besides work or work, or drinking, I feel that you are tired.

You should be free and easy, don't be too tired, don't worry too much.

Take me for example, I have been divorced for 20 years, if I am as tired as you, I will not be able to live.

Also, did you see that I managed a restaurant?Don't say I didn't take care of it, I did take care of it, but I didn't cover everything like you.Do you think the five stores in Beijing are messier than those in other districts?Or make less money?

No, it's even better than other districts.

You should learn from me, you should let go.Didn't you read it, when the boss is away, no matter the employees or managers, they do better than when the boss is there. "

"Well, that's the thing, I'll let go now." Old Tan said.

"In addition, I am willing to serve you. Don't have any burdens. I didn't come here to divorce you and live with you."

"I know."

"I'm already a grandma, so I don't have any ideas, and I haven't thought about starting a family again these years. I'm used to being alone, and I've become independent, and I'm not used to having multiple people."

"And I'm not used to it?"

"With you—it's okay."

Lao Tan stretched out his hand and pulled, and Wang Shulan slipped into his bed.

Old Tan put his arms around Wang Shulan's hot body, and put his mouth together to kiss her.

Wang Shulan kissed back, and soon aroused passion, and murmured——
"No, your body is just right—" Wang Shulan half pushed, and then said, "Where are they in that room——"

Old Tan gasped for breath and did not speak, tirelessly doing what he wanted to do.

(End of this chapter)