Chapter 03 Hand-Pulled Noodles with Egg

Last winter, He Shan's uncle passed away, and He Shan took He Xiuyu back to his hometown, while the original host Qiao Qingyu just happened to visit her aunt's house in Hejia Village, and instantly took a liking to the handsome He Xiuyu.

Upon hearing from the aunt that he was He Shan's youngest son and also unmarried, she set her sights on him.

The long-past affair between He Shan and his mother was no secret within these ten miles, and the girl naturally knew about it; she had the guts and the thick skin to actively seek them out. Once He Shan heard she was Han Xianglan's daughter, he was naturally overcome with emotion, almost to the point of tears.

Twenty-nine years had passed, and Han Xianglan hadn't accepted any help from him, nor had she exchanged a single word with him, so naturally, this had become a sore point for him.

Consequently, there was no guard against the mere seventeen-year-old Qiao Qingyu, and thus that very night, the original host successfully sneaked into He Xiuyu's room...

The incident was quite an embarrassment.

Upon hearing the news, Han Xianglan fainted on the spot, and Qiao Qingyu's father was even more ashamed and angry, declaring he would rather beat Qiao Qingyu to death than let her step into the He family's threshold.

However, Qiao Qingyu still got her wish.

The two of them got their marriage certificate, and in mid-February, He Xiuyu brought her to the Northwest...

As Qiao Qingyu sorted through the plot, she hung the freshly washed quilt and sheets on the clothesline and began to tidy up the room she was living in.

Since it was temporary accommodation, there wasn't much furniture, but the bedding was brand new, with a long, sprawling kang bed and a freshly woven reed mat.

An old kang cabinet stood against the west wall, containing two bags of milk candy and a bag of peach pastries.

These were the original owner's snacks.

Besides a broken table and two broken chairs, there was nothing else in the room; indeed, it looked too rudimentary. The original host, in her quest for a better life, had alienated everyone, only to find that the place she came to was even less like home, so she was extremely disappointed and kept pestering He Xiuyu to take her back to Beijing.

Qiao Qingyu slightly furrowed her brows; indeed, life here was very hard.

She straightened her clothes and headed to the kitchen. Although there was now enough food to go around, refined flour was still rationed per person; however, the family did have half a bag of fortified flour and a small bag of millet.

In the jar was some soybean paste given by Sister-in-law Li, and there were a few eggs in the cupboard; they weren't short on oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar, either.

Qiao Qingyu made a pot of egg hand-pulled noodles and served up a large bowl to take to Sister-in-law Li's house in the front courtyard.

At the doorway, Sister-in-law Li's son Xiao Hu was squatting in the yard waiting for his meal. As he looked up and saw Qiao Qingyu, he started crying out in fear, "Bad person, bad person is coming to steal my candy..."

Sister-in-law Li came out with an embarrassed face, pulling Xiao Hu and scolding, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I'm not talking nonsense, Aunt Qiao stole my White Rabbit milk candy, and she pinched me when I didn't give it to her," Xiao Hu complained, feeling wronged.

The accusation was true, but Qiao Qingyu couldn't admit it; it was too embarrassing.

After all, when Sister-in-law Li had confronted the original owner, she had also denied it.

She placed the big bowl on the wooden table outside and said earnestly, "Sister-in-law Li, thank you for saving me again today. Here is some egg noodle I've made. It might not compare to yours, but it's a token of my appreciation..."

Sister-in-law Li stood frozen, her eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty as she looked at Qiao Qingyu, mouth agape, unsure of what to say. Was this really Qiao Qingyu?

It was as if a different person stood before her.

"Sister-in-law Li, I was immature before and caused you unnecessary worry, I'm truly sorry."

"...What are you apologizing for? It was just my luck to come across you, and I couldn't just stand by and watch you die," Sister-in-law Li finally snapped out of it and hurriedly reassured Qiao Qingyu.

"That still shows Sister-in-law Li's kindness," Qiao Qingyu's voice choked up, her eyes slightly moist, "If it weren't for Sister-in-law Li arriving in time today, I would have been long gone. Thank you."

"Oh, child, stop thanking me already," Sister-in-law Li's face turned red with urgency.

Qiao Qingyu sighed inwardly. These were indeed simple and honest people.

She then fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a handful of White Rabbit Creamy Candies, placing them in Xiao Hu's small hand with a broad smile on her face, "Xiao Hu, these are candies from Aunt Qiao, but remember to listen to your mother and not eat too many, okay...?"

Xiao Hu's eyes were like shiny black grapes. He looked down at the candies, a bit puzzled—had he remembered wrong? Was it someone who looked very much like Aunt Qiao who stole his candy?

"Sister-in-law Li, I'll be going back first."

Qiao Qingyu said as she quickly walked out of Mr. Li's courtyard.

By the time Sister-in-law Li realized it, Qiao Qingyu had long disappeared.

Sister-in-law Li looked at the egg noodles and frowned but still couldn't resist picking up her chopsticks, prepared for the taste to be repulsive. However, she was surprised to find her eyes widening in astonishment.

The noodles were chewy, the eggs flavorful, and the lightly salted broth was clear and speckled with glistening drops of oil—good heavens, this was delicious.

She would have never imagined that Qiao Qingyu had such exceptional culinary skills!

Sister-in-law Li hurriedly took the large bowl inside. With only herself and Xiao Hu at home, this bowl of fragrant egg noodles meant she didn't need to cook lunch.

She felt deeply moved. Qingyu seemed to have become more sensible.

...

This temporary family compound, which was previously a village, had barren land and harsh climate. After the land and houses were requisitioned by the research base, the villagers happily moved to the better-conditioned Xiaxi Commune.

At that moment, in one of the northern courtyards of the family compound, Liu Qiao Wen, the wife of Chef Song from the base canteen, stood on tiptoe to peer into the yard where Qiao Qingyu lived.

Shortly thereafter, she hurriedly rode her bicycle to Xiaxi Commune, making a phone call that got redirected several times before finally reaching Mr. He's home.

Meng Siqi, He Shan's wife, answered the call. Liu Qiao Wen clearly wasn't new to communicating with Meng Siqi, and spoke hurriedly, "Dean Meng, Qiao Qingyu tried to hang herself again this morning. She didn't succeed, and Sister-in-law Li saved her... He Xiuyu came back, stayed in the house for less than ten minutes, then left in a jeep. At noon, Qiao Qingyu took a bowl of food over to Sister-in-law Li..."

"That's it?"

"Yes. I came to call you as soon as I saw her enter the yard," Liu Qiao Wen said, eager to please.

Meng Siqi's expression was somber, biting her lip, "Alright, then you can go back."

"Dean Meng, about my brother's matter..." Liu Qiao Wen's voice became even more humble.

Meng Siqi frowned impatiently, "What's the rush? We're not short of staff here; we have to wait for the right opportunity..."

"But please, you must keep it in mind. I won't bother you anymore. I'll call you immediately if there's anything new with Qiao Qingyu..."

Meng Siqi responded with a terse "Hmm," and hung up the phone.

Meanwhile, He Shan was descending the stairs unhurriedly, wearing an army-green woolen coat. With his tall stature, a hint of white at his temples, and still being sharp at over fifty, particularly those piercing eyes that seemed to easily see right through your thoughts...