Outside the door was Auntie Yu.
Carrying a basket of things, she entered and saw Lin Zhilan. A smile appeared on her face. "Zhilan, when did you get back? Have you had lunch yet?"
"I've eaten," Lin Zhilan said, taking her basket so she could free her hands to take off her coat. She added helplessly, "Auntie Yu, you don't need to come over every day. It's enough for you to take care of Xiaofeng at the hospital. Su Lang and I are here at home."
The hospital was quite a distance from the house; walking there took a long time.
Auntie Yu didn't know how to ride a bicycle, yet she always wanted to come back to help with cooking and cleaning. Lin Zhilan felt tired just thinking about it for her.
Auntie Yu smiled. "I'm not tired. I'm used to working. If you don't let me work, I feel uncomfortable all over. I had some free time at the hospital these past few days, so I made you a pair of shoes. Try them on and see if they fit."
Auntie Yu took out a pair of thousand-layer sole cloth shoes from the basket.
These kinds of shoes were very difficult to make. Although they were called "thousand-layer soles," they didn't actually have a thousand layers.
Instead, they were made by layering scraps of cloth with paste to form boards, stacking them until thick, and then tightly stitching them together stitch by stitch with hemp thread.
The pair Auntie Yu made had uppers of washed coarse cloth, and the stitches were fine and even. One could tell at a glance that it took a lot of effort.
As Auntie Yu brought them out for Lin Zhilan to try, she said, "I originally wanted to embroider a couple of flowers on them, but I was afraid you'd think they looked tacky, so I didn't add them. See if you like them."
Lin Zhilan had a great temperament, and her sense of style was different from others.
Auntie Yu had thought about it for a long time and figured she might prefer something simpler, so she didn't embroider any flowers.
"These are made so well!" Lin Zhilan praised after turning them over and examining them. "Auntie Yu, you put too much effort into this."
Seeing that she liked them, Auntie Yu became even happier. "As long as you like them. I heard the temperature on the island is high, so I specifically didn't line them with cotton. You can wear them normally. The older folks always say these shoes are comfortable to wear and won't tire your feet."
"Thank you, Auntie Yu."
"Oh, don't thank me, they're not worth much."
Auntie Yu caught the sound of meat being chopped in the kitchen and quickly rolled up her sleeves. "Are you getting ready to cook? Let me do it. You two rest."
Lin Zhilan followed her toward the kitchen. "There's no rush for dinner. I plan to make some rice-mixing sauce for an elder I know, to bring over to him later."
Auntie Yu knew Lin Zhilan was a great cook, so she said, "Then I'll help you prep."
Lin Zhilan didn't refuse. In truth, having Su Lang help in the kitchen was enough, but she had something to discuss with Auntie Yu.
"Auntie Yu, did the hospital talk to you about Liu Feng transferring hospitals?"
"They did," Auntie Yu nodded. "I've already agreed. Manager Qian said he would go over with us and has already bought the tickets for us. It's just..."
"What's wrong?"
Auntie Yu sighed. "If I go to the island, no one will be here to take care of Comrade Xu. I went to talk to the neighborhood committee, and they said they can't find a replacement recently."
Caregivers like them had to pass a political background check.
The screening process took many days, and now, with the New Year holidays, they couldn't find a new nanny right away.
This was what Auntie Yu was most worried about.
Lin Zhilan and Su Lang exchanged a glance and smiled. "Don't worry about that. Mom and Dad are coming back to the island with us this time. They'll be staying there for a while."
"Really?" Auntie Yu asked, pleasantly surprised.
Although she was reluctant to part with this job, she was actually most worried about Xu Yueyun.
She was an outsider, and it might not sound right to say, but Xu Yueyun had treated her very well over the years, and Auntie Yu also regarded her as an elder.
Knowing that Xu Yueyun was also going to the island, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Zhilan, then can I go along to take care of Comrade Xu? I won't ask for a salary."
"How could that do?" Xu Yueyun suddenly appeared behind them. "If you don't take a salary, then I won't let you take care of me. It's paid by the state, and you're refusing it. Are you silly?"
Auntie Yu said with a bitter face, "But I've already told the neighborhood committee that I'm quitting this job."
"It's fine. I'll have Lao Su make a trip later and talk to them. We'll be coming back eventually anyway, and won't you come take care of me then?"
"I will. If you want me, I'll definitely come!" Auntie Yu felt grateful in her heart. At her age, it was very difficult to find work outside.
Despite being a nanny, her monthly salary was actually higher than many ordinary workers in the factory.
Auntie Yu relied on this job to support herself and her son, and she had even saved quite a bit of money for her son's medical treatments.
While they were talking, Su Lang had finished chopping the meat.
He had deboned an entire leg of lamb, setting the bones aside to make soup.
Lin Zhilan had him dice the remaining meat.
The kitchen was quite smoky, so Lin Zhilan asked Auntie Yu to accompany Xu Yueyun outside to talk.
Auntie Yu refused, however. "I'd better stay here and help. Even if I can't help much, it's good to watch and learn. When we come back in the future, I can cook it for Comrade Xu and the others."
Auntie Yu was honest and someone who couldn't stay idle.
Seeing Lin Zhilan and Su Lang working in the kitchen while she went out to sit on the sofa made her feel completely uneasy just thinking about it.
Lin Zhilan had no choice but to let her be.
The chicken at home had all been used to make coconut chicken hotpot, so the rice-mixing sauce could only be made with lamb.
Fortunately, the fat and rich flavor of lamb were more intense than pork. Once made into a sauce, it was perfect whether mixed with rice, noodles, or stuffed in a flatbread.
Lin Zhilan mixed the minced lamb with minced ginger, cooking wine, and a little Sichuan peppercorn water, massaging it evenly and marinating it for 15 minutes to remove the gamey smell.
She poured oil into a hot wok. When the oil was half hot, she added chopped onions, minced ginger, and garlic, frying them over low heat until slightly yellow, and then added the lamb.
By this time, the aroma was already wafting out.
Auntie Yu took the spatula. "I'll stir-fry. You just add the seasonings."
Looking at such a large pot of meat and Lin Zhilan's slender arms, Auntie Yu's heart ached for her.
"Let me do it."
Su Lang walked over and reached out to take the spatula.
Lin Zhilan: "..."
She felt like a master chef in the kitchen; she only needed to open her mouth, and her apprentices would fight to do the work.
Xu Yueyun hadn't left the kitchen either.
Watching this scene, she found it somewhat amusing.
If she hadn't lacked the strength, she would have wanted to try stir-frying a couple of times herself.
Auntie Yu still wanted to fight Su Lang for it, but Su Lang raised his arm and smiled. "Auntie Yu, you'd better go keep my mom company in the living room. If you want to know the recipe, I'll write it down for you later."
He turned and glanced at his mother. "My wife and I..."
"Let's go, let's go," Xu Yueyun hurriedly waved her hand, beckoning Auntie Yu. "Let's go outside."
Auntie Yu looked confused but hurried to support her, following her into the living room. "Comrade Xu, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"I'm not feeling unwell," Xu Yueyun pointed toward the kitchen. "In the future, when you talk to Zhilan, if that rascal Su Lang is around, you should leave quickly. This little rascal is thick-skinned and will say anything. It's enough to make anyone listening die of embarrassment."
Auntie Yu wasn't someone who didn't understand the ways of the world.
After a moment of realization, her face suddenly flushed red.
These young people, why did they have to be so clingy even when just cooking a meal?
Seeing her like this, Xu Yueyun hurriedly brought up the matter of going to the island, changing the subject.
Auntie Yu was more than happy to oblige. As they talked, the two of them went upstairs to pack their luggage.
