I Am Cultivating in the Apocalypse-Chapter 1012: Guests at Home—Relatives from the Old Family?

Jing Shu’s eyes shifted, and she immediately smiled, "This is good, I need it right now."

Who doesn’t have a few situations in the family that are hard to control, yet social obligations from the past must be repaid? But putting a troublemaker into your own factory and letting them run amok, would that be okay?

Of course not. When the time comes, they might lean on connections and past favors. If you say to fire them, the social obligation is only half fulfilled. If you say not to fire them and let them mess up the factory, that won’t work either. Better to move them to another factory, and when trouble arises, it’s just business; they can be kicked out, or if they do well, they might even get a promotion as a favor.

Now, it’s New Year again, a time for socializing. Even though Jing Shu doesn’t have much socializing to do, she has to prepare for potential requests.

After discussing this, the conversation became more casual. Su Malie asked,

"There’s a few classmates doing pretty well in the factory. Would you consider promoting them?"

"When the time comes, if they pass the internal business exams, of course they’ll be promoted."

"Mu Xiaoxuan is getting married. What will you give as a gift? I’ll give the same as you. By the way, a few other classmates are getting married too..."

Jing Shu thought for a moment. Mu Xiaoxuan is not only a classmate, but also provided her with Bodhi, and has been doing exceptionally well these years, showing great ability. She could be transferred to the brewery or laundry detergent factory, "She should naturally receive a bigger gift, while the other classmates can get a bit less."

...

The Jing family.

The rare occasion when everyone was present for dinner.

As Jing Shu returned home, her nose picked up a delightful aroma, and she knew right away what it was: the sour and spicy smell of Qishan Sazimian!

Grandma Jing fried eggs until they were crispy and golden, turning them into fragrant egg pancakes, cut into hexagonal shapes, mixed with yellow daylilies, diced carrots, tofu cubes, and diced potatoes to make a fragrant sauce. It was served with meat cooked in rendered fatty pork, the famous Qishan Vinegar, and Fengxiang Spicy Noodles, overflowing with the aroma of sour and spicy flavors.

Jing Shu eagerly served herself a big bowl of sauce. Eating this fragrant Sazimian, the most important aspect is the sauce. The sauce should be abundant, and the flavor becomes more fragrant after adding oil-spiced chili. A bowl with wide noodles only contains one or two strands, long and endless, freshly fished out. Fishing one noodle is a bowl, and finally sprinkling a handful of chopped chives in the boiling hot soup releases a wonderful aroma. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Go eat over there." Grandma Jing sent Jing Shu to sit on the side and went to serve noodles for others.

Jing Shu squatted by the stove, picking up noodles and slurping them into her mouth. It was then she noticed an unfamiliar elderly man and a middle-aged woman and man sitting at the nearby table.

They sat there cautiously, not daring to look around.

Jing Shu ate sloppily. Although a noodle was long, it only took two bites to finish it. She slurped up the noodle and then took a big gulp of the sauce, chewing the crispy egg pancakes and daylilies, along with diced carrots and potatoes, mixed with the sour and spicy flavor of the topping, occasionally mixed with some fragrant pork belly.

After drinking the sauce, Jing Shu slurped up another bowl of sauce, adding one more noodle.

In Shanxi, it’s customary to savor this kind of fragrant food. Sazimian is served at both happy and solemn occasions there, holding a top-list position without question.

The elderly woman at the table had tears in her eyes, "More than ten years ago, a bowl of fragrance back home only cost one yuan, and I could eat fifteen bowls."

The middle-aged woman ate her noodles in small bites and dared not ask for more after one bowl. Drinking the sauce mouthful by mouthful, she simply said, "At that time, I could eat more than twenty bowls."

The middle-aged man remembered the past and shyly smiled, "When helping in the village for events, I could eat more than forty bowls in one sitting of the noodles served by the host in the morning."

It seemed like a lot, but the bowls were only palm-sized, with one noodle per bowl, more sauce, less noodle, replenishing the noodle after finishing it. Whomever stacked the highest pile of empty bowls in front of them would make the host happy, giving them face.

Jing Shu mumbled, no wonder they’re eating Sazimian today; it turns out they’re entertaining people from back home.

Grandma Jing usually didn’t like making this, as preparing the ingredients was a hassle. Although it seemed like just a bowl of noodles, making it delicious and chewy, with noodles and sauce equally essential, each step needed to be done well to make a bowl of noodles that was all about color, aroma, and taste.

Mr. Jing and Mrs. Jing occasionally chatted with the visitors, though they weren’t very familiar with them. However, Mr. Jing was happy and took a sip of liquor, "Come, let’s have a drink with me, my dear nephew."

The old man politely stopped his eldest son, "No more drinking, no more drinking, alcohol leads to mistakes." In reality, there wasn’t any alcohol now, it was unaffordable. They came today with a request, how could they shamefully freeload food and drink?

The man craved liquor, having not drunk for ages, but he resisted and shook his head. Mr. Jing glanced at Grandma Jing. Today, the rare visit of people from back home made his wife not stop him from drinking. So he insisted on drinking two glasses with the man. The man saw the sincerity in Mr. Jing’s eyes, checked with his own mother who nodded, then accepted the liquor and set it down lightly:

"Then I’ll accompany you with a drink."

Mr. Jing said, "Let’s not talk about this and that. Your family and the old lady are relatives, so you’re relatives of the Jing family. Although we’re distant relatives, the eldest brother’s wife saved the old lady’s life during the famine, so there’s a big bond there..."

Mr. Jing liked to brag after drinking. Grandma Jing glared at him but didn’t retort. She dished up more noodles and fetched noodles for the others’ bowls:

"Eat, eat more, sister-in-law, don’t be shy. Back then...