Back in Guangcheng this time, between having fun, attending the wedding banquets and running errands, ten days had gone by. Cheng Su, after all, still had her studies, so she had to return to Qing City.
She took Xiao Qi and the family to the Cheng family home to say goodbye, brought along some local specialties and such, and after two days of rocking on the train, they were back in Qing City.
As soon as they walked out of the Qing City train station, it started to snow. The north wind was biting. Cheng Su shifted Qi Xiaoqi around to her front, pulled the hood of his clothes up over his head, then took a little wool blanket and wrapped him up tight.
The weather was cold and they had a lot of things with them, so Cheng Su didnât bother trying to save money. She hailed two taxis and rode all the way to the gate of the compound.
Thankfully Qing City had developed rapidly these past few years; there were a lot more taxis in the city now, which made things easier for the residents. Of course, the price was a bit on the high side, but for someone like Cheng Su, who would never shortchange herself, no matter how expensive it was, it couldnât compare to being comfortable.
Especially with their group: either not-yet-one-year-old babies or people over fifty, and the weather so badâif anything happened to them, no amount of money could make up for it.
"Qing City and Guangcheng really canât be compared in terms of cold. I think Qing City is much colder," Mother Cheng said, rubbing her hands.
Cheng Su smiled. That was heaven looking out for them. Theyâd had good weather the whole time in Guangcheng; otherwise, if it had rained, they probably wouldâve been clamoring to come back to Qing City.
Qi Xiaoqi had already fallen asleep. Cheng Su settled him in the room to continue sleeping, then called Qi Taiguo to let him know theyâd arrived safely.
It was already three or four in the afternoon by then. Cheng Su boiled a kettle of hot water, bundled herself up again, and got ready to go to the farmersâ market to buy ingredients for dinner.
Mother Cheng said, "Itâs already this late, and itâs snowing outside. How about you donât go? Just ask Taiguo to get a few portions of food from the cafeteria and weâll make do with that? Or we can just cook up some noodles."
It really was too cold outside.
Cheng Su glanced out; the snow hadnât eased up, it was actually coming down harder. She rummaged through the fridgeâthere were some leftover ribs in the freezer and two radishesâso she said, "Alright then, Iâll cook a pot of radish and pork rib soup, put on some rice, and he can just bring back whatever dishes he feels like from the cafeteria."
No one had any objections. After resting a bit, Cheng Su rolled up her sleeves, took the ingredients, and headed to the kitchen to get busy. It got dark early now, and radish only turned soft and tasty if it was cooked a long time. The longer you stewed it, the better it tasted, so it was good to get it on the stove early.
Radish stewed with ribs was simple: cut the radish into chunks or thick slices, blanch the ribs, then stew the two together. In about an hour you could drink the soup and eat the meat; if you wanted the broth richer and more flavorful, you just stewed it longer.
Once Cheng Su had everything prepped and in the pot, she brought it to a boil over high heat, then turned it down to low. After that, it hardly needed watching.
By dinnertime, the neighbors in the compound had all come backâthose who needed to cook, cooked; those who needed to mind kids, minded kids. Cheng Su took out the specialties sheâd brought back from Guangcheng and handed them around. Everyone chatted and laughed, and then Qi Taiguo came home.
The family greeted each other again, and Cheng Su reheated all the dishes heâd brought back. Only then did they gather around the small dining table to eat, chatting as they went about the funny moments from Cheng Yaozuâs wedding.
After dinner, the elderly sat watching TV. Cheng Su held Xiao Qi in their room to nurse him, and Qi Taiguo came in, mysteriously closing the door.
Seeing him putting on this air of mystery, Cheng Su couldnât help asking, "What is it? Why so secretive?"
Qi Taiguo grinned. "Close your eyes first."
Cheng Su raised an eyebrowâso he was playing this gameâthen cooperatively closed her eyes.
"You can open them now!" Qi Taiguo said, holding something out in front of her.
Cheng Su opened her eyes, and when she saw what lay in his palm, she froze.