Chapter 51
If you asked Pei Yunle: What is your New Year’s wish?
She would definitely answer: Press the button to destroy the world.
New Year’s is generally a time for family reunions and New Year’s Eve dinner. Pei Yunle was no exception, especially since she hadn’t been back all year. Although Lin Zilan was a bit strict with her, she was generally not bad to her, so Pei Yunle agreed to her mother’s request: come home for dinner.
Lin Zilan added another line below—Bring your girlfriend back too.
Pei Yunle had been stressed by Lin Zilan’s commands since she was a child, to the point where she would shiver at the tone of her voice.
So Pei Yunle was anxious, so anxious that two or three pimples popped up on her temples. She firmly denied that it was from eating fried chicken with Chen Qingtang in Pingshun every day.
Otherwise, why didn’t Chen Qingtang get them?
Pei Yunle touched the few pimples on her temples and whined at Chen Qingtang, “Please go, please go. Please be merciful and let my mom see you.”
Chen Qingtang was actually a little afraid of this kind of meeting with the parents, but looking at the pimples on Pei Yunle’s forehead, she still nodded with difficulty.
Two days before the New Year, the two of them squeezed into a crowded supermarket. The music overhead was playing in 360-degree surround sound. Pei Yunle’s mind was full of “Congratulations on getting rich.”
Chen Qingtang picked up a box of biscuits and asked her if she wanted to buy some snacks.
Pei Yunle picked up a bag of Lay’s potato chips from the shelf and chose a Sichuan spicy chicken flavor. “My mom doesn’t like snacks, but I like the brand of biscuits in your hand.”
So Chen Qingtang put two boxes of biscuits into the shopping cart.
Passing by the food and health care section, Chen Qingtang’s nerves immediately tensed. She picked up a box of melatonin and asked Pei Yunle, “We have to buy this, right?”
“Melatonin? Is this really useful? I’ve always thought that health products are for cheating old people and children.”
Pei Yunle took out a bag of black imported oatmeal from some shelf. “This is not bad with milk for breakfast. It also has dried nuts and dried fruits.”
Chen Qingtang looked at the dark oatmeal with hesitation. Did Pei’s mother really like to eat this kind of thing?
She didn’t know, so she could only throw two bags of oatmeal into the shopping cart.
Pushing the small cart to the beverage section, Chen Qingtang felt that adults didn’t like to drink beverages much, so she picked up a bottle of red wine that was not cheap for her and asked Pei Yunle, “Does your aunt drink this kind of wine?”
Pei Yunle took two rows of Want Want milk from the shelf and also took two cartons of Jinwei.
“Why are you buying red wine? We can exchange the receipt for a bottle of red wine when we go out later.”
Chen Qingtang frowned and looked at the things in the shopping cart. It seemed that they were all things Pei Yunle liked to eat. Was she shopping for her aunt or for Pei Yunle?
Pei Yunle went to buy a few jin of oranges and mangoes, and a few bags of toast, and filled the small shopping cart.
Chen Qingtang picked up a bag of Want Want milk candy and threw it at Pei Yunle.
Would her aunt like to eat this kind of thing?!
She put away her phone, didn’t even want the shopping cart anymore, and walked out of the supermarket with her arms crossed.
Pei Yunle held the handle of the shopping cart, watching Chen Qingtang’s back, which was almost puffed up into a round pufferfish.
She checked out as quickly as possible, stuffed the receipt in, and carried two large bags of things to a small car on the side of the road.
This car was a second-hand car, and the two of them had bought it together. Their ideas were surprisingly consistent: it was just a means of transportation, why buy such an expensive one?
After all, Chen Qingtang’s small three-wheeler was also second-hand, and there were no safety hazards when driving it.
As soon as she got into the car, she saw that Chen Qingtang was still turning her head away.
Pei Yunle shook her fingers, which were whitened by the plastic bag. “Are you angry again? Is it hydrogen or oxygen this time?”
Chen Qingtang looked out the window, wishing that she was producing poison gas to kill her now.
Pei Yunle got out of the car again, took another large bag from the trunk, and carried it to the driver’s seat. She opened the bag and showed the contents.
It was the health products, red wine, white wine, and various snacks and fruits that she hadn’t bought just now.
“There are still a lot in the trunk, but it’s not convenient to bring them over. You’ll see them when we get to my house. They’re all my mom’s favorites. We’ll take them in together then.”
Chen Qingtang’s crossed arms loosened a little. She saw Pei Yunle take out a bag of potato chips and feed it to her mouth.
She naturally opened her mouth and took the piece of potato chip into her mouth. She chewed it a few times and swallowed the immature anger from just now.
…
Anyang hadn’t changed much in the past two years, at least not for Pei Yunle. It was still the same trees, the same tall buildings. One more or one less made no difference.
Pei Yunle was still a little scared as a new driver. She drove slowly. Chen Qingtang had almost slept twice. It took her a whole afternoon to get to Anyang.
When they entered the door, Lin Zilan was also at home, but Pei Yunle didn’t know where she was, so she had to raise her voice and shout at the ceiling.
Chen Qingtang was wearing a lot of clothes, a sweater and a down jacket, but her palms were still sweating a little. She changed into slippers and sat on the very edge of the sofa.
Lin Zilan came out of the kitchen with an apron on. She had casually tied up her hair with a clip, was wearing simple and slim-fitting clothes, and had light makeup on. Her whole person was not as aggressive as usual, and she looked very casual and kind.
Seeing this, Chen Qingtang immediately sprang up as if she had a spring under her feet.
Lin Zilan wiped the water from her hands. “It must be a little tiring to come by car. Sit for a while. There are still a few more dishes.”
Chen Qingtang couldn’t speak, and she felt that it was very rude not to greet her, so she had to bow to Lin Zilan.
Lin Zilan smiled, and two nasolabial folds appeared next to the corners of her lips. She waved at Chen Qingtang. “Qingtang, come and see if today’s dishes suit your taste.”
Pei Yunle put her arm around Chen Qingtang’s shoulder and used a little force to push her into the kitchen. “My mom’s cooking is very delicious. After all, she started her business by secretly learning from other chefs.”
“Do you think you can learn just by watching a few times?” Lin Zilan walked in front. “If it were that simple, your cooking skills wouldn’t be so bad.”
Pei Yunle made a gesture to shut up and then retreated by herself, leaving only the two of them in the kitchen.
There were only the three of them for New Year’s Eve dinner. Lin Zilan was not a person who pursued a sense of ceremony. She had made a total of six dishes. After all, no one would eat after Pei Yunle left.
Lin Zilan pointed at the food that was being fried in the pot. “This is an eggplant box. I’ll fry some small crispy meat later.”
She used her chopsticks to turn the eggplant box in the pot from time to time. “Pei Yunle likes to eat meat very much. Maybe it’s because I didn’t eat much when I was pregnant. When she was a child, she would refuse to eat if there was no meat in a meal.”
“When she was in elementary school, she especially liked to eat potatoes. Whether they were fried, boiled, or stir-fried, as long as it was potatoes, she would eat them. At that time, her classmates called her the Potato Princess.”
Chen Qingtang couldn’t help but laugh. So Pei Yunle had such a nickname.
“Generally, New Year’s Eve dinner is all big fish and big meat. But I heard that you like to eat vegetables, so I bought some extra garlic scapes, cauliflower, and peas. I don’t know if you like to eat these?”
Chen Qingtang nodded. She was almost not a picky eater and had no preference for dishes. Generally, she would eat whatever Pei Yunle ate.
“Pei Yunle can’t cook. No matter how you teach her, she can’t learn. She just doesn’t put her heart into it. Do you usually cook when you’re with her?”
Chen Qingtang waved her hand and typed on her phone to tell Lin Zilan that she and Pei Yunle actually took turns, although Pei Yunle’s cooking was indeed not very good.
“I see. Anyway, don’t spoil her too much. The more you spoil her, the more her tail will stick up to the sky.”
Lin Zilan took out the fried eggplant box and then put the coated crispy meat in to fry. A golden layer floated on the surface of the oil, and the range hood was making a noise overhead.
“What kind of shrimp do you want to eat later? Stir-fried or boiled?”
Chen Qingtang thought for a moment. Stir-fried was too oily, and her hands would be covered in red oil when she peeled them. She chose boiled.
Lin Zilan finished frying the crispy meat, took it out, and put it aside. Then she filled the pot with water and put the green shrimp in to boil. The shrimp cooked very quickly. They could be taken out almost as soon as they turned red. Chen Qingtang took another large bowl to get cold water and put the shrimp in to soak.
Lin Zilan smiled and said thank you.
She was already very familiar with Chen Qingtang and didn’t want to ask any extra nonsense. She just wanted to spend some simple time with her.
…
Anyang could not set off fireworks. This year seemed a little deserted. The only lively thing was the Spring Festival Gala on television.
Lin Zilan gave each of them a bulging red envelope.
Pei Yunle hadn’t opened hers yet. She just held the two red envelopes up to compare their thickness. Hers was obviously half as thick as Chen Qingtang’s.
“Wow, why did you give me so little?”
Lin Zilan glanced at her and put a shrimp in her bowl. “Is it the same? Don’t make a fuss.”
“Mom, this is called favoritism.”
Lin Zilan put two more large shrimps in Chen Qingtang’s bowl. “Of course the red envelope for my new daughter has to be bigger. It’s good enough that I gave you one.”
Chen Qingtang lowered her head to poke the shrimp head, her earlobes slightly red.
Pei Yunle took the shrimp from Chen Qingtang’s bowl and peeled it. After removing the shrimp line and dipping it in vinegar, she put it back in her bowl.
Chen Qingtang also peeled a shrimp for Lin Zilan. She didn’t refuse and accepted it with a smile.
“The one soaked in cold water is indeed crispier. You should learn from her with your bad cooking skills.”
Pei Yunle snorted. She had already made great progress. At least she no longer fried eggs all over the pot, and she no longer stir-fried salty minced meat and eggplant. At least Chen Qingtang could eat it without changing her expression and give her a slightly trembling thumbs-up.
“The stores outside will be open in a few days. I’ll take you out to play. I heard that a few movies have a high box office. They should be pretty good.”
Pei Yunle stuffed a mouthful of shredded potatoes into her mouth. “Are you paying for it?”
“I’m treating Qingtang. You can pay for yourself.”
“Isn’t this favoritism?”
“So what? Can’t you eat less shredded potatoes? If you eat them all, what will she eat, Potato Princess?”
Hearing this nickname, Chen Qingtang smiled and drank half a cup of coconut milk.
Pei Yunle put down her chopsticks. “I told you not to call me that.”
“Don’t mind me.”
…
After finishing the meal, Lin Zilan wanted to continue watching the Spring Festival Gala.
Pei Yunle took out a few sparklers from the trunk. Jimao ran out of the house and circled around the two of them, her tail wagging non-stop.
“Although we can’t set off fireworks, no one will know if we secretly set off a few sparklers in the courtyard.” Pei Yunle said in a low voice and handed half of the sparklers in her hand to Chen Qingtang.
“My mom is actually okay, right? Not that scary, right?”
Chen Qingtang smiled and nodded, although she was still a little scared.
“We’ll celebrate the New Year here this year. Next year, we’ll be at Grandma’s place. We’ll just bring my mom along.”
Chen Qingtang lit the sparkler, and a few crackling stars flashed in the dimness. The warm yellow light shone on each other’s faces, and you could even see the red tip of Pei Yunle’s nose from the cold.
Pei Yunle covered Chen Qingtang’s hand, and they drew a heart in the air together. Then she looked at her watch and, when the second hand pointed to the middle, she said.
“Chen Qingtang, Happy New Year!”
Chen Qingtang also said Happy New Year to her.
“Do you have a New Year’s wish?” Pei Yunle looked at her. The light from the sparkler was reflected in her dark pupils.
Chen Qingtang lowered her head and thought seriously for a while. She used the half-burned stick to draw a few strokes in the dirt.
—Eat a lot of delicious bread.
After a long time, she asked Pei Yunle for her New Year’s wish.
Pei Yunle also lowered her head and thought for a while. Actually, she had already thought of it, but she still had to pretend.
She also picked up the half-burned stick and wrote under Chen Qingtang’s New Year’s wish.
—Buy a lot of delicious bread for Chen Qingtang.
Chen Qingtang laughed until tears came out. Then she added a second one under her New Year’s wish: Make various potato dishes for the Potato Princess.
Pei Yunle had to put a check mark on her New Year’s wish and added a note: The Potato Princess approves.
The Kindhearted Girl Gets a Wife – End
