As the vegetable seedlings grew bigger, Jiang Miao also got used to the life in the back hills of the Imperial College. Every morning, after sending his two children to the Children's Hall, he would follow other aunts who were sending their children to school and go to the kitchen of the canteen to get his share of vegetables.
After taking the vegetables back, washing and cutting them, and finishing all the preliminary work, I would go to tend to the vegetable garden, weeding, watering, etc., and occasionally get some wood ash to fertilize the soil.
The aunts were working happily, taking care of the sprouts very carefully, and they almost dug them up and put them in pots to take back home. Jiang Miao understood this feeling very well, not for the food, but for the sense of accomplishment that the food brought from germination to maturity. Labor has always been the most glorious.
On this day, Jiang Miao took the two children by the hand and sent them to the Children's Center as usual. Because they said they would be hungry in the morning, Jiang Miao made some snacks every day and wrapped them in oil paper and put them in their school bags, so that they could take them out and eat them when they had a break. Yesterday, he made brown sugar cakes, and today he made rice cakes. The textures and tastes of the two are different, but the only thing they have in common is that they are both delicious.
The two children stood at the door and reluctantly said goodbye to Jiang Miao. In fact, Xiao Shitou didn't have so many emotions at first, he was already used to going to school. But Pei Mu was like this every day, so he was also influenced. In fact, it was mainly because he was afraid that Jiang Miao would think Xiao Mu was more obedient.
Jiang Miao patiently said a few words to comfort them, patted their heads, and let them in. He was staring at the backs of the two people as they walked in, but he didn't notice that someone was also looking at him. Just as he was about to leave, suddenly a woman who looked to be in her thirties came over and stood in front of him.
"Hey...sister-in-law, is there anything I can do for you?" Jiang Miao finally said something. He almost blurted out the word "aunt" just now, which was so offensive!
"Brother Jiang, my husband's surname is Wang. I came to see you today to make a request." She looked a little embarrassed.
Jiang Miao had never dealt with her before, and for a moment he was a little nervous and curious, wondering what she wanted to ask him to do. Could it be that she also wanted to grow vegetables? If so, there was nothing wrong with that.
"Sister Wang, just tell me. If I can do it, I won't refuse." Jiang Miao stated the conditions first. He would definitely not agree to any unreasonable ones.
"It's like this. My son is a classmate of your two younger brothers. After he came home these few days, he often cried to me, saying that your brothers would often take out food to eat in their free time, which made him very greedy." Mrs. Wang was a little amused when she said this.
Jiang Miao was a little embarrassed. It turned out that the snacks he made made the children greedy. Could it be that his sister-in-law wanted him to stop making snacks in the future? If so, he probably couldn't agree to this. At most, he told Xiao Shitou and Mu'er to try to eat in places with fewer people in the future.
Realizing that Jiang Miao seemed to have misunderstood something, Wang's wife quickly explained: "After I heard about it, I also packed some cakes for him to take with him, but he was still unhappy and said that your brother's cakes looked better. So, I wanted to ask, which cake shop did you buy, so that I could buy some to satisfy my son's craving."
Mrs. Wang thought her child was too greedy, but she also felt a little distressed when she saw how unhappy he looked.
Jiang Miao breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "That's nothing, but I didn't buy the snacks when I went down the mountain, I made them myself."
This time it was Wang's turn to be embarrassed. She hesitated for a while, but when she thought about her children talking about the cakes every day, she couldn't help but ask, "Brother Jiang, can you sell me a few pieces of your cakes?"
After she finished speaking, she realized her own impertinence and quickly added, "I'm not treating you as a businessman, but my son is worried about you so much that I can't bear it. If Brother Jiang feels it's inappropriate, it's okay."
Jiang Miao smiled and said, "Sister Wang, your motherly love is really touching. How can I charge you for just a few cakes? We still have some at home. Wait here for a while and I'll pack a few for you."
Jiang Miao didn't wait for Wang's wife to refuse, and turned around and strode towards the yard. He came to the kitchen and opened the lid of the steamer, which contained the rice cakes he had steamed earlier. The rice cakes were cup-shaped, and a few wolfberries were dotted on the white rice cakes, just like a cluster of red lotus on the snowy mountain. Just from the appearance, they were very eye-catching. Take a bite, it's sweet and soft, and the rice noodles made from the new rice are full of rice fragrance. When you eat it, you feel like you are in a golden sea of rice, and your heart is filled with happiness.
He picked out a few pieces and wrapped them in oil paper. After thinking for a while, he wrapped the rest in a large piece of oil paper and took them out together for the aunts to taste.
Mrs. Wang stood there a little awkwardly, and was relieved to see Jiang Miao coming over. Jiang Miao handed her the small bag, then raised the big bag in his hand and said, "I've moved here for a long time, and I haven't treated everyone to a meal yet. Today I happened to cook more, so I'll make some food for you."
He said this, of course, to prevent Wang Saozi from giving him money. The aunts who were familiar with him were waiting for him, and when they saw him coming, they gathered around and happened to hear what he said.
"Brother Jiang, are you going to treat us to a meal today? We're in for a treat." Aunt Luo said with a smile.
"Aunt Luo, you feel you're in for a treat even before you even tasted it? Well, if it doesn't taste good later, you can't take it back." Jiang Miao made a joke, then opened the big bag in his hand and distributed the rice cakes to everyone, and gave the extra ones to other people who sent their children to school.
Everyone praised the soft and sweet rice cakes, saying they tasted better than those sold in shops outside. Unfortunately, the rice cakes were not too big, so they were eaten in just a few bites, and they were gone when we wanted to eat more.
Mrs. Wang looked at everyone's casual glances and hurriedly thanked them before running away. She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, the rice cake in her hand would be divided up by everyone.
Adults are naturally not as greedy as children. Although they feel a little regretful, they still do what they should do as usual.
The children in the school could not control their eyes, and they all stared at Xiao Shitou and Pei Mu. Because when the teacher went in to rest, they took out the rice cakes wrapped in their school bags and ate them with relish. The sweetness of their appearance made the children around them drool.
Those who can study here are naturally not poor. They also took out the snacks from their book bags and ate them bit by bit. Nowadays, many snacks are for everyone to slowly savor while drinking tea. Eating them dry is a bit choking and a bit greasy. Xiao Shitou and Pei Mu didn't notice their sad expressions at all, and they ate happily.
Pei Che had just taken out the rice cake when Han Qin and the others came over. Without anyone calling them, the three of them reached into the oil paper bag to take out the food and stuffed it into their mouths.
Pei Che sighed secretly and chewed faster, hoping to eat more later. However, everyone grew up together, so how could others not have the same idea as him
In a short while, the oil paper bag was empty.
Han Qin looked at Su Jin with hatred as he stuffed the last rice cake into his mouth, then turned to Pei Che and said, "Ah Che, ask Brother Jiang to make more tomorrow. This guy eats too much!"
Pei Che said unhappily, "You too. I've had enough today. If you eat any more, you won't have to eat lunch."
Han Qin felt aggrieved: "We are not like you. We have already taken care of lunch, so we can save some space. We are counting on eating more in the morning."
Pei Che was speechless: "Is the Essence Garden closed?"
"That's not the case, but you know that the food in the Essence Garden tastes just like that. It's even worse since we changed the chef last month." Han Qin complained, "When can we visit your house again?"
"Yes, Ache, we still remember the dishes we tasted last time." He Chen continued.
Su Jin looked at them and nodded, his eyes full of desire.
Pei Che said helplessly: "I'll go back and ask A Miao."
Han Qin really wanted to say that Pei Che was a "husband-dominated" person, and that he had to go back to discuss the matter before deciding to treat everyone to a meal, but before the food was even served, he decided to keep his mouth shut.
When he got home at noon, Pei Che went straight to the kitchen. He glanced around and felt a little disappointed. When he left in the morning, he saw that there were still a lot of steamers.
Jiang Miao asked, "Why, do you still want to eat?" When the two children came back, they had already looked for it.
"Well, how could I care so much about my appetite?" Pei Che pretended to be calm and said, "The reason I came into the kitchen is to ask you if you can treat Han Qin and the others to dinner tonight?"
Jiang Miao was frying food, and when he heard it, he said without turning his head: "Do you need to ask me? Just treat me if you want."
"That won't work. You're the one who cooked the meal, so it's up to you to decide whether to invite guests or not." Pei Che said disapprovingly.
Jiang Miao smiled. He liked this about Pei Che. Although he came from a noble family, he was respectful to others.
"Invite them over, I'll go get some food this afternoon. In the future, they can just bring their guests over whenever they want. Eating at Jingcui Garden all day is expensive." Jiang Miao thought of the gifts the three of them had given him last time. If he exchanged them for money, he could probably eat at Jingcui Garden for a while. It was nothing to accept a big gift from someone and treat them to a few meals.
Pei Che was very touched. He felt that Jiang Miao said this because he didn't want him to lose face in front of his friends.
Jiang Miao didn't know what he was thinking about, but a tall man standing in the kitchen really affected his performance. So he immediately drove him away: "Okay, stop standing here. Bring out the cooked dishes, and the other dishes will be ready soon."
Pei Che was ordered to work, and there was no longer a trace of reluctance on his face, but a look of willingness.
Jiang Miao quickly stir-fried the dishes in the pot. He caught a glimpse of Pei Che's expression from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but smile. This young man with mysophobia was finally brought down to earth by him. I wonder if other people would be shocked when they saw this scene
(End of this chapter)