Chapter 122: Liang Zhu (VII)

When Seeing Liu Tao pushed the door out, the sky outside was already completely dark.

There were no streetlights, and the moonlight was the greatest light source in the dark night. Most families' houses were dark, and only a few relatively wealthy ones lit kerosene lamps. The black smoke and the dim yellow light intertwined, looking like dots of starlight.

Luo Jun was still in the same appearance as when he came, with his hands in his pockets, looking emotionless. Seeing Liu Tao responded to everyone with a smile, and the neighbors were also used to it. After the two walked away, they couldn't help but whisper.

"Mr. Luo and Mrs. Luo have a very good relationship."

"Going to Master Jiang's again? Master Jiang's place isn't cheap either. Mr. Luo and Mrs. Luo eat at Wu Family Restaurant or Master Jiang's every meal. How rich must they be? Why would they live here?"

"You don't understand this. I heard that Mrs. Luo likes that small foreign-style house, and Mr. Luo specially bought it. This is called that... what 'conjugal affection', good relationship. Mr. Luo is from Shanghai, specially accompanying Mrs. Luo back to find relatives."

"I think Mrs. Luo is also very good. Mr. Luo is cold and doesn't pay attention to people, but Mrs. Luo is smiling all day and doesn't put on airs, and doesn't mind everyone going to the courtyard to listen to books."

"If it weren't for the sick ghost in my family that I have to take care of, I would also go to listen to books in the afternoon."

Mr. and Mrs. Luo, who had a deep relationship, walked together, but what they talked about were family trifles that the onlookers hadn't thought of.

"You haven't flipped through the newspapers of the serialization of 'Xia Ke Jiang Hu Xing' in the northeast corner for two months. That position is always not sunny. If you don't want to re-read it recently, I'll find someone to dry the newspapers tomorrow and then put them on the second floor. There are still a few positions on the second floor that can be sunny."

"Uncle Liang gave me an invitation this afternoon, saying that Mr. Huang from Shanghai is going to marry his eldest son to the daughter of Chief Wang next month, and specially sent an invitation. Should we..."

"Just bring a gift; it's troublesome to run a trip," Luo Jun said. "Anything else?"

"Ah?" Seeing Liu Tao was a bit confused.

"Didn't you also get a letter this afternoon? You asked Miss Zhang to read it for you," Luo Jun said.

"Oh, that was written to me by Troupe Leader Liu. The opera troupe is leaving Shanghai. It's not safe to fight in the North now, so they plan to go South. Only Sister Ah Hong stayed in Shanghai. Didn't she get married again last year? Her man is in Shanghai, so she didn't leave."

"She is... the one who taught you to boil Chen Pi tea?" Luo Jun asked.

Seeing Liu Tao nodded: "Sister Ah Hong's craftsmanship is very good. The soups I served you before were all boiled by Sister Ah Hong for me, but you have never drunk them. The only time you drank them was when I boiled them."

"It's not safe in Shanghai now. Let Uncle Liang bring a word to that side, and get her a room in the concession, just as the tuition for her teaching you to boil Chen Pi tea," Luo Jun said.

Seeing Liu Tao smiled embarrassedly and nodded happily.

The two walked to the street corner.

The street corner was an ordinary farmhouse courtyard plus a low room. Vegetables were planted in the courtyard, and two children were sitting on the ground playing with mud. The door of the low room was ajar, and Seeing Liu Tao stepped forward and knocked on the door twice.

A young man walked out of the low room and smiled to welcome Seeing Liu Tao and Luo Jun in.

"Mr. Luo, Mrs. Luo, you came at a really good time. The last dish of Pot-collapsed Tofu just came out of the pot. I was still thinking about whether to keep the dish warm, and you arrived."

There were two small tables in the low room, very simple, but cleaned very cleanly.

Three dishes and one soup were placed on the table: Pot-collapsed Tofu, Stir-fried Shredded Carrots, Pan-fried Small Fish, and Pork Liver Soup.

Among them, the appearance of the Pot-collapsed Tofu was very good. The tofu was stewed and soaked in seasoning, showing a dark color, wrapped in egg liquid and fried until golden, and chicken soup was poured over it. The appearance was good, the aroma was excellent, the surface of the tofu looked golden and crispy, slightly oily, and placed in this era, it was definitely a standard dish that would make the neighbor's child cry with greed.

Luo Jun didn't dislike the simple dining environment for the sake of good food, sat down and started eating.

He basically only ate tofu throughout the whole process, occasionally patronizing the crispy small fish, and finally drank a few mouthfuls of pork liver soup to finish. Throughout the process, his chopsticks didn't reach for the shredded carrots. Luo Jun and Seeing Liu Tao ate in the room, and Master Jiang squatted by the stove to eat.

Standard chef's meal, whatever the guest eats, he eats.

A few pieces of Pot-collapsed Tofu that were obviously leftovers, half a bowl of shredded carrots, one fried small fish, a bowl of pork liver soup without pork liver, and two sweet potatoes, Master Jiang squatted by the stove and ate with great relish.

This also made the neighbor's child cry with greed.

The kitchen had a back door. After the neighbor's child smelled the fragrance, he sat at the back door and watched Master Jiang eat. Master Jiang couldn't laugh or cry, so he had to put down his bowl to help the child pat the mud on his body, help him wash his little hands, and then stuff a piece of tofu into his mouth.

The child held the tofu, hugged Master Jiang, and shouted vaguely: "Mingming, Mingming."

Seeing Liu Tao knocked on the door and entered the kitchen, wanting to discuss tomorrow's fruit-shaped pastries with Master Jiang, and saw this scene.

"Master Jiang Weiming, I really didn't expect that someone would call you Mingming," Seeing Liu Tao smiled.

Jiang Weiming put down the child and fed him another mouthful of shredded carrots: "The child of the neighbor next door always likes to run to me. Yesterday his father joked with me, saying that he now learns to speak like me, with a mouthful of Northern accent."

Saying this, Jiang Weiming's eyes were a bit dim: "This child is about the same age as my nephew, and I don't know where my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew are now."

"As long as you inquire slowly, there will always be news," Seeing Liu Tao said. "I want to discuss tomorrow's fruit-shaped pastries with you."

"Can you continue to make carrot fruit-shaped pastries tomorrow? But don't make them in the shape of carrots; make them in the shapes of jujubes, apricots, apples, or pears. The filling inside must be carrot."

Hearing Seeing Liu Tao say this, Jiang Weiming subconsciously looked outside. Luo Jun thought the house was too low and went out after eating, and there was half a plate of shredded carrots left on the table outside.

"Mr. Luo doesn't seem to like eating carrots," Jiang Weiming said.

"He doesn't like it; he says carrots have a strange smell," Seeing Liu Tao smiled. "But he reads newspapers and books at home every day. Now the house we live in has no electric lights and can only light candles."

"Candles hurt the eyes. I remember when I was a child, there was an old embroiderer in the village who always lit lamps to embroider at night when she was young, and her eyes went blind before she was 30."

"I heard from Dr. Liu that eating carrots is good for the eyes, brightening the eyes. I also know he doesn't like to eat them. I just want to ask, can you make carrots taste like what he likes, even if it's just the shape he likes?"

"I know why he bought the house here. He knows I'm not used to living in other foreign-style houses. Those places are good in every way, it's just... they don't really look down on me."

"Actually, I'm already used to it, but I really like it here."

"I also don't want him to light candles to read newspapers and ruin his eyes, so I can only find a way to make him eat some carrots."

Jiang Weiming thought for a moment and said: "I... try."

"I'm actually not very good at fruit-shaped pastries either. It was when I was in Beiping, my father invited a Suzhou master to teach my second brother, and I learned a little bit incidentally. I only know a few types. I... research and research?"

"Thank you so much," Seeing Liu Tao was extremely happy. "Then I'll come over earlier tomorrow to get the fruit-shaped pastries. Please make the fruit-shaped pastries a bit harder. My husband always eats them as snacks when reading newspapers in the afternoon, and he likes to eat them a bit harder."

Jiang Weiming accepted this "dog food," sent Seeing Liu Tao away, and continued to eat.