People in the alley: A woman dressed as a man shouldn't be foolishly filial, Zhuang Chaoying

The next day, early in the morning, when it was still barely dawn, Zhuang Chaoying woke up.

He got up exceptionally early today. Still half asleep, he put on his glasses, draped his thick cotton-padded coat over his shoulders, grabbed some toilet paper, and hurried off to the bathroom.

Along the way, the cold wind blew straight into his neck, and he couldn't help but shiver, quickening his pace.

Now, he can take a very normal attitude towards the extra thing on his body.

At first, he was a little uncomfortable, but now he can control it freely; it's just a part of his body.

When he got to the toilet, he skillfully took care of his needs. After emptying his stomach, he carefully washed his hands, and the cold water instantly made him feel much more awake.

When we got home, the children were still fast asleep.

I quietly got dressed, carefully tied my scarf, and went out to find Engineer Lin.

The two of them were going to the state-run store to queue up for meat, which was a big deal, since they hadn't eaten meat at home for more than a month.

He got up early today and was lucky enough to get a relatively good spot in line.

Finally, it was his turn in line. He bought a piece of pork belly and a few ribs.

After buying the meat, Zhuang Chaoying sat on the back of Lin Gong's bicycle, holding the meat tightly in her hands.

Two grown men, busy with their families on this cold morning, do share some similarities.

Upon arriving at their respective doorsteps, the two househusbands exchanged a smile and then went inside.

As soon as Zhuang Chaoying entered the house, she went straight to the kitchen and placed the meat on the cutting board.

They discovered that Lin Wufeng was also in the kitchen, squatting in front of the stove, skillfully starting a fire.

Before long, the fire in the stove was blazing.

Zhuang Chaoying wasn't idle either; she started cooking some porridge to prepare breakfast.

Zhuang Chaoying looked at the vegetables Lin Wufeng had stir-fried. "Mr. Lin, I didn't realize you were such a good cook. The vegetables are so green and delicious."

“I can only cook it well, Teacher Zhuang, yours is pretty good too.”

As Lin Wufeng spoke, he stirred the vegetables in the pan. “If you ask me, men should be more considerate of their wives. She gave birth to our children and still has to go to work to earn money. We should also learn to take care of the family.”

"Mr. Lin, you're right."

Zhuang Chaoying nodded. Huang Ling really worked hard.

At 8:30, the family sat around the table and finished their meal.

After finishing their meal, Tu Nan and Xiao Ting quietly read a storybook.

Zhuang Chaoying walked over and sat down next to the child, gently stroking Tu Nan's head.

"Tu Nan, are you feeling tired from studying lately?"

Tu Nan shook his head and blinked his big eyes. "I'm not tired, Dad. There's something strange about me. I feel like my brain works exceptionally well. If I see something more than three times, I can remember it."

Xiaoting nodded in agreement, "Dad, me too."

Zhuang Chaoying was overjoyed to hear this; it seemed the sugar pills really worked. She hugged the two children tightly. "Now that the college entrance examination has been reinstated, Tu Nan, Xiao Ting, Dad hopes that you two can go to university. Tu Nan, you'll be starting junior high next semester. The teaching quality at No. 1 Middle School is better, and your chances of getting into university are greater. Once you're in university, you'll have the opportunity to choose your own path in life."

Tu Nan frowned upon hearing this, looking somewhat hesitant. "Dad, my classmates and friends are all at the affiliated primary school. I don't want to leave them."

Zhuang Chaoying looked at Tu Nan and said seriously, "Tu Nan, the decision is yours. Dad is just giving you a suggestion. You can think about it carefully."

Tu Nan answered in a low voice, "I understand, Dad."

Just then, creak! The door opened, and Xiaoting and Tunan became excited, dropping their books and running over.

Tu Nan reacted quickly, taking Huang Ling's handbag. "Mom! You're back."

Xiaoting held Huang Ling's hand and said sweetly, "Mom, Dad cooked porridge, it's so delicious!"

"Xiaoting, did Tunan listen to his father?"

Xiaoting nodded vigorously. "Xiaoting is so obedient!"

Hearing the noise, Zhuang Chaoying came out of the kitchen carrying steaming hot porridge and pickled vegetables, his face full of concern. "Eat something before you go to sleep. You've been working hard all night." He placed the bowl on the table and gently blew on the porridge, trying to cool it down faster.

Huang Ling sat down and began to eat breakfast.

After finishing her meal, she looked at the house, which was spotless, and took off her clothes, ready to get a good night's sleep.

Tu Nan ran over to Huang Ling and said, "Mom, Xiao Ting and I went to find Dong Zhe to play."

"Go ahead! Your Aunt Song just got off her night shift, don't bother her."

As Zhuang Chaoying spoke, she was filling a hot water bottle for Huang Ling.

Carefully fill the hot water bottle, expel the air, and then tighten the cap.

I walked to the bedside, stuffed the hot water bottle into the blankets, and tucked it in. "I worked all night, I'm cold and tired, sleeping with the hot water bottle will keep me warm."

Huang Ling hugged the hot water bottle and glanced at her man. "Chao Ying, thank you!"

Zhuang Chaoying returned to her desk and continued writing, simply waving her hand. "We're all family, no need to thank me."

His mind was brimming with thoughts, and his pen moved incessantly across the paper.

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Mr. and Mrs. Zhuang were extremely proud people. Ever since they had a fight with their eldest son, Zhuang Chaoying, they had been holding a grudge.

They felt they couldn't easily back down, thinking they had to wait for Zhuang Chaoying to come and apologize, and also see if his attitude was sincere before considering whether to forgive him.

While at work, Gan Mei was constantly thinking about it.

Zhendong and Zhenbei, the two boys, were also on winter vacation. These two teenagers were at the age where they could eat a lot, and they were like bottomless pits, eating almost all the food in the house.

The Zhuang parents doted on their grandsons, even giving their own rations to Zhendong and Zhenbei, but even so, the two children were always complaining of being hungry.

After getting off work, Gan Mei rode her bicycle home with her wife on the back.

On the way, he said to his wife, "Do you think we should send Zhendong and Zhenbei to my older brother's house? That way, our family can save some food. My older brother is highly educated and can tutor them both."

Ganmei's wife frowned, somewhat worried. "Ganmei, we had such a big fight last time, do you think my brother will agree? He won't kick us out, will he?"

Ganmei pedaled her bicycle confidently: "No way, Big Brother likes Zhendong and Zhenbei the most. Let's go check them out tomorrow, and we can even get a free meal! Last time Big Brother argued with Dad, he was still very filial to Mom, so he shouldn't do anything to us."

"Alright then, it's the weekend tomorrow, let's go take a look."

"Then it's settled!" Ganmei pedaled her bicycle a few more times, speeding up.

Zhuang Chaoying wrote for a long time and felt a little sore in his wrist. He moved his wrist and stretched his back. He glanced at his watch and found that it was already four o'clock in the afternoon.

At this moment, Huang Ling also woke up. She sat up, her eyes still sleepy, and asked, "What time is it, Chao Ying?"

"It's four o'clock!"

Huang Ling yawned widely and stretched. "I slept really well today, especially since the blankets were so warm."

He threw back the covers, put on his clothes, and walked over to Zhuang Chaoying. "Chaoying, did you buy the meat?"

Zhuang Chaoying put down her pen and stretched. "I bought it! It's in the kitchen: a piece of pork belly and four ribs!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Ling walked happily to the kitchen, and looking at the meat in the basin, she was as happy as a child.

Unable to contain her joy, she began to sing: "What a beautiful jasmine flower! What a beautiful jasmine flower! Fragrant and beautiful, its branches are full of blossoms, so fragrant and white, everyone praises it!"

Just then, Song Ying, having caught up on her sleep, walked over with a big smile, wearing a yellow cardigan. "Sister Ling, look how happy you are to have meat! What are you cooking today, Sister Ling?"

Huang Ling picked up the cleaver and skillfully chopped the bones, making rhythmic thumping sounds. "Tu Nan has been wanting to eat braised pork ribs for a long time, so I'll make braised pork ribs today and braised pork belly tomorrow."

Song Ying's eyes lit up. "By the way, Sister Ling, do you put star anise in your stew? Lin Dongzhe always says my stew is bad, and he's lucky if he gets any meat at all. Sister Ling, let me know when you're stewing meat tomorrow, I want to learn from you!"

Huang Ling smiled and continued chopping the meat, nodding, "Okay, I'll write down the detailed recipe for stewing the meat on a piece of paper tonight and bring it to you. You can't just put star anise in the stew; too much will make the flavor too strong, and too little will make it taste bland."

"Okay! Thank you so much, Sister Ling."

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