Chapter 120: No. 13 Female Lead (End)

　　To make flavored melon seeds, you must first soak the melon seeds in a large basin, filter out the hollow and shriveled seeds, then take out the melon seeds and put them in a large pot with green tea, salt, sugar and bay leaves to cook.

　　Xu Manqiu had already set the fire to the big pot. At this moment, the yellow-green tea soup in the pot was boiling. As soon as the big pot was opened, the rich aroma of green tea came out and filled the whole yard in an instant.

　　These ingredients were all bought by Jiang Youtao in the system space. The ratio of water and tea leaves was strictly matched according to the ratio given by the melon-eating system to ensure that the taste was authentic, sweet and not irritating.

　　Jiang Youtao used a large net bag to put the soaked melon seeds, which had been cleaned of dust, into a large wooden basin. Fu Shaohua then took them to the large pot and poured them into it. Gu Nianwei used a spatula as big as a shovel to stir it evenly.

　　Boil in a pot for ten minutes, take out the melon seeds and place them on the reed curtain to dry.

　　The four of them worked together, the fire in the pot never went out, and they did not miss any other flavors until it was dark, when they stopped.

　　The lunch was just a quick bite.

　　By the evening, the four of them were in no mood to cook, so they decided to go to the state-owned restaurant to have a bite to eat.

　　Everyone was too tired to talk. When the food came, they wolfed down a bowl of it to fill their stomachs, and then they had the energy to talk.

　　After dinner, Fu Shaohua did not go home. He knew someone in the county town, so he went straight to the person's house and slept for the night. The next morning, he went to the state-owned restaurant to buy steamed buns and millet porridge before going to find Jiang Youtao.

　　Jiang Youtao woke up early. She had overexerted herself yesterday, and her arms were sore when she woke up this morning.

　　However, looking at the sky outside, Jiang Youtao still got up. She changed her clothes, combed her hair nicely, took out the cosmetics that she hadn't used for a long time and put on a fake natural makeup.

　　She haven't put on makeup for a long time, so my hands are a bit clumsy, but the final effect is perfect.

　　She doesn't seem to be wearing heavy makeup, but her facial features are magnified to the extreme, and her whole body looks pink and tender.

　　It got colder outside today, so Jiang Youtao put on a beige cashmere coat over her sweater.

　　When Fu Shaohua saw Jiang Youtao, he thought she was extremely beautiful today, so dazzling that he didn't dare to look at her for even a second.

　　"I bought you breakfast." Fu Shaohua knew without any instruction that if he wanted to pursue his sweetheart, he had to get along well with her circle of friends. He wanted to take Jiang Youtao out for breakfast, so he had to make arrangements with her friends in advance.

　　Otherwise, they will leave soon, and what will happen if two of them follow them? It would be fine at other times, but today is their first official date, and Fu Shaohua wants to go alone with Jiang Youtao.

　　"Come in."

　　Jiang Youtao opened the door and let him in. Xu Manqiu and Gu Nianwei had not gotten up yet, so Jiang Youtao put breakfast on the table. Jiang Youtao told Xu Manqiu about the breakfast. After Xu Manqiu responded in a daze, Jiang Youtao and Fu Shaohua went out together.

　　Fu Shaohua had taken off the bag with the words "Huaxia Post" printed on it on the back of his bicycle. He polished the bicycle until it was shiny. Jiang Youtao sat sideways on the seat of Fu Shaohua.

　　This was the first time Jiang Youtao had ridden in Fu Shaohua's car since they had known each other for so long.

　　Fu Shaohua was a little nervous and was extra careful when riding the bike, for fear that the bumpy ride would hurt Jiang Youtao.

　　When leaving the family compound, they happened to meet a family moving in. Among them, there was a girl who was particularly pretty, as delicate as a fresh flower. Jiang Youtao looked at her several times.

　　The girl seemed to have seen Jiang Youtao as well and smiled at her. In that instant, Jiang Youtao seemed to see peach blossoms blooming all over the mountains and fields.

　　Fu Shaohua rode his bike with Jiang Youtao around the streets and alleys of the county town and arrived at a house. He stopped the bike, walked up and knocked on the door.

　　"We used to have a very delicious mutton noodle shop in Yangping, but later private businesses were banned, so the mutton noodle shop closed down."

　　As Fu Shaohua finished speaking, someone came to open the door. Seeing Fu Shaohua, the person who opened the door smiled and said, "Xiaohua is here?"

　　"Yes, how is your health lately, Grandpa?" Fu Shaohua greeted while walking into the house with Jiang Youtao.

　　"I've been in good health lately, and still the same as always. I can't compare to your grandfather."

　　As soon as she entered the door, she smelled the rich aroma of mutton, and Jiang Youtao couldn't help but take several deep breaths.

　　Fu Shaohua whispered to Jiang Youtao, "Great Grandpa was my grandfather's comrade-in-arms. After the war, he came back and inherited this small restaurant in his family. He makes this mutton noodles every day, but the portion is not much. If you don't have familiar diners who will bring you here, you can't eat it."

　　"Xiaohua, please go inside and sit down. It will be fine in a while."

　　"Okay." Fu Shaohua took Jiang Youtao into the house. It was a kang room, about 8 square meters. You had to take off your shoes when you entered the room, and then go to the kang, which was covered with a homemade straw mat. There were few furniture in the room, except for a kangqin against the wall, and a few low-legged kang tables on the table. On each table was a bowl of chili oil, a pot of vinegar, and two cloves of garlic.

　　Fu Shaohua took Jiang Youtao to find a table and sat down. Jiang Youtao took off her coat. When she looked up, Fu Shaohua also took off his coat.

　　He had dressed up specially today, wearing a black camel-hair coat, a gray round-neck sweater, fitted black pants, and leather shoes. With this outfit, he caught the attention of countless girls as he walked on the street.

　　His hair was combed carefully, and he looked handsome and refined. In the short time that they had met, Jiang Youtao didn't know how many times she had looked at him.

　　Jiang Youtao glanced at Fu Shaohua: "Does your hand hurt?"

　　Fu Shaohua did all the heavy work yesterday, and Jiang Youtao guessed that his arms must be sore.

　　Fu Shaohua felt the pain in his arm and smiled firmly: "Just a little bit, it's okay, it will be fine in two days."

　　Fu Shaohua's behavior made Jiang Youtao want to tease him: "But we haven't finished making the melon seeds yet. We watched a movie in the morning and we have to do it in the afternoon!"

　　Fu Shaohua had already prepared for this: "I can still do it."

　　Fu Shaohua thought, among the four of them, except for him, all of them were weak women. If he didn't do the heavy work, who would? So he had no choice but to do it.

　　There were a lot of melon seeds, so Fu Shaohua decided to work overtime in the evening to cook the melon seeds. This way, it would not affect Jiang Youtao's work tomorrow, and he could also have one more day off tomorrow.

　　When the time comes, he will take Jiang Youtao out to play, so that when he looks back on his youth, he won't feel regretful.

　　Jiang Youtao looked at Fu Shaohua with admiration in her eyes: "Comrade Fu Shaohua, you are so amazing."

　　An elder sister who has taken good care of Jiang Youtao since she was a child has been in a relationship since high school. She once taught Jiang Youtao that if you want a man to be obedient, you can't just use force, you have to use both soft and hard methods. You have to praise him often. Once a man is praised, his confidence will burst. At this time, if you ask him to do something, he will be particularly obedient.

　　When praising doesn't work, be a little tougher. Men are sometimes mean and won't listen to you if you talk to them nicely. They won't feel good until you scold them.

　　Of course, there are also those idiots who take compliments seriously and think they are the boss. At this point, this man is useless and needs to be kicked out, otherwise, you will become his babysitter after a long time. He orders people around like a master, and you'll probably get angry just thinking about it. What is the purpose of this kind of man? So when there is a sign, you should withdraw.

　　Never think about changing a man, it's useless, his nature is like that. If you have the effort to change a man, you can't succeed in anything. Wasting your youth on a man is the most unworthy thing.

　　Jiang Youtao used to think that there was no one in this world worthy of her condescending to please him, but now if that person is Fu Shaohua, Jiang Youtao is still willing to please him.

　　Fu Shaohua felt a little embarrassed when Jiang Youtao praised him. He straightened his chest and felt that his image instantly became taller: "Let me do the work of cooking melon seeds in the future. It's very hard work. Don't tire yourself out."

　　As soon as Fu Shaohua finished speaking, Great-grandfather came in with a tray with two bowls of steaming noodles on it.

　　The large white soup bowl was about ten inches long. White noodles as thin as barbecue skewers lay in the reddish-brown mutton soup, with chopped green onions and coriander floating on top, and faintly visible black peppercorns. In addition, the thinly sliced mutton was neatly placed on top of the bowl, filling up half a bowl.

　　This amount of meat is so much that even the Lanzhou Ramen in the previous life would make people feel heartbroken. After all, according to their habits, this half bowl of meat slices can be sold for a month.

　　Fu Shaohua handed the spoon and chopsticks to Jiang Youtao: "Drink the soup first, this soup is delicious."

　　Jiang Youtao scooped a spoonful of soup with a porcelain spoon and put it into her mouth. It was extremely fresh at first, and after the umami taste, the flavors of mutton, chopped green onions, and pepper rushed into Jiang Youtao's mouth in distinct layers.

　　Jiang Youtao gave Fu Shaohua a thumbs up: "It tastes good."

　　Great-grandfather came in again, this time with a plate of pickled vegetables. The sour and spicy taste penetrated the layers of mutton noodles smell and entered Jiang Youtao's nasal cavity.

　　Hearing Jiang Youtao praising the delicious mutton soup he made, Grandpa Zeng couldn't hide the smile on his face. He said, "Eat slowly. You can have more soup after you finish it. You can also have more noodles if you don't have enough."

　　He placed the kimchi in the middle of the table, and Jiang Youtao couldn't wait to pick up a piece with chopsticks and put it in her mouth. She picked up the cabbage, and the sour taste made her squint her eyes. Jiang Youtao subconsciously bit it, and the crispness of the cabbage and the sweetness went into her mouth. It just relieved the greasiness of the mutton soup, and her mouth felt refreshed again.

　　The remaining kimchi, the sour and crispy radish, and the spicy and sour peppers are a perfect match with this bowl of noodles.

　　"Grandpa Zeng, if you can get more soup noodles, won't that mean you're losing money?"

　　No one has come yet, so Great Grandpa is not in a hurry to go out. He leans against the wall, rubbing his pipe. He won't smoke when there are guests. When he feels the urge to smoke, he rubs the pipe to relieve his craving: "People who can come to my place early in the morning to eat are all lovers of this. Eating more or less is not a big deal. And I make this mutton soup not to sell it, but to keep the ancestral craft in my hands. I make it every day as a practice."

　　Fu Shaohua took over the conversation: "When I was at home, my grandfather always said that he was craving the mutton soup you made. Sometimes he was so greedy that he went out to buy a bite, and when he came back, he said it didn't taste the same as you did."

　　"After I came here, eight out of ten letters my grandfather wrote to me mentioned the mutton soup you cooked. I saw them all have drooled."

　　Great Grandpa laughed so hard that his eyes were nowhere to be seen: "Your grandpa is just greedy. I still remember when we were fighting, there was one time when we were about to retreat. Your grandpa saw a sheep in the Japanese camp and insisted on taking the sheep away. When the sheep refused to leave, he knocked it unconscious and carried it back."

　　"We all thought he had fallen behind and was attacked by the Japanese. My tears welled up in my eyes. I could hardly hold them back when I saw him huffing and puffing as he carried the sheep back. Our company commander was so angry that he punished your grandfather severely. But when we ate mutton later, he rewarded your grandfather with a big piece of meat. Your grandfather was so happy. From then on, he boasted about his achievement of carrying the sheep to everyone he met."

　　When talking about his youth, my great-grandfather's eyes were filled with nostalgia.

　　He really missed that time, missed those comrades who had passed away long ago, and missed those comrades who later went their separate ways. But if his great-grandfather was given another chance, he hoped that he had never met them.

　　Because that would mean there would be no war.

　　"My grandfather still sharing that story to us from time to time." Fu Shaohua found it funny when he thought of it: "Grandpa Liu came home one day and heard him sharing it. He exposed him at the time, and the two of them had a quarrel."

　　Hearing about the movements of his two old comrades, Grandpa Zeng smiled and said, "They are like that. They have been fighting since the first day they joined the army and have been fighting all their lives."

　　Fu Shaohua said: "My grandfather has told me several times to persuade you to open a store in the capital. By then, those old comrades will definitely come to patronize the store every day."

　　"No, no. I have been wandering outside for half my life. From now on, I will stay in Yangping County. This is my root. If your grandfather is free, ask him to come and see me. Or I will go to see him when I go to the capital one day."

　　Jiang Youtao listened to Fu Shaohua chatting with Grandpa Zeng while she finished the noodles bite by bite. She also put some vinegar and chili oil in the soup. It was sour, spicy, fresh and fragrant, with all kinds of flavors in it.

　　Fu Shaohua peeled a small clove of garlic for Jiang Youtao during their conversation: "Try it, it's delicious."

　　"Yes, girl, you have to eat noodles with garlic, otherwise the flavor will be lost by half."

　　Fu Shaohua taught Jiang Youtao: "Like this, take a bite, chew it in your mouth, and then eat the noodles. It tastes delicious."

　　Jiang Youtao imitated Fu Shaohua, took a small bite of garlic, and then ate the noodles. With the flavor of garlic, the taste of the noodles was even better than before.

　　"Tasty."

　　Fu Shaohua and Grandpa Zeng both laughed.

　　Grandpa Zeng served them another bowl of soup with a piece of lamb ribs in it. The two of them gnawed on the bones and drank the soup before someone came into the room. Grandpa Zeng went to do something. Fu Shaohua secretly gave him the money and then left with Jiang Youtao.

　　The autumn wind blew, making the fallen leaves whirl in the air. After eating the hot mutton noodles, the two people felt warm all over and could not even feel the cold autumn wind.

　　Fu Shaohua didn't ride his bike, but pushed it. Jiang Youtao followed him, and the two chatted as they walked slowly towards the cinema.

　　Fu Shaohua had nothing to do with Jiang Youtao's melon seeds and gave Jiang Youtao enough respect.

　　Fu Shaohua knew that the world was not black and white, and there was nothing wrong with doing business. Wasn't his aunt also doing business?

　　Fu Shaohua glanced at Jiang Youtao and felt that when he took Jiang Youtao to meet his family in the future, Jiang Youtao would definitely get along well with her aunt.

　　After parking the car in front of the cinema, she took a deposit slip from the old man who was watching the bike, and the two of them went to the cinema together. Zhang Dezhen was on duty today, and she was very happy to see Jiang Youtao. She winked at Fu Shaohua: "Taotao, who is this?"

　　Fu Shaohua turned his head instantly and looked at her with sparkling eyes, just like the eyes of the newly weaned local dog raised in the orphanage when Jiang Youtao was a child, so wet that anyone could be melted by it.

　　"Dezhen, let me introduce you. This is my boyfriend, Fu Shaohua, who works at the Zaoxiang Post and Telecommunications Office. Shaohua, this is Zhang Dezhen, my friend."

　　His identity was recognized, and Fu Shaohua smiled so hard that his ears were stretched. If Zhang Dezhen knows to smoke, he would have taken out the cigarette with a mouthpiece in his pocket and passed it to Zhang Dezhen.

　　He doesn't smoke. This was given to him by Yan Qinghe when he came before. He just casually put it in his clothes pocket and only discovered it today.

　　"Hello, hello."

　　Everyone could see how happy Fu Shaohua was. Zhang Dezhen couldn't help but smile as she looked at the handsome man and pretty girl in front of her. She handed Jiang Youtao a bag of green tea-flavored melon seeds and said, "Go ahead, the movie is about to start."

　　Zhang Dezhen knew that Jiang Youtao would have enough melon seeds to eat, but judging from the way she looked today, she definitely didn't bring any. Green tea flavored melon seeds can refresh the mouth and are perfect for young couples on dates.

　　With this melon seeds, you won't be shy in front of your date. Green tea flavored melon seeds are also the best-selling ones in movie theaters.

　　Jiang Youtao had just eaten garlic and felt that her mouth was full of this taste. This was exactly what she needed, so she didn't bother to be polite with Zhang Dezhen: "Thank you."

　　"Don't be polite, just go."

　　Jiang Youtao and Fu Shaohua went inside together. The ticket seller who was on duty with Zhang Dezhen said to Zhang Dezhen, "Team leader, they are really good-looking."

　　"Yes, they are really good-looking." Not only Jiang Youtao, but even Gu Nianwei and their little sister Xu Manqiu are very beautiful.

　　Zhang Dezhen once again sighed that good-looking people indeed have good-looking friends.

　　The movie that Jiang Youtao and Fu Shaohua watched was called "Young Man in War". It was 80 minutes long and told the story of a guerrilla force that rescued an orphan named Xiaosong who was injured by the Japanese invaders in the dense forest. The guerrillas took him back to the base to recuperate. After he recovered, he confessed his hatred to the organization and became a horse herder under the organization's arrangement.

　　There were twists and turns in the process. Once he shot a wild sheep, which alarmed the enemy and affected the battle deployment. The instructor educated him, and under the care of the Party, he grew up.

　　During an ambush, Xiaosong saw the Japanese invaders who killed his parents. This time he calmed down and used his frightened horses to disperse the enemy's sentries and used his sheep to disperse the civilian laborers, laying the foundation for the victory of the battle.

　　Eventually the Japanese invaders were surrounded and annihilated, and Komatsu became a young anti-Japanese fighter, joining the large army to welcome a greater victory.

　　The movie is in black and white, and the actors don't wear heavy makeup. Some of them even speak unstandard Mandarin, but it is such a movie that makes people unable to take their eyes off it.

　　It was Jiang Youtao's first time watching this movie. She didn't even blink and didn't even notice when Fu Shaohua held her hand.

　　Fu Shaohua was different from her. He stared at the curtain in front of him, holding Jiang Youtao's soft little hand, and his thoughts wandered to who knows where.

　　He didn't come back to his senses until the ending song played. He was still excited. He turned to look at Jiang Youtao and found that Jiang Youtao was looking at him with a smile. Fu Shaohua suddenly became nervous.

　　"Well, Taoer, are you hungry?" Fu Shaohua asked cautiously.

　　"I'm not hungry." She just ate not long ago, how could she be hungry so quickly? She's not a pig.

　　Fu Shaohua didn't bother to make small talk. He took Jiang Youtao's hand and stood up as if nothing had happened: "The movie is over, shall we go?"

　　Jiang Youtao did not struggle and let him pull her out. She only ate a small part of the bag of melon seeds that Zhang Dezhen gave her, and the rest was put into Fu Shaohua's pocket.

　　When they came out of the cinema, Zhang Dezhen was gone, so Jiang Youtao just followed Fu Shaohua away.

　　The two did not take the car. Fu Shaohua took Jiang Youtao to the state-owned store.

　　The two of them didn't have much to buy, but it was windy and a little cold today, so shopping in a state-owned store was the best way to have a date.

　　The state-owned store has two floors. The first floor sells daily necessities, and they go directly to the second floor, which sells large items such as fabrics, electrical appliances, and clothes.

　　The two walked and stopped, and when they came to the watch counter, Fu Shaohua was attracted by one of the watches: "Comrade, how much is this watch?"

　　The salesperson at the watch counter took a look at Jiang Youtao and Fu Shaohua before walking over and saying, "180, Plum Blossom brand."

　　This watch has a quartz green dial and is inlaid with a few small white diamonds. This is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that this watch has two identical ones, one large and one small!

　　This alone is enough to touch Jiang Youtao's heart!

　　This watch is small and exquisite for women, and luxurious and elegant for men.

　　Fu Shaohua had a watch ticket, so he immediately handed over the watch ticket and counted out the money.

　　Jiang Youtao just watched him buy and didn't try to persuade him.

　　Her sister once said that if a man wants to spend money on you, you should never refuse as long as he can afford it. If you refuse too many times, he will stop spending money on you, and gradually, he will even think that you are not worthy of spending money.

　　The two watches were not cheap, but Fu Shaohua didn't feel sorry for spending them. He took the watches and put them on Jiang Youtao's wrist.

　　Her wrist was delicate and white, and the emerald green quartz dial made her hand look even whiter.

　　Fu Shaohua held Jiang Youtao's hand and admired it several times: "It's really beautiful."

　　"I'll put it on you too."

　　Fu Shaohua was overjoyed and stretched out his hand with a smile. Jiang Youtao put the watch on his hand.

　　His hands were very nice. Although he looked thin, his muscles were solid and he looked very durable. Jiang Youtao was even more satisfied.

　　Fu Shaohua looked at Jiang Youtao's gentle smile, and for some reason, he suddenly felt a chill on his back.

　　The two continued shopping, and when they left the watch counter, the salesperson at the watch counter started talking to the waiter at another counter.

　　As they spoke, they looked in the direction of Jiang Youtao and the others, with envy in their eyes almost overflowing.

　　The two of them walked around the second floor and didn't go back until almost noon.

　　At the doorstep, Jiang Youtao met the new family.

　　Next to the little girl who was as beautiful as a peach blossom that they saw in the morning, there stood a domineering girl who was older than her.

　　She was stunned when she looked at Fu Shaohua.

　　Fu Shaohua frowned, but the little girl took two steps forward and followed him. She stood in front of Fu Shaohua, looking up at him with a smile: "Hello, my name is Huo Jingshuang, may I ask your name, comrade?"

　　Fu Shaohua pulled Jiang Youtao around her and said to her, "Taotao, we should stay away from people with mental problems like this."

　　Jiang Youtao smiled and nodded. She turned her head and saw Huo Jingshuang was so angry that her eyes were spitting fire.

　　At the same time, the long-lost electronic sound of the melon-eating system also started.

　　[ Ding ~~ The heroine Huo Jingshuang of No. 13 "The Excellent Sister-in-law of the Heroine Who Became a Peach Blossom Fairy" has been detected, and the plot package is being transmitted... ]