Chapter 43

While Qin Yi was busy delivering the beef, his mother Li Guilan didn't idle either; she started making leek pies.

This wasn't a complicated process. She sprinkled salt and a little oil over the prepared leek filling, mixed it evenly, then rolled a ball of dough the size of a baby's fist into a round pancake. She spread the leek filling over half of the pancake, folded the other half over, and pinched the edges together tightly, just like making dumplings.

She heated a little oil in the pan, placed the leek pies in, and fried them until both sides were golden brown and the aroma of leeks filled the air. Then they were ready to be taken out of the pan.

When Qin Yi returned from delivering the beef, Li Guilan had already made the leek pies. She was looking at the remaining large piece of beef, unsure of how to proceed. Smelling the aroma of the pies, Qin Yi's eyes lit up, and he walked over to grab one and started eating it! Seeing her son enjoying the pies, Li Guilan felt happy.

"What should we do with this beef?"

Li Guilan had never cooked dishes with raw beef as the main ingredient. If she really had to, it wouldn't be difficult for this seasoned cook who had been making meals for decades. The taste wouldn't be bad, and home-cooked dishes didn't require much fuss. But for the older generation, who only bought a pound of cooked beef for guests during the New Year, it would be a waste if the dish didn't turn out well!

"I'll do it later." Qin Yi had already eaten half a pie, and his eating manner would make anyone who saw it understand the word "glutton" to a new level. "Actually, you can do it too. Stir-fry it or stew it, just like chicken. Mom, you can start by filling half a pot with water and boiling it, then wash the potatoes. I'll take care of the rest."

Li Guilan went to prepare the potatoes. "I've never done this before; this is the first time I've seen raw beef." She then thought of her son in that country, managing a ranch with so many cows. He must eat beef every day!

"Do you eat beef every day outside? Do you cook it yourself?" Li Guilan had never asked her son about his life abroad. Was he still living like before, without anyone to cook for him?

"Yes." Qin Yi finished the pie, washed his hands, and started cutting the beef into pieces. "I eat meat every day, mostly beef, sometimes lamb. Foreigners usually grill or fry it, but they don't have as many cooking methods as we do!"

"If you eat it every day, don't you get tired of it? Eating the same dish every day, no matter how delicious, can get boring!" Li Guilan couldn't imagine eating pork all year round; it would be unbearable!

"Ha, they have a lot of meat there, a habit from hundreds of years ago. Vegetables are more expensive than meat. Workers on the ranches get all the meat they want, but they have to buy their own vegetables."

Qin Yi couldn't help but boast a bit about his business practices. "I'm different. I provide plenty of vegetables. I think if I treat them well, they'll work harder for me, and I'll earn more."

Actually, other ranch owners weren't unaware of this, but with ordinary grass and cattle, the total profit was limited. Better treatment would only increase costs! They weren't foolish, but the situation was different, so their methods were different. Qin Yi knew this, but boasting was just boasting!

Li Guilan nodded. She didn't understand business, but her decades of life experience told her that if you treat others well, they'll treat you well, unless you encounter a wolf in sheep's clothing!

While peeling and washing the potatoes, she watched Qin Yi cut the beef, trying to learn how he did it. She had a lot of beef in the fridge and didn't want to rely on her son every time they wanted to eat it. The older generation still had traditional ideas, thinking that the kitchen would dull a man's edge. Li Guilan now felt that since her son had made something of himself, it wouldn't be good for him to be in the kitchen when guests came. He was a man of great things and shouldn't be stuck in the kitchen. She couldn't manage things outside, but she could take over the cooking at home. She also couldn't stay idle; having something to do made her feel comfortable!

"Do you eat differently outside? Do you get used to it?"

"It's similar to home. There are special supermarkets outside that sell things from here, like spices and pickles. I also started a vegetable garden on the ranch, a few acres big. When the vegetables grow, we won't be able to eat them all!" Thinking of vegetables, Qin Yi remembered he needed to plant some in his space that evening to let everyone try. It would be a good time to talk about having his sister grow vegetables at home.

Qin Yi took the potatoes from Li Guilan and chopped them into pieces. The water was just boiling, so he put the beef in to blanch it, removing impurities. Then he started making the beef and potato stew. He scooped out the blanched beef, heated oil in another pot, stir-fried scallions and ginger, added the beef and soy sauce, and stir-fried for a few minutes. He then poured in water, wrapped the spices in a clean cloth, and started stewing the beef. The potatoes would be added later.

Li Guilan watched, and indeed, it wasn't anything special, just that she had never done it before. She decided to try making braised beef the next day!

It was still a while before dinner. Qin Jun hadn't returned from playing cards, and according to Li Guilan, he usually came back around 6 PM. They usually cooked at that time, but today, Li Guilan started early because Qin Yi was back. The two of them didn't wait for Qin Jun and went back to the living room with the leek pies, eating and watching TV. Qin Jun would have the beef when he returned.

Li Guilan wanted to know more about her son's life abroad. She had seen photos of him riding horses, herding cattle, and driving around, and there was also a little foreign girl. The girl in the photo was hugging her son, smiling happily. Although she had blonde hair and blue eyes, different from the family, her smile was the same, making her equally lovable. Li Guilan was curious who she was, but she couldn't be her granddaughter; how could she suddenly have a granddaughter that age, already three or four years old?

Li Guilan asked who the little girl was, and Qin Yi smiled and explained, "That's the neighbor's daughter, Angel. She's four years old, doesn't have a father, and lives with her mother on a small farm. She used to be very shy and afraid of strangers, but she's very close to me and loves playing with me."

Talking about Angel liking to play with him, Qin Yi was quite proud. See, how popular he was!

"So young and without a father, how pitiful!" Li Guilan, upon hearing that the lovable little girl didn't have a father, felt a surge of sympathy and wished she could take her in as her granddaughter!

Seeing his mother's reaction, Qin Yi knew she was thinking about having a grandson. He quickly changed the subject, or his efforts in the afternoon would be in vain. "Mom, why don't you and Dad come to America with me? You can ride horses, grow vegetables, and play with Angel. It would be great!"

"Is that possible?" Hearing about going abroad, Li Guilan became nervous. It would be great to see her son every day, but if she really went, she wouldn't know anything and wouldn't be able to get by. She had only left the province a few times for work, and going abroad was a whole different story. Everyone there would have blonde hair and blue eyes, and she wouldn't understand the language. She would be bored to death.

"Maybe not. We'd be lonely without anyone to talk to, and we'd be miserable!"

"Alright, when my second sister's baby is born, I'll take you to the ranch to visit. You can come back when you want to." Qin Yi knew it was too early to ask his parents to move abroad. They weren't ready. Visiting would be fine, but living there would require more courage.

It was 6 PM, and the beef was stewed. Qin Jun also arrived home. "Yi is back!" Qin Jun, who had received a call earlier, was still happy to see his son.

"Yes." Qin Yi smiled and nodded, and the two greeted each other.

"The big boss is back, just in time for dinner!" Li Guilan teased Qin Jun, who didn't respond, just smiled and went to see what was for dinner. "Beef? It smells like it."

After dinner, Qin Yi took a shower early and went to bed, saying he was tired. Actually, he wanted to go to his space to plant a batch of vegetables. The next day, when his two sisters came, he would let everyone try the delicious vegetables and discuss the vegetable planting plan.

At 10 AM the next day, his second brother-in-law Liu Feng drove the old red minivan, bringing his second sister Qin Feng and her son Yangyang. Liu Feng had planned to buy a car this year, a mid-priced SUV, but Qin Yi had a sudden change of fortune and decided to give him his own Jeep Wrangler, as he wouldn't be in the country for long.

Of course, giving it to Liu Feng meant giving it to his second sister. Qin Yi knew that no matter how good the relationship, he had to treat both sisters equally. Otherwise, it would make the other one feel bad.

Yangyang, the four-year-old, was still as lively and energetic as ever, and the house became lively with a child playing in the yard. Qin Jun didn't go out to play cards in the morning and played with Yangyang with Li Guilan. Qin Feng and Liu Feng didn't rush to ask about Qin Yi's situation, knowing that their older sister Qin Qin Yan would arrive soon, and they could discuss everything together.

At 10:30 AM, their older sister Qin Li arrived on an electric scooter with her four-and-a-half-year-old son Lele. Yang Bin didn't come; Qin Li said he was watching the small supermarket. Qin Feng and their parents were a bit unhappy. What was so important about a card stand that he couldn't do anything else?

Qin Yi had already learned from Li Guilan that the last time Qin Li and Yang Bin had a big argument, Qin Li had come back to her parents' house, crying. The whole family knew Qin Li's temper; she had endured a lot of委屈 for over a decade without telling anyone. This was the first time she had cried and come back to her parents' house, indicating that she couldn't bear it anymore.

At the time, Li Guilan, seeing her daughter suffer so much, couldn't stand Yang Bin's unreasonable behavior and scolded him, even mentioning divorce!

If Yang Bin stopped being unreasonable, it would be over. After all, they were family, and it would be too awkward if things got too tense. Qin Yi thought that if his sister grew vegetables at home, Yang Bin wouldn't earn anything, and his wife would be the one making money. He would see how he could still boast! Qin Yi kept this thought to himself, not wanting to make his sister feel more awkward. He took the introverted Lele to play with Yangyang. His 13-year-old nephew couldn't come because he had school, but if he could, it would be even more lively with three children.

Qin Yi had already brought out the fruits and vegetables from his space, filling several large boxes with fruits and the fridge with vegetables. He said a friend had brought them back that morning, and he had even driven out to pick them up.

With nothing to do, Qin Yi invited everyone to eat the fruits. Liu Feng, who loved fruits, never held back, just like at home. He grabbed a big pear and started eating it. This season, there were no pears here, and he was surprised by how delicious it was. It wasn't overly sweet but had the right sweetness, plenty of juice, and a crisp, refreshing texture.

"Where did you get these pears? They're really good!"

"You like everything!" Qin Feng immediately joked, and the two of them, even as adults, still liked to play around. Yangyang was playing hide-and-seek with his grandfather, making the scene even more lively.