Chapter 334: Friendship with coming and going

Li Long didn't end up joining the wedding night pranks. The main reason was that after returning home from the feast, he thought about how he had nothing to do in the afternoon, so he borrowed a horse-drawn cart from his eldest brother's place, loaded it up with Li Junshan, and then made a solo trip to transport fish to the county seat.

When he arrived at the courtyard, Gu Xiaoxia hadn't finished work yet. Li Long unloaded the fish himself and was about to rest in the room and drink some water when he found that the stove in the room had gone out.

He went to the kitchen again and found that there was no boiling water either. The pancakes and pickles eaten in the morning hadn't been cleaned up in time and were placed on the table.

It seems that work is indeed very busy.

Working overtime on weekends too.

Li Long sighed, first went to set a fire for the stove in the room, then went to the kitchen to boil water, and then prepared ingredients to cook.

Soak chili skins, open tomato sauce, wash potatoes and cut potatoes, peel onions, peel garlic.

Knead dough.

He prepared to make pulled noodles for Gu Xiaoxia, the kind with rolled chili skins. Now it's cold outside, eating this will make one feel warmer.

The stove fire was roaring, and the room became warm. Li Long used less than an hour to stir-fry two dishes.

These dishes wouldn't get cold for a while in the warm room, so he went to pull noodles again.

The door rang. Li Long looked out through the window. Gu Xiaoxia pushed her bicycle in, and the bag hanging on the front handle of the car was filled with thick paper materials.

She put down the bicycle, carried the bag and walked towards the kitchen, saying with a smile while walking:

"You came? Hehe, I knew that as long as you came, I could eat good food. Hey, you don't know, I've been too busy these few days. I originally thought I could rush back to eat the banquet today,"

"Then it's fortunate you didn't go back." Li Long joked, "Eating a banquet outside, I ate a mouthful of ice slag, that feeling... you guys are also too hard, right? Working overtime like this at the end of the year? Working overtime on weekends too?"

"No way, the village primary school merged this year, and there are too many legacy problems. We have to sort them out at the year-end summary." Gu Xiaoxia washed her hands, sat in front of the table, looked at those two plates of dishes, and was almost drooling. When explaining, she didn't pay much attention, "The cadres in the establishment are all busy, you say we borrowed cadres dare not go to work overtime. Fortunately, it's almost done... well, really fragrant!"

She took advantage of Li Long not paying attention, couldn't help but pick up a small piece of meat with chopsticks and put it into her mouth. At first, she felt it was really fragrant, and then she felt the spicy taste rush up:

"Water, water... sss ha... really spicy! Really fragrant... sss..."

Li Long was pulling noodles in his hand, turned his head and said to her:

"There is cooled boiled water in the teapot over there, pour a bowl and drink it. These noodles will be ready soon, don't be anxious."

"I'm hungry..." Gu Xiaoxia rarely acted like a spoiled child. Li Long felt itchy in his heart when he heard it.

"Then wait a while, if these noodles aren't cooked and eaten, the stomach will be uncomfortable and you will get stomach disease."

"Hehe," drinking the cold boiled water made her feel better. Gu Xiaoxia holding the bowl watched Li Long stirring the noodles and said: "Li Long, why do I feel like I'm not worthy of you? Look at you, can earn money, can cook, have a job, and understand so many things..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Li Long saw the water in the pot boil, the noodles were already tumbling up, took some water from the side and poured it into the pot, and then said:

"This time Daqiang got married in the team, and some people said I wasn't worthy of you, saying you have a formal job and are so beautiful, you should find someone in the city."

"Then what did you say?"

"I spat on his face!" Li Long said seriously on purpose, "I said no matter how unworthy, I'm still better than him!"

"Hehe, then I'm relieved." Gu Xiaoxia stood up, smiled and took the noodles Li Long scooped up, "You pulled these noodles so thin, why can't I pull them so thin?"

"Where do you have time to ponder this? Just pull a few more times when you're free." Li Long went to the chopping board to pull noodles again, "I'll pull some more, you can stir-fry some dishes if you're hungry... Forget it, I'll stay here for two days. I'll go to the mountains to send some grain tomorrow morning, and come back to cook at noon. When I'm not here later, don't muddle through your stomach if you're really busy, go to the big meat canteen to eat ready-made ones."

"Isn't it expensive there." Gu Xiaoxia said while blocking dishes into the noodles, "I feel like a day's wages are enough to eat a meal there. There is meat and vegetables at home, but I'm too lazy to move when I come back."

She mixed the noodles well, ate a mouthful beautifully, and said vaguely while eating:

"It's still better to have someone cook at home..."

"Then go eat at Sister Yang's place. Her cooking should be not bad, and it's also cheap. I'll tell her, at most, I'll waive her rent. It's convenient for you, and she can also save some money."

"This... can it work?" Gu Xiaoxia hesitated. "Why can't it work? She will definitely be happy." Li Long put this pot of noodles aside, and then continued to put noodles into the pot, "I haven't been to see her and Han Fang much. She must be grateful to us, but we don't lack this, it was just a matter of convenience. Now giving her a chance to repay, I think she will definitely agree."

"It's just this meal..."

"She mainly makes pasta. If you want to eat pulled noodles, occasionally go to the big meat canteen to improve, and isn't there going home every weekend, you can also improve. It's not eating every day, I might be on this side most of the time this winter, so we'll eat together then."

"That's good, I'll go tell Sister Yang."

"I'll go tell her." Li Long used chopsticks to slowly stir the noodles at the bottom of the pot. This is also a technical job. The movements can't be too big. The noodles just put into the pot are easy to break, but they must be fast, otherwise it's not good to stick to the bottom of the pot.

"Okay." Gu Xiaoxia's mind is all on the noodles now. It's been many days since she ate rolled chili skin mixed noodles. This meal can only be eaten at home. There are only two kinds in the big meat canteen, oil-passed meat mixed noodles and minced meat mixed noodles. If you want to eat this home-cooked flavor, you have to wait until more than ten or twenty years later.

At that time, home-cooked noodle restaurants will appear in the county. If one person eats, pick one mixed dish. If two people eat, you can ask for three mixed dishes, four people five mixed dishes, and so on.

Some people will find loopholes. Four people go to eat noodles and sit at two tables. In this way, four people have six dishes, which is one more than the normal five dishes for four people together. Of course, such people are only a minority.

Later, there will be self-service vegetarian mixed noodles, more than a dozen kinds of dishes, pick and eat by yourself, thirteen yuan a portion, compared to those over-oil meat minced meat noodles that are eighteen or twenty, the price is cheap, although there is no meat, it is quite satisfying to eat.

It's just that there are not many such noodle restaurants.

"Why do I feel that the chili skins you roll are more fragrant than the ones my dad rolls?" Gu Xiaoxia asked when she saw Li Long finish putting noodles and put two bowls of noodle soup down, and then she also took a bowl and started eating.

At this time, half of the noodles in her rice basin had been eaten, the hunger had passed, and she could taste it slowly.

"I use more oil and meat." Li Long said as a matter of course, "Your dad, my big brother, my big sister-in-law, people who came from that era of suffering, where would they be willing to put more oil when stir-frying? If there is less oil, some dishes feel very bland, definitely not fragrant."

"That's right." Gu Xiaoxia thought about it and said, "That's the truth."

Li Long mixed his dishes, habitually poured some vinegar, took the peeled garlic and crushed it into the bowl, and ate it in big mouthfuls.

As soon as the noodles entered his mouth, he felt that the banquet in the morning was really not as good as this bowl of noodles.

It seems that more than twenty years later, I forgot the specific time. Someone in the team got married in a hotel in the county. The dishes looked beautiful, but not much was eaten at a table. Li Long left the banquet early and went outside to eat a mixed noodle.

This doesn't say whether it looks good or not, it's substantial.

!.

Although Li Long ate later than Gu Xiaoxia, the two of them basically finished at the same time. Gu Xiaoxia still had to clean up the bowls and chopsticks. Li Long waved his hand and said:

"You drink soup to digest, and then go to work overtime. Don't worry about it here. If there is business, be busy with business."

"Hey, okay." Gu Xiaoxia smiled, "Why do I feel so happy, you will spoil me like this!"

"My own woman, it's nothing to spoil." Li Long drank the soup and said without changing his face, "If you let others spoil you, there will be problems."

"Hahahaha..." Li Long's words made Gu Xiaoxia laugh, "I won't say anymore, I'll hurry up and be busy, I feel that the pressure of this week, talking to you for a few words, is all gone!"

After drinking the soup, Gu Xiaoxia went to work overtime. Li Long cleaned up here, saw the sun had set, originally thought about buying grain, now it's late, let's do it tomorrow.

Li Long went outside the courtyard, unloaded the horse cart, tied the seventy-six number to the back, and fortunately, there was some grass and feed prepared here, so he didn't worry about it being hungry.

Returning to the kitchen, Li Long put the noodles to rise again, took the noodle basin into the bedroom, where there was a stove fire wall, and the noodles could rise.

Gu Xiaoxia was busy, and Li Long didn't go to disturb her. He went to another room, found a book and started reading.

Because enough coal was pulled, there was no kang in the Li family courtyard this year, mainly because it was too troublesome. And it was too busy after autumn, there was no time to do this, so he just didn't do it. In fact, even if Li Long hadn't been reborn, this kang wouldn't have lasted for a few years later. After every family's life got better, no one would build a kang.

It was late at night, and Li Long saw Gu Xiaoxia was still busy, so he went to wash up and went to sleep quietly.

He got up early the next day, cooked rice porridge, steamed buns, cut pickles, and stir-fried a hot dish.

When Gu Xiaoxia got up yawning, Li Long had already taken the buns out of the steamer.

"You got up so early?" She asked while going to wash her hands.

"There is hot water in the thermos by the washbasin, don't use too cold water to wash." Li Long reminded, "The face will be dry."

Gu Xiaoxia poured some boiling water into the washbasin, stretched out her fingers to test it, and then started washing her face.

It was also a hurried wash, combing hair, applying stick oil, applying while asking:

"Are you going to the mountains in the morning? Such heavy snow, you must be careful. By the way, bring the gun, right?"

"Well, definitely have to bring the gun." Li Long put the food on the table and said, "Come and eat. I'll go buy rice and flour first, and after buying, I'll go find Sister Yang and talk about it. If I don't come back later, you can just eat at her place."

"Okay." Gu Xiaoxia sat at the dining table, touched the newly steamed bun, was scalded, hurriedly retracted her fingers and blew, "Hehe, the buns you steamed are better than the ones I steamed."

"Eat, everything I make is delicious." Li Long was also shameless, "It won't be long before I'm busy and won't have time to cook for you."

"Then I have to cherish it." Gu Xiaoxia picked up the bun again, held it in her left and right hands, and after it was almost cold, took a big bite and smiled while eating.

After eating, Gu Xiaoxia went to work in a hurry, Li Long harnessed the horse cart and went out.

The gun was in the gun holster on the horse cart. He went to the market first to see if there was any grain for sale in the market.

And then he saw Yang Xiulan and Han Fang. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 335 =====