Hearing Qin Yuanzheng say this, Qiao Lanshu felt a bit shy, but she was still happy in her heart.
How should she put it? Their current state was that both sides were afraid the other would run away.
So they had to quickly grab hold of each other and get their marriage certificate as soon as possible; that was better than anything else.
Qin Yuanzheng turned on the light and asked her, "What do you want to eat? Noodles or steamed buns?"
Qiao Lanshu followed behind him like a newlywed bride, saying shyly, "Is there no rice? I want to eat rice."
When she was in Yangcheng before, although her stepmother disliked her and hoped to kick her out of the house every day, her stepmother didn't dare to mistreat her when it came to food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
After all, she was a people's teacher, and she was afraid of a stain on her reputation.
Therefore, Qiao Lanshu had rice to eat every day, and she rarely went hungry.
But after coming here, she hadn't eaten rice for several days.
Although noodles were delicious, she still wanted to eat rice!
Qin Yuanzheng carried the flour and vegetables into the kitchen. Hearing her say this, he paused for a moment, considered it for a few seconds, and then said, "It's too late today. Let's eat steamed buns tonight. I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow to take a look; they should have Northeast rice."
Workers nowadays had a monthly grain quota.
For an ordinary female worker, if calculated in white flour, it was about three catties of white flour a month.
Of course, this was definitely not enough to eat, so many people were reluctant to exchange for white flour. After all, exchanging it for coarse grains or red flour meant they could get a few more catties.
As for pure white rice, it was even scarcer. It wasn't that the people here didn't eat it.
Rather, because of the local climate and geographical conditions, this area mainly grew drought-resistant and high-yield grain crops.
Such as wheat, corn, sorghum, millet, and so on.
Therefore, the food in the factory canteen here was mostly made of these: millet and sweet potato porridge, cornmeal steamed bread, and in difficult times, there were even hard-to-swallow wire noodles made from sorghum dregs.
Rice was only planted in local areas rich in spring water.
However, the area and yield were very limited, making it impossible to supply in large quantities, so it couldn't be bought at the supply and marketing cooperative.
However, Qin Yuanzheng was a commander. He could use his status to buy some, and he could also go to the supply and marketing cooperative to ask when Northeast rice would be available for sale.
If that didn't work, he would find a comrade-in-arms in Shanghai and ask them to help mail some.
Since he married Qiao Lanshu, he was going to treat her like a treasure. It was just rice; he definitely had to let her eat her fill.
As he kneaded the dough, he said to Qiao Lanshu, "Don't worry, I'll go buy rice for you tomorrow."
Qiao Lanshu blushed and nodded, "Thank you."
Qin Yuanzheng rolled his sleeves up high. While kneading the dough, he stared at her flushed little face and said, "We will be husband and wife from now on, you don't need to be so polite."
Qiao Lanshu blushed and nodded. She just looked at Qin Yuanzheng, who was wearing a tank top and standing there kneading dough, and felt that he was very attractive.
Qin Yuanzheng's muscles were strong and beautiful. He was tall with broad shoulders. As he forcefully kneaded the dough while staring at her with those deep eyes and talking to her, she really couldn't handle it.
Qiao Lanshu stood there and asked him, "What dishes are we making tonight? Let me help."
Qin Yuanzheng didn't actually need her help, but he wanted to spend a little more time with Qiao Lanshu and chat with her.
After all, the two were about to get their marriage certificate and get married, but they still didn't know each other very well.
So, Qin Yuanzheng said, "You can peel the potatoes, just peeling two will be fine."
Qiao Lanshu took the potatoes, washed them clean in the sink, and then seriously began to peel them.
Qiao Lanshu also did chores at home and often had to help with cooking, so she worked nimbly.
Qin Yuanzheng quickly finished kneading the dough.
Because the dough still needed to rest, he was afraid Qiao Lanshu couldn't wait and would get hungry, so he prepared a small piece of dough separately to make noodles for her. "Are you hungry? Have some noodles first?"
Qiao Lanshu nodded, "Okay... You even know how to make noodles? You're really amazing."
With starry eyes, Qiao Lanshu watched him casually swing his hands, and long, thin noodles appeared.
It was truly magical.
The look in her eyes as she gazed at Qin Yuanzheng was full of absolute admiration.
Qin Yuanzheng: "..."
It was just making noodles, yet the little girl looked at him with such eyes. How could he withstand this?
Qin Yuanzheng asked Qiao Lanshu to sit outside. He put the melon seeds, biscuits, and peanuts he had just bought into a plate, placed it on the coffee table, and said to her, "Go sit down and eat something, I'll cook the noodles for you."
Qiao Lanshu looked at the overflowing plate and knew that Qin Yuanzheng had bought these specifically for her. After all, the house had been completely empty before with nothing in it.
She took a biscuit and took a bite, but couldn't resist walking to the kitchen door to watch him cook.
Qin Yuanzheng boiled the meat and potatoes together to make a minced meat and potato soup. Then he scooped up the cooked noodles, put them on a plate, and poured the minced meat and potatoes over them.
The noodles were chewy, and the minced meat and potatoes were hot and fragrant. Smelling this aroma, Qiao Lanshu's stomach began to rumble.
Qin Yuanzheng smiled, glanced at her, and said, "I'll also stir-fry some vinegar-glazed cabbage, you will definitely love it."
Saying this, he went back, chopped the cabbage, stir-fried it with vinegar and garlic, and brought it out. A simple but delicious dinner was ready.
Qin Yuanzheng's cooking skills were quite good. The vinegar-glazed cabbage was stir-fried to be fresh, tender, and crisp, carrying a vinegar fragrance that was very refreshing to eat.
Every single noodle was coated in the minced meat and potato sauce, leaving a lingering savory taste in the mouth. Most importantly, Qin Yuanzheng knew she preferred mild flavors, so he made the dishes light, with just the right amount of saltiness.
Qiao Lanshu took just one bite and was amazed.
This was much more delicious than what she ate in the canteen.
She hadn't had a full meal in days, and now she was finally full. She looked at Qin Yuanzheng and sincerely praised, "Commander Qin, the food you cook is really delicious, even better than the canteen's."
The people here all ate salty food. The climate was already dry, and with the salty food, Qiao Lanshu had done nothing but drink water all day.
Qin Yuanzheng hadn't done much, just cooked a meal, but this little girl praised him from beginning to end.
After eating, he went to wash the bowls, and the little girl started praising him again. "Commander Qin, you wash the bowls so cleanly. You work so efficiently. From kneading the dough to finishing the meal and washing the bowls, it's only been an hour. You're really amazing."
Qin Yuanzheng washed the bowls clean and conveniently mopped the floor, and the little girl said again, "Commander Qin, you even know how to mop the floor. The floor is mopped so cleanly. You are too amazing."
Qin Yuanzheng: "..."
Qin Yuanzheng went to boil water and carried the hot water to the washroom for the little girl to freshen up. Sure enough, the little girl dropped another line, "Commander Qin, you can carry two buckets of water with one hand. How are you so amazing!"
Qin Yuanzheng couldn't take it anymore. Anyone being followed around and praised for being amazing all night by a little girl wouldn't be able to take it.
He reached out and gently patted Comrade Xiao Qiao on the head. "Hurry up and wash up while the water is hot," he said. "Once you are done, get to bed and go to sleep."
Then, he turned and walked out of the bathroom, heading into the room to make the bed for the girl.
What Qiao Lanshu failed to see was that Commander Qin's ears and neck had turned completely red.
