Chapter 288

Compared to lunch, dinner was a bit simpler.

Zhang Ma brought everything to the table and said, “Don’t eat too much and hurt your stomach, eat less, have some soup tonight.”

On the table was an urn of pork and cabbage soup, so fresh that it fell off the tongue. Zhu Er Miss and Su Chunjun are both good eaters, immediately reached out their chopsticks to hold the cabbage, in this pot, the cabbage is the most delicious.

Mrs. Zhang: “After the frost, cabbage and radish are both delicious, today we eat cabbage, tomorrow we eat radish.”

Ms. Zhu sang a small half bowl of soup, small sips, she ate too much at noon, the evening is not going to eat, drink two mouthfuls of soup with two chopsticks on the line.

Ms. Zhang also knows, did not give her rice, but made a plate of small fried dumplings, put in front of her, said: “shrimp mixed with the filling.”

The small fried dumplings are not big, a plate of six, looks very delicate. Su Chunjun felt that these six small dumplings did not have as much stuff as a bun outside, and it was just a taste.

After dinner, there was the hawthorn sugar water with iced hawthorn that Zhang Ma spoke of, and there were water chestnuts in the iced hawthorn, wrapped in a sugar shell, hard on the outside and crunchy on the inside.

Ms. Zhu only drank a bowl of sugar water and went upstairs, calling for Zhang Ma to go upstairs as well.

“It’s warm upstairs, let them play downstairs, you don’t have to pack up, tomorrow I’ll go to the hiring factory and hire someone to do the chores.” Ms. Zhu said.

The factory is not a factory, it is a place where men and women looking for work are often found, and families here go there if they are looking for a temporary manpower.

When Su Chunjun heard this, he said, “Don’t go there, I’ll go and find someone, it’s safe and convenient. Nowadays, people outside don’t know the details and don’t dare to hire anyone. ”

When Ms. Zhu heard this, she said, “Then I’ll leave it to you, don’t come back tomorrow and say you forgot. Zhang Ma is so old, taking care of our family’s food and drink is hard enough, we can’t ask her to wash our wrists and clothes.”

Zhu Yuyan immediately said, “I’ll wash the bowls, don’t move, Mrs. Zhang.”

Su Chunjun also quickly said, “I’ll wash with Yanyan, don’t get busy, Mrs. Zhang.”

Zhang Ma only smiled and said, “But don’t, if you hit the bowl again, you’ll have no bowl to eat tomorrow.”

Ms. Zhu: “If you beat it, you can buy a new one, the department store is still open.” She took Zhang Ma upstairs on her arm, “Tell them to let the young people do their work, you come upstairs with me and rest.”

Zhang Ma was dragged upstairs still do not rest assured, turned his head to the pair of young people downstairs and said: “dishes with oil first take grass paper to wipe again before washing, remember to wipe the water dry after washing and then put, small bowls should not be placed on the next floor, from big to small stacked.”

Zhu Yuyan promised, “I remembered everything, don’t worry Zhang Ma.”

Ms. Zhu had already dragged Zhang Ma upstairs and heard voices coming down from above.

Ms. Zhu: “What do you care about them, if you don’t have a bowl to eat, you can use a pot to eat, the pot won’t hit again.”

Mrs. Zhang: “When you said that I remembered that I even used a wok today!”

Ms. Zhu: “Ouch, just stay out of it!”

Stiffly, she drags Zhang Ma away.

Downstairs, Ms. Zhu second lady hemmed and hawed, half not feeling humiliated by being underestimated.

Mr. Su stood beside her, the two looked at each other and smiled.

Zhu Er Miss: “First send the dishes back to the kitchen.”

Mr. Su: “Don’t serve anything, just take the chopsticks.”

Su Chunjun rolled up his sleeves, stacked up the dishes and carried them into the kitchen, followed by Second Miss Zhu who was holding a chopstick and a spoon.

The kitchen was a large place with electric lights, and the light was bright.

Su Chunjun looked around, found a bucket and put the dishes in it.

Zhu Er Miss: “By the way, Zhang Ma said to use grass paper to wipe.” She looked around and didn’t see where she put the straw paper, “Wait, I’ll go to the toilet to get it.”

She brought the straw paper, and Su Chunjun also saw the straw paper on the cabinet.

The two of them wiped the dishes clean, took water from the faucet and poured it into a bucket, and one of them took a rag to wash the dishes.

Zhu Er Miss once again looked around and said, “I’ll go get the soap.”

Su Chunjun: “No, I remember that grease can be washed clean with baking soda.”

The two rummaged through the cupboards again, but found a glass candy jar containing a white powdery substance, just could not recognize whether it was baking soda or not.

Miss Wishy-Washy: “What’s the formula for baking soda? I’ll go upstairs and look at the book.” You can do an experiment now to see if this is baking soda.

Mr. Su, who had left school for a long time and could no longer remember, said, “No need, you can wash it with salt.”

The two then used the salt to wipe the dishes and chopsticks, etc., and then rinsed, and then dried the dishes with straw paper – smacking the rags are not clean, and then stacked the dishes on top of each other, the party cleaned up the kitchen, leaving a bucket of salt water on the ground.

Ms. Zhu: “It’s a pity to dump it, it’s got salt in it.”

Su Chunjun: “Flush the toilet.”

Su Chunjun purposely brought this bucket of water to the toilet, and also used a brush to brush the toilet, feeling very perfect.

Carrying the bucket back to the kitchen, Su Chunjun said to Zhu Er Miss, “I will definitely hire someone to come back tomorrow.”

Second Miss Zhu nodded her head as well and said, “Yeah, I can cook, but I don’t really want to wash dishes.”

Both of them didn’t want to go upstairs right now, because once they did, they would have to separate. Teacher Su could no longer follow Second Miss Zhu back to her room to talk, it was better to stay downstairs to talk for convenience.

The two of them returned to the previous living room with their plates of iced candied gourds.

This living room was extremely large, it could be used as a ballroom and could accommodate at least a hundred people.

Both sides of the living room were set up with sofas and coffee tables for people to rest. Against the wall were several tall and short cabinets, the tall cabinets had glass doors and the short cabinets had wooden doors. Now in this tall cabinet are a few vases from the Ming Dynasty given by other people, foreign fine wines, and the tacky big golden toad, pure gold, the golden toad spits out money, and there’s a copper coin in its mouth, which is to congratulate people on getting rich and rising in the government. There is also a jade cabbage and a jade Buddha.

All good things.

If it were any other guest, it would still be a topic of conversation.

But here in Zhu Er Miss and Mr. Su, both of them did not give a glance to this cabinet, but to the piano in the corner.

Piano is a fashionable musical instrument, although it hasn’t been introduced to China for a long time, but nowadays which rich family doesn’t have a piano at home? And what son or daughter doesn’t know how to play it?

There used to be a piano upstairs in Zhu’s house, but the upstairs and downstairs were full of tenants, so the piano was always on display, covered with a crocheted cover, and no one ever bothered to play it.

Miss Zhu sat down on the piano bench and opened the cover.

Ms. Su never expected Miss Zhu to be good at musical instruments before. For one thing, it was because she was lazy, and for another, he hadn’t heard a piano in the years he lived upstairs in the Zhu family.

He laughed, “Do you know how?”

Second Miss Zhu smiled smugly, “You underestimate people!”

Just kidding! She used to go to an aristocratic school alright! The textbooks used were from Cambridge, the lecturers hired were from Harvard, no matter how well the lectures were given, there were a few students who became successful, but she really knew how to play the piano.

Seeing Miss Zhu Er sitting upright, placing her hands on the black and white keys, she confidently played –

Little Star.

Twinkle, twinkle, bright, the sky is full of little stars!

Miss Zhu Er played it with only one hand.

Ms. Su covers her mouth to hide her smile, her heart is full of happiness, half of her sorrow is gone.

Upstairs, Ms. Zhu and Zhang Ma both heard it, the dry sound of the piano, it was simply played by a three year old child, it couldn’t possibly be Su Chunjun on first listen.

Ms. Zhu was half surprised and half angry: “She still remembers it! How come you play so poorly. ”

Zhang Ma spoke up for Yan Yan, “It’s been so many years, it’s a good thing she can still play it. I thought she had forgotten all about it. Besides, it sounds pretty good to me.”

Ms. Zhu: “Why are you always protecting her? She’s getting married and she’s still growing up.”

Mrs. Zhang didn’t like this: “You dragged me up here and put them downstairs, didn’t you want them to get along? Now that they’re well, you’re not good enough for them. Why are you so difficult to serve. Besides, Mr. Su didn’t complain, but you as a mother-in-law are anxious first, your mother didn’t treat you like this before.”

Ms. Zhu: “Why are you talking about me? Have you forgotten that my mom used to lock me up in the house and make me practice women’s embroidery before I got married?”

Mrs. Zhang: “Then you didn’t practice well either, and in the end you got me there.”

Downstairs, Zhu Er Miss finished playing and felt self-conscious that it was amazing that she hadn’t forgotten after so many years. Su Chunjun smiled and sat down, also put his hand on it, calling her to play together.

Zhu Er Miss: “I can only play this one.” Su Chunjun smiled and sat down.

Su Chunjun: “Just play this one.”

Zhu Er Miss still played it with one hand – it seems that her teacher taught her to play it with both hands, but she forgot how to play it and only remembered to play it with one hand.

Su Chunjun also put only one hand, helping her harmonize.

The tune was instantly different, becoming accessible to a great audience.

Upstairs, Ms. Zhu and Zhang Ma both heard it.

Zhang Ma: “Listen, what did I say? This is quite good. Mr. Su is able to play with Yan Yan, but if you replace her with someone who is smarter and more powerful than Yan Yan, Mr. Su won’t be happy about it.”

Ms. Zhu: “Fine, I don’t care, let them mess around.”