Taotao still remembered Cheng Yu, and pounced on him from a distance.
"Sister Cheng Yu! Taotao misses you so much!"
Cheng Yu pinched the little guy's face and said, "Do you really miss me? I see you've gained weight."
Taotao rolled her eyes and said, "I eat when I think of you."
Cheng Yu laughed out loud, and Cheng Shufen also covered her mouth while laughing.
The two met and exchanged a few pleasantries.
Lan Yue said amiably, "Let's go home and rest first. The meal is ready. I'll order a Quanjude restaurant in the evening and we can go eat together."
Wang Ying quickly declined: "We had already agreed on where to stay before we came."
Chen Dong also had old acquaintances in the capital, so it was not difficult to arrange for him to rent a house.
Cheng Yu looked at Wang Ying eagerly. They hadn't seen each other for a long time, and she had a lot of things to say to Wang Ying.
Cheng Shufen: "Well, let's take you to a place to rest first. If there is anything you haven't prepared, Cheng Yu and I will help you get it. After you have rested, we will have roast duck tonight."
When Taotao heard about eating, she immediately became excited: "Okay!"
The little kid agreed in a baby voice, which made the adults laugh.
Wang Ying nodded at her: "Greedy cat."
Taotao hugged her mother's thigh and said, "I want to eat roast duck!"
The group was happy to agree to her request and went to the rented house first.
This time, the place we live in is not a compound, but a tube-shaped building.
The staff housing complex not far from Wang Ying's school has three bedrooms and a living room, and is fully furnished with large furniture. It is said to be a house allocated by the university to staff, but after the old professor of this family was rehabilitated, his own small Western-style house was taken back, so naturally he no longer lives here.
The house was square in shape and must have been cleaned in advance. Wang Ying was very satisfied.
Chen Dong packed up his things and went to live with his old friend: "Don't try to persuade me, that old guy has just been rehabilitated and lives in a large courtyard with three entrances and three exits."
Chen Dong happily went to find his old friend for food and lodging.
Cheng Yu and Cheng Shufen pulled Wang Ying to sit down and started talking.
After talking about the changes in their lives over the past year, Cheng Yu said admiringly, "Sister Ying, you are amazing! You can get into university just like I said you would."
Even in the old city, it is rare to get into university.
Wang Ying was easily admitted to a key university in the capital.
Wang Ying: "You didn't try it this year?"
Cheng Yu immediately became depressed: "I can't read it. You know Sister Ying, I'm not very good at studying."
After returning to the old city, she has been busy practicing Peking Opera with her teacher. In the past few years, she has not been able to sing to her heart's content. Now she can finally get up early every day to warm up her voice and immerse herself in her favorite career.
As for the college entrance examination, Cheng Yu is very self-aware. She doesn't want to be like Wang Ying and Mai Miao who like studying and will just be a denominator if she goes.
Speaking of Mai Miao, Cheng Yu became even happier: "We also ordered Mai Miao for dinner tonight."
Mai Miao was studying at a normal school, and the school started a week earlier than Wang Ying. There was really no way she could catch up, so she came here first.
Fortunately, Cheng Yu and Cheng Shufen were here, so Qian** was not too worried.
Mai Miao arrived three days early and was dragged by Cheng Yu to visit several major tourist attractions. The two of them were little sisters when they were in the countryside, and at this time they were even more sticky and inseparable.
Wang Ying had been worried about whether Mai Miao would have trouble adapting, but now seeing Cheng Yu, she knew she was overthinking it. With Cheng Yu's personality, he would definitely help Mai Miao adapt quickly.
The family packed up their things. There was a shower at home. Although it was not very warm, the radiator was warm because the building was centrally heated. Wang Ying quickly gave her daughter a bath. The family cleaned up and went to eat roast duck in the evening.
Taotao likes this kind of roast duck very much. The roast duck made by her father is also delicious, but the roast duck in this restaurant is different and delicious.
Taotao fell in love with the gluten pancake wrapped with duck skin and dipped in sauce, shredded green onions and cucumber.
The duck bones are used to make a soup, and then the pea sprouts are stir-fried with duck fat. It is refreshing.
The Kung Pao Chicken at Xiaolizhikou tastes pretty good, with crispy peanuts and tender chicken.
Xu Shuang praised the salted duck liver as soft, tender and fragrant.
Finally, have a dessert of pea yellow, which is icy and you can taste the rich and refreshing bean aroma with just one sip.
…
Mai Miao has just been in college for a week. He came to the capital and saw a different world. He has become much more generous and cheerful recently.
Taotao sat among the crowd, being fed from time to time. She swung her little feet and was extremely happy.
Cheng Yu raised the glass filled with juice: "Let's clink glasses!"
She was worried before that Sister Ying was unwilling to come to Beijing, but now it seems that Sister Ying plans to stay here to develop.
Cheng Yu was extremely happy: "I wish you all the best in your studies!"
Cheng Shufen looked at Cheng Yu with a smile in her eyes, and Lan Yue quietly held her hand under the table.
Wang Ying also smiled: "Cheers!"
A new era is about to begin!
Wang Ying’s studies are easy. She just needs to report on time and attend classes normally.
Xu Shuang's side had some twists and turns.
The reception unit that Chen Dong found for his apprentice was the famous Yang Family Cuisine restaurant.
But in the end, they were reluctant to give a definite answer.
Chen Dong's old friend was calm and composed: "They have so many closed-door disciples that they can't even allocate them all. You still want to squeeze your disciples in? Is it possible?"
Due to the special geographical location of the city, many old restaurants have been preserved. Although the dishes are limited, the reputation is still there.
As long as you can come to Beijing, those old brands are always full of people.
It can be said that their style has never been lowered, and they have no shortage of cooks at all.
Chen Dong sighed and went to ask his apprentice for his opinion: "You can still go to Yangjiacai, but you won't be a master chef if you go in. I'm afraid you will be excluded if you go in... Or the master will find another capable person to lead the way for you, and we won't go to Yangjiacai."
What Chen Dong least wants is to throw his apprentice into an environment full of intrigue, and he knows his own apprentice well.
Xu Shuang has talent, ability, and is willing to work hard, but she is not very good at dealing with people.
It’s not that he is always rude, it’s just that compared to his talent, his ability to deal with people is a bit behind.
A talented person, if he is not good at dealing with others, will easily fall into the situation of being envied by others. But Chen Dong was unwilling to force his apprentice to fight with others.
If a promising young man focuses all his attention on fighting for power and gain, how can he achieve anything great in the future
In this city, it's not just Yang's cuisine that's famous! There are many dragons swimming in the shallows, pearls mixed with fish eyes.
Xu Shuang thought about it and agreed with his master: "I won't go to Yang's restaurant, but I won't worship him either."
The profession of chef has some old rules. When Xu Shuang became an apprentice, she was taught by her mother that she should take care of Chen Dong until his death. Master, Master, then he is half a father.
Chen Dong's heart softened. His disciple was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and he was also a very honest person. It was inevitable that he would suffer a loss.
"Just wait. Even if you want to be someone's apprentice, they may not want you! I'll take you over to let them take a look. If they like you, you can call me master."
Chen Dong made up his mind and took Xu Shuang to visit the old chef who lived in Minxiang.
As soon as you enter a dilapidated courtyard, you will see four families living in a crooked arrangement. The courtyards had been built up in layers a long time ago, and you had to walk around in the alley before you found the right place.
A skinny old man was lying in a rocking chair with a big bowl of tea at his hand, drinking tea happily and listening to the radio.
Chen Dong put down the gift in his hand and said, "Oh, the old man is interested. What is he listening to? Ma Sanli?"
The old man's surname was Qiu. He was delighted when he saw that it was Chen Dong. "It's you. Didn't you suffer in the past few years? Why are you still so fat?"
Seriously speaking, Chen Dong has become much thinner than before in the past two years under the care of doctor Wang Ying.
But Old Man Qiu didn't give him any face: "It's okay if you're a little fatter, I'm used to it. If you really lose weight, I won't be used to it."
Chen Dong didn't care at all: "That's not the case. In order for you to recognize me, I didn't dare to lose weight in the past few years! Look, this is the best dried shrimps for you, and this, I don't know if you have tried it, curry! We bought it from the Friendship Store. Foreign goods!"
Old man Qiu looked down on seafood, but this curry attracted him.
The old man rubbed his hands around the little things and said, "This is quite interesting. What? Are you craving for it? Bring it to me and I'll cook you a meal."
The two families were old acquaintances. Old man Qiu had a strange temper. Although he was good at cooking, he was unwilling to work in a restaurant or be a private chef for anyone. Chen Dong was young at that time, and the only thing he loved was eating.
Every time he got something good, he would come to find Old Man Qiu and ask him to cook him a good meal.
It can be said that Old Man Qiu was the enlightenment of Chen Dong’s culinary career.
But Old Man Qiu would never admit it.
Chen Dong pushed Xu Shuang forward and said, "How can that be possible? I came all the way here, I definitely can't let you cook for me. This is my apprentice, can I ask him to show you his cooking skills?"
The words were spoken implicitly. Old man Qiu's cloudy eyes swept over Chen Dong and Xu Shuang and instantly understood the meaning.
Old man Qiu threw the thing away and said, "You are such a jerk, you are here to plot against me? Take it away, take it away. I don't want this broken thing of yours. You are ordering me around for this little thing. I won't do it!"
Chen Dong wiped his face and said, "Master Qiu, this is my apprentice. Even if you want him, I have no intention of giving him to you. I just want my apprentice to learn some skills from you. Please understand me. I am old now. If I could bring him out, I would definitely bring him out myself, right? My apprentice is talented. If you don't believe me, just look at his skills. You will know why I brought him here!"
Chen Dong spoke sincerely. Old Man Qiu stared at Xu Shuang like a hawk. Seeing that Xu Shuang remained steady and motionless, he neither talked too much nor tried to curry favor with her. He pondered for a moment and said, "Use this curry to make a dish for me. There are also ham, oil and gluten in the kitchen, as well as other dishes. You can make it yourself. Your master said you have the ability, so I want to see how capable you are."
Xu Shuang responded and went into the kitchen carrying a bag of things.
Chen Dong found a small stool, curled himself up on it, and wasted his time with old man Qiu.
Old man Qiu is a man of few words, but Chen Dong can talk a lot. As he was talking, the aroma from the kitchen came out.
Old Man Qiu said meaningfully: "You are lucky, kid."
With such a lousy skill, he was able to find such a decent apprentice.
Chen Dong smiled like a Maitreya Buddha: "Right, my mother told me when I was a child that I was destined to have a good life."
Old man Qiu paused for a moment while holding the tea, and took out a thumb-sized gold bean from his pocket: "This is back to you."
When Chen Dong was still a young man, his parents died suddenly, leaving him alone with the family business. The last time Old Man Qiu cooked for Chen Dong was decades ago. Chen Dong knocked on the door in the middle of the night with a frozen pig's trotter. He waited by the stove for most of the night, and finally ate the pig's trotter while crying. He never came again.
It was during the most difficult period that Old Man Qiu received the golden beans sent by him.
Chen Dong was shocked: "Why haven't you spent it yet? This thing is not worth much now. It used to be worth a hundred dollars, but now it's only worth about two hundred. You can keep it."
Gold is always more valuable when things are chaotic, but in recent years when things are peaceful, the value of gold has become average.
Old man Qiu got stubborn and threw the golden beans into his arms: "Who needs this thing you gave me? I'm not short of money!"
Old man Qiu has good skills. When he can't make ends meet, he goes out to sell his skills. When he saves some money, he goes home to lie down. It's not bad if he can work for one third of the year.
Before Chen Dong could say anything, Old Man Qiu asked him to go in and serve the dishes: "I smell it's good."
Chen Dong went in happily to serve the dishes.
Xu Shuang made two dishes and a soup. Wang Ying had told Xu Shuang about the curry. Before Chen Dong brought the curry as a gift, Xu Shuang had made it according to Wang Ying's instructions. Although the taste was not very familiar to her, it was not bad either. It could only be said to have a unique flavor.
Xu Shuang made a curry chicken rice and also made eight-treasure fried gluten.
The dish of Eight Treasure Gluten is all about the rich colors. Scallops, ham, mushrooms, dried shrimps, bamboo shoots, chicken breasts and dried tofu are finely chopped and mixed into a meat filling. Then the fried gluten is opened and the eight-treasure meat filling is put in. A spoonful of chicken soup is added and the dish is steamed. Finally, a thin starch is added and a spoonful of lard is added.
The fried gluten is steamed, the skin is full of juice, the taste is tender and smooth, and the filling inside is just right, salty and fresh. When you bite into the eight-treasure filling, you can taste the chewy meat ball.
With this recipe, soup is made easy.
Xu Shuang saw that the ham in the kitchen was of good quality, so she simply made a cabbage stew with ham.
Very little seasoning is added, and the flavor of the ham itself is the only thing that makes the dish so delicious.
Old man Qiu took a few bites and looked surprised.
It is not difficult to make this eight-treasure noodle gluten well. Although the process is complicated, it is not difficult to find the trick of this kind of Kung Fu dish. What is surprising is the soup that Xu Shuang chose. When most people see ham and winter bamboo shoots, their first reaction is pickled pork with preserved vegetables. First, it is not easy to make mistakes, and second, it is also a very classic dish, which also requires Kung Fu.
However, Xu Shuang did not choose pickled pork with preserved vegetables, but directly stewed the cabbage.
The simpler the dish, the more difficult it is for a professional chef to prepare.
This soup was so delicious that it completely surprised Mr. Qiu.
As for the curry chicken rice, Old Man Qiu took a bite and muttered, "What the hell is this foreign thing? Why is it so heavily spiced?"
Xu Shuang, who had been silent, spoke up: "Because it is a traditional food from southern countries, where it is hot and heavily spiced."
Old Man Qiu: "From what you said, you have read a lot of books?"
Xu Shuang: "No, my wife said so."
Old man Qiu was so angry at the young man: "Old man, don't always talk about your wife..."
Old man Qiu is a native Beijinger, and he is particular about the atmosphere. He thinks that Chen Dong's apprentice is good in every way, but he is a little bit clingy.
But after eating a big bowl of rice, Old Man Qiu burped and said, "Okay, come every morning on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from now on. Remember not to come too early, just come after nine o'clock."
"Don't worry about calling me Master, just call me Master."
Chen Dong froze at the side.
Xu Shuang, however, had already shouted directly: "Master!"
Chen Dong: "Master, I, I, I, I..."
Old Man Qiu waved his hand impatiently: "Take your apprentice away quickly! I can't take you out with me anymore. Your apprentice's bright future will be delayed."
Old man Qiu kicked Chen Dong and Xu Shuang out.
Chen Dong was still in a daze. Old Man Qiu accepted him as his apprentice? !
Xu Shuang: "Master, I didn't betray my master or ancestors, but what about you?"
Chen Dong also has a master.
Chen Dong murmured to himself, "Don't worry about this. My master is long gone. Besides, I am just a nominal disciple."
The relationship he has with his fellow disciples is deeper than that with his previous master, so there is nothing wrong with finding another master.
In this way, Xu Shuang's life became stable.
Chen Dong found a job for Xu Shuang as a chef in a lesser-known state-owned restaurant, and then he would go to Old Man Qiu for advice every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Old man Qiu is indeed talented and he is not shy about his ideas. In just one month, Xu Shuang already feels that he has a lot of ideas.
As for Wang Ying, she has been studying hard since she reported. Because the school starts in early spring this year, many universities have arranged military training in the summer vacation.
As a result, Wang Ying did not have to immediately go through a month of hard military training.
She reported to the school. There were eight people living in one dormitory. Wang Ying took her bedding and spread it out. She could go home to study, but there was no need to return to the school's bed. Occasionally, she could also take a nap here.
The girls in Wang Ying's dormitory came from all over the country, some as far north as Heilongjiang and some as far south as Hainan Island. There were also a few educated youth who had returned from the Northwest, and of course there were locals as well.
Although they were not from the same place, the eight of them got along well with each other. They all worked hard to get into university, and the girls were busy spending all their time on studying.
The eight girls introduced themselves to each other. Wang Ying did not hide the fact that she was married and had children.
"I have a daughter, my husband is also working in Beijing, and my mother-in-law lives with us."
Immediately, one of my roommates exclaimed, “You already have a daughter? I can’t tell!”
Wang Ying looked to be in her early twenties, with fair and delicate skin, and she was pretty and knew how to dress herself up. If it wasn't for the fact that school had just started and they didn't know each other well, I'm afraid a classmate would have pursued her in the next few days.
Wang Ying did not shy away from the fact: "I got married very early and have been married for nine years."
Once again, there was a burst of exclamations.
The roommates started discussing it.
"You are a rare case in our class. There are only a few students in our class who brought their children to Beijing to study together. You and Luo Xiaorou from the next dormitory."
"That's right. I want to bring my child to Beijing, but there is no quota for the child, and I don't know how to get into school..."
Wang Ying is not the only one with a child in the dormitory. Another mother with a child also felt reluctant to leave.
After a few people finished chatting, the class schedule for the new semester was received.
Wang Ying checked her get out of class schedule and knew she had no class tonight, so she planned to go home.
As soon as she walked out of the teaching building, she saw Xu Shuang waiting for her outside.
Xu Shuang's appearance was excellent. Today he was wearing a plaid shirt that Wang Ying bought for him, with a thick leather jacket on the outside. He looked relaxed and casual, with a bit of unruliness.
Before Wang Ying got close, she heard some young girls whispering.
"So handsome, I wonder if he is from our college."
"Isn't he from your class?"
"No, it looks like he's studying pharmacy or anatomy?"
…
The corners of Wang Ying's mouth curled up. When Xu Shuang saw Wang Ying coming out, she looked at her expectantly.
Wang Ying walked quickly to him and asked in a low voice, "Are you here to pick me up?"
Xu Shuang nodded and wrapped Wang Ying's scarf around her: "Yes."
Wang Ying was happy, but she acted coquettishly: "Come and pick me up, why are you standing here in the cold?"
Xu Shuang had her own little plan in mind. How could she let others see the two of them standing together without enduring the cold
The girls who were discussing Xu Shuang in the back were a little surprised. The school had just started, so how could things move so fast
Take another look at Wang Ying and Xu Shuang, standing together, they are a perfect match.
Well, now we have given up the idea and gathered together to discuss where these two people came from.
Wang Ying and Xu Shuang walked home hand in hand, talking about family matters.
"Mom said Taotao should go to kindergarten. I'll ask Master if Taotao can find a connection to attend the affiliated kindergarten here."
"Cheng Yu called my office today and said he would come to see you this weekend and take you and Taotao to the Forbidden City."
"Taotao said she wanted to eat Roujiamo, so I bought some meat. We'll have Roujiamo and cold noodles tonight."
Wang Ying: "Then we need to buy some more Arctic Ocean."
Jiamo, Liangpi and Beibingyang. In her previous life, Wang Ying was too busy to eat, so she loved to eat these three items.
Xu Shuang: "Let's buy three bottles. If we buy by the box, Taotao will definitely keep drinking. It's better to drink less of this kind of beverage."
Wang Ying thought about it and agreed. Although Taotao looked like Xu Shuang, she also took after her in eating habits.
My favorite thing now is Fat House Happy Water.
Wang Ying was afraid that she would not grow taller if she drank too much, so she naturally did not dare to put too much in the house.
The meat I bought was braised, chopped up with some skin, and green peppers were cut in. The dry biscuits that were dry-fried in the pan were cut into pieces and the meat filling was added. A bowl of red oil cold noodles was also had, and a sip of Arctic Ocean was drunk.
Tao Tao learned a classic sitting posture without any instruction, and acted like an adult: "Comfortable!"
Old Lady Xu was so amused by her granddaughter's laughter that she picked up some meat and stuffed it into her mouth: "You are learning to talk again!"
Children of this age always learn from adults. They follow whatever the adults say without fully understanding what they learn.
I learned this comfort level from an old man who lives downstairs.
Wang Ying: "You will only feel comfortable for a while. You have to go to school soon."
Taotao blinked her big eyes, disagreeing in her heart.
She is not afraid of going to school!
Wang Ying was a little worried that she wouldn't be able to adapt.
Xu Shuang, as a father, was also worried.
Only Old Lady Xu saw the essence of the situation and rolled her eyes: "You really underestimate your daughter."
If you can become the boss in the nursery in just a few days, it’s just a matter of time here.
Chen Dong has always been thinking about Taotao going to school. Now Taotao is about to turn four, so it is just right for her to continue to attend the kindergarten here. The kindergarten affiliated to Wang Ying University has not been able to recruit enough people in recent years because of the lack of teaching staff. For someone like Wang Ying who is studying at university and whose husband has a stable job, the kindergarten accepted Taotao without any additional conditions.
The only difficulty is that the child is a transfer student.
Xu Shuang was so worried that Juexin had to pick up and drop off her daughter for a week.
"What if someone beats Taotao? Or what if someone looks down on us Taotao and thinks we are from the countryside?"
Wang Ying was a little worried by what Xu Shuang said: "Let's do it separately. You drop her off in the morning and I'll pick her up in the evening. I only have one evening class this semester, and it's on Thursday. If I run faster on Thursday, I should be able to make it in time."
The new parents discuss how to pick up and drop off their children.
Tao Tao was totally unaware and confused: "Why are they laughing at me for coming from the countryside?"
Taotao thinks that the countryside is so good. When she was in the city, her parents would tell her not to play outside all the time. She couldn't do this or that. But in the village, she can go anywhere! She can climb trees, catch rabbits, and go to the pigpen to see the pigs.
Taotao thought about it again and again, and finally came to a conclusion.
"Oh, they don't know how wonderful the countryside is. I will introduce it to them tomorrow!"