Chapter 214: Back to the Rolling Mill

Although Nan Yi is over twenty years old, he is still a greenhorn, and he has absolutely no resistance to Liang Ladi, who radiates a maternal glow.

Of course, it is mainly because Liang Ladi is such a contrast today; who in the factory doesn't know her feisty nature? That coquettish eye-roll just now gave Nan Yi a jolt.

"Mom~"

"Chef Nan Yi, could you give some feedback?"

Nan Yi is not one to be modest; he has absolute confidence in the culinary arts. Just by smelling it, he knew several seasonings were used incorrectly, so tasting it now is even more effortless.

"Too much soy sauce, the timing for frying the oil was wrong, and the heat control was also lacking."

"...."

"Uncle Nan Yi, but I think the food Uncle makes is delicious."

"Uh, right, it is delicious." Nan Yi looks at Xiuer's innocent eyes, unable to refute, and awkwardly scratches his head.

"Pfft." Liang Ladi sees Nan Yi's awkward look and can't help but laugh out loud, which leaves Nan Yi stunned again.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

"Nothing, you keep eating."

"Mom, why is your face red?"

"Uh, maybe it's too hot in the room." Liang Ladi also feels uncomfortable under Nan Yi's gaze and turns her body slightly.

Nan Yi comes back to his senses and secretly pats his head, wondering what is wrong with him today; no matter how he looks at Liang Ladi, she looks pleasing to him.

Zhang Ping'an finds it amusing. He guesses that when Liang Ladi was pulling Nan Yi outside the door just now, the soft little hands of the young widow sent ripples through the heart of this young man who has been single since birth for over twenty years.

The two would normally wait three or four years to get married, but with the arrival of Zhang Ping'an, this little butterfly, perhaps this matter will be brought forward.

"Ahem, eat, eat."

The children don't understand what's going on and bury their heads in their food, while Zhang Ping'an's meaningful gaze makes Liang Ladi even more uncomfortable.

Liang Ladi has indeed always wanted to find a stepfather for her children; these years have been too bitter for her, and she was almost at her breaking point. Nan Yi, who works in the kitchen, is undoubtedly a very good choice.

It's just that she hadn't figured out how to make her move, but now they have accidentally eaten a meal together. How could she not understand the look in Nan Yi's eyes? With this start today, she is more confident in winning Nan Yi over in the future.

In the end, this meal lasted nearly an hour, and Liang Ladi took the children to clean up the kitchen before going home.

"Cough, Nan Yi, some things need to be seized when you see them, otherwise, who knows when they might run away."

"Leader, what do you mean?"

"Go back and ponder it slowly yourself." After saying this, Zhang Ping'an pushes Nan Yi out the door, washes up briefly, and crawls into his own bed.

The next morning, Zhang Ping'an and Liu Feng thoroughly confirmed all the issues before packing up to prepare for the return.

"Damao, Ermao, Sanmao, come here."

"Uncle."

"Mm, Uncle is going home today, so take these things home to eat."

"Uncle, we don't want them, we already ate a lot yesterday."

"Uncle is going home and can't take these with me; it would be a waste to leave them here. Go open the door."

Damao hesitates for a long time but still opens the door; he can't bear the thought of this food being wasted if left here.

Aside from yesterday's leftovers, Zhang Ping'an didn't leave them much extra—a bag and a half of sweet potatoes and thirty catties of cornmeal, enough for them to eat until the next grain distribution day with some to spare.

"Thank you, Uncle. When I grow up, I will definitely beat you up."

"Haha, good, then Uncle will wait. Also, Ermao, don't chase people around blindly in the future."

"Huh?" Ermao looks confused.

"Just remember what I said, you must always remember it."

"Okay, Uncle."

Zhang Ping'an pats the children's heads, hoping Ermao can remember it; perhaps it could change Ermao's fate of dying young.

At ten in the morning, Hu Shifu's car is already parked at the Steel Mill.

"Director Zhang."

"Mm, sorry to trouble you with this trip, Hu Shifu."

"Don't say that. Should we go say hello to Factory Director Liu?"

"I've already spoken to him, we can just leave directly."

"That works."

Forty minutes later, Zhang Ping'an returns to the Rolling Mill, puts down his luggage, and goes to report his work to Li Huaide.

"Factory Director, the mission was completed successfully. The pig farm at the Steel Mill can start construction after spring begins. I'll just go over and take a look then."

"Well done, Ping'an. Liu Feng just called and praised you highly. I didn't expect your efficiency to be so high."

"Factory Director, I've just become more skilled with practice. The Steel Mill also has empty land, so we can just improve upon our pig farm design based on the terrain."

"Mm, you've worked hard these past two days. Go back and rest for two days."

"Alright."

Zhang Ping'an likes this kind of leader; there are subsidies for business trips and vacation time upon returning. This is simply the ceiling of leadership.

Zhang Ping'an takes his luggage and goes home. In the small courtyard, Zhang Xile, Bang Geng, Jia Dongxu's daughter Jia Dang, and his own five children are building several snowmen of different sizes, their little hands frozen red.

"Dad, you're back."

His daughter Zhang Wanqiu discovers Zhang Ping'an first, drops the snowball in her hand, and rushes over. Zhang Ping'an catches her, and then the other children also rush over, clinging to his legs and refusing to let go.

"Alright, alright, let's all go inside. Dad (Great-Uncle, Big Brother) brought you something delicious."

"Yay!"

These little ones finally let go of Zhang Ping'an's legs, while his daughter is carried by him the whole time.

"Grandpa, Grandma."

"Mm, are you all finished with your work?"

"Hmm, I can rest at home for two days. Where is my mother?"

"She is inside sewing clothes."

"Then I will go cook."

"You all just eat in the room." Zhang Ping'an gave each of them a candied hawthorn, warmed their hands, and only then prepared to go to the kitchen to cook.

"Might as well stew some Lamb Soup and make some flatbread to soak in it." No sooner said than done, Zhang Ping'an took half a lamb out of his space, shaved off a few leg bones, and started stewing them after blanching.

The kitchen doors and windows had already been sealed by Zhang Ping'an to ensure the smell wouldn't escape. Blanching—I'm really stupid, it would be better to just use the space, directly replace the air; that way, even if there's a smell, it won't get out.

Meanwhile, at the Steel Mill, in Liang Ladi's home, looking at the food in the kitchen, Liang Ladi was crying and laughing at the same time.

"Mother, shouldn't we have accepted the food? I was just afraid it would go to waste sitting there."

"Good child, I don't blame you. You must remember this benefactor; his name is Zhang Ping'an."

"Alright Mother, I have remembered it."

Two hours later, the Lamb Soup was served on the table. Breaking the flatbread into small pieces and soaking them in, he took a spoonful—hiss, so comfortable! Zhang Ping'an finished two big bowls in a row.

"Great-granduncle, this Lamb Soup is delicious."

"It's delicious, right? Come back to drink some more in the evening."

"Mm, okay."

The grandparents were both looking at the group of little ones with faces full of doting, especially their eldest grandson; the more they looked, the more satisfied they were.

At five in the afternoon, Zhang Ping'an, his grandparents, and his mother drank some tea and started practicing Taiji; this was almost a daily required course. Because Zhang Laohan was working now, he exercised by getting up early every day.

Although the grandparents were both over eighty years old now, their physical condition was about the same as people in their early sixties, not only because they had been drinking Space Water and eating Space Ingredients for a long time, but also because of their persistent practice of the Taiji Health Technique.

Zhang Ping'an's mother was the same; she was fifty-one now, but just looking at her appearance, she definitely didn't look over forty.