As soon as the two men sat down at the table, someone knocked on the door.
Bai Xiao glanced at An Zhiyuan, certain it was an acquaintance, aware of his return. These past days, An Zhiyuan’s subordinates had frequently come to visit, so much so that even the guest house had not been peaceful.
An Zhiyuan opened the door.
"Chief An! Doctor Bai!"
Hu Biao had already come in smiling, holding a pot of sweet potatoes, "These are harvested from our own field. My wife can only do some farming work, let you both try something fresh!"
An Zhiyuan invited him in, "Just in time, we are having dinner, join us. We haven’t seen each other for some days, I heard you’ve been promoted, congratulations!"
Hu Biao didn’t stand on ceremony and simply sat down; Bai Xiao added a pair of chopsticks for him and looked at the stack of egg pancakes. For these two big-bellied men, it probably wouldn’t be enough, "Sit down, let me get the dishes!"
An Zhiyuan took out a bottle of Wuliangye; the house had plenty of alcohol, all from friends who came to visit. Each brought a bottle as a gift, a gesture of goodwill, especially since they’d just gotten married, a housewarming gift of sorts.
Bai Xiao then fried some sweet and sour pork and stir-fried some peppers with cured meat. The two men would definitely prefer meat dishes, and she also baked another stack of egg pancakes, now fully prepared.
Hu Biao felt embarrassed seeing the dishes Bai Xiao brought out.
"Sister-in-law, don’t trouble yourself anymore, it’s all my fault. I just heard that the Chief... Chief had come back, so I came over to see him. I didn’t expect to end up freeloading a meal, making you go through all this trouble."
Bai Xiao laughed, "What are you talking about? We’re all old friends, and we’re going to be neighbors in the future. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You guys enjoy your drink, don’t mind me. Come on, don’t be polite." After all, they were acquaintances who had been through life and death together; there was no need for politeness over a meal.
"Then sister-in-law, I’ll take you up on that offer!" Hu Biao said with a greedy face, the dishes made by Doctor Bai looked delicious, unlike the swill his own wife made.
"Don’t call me sister-in-law, just keep calling me Doctor Bai. Otherwise, it sounds odd. You guys go ahead with your drinking, I won’t join in," Bai Xiao advised Hu Biao to relax.
She had two pancakes and drank a bowl of millet porridge before picking up the dishes and heading to the room. There were still many places in the house that needed cleaning; every nook and cranny needed attention.
Hu Biao tasted a piece of the sweet and sour pork and almost swallowed his tongue, it was so delicious, "Chief, Doctor Bai’s cooking skills are incredible. You are lucky, marrying a wife who is not only skilled in medical arts but also cooks better than any of our wives. How can we live after this? It’s like being killed by comparison. My own wife, whatever she cooks, it’s just plain boiled water with some seasoning added at the end, flavorless and dull."
An Zhiyuan glanced at Bai Xiao, who was busy laying bed sheets in the room, his eyes tender and adoring; she was his wife.
"Stop your nonsense all day, if your wife hears this, you will be in trouble," he still warned him verbally.
"Ah, I’m just speaking my mind. Your place is bigger, and I only have a one-bedroom apartment. Living between us is the family of Director Zhang, your future colleague; You haven’t met him, right? Director Zhang is a good man, but his wife has been bedridden for many years. Director Zhang has been busy taking care of both the family and the unit. It’s fortunate his daughter is capable, a twelve-year-old girl taking care of the household and her sick mother while still attending school. Nobody has it easy," Hu Biao commented, feeling moved.
The lives of these people were certainly not easy, nor were their families’.