Chapter 66 - Two-in-One Stir-fried Mashed Potatoes

Guo Jixiang and Chai Songchuan looked at Chai Xingyu with mixed feelings. Was this request excessive? Not at all, after all, Pei Ying was their savior.

What is Chai Xingyu doing? Using such childish methods to stop them?

Lin Chuntao looked at everyone at the table and quickly refused, "No, no, that's not appropriate!"

Chai Xingyu asked, "Does Madam Lin find my appearance unappealing?"

Lin Chuntao: "..." I think the Chai family is inhuman. "Young Master Chai, I have no such intention."

As soon as Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Chai Xingyu immediately cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Then Xingyu greets you, elder sister!"

Lin Chuntao: "..."

She didn't move, so Chai Xingyu remained hunched over. Guo Jixiang and the others really couldn't bring themselves to persuade Lin Chuntao to accept, hoping that Lin Chuntao would refuse again. But Lin Chuntao turned around and looked at them helplessly, then helped Chai Xingyu up. "Alright, I'm a few years older than you, young master, so I won't be coy. I agree! I just don't know how old you are this year?"

Chai Xingyu: "I'm sixteen this year. Where's my older sister?"

Lin Chuntao said, "Nineteen. I'll be twenty after my birthday in the twelfth lunar month this year."

After the meal, Guo Jixiang took out a box and insisted on giving it to Pei Ying, but Pei Ying refused quite firmly and did not accept it.

On her way home, Lin Chuntao couldn't help but laugh; the whole thing was truly hilarious.

The Chai family of three also returned home. Chai Xingyu was carefree and happy, while Chai Songchuan and Guo Jixiang were furious inside.

As they approached the Chai residence, Chai Songchuan, unable to contain himself any longer, shouted, "You want to be that peasant girl's younger brother? Why don't you come back with her?"

Chai Xingyu paused for a moment, then turned around and smiled, "I forgot about that. Father, you're right to remind me. I should have gone with you."

"Tomorrow, I'll go with you tomorrow."

Chai Songchuan: "..."

Guo Jixiang: "What nonsense are you spouting? Didn't you see what your father said in anger?"

Chai Xingyu disliked his parents' vain attitude the most. He sneered, "What's there to be angry about? Weren't you very happy to have found my savior today and treated him to a meal? You even spent a lot of money at Wanfulou Restaurant! Why should I be angry, Father?"

Before he was injured, he was handsome with fair skin, and when he made sarcastic remarks, he just seemed a bit arrogant. Now, with scars on his face, his mockery was extremely sarcastic, and Chai Songchuan felt even angrier.

Chai Xingyu chuckled dismissively and prepared to dismount from the carriage and return to his own courtyard.

Chai Songchuan shouted sternly, "Sit down!"

Chai Xingyu stopped what he was doing, turned around and looked at the old man again. Chai Songchuan's face was gloomy, and his eyes were gleaming. "You are very disdainful of our methods, then I will give you a task!"

Chai Xingyu said, "Go ahead."

"Have the sauce made by that noodle soup lady put on our shop's shelves!"

Guo Jixiang thought it was a joke, but when she looked up at her husband's serious expression, she realized he was serious. Chai Xingyu snorted coldly, "What's so difficult about that? But you have to write an official seal for me. I'll take full responsibility for this matter. Don't let me get the money from the accountant when I need it."

Chai Song conveyed his thoughts: "Anyone can pay to buy a son, why would we need you?"

What if we lose money?

Chai Xingyu snorted coldly, "If you've lost out, then you should find someone else to inherit your family business."

"evil creature!"

Chai Songchuan cursed angrily, and the father and son each went to one side, leaving with their hands behind their backs.

Today is July 30th, the last day of the month.

After Lin Chuntao and the others went home and had lunch, they took out the cabbage and bitter greens and put them in the sun to dry before going to work in the fields together.

At this time, everything outside the village was lush and green. The corn stalks were already half a person tall, the leaves were turning a darker color, and they were starting to grow fuzzy thorns. The potato seedlings were starting to turn yellow, and the new potatoes were ready to eat.

But most people are reluctant to dig them up now. The skin of new potatoes is too thin, they spoil easily, and they don't keep well. People only dig up one or two when they want to eat them.

When they went to the field, they happened to run into Chen Dongniang and her son digging potatoes. Chen Dongniang politely invited them to dig some to eat, explaining that they hadn't planted potatoes this year and would definitely be buying some. She said a few were fine, but it wouldn't be good to eat more than that.

Hearing Chen Dongniang's invitation, Lin Chuntao went over directly. Looking at the potatoes that Chen Dongniang had dug up, which were still very fresh and tender and not small in size, Lin Chuntao said, "Auntie, please dig half a basket and sell it to me."

Chen Dongniang laughed upon hearing this, "Just dig some up and take them home to eat, why bother with selling them?"

“No, that won’t do. We didn’t plant any potatoes this year, and we still need to buy quite a few. Let’s buy some new potatoes to try first, and then I’ll buy more when it’s time to start harvesting.”

After Lin Chuntao said that, Chen Dongniang didn't stand on ceremony anymore. She said, "Then I'll dig it up and take it back. You can come and pick it up tonight."

Lin Chuntao said, "Okay, thank you for your trouble, Auntie."

"What's the trouble? Are you cutting pig feed?" Chen Dongniang asked. Lin Chuntao replied, "Yes, and we're pulling some weeds in the field while we're at it."

Chen Dongniang looked at the cornfield not far away. Lin Chuntao and the others planted their corn late, but in the past two months, with the summer rains, the corn seedlings have grown rapidly and are almost catching up with those who planted earlier.

Lin Chuntao didn't rush back to pull weeds. Chen Dongniang was digging potatoes, and she followed along, picking them up and putting them into her basket.

Chen Dongniang swung her hoe, turning over the soil and potatoes. She gently tapped them with the hoe, and the soil, like fine sand, crumbled away from the potatoes, revealing several potatoes of relatively uniform size. Chen Dongniang was very satisfied with the size of the potatoes, and her slightly flushed face was full of joy.

"This one is growing well; I estimate there are seven or eight of them."

Lin Jiahui quickly took the basket over, and Lin Chuntao followed along to pick them out. They found seven large ones and two small ones.

Just as she finished picking things up, Lin Chuntao heard a familiar broadcast voice in her ear.

"Congratulations, host! Red Potato has successfully checked in, earning eighteen points..."

These are someone else's potatoes...

Lin Chuntao didn't care anymore; she'd just sign it if she could.

Chen Dongniang and Lin Jiahui each carried a basket on their backs. After digging up enough potatoes, Lin Jiahui carried the basket of potatoes, while Chen Dongniang tied up the potato seedlings and put them into the basket.

Lin Chunxing and the others had finished cutting enough pig feed. Lin Chuntao thought about going back to get some new potatoes to eat, so she packed up and went home with them.

After arriving home, Lin Chuntao emptied the pig feed and said to Lin Chunxing and the others, "Let's start a fire. I bought half a basket of new potatoes for my aunt. Your brother-in-law and I will go and carry them back."

After saying that, she took some money, picked up her basket, and left.

When Sun saw how much Chen Dongniang and Lin Jiahui had dug up, she was full of surprise: "Oh my, how did you two dig up so much? The skin must still be very tender, right?"

Lin Jiahui laughed and said, "Grandma, we ran into Sister Chuntao. She wanted to buy half a basket, so my mother dug up some more."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Sun breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over to help Lin Jiahui take the basket off his back.

The potatoes are already broken; digging them up too early will cause them to spoil. Farmers hate nothing more than seeing their crops go bad and go to waste.

Lin Jiahui said, "My mother said to carry it back and pick it up before giving it to her."

Sun said, "Of course, she gave me the money, so I'll give her the biggest share."

Lin Jiahui chuckled, beads of sweat rolling down his flushed face. The old lady looked at him with concern and said, "There's some fermented rice water inside. Go and get a bowl."

Lin Jiahui shook his head, went straight to the bucket in the kitchen, scooped up a bowl of cold water and gulped it down, which relieved some of the heat.

After putting the potato sprouts out, Chen Dongniang saw Lin Jiahui and frowned, saying, "You drank that cold water again. Don't complain of an upset stomach again in a little while."

Lin Jiahui ignored Chen Dongniang's nagging and felt much better after drinking the bowl of cold water.

Seeing Chen Dongniang's condition, the old lady went inside and ladled her a bowl of fermented rice water. It had been boiled that morning and was now cooled down; it wasn't very sweet, but it still had some flavor.

Chen Dongniang drank a bowl and said, "It's getting hotter and hotter."

“Isn’t that right? With this weather, we might have to dig up potatoes in less than half a month.” Sun said, and Chen Dongniang said, “Mother, will our family have enough grain this year? Chun Tao just said that they didn’t plant potatoes this year, and they will have to buy some later.”

The potatoes look pretty good now, and this year should be a bumper harvest. But the harvest is only certain once the crops are brought home. The potatoes are almost ready to be harvested, and the rice looks like it will also have a good harvest, but the sweet potatoes and corn are still to come, so it's uncertain.

"We can share some with her. When everyone receives some, her family should have quite a bit to go."

Chen Dongniang nodded upon hearing this, understanding the old lady's worries. Even in a year of bumper harvest, it was not easy to sell grain for money. Grain could be stored, like corn and rice, which could be stored for a year or two without any problem. When selling, the price was low, but when buying, the price would not be the same.

Lin Chuntao and the others were only buying some for themselves, so the old lady agreed to share some.

Chen Dongniang said, "We don't need to pay so much grain this year; we should have enough to eat."

Sun said, "Even if we have enough to eat, we should save it up first. I think Chun Tao and the others have planted a lot of corn this year."

As Chen Dongniang listened to this, she thought of the cornfields and said to the old lady, "Mother, speaking of which, I feel that Chun Tao's cornfield is a bit strange. It was planted so much later than ours, yet it's almost as tall as ours."

Sun recalled the corn seeds that Lin Chuntao had brought, which were somewhat different from the ones they had grown.

"I don't know if it's because of the weather or the way she planted the corn."

Chen Dongniang said, "Let's wait and see during the autumn harvest. If her harvest is good, we can buy some seeds from her and try planting some next year."

As the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking, Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying arrived.

They were still sitting at the door when they saw people. Chen Dongniang and Sun Shi hurriedly helped them into the house. After sitting for a while, Chen Dongniang and Sun Shi emptied the basket of potatoes and picked out the large ones without wormholes.

They kept some food for themselves, and Lin Chuntao weighed out twelve or fifteen catties. When Lin Chuntao saw someone selling new potatoes at the market for three coins for two catties, she also paid the old lady the market price. The old lady only accepted thirty coins from her.

"I just heard from your aunt that you're planning to buy some more in a while?"

Lin Chuntao said, "I estimate we'll need to buy five or six hundred catties."

Upon hearing the number, Mrs. Sun exclaimed, "So much? Aren't you going to wait until after the corn harvest to decide how many potatoes to buy?"

Lin Chuntao shook her head. "I won't wait any longer. If the corn harvest is good, I'll sell some corn. I'll still need to buy potatoes."

Sun said, "Then when we dig, you can come and pick some up. I'll ask around and see if you can buy some from other places."

"Okay, thank you for your help, Grandma. We can come and help this afternoon if you'd like to dig potatoes."

Mrs. Sun said, "I estimate it will take another half month." After saying that, the old lady asked about their noodle soup business, "How's business at your food stall?"

"It's alright, but we've just started, so we'll have to wait and see. I'm worried that people will lose interest after a while and business will suffer."

Mrs. Sun had never eaten the noodles she cooked, but she had eaten the meat she prepared, and she smiled and said, "With your skills, your business will only get better and better."

It was hot, so Lin Chuntao and the others didn't stay long. They chatted for a while before carrying the potatoes home.

Lin Chunxing and the others started a fire, hoping that Lin Chuntao and the others would return. The new potatoes would be very tender, soft and sweet, and delicious whether boiled or roasted. Thinking about the sauce at home, they imagined eating several more potatoes with it.

Pei Yinggang carried the potatoes in, and Lin Chunxing went to get a clay basin, scooped up some water, and put the potatoes in. Just as she was about to wash them, she remembered to ask Lin Chuntao how she wanted to eat them.

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Let's just cook it and eat it. Cook a lot, and I'll make a different flavor for you tonight."

Lin Chunxing and the others washed and boiled potatoes. Lin Chuntao went to check on the bitter greens and cabbages that had been drying at noon. They were completely wilted. She saw that the water in the bucket was almost gone, so she called on Pei Ying to carry the bucket and she took the vegetables to the well to wash them.

Passersby encountered several village women, and Lin Chuntao greeted them with a smile. They looked at the vegetables in her basin and asked with a laugh, "Chuntao, are you making sauerkraut?"

Lin Chuntao smiled and replied, "Yes, Auntie."

The woman noticed there were still bitter herbs, and thinking that Lin Chuntao often bought vegetables from Aunt Guizhi, but Aunt Guizhi's family didn't have any bitter herbs, she had some ill intentions.

"Wow, these bitter herbs are huge! Did you buy them from your Aunt Guizhi?"

Lin Chuntao curved her lips into a smile, but her gaze toward the woman turned colder.

"Aunt Guizhi's family doesn't have any bitter herbs. I went to my uncle's house a few days ago, and my aunt gave me some. If you want some bitter herbs too, I'll ask my aunt to sell you some."

Upon hearing this answer, the woman looked embarrassed and quickly waved her hand, saying, "No need, no need. Radish leaves make even better pickled cabbage."

Lin Chuntao ignored them and walked straight toward the well.

She was going to make sauerkraut from the cabbage, but she was going to make pickled bitter greens, which would have a richer flavor than sauerkraut and would be delicious in soup noodles.

Making sauerkraut is relatively simple: boil the vegetables, put them in a jar, and roast them near the stove.

Pickled vegetables should be slightly mixed with other ingredients. They need to be dried and chopped afterward. You can pickle them whole, but they won't absorb the flavor as well. Lin Chuntao prefers them chopped up for a purer flavor.

Lin Chuntao put the bitter greens in a bamboo sieve to drain the water. After the potatoes were cooked, Lin Chuntao took some green peppers, stir-fried them, and made a sauce. Lin Chuntao also scooped out half a bowl of chili sauce. She put the two bowls on the table, and told people to eat whichever one they wanted.

It was a bit late for lunch, and Lin Chunxing asked with a smile, "Will we still be able to eat dinner tonight?"

Lin Duo'er squatted down to the side and said with a smile, "Let's eat later."

Lin Chuntao smiled. Lin Duo'er never wanted to miss a meal; she still needed to eat dinner to avoid having to get up in the middle of the night to prepare food if she got hungry.

With some time before dark, Lin Chuntao boiled the cabbage and radish leaves, making a jar of sauerkraut.

After sealing the jar, Lin Chuntao had Pei Ying carry it to the stove and place it near the chimney.

The bitter herbs were still wet after washing, so it was probably too late to cook them today. Lin Chuntao flipped them over, covered them with gauze, and decided to cook them tomorrow when she returned.

As the sun set, the chicks that had been foraging outside returned. After catching them all and putting them into the coop, Lin Chuntao threw some grass in.

The two hens and the rooster will go back inside on their own when they come back; they don't need much attention. After feeding the pigs, Lin Duo'er pulled Lin Chuntao aside and asked how to cook the potatoes for dinner.

Thinking about what she was going to do later, Lin Chuntao smiled and asked them to peel the remaining potatoes.

Lin Duo'er didn't ask any more questions and obediently went to peel potatoes.

Lin Chunxing looked at the rice in the steamer. There wasn't much, but everyone wasn't very hungry, so it was enough. She put it directly on the fire to steam.

After the rice was steamed, Lin Chuntao shelled some broad beans and chopped some cabbage. She made one stir-fried broad bean dish, another stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings, and finally cooked the potatoes.

Lin Chuntao asked for the rolling pin and bamboo stick to be brought over, and used them to crush all the peeled potatoes into a paste.

Lin Duo'er looked at Lin Chuntao's actions, her little face filled with confusion.

After pressing the potatoes, Lin Chuntao went to chop ginger, garlic, coriander, and scallions.

After preparing the seasonings, she added plenty of oil to the pot, first sautéing the ginger and garlic, then scooping in a spoonful of chili powder. Once the chili was fragrant, she poured in the mashed potatoes and quickly stir-fried them. Soon, the ginger, garlic, and chili were all mixed together with the mashed potatoes. When they were almost cooked, she added cilantro and scallions, stirred well, and then served them.

A huge bowl full—this was the only dish Lin Chuntao had ever made that left her three younger sisters speechless.

They stared at the large pile of mashed potatoes, then looked at Lin Chuntao in disbelief, as if asking, "Sister, are you treating us like piglets?"

Perhaps expectations were too high, because even the older sister made a mistake. Lin Chunxing took the bowl from Lin Chuntao and called Lin Chunhe and Lin Duoer to get bowls to serve rice.

Lin Chuntao frowned, shocked, and said, "What do you guys mean? You don't believe it will taste good?"

Lin Chunxing hesitated, but Lin Chunhe smiled and said, "Sister, I believe you. I'll go and try it first."

As she spoke, she actually scooped half a spoonful into her own bowl and took a bite.

Lin Chunxing and Lin Duo'er stared at her intently, wanting to see if it tasted good.

Lin Chunhe, with a mouthful of mashed potatoes in her mouth, stared wide-eyed in disbelief. After swallowing, she took another bite. Lin Chunxing, already impatient, blurted out, "How is it?"

After swallowing, Lin Chunhe pursed her lips and exclaimed, "Second Sister, it's so delicious!"

"Really?" Lin Chunxing and Lin Duo'er asked in unison. After they finished speaking, they both went to try it first. Soon, Lin Chuntao saw the two of them staring at each other with wide eyes. She quickly came over, helped Lin Chuntao to sit down, served her rice, and put chopsticks on her plate.

"Sister, try some! It's super delicious!"

Lin Chuntao said proudly, "How could I not know if what I made is delicious?"

Lin Duo'er, like a little lackey, massaged Lin Chuntao's shoulders while speaking softly, "Yes, yes, appearances can be deceiving. Sister, we were wrong, and we won't do it again."

The sisters sat down and started eating, making a ruckus, while Pei Ying watched and laughed. After sitting down, he was the first to scoop a spoonful over.

The fresh potatoes have a slightly sweet taste and a smooth texture. Once these ingredients are added, they instantly become more fragrant.

It's mainly the taste that's so addictive.

For the first time ever, Pei Ying asked Lin Chuntao, "Does this dish have a name?"

As soon as she said that, Lin Chunxing and the others looked over, all waiting for Lin Chuntao to say her name.

Lin Chunxing bit her lip and smiled, "What do you think this dish should be called?"

The younger sisters frowned.

Mashed potatoes?

"Soft potatoes?"

Lin Chuntao: "...Do you think this dish is perfect for people without teeth?"

Lin Duo'er nodded vigorously, her eyes lighting up as she shouted, "I know! We'll call it Missing Tooth Potato!"

Lin Chuntao had just taken a sip of water when she burst out laughing. Luckily, she was sitting sideways, otherwise she would have sprayed it all over them.

Not only Lin Chuntao, but also Lin Chunxing, Lin Chunhe, and Pei Ying laughed so hard they couldn't stand up straight.

"What's wrong? I think it's very fitting."

Lin Chuntao's face ached from laughing so much. She calmed herself down and said, "It is indeed very apt, but saying it's missing a tooth doesn't seem quite right. We don't need any name for what we eat. We can just say it's mashed potatoes."

After dinner, Lin Duo'er ran out to play, and called Lin Chunhe away as well.

Today happened to be the end of the month, and Lin Chuntao called Lin Chunxing over. The two sisters took out all the money they had earned during this period and counted it. Pei Ying's salary, Lin Chuntao's earnings from selling mushrooms, and the money Lin Chunxing earned from her stall all added up to seventeen strings of cash. The coins clinked crisply, and the two sisters were filled with joy. Lin Chunxing was so excited that her cheeks flushed.

"Sis, can we start preparing to build the house after September?"

Lin Chuntao nodded. "If business is stable, then it's fine."

After calculating and recording the money, Lin Chuntao carefully put the money away and returned it to its respective owners.

Lin Duo'er and the others didn't return until after dark. Lin Chuntao had already washed up and was getting ready to go to sleep. She waited until the two little ones were asleep before she bolted the door and went back to her room to lie down.

When Pei Ying asked Lin Chuntao why she agreed to Chai Xingyu's request, Lin Chuntao replied, "If my feeling is correct, that young master Chai is currently going against his parents. The other day, Manager He said that the Chai family is capable of arson and murder in order to seize the formula. Is it possible that your life-saving grace is enough to make them so grateful?"

"I don't think so. They might be after our sauce recipe."

Pei Ying nodded slightly; the family's attitude was already quite clear.

At the dinner table, Chai Songchuan said that everyone liked Lin Chuntao's sauce and went to their shop to find it. This shows that Lin Chuntao's sauce is very delicious and not inferior to Chai's sauce, which is why the people's first reaction was Chai's sauce.

The Chai family probably won't give up easily.

"What are your plans? If the Chai family asks to buy the house, will you sell it?"

Lin Chuntao shook her head slightly. This recipe was unique, how could she possibly sell it? Besides, she needed it to make soup noodles. She couldn't just sell the recipe and then have someone strangle her, could she?

Pei Ying understood Lin Chuntao's meaning, but he felt that the Chai family would not give up easily.

Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "It seems that the Chai family's sauce is trusted by the people."

Pei Ying said, "I've heard Brother Zhang and the others mention it. They said that the Chai family's sauce shops are all over Yizhou, and some merchant caravans even take them with them when they go to Canglan Kingdom and Luchuan Kingdom. They are very popular with the people there."

Lin Chuntao nodded slightly upon hearing this. Such an established brand doesn't need much effort to promote its products and can sell them, so it can be considered a mature platform.

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Selling the family's products is impossible, but I make sauce to make money. If their family can help me make money, that would be the best."

Pei Ying smiled. If things were really as they thought, that would be great. "I'm afraid the Chai family wouldn't be willing to do such a thing."

Lin Chuntao said, "Merchants are driven by profit, and the Chai family is probably the same. They snatch recipes and monopolize the market because they're afraid someone will steal their business. I don't compete with them; I even give them money!" Lin Chuntao paused here, "What I'm afraid of is that the Chai family is too greedy and wants to make all the money themselves, leaving no way for anyone else to survive."

Pei Ying felt that this was not impossible.

Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "Go to sleep, go to sleep. We can deal with this as it comes. There's no point in worrying about it."

On the first day of August, the night sky at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) was filled with a bright moon and sparse stars, clearly indicating that it would be a fine day.

Lin Chuntao and her friends continued their daily lives as usual. Lin Chunxing would go to get rice flour to set up a stall, while Lin Chuntao would go into the mountains to pick mushrooms and then carry them to the county town.

With mushrooms selling for around 200 coins a day and the system providing guidance, Lin Chuntao wouldn't stop picking mushrooms just because she sells soup noodles. For her, picking mushrooms doesn't cost anything.

After selling the mushrooms, she would help Lin Chunxing make noodle soup, so she had plenty of time.

After the morning rush hour, Lin Chunxing looked after the stall, while Lin Chuntao and He Lan went inside to chat.