Ding Sha happily came to him with a small account book, and even put the open book in front of him and pointed at the number and said, "Ajun! Look! We made a lot of money!"
“More than we originally estimated!”
Xiao Jun glanced at the net profit, then looked at her little face which was red with excitement, and suddenly the anger that had been pent up in his heart dissipated.
It doesn’t matter if you dislike her, as long as she is happy.
At worst... I can just try harder to be nicer to her, so that no one else can compare to her.
Xiao Jun supported her, "Shasha is amazing! We made so much money!"
Ding Sha put the notebook under his arm and started counting on his fingers.
"Well, it's not that much actually. We're going to buy you a car, some clothes, and some furniture and appliances for the house..."
"Autumn and winter are coming soon, and I'll need to buy a lot of thick quilts and clothes..."
As he spoke, Ding Sha sighed, "Money is really hard to spend..."
Xiao Jun pursed his lips and said, "I will earn it."
Ding Sha saw the look in his eyes and knew that he was a little sad. He touched his face and said, "I know. I believe you. We are getting better and better now, and we can save money."
Xiao Jun nodded, but was thinking about how to make more money.
Ding Sha felt heavier and heavier, and became sleepy, often waking up around noon.
Mrs. Tong worked as a waitress in the lobby. Occasionally, when she was not busy, she would wash dishes. She was used to doing this and was very neat and efficient.
Aunt Zhuang helped prepare the dishes in the kitchen in advance, and then went to the cashier to settle the bill. Xiao Jun observed her and found that she was very fast at calculating and rarely made mistakes.
"Young boss, I have something to tell you," Mrs. Zhuang said hesitantly while washing vegetables.
Xiao Jun was cutting potatoes nearby. Hearing this, he glanced at her and said, "Go ahead."
"It's almost autumn, and the boss's wife is pregnant. It's time to buy her some thick clothes to change into," Aunt Zhuang had wanted to say it for a long time but had never dared to.
"Besides, pregnant women become more and more uncomfortable in the later stages of pregnancy, so many things need to be prepared in advance, such as cushions, pillows, etc."
When Xiao Jun heard that she was talking about Ding Sha's problem, he put down the work in his hands and listened to her carefully, "Please write me a list of what to buy. I will go buy it when I am free in the afternoon."
Aunt Zhuang then smiled with relief, "Okay, okay, I'll write it to you when I'm done."
Seeing that Xiao Jun was not as fierce as he looked, she became bolder and dared to chat with him. "I think the boss lady is about five or six months pregnant, right?"
"It's almost six months," Xiao Jun's expression softened unconsciously. Neither he nor Ding Sha had such an experienced female elder around them, and he had always been a little worried.
Now someone is willing to talk to him more, and he is willing to listen.
"That lady boss is too thin," Aunt Zhuang frowned, "Did she vomit a lot?"
"I vomited everything I ate a few days ago, and I just loved eating sour plums," Xiao Jun was also worried.
Later, he didn't dare to let Ding Sha sit in the shop and smell the fumes, so he moved the recliner to the door for her to rest. "It's better now, but she still eats less. She says she's full after just two bites."
"Like sour food? Then it might be a boy." Aunt Zhuang said, "But there is really no way to deal with morning sickness. We should cook more for her. Let her eat as much as she can. It's good for her health and the baby."
Xiao Jun nodded and thought about what to do.
Aunt Zhuang said, "By the way, I heard someone delivering milk outside yesterday. Little boss, have you ordered milk for the boss lady?"
Xiao Jun shook his head. "I always buy boxed milk for Shasha."
Aunt Zhuang shook her head and said, "That won't work. You should drink the milk that the farmer squeezes fresh every day. It's delicious and nutritious. When boiled, it has a layer of milk skin on the surface, which is fragrant and sweet."
Xiao Jun wrote it down and said, "I'll go ask and order it for Shasha later."
Aunt Zhuang happily shook off the dishes in her hands and said, "That's right, if you drink more milk, your baby will grow fair, pretty and taller!"
Xiao Jun couldn't help but imagine what the baby looked like. He didn't know what he thought of, but he smiled slightly.
Aunt Zhuang added, "But you two are both handsome, and this little kid must be even more handsome."
Sister Tong lifted the door curtain and said, "Stir-fry some shredded pork with fish flavor and get a bowl of rice."
"Okay." Xiao Jun skillfully picked up the ingredients he needed from the plate, shredded pork, shredded wood ear mushrooms, shredded green peppers and shredded carrots, and then added some shredded green bamboo shoots.
The shredded pork is marinated with salt, starch, light soy sauce and cooking wine, and then a fish-flavored sauce is prepared without any fish.
Heat the pan with cold oil and stir-fry the shredded pork until it turns white, then remove from the pan. Use the base oil to sauté the scallions, ginger, and garlic. Then pour in the bean paste and stir-fry until the oil turns red. After the vegetables are cooked, add the shredded pork, pour in the fish sauce and stir-fry for a few times.
A sweet and spicy fish-flavored shredded pork is ready.
Aunt Zhuang got a bowl of rice and came out with the dishes. There was only one customer in the shop, who looked like a half-grown child, his clothes were all worn white.
He sat in his seat somewhat nervously; Shredded Pork with Fish Flavor was the cheapest item on the menu of this restaurant.
He had heard Wang Dong say many times that the food here was delicious, and he also wanted to try it.
Aunt Zhuang placed the rice and vegetables in front of him and said, "The dishes are ready."
He was startled. “Thank…thank you.”
Aunt Zhuang likes children. Hearing this, she touched his head and said, "Eat it while it's hot. There is free egg soup in the store. If you feel thirsty, you can help yourself."
He pointed to a tin bucket on the side.
The boy's eyes lit up. The portions were large, so he would definitely be full. There was also free soup...
He quickly said thank you, took out a pair of chopsticks and started eating.
It’s sweet and spicy and goes well with rice. The boy’s mouth is stuffed full of it and he can feel his mouth saliva secreting crazily while eating.
Mrs. Tong was afraid that he would choke, so she poured him a cup of warm water and a bowl of soup.
"What a sin! Such a small child," Aunt Zhuang did not go back to the kitchen. She stood at the door and whispered to Sister Tong, "Look how hungry he is. I don't know what the adults at home are doing!"
Mrs. Tong also nodded with concern.
In the end, the boy ate up all the rice and dishes, and even scraped the plate clean with the rice.
He drank three or four bowls of soup in a row before wiping his mouth shyly.
Aunt Zhuang saw him coming over to pay the bill and smiled gently, "Are you full?"
"I'm full." The boy nodded shyly, "How much is it in total?"
"Sixteen in total." said Aunt Zhuang.
"I ate two bowls of rice." The boy took out two crumpled ten-yuan bills from his trouser pocket, "It should be eighteen yuan."
Aunt Zhuang gave him four yuan. "We charge for rice by the head, not by the bowl. Two yuan per person."
Only then did the boy accept the money.
From then on, the boy came every three days. Aunt Zhuang became familiar with him and learned that his name was Si Le and he was a student at the city’s junior high school.
Si Le and Wang Dong are good friends. Wang Dong often feeds him in different ways because Si Le's family is poor.
His mother gave birth to him out of wedlock and drank every day after giving birth to him. Si Le often saw his mother drunk at home.
Not only does he have to take care of his mother, but he also has to support himself and his mother.
At such a young age, he not only has to balance his studies but also has to pick up bottles and do odd jobs to earn money.
He knew that learning could change his destiny, so he always studied very seriously and hard.
But he got hungry too quickly when he was growing up, and the daily food allowance he planned was not enough. He was often so hungry that he felt a burning sensation in his stomach.
Wang Dong told him that the food in this restaurant was delicious and affordable. Si Le had been holding back for a few days but couldn't bear it any longer. It didn't matter whether the food was delicious or not, as long as it was affordable and paid a lot, it was fine.
Aunt Zhuang wiped her tears after hearing this and even took out her own private money to give to him, but Si Le refused.
Aunt Zhuang couldn't help but tell Ding Sha and Xiao Jun about this incident. From that day on, Si Le's dish portions became larger, and sometimes there was some left over to be packed away.
Si Le knew that it was his boss who took care of him, and he was very grateful. He vowed in his heart that he would repay them.
The autumn wind swirled and brought down the withered yellow leaves. The weather seemed to have suddenly turned cold overnight. Ding Sha put on thick cashmere pants and a thick maternity dress, wrapping herself warmly and thickly.
When I was about to close the store after checking the accounts with Aunt Zhuang in the evening, I saw a black thing lying in the corner of the store entrance.
Ding Sha took a closer look and found that it was a child who had fainted!
Author's side note: I have always loved eating fish-flavored pork shreds since I was a child, and the kind without carrots hh