Chapter 33: Treating the Little Ones to a Meal

After the few of them finished eating, Zhang Qian and Beibei cleaned up the kitchen, then Beibei went back to his room to read, and Zhang Qian also returned to the First Courtyard.

Xie Yuanyuan had been working all day and was very tired; after Qian Zhao and Li Xiue finished stir-frying, they cleaned the pot and the kitchen, and even swept the floor.

She returned to her room, which was warm; it was the first time they had heated the kang for so long today, and she fell asleep shortly after lying down on the heated brick bed.

As for An Yinan, she returned to her room and went straight into her space; never mind the others, even she had eaten a bit too much, and there was one benefit to being in the space: the pebbles she practiced throwing for accuracy would return to her hand with just a thought, so she didn't have to pick them up one by one at all.

Feeling that she had digested enough, she returned to the villa and went to her small studio, found those scraps, turned on the electric sewing machine, and made Square Scarves.

There were some floral Square Scarves, some solid-colored silk Square Scarves, and some plaid Square Scarves, but they were brightly colored and very fashionable in this era; although they were scraps, once they passed through An Yinan's eyes, she knew the best cutting positions and how to embody a sense of beauty.

An Yinan made a full two hundred Square Scarves; she could give Liu Meijie one hundred first to save having to make them later, and since she was making them anyway, doing it all at once saved trouble. As for the rest, that was impossible; she was just very lazy and very careful, but the Square Scarves wouldn't be hard to sell, though next time she went to the County, she could tie one on herself to give a free advertisement and promotion.

After finishing the Square Scarves, she remembered the elementary school workbooks she had bought; she took those two workbooks, left the space, and knocked on An Xiangbei's door.

An Xiangbei was wearing his pajamas; he opened the door and called out with a smile, "Sister."

She handed the workbooks over, "How is your study progress lately?"

"I've already studied up to the first half of the fourth grade; everything before the fourth grade is no problem now," An Xiangbei said confidently; he loved studying and had absolute confidence in his studies.

"Don't be too tired; ask me if there are any problems you don't know." An Yinan ruffled her younger brother's hair.

An Xiangbei was silent for a moment, "Lately, I've been studying with friends at the Cowshed."

An Yinan didn't know that, under An Xiangbei's leadership, Huzi and Xiaoshitou had also become friends with the children at the Cowshed; the two little rascals who originally had no interest in studying were now studying with them too. If they studied well, An Xiangbei would take out his picture books and tell them stories, but if their study progress was slow, his picture books would absolutely not be brought out, no matter how nicely anyone asked.

Sometimes Huzi was almost moved to tears by the urgency, and Aunt Li didn't care about them, even saying that there was finally someone who could handle her own little monkey.

"Is it that hard? You wait a moment." An Yinan returned to her room and took a bag of White Rabbit Creamy Candies, fifty pieces in a bag, and also took a bag of mung bean cakes; these were all modern things, and she had plenty in her space.

"Here, take these to the Cowshed tomorrow and let the children eat them together; if you go to bother others, you must always bring some gifts. Find another time to see if you can invite your friends over together; Sister will make delicious food to reward you all, how about that?" An Yinan smiled, looking at him with an inquiring expression.

"Sister, you are so good." An Xiangbei also smiled; he would introduce his best sister to his friends.

"Alright, go to sleep early."

Three days later.

An Yinan prepared a piece of tenderloin, and also took out the toothpick meat she had bought at the supermarket before, as well as pumpkin balls; these were all things children loved to eat.

She folded a box out of newspaper and filled the box with melon seeds and fruit candies.

As for fruit, it was really too eye-catching; although children were easy to fool, their parents were not, and if someone let something slip, it would all be trouble.

She simply decided not to put in any fruit.

She also took a large sweet potato from the space to make candied sweet potatoes, and then a stewed Chinese cabbage with pork belly; that should be about enough.

As for the staple food, she simply took the Steamed Buns bought from the State-run Restaurant and heated them up directly in the large pot; the rice and flour bought at the Black Market were almost used up, and she hadn't gone to restock yet.

"Sister, I'm here to help." Beibei had told his sister yesterday that he had invited his good friends to their home this evening.

That was why An Yinan had prepared these ingredients.

She first washed the pot clean, then added soybean oil, and when the oil was seventy percent hot, she put the toothpick meat into the pot and scooped it out after it was fried golden brown on both sides.

Then she put the pumpkin balls in to fry, and after they were fried, she placed them on the other side.

The already marinated tenderloin was then put into the pot; Beibei had said last time that he really liked sweet and sour tenderloin, so she simply made it again this time when inviting the children.

After frying the tenderloin, she scooped it out to drain the oil, and then double-fried the toothpick meat and pumpkin balls; after frying them a total of three times, she began to drain the oil.

After draining the oil, she plated the toothpick meat and pumpkin balls and brought them to the table, then prepared the sauce for the sweet and sour tenderloin; after it boiled to a thick consistency in the pot, she poured the fried tenderloin into the pot, coated it evenly with the sauce, and then took it out of the pot and sprinkled white sesame seeds on it.

"An Xiangbei." A voice came from outside.

Beibei hurriedly stood up and opened the door, "Mo Yunshen, over here."

Mo Yunshen, a child from the Cowshed, was the same age as An Xiangbei.

The child called Mo Yunshen was wearing a set of patched clothes; the clothes were worn and thin, and now that the weather was already very cold, he was surprisingly only wearing a single layer.

"An Jie." Although Mo Yunshen was a bit reserved, he still greeted her when he saw An Yinan.

Seeing Mo Yunshen's appearance and upbringing, An Yinan knew what his parents were like; a person's upbringing in their bones depended on personal example.

"Hello, is your name Mo Yunshen? That's a very nice name; my name is An Yinan, I am An Xiangbei's sister." An Yinan crouched down slightly and looked directly into Mo Yunshen's eyes.

Mo Yunshen suddenly felt that the sky outside was not dim, otherwise how could he see the warmth in An Jie's eyes? There was no looking down on him, no avoiding him, and no coldness or pity.

In An Jie's eyes, he was the same as everyone else, the same as every other child; he was not special.

"Thank you, An Jie." Mo Yunshen's whole body relaxed; although he didn't smile, the lines of his face softened.

"You're welcome, shall I let Beibei take you to his room to play for a while?" An Yinan asked.

Mo Yunshen, however, shook his head, "An Jie, I can help too."

An Yinan did not refuse; this child's heart was very sensitive.

At such a young age, he had experienced too many ups and downs, which made him suspicious, overthinking, and anxious.

"That's fine too; go help Sister bring the dishes to the table, okay?" An Yinan had just wanted to let Mo Yunshen help wash the vegetables when she saw the crisscrossing cracks on the child's hands; those cracks were turned outward, as if a monster had opened its big mouth and bared its fangs, and his hands were red and swollen, with not a single good spot, making anyone who saw it feel the pain.