Chapter 54 Make More Friends Although the old branch secretary had a hunch early on, after all, pressurized wells are not simple and are of great use to rural areas, he was still shocked to see Zhou Yimin actually appear in the newspaper. In their opinion, only great people can appear in newspapers! "Let me see." The old branch secretary no longer cared about dividing the meat. He read the entire article, which even mentioned their Zhoujiazhuang. The old branch secretary could no longer contain his joy and smile on his face. "Uncle, this newspaper..." "If you want to buy it yourself, don't think about it." The old man wants to keep it for himself! When he brags to others in the future, he will show it off and feel very proud. Who dares to brag louder than him? The old branch secretary smiled awkwardly and carefully handed the newspaper back to Zhou Yimin's grandfather. Next, they began to share the braised pork, with each old man getting a bowl. Although there were only three pieces of braised pork, each piece was about half the size of a palm. The braised pork has distinct layers and is soft, glutinous and tender. You have to pick it up gently with chopsticks, otherwise it will easily break. This looks very appetizing.
The old branch secretary, who was 71 years old, also got a bowl. Everyone thanked Zhou Yimin and his grandparents profusely before taking the taro pork home. After eating, they washed the bowls and brought them back. No one ate it, they took it all home and ate it with their family. They could not eat this delicacy once a year. Soon, every household in the village knew about Zhou Yimin’s appearance in the newspaper and the distribution of the braised pork. The villagers were very proud to learn that the newspaper also mentioned Zhoujiazhuang. In this era, most people are keen on collective honor and attach great importance to it. As for Zhou Yimin's distribution of the braised pork, the villagers who did not get any did not complain, they were just a little envious. They are very fair! There are people over 70 years old, no one family is targeted. Who said there are no people over 70 years old in your family? You can't blame them. "My old man is only one year away from death!" Some people feel heartbroken and think that it would be better if he were one year older. Hearing such "filial" words, the elder next to him couldn't help but kick him. Zhou Yimin brought out a pot of sorghum rice and three bowls of taro pork, and shouted to the people who were working hard to build the house: "Brother Zhiming, let everyone eat first!" "Row!" Seeing the behavior of these guys, Zhou Zhiming decided not to delay everyone's meal time. Everyone put down their work, washed their bowls, and came to the pot of sorghum rice. Zhou Zhiming served them rice and added: "One bowl of taro braised pork for two people." There were three pieces of braised pork in a bowl. They shared one piece, and each of them had one piece left, which they planned to take home. Half a piece was enough, after all, they still ate sorghum rice, which was much better than the one in the village canteen. The same goes for taro, only half a piece was eaten, and the remaining piece was taken home. This kind of taro, after absorbing the oil, is also a delicacy. "It would be great if I could eat one piece every day." someone sighed. The braised pork is comparable to tofu. You don’t even need to bite it. It seems to melt when you suck it in your mouth, and your mouth is full of the aroma of oil. "What are you daydreaming about? You should be lucky enough to have it once a month!" Zhou Zhiming scolded with a smile.
In this era, it’s good enough to eat it once a year, let alone once a month. Inside the house, Zhou Yimin and others were also eating. "Grandma, this one is good." Zhou Yimin picked out a piece of braised pork with the right amount of fat and lean meat for his grandma. Elderly people are not suitable to eat fatty food, which is fat and difficult to digest. For people like Uncle San who do heavy work, it is okay to eat two more pieces of fat. The old lady ate happily, enjoying her grandson's filial behavior. "Yimin, you can be a chef with your cooking skills." Zhou Xuqiang said, and he finished a piece of braised pork in two bites. It tasted better than the bacon and duck before. The cooks in their village canteen couldn't make such delicious braised pork. In fact, Zhou Yimin relied entirely on spices and his cooking skills were just average. Just like those food bloggers in later generations, how can it not taste good if they add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken essence, seasoning packets, etc.? They can make a piece of stinky meat fragrant again. The old man was happy and drank two more glasses. "My cooking skills are far inferior to those of regular chefs." Zhou Yimin said with a smile. "Big brother cooks the best." Lai Cai quickly followed suit and flattered him: "It tastes better than what my mother cooks." Aunt San was speechless. If she had the ingredients, she would definitely cook well. The question is, do you have the ingredients for her to cook? Even a good cook cannot cook without rice! As expected, Lai Cai got hit on the head by his own mother. "Hold the bowl, and you too." Third Aunt was still holding Qianqian. She had just fed her with milk powder. The little girl didn't make a fuss but watched everyone eat with her eyes wide open. After they had eaten their fill and waited for Lai Fu and the others to leave, the old lady gave the apple to Zhou Yimin to eat. The one the old lady loved the most was always her own grandson. No matter how well-behaved, cute, and obedient Lai Fu and the others are... they are far inferior to his own grandchildren. "Grandma, I'll go back to the city in the afternoon. A childhood friend of mine is moving into a new house tonight, and two tables have been set up." Zhou Yimin said to the old lady. "The young man who came to our village last time?" grandma asked with a smile. Zhou Yimin nodded: "Yes! It's him." "Well! Go ahead! Make more friends." The old lady was not ignorant. She knew that the city was a complicated place. It was best to make more friends and fewer enemies. Especially those who have a good relationship with each other regardless of their age, they should maintain a good relationship. Since my grandson is alone in the city, I should make more friends and maintain good relationships with my neighbors. "Grandma, don't worry! I have a lot of friends!" The old lady had no doubt about this. After all, her grandson always brought good things home. Without friends and connections, where would he find them? Just then, two children appeared in Yard 56. "Kids, who are you looking for?"
An old lady had noticed the two children a long time ago. They were dressed in rags and carrying a bag with no idea what was in it. They had been wandering around the gate of their yard for a long time. If Zhou Yimin were there, he would definitely be able to recognize the two brothers. "Auntie, let's look for Huang Suqin." said the older boy. "Looking for Suqin? Who is she to you?" Seeing the two children, the aunt guessed that they were probably coming to live with their relatives. She heard that the rural areas outside the city were not doing well, and many people were flocking to the city to make a living. Recently, some people who were fleeing famine appeared in their streets, and some even left their children in front of the street office. Now, the people in the street office are very troubled by this kind of thing. Take care of it! The subdistrict office doesn't have any food. But if we don't take care of it! It's easy to cause trouble. "It's our aunt." "Oh! Then I'll go in and ask. You guys wait here and don't run around." The aunt ordered. "Okay, thank you, Auntie!" The aunt immediately walked to the backyard. Huang Suqin was living a good life. They were just the two of them, with no elderly people and no children. (End of this chapter)