To Qiao Nan, cooking shredded chicken porridge was a piece of cake.
At noontime, Shi Qing had a bright expression on her face when she finally got to have the same shredded chicken porridge that Zhai Sheng had. “It’s indeed good. No wonder Brother Zhai loves it. I love delicious food as well. Qiao Nan, don’t be stingy. I am your guest. I should have a few more bowls.”
“Sure, I won’t fight with you. I will keep a bowl for my dad and you can have the rest, okay?” Qiao Nan shook her head. When it came to fighting, Shi Qing was even more ruthless than Zhu Baoguo, and she was as good as her mother when it came to scolding people. But at times, she seemed like a child. There were so many sides to her personality.
Looking at Shi Qing, Qiao Nan suddenly thought of someone—Zhu Baoguo.
When Zhu Baoguo was being childish, he was similar to how Shi Qing behaved right now. When he was in a fight with others, though he was not as good as Shi Qing, he was as ruthless as her.
“Shi Qing, can you do me a favor?”
“What is it?” Shi Qing, who was well-fed, was in a good mood.
“It’s already the second day. Can you make a phone call to your dad to ask him whether Brother Zhai has woken up?”
“I see you’re still worried about him.” It suddenly dawned on Shi Qing that though she was worried when she learned that Zhai Sheng was injured yesterday, she was able to have a good sleep at night, unlike Qiao Nan, who tossed and turned the entire night. As for today, if Qiao Nan had not brought it up, she had almost forgotten to care about Brother Zhai’s injuries.
“Crap, will you just make a phone call?”
“No.” Shi Qing leaned comfortably on the sofa. “I am too lazy to move when I am full. Your phone has a record of my dad’s phone number. You can go ahead and make a phone call by yourself and ask my dad. My dad will surely update you. Since I know about your relationship with Brother Zhai, there is no way that my dad is in kept in the dark. Therefore, you can go ahead and make a phone call. My dad will not suspect anything. He has already confirmed his guess.”
“It’s fine if you don’t want to make a phone call. There’s no need to say such nonsense.” Shi Qing was a bad friend. She would argue a point to death. “I will make the call myself.”
Shi Qing was right. Since Officer Shi knew that she was in a relationship with Brother Zhai, there was no need for her to be embarrassed.
Qiao Nan picked up the phone and had yet to press the redial button when Shi Qing, who changed her mind, snatched the phone from her.
Qiao Nan looked at Shi Qing unhappily. “What do you mean?”
Shi Qing smiled with the phone in her hand. “I remember you haven’t washed the clothes that you changed yesterday and went with me to the market as soon as you woke up. We are good friends. We should not haggle with each other. Since you prepared the shredded chicken porridge, I will help you make a phone call to my dad, lest you are thin-skinned and embarrassed.”
“Why are you being so kind to me? Why do I feel that there’s a conspiracy?” Qiao Nan did not believe Shi Qing.
“You are being overly suspicious,” Shi Qing said in a righteous voice.
Qiao Nan massaged her forehead. “Fine, you can go ahead and make a phone call. I will wash the clothes.” She had no wish to waste her time with Shi Qing on such small matters.
Even though she was not sure what Shi Qing was up to, it was probably just a small joke and no serious harm would be done. She would not take issue with her.
Shi Qing took the phone and smiled as she watched Qiao Nan bring the clothes outside to wash.
After making sure that Qiao Nan had sat down to wash the clothes, Shi Qing lowered her voice such that Qiao Nan could not hear her. She then dialed the phone number to Shi Peng’s office at the fastest speed. “Hello, is that Qiao Nan? Do you want to ask about Zhai Sheng’s situation?”
Shi Peng seemed to have been waiting for Qiao Nan’s phone call. Shi Qing had yet to speak and he had assumed that it must be Qiao Nan on the other end of the phone.
“Dad, it’s me. You have got the wrong person. Qiao Nan has gone out to wash the clothes.”
“Qing Qing, why are you at the Qiao family’s residence early in the morning? If you are worried about Zhai Sheng, you can make a phone call at home. I will update you as well. There’s no need for you to make a phone call from the Qiao family’s residence.”
Shi Qing rolled her eyes. “Dad, you have misunderstood. If I only wanted to ask you about Brother Zhai’s condition, there’s no need for me to be so sneaky. I know that given Brother Zhai’s physical condition, after having the medicine Qiao Nan fed him, there should not be any problem.”
“Then, why did you call at this time?” Shi Peng sensed that his daughter had indeed let go of Zhai Sheng. She no longer felt the heartache for her loss. To Shi Peng, nothing was better this piece of news.
“On behalf of Qiao Nan.”
“Alright. Tell Qiao Nan that Zhai Sheng woke up once last night and was slightly disoriented. This morning, his fever was gone. According to the military doctor, he will be fully awake in the afternoon. He will recover to be stronger than ever in half a month’s time,” Shi Peng said in a pleasant mood. “So, do you care to explain to me why you are at the Qiao family’s residence?”
“Nothing much. I stayed the night at the Qiao family’s residence yesterday. Don’t forget. I was the one who pulled Qiu Chenxi away. She came to the Qiao family’s residence early this morning to make trouble for Qiao Nan. Fortunately, I was the one who opened the door. Otherwise, Qiao Nan would be slapped by her. Qiu Chenxi has a nasty temper. Dad, there’s something I want to tell you. The Qiao family’s residence is quite near to the school. The house you bought for me is quite a distance from the school. There is nobody else in the house except for me. It’s inconvenient to prepare meals for myself. I have decided to stay at the Qiao family’s residence. In the future, I will have Qiao Nan accompany me when I go to school and come back home. What do you think?”
Shi Qing was serious. She was not trying to cajole Qiu Chenxi.
“Since you have thought it through, I will not object to it. I will get someone to send money to the Qiao family’s residence. You can’t be a freeloader. Alright, I will hang up now.”
“Don’t!” If her dad hung up the phone right now, then there was no need for her to get Qiao Nan to leave the room. “Dad, let me tell you. The shredded chicken porridge that Qiao Nan prepared is very delicious. Besides, chicken is very nutritious. You are not in the best of health. You should get two bowls from the canteen.”
“Have you tasted it?”
“Yes, today Qiao Nan cooked it specially for me. I have never tasted it before. It was delicious.”
Shi Peng covered his laughter with his hand. “Does it mean that your real intention in helping Qiao Nan make a phone call is to encourage me to steal the patient’s diet from Zhai Sheng?”
“We are being diligent and thrifty. We are trying not to waste food. Look, it’s summer now. Even if the camp is in the mountains, the food will turn bad after a long time. Given Brother Zhai’s condition, he definitely didn’t have any of the porridge yesterday. One would be able to prepare a big pot of porridge with one chicken. It will definitely turn bad after two nights. After making sure that there are enough for Brother Zhai, we must not let the food go to waste. One should know that every single grain on the plate is the fruit of hard work. Do you understand?”
This time, Shi Peng laughed out loud. He did not expect that his daughter would use such a serious tone to tell him to steal the food from Zhai Sheng. “I suppose you had more than enough of the shredded chicken porridge today?” It seemed that the shredded chicken porridge prepared by Qiao Nan had completely conquered Qing Qing.
Shi Qing touched her stomach smugly with a satisfied look on her face. “I had most of the porridge.”
To Qiao Nan, cooking shredded chicken porridge was a piece of cake.
At noontime, Shi Qing had a bright expression on her face when she finally got to have the same shredded chicken porridge that Zhai Sheng had. “It’s indeed good. No wonder Brother Zhai loves it. I love delicious food as well. Qiao Nan, don’t be stingy. I am your guest. I should have a few more bowls.”
“Sure, I won’t fight with you. I will keep a bowl for my dad and you can have the rest, okay?” Qiao Nan shook her head. When it came to fighting, Shi Qing was even more ruthless than Zhu Baoguo, and she was as good as her mother when it came to scolding people. But at times, she seemed like a child. There were so many sides to her personality.
Looking at Shi Qing, Qiao Nan suddenly thought of someone—Zhu Baoguo.
When Zhu Baoguo was being childish, he was similar to how Shi Qing behaved right now. When he was in a fight with others, though he was not as good as Shi Qing, he was as ruthless as her.
“Shi Qing, can you do me a favor?”
“What is it?” Shi Qing, who was well-fed, was in a good mood.
“It’s already the second day. Can you make a phone call to your dad to ask him whether Brother Zhai has woken up?”
“I see you’re still worried about him.” It suddenly dawned on Shi Qing that though she was worried when she learned that Zhai Sheng was injured yesterday, she was able to have a good sleep at night, unlike Qiao Nan, who tossed and turned the entire night. As for today, if Qiao Nan had not brought it up, she had almost forgotten to care about Brother Zhai’s injuries.
“Crap, will you just make a phone call?”
“No.” Shi Qing leaned comfortably on the sofa. “I am too lazy to move when I am full. Your phone has a record of my dad’s phone number. You can go ahead and make a phone call by yourself and ask my dad. My dad will surely update you. Since I know about your relationship with Brother Zhai, there is no way that my dad is in kept in the dark. Therefore, you can go ahead and make a phone call. My dad will not suspect anything. He has already confirmed his guess.”
“It’s fine if you don’t want to make a phone call. There’s no need to say such nonsense.” Shi Qing was a bad friend. She would argue a point to death. “I will make the call myself.”
Shi Qing was right. Since Officer Shi knew that she was in a relationship with Brother Zhai, there was no need for her to be embarrassed.
Qiao Nan picked up the phone and had yet to press the redial button when Shi Qing, who changed her mind, snatched the phone from her.
Qiao Nan looked at Shi Qing unhappily. “What do you mean?”
Shi Qing smiled with the phone in her hand. “I remember you haven’t washed the clothes that you changed yesterday and went with me to the market as soon as you woke up. We are good friends. We should not haggle with each other. Since you prepared the shredded chicken porridge, I will help you make a phone call to my dad, lest you are thin-skinned and embarrassed.”
“Why are you being so kind to me? Why do I feel that there’s a conspiracy?” Qiao Nan did not believe Shi Qing.
“You are being overly suspicious,” Shi Qing said in a righteous voice.
Qiao Nan massaged her forehead. “Fine, you can go ahead and make a phone call. I will wash the clothes.” She had no wish to waste her time with Shi Qing on such small matters.
Even though she was not sure what Shi Qing was up to, it was probably just a small joke and no serious harm would be done. She would not take issue with her.
Shi Qing took the phone and smiled as she watched Qiao Nan bring the clothes outside to wash.
After making sure that Qiao Nan had sat down to wash the clothes, Shi Qing lowered her voice such that Qiao Nan could not hear her. She then dialed the phone number to Shi Peng’s office at the fastest speed. “Hello, is that Qiao Nan? Do you want to ask about Zhai Sheng’s situation?”
Shi Peng seemed to have been waiting for Qiao Nan’s phone call. Shi Qing had yet to speak and he had assumed that it must be Qiao Nan on the other end of the phone.
“Dad, it’s me. You have got the wrong person. Qiao Nan has gone out to wash the clothes.”
“Qing Qing, why are you at the Qiao family’s residence early in the morning? If you are worried about Zhai Sheng, you can make a phone call at home. I will update you as well. There’s no need for you to make a phone call from the Qiao family’s residence.”
Shi Qing rolled her eyes. “Dad, you have misunderstood. If I only wanted to ask you about Brother Zhai’s condition, there’s no need for me to be so sneaky. I know that given Brother Zhai’s physical condition, after having the medicine Qiao Nan fed him, there should not be any problem.”
“Then, why did you call at this time?” Shi Peng sensed that his daughter had indeed let go of Zhai Sheng. She no longer felt the heartache for her loss. To Shi Peng, nothing was better this piece of news.
“On behalf of Qiao Nan.”
“Alright. Tell Qiao Nan that Zhai Sheng woke up once last night and was slightly disoriented. This morning, his fever was gone. According to the military doctor, he will be fully awake in the afternoon. He will recover to be stronger than ever in half a month’s time,” Shi Peng said in a pleasant mood. “So, do you care to explain to me why you are at the Qiao family’s residence?”
“Nothing much. I stayed the night at the Qiao family’s residence yesterday. Don’t forget. I was the one who pulled Qiu Chenxi away. She came to the Qiao family’s residence early this morning to make trouble for Qiao Nan. Fortunately, I was the one who opened the door. Otherwise, Qiao Nan would be slapped by her. Qiu Chenxi has a nasty temper. Dad, there’s something I want to tell you. The Qiao family’s residence is quite near to the school. The house you bought for me is quite a distance from the school. There is nobody else in the house except for me. It’s inconvenient to prepare meals for myself. I have decided to stay at the Qiao family’s residence. In the future, I will have Qiao Nan accompany me when I go to school and come back home. What do you think?”
Shi Qing was serious. She was not trying to cajole Qiu Chenxi.
“Since you have thought it through, I will not object to it. I will get someone to send money to the Qiao family’s residence. You can’t be a freeloader. Alright, I will hang up now.”
“Don’t!” If her dad hung up the phone right now, then there was no need for her to get Qiao Nan to leave the room. “Dad, let me tell you. The shredded chicken porridge that Qiao Nan prepared is very delicious. Besides, chicken is very nutritious. You are not in the best of health. You should get two bowls from the canteen.”
“Have you tasted it?”
“Yes, today Qiao Nan cooked it specially for me. I have never tasted it before. It was delicious.”
Shi Peng covered his laughter with his hand. “Does it mean that your real intention in helping Qiao Nan make a phone call is to encourage me to steal the patient’s diet from Zhai Sheng?”
“We are being diligent and thrifty. We are trying not to waste food. Look, it’s summer now. Even if the camp is in the mountains, the food will turn bad after a long time. Given Brother Zhai’s condition, he definitely didn’t have any of the porridge yesterday. One would be able to prepare a big pot of porridge with one chicken. It will definitely turn bad after two nights. After making sure that there are enough for Brother Zhai, we must not let the food go to waste. One should know that every single grain on the plate is the fruit of hard work. Do you understand?”
This time, Shi Peng laughed out loud. He did not expect that his daughter would use such a serious tone to tell him to steal the food from Zhai Sheng. “I suppose you had more than enough of the shredded chicken porridge today?” It seemed that the shredded chicken porridge prepared by Qiao Nan had completely conquered Qing Qing.
Shi Qing touched her stomach smugly with a satisfied look on her face. “I had most of the porridge.”
