The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Deluxe Home-Style Seafood Noodles

But since they were still getting acquainted, Han Xiaorui didn’t ask too many questions, afraid she might offend Wu Jiao and Wu Yao.

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Alright. Of the remaining five hundred, you two can keep two hundred for pocket money. I’ll take you to the bank to open a passbook for the other three hundred. That way, your money will be safe, and you’ll even earn interest.”

Wu Jiao smiled. ”Sister Xiao Rui, we don’t know about these things, but we trust you.”

It felt wonderful to be trusted. Han Xiaorui quickly wired one hundred yuan home for them, gave them two hundred to keep for personal use, and deposited the remaining three hundred into the new passbook.

Han Xiaorui took them for a stroll around the county town. When they passed a photo studio, she said, ”Wu Jiao, Wu Yao, I have a camera at home. I’ll take pictures of you when we get back. Once they’re developed, you can mail them home with a letter.”

Wu Jiao and Wu Yao’s eyes lit up. They had never had their picture taken before. ”Sister Xiao Rui, is that expensive?”

”Not at all. I have film at home, so it’s very cheap,” Han Xiaorui said with a smile. ’I’ll buy some dried seafood to send back with the photos, too,’ she thought.

Han Xiaorui wanted them to take the bus, but the sisters worried it wasn’t safe to leave the boat unattended and insisted on traveling back by water.

Han Xiaorui couldn’t win them over, so she had no choice but to start the boat. This only meant more misery for Wu Jiao and Wu Yao, who got seasick all over again, vomiting until their stomachs were completely empty.

Han Xiaorui had expected they would need help getting off the boat, but to her surprise, the two sisters were as lively as ever the moment they set foot on solid ground.

Back at the house, Wu Jiao and Wu Yao rested in their room. Through the window, they could see Yang Minmin playing ”eagle catches the chick” with three children in the yard.

”Sis, Brother Ye wasn’t lying. This is a great job. Sister Xiao Rui is so nice, and as long as we do our best to protect this family, we’ll have a steady salary.” Although Wu Yao was quiet, it didn’t mean she was foolish.

On the contrary, she was the sharper of the two sisters.

Wu Jiao nodded. ”You’re right. If we work hard, the money we make this year will be enough for our family to build a new house.”

Wu Yao thought for a moment, her gaze drifting to the happy children outside. ”Sis, look how happy the kids are here. Doesn’t that give you any ideas?”

Wu Jiao froze. ”Yaoyao, we can’t have any improper ideas. Even though Dad and our big brother are gone, we can’t do anything to disgrace their memory.”

Wu Yao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ”Sis, what on earth are you thinking? I just mean that it’s great here in Shencheng. Our salary is high—even higher than the local average! As long as we dedicate ourselves to our work, Sister Xiao Rui won’t shortchange us.”

”We should bring Mom and our younger siblings here. The kids could go to school and be this happy and carefree. With us gone, I’m worried Second Aunt and Grandma will bully Mom.”

At these words, Wu Jiao’s eyes lit up. ”You’re right! Let’s work hard, buy a house here, and then we can transfer our residency.”

The day’s events had a profound impact on the two sisters. They realized how good life was here and wanted their family to have the same opportunity.

They dared to dream this big because they had heard that local wages were less than one hundred yuan a month.

They were each making three hundred, for a combined total of six hundred.

With room and board provided, plus clothes and shoes, they barely had to spend any of their own money and could save almost everything.

In a year or two, they could afford to buy a house.

That evening, Wu Jiao helped make dinner. ”Sister Xiao Rui, do you all like noodles? Or steamed buns? I know how to make both.”

Han Xiaorui paused, then it dawned on her that the sisters might not be accustomed to eating rice with every meal.

”We have them occasionally. Why don’t you show us your skills tonight?”

Wu Jiao nodded. ”Sure! I’ll make hand-rolled noodles tonight, and we can boil them plain. You can stir-fry some side dishes to your family’s taste. The chewy noodles will pair wonderfully with them. It’ll be delicious!”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Sounds good. We have plenty of seafood. Once you’ve made the noodles, I’ll turn them into a seafood noodle dish so you can try something new as well.”

As a martial artist, Wu Jiao was naturally strong. She kneaded the dough with ease, and the hand-rolled noodles she cut were a uniform half-centimeter wide.

Since she hadn’t planned on having noodles today, Han Xiaorui hadn’t bought any pork bones or chicken carcasses and couldn’t make a rich stock.

Han Xiaorui stir-fried some swimming crab and peeled shrimp, and also made a dish of razor clams with scallions.

She rendered a flavorful oil by frying the shrimp heads, then added water and let it simmer into a simple broth.

She ladled the cooked noodles into bowls, poured the simple seafood broth over them, and then topped each serving with crab, shrimp, razor clams, abalone, and other seafood.

To her surprise, the children absolutely loved Wu Jiao’s hand-rolled noodles.

Seeing how much everyone was enjoying the meal, Wu Jiao smiled. ”I was worried you all wouldn’t like them.”

”We love them! I think we could have hand-rolled noodles twice a week, if you don’t mind the trouble, Wu Jiao,” Han Xiaorui said with a laugh. ”And if you prefer steamed buns because you’re not used to so much rice, please feel free to make some for yourselves. Don’t stand on ceremony.”

”Thank you, Sister Xiao Rui,” Wu Jiao said, relieved. While the white rice was delicious, she was having a hard time adjusting to eating it with every single meal.

She was more comfortable with some congee, steamed buns as her staple, and a few stir-fried side dishes.

For two days in a row, Han Xiaorui drove Yang Minmin to and from her destination, but Wu Cuicui still hadn’t returned.

When the weekend arrived, Han Xiaorui made a fragrant sea cucumber congee for Ye Feng and took the children into the city.

On the bus, Wu Jiao and Wu Yao each held one of the children, Pingping and An’an, staying close to them at all times.

In the hospital room, Wu Jiao and Wu Yao’s expressions faltered when they saw Ye Feng. ”Brother Ye, you... you’re injured?”

Ye Feng smiled. ”There was a little accident on a mission. I’m mostly healed, though, so don’t you worry.”

”But what about you two? How are you settling into Shencheng? If there’s anything you’re not comfortable with, you must speak up.”

Wu Jiao, always one to speak her mind, piped up, ”Brother Ye, Sister Xiao Rui is treating us so well! We’re adjusting just fine. The work is easy, too—just protecting Pingping, An’an, and Sister Xiao Jing.”

”Yaoyao and I have so much free time we get restless, so we help with the housework to lighten Sister Xiao Rui’s load. Otherwise, we feel like we aren’t earning the high salary she’s giving us.”

Hearing Wu Jiao chatter on and on, Ye Feng knew Han Xiaorui was getting along well with his fallen comrade’s two younger sisters. ”That’s a relief.”

”You can set your mind at ease,” Wu Jiao said with a laugh. ”She gave us our first month’s salary before we even started working! We’ve already sent some of it home.”

Ye Feng offered a faint smile. Looking at Wu Jiao and Wu Yao, whose eyes and brows bore a slight resemblance to his comrade, he felt a pang of heartache.

’Next year, on Qingming Festival, when I visit the martyrs’ cemetery, I’ll have to tell my brother-in-arms, Wu Yong, that he doesn’t need to worry about his family anymore. He can finally rest in peace.’

”Thank you, Xiao Rui,” Ye Feng said.

Han Xiaorui poured out the congee. Chunks of sea cucumber floated in the thick millet porridge. ”I brought extra today, so eat up. Who brought you meals the last two days while I was gone?”

”My aunt had her household staff bring me food. I can eat regular meals now, so you don’t have to bring anything anymore. I should be discharged in another four days.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Congratulations on your recovery, Mr. Ye. But once you’re discharged, where will you stay?”

Ye Feng answered, ”I’ll go back to my grandparents’ place. I wanted to stay in the dorms by myself, but they wouldn’t hear of it. You know my grandmother... she’s an expert crier. If I don’t go, she’ll just cry.”

Han Xiaorui’s smile was radiant. ”Don’t complain. Being cared for by family is a blessing. You should cherish it.”

”Yeah,” Ye Feng agreed. Just then, he saw who was at the door, and his face fell. ”What are you doing here?”