The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 648 - 617 Anxious, Demi-immortal Cui_1

Chapter 648: Chapter 617 Anxious, Demi-immortal Cui_1

Ever since she went to Qijia Village as an educated youth, she had received letters from her family, but there was never any news from them asking her to come home for the New Year.

She knew well that living conditions at home were tough, and they had few rooms, but it seemed like they could have squeezed in one more during New Year’s, right?

But in the letters, her mother repeated, time and again, that with two brothers married, there was simply no space left at home. Not only did they plead poverty, but her mother also often asked her for money.

At first, Huang Jingli managed to save a little on the side and send it back, but over time, her heart grew colder.

She didn’t know how they had learned she got into college, but they actually sent a letter to her school, asking her to come home.

Such a thing had never happened before, so Huang Jingli was a bit afraid.

After so many years, she was tired, drained, and thought about finding someone to marry.

But how many good people were there in the world? Huang Jingli couldn’t find a suitable match for a while.

In He Tiantian’s home, being able to become friends with Huo Yingjie meant his character was probably not bad. Although his looks were average, his abilities were commendable; he should be a good person.

"Hehe, okay, I’ll ask him discreetly," He Tiantian said, seeing as Huang Jingli had brought it up, it was just a small favor to ask; who knows, it might work out.

He Tiantian found that she had a knack for playing matchmaker.

"Thank you so much, whether it works out or not, I’m grateful," Huang Jingli said with a smile, open-minded about the matter of marriage.

Cui Ying had turned her back earlier, but had sized up the two of them and chuckled, thinking they would be quite a match. So, she watched Huang Jingli with a smile and said, "I think you two will make it!"

"Haha, look, we’ve even got Demi-immortal Cui here with us," Huang Jingli said. "Go on, calculate it for me."

Cui Ying and Huang Jingli were close, so Jingli was aware that Cui Ying had a habit of casually counting on her fingers and making predictions.

However, eight times out of ten, her predictions would turn out to be accurate.

"I’ve already done it," Cui Ying admitted, not really fond of these things in the past and learnt them half-heartedly; she couldn’t articulate the specifics.

"Hehe, if it really happens, I’ll give you both a grand gift," Huang Jingli laughed, taking it as a joke.

The three women entertained the children while talking about recent events at school.

The three men, on the other hand, were in the kitchen preparing the meat and vegetables.

A pot stewed rib soup on the stove, to be used as a broth base.

"Wu Youliang, chop some cabbage leaves, potato slices, wash some vermicelli, radish slices, rice cakes; Huashan, help me cut the meat," Huo Yingjie instructed, handing Wu Youliang a small knife and giving Huashan a larger one.

Wu Youliang was no stranger to these tasks at home, so he handled them with ease.

Taking the knife, Huashan asked, "How should I cut it?"

"Slice that beef and lamb into thin slices for hotpot later," Huo Yingjie said, while he himself chopped chicken pieces with an axe.

"Right, I’ll get on it," Huashan said with a smile. Holding the beef with one hand and the knife with the other, he sliced effortlessly, and a thin slice of beef appeared on the plate, "Is this how it’s done?"

Seeing the beef slices Huashan had made, Huo Yingjie nodded and said, "Right, just like that."

Wu Youliang expressed his surprise, as he couldn’t achieve such skill, and asked, "Brother Huashan, seems like you’ve got some real talent in your hands, huh?"

Huashan replied modestly with a smile, "I studied a bit in the past."

Having said that, he began to slice the meat with intense focus and before long, he had filled up two large plates.

Huo Yingjie chopped a whole chicken into small pieces and blanched them in a pot.

Grandma Wang didn’t like eating from the pot; getting on in years, she found it hard to digest and likely to cause heartburn, so He Tiantian served some white radish pork rib soup for Grandma Wang and added noodles for her to eat first.

After Grandma Wang finished eating, she took the children to the main hall to play, allowing Huo Yingjie and He Tiantian to accompany the guests for the meal.

He Tiantian brought out a copper hot pot from home, cleaned it thoroughly, then placed burning charcoal inside, and soon the broth inside began to boil, and everyone started to add their favorite ingredients.

The house was also well-stocked with condiments, including sesame paste, minced garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil, among others.

Eating hot pot was always the most atmospheric, especially in winter; the steam kept rising, and from the beginning to the end, everything was hot.

Huo Yingjie brought out a bottle of sorghum liquor, to drink with Huashan and Wu Youliang; He Tiantian took out the peach blossom liquor her mother, Wang Shuping, had made and poured some for Huang Jingli and Cui Ying.

Around the dining table, the conversation was lively and enjoyable.

After the meal, they didn’t leave right away, but instead got together to speculate about the content of this year’s exam.

Everyone aired their views, and their different ideas clashed, and it turned out that several of the topics they guessed actually appeared on the exam.

At three in the afternoon, the four guests got up to take their leave.

Huo Yingjie and He Tiantian walked them to the entrance of the alley.

Back at home, He Tiantian immediately asked Huo Yingjie, "So, where is Wu Youliang from? Does he have a partner?"

"Wu Youliang is from a county town under the jurisdiction of Nan City. I’ve heard their hometown is known for producing salted duck eggs. I’ve tasted half, and the flavor was not bad," Huo Yingjie replied, "As for a partner, I don’t think so. At least, Wu Youliang has never mentioned one."

"Oh, then you should find out when you have time," He Tiantian said softly, feeling the responsibility of one entrusted with a task by another. Whether it works out or not, she wanted to get a clear answer.

Huo Yingjie sensed her intention and asked in return, "You’re not thinking of playing matchmaker between your class leader and Wu Youliang, are you?"

"Hehe," He Tiantian laughed, "Something like that."

"How did you come up with that idea?" Huo Yingjie asked, as he hadn’t paid attention to this before. Now thinking about it, Huang Jingli seemed to be finding reasons to talk to Wu Youliang throughout the meal.

He Tiantian tilted her head up slightly and said, "Well, it wasn’t actually my idea. Huang Jingli privately asked me if Wu Youliang was seeing anyone. If not, she would like to start something with him."

"Haha, I see," said Huo Yingjie. He had always known Huang Jingli to be purposeful in her actions, but thankfully, she also had her limits. Even having taken a liking to Wu Youliang, she would first find out the truth. If Wu Youliang already had a partner, Huang Jingli would definitely not pursue him further and would look elsewhere.

"Alright, I’ll ask him during the exam," Huo Yingjie said, willing to help her inquire because Huang Jingli always behaved properly and knew her place.

"Then, I’m counting on you," He Tiantian said with a smile and tiptoed to plant a kiss on Huo Yingjie’s cheek.

Huo Yingjie was never one to be satisfied easily. With his beloved wife throwing herself into his arms, he wouldn’t let go easily, responding with a fiery French kiss on the spot.

"Ahem!" Grandma Wang, on her way to the kitchen for a cup of water, saw the young couple exchanging tender kisses in the yard on a cold day, seemingly unbothered by the chill!

To prevent them from catching a cold, Grandma Wang kindly cleared her throat a couple of times as a reminder.

The infatuated couple, caught in the moment, quickly parted, their faces flushed with embarrassment. They ducked inside the house, exchanged knowing glances, and then laughed together in secret.

In the following days, Huo Yingjie and He Tiantian studied diligently and confidently went to school for the exams.

They sat exams for three consecutive days, completing all subjects.