"Quick, quick, don't eat so much, you'll get diarrhea,"
"I'll cook for you, uncle. What do you like to eat? I'll make it for you right away!"
Father Zhong was wearing a dark gray old-fashioned overcoat. Though old, it was neat and tidy.
His hair was slightly white, and he was tall. His features bore a resemblance to Ah Zhong.
He was a bit old, but his youthful spirit was still evident.
Zhou Jinbei liked him very much.
"Uncle, you don't have to be so polite. I'll just eat something casually. Ah Zhong doesn't know where he went. Did you see him?"
"This brat, leaving you alone at home. I'll scold him when he gets back."
"Sit down quickly. Are you cold? Our conditions are poor, and we don't have air conditioning, but we have a fire."
"Move a stool here and sit. It's quite warm by the fire."
As he spoke, he busily moved the pressure cooker under the stove, then turned to fetch a stool for Zhou Jinbei.
Zhou Jinbei could see his joy and enthusiasm and didn't stand on ceremony.
She sat down and watched him release the pressure from the cooker.
"It smells so good. What did uncle stew?"
Father Zhong squatted on the ground, a smile on his face.
"Beef. It's from our own cow. I've been stewing it on the fire for several hours, just so you two can have a taste."
"It should be cooked. I'll add some ingredients to cut the richness. What do you like?"
"Radishes? Potatoes? Or mushrooms?"
Sitting by the fire, watching the steaming food, she felt warm all over. This scene was very much like something Zhou Jinbei had seen in a documentary.
She was very happy. "Can you add a little of everything? I want to try them all."
"Of course. Absolutely."
It's not that guests eat too much, but that they don't eat at all.
A girl who was so easy to talk to made her feel at ease.
Father Zhong liked Zhou Jinbei even more instantly.
"Then you sit here, and I'll go dig out some radishes."
Huh?
Digging for radishes now?
Zhou Jinbei had never seen this before and immediately stood up.
"I'll go with you."
"No, girl, it's cold outside. Your clothes and shoes are clean. Don't get them dirty."
Zhou Jinbei was wearing a down jacket from a famous brand, white, costing over twenty thousand yuan.
Her shoes were also white and pink, costing over ten thousand yuan a pair.
Fearing Father Zhong wouldn't let her go, she zipped up her jacket. "Then I'll take off my coat and go."
"Oh! That's too cold! Don't catch a chill!"
"It's okay..." She had already taken it off.
Father Zhong quickly turned and walked towards the room.
"Then I'll find you some clothes to change into. Ah Zhong used to wear these when he was studying. I couldn't bear to throw them away. You can wear them over your clothes."
After putting on Ah Zhong's thick coat, Father Zhong found two plastic bags for her shoes, and then they went out.
The yard was paved with cement. The thin layer of snow on the ground had already been swept clean by Father.
In the upper left corner, a small pile of sand stood, with a bundle of green onions and a bunch of garlic stuck in it. It turned out the radishes were here too.
This was Zhou Jinbei's first time seeing such a way of storing food, and she immediately became interested, wanting to dig with Father Zhong.
But her hands, fair and tender with beautiful manicures, how could they go into the sand?
Father Zhong quickly stopped her. "Don't. You can just look. How can you do this kind of work? Eat more later, and I'll be happy."
They went to the faucet to wash the vegetables together. Although Zhou Jinbei only watched, Father Zhong was still very happy.
"How old is the girl this year? How long have you known Ah Zhong?"
The reason Zhou Jinbei came to their house at this time was, selfishly, just to fulfill a small wish of her own.
She couldn't have anything with Ah Zhong, so she wouldn't give him any hope.
Just as she was about to tell him that she only regarded Ah Zhong as a brother and would return tomorrow after staying for the day,
Ah Zhong returned.
He hadn't found his father, so he went to the small shop along the way.
Seeing a strange person squatting in front of his father, he walked over and patted his shoulder.
Zhou Jinbei looked up and saw her wearing his clothes. He smiled.
"Why are you wearing my clothes? Are you cold?"
Even after staying up all night, his skin was still so good.
He hadn't applied anything to his face; it was clean.
His nose bridge was high, and he looked especially handsome when he smiled.
Zhou Jinbei couldn't help but stare at him in adoration. "Uncle insisted I wear them, fearing my clothes would get dirty. What did you buy?"
"I bought you a toothbrush and hand sanitizer. Go wash your face and brush your teeth quickly. It's almost time to eat."
"Oh. Put them there. I've already brushed my teeth."
Ah Zhong looked playfully at his father, raising an eyebrow. "Hmm? My dad bought you a toothbrush?"
He was about to say, when did this old, steel-straight man start paying attention to details?
Zhou Jinbei: "No. I used yours."
"..."
"What? Disgusted with me? Afraid I have bad breath?"
Ah Zhong suddenly remembered a small incident with his ex-girlfriend.
They had only been living together for a short time then. One night, as Ah Zhong was brushing his teeth, he accidentally broke the handle of his toothbrush.
Too lazy to get a new one, he used his girlfriend's toothbrush. The next day, his girlfriend replaced it with a new one.
He always remembered this incident because it made him realize how much girls cared about hygiene.
He hadn't expected that the pampered Zhou Jinbei would...
"If I have bad breath, it's mine. As long as you don't mind, that's enough."
With a mix of emotions, Ah Zhong carried the bag and went back into the house first.
Soon, Father and Zhou Jinbei returned, chatting and laughing.
The food was chopped and put into the pressure cooker, then placed back on the fire to stew. Father said he would stir-fry a few small dishes, but Zhou Jinbei stopped him.
"Can we eat dumplings? I saw you have prepared dumpling filling."
"Sure. Then let's have dumplings, and I'll stir-fry a few dishes."
"Don't stir-fry too much, it'll be a waste if we can't finish it. Besides, I don't want to gain weight."
Zhou Jinbei's cooing softened his insistence.
"I've never made dumplings before, so it's a good opportunity to do it together. You don't mind if I'm clumsy, do you?"
Father added a few more pieces of firewood to the stove. He closed the door, and the small room was warm.
He was kneading dough and rolling out wrappers on the table in the living room, while Zhou Jinbei sat beside him watching.
As she watched, she asked all sorts of childish questions, making Father laugh heartily.
Ah Zhong came out after washing up and sat next to Zhou Jinbei, skillfully picking up a wrapper and folding it.
Zhou Jinbei gasped, "You know how to make dumplings?"
Ah Zhong said confidently.
"Not only that, but I can also stir-fry twenty different home-style dishes for you."
"Wow."
Father Zhong: "This child lost his mother when he was young. I was working out of town all the time back then, and he took care of himself. Speaking of which..."
"Dad, it's New Year's. Let's talk about something happy."
Father Zhong had to change the subject. "Your Uncle Zhang's grapes didn't sell out this year, so he gave me two baskets. I've made wine from them."
"Can the girl have some? It's been half a year, so the taste should be good. Shall we try some later?"
Homemade wine?
Zhou Jinbei certainly wouldn't miss it. "Okay, let's try."
Ah Zhong smiled, "Don't drink too much."
"This wine looks ordinary, and it has enough rock sugar. It tastes sweet, but it's quite strong."
"I drank myself sick last year."