NOVPUBUnder normal circumstances, lychees start to be harvested around June or July, but now it’s only mid-April, which is considerably early.
"It should be the ’Emperor’s Smile’, normally it would be ripe by May, but these were picked while still green, definitely sour!" Xu Qingfan commented after a glance.
The three of them passed by the stall without any intention to buy.
"There are only Guiwei and two other varieties of lychees, this year the harvest seems abundant, we’ll go back to Chuxi Village during the summer vacation and pick lychees to eat."
Whether lychees are abundant each year depends on the amount of rainfall around Qingming Festival. Late March and early April is the flowering and pollination period for lychees. If there is too much rain, the newly blossomed flowers will fall onto the soil, affecting the harvest.
But if there is no rain at all, the lychees will not sell at a good price due to market saturation, and the labor costs for picking lychees could be more than the wholesale price. The farmers would rather let them rot on the tree than pick them.
"Glutinous rice dumplings are also delicious," Xia Xiaoxiao shifted her gaze from the lychees to Xu Qingfan.
"Frozen glutinous rice dumplings aren’t bad, but they’re not great when eaten directly." 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
The three of them chatted idly as they strolled through the vegetable market and quickly bought what they needed for the evening meal.
"Here, you take it." Xia Xiaoxiao handed her eco-friendly bag full of groceries to Xu Qingfan.
Over a few years, the three of them had developed many unspoken understandings, like taking turns carrying things when walking.
Xu Qingfan took the eco-friendly bag, "Yu will take it when we get to the Electric Power Bureau!"
"Got it!"
By the time they returned to Lianhua Courtyard it was nearly five-thirty, and the aroma of a cooking meal made their stomachs rumble.
"Hurry up and cook, I’m starving!" Xia Xiaoxiao grabbed Xu Qingfan’s wrist and headed upstairs.
"Yu, take one side," Xu Qingfan said, grabbing one side of the eco-friendly bag’s string as the three of them ascended the stairs like carriages linked in a train.
Xu Qingfan pulled out his keys to open the door, and as Xia Xiaoxiao heard the door, she pushed it open, kicked off her shoes, and ran barefoot into Xu Qingfan’s bedroom.
"Put on your shoes!"
"I’ll put them on later!" Xia Xiaoxiao’s voice came from the room, accompanied by the sound of a Windows computer starting up.
"Internet addiction girl." He shook his head and exchanged a smile with Wu Lingyu.
Xia Xiaoxiao was not keen on cooking, whereas Wu Lingyu always learned by helping out whenever he cooked. After Xu Qingfan donned an apron, Wu Lingyu had already turned on the tap to start washing vegetables.
"Ginger and green onion chicken... Yu, soak the chicken we just bought in water, I’ll start by frying a few eggs to make soup," Xu Qingfan said, snapping his fingers after pondering the cooking steps.
"Got it!"
With men and women working together, the work wasn’t burdensome. Xu Qingfan placed the tofu fish head soup on the induction cooker to keep it warm, while Wu Lingyu had already prepped the chicken with salt, ginger slices, and cornstarch.
"Watch closely, it’s the same with frying anything. To prevent sticking, remember ’hot pan, cool oil’, and fry the ginger slices first to bring out the ginger aroma before adding the chicken meat," Xu Qingfan explained while working.
"What does ’bring out the ginger aroma’ mean?" Although she had lived in Li City for many years, she was still somewhat puzzled by some expressions unique to Li City.
"Tsk—it means to fry the ginger taste into the oil, but never mind, just fry the ginger slices until they’re golden brown, like now."
"Oh," the girl nodded.
"Once the chicken skin turns golden brown like this, you can start seasoning. Because salt was already added during marination, you only need to add sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and this essential seasoning, Jiujiang Shuangzheng Wine!" Xu Qingfan poured the high-proof rice wine into the pot, immediately generating a flame several centimeters high.
When Xu Qingfan covered the pot, the flame extinguished naturally.
"Wow~ Brother Fan, you’re amazing!" Even though it wasn’t the first time she had seen it, Wu Lingyu couldn’t help but admire.
"Small case!"
"Something smells good, Xu Qingfan, what are you cooking, is it ready yet? I’m so hungry!" Xia Xiaoxiao, lured by the aroma, had unknowingly appeared at the kitchen door.
"Five more minutes, start with the soup if you’re hungry."
"Then I’ll wait and join you!" Xia Xiaoxiao turned around to go back to her room and continue playing a game.
"Eh? Xia Xiaoxiao, why is your butt wet?" Xu Qingfan glanced at Xia Xiaoxiao’s navy blue school trousers, which had a dark wet patch, and asked curiously.
"Ah? Really?" Xia Xiaoxiao instinctively reached to touch it and realized it truly felt damp.
"Why is there water on your room’s chair? It wasn’t there before!" As she spoke, Xia Xiaoxiao brought her hand to her nose and sniffed, "That’s a strange smell."
"What can water...," Xu Qingfan suddenly realized, "You’re not on your period, are you?"
"Period? What period, isn’t it a holiday tomorrow since it’s Saturday?"
Only then did Xu Qingfan remember that ’period’ might be a new term from surfing the internet, "I mean menstruation. Didn’t your teacher explain it during the health class at the start of the term?"
"Ah!" Xia Xiaoxiao recalled what the female teacher had said during the health class and immediately rushed into the bathroom, embarrassed.
Xu Qingfan threw the remaining green onion segments into the pot, turned off the heat, and followed out of the kitchen.
"What’s there to be shy about? First wash with some hot water. I’ll ask Yu to get some clothes for you from your room," he said, knocking on the bathroom door as he couldn’t help but laugh at Xia Xiaoxiao’s awkward situation.
"Xu Qingfan, you’re shameless!" Xia Xiaoxiao’s exasperated voice came from inside the bathroom.
Xia Xiaoxiao was shocked that Xu Qingfan could mention those words so casually, without even blushing.
"What’s the big deal? Us boys also have a ’change period’ every month. It’s just normal physiological knowledge," Wu Lingyu had already gone to the next room to fetch clothes for Xia Xiaoxiao, leaving only Xu Qingfan and Xia Xiaoxiao in the room.
