Chapter 8: Brother Eighty Soldier 08

After Zhao Nan ordered the food, he brought back a pot of hot tea and poured a cup for Zhang Xiaohua and Jiang Rui.
It was cold, Jiang Rui held the tea cup in his hand to warm his hands. This body was originally good, but under the nourishment of her spiritual energy, the impurities in the body are getting less and less. Du Baoqin used to be white, but now it is a little clear. Several thin and long fingers are holding a white porcelain cup. The fingers are a bit more delicate than the cup body.
Zhao Nan glanced at her, followed by a second and a third glance.
Jiang Rui noticed it and raised his eyes, looking at him through the gaps in his long eyelashes.
This time, Zhao Nan avoided first and took a sip from his teacup casually. But he forgot that the tea had just been brewed and it was very hot. As soon as he took it, he froze. After a while, he saw his throat roll and swallowed the tea.
Jiang Rui covered his mouth with a smile in his eyes.
Zhang Xiaohua saw it in his eyes, but also wanted to laugh a bit. He held it back and gave a dry cough, fearing the embarrassment of the scene, looking for a conversation: "By the way, I heard Aunt Zhang say, Anan, you have been in the army for more than ten years. How old are you?"
"Sixteen years old." Zhao Nan put down the teacup, pushing it away intentionally or unintentionally.
"It's still a half-year-old kid. It's not easy to be so far away from home. However, I see other people as soldiers come back once a year and stay at home for half a month and a month. Why didn't you come back? "
"The service is different, sometimes there are special tasks."
Zhang Xiaohua nodded half-understandably, glanced at Jiang Rui, and said jokingly: "You are so busy, and you will get married and separate in the future. Both of you will have to work hard."
Zhao Nan seemed to follow her gaze and looked at Jiang Rui before saying, "My military rank is enough, and my family can join the army."
"That's pretty good!" Zhang Xiaohua was surprised. She thought that marrying a soldier would have to be separated from each other, just like a widow.
She wanted to say something more, and stopped temporarily when the food came.
Just ordered, Jiang Rui ordered a vegetarian dish, Zhang Xiaohua ordered only half meat, but when the dishes were on the table, there were a total of five, three of which were big dishes, pork with pickled vegetables, braised pork feet, and nine-turn fatty intestines. , The fragrance is scented and prosperous, making people's eyes straight.
Throughout the year, Du's family only had a few catties of meat distributed by the commune at the end of the year, which could make the stomach and intestines taint. As soon as the meat was mentioned at home, it was finely marinated by Wang Tonghua with coarse salt, and hung from the beam above the stove. At most, a small piece of thick was cut off each time. That bit of meat has to be boiled from the twelfth lunar month until the beginning of the first lunar month before it is finished.
I usually want to eat meat, unless I raise myself, otherwise I don’t have a meat ticket, even if I have money, I can’t buy it. To eat in a restaurant like this, you need food stamps for rice noodles and meat stamps for meat. Even if you eat a fried dough stick, you need half a tael of fine food. So these days, people from the countryside dare not go out, because you don’t have a ticket and they won’t sell you at all.
Zhang Xiaohua only knew that Zhao Nan was a soldier and should have votes, but he didn't know that he had so many. Just now at the supply and marketing agency, buying scarves to buy sweets, watching him take the money and get tickets, I didn't blink.
Not long ago, she was still talking in her heart. If she was allowed to choose, a soldier like Zhao Nan who could not meet several times a year, and a man like Du Baoqiang who could know the cold and the hot, she would rather choose Du Baoqiang. But now under such a sugar-coated cannonball offensive, she was unswervingly shaken: What do you want a man to do with food and drink?
She went to look at Zhao Nan again, only to think that his original tall figure seemed to be a little taller, and his back was still shining with golden light.
She turned her head to look at Jiang Rui, but saw that the little sister-in-law still had a subtle smile at the corner of her mouth, and the two pears whirled lightly, and the whole person was quiet and delicate.
She sighed secretly, how could she think this little sister was stupid before? Really smart and powerful people are never those who love petty profits.
When the rice was served, Zhang Xiaohua didn't have the time to think so much. She almost used the strength to feed her milk and didn't let herself go too far. Rao was so, after the meal, she didn't look up much, and the table was quiet for a while.
Jiang Rui ate the rice with small mouthfuls, only served with small rapeseed and radish, and occasionally a chopsticks and plum.
Zhao Nan noticed her behavior and immediately asked, "Is it not to my appetite?"
"No, it tastes good." Jiang Rui smiled, looked at him and said: "They are all delicious, but I don't like meat very much."
When she watched, Zhao Nan only responded vaguely and took a few more mouthfuls of food before he seemed to feel that the reaction just now didn't work. He added: "Not eating meat is bad for your health."
"Really?" Jiang Rui tilted his head.
Zhang Xiaohua was even more surprised: "Baoqin doesn't like eating meat? I can't enjoy it. Is there anything in the world that tastes better than meat? Besides, Anan is right. He is always vegetarian, and there is no oil in his body. How can he bear it? live?"
Usually at home, she occasionally eats eggs, deceiving her belly, as meat. Looking back now, it seems that I have never seen Du Baoqin eat meat dishes, and rarely even eat eggs.
Zhang Xiaohua took the initiative to choose a piece of lean, more fat and less fat, and put it in her bowl, "If you don't like meat, then eat less fat and more lean meat."
The chef of the restaurant is very skillful, the meat is burnt so that the sauce is bright, the soup is thick and has a mellow aroma, and the taste is excellent at first glance. Jiang Rui stared at it in distress, frowning slightly, and it took a while before he picked it up and bit a small piece. The taste is salty, the meat is stewed softly, thin and not fat, not greasy, much better than her mouth full of oily conditions.
The two of them stared intently. Seeing that she had eaten, Zhang Xiaohua hurriedly asked: "How is it, is it delicious?"
"Well, it's delicious." Jiang Rui nodded.
"You said, how many good things did you miss before? Come, come and try this hoof, so you can't stop after eating it. It's because of Anan's blessing that the two of us can eat this today. "
With meat in his mouth, Jiang Rui's cheeks were pink and tenderly swollen. He looked at Zhao Nan and saw that he was also looking at him. He bent his eyes and smiled at him.
Zhao Nan didn't speak, lowered his head and picked up the rice. It took him twice to find that the rice bowl was empty, and he went to eat again. When he got up, he moved too violently and almost brought the chair down.
Seeing him walking away, Zhang Xiaohua fluttered and patted Jiang Rui's hand happily: "I told you to smile a lot at others. Now that I think about it, if you don't laugh, he will be dizzy, smile again, I'm afraid to wait. Can't find the way home."
Jiang Rui gave her a piece of fat intestines, "So much food is not enough for my sister-in-law to be busy."
"Well, I won't say anything, I just eat it." Zhang Xiaohua smiled.
After eating, the three were about to leave, and a young man ran out of the back kitchen, "Second brother, wait for me!"
It was Zhao Bei, the youngest son of the Zhao family, who was working as an apprentice in the restaurant. Don't think of it as an apprentice. How many people are staring at this position. It was Zhao Bei's turn because the restaurant chef was their uncle. The old man has no children and no daughters. Grandpa Zhao is the master, adopting the youngest grandson to his younger brother, inheriting his mantle, and sending him to the end in the future.
The children of the Zhao family are very far apart in age. Zhao Bei is eight or nine years younger than Zhao Nan. He is still a young man, wearing an apron. He catches up a few steps and pats Zhao Nan on his shoulder. Didn’t you say you’d better wait for me to sit down together? Why did you leave?
Before Zhao Nan spoke, they looked like Jiang Rui and said with a smile:
It’s sister Baoqin and sister-in-law, my name is Zhao Bei. Just call me Xiaobei."
He is a familiar temperament, not at all like his second elder brother who is taciturn, and by all accounts, he is a few months older than Du Baoqin, and he still has a mouthful and a sister, so he can speak smoothly.
Jiang Rui and Zhang Xiaohua also greeted him.
Zhao Bei pressed Zhao Nan's shoulders, and then pressed him back to his seat: "Sit all, and sit for a while. I still have melon seeds there. Wait for me to bring them."
The three of them sat down again, watching him rush back to the back kitchen, and soon he brought out a plate with apples, oranges, melon seeds and peanuts.
"Sister Baoqin and sister-in-law have something to eat. I just went out to buy it temporarily. I didn't buy any good things. Don't dislike it.
He was very inviting, Jiang Rui took an orange in his hand and slowly peeled it, and Zhang Xiaohua also ate it.
"You guys came here in the morning? Did you look around? There is a park not far from here, otherwise I will take a leave and go shopping with you?"
"Too much trouble for you." Jiang Rui shook his head.
Zhang Xiaohua also smiled and said: "The two of us are idlers, just strolling around and playing, how can we delay your business?"
Zhao Bei smiled and said, "It doesn't matter to me, it's business to be with Sister Baoqin and sister-in-law."
Zhang Xiaohua added: "The main thing is that it is not early. If it is too late, there will be no car to return to the commune."
"That's true." Zhao Bei nodded, turned to look at Zhao Nan, and stabbed him in the chest with an elbow. "Brother, why don't you talk? Next time you and Sister Baoqin come to the county to play again, remember to come to me earlier , I will take you around."
"Anan also took us to the supply and marketing agency today, it was very lively." Zhang Xiaohua said.
"That's good, Sister Baoqin, sister-in-law, if you buy something, just ask my brother to help it. My mother talks there every day, saying that my brother has been a saw-mouthed gourd since he was a child, and said no all day long. A few words won’t make people happy. There’s just a bit of strength. You two don’t care if you call. Also, don’t look at my brother, he’s in a military uniform. He doesn’t seem to have any long things. In fact, his wallet I have a lot of drums. What do you think of sister Baoqin, don't be polite, just say, give him a chance to be courteous, don't hold him back."
Zhao Nan didn't say a word, but just glanced at Zhao Bei.
Zhao Bei shrank his neck and said in his heart that I worked so hard, but it was all for your life-long happiness, brother, and your old man had to be careful.
In the morning, Zhang Xiaohua was in front of Zhao Nan and praised his sister-in-law openly and secretly, and now the Zhao family is playing the same route as her.
Zhao Bei said that his brother had a dumb mouth and would not have trouble. In fact, he only said that he was a great body, a great man, and a great wallet. You should not miss it when you pass by.
Zhang Xiaohua listened, secretly reflecting on his lack of skill, his lips were not smooth enough, and his face was not thick enough, he had to study again.
In the end, Zhao Nan couldn't listen, and took the person back to the kitchen with one hand, and left with Jiang Rui.
It was not early, they did not stay in the county, and took a car back to Chaoyang Commune.
After getting out of the car, Zhang Xiaohua pulled Jiang Rui and said to Zhao Nan, "Anan, thank you for your hospitality today. We will greet you again when you have time. Baoqin and I have to go to the supply and marketing agency to get something. I went all the way back with you."
This is also to avoid gossip. The two met for the first time today. After returning tonight, the two families have to discuss the situation today. In case the two of them fail to achieve a good thing in the end, they go in pairs again. On the road, people saw that Zhao’s family was a man. Fortunately, Du Baoqin, a girl, couldn’t suffer other people's gossip.
There are some black-hearted people, maybe they have to go around saying that it must be Du Baoqin, what's not good, otherwise, why would the Zhao family look down on her?
Zhao Nan looked at Jiang Rui, nodded, took out three scarves from the cloth bag in his hand, and handed the rest to her, "I give it to you."
Inside the bag are the scarves and candy he bought in the county.
Jiang Rui and Zhang Xiaohua looked at each other. Zhang Xiaohua joked before, saying that among the scarves Zhao Nan bought, she must have her share. It now appears that it is not just her share, but Zhang Xiaohua, Wang Tonghua, and Du Baozhen.
Jiang Rui shook his head and took a small step back, "I can't take it, you can take it back."
"Don't like it?" Zhao Nan frowned slightly.
"It's not that you don't like it, you should take it back and give it to your family, they must be happy."
Zhao Nan muffled and said, "I bought it for you." He pointed to the three scarves in his hand, "These are for them."
Zhang Xiaohua glanced at the cloth bag. In addition to the four scarves, there were two large bags of fruit candy and toffee inside. Although she was a bit coveted, she really couldn't accept it.
Think about it from another angle. If she is from the Zhao family, the first time she meets, her son will give the woman something in large and small packages. If he hasn't married a wife, he will forget his mother. Would he be happy? Besides, these things are not a small amount. Maybe the Zhao family would have to wonder if she and Baoqin coaxed Zhao Nan. At that time, even if the Zhao family were satisfied with Du Baoqin, they would still have a knot in their heart.
Seeing that the two of them were in a stalemate there, and were about to speak, she heard Jiang Rui say softly: "You take it home first. Whether it is a scarf or a candy, let Aunt Zhao and Qian Qian choose first, and the rest, Zhao If Auntie tells you to give it to me, I will accept it, okay?"
Zhang Xiaohua listened and swallowed the words back. It seems that there is no need to persuade, she persuaded a hundred sentences, not necessarily the one that my sister-in-law said softly is good or not, didn't you see that Zhao Nan was fluttering under his feet when he left?
They said that they would go to the supply and marketing agency to get things, but it was just an excuse. After Zhao Nan left out of sight, the two also started walking home.
As soon as he got home, Wang Tonghua embraced the small hawthorn, "Have you come back?"
"I'm back, I worked hard today." Zhang Xiaohua took her daughter.
"That's my eldest granddaughter. What are you talking about?" Wang Tonghua looked at their faces and lowered their voices, "How's it going?"
Jiang Rui lowered his head and walked into the room, seeming to be shy to talk about this issue, "Mom, I will go back to the room and change clothes first."
"Are you shy after seeing each other?" Wang Tonghua joked, and asked Zhang Xiaohua: "Quickly tell me, it makes me anxious."
Zhang Xiaohua shook the small hawthorn in his arms and smiled: "How can someone dislike Baoqin's appearance and personality? Don't worry, there is no problem with Zhao Nan. Now it's up to the Zhao family to say. ."
"That's it!" Wang Tonghua slapped her palm, her expressions of joy, "There is no problem with the Zhao family, their family is more anxious than ours. Your Aunt Zhang told me a long time ago, as long as the two children nodded, Discuss the wedding date soon."
After she finished speaking, she rubbed her hands and walked to the kitchen, preparing to make something delicious for the evening to celebrate.
In the room, Du Baozhen was reviewing his homework at the desk and window. Seeing Jiang Rui came back, she threw down the book, "Sister, you are back, is the county fun?"
"It's okay, it's very lively." Jiang Rui looked for clothes in the cabinet, changed his new clothes and put on an old padded jacket, showing a little skin around his waist when he bends down, white and delicate.
Du Baozhen immediately leaned over, "Sister, when did you become so white? My eyes were dazzled just now."
"How can it be so exaggerated? Maybe it's because of winter, not so much sun." Jiang Rui pushed away her hand that was about to lift the hem of her clothes, "How is the book? The New Year is about to come, and it will definitely not be as quiet as it is now. "
Du Baozhen rubbed her belly and puffed her mouth, "I always look hungry when I look at it, so I can't concentrate at all."
She suddenly sniffed, sniffed Jiang Rui twice, closed her eyes for a while, opened her eyes and said confidently: "It's the smell of meat, it's delicious!"
Jiang Rui laughed and nodded her nose, "You are a dog nose."
Du Baozhen held her hand and rubbed it: "Is it meat? Is it meat? Sister, what did you eat today? Is it delicious?"
"It's meat. It's delicious after eating Mei Cai Kou Po."
"I'll smell it again," Du Baozhen leaned against her, with a yearning for meat on her face, "Is that Zhao Nan who asked you to eat it? So it seems that he is not bad."
"It's good to have me eat meat?" Jiang Rui asked with a smile.
Du Baozhen nodded and said affirmatively: "It's better than not asking for a meal."
"Okay, you are foodism, in which meat eating is supreme."
Du Baozhen confessed happily, and touched her belly to feel self-pity: "Pity my belly, how long has it been since I saw meat? I don't know if I see meat next time, will he recognize it?"
Jiang Rui changed his clothes and walked out, "I'm afraid you don't remember your surname, and you won't recognize meat."
"Hahaha sister, you really understand me!"
In the next room, Zhang Xiaohua nursed her child, and Du Baoqiang asked her: "How is Zhao Nan?"
"How about what? It's better than you." Zhang Xiaohua squinted at him.
Du Baoqiang was not angry, and said, "Didn't you say that being a soldier was not good? I'm worried about Baoqin..."
"Where does Baoqin need you to worry? Besides, it's too late to worry now."
Today’s story told Zhang Xiaohua to understand that marrying Zhao Nan is a relief for Du Baoqin. From now on, she will be with the army, and only a small couple outside. There is no need to take care of a big family, no need to look at the expressions of her in-laws. Then Zhao Nan is firmly held in her hands again, asking for money, money, and people. Is life happier than the emperor? The others in this family are afraid that they won't be able to catch up with her.
On the other side, Zhao Nan returned to Zhao's house and was also surrounded by Tuantuan.
Zhang Liyun gave an order, and everyone else retreated and she spoke for interrogation.
She first looked up and down at Zhao Nan. She knew that her son, although there was no expression on his face, he could still tell whether he was happy or not. When I went out this morning, I was obviously a little reluctant and unwilling. I just came back and heard the footsteps. He obviously went out for a walk. After seeing the girl, he was willing.
"Tell mom first, did you make the girl unhappy today?"
Zhao Nan was wearing a straight military uniform, sitting on a small bench, thinking about it, shook his head.
Zhang Liyun put a snack and said, "What have you all done? Let's listen."
Zhao Nan talked about them one by one, from meeting on the roadside in the morning, to taking a car together, then to shopping in the department store, and eating together.
Hearing him say to go to the restaurant, Zhang Liyun asked: "Have you seen your brother? Has he come out to say hello?"
"Have."
"If your lips are half-smart, I don't have to worry about it."
Zhang Liyun shook his head and even asked what he ordered in the restaurant. Finally, he took the cloth bag he brought back and took out the contents. When he found that the scarves he took out were all female, and there were seven in total. , She understood in her heart.
"Our family only needs three for your sister-in-law and even Cici, who bought the other four for?"
Zhao Nan was silent for a while, and finally only said: "You pick three."
Zhang Liyun raised her brows and looked at him, "I have finished picking three, do you want to send the rest to Du's house soon?"
Zhao Nan didn't answer, and turned out the two packets of sugar. "Pick the sugar too."
Zhang Liyun was angry.
Before her son did not get married, she was anxious. Now he finally has someone he likes, but he has only met once. There are more things he bought for other girls than he bought back. When his daughter-in-law gets married, will he still have the position of her as an old lady?
Fortunately, he also knew that when he bought something, he had to take it home first, let his old mother pick one, and then take the rest to please the girl.
But she changed her mind and thought again, with the pitiful humanity in her son's mind, could he think of doing this? Isn't it possible that this is also instructed by others?
Zhang Liyun sighed helplessly, and had to enlighten herself: Forget it, raising children and daughters are all paying off the debt, and after raising them, the debt will be paid off only when they get married and have children. It is better to grow sweet potatoes if you expect them to return!
However, thinking so, she still ruthlessly put away all the scarves and candy, and sneered unceremoniously to Zhao Nan's eyes, "Look at what I am doing? You brat can still use me. It's time. Now you want to go to someone’s house to show your courtesy. I didn’t say that you didn’t watch the day. You have to see if they will give it to you. If I don’t come to talk to you and help you, you still want to marry a wife. Son? Go dream."
Zhao Nan watched his mother take everything away, sat there alone for a while, silently got up and went to chop wood.
In the room, Zhao Qianqian had toffee in her mouth, looked through the window and looked into the yard for a while, then turned her head and said to Zhang Liyun: "Mom, second brother won't be angry, right?"
"Dare he?" Zhang Liyun didn't lift her head, and flipped through the eight characters of their birthdays in the cabinet. "They all say that Feng Shui turns around. Last night, I tried all my tongue to ask him to meet people. Today, it's his turn to beg I am. If he dares to make me face, I will chill him for two more days to see if he is anxious or I am anxious."
Zhao Qianqian sticks out her tongue and mutters in a low voice: "Ginger is still hot, so I can't afford it."
Zhang Liyun glanced over, "Don't think your mother is blind and deaf, I'm not old yet. So are you little nizi, which kid you will fall in love with in the future, come home and serve your mother politely. Squeezing my shoulders and thumping my legs will make me happy, and I will consider whether to approve your marriage."
"Mom, you are an old lady in feudal society!" Zhao Qianqian was speechless.
"I would rather I be the old lady, whoever is not pleasing to the eye will be served by the family law, and those who are not satisfied will be convinced one by one, and see who dares to make me face."
Zhao Qianqian patted her small chest and shook her head, feeling that her mother was a little confused. Then she turned her head to see that the second brother who chopped wood like tofu in the yard shook his head again. It seems that the future second wife is not easy. Both of them in their family were ensnared by just one side.
Zhang Liyun finally found the horoscope. Seeing her shook her head and muttered there, she flicked her forehead when she came over, "What are you mumbling about? Go to the yard and ask your second brother to stop hacking. The floor of our house is not strong. I'm afraid he will give it to me." Split slightly."
When she turned around, she said brokenly, "I hurt my hand, and I can't make my old mother feel distressed. I have the ability to go in front of other girls and play dumbfounded, and make people feel distressed and distressed."
She held the red paper and looked at it, planning to go to Du's house after dark for a while. The child is too big to stay, and the one with the handle is even more difficult to keep, so people will hook it away.