Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

After that, the two walked into the kitchen together. As soon as they stepped into the kitchen door, they saw Zhao Fangfang sitting quietly in front of the stove, concentrating on burning the fire. Under the light of the fire, Zhao Fangfang's face looked particularly gentle and beautiful.

"Da Mao is here! Cuinong, the water is already boiling, you can put the dumplings in."

As these words were spoken, a light vapor filled the kitchen.

Cuinong responded, "Okay, I'll go make the dumplings right away." She gently picked up the pan rack and carefully pushed the neatly arranged dumplings into the pot that was already boiling.

Every dumpling seems to carry the family’s full expectations and warmth.

At this time, Zhao Fangfang added a piece of firewood to the stove and said worriedly: "Da Mao, it's so dark now. Cuilan has to wait until so late to go home every day. It's really worrying!"

"Do you think she will run into those rogues on the road?"

Zhao Fangfang's words revealed deep concern.

Before Xu Damao could reply, Cuinong at the side hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Sister Fang. I don't think anything will happen."

"You see, the area where we live is right next to a main road, and this road leads directly to where my sister works. There are no side roads or paths along the way. It's all wide and flat. Plus, there are a lot of people coming and going right now, so there's no need to be too afraid of running into bad guys."

After saying this, Cuinong showed a relieved smile on her face, as if she wanted to soothe Zhao Fangfang's uneasy heart.

Seeing this, Xu Damao quickly agreed, "Yes, Sister Fang, I have personally sent Cuilan off twice before, and the situation is indeed as Cuinong said. The road along this road is wide and straight, with many pedestrians. It is very safe, there is nothing to worry about!"

His tone was firm and steady, which made Zhao Fangfang, who was still a little hesitant, feel a little relieved.

"Oh, that's good. I'm just afraid that Cuilan will meet a bad guy. After all, your sister is very beautiful..." As she spoke, Cuilan skillfully picked up a small half bucket of cold water beside her and gently poured it into the pot that was boiling and steaming.

In an instant, the violently boiling water surface gradually calmed down, and the dumplings in the pot no longer tossed up and down.

Cuinong blinked her big watery eyes and said seriously: "My sister knows this very well! When my sister and I lived in the village, my sister would always wrap her face tightly with a black cloth and asked me to do the same. Sometimes, she would even grab a handful of dirt and soot and smear it on my face..."

Speaking of this, Cuinong couldn't help but reveal a mischievous smile, as if she was recalling that interesting time.

Hearing this, Xu Damao couldn't help but sigh and said with emotion: "Oh, that's because our Cuinong is beautiful!"

"Although we are living in a new society now, we should not have the intention to harm others, but we should always be on guard against others. When we were fighting the Japanese, those women who were a little bit pretty would deliberately smear some soot on their faces to avoid unnecessary trouble."

Cuinong nodded repeatedly, expressing her agreement: "Yes, when my sister was smearing the soot on me, I hadn't been liberated yet. Every time we were going out, we would wrap ourselves up tightly, for fear that others would see our true faces."

"Yes, that's right! At that time, the world was in a complete mess! I still remember it clearly. In our village, all the pretty girls dared not show their faces in public and kept hiding all day long. Even the grown men were no exception. They often hid in the cellar, for fear that they would be captured by the Kuomintang soldiers and used as soldiers!"

Zhao Fangfang echoed, with an expression of deep understanding on her face, obviously she knew a lot about the inside story.

At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door and Cuilan called out, "Pa pa, Cuinong, open the door quickly!"

"Oh, it's my sister who's back. I'll go open the door." Hearing the voice, Cuinong jumped out of the kitchen happily and hurried to open the door for Cuilan.

"Cuilan, you're back just in time! The dumplings have just been cooked and haven't been taken out of the pot yet. You've worked hard all day, go and take a rest." Zhao Fangfang said to Cuilan with a smile on her face as she walked into the kitchen.

"I'm really not tired at all! All I have to do at someone's house is to cook some home-cooked meals and take care of the elderly. It's a piece of cake for me. I can do it with just a little bit of effort."

Cuilan said this with a smile on her face as she reached out and steadily picked up two bowls of steaming dumplings that Zhao Fangfang had just filled, then walked towards the main room with light steps.

"Oh, luckily Sister Fang and I made enough dumplings today, otherwise there wouldn't be enough for everyone." Cuilan said with a smile as she walked back.

After entering the main room, you can see Xu Damao and three women sitting around a square table, forming a tight circle.

At this time, Cuinong gently pushed a plate full of pickled radishes and pickles towards Xu Damao's position, and gave him an enthusiastic look, as if suggesting that he should quickly taste these delicacies.

Faced with such a generous offer, Xu Damao found it difficult to refuse, so he picked up the chopsticks and carefully picked up a piece of carefully pickled radish, slowly put it into his mouth and began to chew it carefully.

What’s surprising is that this piece of radish is not only crisp in texture, but also very refreshing and delicious, which goes perfectly with the dumplings.

"Wow, it's great! It tastes really good, Cuilan. I didn't expect your cooking skills to be so good."

Xu Damao couldn't help but admire. After hearing the compliment, Cuilan smiled a little embarrassedly: "Hahaha... Actually, this is nothing great. It's just the experience I accumulated when I followed other people in the village to learn." She answered modestly.

Several people sat together, talking and laughing while enjoying the sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner. The scene was very lively. After eating and drinking, everyone gathered together and continued to chat happily.

Time passed quietly, and before they knew it, it was already past nine o'clock in the evening. At this time, Xu Damao gently took Zhao Fangfang's hand and returned to the room together to rest.

After entering the room, Zhao Fangfang seemed to suddenly remember something, and said to Xu Damao with a worried look on her face: "Da Mao, you said that our house in the village doesn't have Spring Festival couplets posted on it. Isn't this a bad thing?"

There was a hint of uneasiness and doubt in her tone.