Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Later that evening, Xu Bei bought some wine and cooked food and returned to the shop.

When the mother and her two daughters were planning to take their mother home early to cook dinner for Dahei and Song Guodong, they noticed something amiss.

As Zhao Fengying put on her coat, she asked curiously, "Son, what happy event happened to you? Why do you seem so happy?"

Xu Li chuckled mischievously, "Yes, little brother. We all heard from Xiao Juan that you took photos of Miss Zhou alone, but it wasn't a photo of the two of you together. Is it really necessary to be so happy?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Bei seized the opportunity to back down, and smiled, "So what? You let me take a solo photo today, maybe you'll be willing to take a group photo with me soon."

"Weren't you all crying and begging me to make a move and pursue her? I've successfully taken another big step forward, shouldn't I get some recognition and encouragement?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fengying and Xu Li burst into laughter.

"You little rascal, you're getting better and better at talking nonsense."

"Who says otherwise? I don't know where my brother learned this kind of drive from."

Xu Juan couldn't help but chuckle, but she still offered her sincere encouragement.

"Brother, good luck and try to take a photo with my sister Xiaowan soon."

"See, my little sister is so thoughtful and knows how to talk. Let's not wait until we get home tonight, I'll reward you with a chicken leg right now."

As Xu Bei spoke with a smile, he tore open a piece of the yellow paper package that was soaked in chicken fat and handed a chicken leg of the roast chicken to Xu Juan.

The aroma of roasted chicken and spices wafted over, causing Xu Juan to swallow unconsciously, but she didn't reach out to take it. "Brother, I don't want it. It's for entertaining guests, please put it back."

Xu Bei pushed it forward again, "Da Hei and the others are all family, what kind of guests are they? Take it, don't worry, your sister and mom have some too, we won't let you eat alone."

Zhao Fengying and Xu Li both smiled and offered to let Xu Juan take the food, but they both declined.

However, in the end, they couldn't resist Xu Bei's insistence and joined together to share the other chicken leg.

Xu Bei wasn't very interested in chicken legs; he preferred to eat the chicken head and the tip of the neck.

So I simply pulled off the chicken head and neck from the still-warm roast chicken and ate them.

I have to say, the roast chicken from the 1980s was really delicious.

Without the excessive speed, technology, and grueling processes involved, the chicken meat is exceptionally firm and flavorful, offering a more satisfying chew...

By 5 p.m., it was completely dark outside.

The lights were already on in the house that Xu Bei and his friends were renting.

On one side of the kitchen, a large iron pot was simmering with spicy wild rabbit and potatoes. The bubbling sound became deep and rhythmic, and the spicy and fragrant aroma wafted through the cracks in the door, filling the entire house.

On the other side, a large pot was simmering with rice. The edge of the pot lid was being pushed up and trembled slightly. Every now and then, a wisp of white steam carrying a sweet aroma of rice would escape with a hissing sound.

Meanwhile, Zhao Fengying, still wearing an apron, was busy mixing shredded cabbage, dried tofu, and vermicelli in a small aluminum basin.

Xu Bei went in and out, placing bowls and wine glasses on the folding table that had been set aside, as well as roast chicken and pig's head meat that had already been torn and sliced ​​and plated.

Just then, they heard someone coming into the courtyard.

Xu Bei happened to be in the kitchen, so he immediately pushed the door open and went out. When he saw that it was indeed Da Hei and the other two who had come over, he immediately smiled.

"You two really know how to time things right; the food is almost ready."

Big Black chuckled, "Really? Then you've really hit the mark."

Song Guodong sniffed, "Oh my, I can smell the aroma! Auntie is such a great cook."

Zhao Fengying stepped out from behind Xu Bei and immediately greeted them with a smile, "I don't know how to cook much, it's just home-style food. Eat as much as you like. Come inside, it's so cold outside."

"Auntie, you're too modest. My mom's cooking is just home-style stuff. You're practically a professional chef."

As Song Guodong spoke with a smile, he was also carefully observing Zhao Fengying, who had just gotten divorced.

When she realized that the other person was indeed as Dahei had said, seemingly unaffected by the divorce and quite strong, she both admired and couldn't understand it.

Xu Bei noticed Song Guodong's inquisitive expression and knew perfectly well that his mother's state was far beyond what many people expected. He deliberately pointed to the bag in the other man's hand to change the subject.

"What's inside?"

Song Guodong quickly smiled and said, "It's just some canned food and steamed rice cakes."

Because he didn't come to eat empty-handed, he inevitably got a lecture from Xu Bei and Zhao Fengying again.

Not long after the group entered the house and sat down, Zhu Wenliang and Xu Li returned from the shop with Xu Juan.

Everyone sat together and enjoyed a very sumptuous dinner.

If we're talking about the dish on the table that makes you want to keep eating it, it has to be the spicy wild rabbit stew with potatoes.

The addition of dried red chili peppers not only perfectly masks the slight earthy taste of wild game but also greatly stimulates the appetite.

Potatoes are the perfect match; during long stewing, they absorb the delicious oil and broth from the rabbit, becoming creamy and soft, melting in your mouth.

After a whirlwind of activity, the few who were still drinking beverages finished eating and left the table, while Xu Bei, Da Hei, Song Guodong, and Zhu Wenliang, who were drinking alcohol, continued to linger at the table.

Xu Bei was genuinely happy today because he had secretly bought a house.

Therefore, I couldn't help but drink a few more glasses.

However, he could hold his liquor fairly well; his face was a little flushed, but his eyes remained clear and showed no signs of drunkenness.

Compared to him, Dahei and Song Guodong were even more drunk, their faces flushed and necks thick, and they rolled up their sleeves and started gesturing and bragging.

As for Zhu Wenliang, he had also had enough to drink and was mainly chatting with Xu Bei, who was sitting next to him.

As they chatted, he suddenly leaned closer mysteriously and said, "Hey bro, I've heard you're pretty savvy, taking pictures of that girl. Tell your brother-in-law the truth, are you thinking of getting them developed and keeping a copy?"

Zhu Wenliang was quite drunk, so his voice was rather loud.

Before Xu Bei could speak, his brows furrowed slightly, Da Hei and Song Guodong, upon hearing this, eagerly pressed him for answers, as if they had discovered something new.

"Da Bei, who is that little girl your brother-in-law is talking about?"

"Yes, who did you take the photos for? Where did you get the camera?"

Xu Bei sighed and wanted to facepalm, but he didn't think there was anything to hide about it.

So he said frankly, "Recently, my classmate Xiao Zhou has been tutoring my younger sister. Yesterday, I borrowed a camera from someone and happened to have two rolls of film left, so I took a solo photo of her."

Big Black slapped his thigh excitedly, "My goodness! You kept this a secret for too long! I come here almost every day and I've never heard of this! Has the camera been returned? If not, I'll buy some film, can you take some pictures for my family?"

Faced with his childhood friend's plea, Xu Bei naturally wouldn't refuse. "I haven't paid it back yet. If you want to take pictures, just buy some film."

Song Guodong's focus is different from Dahei's.

After all, she knew that her younger sister liked Xu Bei, and had made a lot of trouble at home because of it.

"Da Bei, are you trying to pursue her?"

If someone else had asked, Xu Bei might not have told the truth, but it was definitely different with Song Guodong. He frankly admitted, "Yes, I have that idea."