296 Spicy Strips
After the Lantern Festival, most of the young people in the village left.
The children and the elderly were left behind.
The children would cry and refuse to be separated from their parents. The elderly stood at the door and wiped their tears.
Although everyone’s lives were good, who would want to be separated from their children and run around outside? Good days didn’t fall from the sky but were fought for by people.
Gu Qingming watched as the children in the village cried their hearts out when they separated from their parents. Her heart could not help but ache.
It was fine if she didn’t see it in the past, but since she did, she wanted to do her best to prevent children from being separated from their parents.
However, this matter could only be taken slowly.
There would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
Grandma Shi looked at the crying children and sighed softly. “It’s not easy for anyone! If they can accompany the children, they can’t earn money. If they can earn money, but they can’t accompany the child!”
This was a matter of social reality!
Most families in China now had to leave their children and parents to lead a good life.
Gu Qingming was silent.
A moment later, Gu Qingming and her grandmother sat on recliners in the courtyard to bask in the sun.
Gu Qingming was about to give birth at any time, so her grandmother did not dare to leave her alone at home.
No matter where Gu Qingming went, there was always someone accompanying her.
She was about to give birth, so Gu Qingming did not pay attention to food restrictions anymore. She could eat whatever she wanted, and her family was willing to make it for her.
She wanted to eat spicy strips now!
There was a small stack of spicy strips in front of her.
Second Aunt had learned about making spicy strips from online videos.
She had never eaten snacks outside since she was young, especially spicy strips.
However, ever since she saw her grandparents eat it, it smelled quite fragrant and she wanted to try it. When no one was paying attention, she went to the convenience store to buy a bag of spicy sticks. Just as she tasted a small piece, Shi Junxuan and Shi Jiahao appeared out of nowhere and blinked at her.
Shi Junxuan grinned and said, “Auntie, so you’re eating spicy sticks. I want some too!”
“Me too, me too!” Shi Jiahao shouted.
Gu Qingming looked at the two children suspiciously and said, “Can the two of you eat spicy food? This spicy strip is very spicy. Do you know how to eat it?”
Shi Junxuan said, “It’s delicious! I like it very much, but Daddy and Mommy won’t let me eat it!” As he said this, the light in his eyes dimmed.
Shi Jiahao nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Grandpa and Grandma don’t allow us to eat it. They say that this thing is unhealthy. But this thing is delicious! It turns out that Auntie likes spicy food too!”
Gu Qingming was speechless. She could only silently put away the spicy strips.
Then, she spread out her hands and said with a smile, “Xiao Xuan, Xiao Hao, look. Auntie doesn’t have spicy strips in her hands anymore, right?”
Shi Junxuan and Shi Jiahao looked at Gu Qingming innocently.
A moment later, the two of them burst into tears.
“I want to eat, I want to eat!”
“Auntie, I want to eat!”
Gu Qingming, who was suddenly at a loss. This damn spicy strip was actually so charming that even the children who had always listened to her had to make a fuss.
Gu Qingming coaxed them helplessly.
Later, when she returned home, Gu Qingming was complained about.
“Grandma, Auntie bought spicy sticks and won’t let us eat them!”
“Great-grandma, Auntie bought spicy sticks and won’t let us eat them!”
Gu Qingming was speechless.
Grandma Shi asked, “Mingming, did you secretly eat spicy sticks?”
Gu Qingming braced herself and nodded. “Yes!”
Eldest aunt asked suspiciously, “Mingming, why do you suddenly want to eat spicy food?”
Gu Qingming immediately looked at her grandmother guiltily.
First Aunt saw her expression and immediately understood.
She turned to look at her grandmother and said sternly, “Mom, did you and Dad secretly eat spicy sticks again?”
Everyone in the family knew that the two elders liked to eat spicy food and often ate it behind everyone’s backs.
Grandma Shi said embarrassedly, “Your father and I didn’t eat much either. Later, we threw them all away. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Mingming.”
After betraying her grandmother, Gu Qingming immediately nodded and said, “Yes, yes. Grandma and Grandpa really didn’t eat much. They only ate half and threw the rest into the trash can.”
“You ate half?” Eldest Aunt said angrily, “You’ve already eaten half of it, and you’re still saying that you haven’t eaten much. That spicy strip is numbing and spicy and very difficult to digest. Most importantly, it’s not healthy. You and Dad are old. What if you eat something wrong? Spending money is a small matter. It’s torture!”
Gu Qingming was speechless. She lowered her head guiltily.
Grandma Shi, who had been reprimanded by her eldest daughter-in-law, waved her hand and said, “No, no. We’re very healthy. Nothing will happen to us if we eat so little.”
Eldest Aunt was speechless.
She turned to look at Gu Qingming and asked, “Mingming, do you want spicy strips too?”
Gu Qingming shook her head and said, “No, no. I just smelled the fragrance and wanted to try it. Before I could eat much, Xiao Xuan and Xiao Hao appeared. I… I threw them away!”
Eldest Aunt asked suspiciously, “Did you really throw it away?”
“Yes, I really threw it away!” Gu Qingming nodded and said, “Eldest Aunt, I won’t eat it anymore!”
It was only her first time eating, but not only was she caught, but she also betrayed her grandmother.
What a miscalculation!
Eldest Aunt sighed softly and said, “We all want to eat spicy strips. Just tell us. It’s not that we don’t want you to eat spicy strips, but we don’t want you to eat the spicy strips outside. The spicy strips outside cost 50 cents a packet. They’re all processed from a small workshop. There’s no guarantee of hygiene.”
Later on, Eldest Aunt told Second Aunt that she should make some spicy sticks herself.
Second Aunt had never cooked spicy food before. Now that she had learned from online videos and polished it herself, she proved to be a person with culinary talent. The spicy strips she made were especially fragrant and even better than those bought outside.
As soon as Grandpa and Grandma ate, they could not stop eating. However, the two of them were getting on in years. Even if they made spicy sticks at home, they could not eat too much.
Gu Qingming and the children also enjoyed eating them.
As Grandma Shi ate, she said, “If I had known that Second Aunt’s spicy strips were so delicious, I would have asked her to make them long ago. Otherwise, your father and I wouldn’t have eaten them secretly every day!”
Everyone from the Shi Family was speechless.
If they wanted to eat them, they could have said it. There’s someone at home with good culinary skills who will definitely make them. Those who liked to eat spicy strips did not care about their age. Everyone in the family liked to eat it.
Second Aunt had made many flavors of spicy food according to everyone’s preferences and age. There were spicy and slightly spicy dishes, as well as spicy and soft dishes. Anyway, everyone liked them after tasting them.
Gu Qingming put a small spicy strip into her mouth and asked her grandmother, “Grandma, what will every one do in the countryside after the Lantern Festival? Are we going to start planting seeds?”
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