Er Zhuzi wiped the corners of his eyes and turned back to drive the ox cart into the village.
The tasks of making meatballs and smoked sausages were all handed over to the first and second houses, leaving the old house empty, just right for storing the oil they had traded for.
Lin Sanshui went to the restaurant today, and Mrs. Jiang couldn’t help praising Er Zhuzi when she saw how well he handled things, "No wonder Niannian said she wanted to eat meat today. Er Zhuzi, you did a great job; we really don’t eat much of this vegetable oil, but it’s considered cheap at this price."
Er Zhuzi scratched his head with a silly smile, "It’s all thanks to my dad. If he hadn’t gone with me to bargain, I definitely couldn’t have gotten such a low price. Besides, on the way back, he was worried I might run into trouble, so he accompanied me all the way back."
Talking about this, Er Zhuzi’s eyes reddened.
It was such a long journey; by the time they got home, it might be deep into the night.
"Your dad?" Mrs. Jiang’s smile froze on her face surprisingly, and she asked him, "Where is your dad? Didn’t he come with you?"
Initially, Mrs. Jiang didn’t quite like the old man who forcibly sold Cuihua to their family because Cuihua’s action of lifting her first was indeed disrespectful.
However, over time, Cuihua’s diligence completely dispelled her initial dissatisfaction, and she couldn’t help developing some affection for this girl.
Of course, Mrs. Jiang still rarely showed a friendly face to Cuihua because Cuihua was so naive that she would dare to overstep boundaries if given a chance. She was afraid Cuihua might overreach herself.
In contrast, she was more considerate towards the relatively frail Er Zhuzi.
"My dad left. He only escorted me to the village entrance," said Er Zhuzi.
"Left? How did he leave?" Mrs. Jiang mumbled, "At this time, there shouldn’t be any ox carts going to town, right?"
"He left on foot!" Thinking of his father’s thin figure and the cold weather outside, Er Zhuzi’s voice couldn’t help but choke.
"What? You silly child, it’s so cold outside. Your dad escorted you all the way back; why didn’t you let him come to the house to rest for a bit? At least let him have a hot soup to warm him up! Just walking back like that, what kind of state would he be in freezing like that?"
Cuihua, who was originally busy with work, couldn’t help but stop when she heard this, her expressionless little face becoming even more solemn.
How could Er Zhuzi not feel sorry for his dad too, "Auntie, can I... can I let my dad come to the house to rest?"
"Why not, child, why are you being so polite?"
Having gotten Mrs. Jiang’s approval, Er Zhuzi didn’t dare to stay, immediately turned around, and ran back.
The cold wind howled as Er Zhuzi ran a long way to catch up with his father, who was huddling his head and walking forward.
Not long after, Lin Sanshui returned and simply invited Er Zhuzi’s dad to stay for the night, allowing the three of them, father, son, and daughter, to have a brief reunion.
That night, Er Zhuzi and his dad stayed on the mountain, with warm and thick cotton quilts and the fire burning in the house, warming their hearts as well.
With the vegetable oil issue resolved, Gu Nian began preparing the hot pot base. The brewed base was stored in jars, ready to be scooped out and boiled with water when needed.
Zheng Shaochen had already prepared the shop elsewhere, so he loaded several carts full of hot pot bases and left Qingshan Town.
Time flew quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the end of the month.
Since Nan Jin Yu left, there had been no news. Gu Nian received a letter from Gu Bei, saying he would be back after the New Year, reassuring her to wait patiently.