1979: Literary Master, Starting from the Return of Educated Youth

Chapter 214: The Praise of the Fairy Mother
"Whether to stay or not is not up to me to decide."

"I asked my classmates who were studying with me, and they found out that this year all the recruitment quotas for major art groups are reserved for fresh graduates, and basically no recruitment is open to people from the society."

Tianxian's mother is plain and calm, and you can't tell whether she's sad or happy on her pretty face.

"That's it."

"Then let's go to my house for dinner first."

Xu Yuexin didn't say anything, just patted the back seat of the motorcycle.

Tianxianma then sat on the back seat of the motorcycle and took a deep look at the surrounding street scenes after getting on the motorcycle.

This place is still as lively and prosperous as ever, but it's a pity that she will have to leave here soon.

Tianxianma thought a little sadly.

"Sit tight."

At this time, Xu Yuexin started the motorcycle and drove forward.

There were many people on the street, and Xu Yuexin always maintained a steady 40 yards to ensure safety.

He didn't speed up until he got onto the Second Ring Road.

In 1982, there were still not many cars on the Second Ring Road.

It was not until the urban economic system reform was launched in 1984 that the number of motor vehicles in society saw a significant increase.

After Xu Yuexin turned the accelerator, the motorcycle gradually sped up on the Second Ring Road.

In the back seat, Tianxian's mother had to hold Xu Yuexin tightly.

"slower."

"Not so fast."

Tianxianma asked behind Xu Yuexin.

"I'm not in a hurry to go home and cook."

Xu Yuexin really enjoyed Tianxianma's hug and said with a smile, "Just hold on tight."

Faced with Tianxianma's request, Xu Yuexin not only did not slow down, but instead accelerated his sprint.

Arriving at the Duke's Mansion, Xu Yuexin stopped his motorcycle at the door.

Tianxian's mother let go of Xu Yuexin, brushed her hair that was messed up by the wind, got out of the back seat and stood beside him.

Xu Yuexin also got out of the car, took out a long and thick key and inserted it into the keyhole.

"You were living there well before, why did you move away?"

Xu Yuexin asked as he opened the door.

"The school later had vacant beds, so I moved there."

“At the time, I wanted to communicate more with my roommates to improve my skills and inquire about job opportunities.”

"so."

Xu Yuexin nodded, opened the door and pushed the motorcycle in.

It is not difficult to see that Tianxianma still wants to stay in Beijing.

Xu Yuexin decided to help Tianxianma realize her dream.

After parking the car, Xu Yuexin and Tianxianma walked towards the depths of the yard together.

When they arrived at the main house, Xu Yuexin went into the kitchen to cook. Tianxian's mother wanted to come in to help, but Xu Yuexin didn't let her.

"You are a guest, how can I let you cook?"

Xu Yuexin stopped Tianxianma who wanted to go forward to pick vegetables.

"Just keep it simple, don't cook a lot of dishes."

Tianxian's mother had no choice but to turn around and leave the kitchen, feeling a strange feeling in her heart.

The two hadn't seen each other for half a year, but Xu Yuexin invited her to dinner as soon as they met.

This made Tianxianma feel warm.

The sounds of pots and pans rang out.

Before long, several dishes were freshly prepared.

Cold jellyfish shreds, stir-fried cucumber and meat, and seaweed egg soup are refreshing and appetizing in the hot early summer season.

The most important thing is, there is a dish from Tianxianma’s hometown.

Three fresh vegetables!
As the name suggests, the dish is made up of three common vegetables grown in the fields: potatoes, eggplants and green peppers.

The combination of these three vegetables has an excellent taste and is delicious. It is a famous dish in Northeast China.

After Tianxianma left her hometown, she hasn't eaten authentic local delicacies for a long time.

When Tianxianma saw Xu Yuexinjiang's dish served on the table, her eyes lit up.

"Three Fresh Vegetables? When did you learn how to make this dish?"

Tianxianma couldn't wait to pick up the chopsticks and said.

"A few days ago, I heard about this famous dish in Northeast China, so I learned how to make it."

Xu Yuexin said nonsense, "Try it and see if it's authentic."

"okay."

Tianxian's mother picked up a piece of eggplant and put it into her cherry-like mouth.

"Mmm... delicious!"

After eating the eggplant, Tianxian's mother gave a thumbs up and said, "The taste is so authentic. The chefs in our place are not as good as you."

"Okay, I'm serious. I'm going to open a restaurant tomorrow."

"It's true. You have a good grasp of the timing."

Tianxian's mother continued to praise her, "Tell me how you made it. I'll tell my mom when I go back and ask her to cook it for me."

"It's nothing, the main thing is to simmer the pot with chili peppers before putting it in the pot."

"After the vegetables are put in, stir-fry them as usual. When the smell of the chili becomes too much for you to bear, it's time to turn up the heat to reduce the sauce and serve the vegetables."

"Well... everyone has different tolerance levels. If you think you can't stand it, others may be able to, right?"

"Yes, so there is a certain element of luck involved."

"No, it's talent."

When Tianxian's mother heard Xu Yuexin mention the word "luck", she thought for a moment and shook her head, "You are born to be a good cook."

"Okay, thank you for the compliment. It's actually inseparable from the extra practice I've done in the past two years."

Xu Yuexin smiled and said, "Eat it while it's hot, or the heat will go out in a while."

Wok gas is a very wonderful thing in cooking. It is invisible and intangible, colorless and tasteless, but it can greatly affect the taste of food.

Xu Yuexin believes that the so-called wok aroma should refer to the optimal state of the dish when it is just out of the oven and gradually cools down from the high temperature.

Once the temperature leaves this range, the quality of the food will deteriorate and it will become unpalatable, which is the so-called loss of cooking flavor.

Of course, this may also be related to the movement and diffusion of food and seasoning molecules, and is not just determined by temperature.

For example, the dish of three fresh vegetables in front of you, which is frequently visited by Tianxianma’s chopsticks, is at the stage with the strongest aroma and the best taste.

From the speed at which Tianxianma eats, it can be seen that she is really conquered by this local dish of three fresh delicacies!
For this dish of three fresh delicacies, Tianxian’s mother drank two large bowls of rice.

For the dancers in the art troupe, this is a miraculous appetite.

"You can't eat any more. If you eat more you'll get fat."

When she finished the second bowl of rice, Tianxian's mother looked at the remaining three fresh dishes with some embarrassment, and then explained to Xu Yuexin sheepishly, "It's really too fresh."

"If you like it, I'll make it for you a few more times later."

"Yeah, let me wash the dishes."

This time, Tianxian's mother didn't wait for Xu Yuexin to refuse. She took the dishes and ran into the kitchen to start working.

After washing the dishes, Xu Yuexin went with her to the yard to admire the lotus and fish, and take a walk to digest the food.

"I bought a phonograph. Let's go inside and listen to a song."

After walking around the yard for a few times, Xu Yuexin proposed to Tianxianma.

"Okay."

"I haven't heard the music on the phonograph yet."

Tianxian's mother became interested as soon as she heard it and agreed immediately.

In the early years, the phonograph was considered a bourgeois sentiment and most people did not dare to own one.

At this time, tape recorders became popular again, and phonographs began to gradually fade out of people's lives.

However, when it comes to playing certain types of music, the phonograph is ultimately better than the tape recorder.

Tianxianma knew this very well and always looked forward to the opportunity to enjoy the music played on the phonograph.

Today she finally met Xu Yuexin.

"I tell you, the phonograph plays beautifully."

Xu Yuexin said to Tianxianma and walked towards the main room.

Tianxian's mother followed Xu Yuexin closely, and when they arrived at the main room, she watched him plug in the phonograph and put a record in it.

"Listen to some classical music."

Xu Yuexin talked to Tianxian's mother, sitting with her in the simple and elegant wooden armchair.

"Deng Deng..."

As the music started, Xu Yuexin remembered something, stood up, walked to the windowsill, closed the curtains, and then turned on the small orange light in the room.

"Now there's some romance."

Xu Yuexin sat down next to Tianxianma and talked to himself.

Tianxian's mother was amused and burst out laughing.

Indeed, compared to the direct sunlight from opening the windows, the atmosphere after drawing the curtains seems much quieter and more elegant, which is perfect for enjoying classical music.

The record was still playing, and the rhythmic sound was flowing slowly through the house.

Tianxianma closed her eyes slightly, leaned back in her chair and listened attentively.

The waltz that Xu Yuexin played today is called "Voice of Spring", which, like "The Blue Danube", is a representative work of Johann Strauss II.

The tones of "Sounds of Spring" are gorgeous and vibrant. When Xu Yuexin closes his eyes and enjoys it, he can see a lively picture of a spring morning through the sound of the melody.

Butterflies fly, orioles dance, flowers bloom, and the wind sings...

The wonderful music makes people feel relaxed and their mood is extremely bright.

When Xu Yuexin opened his eyes, he saw Tianxian's mother beside him, holding her cheeks with her hands, looking at the direction of the record player, enjoying the music with an absorbed expression.

It was not until "Sound of Spring" was finished that Tianxianma breathed a sigh of relief, as if she regretted that the song was not long enough.

“This song is so beautiful.”

Tianxianma looked at Xu Yuexin with emotion and said, "Do you know the name of the song?"

"The Voice of Spring, written by Johann Strauss II."

Xu Yuexin said, "It is a classic waltz."

“And the author was already over 60 when he wrote it.”

"It is precisely because of this that music critics generally believe that this song symbolizes his creative state, which is still full of vitality and passion despite his old age, and regards it as an immortal masterpiece in the history of waltz."

It turns out there is such a story.

Tianxianma nodded after listening.

Although she works in an art troupe, she rarely comes into contact with Western waltzes in her daily work.

After listening to Xu Yuexin today, Tianxianma felt like she had learned something new!

"Where did you get the record? I want to buy it too."

Tianxianma asked Xu Yuexin curiously.

Department stores are now selling cassettes and it's hard to find records.

"I bought it from Panjiayuan. I also bought the record player second-hand there."

"If you want to buy it, I can take you there."

"Okay, shall we go together tomorrow?"

"Well, see you at the entrance of Panjiayuan at 8 a.m."

"Well, see you there!"

Tianxianma nodded excitedly.

As an artistic actor, she also wants to live a life like Xu Yuexin, where she draws the curtains and listens to records at home when she has nothing to do.

After enjoying the waltz, Xu Yuexin saw Tianxianma off from home.

"Goodbye."

"See you tomorrow morning."

After waving goodbye at the door, Xu Yuexin turned back to the main room and made a phone call.

(End of this chapter)