The three little ones visibly gained weight, and with two playmates, Jiang Yueyue became more cheerful day by day.
When Lang Ying heard that Can Can was only ten years old and had to go out to work to support the family, she felt sorry for the child. She specially asked Jiang Xiaoman for her WeChat. After the two became friends, Lang Ying would send her two videos almost every day.
Sometimes it's a video of Grandma Jiang and Yueyue eating.
Sometimes it's a video of Yueyue and Daniu playing together.
Even Jiang Cancan secretly told Jiang Xiaoman that since Sister Lang Ying moved into their house, her grandmother and Yueyue were really enjoying a good life.
Judging from her tone, she really wished that Lang Ying's house would be built as slowly as possible, so that she could live in the same courtyard as Grandma Jiang forever.
However, she felt bad about letting Lang Ying work for nothing.
"Xiaoman, could you please tell Sister Lang Ying for me? Anyway, I used to pay people to help me, so why don't I just give the money to Sister Yingzi from now on?" Jiang Cancan wasn't blind. Before, when Jiang Xiaoman helped her film videos of her home, sometimes the bed sheets and blankets were exactly the same for two months, which showed that they had never been washed.
Since Lang Ying arrived at their home, all the bed sheets and blankets have been changed. When they were filming the video, you could even see a pile of freshly washed shoes next to the brazier...
In what situations would you wash a whole bunch of things at once?
Those shoes must have never been washed before, which is why there's a bunch of dirty shoes accumulating in the house, right?
Jiang Cancan was a little unhappy, but she also knew that many people in the countryside did this: they would save up their dirty clothes and shoes for a while before washing them all at once, which saved time.
Her family used to be like that, but since she went to school in the city, she has learned that other families change their clothes every day. She herself also has a part-time cleaning lady come every day to clean her room and help with laundry. Of course, she hopes that her grandmother and younger sister, who are left in her hometown, can receive better care.
She's not afraid to spend money.
Putting everything else aside, just from the two galas on the third day of the Lunar New Year and the Lantern Festival, her agent said that after deducting personal income tax, her appearance fee would still be over 100,000 yuan.
Although this can't compare to that of other big stars, it's already a significant sum for Jiang Cancan, a student.
Now she has enough financial resources to provide a better life for her grandmother and younger sister back in her hometown.
"Forget it! Yingzi was originally going to pay your grandma's rent, but because your grandma doesn't want her to pay, she's only helping with the housework. If you offer her money, she definitely won't take it." Jiang Xiaoman rejected his aunt's suggestion without even thinking.
Jiang Cancan thought about it for a moment and felt that giving money so directly didn't seem like a good idea.
"How about this, I'll transfer your monthly living expenses directly to you, for the first six months. You can give it to Sister Yingzi for me, and tell her that my grandma has poor eyesight and Yueyue is too young. From now on, please help me calculate the household expenses, and I'll transfer more to her if it's not enough?" Jiang Cancan suggested a method that she thought was feasible.
The fact that someone helps with housework can be considered offsetting the rent. But you can't expect them to contribute to the cost of meals, can you?
“That works!” Jiang Xiaoman clicked to receive payment and helped his aunt get things done.
The granddaughter gave her grandmother 1,500 yuan a month for rice and vegetables, and since the old lady had difficulty moving around and needed someone to help her buy them, Lang Ying thought about it and accepted the money.
However, from then on, the food at Grandma Jiang's house was noticeably two levels better than before.
After the New Year, every household in the village started eating leftovers. After finishing the leftover meat, they resumed their usual diet, eating either potato rice or sweet potato rice for three meals a day, along with some bok choy and radishes from their own vegetable garden.
Only at Grandma Jiang's house, because Jiang Cancan subsidized Lang Ying's meals, and Lang Ying, who has always been very frugal, ate poorly when she lived with her ex-husband, not because she couldn't cook, but simply because she didn't have the money. Now that she has money, she planned to allocate 50 yuan per day for food, with Jiang Cancan contributing 30 and her contributing 20. Surprisingly, this ensured the family had meat at two meals a day, and the three children even received an egg every day!
And so, by the end of the month, she had actually saved more than 600 yuan for Grandma Jiang!
Lang Ying realized that she probably wouldn't need 1,500 yuan a month for food expenses, so she told Jiang Cancan about it on the phone and asked her not to send her any more money until she had finished paying off her previous living expenses.
"Sister Yingzi is such a kind person!" Jiang Cancan told Jiang Xiaoman about this on the phone, which added a new worry to her life.
Because Lang Ying is such a difficult person to persuade, she definitely wouldn't accept money directly from her.
At such a young age, Jiang Cancan experienced the troubles of interpersonal relationships with her neighbors for the first time in her life.
Jiang Xiaoman also felt this was a difficult matter, but he quickly came up with an idea for Jiang Cancan—
“Isn’t Yingzi’s family about to build a house? I don’t think she plans to build a multi-story house. She should just build three single-story houses. If she doesn’t decorate them and just applies a layer of white lime, it should be finished in about two months.”
"When she moves into her new house, she'll definitely have to host a party. Just make up some excuse, say it's a gift from a business partner and you don't need it yourself. Then buy her some practical appliances, like a TV, refrigerator, or washing machine. Just pick one, it won't be expensive and it'll look presentable."
As they talked, Jiang Xiaoman had an idea and reminded Jiang Cancan, "Don't buy it yourself! Let's all chip in and get a complete set of three home appliances for Yingzi's family, then deliver them to her door. That would look much more presentable!"
Jiang Cancan on the other end of the phone nodded repeatedly, thinking that her nephew's idea was fantastic and sounded very impressive!
Jiang Xiaoman wasn't trying to show off her wealth. It was just that people in the countryside often had a dark side towards women like Lang Ying, who were divorced, had children, and had no family to rely on. Even if they weren't doing well themselves, they would always want to bully those who were worse off than them, just to show that they weren't the lowest class.
He wanted to use this grand gift-giving to let these people know that even though Yingzi didn't have her family's support, she wasn't without anyone to rely on in Langshan Village!
...
Such an incident occurred during the first month of the lunar calendar. Normally, it would have been the talk of the town for days, but what can you do when it's the New Year? Despite the sighs and murmurs, relatives still need to keep in touch.
However, because they needed to help Lang Ying's family settle down, Jiang Yu and his group didn't come up the mountain to pay their respects until the fifth day of the first lunar month.
Lang Ying, Daniu, and Yueyue also came along. The youngest, Erniu, was left at home and entrusted to Grandma Jiang for half a day.
Jiang Xiaoman has helped her so much this year, and she may continue to work odd jobs for him in the future. It is only right and proper that Lang Ying comes over to pay her a New Year's visit.
Jiang Youliang was overjoyed. Perhaps it was because of his age, but he especially loved having his house bustling with activity. Five children had come all at once, and they were all well-behaved and adorable girls. They charmed him so much that he wanted to bring out all the good food and drinks in the house and pile them in front of the little ones.
It wasn't even dark yet, and he had already taken out the fairy wand that Jiang Xiaoman had bought.
Seeing her father happy, Jiang Xiaoman was also happy. She told Jiang Yu and the others to make themselves whatever they wanted to eat, and she caught the fattest old hen to make soup. She also killed a bighead carp that she had bought for the New Year.
"Xiaoman, let me help you!" Jiang Yu rolled up her sleeves and came to the kitchen to help.
"Help me? You're here to steal my skills, aren't you? Tell me! When are you going to pay your tuition?" Jiang Xiaoman teased him.
So, having a child really makes a difference.
The Jiang Xiaoyu who used to be so lazy that she wanted to eat roasted potatoes for every meal is dead.
Now following him around, humbly seeking his guidance with a shameless grin, is Niu Hulu, a student at New Oriental, named Jiang Xiaoyu!
Chapter 140
"Hehe~ What kind of relationship do we have? Why would I need tuition? At worst, I'll ask my brother Yan to go into the mountains and get you some good stuff after the snow melts in the forest!" Jiang Yu smiled smugly.
"What good stuff?" Jiang Xiaoman's eyes lit up.
"Hey! Don't get the wrong idea! We wouldn't dare eat any 'life-long prison beast'!" Jiang Yu waved his hand loudly, no longer teasing him. "Brother Yan has a good relationship with some local restaurants, right? Every spring, those owners ask him to get some rare wild vegetables and mushrooms from the mountains."
"We were planning to set up beehives in the mountains this year, so Brother Yan told them that after the snow melts, we should pick a good day, go up the mountain first to set up the beehives, and then go and pick some wild vegetables and mushrooms to sell for a good price while they're still in season."
"That's great! You have to call me when you come." Jiang Xiaoman's video of going to the old forest last time is still getting a lot of views every month, even though it's been half a year.
He's now reaping the benefits of original content. As long as he can create a viral hit, he can not only gain more followers, but also earn some income each month.
Even if it's only a few hundred yuan a month, in their rural area, it's enough for him and his father's living expenses for a month.
In the countryside, buying vegetables is free. Even if you buy five pounds of meat and some fish every time you go to the market, it will only cost you a few hundred yuan a month.
With motivation in hand, Jiang Xiaoman became serious about teaching Jiang Yu how to cook.
There are many people at home today. Although they usually serve ten dishes for their New Year's dinner, he plans to make them all into large portions.
"Big pot dishes? They must not taste good, right?" Jiang Xiaoyu, an apprentice learning from the master chef, still had to be picky.
"Hehe~ You're a typical example of someone who only looks at the present and not the future." Jiang Xiaoman sneered, "You have three daughters. In a few years, when they grow up and go to school, they'll make friends, right? On weekends, if they want to invite female classmates over, won't you cook a meal for them? With so many people, you'll have to cook a big pot of food."
Jiang Yu was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting this answer.
However, thinking about it carefully, the combination of these two fathers in their family, without a mother, makes it easy for others to gossip behind their backs. If their daughters' classmates come over to play and find that neither of their fathers can cook, will they laugh at their three daughters?
Of course it will!
Jiang Yu looked solemn and couldn't help but take out his phone and tripod.
"What are you doing?" Jiang Xiaoman was completely confused when she saw him setting up his phone.
"I'm afraid I have a bad memory and won't remember the steps you take to cook. I'll take a picture first, and then I can practice at home," Jiang Yu said quietly.
Jiang Xiaoman was speechless.
It's just cooking a big pot of food, is it really necessary to film it?
Jiang Xiaoyu responded, "Absolutely!"
Because when Jiang Xiaoman cooks, just like many unofficial food bloggers in China, she especially likes to use quantifiers that are impossible to measure, such as "a little bit", "a pinch", or "a handful". Who knows how much that is?
If he doesn't take a picture and follow the instructions, what if it's too salty or too spicy?
At noon, Jiang Xiaoman's family restaurant was exceptionally lively.
To make it easier to entertain the little guests, Jiang Youliang specially moved a small square table over so that the younger ones could have their own table, so that the smell of alcohol from the large table wouldn't bother these well-behaved and adorable little girls.
When Jiang Xiaoman was cooking, she also considered the children, so she specially ladled out a bowl of their food first, and then added chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns to the rest.
Although the table was small, there was no shortage of dishes: a bowl of bright orange steamed egg custard, a plate of braised prawns, a pot of braised chicken pieces with gourd, as well as stir-fried eggs with chives, stir-fried shredded pork with celery, braised pork ribs with green beans, braised salted pork trotters with soybeans, sugar-coated peanuts, steamed pork with rice flour...
In rural areas, children usually eat from large bowls while adults casually pick out some food for them, sitting on small stools. Unlike Jiang Xiaoman, who properly set up a table for several children as well!
Although there was no alcohol on the table, there were three drinks: orange juice, coconut juice, and Want Want milk, which is a favorite among children! Even Jiang Yu, who usually spoils her children, laughed and said that Jiang Xiaoman's hospitality standards were really excessive.
"Don't even mention it! What I hated most when I was a kid was visiting relatives with my dad. When it came time to eat, we were like beggars. A bunch of kids would sit at the door with their bowls, and if we weren't full, we'd have to beg the adults for more. It was so humiliating." Jiang Xiaoman waved her hand dismissively. "I don't care if you go to other people's houses, but when you come to my house for New Year's greetings and meals, there are seats for everyone, adults and children alike!"
The children seemed to be impressed by Jiang Xiaoman's sense of ceremony. They imitated the adults, poured their drinks into glasses in a proper manner, and even raised them to toast Jiang Xiaoman in a very respectful way.
“That’s right! Who says girls can’t sit at the table? Remember this! From now on, if anyone tells you that girls can’t sit at the table to eat, you’d better not eat at their house, even if you starve to death! Run as far away as you can!” Jiang Xiaoman sat down and brainwashed the girls.
"Jiang Xiaoman! What nonsense are you spouting to them during the New Year?" Jiang Youliang glared at his son. "The guests are already at the table, aren't you going to come and keep them company?"
Jiang Xiaoman, speechless, took her wine glass and returned to the main table.
Although both tables had ten dishes, the main table looked much more lavish than the children's table. Several of the main dishes were served in stainless steel bowls. He later filmed this scene in a video, and thinking he would be laughed at by netizens, he added a voice-over to explain that the bowls were not because his family was poor and couldn't afford pretty plates.
The main reason is that their New Year's custom is to eat and drink alcohol, and a meal can sometimes last 2 to 3 hours. Using these stainless steel bowls to hold the food has the advantage of being able to place them on an alcohol stove to keep the food warm over a low flame, so the food doesn't get cold easily.
"Joke? No, no, no, I'm just envious, okay? Little Man, please feed me!"
Daily question: Is it possible to book a room at Xiaomange's guesthouse this year? I want to eat there (?﹃?)
"I suddenly remembered secretly cooking hot pot in my dorm room back in college. I used the same stainless steel pot and alcohol burner. This pot is really useful!"
"Damn it! They looked so tacky, but I couldn't resist ordering two..."
"Is this type of stainless steel basin universally applicable nationwide? Haha, my mom bought a whole set this year! More than a dozen stainless steel basins of different sizes! They're super convenient for cooking noodles, storing leftovers, storing lard, and so on."
...
In the comments section, netizens amused themselves by sharing various uses for stainless steel basins.
Jiang Xiaoman was also bored, so she actually hung a stainless steel basin that she had bought before on the yellow bike.
He's been buying from this store for years. Don't be fooled by the outdated website; the items inside are truly high-quality and inexpensive.
Jiang Xiaoman only posted it out as a joke because she felt comfortable using it herself.