Step by step, a gentle breeze leads to a smooth path

"Okay!" Yang Sumei knew they must be talking about the urn that hadn't been brought back yet; this matter had been weighing on her mind for so many years.

"Xiaoyue, what am I doing?" Du Hongxue pestered Zuo Jinyue.

"Why are you also called Xiaoyue now?" Zuo Jinyue didn't know why she couldn't stay calm in front of him. "That's what my family calls me."

"Xiaoyue, Xiaoyue, I want to call you that too. We'll be family soon." Du Hongxue firmly believed that you had to be thick-skinned in front of the person you liked.

"Naive, it's too early. Go pick a cabbage from the garden."

“Come with me. I don’t know where Uncle Huo’s vegetable garden is. If I pull up the wrong one and get beaten up, you’ll feel bad.”

"No way! It's not like you're going to hit me. Go get a shopping basket, I'm off."

...The two of them walked away, playfully bickering.

Zuo Jinyue had become familiar with Gao Haoran's house, following Ting Nan around. When she came over, she would help with tidying up and cook a few dishes.

There are only some large cabbages in the field now. Uncle Ah Huo likes to eat his mother's sour cabbage, but he says that her version is not authentic.

Yang Sumei specially brought the other meat dishes from the county town. Fortunately, it's winter now, so the food won't spoil easily.

Yang Sumei was preparing to make braised pork, cutting it into small cubes. Back then, Ah Huo and Ah Xin were strong and healthy, and fighting the Japanese expended a lot of energy, so they loved to eat meat.

Ah Huo would occasionally bring back a pound or two of pork belly from somewhere. She always cooked it with great care, making it a tempting reddish-brown color, with a soft and tender texture and a rich, meaty aroma, fatty but not greasy. Xiao Yue could even eat a few small pieces. Then she would watch the two grown men eat, feeling especially happy and at ease.

Let's braise another fish. Sometimes when we're camping, Ah-Xin and the others can only grill the fish they catch. Grilled fish is delicious, but they always crave braised fish. Today, we'll fulfill their wish.

Then Yang Suqiao chopped a lot more minced meat. Ah Huo was home alone, and Ting Nan was busy, so she made him extra dumplings. She put them on a board, covered them with a cloth, and froze them outside, so it would be convenient for him to cook them himself.

Ting Nan helped out, picking out the other vegetables Yang Sumei had bought. After Zuo Jinyue and Du Hongxue returned with the cabbages, she went to clean up for her master.

Ting Nan has been busy lately, and Master hasn't come in for a long time. It's a good thing Gao Haoran, that big man, is in charge of the barracks in the army, otherwise he'd be living in a doghouse.

It was sunny today, so Song Tingnan picked up the bedding to air it out. Du Hongxue, being quick-witted, immediately took over. He was tall and strong, and easily hung it on the clothesline.

Tingnan then found some of her master's unwashed clothes, soaked them, and prepared to wash them.

"Tingnan, do you know what a washing machine is?" Du Hongxue leaned over; after washing the cabbage, the kitchen wouldn't need him anymore.

"I've heard of him!" Ting Nan had indeed heard of him while traveling, but had never seen him.

"Washing clothes in the dead of winter makes my hands freeze, and Uncle Huo, a grown man, is too lazy to do it..."

“My master is not lazy at all…” Ting Nan would not allow anyone to talk about her master.

"Yes, yes, it's not laziness, it's for convenience and to save time. What do you think about me getting Uncle Ah Huo a washing machine?"

“I have no objection, but it’s hard to say whether Master will accept it.”

"Why not? Can I act first and ask for permission later?"

“It’s not impossible…” Ting Nan thought for a moment, “After all, if he wants to beat you up, he’ll have to go all the way to Shanghai, which is a hassle!”

"Okay, I'll send it over as soon as I get to a place that sells washing machines! You'll be responsible for picking it up."

"Uncle, it's good, but have you noticed?"