Chapter 260
“All the food are here. Now, we need to pack some snacks,” Jiang Yexun said, shaking out the large sack that could fit a person.
He could carry two sacks by himself, and with his future brother-in-law helping, they’d be able to take four.
Su Hongchen followed Jiang Yexun into the kitchen, where he handed over a large bag of Sichuan peppercorns and star anise to Su Hongchen. The various items each weighed nearly a pound, adding up to more than five pounds in total. Such ingredients were usually divided among the whole family for the year, but it seemed Jiang Yexun was doing even better than Su Hongchen had imagined.
Su Hongchen watched as Jiang Yexun rummaged through the cupboard and was startled to see two cloth bags of peanuts, four bags of melon seeds, and an assortment of candies, canned goods, biscuits, and pastries. Jiang Yexun continued to fill the sack without stopping, and Su Hongchen watched in amazement as it quickly became packed.
“Are you a squirrel or something? Do you need to hoard so much for winter?” Su Hongchen couldn’t help but complain. With all the snacks Jiang Yexun had prepared, he would never finish them in his lifetime. Even if his sister came to take over, it would take three to four years to consume everything.
Jiang Yexun ignored the comment and bent down to grab several ceramic jars from the cupboard.
“You’re taking these too?” Su Hongchen’s eyes widened in shock. It wasn’t that he disliked the quantity or weight, but with the trains crowded during the New Year, these items might get damaged if not handled carefully.
“This is spicy beef paste. Xiaoxiao really likes it. And this doesn’t last long—it spoils in just over two months,” Jiang Yexun said, opening a jar and handing Su Hongchen a pair of chopsticks.
“This is something Xiaoxiao’s friends from the educated youth dormitory prepared for her. Since she likes it, my mother made a few extra jars,” he explained.
Meat was hard to come by in those days, and beef was even rarer. His mother had learned the recipe from Tao Junlan and Qian Siyu, fearing that if they parted ways in the future, Xiaoxiao might miss it.
“Xiaoxiao made friends so quickly after arriving here?” Su Hongchen paused in surprise as he picked up a piece of the beef paste. His sister had always been pampered and somewhat spoiled, so it was surprising that she had made friends so fast. Even after being in Shanghai for a long time, she only had two to three friends.
“And those educated youth take good care of Xiaoxiao,” Jiang Yexun summarized succinctly.
“Their skills are impressive too,” Su Hongchen added, now more appreciative of the jars.
Just then, Su Xiaoxiao peeked her head into the kitchen and looked at them eagerly.
“Aunt Guo has already kneaded the dough for the pancakes. She’s just waiting for us to finish so she can use the kitchen to make the stew,” she said.
“Ask your fiancé,” Su Hongchen said, glancing at her.
Seeing the little girl immediately turn to Jiang Yexun, Su Hongchen’s irritation grew.
“He’s packed all your winter food and snacks.”
“Why? We would still need to come back, so why pack everything?” Su Xiaoxiao looked at the jars on the stove and the sacks behind them, feeling overwhelmed.
“These things won’t stay fresh for long. And we’ll have someone staying here to watch the house, so there’s no need to leave so much food,” Jiang Yexun explained with a smile.
Zhang Tiewa and Xingzhi were reliable, and they wouldn’t need all this food. Food left for two or three months would either spoil or lose its freshness. He couldn’t let his little educated youth eat such food.
Su Hongchen felt a pang of admiration. He always thought he was attentive to his sister, but seeing how much Jiang Yexun cared for her, attending to every detail, was impressive.
He used to worry about his sister being deceived by someone unworthy, ending up as someone’s maid. But now he had to admit, she had found a very good partner—capable, meticulous, and someone who genuinely cared about her.
“Lunch will be pork ribs with potatoes and green beans, with a few pancakes on the side. The meat will be delicious once the flavors are absorbed. I’ll also make an old duck soup on another stove. If you come back for lunch, it might be a bit late, but it’ll be ready for you to eat as soon as you get back,” Aunt Guo said with a smile, bringing over several kneaded dough pieces.
Su Hongchen’s demeanor instantly became more polite.
“Thank you, Aunt Guo. I can manage.”
“Alright, I’ll start preparing the food now and let it simmer slowly,” Aunt Guo nodded and headed to the stove.
Su Hongchen and Jiang Yexun quickly cleared the area for her. Aunt Guo placed the ingredients on the stove and then turned to Jiang Yexun.
“I’ve put all the things I’m taking on the bed. Just pack them in a sack. You and Xiaoxiao can tidy up too. Let’s get this sorted today to avoid a mess later.”
“Okay,” Jiang Yexun agreed.
He picked up the two packed sacks and headed to his room. Su Hongchen instinctively reached for one, but Jiang Yexun was too quick, already halfway to the courtyard.
Deciding not to compete, Su Hongchen grabbed two jars of beef paste and followed him in. Su Xiaoxiao also wanted to help, but Aunt Guo gently pressed her hand.
“Let Yexun handle the heavy lifting. If you start doing these tasks, he’ll develop a bad habit of letting you do the hard work.”
Su Xiaoxiao wanted to explain that she wasn’t just helping Jiang Yexun but also wanted to assist her brother. However, before she could speak, Jiang Yexun entered the room.
Seeing his little educated youth standing in front of the jars, he frowned deeply.
“These are heavy and slippery. What if they slip and injure your foot?”
“I’m not that useless,” Su Xiaoxiao retorted.
Jiang Yexun didn’t give her a chance to prove herself and lifted the jars with ease. He turned back to remind her.
“Leave the remaining jar here. We’ll eat it ourselves in the next few days and save the others for them.”
Though he didn’t leave the jar Tao Junlan and Qian Siyu had given, Jiang Yexun knew it was a gift they had saved up for Xiaoxiao. He couldn’t let their heartfelt gift go to waste.