Dong Mu He works

Chapter 192: Preparing a Meal (Part 2)

    

Aren't these the Four Books and Five Classics""Xu Sanguo must have taken the military examination. The military examination doesn't test the Four Books and Five Classics, but rather military tactics,...Xu Huaiyi kept pondering as he walked home with his hands tucked behind him. Before even stepping through the door, he smelled a delicious aroma. Following his nose, he arrived at the kitchen and sure enough, there was his wife, deep frying something inside. A bamboo basket beside her held fried lotus root patties and meatballs. Right now, sizzling in the pan were strips of meat.

Wei An was helping with the fire, while Wei Ci was preparing other dishes that needed to be stir-fried. The two stopped their work and bowed to Xu Huaiyi, “Master!”

Xu Huaiyi waved his hand, "Just do your thing."

"Yes!" The siblings replied, then continued working as if nothing had happened. After getting to know each other, they both knew that the old master wasn't pretentious, spoke plainly, and didn't care about empty formalities. He was straightforward in his speech, especially towards them, the three siblings.

Gu Huanxi raised her head and glanced at him, "Have all those places spoken"

Xu Huaiyi simply hummed in response, couldn't help but sniffle hard, then eagerly walked inside. He picked up a dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth, giving a thumbs-up while munching, "Delicious, your craftsmanship is still top-notch."

Xu Huaiyi prides himself on his cooking skills, surpassing his wife's in most dishes. However, when it comes to fried foods, he falls slightly short. For example, these fried meatballs, using the same recipe, his wife's version is exceptionally delicious: crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, fragrant and flavorful, without being greasy. The trick lies in preparing the filling, which requires a multitude of ingredients and takes considerable patience. Without it, this task becomes quite difficult.

Gu Huaxi didn't like to cause trouble. Before, when she treated guests, she only made simple stir-fries, stews, or the more convenient hot pot. Today, she was also doing this for Xu Huayi because he passed the entrance exam for the Jingwu Sports Academy. She had been working hard since morning until now, without stopping for a moment. She even entrusted her daughter to Gu Xiaoyu to take care of her just to prepare this noon's noodle dish so that she could give him face.

The more elaborate and detailed the dishes are, the better they reflect the host's importance.

Xu Huaiyi naturally understood this, and after tasting a box of lotus root, he licked his face and said, "You worked hard, wife. I'll cook the rest of the dishes."

Saying that, he was about to roll up his sleeves. He wasn't just talking, he wasn't just being cheeky.

Gu Huan glanced at him with a playful smile, "That's enough. I and Wei Ci can handle this. When the villagers come knocking later, you won't be busy greeting them"

Xu Huaiyi thought about it too, so he stopped and asked again, "What about our daughter"

Gu Huanxi was idly swatting at the meat strips in the pot with a colander, preventing them from sticking together, while casually responding, "Playing in the vegetable patch with Xiaoyu."

"Just the two of them"

"Don't worry, would I really do something like that Wei Liang is with me."

Xu Huaiyi's foot stopped mid-step. Wei Liang was still trustworthy, but "what could they possibly be doing there What's in the vegetable patch to see"

Speaking of this, Gu Huan's expression became complex, and she said meaningfully, "Your daughter is still young, what could she possibly know about what's fun or not She just went to the vegetable field to take a look at the vibrant greens. In this village, besides bamboo that is still green, only our vegetable patch remains lush and green. Perhaps A Li likes the color green."

Xu Huaiyi blinked, "Daughter-in-law, are you serious with this explanation"

Gu Huanxi hummed softly, what else could she do Was she supposed to tell Wei Ci and her siblings right in front of them that their daughter liked farming A few months old and already showing such a clear preference That wasn't normal, was it

Xu Huaiyi understood his daughter-in-law's unsaid words, and his heart was moved. He liked farming! This hobby perfectly matched the daughter's golden finger, like a tiger adding wings, complementing each other. In the future, she would definitely shine in this aspect.

He rubbed his hands together, suppressing his excitement, and said in a serious tone, "It's great to like green. Green represents life's abundance. I'll get our daughter a green dress when we go back."

Gu Huaxi, "…"

He added, "As long as you don't become a cuckold."

Gu Huanxi silently waved his hand, "Go away, don't cause any more trouble here."

Xu Huaiyi waited for her to scoop out a pot of fried meat. He ate a few pieces despite the heat, then leisurely left. Before customers arrived, he stoked the fire and started tinkering, thinking about making another toy for his child.

In a short while, Gu Xiaoyu wheeled back with a small cart. This cart was designed by Xu Huaiyi and made by the Liu family, who were renowned for their ancestral carpentry skills. While they lacked innovation, they were adept at copying designs. In a few days, a simple baby stroller was completed.

It has four small wheels underneath, which makes it effortless to push. Even Gu Xiaoyu can easily handle it. The car can be used while sitting or lying down, and there are handles on both sides for hanging bags. A thick and soft pad is placed under the car, and there's a foldable and extendable dust cover on top that can protect against mosquitoes in summer and cold wind in winter. It's very thoughtfully designed.

When the finished product was unveiled, many people from the village came to see it, especially the children. They were all very excited about it. Families with children under one year old instantly understood the usefulness of this little car. They found it even better than a baby carrier and wanted Liu's family to make one for them too.

Liu's family wouldn't agree directly, and privately discussed with Xu Huaiyi about the possibility of cooperation. Either they would pay for the blueprints or give him a share of the profits.

As carpenters, they could naturally see the business opportunity in this little hand truck.

Xu Huaiyi pondered for a moment. Buying the blueprints directly wouldn't be appropriate given their relationship. Asking for a share would be awkward, and while splitting profits in the short term might work, he feared that over time, Liu's family would feel taken advantage of and resentment would grow between them. This wasn't worth the risk, so he proposed: for the first hundred baby strollers, he would take 20% of the profit; after that, they would call it even.

This way, all possibilities have been considered.

The Liu family naturally had no objections. These days, the whole family has been working together to make these small pushcarts. Just in the village, several families have already placed orders. Once word gets out, business will be booming.

At this moment, in the stroller sat A-Li, who was only four months old. Her back muscles weren't strong enough to support her weight, so she could only lean half against the backrest. There was a soft pillow behind her, but even with that, A-Li was overjoyed. Ever since she got the stroller, besides sleeping, she loved being inside it. She enjoyed being pushed around everywhere, finding everything fascinating. She would often clap her hands and dance with glee, so energetic that Gu Huan couldn't keep up.

Instead, Gu Xiaoyu seemed to enjoy this sort of work. Whenever Ah Li went out, he would willingly push the stroller. Most of the time, Gu Huanxi would accompany them, but sometimes when she was too busy, Wei Liang would look after him.

"Oh, oh..."

Hearing the commotion, Gu Huanxi knew her daughter was back. Sure enough, the next second, Gu Xiaoyu pushed her cart to the kitchen door.

"Mother!"

"Back"

"Well, perhaps Ali is hungry. He doesn't want to look at that vegetable patch anymore and keeps twisting his body. So I pushed the cart back."

Gu Huanxi happened to have just finished the last pot of meat, untied her apron, wiped her hands, and walked over with a smile. She bent down and picked up her daughter, "Mom's going to feed your sister. The meat in the basket is just out of the pot, it's best eaten now, go get a few pieces to try."

Gu Xiao Yu smiled and agreed, he no longer felt it was inappropriate now, instead, he felt that in this place filled with fireworks, eating the food his mother had just cooked was especially delicious. not stand. The premise of respect is that he is worthy of respect. Filial piety does not mean blind obedience; if he does something wrong, you still blindly follow him, wouldn't that be helping a tyr...