Four Seasons Three Meals

After living together, Jiang Huai was happy every day as if he had no worries.

Cong Shan picks him up from get off work every day, and on his way home he passes by the vegetable market, and the two buy each other's favorite vegetables.Jiang Huai likes to stuff the refrigerator to the brim, Cong Shan lets him cook for him in different ways, and the meals he cooks are never the same.

Sometimes when Cong Shan worked overtime, Jiang Huai went home early to make dinner, and then dried the sheets on the balcony, watching Cheng Yusheng flapping his wings and swimming.

Happiness seems to have become very simple, like soap bubbles, light and fluffy, with dazzling light under the sun, Jiang Huai can grasp it with his hand.

Cong Yun returned to Huaigang and never troubled him again, Jiang Huai was happy to be at leisure.On the contrary, Cong Shan became busy. There was always a thick stack of documents on the desk. Jiang Huai saw it by accident once and found that it was a contract full of technical terms, which seemed to be related to both the Cong family and the Qin family.

He was curious about why Cong Shan had something to do with Qin Shi, but he knew that no evil should be seen, so he didn't ask if Cong Shan didn't tell.

Autumn in Jiangcheng came quickly, and after a few cold rains, Jiang Huai put on a knitted sweater.

Congshan is not afraid of the cold, as if you can wear shirts all year round.

On Friday, Jiang Huai planned to go back to Huaigang to hold a parent meeting for Jiang Yan.

Cong Shan asked if he wanted to go back with him.

Jiang Huai hesitated for a moment, then said, no need.

Cong Shan didn't ask any more questions. After a while, he got up and went to the study, and gave Jiang Huai a box to greet his aunt on his behalf.

Jiang Huai opened the box and saw that inside was a pair of excellent jadeite bracelets, which were a fashionable style at the moment, and the price was very high, more than 200 million yuan.

Cong Shan has long been prepared.

Jiang Huai was a little embarrassed, and said softly, thank you.

Cong Shan rubbed his hair, didn't say much, and didn't press.

Jiang Huai knew Cong Shan's temperament, he didn't take the initiative to mention it, and Cong Shan would never intervene in his personal affairs.

On Saturday, Jiang Huai took the earliest bullet train back to Huaigang, and it was just in time to get home.

He knocked on the door, and Wang Xiumiao opened it.Although he had said in advance that he would come back, he was still a little surprised to see Wang Xiumiao appearing behind the door.

Wang Xiumiao looked very energetic, wearing a gray and half-worn sweater with short sleeves, revealing a bony wrist.Jiang Huai glanced at it. There were no bruises, wounds, or plasters on it.

Wang Xiumiao went to the vegetable market early in the morning to buy a large table of vegetables. The pressure cooker in the kitchen was screaming and was stewing tomato ribs.

Wang Xiumiao said, "Your junior high school classmates are coming for lunch."

Jiang Huai was puzzled: "Who is it?"

Wang Xiumiao said a name, Jiang Huai felt familiar, thought about it, and remembered it.

That person was the thorn in their class at the time, and later he was sent to the juvenile prison because of a fight, and he didn't study anymore after he came out, and he has been messing around with the society.

He had a broad body and a fat body since he was a child, and they called him Fat Head.

I heard that the fat head is now the boss of an underground loan shark and Jiang Desheng's creditor.

The last time Jiang Huai saw him was at the junior high school reunion last year.His eyes kept looking at Jiang Huai, and Jiang Huai didn't care if he wanted to.

Wang Xiumiao chose to invite him to dinner today.

Jiang Huai suddenly understood, he didn't speak, but his heart was like a solitary lamp floating on the sea surface, emitting a dim light, dangling and being involved in the waves, and gradually sank into the bottom of the sea without a sound.

At noon, when Fat Tou came to eat, Jiang Huai opened the door for him.

He has a round head, a shiny face, a protruding beer belly, and a big gold belt that is embedded in the flesh and tightly restrained.

Jiang Huai looked at him a few times, he was very handsome, with a broad head and big ears that looked like a Buddha, he didn't look like a murderer.

He bought a lot of supplements for Wang Xiumiao, and walked into the house with big bags and small bags.Jiang Huai reached out to pick it up, but the back of his hand was touched intentionally or unintentionally.

The fat head smiled happily at him with a greasy expression.

Jiang Huai felt unwell. After putting down the tonic, he went to the bathroom to wash his hands.

During the whole meal, Wang Xiumiao kept feeding Fat Head with vegetables, asking about his health, and all the pork ribs in a pot went into Fat Head's stomach.Jiang Huai picked up a piece of fish steak, removed the fishbone, and put it into Jiang Yan's bowl.

Jiang Yan buried his head in his meal and said in a muffled voice, "Thank you brother."

Jiang Huai smiled, took another piece, removed the fishbone, and put it in his bowl.

There are few fish belly thorns and the meat is tender, Jiang Huai is not polite, and puts all of them into Jiang Yan's bowl.

They are brothers and sisters, and the atmosphere is harmonious, Wang Xiumiao and Fat Tou seem out of place.

Wang Xiumiao said cautiously from the side: "Dabao, you haven't seen your classmate for a long time...do you want to have a chat?"

Jiang Huai didn't raise his head, and said in a cold voice, "Please do what you want."

The fat head turned black, and the smile on his face couldn't hold back.

Wang Xiumiao smiled apologetically: "He just came back this morning, he's a bit tired... Come, come, Xiao Xiao eats vegetables."

No one enjoyed the meal to its fullest.

After dinner, Wang Xiumiao washed the dishes and asked Jiang Huai to see off the guests. Jiang Huai reluctantly sent Fat Head downstairs.

He sent it downstairs, resolutely refusing to take another step.

"Whatever you want, I'll go back first."

The fat head stopped him: "Jiang Huai, we haven't seen each other for so long, why don't you talk to me."

Jiang Huai ignored him, turned around and walked upstairs.

Fat Tou lit a cigarette and said, "Your father owes me a lot of money."

Jiang Huai's footsteps going upstairs paused, he stood on the steps for a while, then turned and went downstairs, stood in the corner, folded his arms, and looked at the fat head with cold eyes.

The fat head said: "If you want me to say, you are still the most energetic when you were in junior high school. No one looks down on you. You seem to have no temper and only bleat. If you really want to get angry, you are hotter than anyone else."

Jiang Huai let out an "oh".

The fat head felt a little regretful, and suddenly said: "Your mother made a good plan. If I marry you, your father's debts will be settled. But your father owes 230 million, and you are not worth the price. It's a pity."

Jiang Huai was not angry, raised his eyebrows and said, "Where is the extra 30?"

The fat head shook the soot and said, "Don't believe me."

Jiang Huai said, "Show me the IOU."

The fat head stubbed out his cigarette, and took out a stack of IOUs from his briefcase.

Jiang Huai flipped through the papers. The minimum denomination was [-] and the maximum denomination was [-]. They all signed Jiang Desheng's name without exception.

Without blinking, he tore it up and threw it in the trash.

The fat head raised his hand, wanting to slap him: "You!"

"The highest interest rate on private loans generally does not exceed 24% per annum," Jiang Huai looked at him fearlessly, "You can go to court with me and try."

The movement of the fat head slapping him abruptly stopped in the air.

Jiang Huai said: "If you lend money to Jiang Desheng again, I will send you in with him."

The fat head withdrew his hand viciously, his chest heaving violently.

Jiang Huai stopped talking, turned around and went upstairs.

When Jiang Huai returned home, Wang Xiumiao was sitting on the sofa. When he saw him walking in, she quickly got up and walked to him.

Wang Xiumiao smiled all over her face: "How did the talk go?"

Jiang Huai picked up his teacup and took a sip of water: "The conversation is over."

Wang Xiumiao's face immediately turned pale: "Then what about the money your father owes... This big family still depends on him..."

"Mom," Jiang Huai interrupted her, "I'm in a relationship."

Wang Xiumiao stopped talking.

Jiang Huai took out the bracelet from Cong Shan from his bag and handed it to her.

"He gave it to you."

Wang Xiumiao took it carefully, opened it, and held her breath with her eyes wide open.

"Mom, I will have my own life in the future, it is impossible to help Jiang Desheng pay off his gambling debts for the rest of his life."

As he spoke, his shoulders slumped, and a deep helplessness filled his heart.

Wang Xiumiao took out the bracelet and put it in the sunlight to examine it carefully. The sunlight shone through, giving off a lustrous and clear green light.

Jiang Huai understood that she was assessing the price.

He couldn't speak for a while, so he stood for a while, went into the room to find Jiang Yan, and took him to the parent-teacher meeting.

They took a taxi to the school, and the squad leader stood at the door with his hands folded on his lower abdomen like a welcoming lady, guiding the parents.

Jiang Huai followed the instructions and sat in the first row, next to her mother who was the first grader.

Jiang Yan stood at the door, did not chat with his classmates, and lay on the railing alone, watching the people downstairs playing basketball.

Jiang Huai looked at his back, a little worried.

The class bell rang, and the teacher was talking about the situation. Jiang Huai looked away and quietly flipped through Jiang Yan's monthly exam paper.

When he turned to his Chinese answer sheet, Jiang Huai paused.

The title of the essay was "Fun Things at Home", and Jiang Yan only wrote one sentence.

"All happy families are alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

Jiang Huai looked at the subdivision table. Not surprisingly, Jiang Yan's composition scored zero.

He closed the test paper, aligned all the test papers and homework, and put them into the desk box, feeling heavy in his heart.

After the meeting, Jiang Huai looked for Jiang Yan at the door, and the two walked out of the school side by side.

Jiang Yan looked at his expression quietly, Jiang Huai was not angry, and his expression was relaxed and peaceful.

Jiang Yan was a little puzzled.

The two walked to the school gate, and Jiang Huai watched the endless traffic at the school gate, and suddenly said to Jiang Yan: "I'll take you to a place."

Before Jiang Yan could react, Jiang Huai had already reached out to stop a car and led him into it.

The driver asked, "Where is the boss going?"

Jiang Huai said, "The old campus of Zhengda University."

The driver should get off, Panasonic handbrake and step on the accelerator.

Jiang Yan was puzzled and asked Jiang Huai, "What are we going to Zhengda University for?"

Jiang Huai winked at him and said, "Go eat delicious food and relax."

The taxi drove into the old campus of Zhengda University and stopped at the teacher's dormitory halfway up the mountain.

Jiang Huai paid, took Jiang Yan out of the car, took out the key from the mailbox at the door, opened the door and walked in.

Madam Yan is wearing an indigo velvet cheongsam today, with small silver buttons inlaid on the neckline, and exquisite flower branches embroidered with white thread.She was sitting on a stone bench with a piece of clean white gauze in front of her, holding a small wooden ruler in her hand, and was grinding it inch by inch.

Next to it is a three-layer wooden frame, and on the top layer is a bamboo shroud, where dried sweet-scented osmanthus is dried.

Jiang Huai walked over and called softly: "Master."

Jiang Yan followed behind him, a little at a loss.

Madam Yan turned around in surprise, stood up, and took his hand: "Why are you back?"

Jiang Huai smiled: "I'll come back and hold a parent-teacher meeting for my brother."

Madam Yan nodded, then looked at Jiang Yan again: "Who is this?"

Jiang Huai introduced: "This is my younger brother, named Jiang Yan." He said, looking at Jiang Yan again, "Jiang Yan, this is my teacher's wife, surnamed Yan."

Jiang Yan said in a low voice, "Master's wife is good."

Mrs. Yan responded, looked at Jiang Huai, and said angrily: "You brought your younger brother here, and you didn't tell the teacher's wife in advance. There is nothing delicious at home, and the child is growing up..."

Jiang Huai tilted his head, looked at the lotus root starch on the white gauze, and said, "It's okay, I'll make it."

Before Mrs. Yan could speak, Jiang Huai had already lifted the four corners of the gauze, wrapped around the lotus root powder, and walked inside.

He said as he walked, "Jiang Yan, come and help me."

Jiang Yan awkwardly followed behind him and walked into the kitchen with one hand and one foot.

Jiang Huai is going to make lotus root flour osmanthus sugar cake.

He poured the lotus root powder into a glass jar, and asked Jiang Yan to take two bowls, add water to mix the lotus root powder, add a spoonful of honey to the dried osmanthus, and slowly marinate.

Jiang Huai took out the mold, covered it with plastic wrap, brushed a layer of oil, poured the batter in, mixed it with a wooden spoon and smoothed it, and steamed it on the pot.

Madam Yan brewed two cups of lemon tea, put them on a small wooden tray, brought them in and placed them on the water table, walked out softly, and quietly closed the door.

Jiang Huai picked it up, took a sip, squinted his eyes, and smiled dimpled.

Jiang Yan stood aside silently.

Jiang Huai glanced at it from the corner of his eye, and raised his hand to greet him: "You come and taste it too."

Jiang Yan shook his head, did not move, his eyes were fixed on the flames under the steamer.

Jiang Huai put down the water glass, poured honey osmanthus evenly on the surface of the lotus root flour cake, covered it, and turned on a low heat to simmer slowly.

"When I was studying for a master's degree, I had no money, so I often came to the teacher's house to eat delicious food," Jiang Huai said suddenly, "Ms.'s mother is good at cooking and has an easy-going personality. Although the teacher is strict, she is generally approachable. You don't have to restrain yourself, just like at home .”

Jiang Yan didn't speak, and after a while, he gave a rough "hmm".

Jiang Huai seized the time, turned off the fire and removed the mold, cut out a small piece with a knife, put it in a small porcelain plate, and handed it to Jiang Yan.

"Come and try."

Jiang Yan devoured a piece, nodded, and said "delicious".

Jiang Huai also tasted a piece, the body of the cake was coagulated like glue, the color was as bright and moist as ruby, the honey was sweet and sweet, with the aftertaste of sweet-scented osmanthus.

He laughed with satisfaction, cut the pastry into pieces and put them on the plate, humming a tune to clean up the kitchen utensils.

Watching him busy, Jiang Yan felt mixed feelings.

After a while, Jiang Huai heard him say softly, "Brother, I'm sorry."

Unexpectedly, Jiang Huai's movements stopped.

He didn't respond, and Jiang Yan repeated: "I'm sorry."

Jiang Huai's eyes were hot, and after a while, he pretended to be relaxed and said: "It's okay, I didn't pass the exam this time, keep working hard next time."

Jiang Yan shook his head: "It's not because of this."

Jiang Huai didn't speak, waiting for Jiang to make a speech.

"Brother, from now on...don't come back."

This sentence seemed to weigh a thousand catties, Jiang Huai struggled to speak, and Jiang Huai could hardly catch it.

They knew why he said this.

After a while, Jiang Huai turned around and rubbed Jiang Yan's head with red eyes.

Jiang Yu said: "Brother, I'm sorry."

Jiang Huai answered irrelevantly, and smiled: "Thank you."