Chapter 34 Going to the countryside
"Well, don't worry about it." Sha Zhu looked nonchalant. He just gave a little leftovers brought back from the canteen. He helped others as well as himself. Look, the house is much cleaner now. Sha Zhu was very happy in his heart.
If Lee Seung-ri knew what Sha Zhu was thinking, he would really want to spit in his face. He would wonder if he would ever get married.
He Yushui didn't ask any further questions after hearing what Sha Zhu said. Sha Zhu has always been like this, with a very stubborn temper, and she couldn't control him.
After dinner, He Yushui returned to his house to rest. Sha Zhu felt happy whenever he thought of Qin Huairu cleaning his house in the afternoon.
At the Jia family, Qin Huairu coaxed Xiao Huaihua to sleep, put her on the bed and told Banggeng and Xiaodang not to wake up their sister.
"Huai Ru, did you help Sha Zhu clean the room today?" Jia Zhang asked while sewing the soles of shoes.
"It's Shazhu who has been bringing lunch boxes to our house. There's nothing I can do about it. It's not nice to just say thank you." Qin Huairu explained while tidying up Xiao Huaihua's diaper.
"I didn't say anything. This Shazhu is just a guy with a bad brain. He can't do bad things and he doesn't have the courage. He is not like his father at all." Jia Zhang muttered while sewing shoe soles.
"Mom, what kind of person is Shazhu's father?" Qin Huairu was curious.
"Shazhu's father..." Jia Zhang rubbed her scalp with her fingers and recalled.
"Shazhu's father is called He Daqing. He was a famous chef in the neighborhood before liberation. He learned the cuisine of the Tan family. To be honest, the Tan family cuisine was amazing. It was the second-best dish at the time. Ordinary people couldn't afford it. What a pity." Jia Zhang couldn't help but sigh.
"What a pity, grandma." Banggeng and Xiaodang came over when they heard Jia Zhang start telling a story.
"Yes, yes." Xiao Dang also blinked and looked at Jia Zhang.
When Jia Zhang saw this, she suddenly felt excited.
"It's a pity that the Tan family cuisine later declined. At that time, there were wars everywhere. One was fighting another. Who had the time to slowly eat?" Jia Zhang paused and recalled carefully.
"Later, He Daqing made a living by selling buns. It was before liberation, and Beijing was in chaos." Jia Zhang wanted to cry when she thought of those days.
"You know where the nickname Shazhu came from, right?"
"I know. It was at that time that he went to sell buns alone. Some wounded soldiers happened to be returning to the city. These people wanted to steal things, but Sha Zhu carried the buns and threw them across several streets." Qin Huairu knew that Bang Geng and Xiao Dang didn't know how Sha Zhu got his nickname, so she explained it to them.
"Yes, at that time, Sha Zhu's father didn't call him Sha Zhu, but called him Zhuzi. After Sha Zhu escaped from the robbery of the wounded soldiers, he met a merchant. The merchant bought all the buns with money, and Sha Zhu went home happily." Jia Zhang took over the conversation.
"As soon as this silly Zhu got home, he happily stuffed the money into He Daqing's pocket. He Daqing looked at it and saw that it was all prices. This silly Zhu risked his life to sell the buns and got a lot of money in return. He Daqing said with a smile, "You are really a silly Zhu. Why don't you carry the buns back?"
Jia Zhang spread her hands and said, "Shazhu's nickname spread from that time, and even He Daqing started calling him Shazhu." "Why do you think He Daqing asked Shazhu to sell buns on the street? How old was Shazhu at that time?" Qin Huairu was a little curious. Shouldn't adults do the selling, with children helping out?
"At that time, He Daqing's wife, Sha Zhu's mother, was seriously ill. His father He Daqing was taking care of her, and he had to do this business, so he let Sha Zhu go to sell buns alone."
"Where is this Shazhu's father?" Qin Huairu was a little curious.
"Shazhu's father ran away to Baoding, Hebei with a widow named Bai." Jia Zhang sighed.
"Ah?" Qin Huairu was stunned. She didn't expect this answer. She thought that Sha Zhu's father had also passed away.
"What? Shazhu's mother died early, and then He Daqing went to work as a chef in a steel mill. I don't know how he met a widow named Bai, and they became lovers. Later, He Daqing abandoned his children and followed the widow Bai to Baoding, Hebei." Jia Zhang glanced at Qin Huairu, "Now you know what I'm on guard against, right?"
"Mom, look at what you said. How can I ignore you and the child?" Qin Huairu rolled her eyes at Jia Zhang.
Jia Zhang looked at Qin Huairu deeply and then said, "Shazhu is a good man, and he treats his sister very well. You can help him clean the house in exchange for his lunch box. People are afraid of starvation these days. As the saying goes, 'even a famine will not kill a cook.' Banggeng's appetite will become bigger and bigger in the future."
"I understand. I will go. Otherwise I will feel bad." Qin Huairu agreed.
"Okay, Banggeng and Xiaodang, stop playing and get ready for bed." Jia Zhang urged the two children to go to bed.
Qin Huairu lay on the bed and thought a lot. Sha Zhu was a good man but a little bit unruly. What's more, He Yushui would have to work soon. If she helped with the laundry and tidying up, Sha Zhu would be able to help her more.
Early in the morning, Li Shengli was awakened by the noises outside. Today was Sunday and Li Shengli had nothing to do. This summer was extremely hot, so while it was still early, Li Shengli packed his bag, took some dry food and water, and prepared to go out to the river to catch some small fish and shrimps and cool off.
After rummaging through the kitchen, Li Shengli packed two steamed buns, put some pickles in a small jar, and took out a snack box from the cupboard and put some peanuts and melon seeds in it. He was about to go out, but after thinking for a while, he grabbed a handful of candy, as these snacks were all saved from his usual cooking classes.
After taking the bus out of the city, Li Shengli walked for a long time before he reached the creek. He looked at the sun, which had already risen. Li Shengli took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his trouser legs and went into the water. He put his hands together and felt in the water. If he heard any movement, he would act quickly. Surprisingly, he found it.
After searching for a while, he gained some small gains. It was almost noon and the sun was scorching. Li Shengli went ashore and came under a tree by the stream, where he enjoyed the cool air while preparing his lunch.
After lunch, Li Shengli broke some grass and spread it under a tree and took a short nap. He only woke up when he heard human voices.
Li Shengli sat up, yawned and stretched, then saw two thin little girls by the stream, the older one was about thirteen or fourteen years old, and the younger one was about ten years old. The two of them were also touching each other in the stream.
Li Shengli watched for a while without disturbing them. He rested for a while, took out some melon seeds from his bag and started to crack them. While he was resting, he suddenly felt someone was looking at him. He looked up and saw that two little girls had come ashore.
(End of this chapter)