Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 338

Cheng Jinxiang poured the starch water into the oil and stirred it constantly. Many bubbles rose to the surface of the oil. When Cheng Jinxiang saw that the time was almost up, she waited for the oil temperature to rise a little higher before pouring the meat pieces back in for a second fry. This time, she fried them for a few dozen seconds and then quickly took them out. This method resulted in very crispy pork skin and an excellent taste.

After finishing these tasks, Cheng Jinxiang washed the pot and asked Zhao Da'e to wash the chili peppers, cabbage, and garlic. He then chopped them into sections and added some lard to the pot. This was a small spoonful, not as much as the previous batch. Once the oil was hot, Cheng Jinxiang poured all the chopped cabbage, chili peppers, and minced garlic into the pot and started stir-frying. The aroma was wonderful.

Halfway through frying, add the deep-fried meat chunks and stir-fry for about a minute until the flavor comes out. Cheng Jinxiang then scoops the dish out and puts it in a bowl.

This is braised pork slices. It smells delicious. Zhao Da'e couldn't resist picking up his chopsticks and secretly taking a bite. It's delicious, really delicious.

Cheng Jinxiang rarely makes this dish. It's a waste of meat and oil. Before her family was so well-off, Cheng Jinxiang only made this dish during festivals. Recently, Zhao Da'e started his business and their lives have improved a lot, so Cheng Jinxiang has been making this dish more often. Today, Zhao Tingming is coming, so Cheng Jinxiang made this dish to show her sincerity and to thank Zhao Tingming.

This big pot of braised pork slices was enough to eat, but Cheng Jinxiang still stir-fried a plate of green vegetables and boiled five eggs.

It was almost time, so Cheng Jinxiang told Zhao Dage to bring the dish to the table.

Wang Shi has been unwell lately and can't leave her room to get out of the wind. As soon as she leaves the room, she starts coughing uncontrollably. Cheng Jinxiao felt sorry for her and told Cheng Jinxiang that she would stay in the room to take care of Wang Shi and feed her.

Since Cheng Rongguo and Zhu Yufeng were not home, Cheng Jinxiang left them two small bowls of braised pork slices, which they could reheat when they wanted to eat.

In addition, Cheng Jinxiang also asked Zhao Da'e to go find her father, Zhao Tiesheng, early in the morning, since building the new house was also Zhao Tiesheng's business, and he should also contribute.

Since there were few people eating together, Cheng Jinxiang cooked relatively few dishes today, but she made a large pot of braised pork slices, afraid that it wouldn't be enough. After all, braised pork slices are delicious, so it's okay to make more. The weather is cold, and if we can't finish them, we can save them for tomorrow. They won't spoil anyway.

There were only four people eating at the table: Cheng Jinxiang, Zhao Tiesheng, Zhao Tingming, and Zhao D'e. Originally, Zhao D'e was supposed to sit at the children's table, but since there were fewer people eating, they simply sat together so it would be easier to share food. After all, it wasn't like Chinese New Year with so many people, so there was no need for so many formalities. It was just like a home-cooked meal, except that the food was a bit more plentiful today.

The stir-fried pork slices were seasoned with light soy sauce, and the resulting color looked extremely appetizing. Zhao Tingming couldn't resist picking up his chopsticks and taking a bite. The pork was crispy and crunchy, and Zhao Tingming couldn't help but take several more bites.

Seeing this, Cheng Jinxiang smiled and said, "Uncle, if you like it, eat more. I specially cooked a lot today."

Zhao Tingming laughed heartily, "Jinxiang, your cooking skills have improved. The dishes smell so good today that I could eat three bowls of rice."

While Zhao Tingming was saying these words, Zhao Da'e couldn't help but eat several more mouthfuls of rice. The taste of this braised pork slices was exactly the same as the taste of the stir-fried pork slices his mother had made in his previous life.

Zhao Tingming took out a small green booklet and handed it to Cheng Jinxiang. "Jinxiang, your building permit has been approved. You can start preparing to build your house when spring arrives."

With this building permit, building a new house is legal, and there's no need to worry about it being demolished.

The moment Cheng Jinxiang received the building permit, her eyes lit up, and she was filled with excitement. After waiting for so many days, the building permit had finally been approved. As long as the weather warmed up, she could start preparing to build the house.

No, she can start preparing now! She can start by clearing away the clutter!

Cheng Jinxiang wished she could go back and pack up right now, and even cut some wood to use as materials, but the weather was still cold recently, with light snow and icy ground, making it unsuitable for going up the mountain to cut wood. According to the calendar, it would start to warm up in about a week, so she could make full preparations for building the house first.

For example, buying materials and hiring workers can be taken care of first. Thinking of this, Cheng Jinxiang looked at Da'e, who said that she would handle these two matters. Although her daughter was only seven years old, she was capable of handling things. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to run this water-selling business, nor would she be able to sell these boxed meals on the train.

Seeing Cheng Jinxiang's happy expression after receiving the building certificate, Zhao Tingming felt a great sense of accomplishment. "Jinxiang, after the new house is built, you and Tiesheng can move in. You won't have to live at your parents' house anymore. You two should live a good life together and stop arguing so often. The most important thing is for the family to be harmonious. There's nothing a family can't do when they work together as a team."

Zhao Tingming also knew about Zhao Tiesheng and Cheng Jinxiang's relationship, and that they argued every few days. Moreover, Tiesheng had come to see him several times, hoping that he could persuade Cheng Jinxiang to return to the Zhao family.

Zhao Tingming is old and has experienced a lot. He knows that it is normal for couples to quarrel, but if they continue to quarrel, it will not be good for either of them. Besides, the most important thing for the young couple right now is to build a new house. If they keep arguing, how can they continue to build the new house?

It's not that Zhao Tingming is being long-winded; he's just an elder thinking of the younger generation, so he couldn't help but say a few words.

Cheng Jinxiang understood Zhao Tingming's meaning. She sighed and looked at Zhao Tiesheng with a complex mix of emotions: disappointment, frustration, and resentment.

“Uncle, do you think our family can work together as a team? To be honest, we originally had enough money to build a new house, and I wouldn’t have had to come to my parents’ house in such a sorry state. But Tiesheng isn’t on my side. I didn’t agree to leave the money with my mother-in-law in the first place, but Tiesheng insisted that it was fine. Now look what’s happened, the money has been lent out by my mother-in-law, and it’ll be hard to get it back. I told him to be firm and ask for the money back, but he’s so indecisive. He insists that his sister-in-law has some unspeakable difficulties and that we don’t need to make things so embarrassing. People like him aren’t on my side, how can we live a good life like this?”

Cheng Jinxiang's resentment towards Zhao Tiesheng had been brewing for a long time, and these complaints to Zhao Tingming were things she had been suppressing in her heart for a long time.

Zhao Tiesheng felt ashamed by Cheng Jinxiang's words. His face turned ugly, and he couldn't help but retort, "Jinxiang, Mom and my little sister are my family. Why are you being so distant? Although they have some faults, you don't need to talk about them to everyone. Can't you give me some face in public?"

Cheng Jinxiang felt a little annoyed. Family? She considered Wang Guixiang and Zhao Chunqin as family, but that didn't necessarily mean they considered her family. When Wang Guixiang was verbally abusing her, why didn't she mention that they considered her family?

Cheng Jinxiang was so angry that her chest heaved. She really wanted to take a brush and scrub Zhao Tiesheng's eyes clean. He was not only blind in heart but also in appearance, even worse than a blind person.

"Zhao Tiesheng, I've had the worst luck in eight lifetimes since I got married to you. Everyone else would protect their wife, but when I'm bullied, what do you do? You just stand there cowardly and don't dare to step forward to protect me. You're a complete coward!"

With red eyes, Cheng Jinxiang shouted loudly at Zhao Tiesheng. Zhao Tiesheng was stunned by the shout, his face burning. He clenched his fists in anger and embarrassment. Look, look, he was right. This woman, Cheng Jinxiang, would never care about his face in public and would make him feel so embarrassed.

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Zhao Tingming was at a loss. He had originally intended to help the couple resolve their differences, but he hadn't expected them to start arguing. The young couple was arguing, and Cheng Jinxiang's eyes were getting red. As an elder, Zhao Tingming couldn't say anything, so he could only tell Zhao Tiesheng to be more understanding of his wife.

"Tiesheng, look at Jinxiang, her eyes are red. Why don't you come and coax her? A man should correct his mistakes. Don't be stubborn. If you're stubborn, you'll lose your wife in the end."

Zhao Tingming could tell that Cheng Jinxiang genuinely wanted to divorce Zhao Tiesheng. If Zhao Tiesheng still couldn't see through this and kept talking to himself, he really wanted to give Zhao Tiesheng a good beating to see what was going on in his head. He didn't want Zhao Tiesheng to regret his decision when the divorce actually happened and he lost his wife and children.

Seeing that her parents were about to argue, Zhao Da'e could only sigh. Looking at the braised pork slices in front of her, she had no choice but to put them aside and think she would eat them later. She got off the table and went over to Zhao Tingming's hand, "Grandpa, let's go outside and have a good talk, let Mom and Dad have some peace and quiet."

As he spoke, Zhao Da'e tried to pull Zhao Tingming outside.

Seeing this, Cheng Jinxiang, though still resentful towards Zhao Tiesheng, became more sober. Seeing Zhao Da'e's behavior, she quickly spoke up to stop him, "Da'e, whatever it is, take your great-grandfather outside to chat after dinner."

We haven't finished our meal yet, why are we leaving already?

Zhao Tingming took Zhao Da'e's hand, and suddenly felt sorry for her. He looked at the couple who had just been arguing, and then at the well-behaved Zhao Da'e. He sighed, feeling a little disappointed in her.

“You two are not as sensible as a child. Look at Da'e, how obedient he is. He started helping with chores and earning money at such a young age. And you two are just blaming and arguing with each other. I can’t eat this meal now. You two can keep arguing. Da'e and I are going out for a walk to clear our heads.”

After saying that, Zhao Tingming pulled Zhao Da'e away, leaving Zhao Tiesheng and Cheng Jinxiang behind, letting them have a good argument. He and Da'e would come back whenever they finished arguing.

After coming out, Zhao Da'e tugged at Zhao Tingming's sleeve and said, "Grandpa, don't blame Mom. She has had a hard time too. She suffered a lot of grievances at home and was disheartened by Dad, which is why she went back to Uncle's house."

I really don't know how I'm going to go on living in this family anymore, it's so painful.

Zhao Tingming couldn't help but sigh when he heard Zhao Da'e say that. Da'e was really sensible and obedient. If he had such a granddaughter, he would cherish her and pamper her as she grew up.

“Darling, your parents’ conflict shouldn’t involve you. I don’t mean to blame your mother, but what if your parents’ argument in front of you leaves a lasting trauma?” Zhao Tingming was worried that the couple’s fight would frighten the child.

Zhao Da'e smiled and shook his head, saying, "Grandpa, don't worry. This little thing won't leave any shadow on me. It's just that I'm sorry to have troubled you, as you didn't get to eat a proper meal and only listened to my parents arguing."

Zhao Da'e sighed, then patted his chest and promised, "Grandpa, when I have the chance, I'll take you to the city for a big meal. I won't bring my parents, so we don't end up arguing over food and not being able to enjoy a meal properly."

Zhao Da'e sighed as he thought of the delicious braised pork slices he was enjoying; he could only eat them when he got back.

The reason she pulled Zhao Tingming out this time was not only to talk about some things, but also because she saw her mother's eyes were red and she was about to cry, and there were signs that they were arguing. She felt that it was better to give the couple some independent space so that they could talk things out more openly.

"Grandpa, I've come to talk to you about something," Zhao Da'e said bluntly. "I know you know a lot of people, but I just want to ask you which shop sells good quality and inexpensive building materials like bricks and cement?"

Zhao Da'e has the ability to make money, but she is not omnipotent. In terms of building houses, she is not as experienced as Zhao Tingming. As the village chief, he has experienced a lot, knows many people, and has helped many people with building new houses. He knows many pitfalls in building new houses. Therefore, Zhao Da'e wants to ask Zhao Tingming for advice and also ask where she can buy these building materials. It would be best if he could help her buy the building materials, which would save her a lot of trouble.

Seeing this, Zhao Tingming chuckled, "You silly child, why are you worrying about the materials for building a new house? Your parents should be thinking about that."

Zhao Da'e sighed and said, "Grandpa, I was just trying to ease the burden on the family. You know I've been doing a water-selling business, and it's doing quite well. My aunt borrowed all the money in the house, and we won't be able to get it back anytime soon. My mother is also anxious about preparing the building materials, saying that it would be cheaper to buy them now, but she doesn't have any money on hand. So I told my mother that I could handle this, that I know people who can get some of the building materials without paying a deposit, and then pay my aunt back later. That's the only way I can ease my mother's worries. If I just gave her the money I had on me, she probably wouldn't accept it."

Zhao Da'e knew some of Cheng Jinxiang's little thoughts. She didn't want to trouble herself too much, and she often felt guilty for not giving herself a good life.

Zhao Da'e could only sigh at all of this. She tried to comfort Cheng Jinxiang, telling her not to think that way, but she really couldn't persuade her otherwise.

Zhao Da'e did all these things willingly without any complaints. Compared to her previous life, she is much happier now.