Chapter 72 - Two-in-One: Eating mutton without mint is...

Lin Chunxing felt a little embarrassed, but Lin Chuntao didn't think it was a big deal.

She looked at Lin Chunxing and said, "We sell noodles just like everyone else. It's only natural for people to be upset when business isn't good. But the shopkeeper hasn't caused us any trouble in all these days, which means he's not a bad person."

"They're in a bad mood because their business is bad, so they're giving us the cold shoulder. Our business is good, and we haven't argued with anyone, so why should we give them the cold shoulder too? That's not appropriate."

Lin Chunxing pursed her lips. That's what she said, but how could she smile in front of someone who clearly had a problem with her and was unhappy about her?

Seeing that she was still embarrassed, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then you guys wait for me over there, I'll go buy it."

Lin Chunxing ignored this arrangement and went with her anyway.

She watched Lin Chuntao walk away with a smile. There were no customers in the noodle shop, and mutton soup was still simmering on the stove outside, but the owner was nowhere to be seen.

Lin Chuntao called out, "Shopkeeper, are you home?"

Feng Guan was steaming rice inside when he heard the shouts outside. He quickly put down the steamer, lifted the curtain, and came out. He looked up and bumped into Lin Chuntao's smiling face.

"Manager Feng, do you still have cooked mutton for sale?"

When the guests arrived, Feng Guan had a smiling face, but when he saw that it was Lin Chuntao and the others, he couldn't help but lose his composure. However, since Lin Chuntao and the others were guests, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to have a dark expression, so he looked a little embarrassed.

"Oh, it's Manager Lin. We still have some cooked mutton. How much do you want?"

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Please cut me two catties of meat, shopkeeper."

"What position does Manager Lin need?"

Lin Chuntao said, "Leg meat and belly meat are both fine. Do you also have offal?"

"There's not much left of the tripe, but there's still some sheep's blood," Feng Guan said.

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then give me another half a pound of sheep's blood."

Feng Guan nodded slightly, picked up the meat with his chopsticks, and said to Lin Chuntao, "Then I'll cut you a pound each of leg meat and belly meat?"

Lin Chuntao said, "Okay, thank you for your help, Manager Feng."

Lin Chuntao was very polite. Feng Guan pursed his lips, feeling a little embarrassed, but still said, "Shopkeeper Lin is too kind. It's no trouble at all."

As he spoke, he placed the meat on the cutting board and quickly sliced ​​it into evenly thick pieces. Only after he finished slicing did he weigh it. Lin Chuntao then took out an earthenware pot and said, "Shopkeeper, put it in here."

After cutting the meat, Feng Guan went to scoop out the sheep's blood, and then ladled out some mutton soup for Lin Chuntao.

After Feng Guan finished calculating the money, Lin Chuntao asked him as she counted it out, "Shopkeeper, do you have any mint here?"

Feng Guan raised an eyebrow slightly and said calmly, "I don't have any here. Manager Lin will have to go buy some from the old lady who sells vegetables."

Lin Chuntao nodded slightly, picked up the earthenware pot, greeted Feng Guan, and left with Lin Chunxing and the others.

As soon as she turned to leave, Lin Chunxing asked, "Sister, do we still need to go buy mint?"

Lin Chuntao nodded and slowly replied, "Yes, mutton without mint is soulless."

Feng Guan frowned. "Eating mutton without mint is soulless? What kind of talk is that?"

Peppermint? That's something that's only used in medicine or tea and hardly anyone eats it. How can you eat it with mutton?

Lin Chuntao and the others had just left when Feng Guan's wife returned from grocery shopping. Feng Guan asked, "Did you see any mint for sale at the market?"

He Guizhu raised an eyebrow at Feng Guan's question: "What's wrong? Do you want to buy some mint?"

Before Feng Guan could answer her, he started rambling, "That woman who sells mint is always here, but hardly anyone buys it every day."

Feng Guandao said, "Go and buy a pound of it."

He Guizhu was stunned when she heard about the pound of mint.

Why did you buy so much mint?

Feng Guandao said, "Just go ahead and buy it; I have a use for it."

He Guizhu smiled, put down her things, and went out. When she found the old lady selling mint, Lin Chuntao and the others had just finished buying their two jin (1 kg). After they bought them, the old lady's half-basket of mint leaves was almost empty.

He Guizhu hurried over and bought the rest, which was less than a pound.

Lin Chuntao and her friends bought some mint, and after wandering around for a while, they came across an old lady holding two large roosters with plump combs and bright red feathers. Lin Chuntao quickly asked about the price. The old lady was a kind person, and she said, "These roosters are very fierce. You can buy them to guard the house, but you can't buy them to tell the time. They're very lazy."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Auntie, let's buy it and take it home to eat."

The old lady smiled and tied the chicken's feet with straw.

"Buy it and eat it well. This chicken is lazy and fierce. It eats almost all the bran mixed in and gets fat."

After weighing the chicken, Lin Chuntao paid the money. Last time, she spent ninety coins on two chickens in the village, but this fat chicken was heavier, so it cost sixty-eight coins.

Lin Chuntao touched its legs and chest, feeling that she could probably kill a lot of meat off it.

After buying the chicken, they walked through the long market and encountered a vendor selling konjac tofu at the exit. Lin Chuntao bought two more pieces of konjac tofu. It wasn't too difficult to make, but konjac was hard to grow; it took a long time to grow a large konjac plant. Many people were worried because they couldn't buy konjac.

The sisters returned home laden with various things, their baskets overflowing with their bounty.

Although it was tiring, the heavy copper coins brought me joy.

He Guizhu bought some mint. The mint leaves were large and thick, and when they were sold, they were picked at the very tip, making them very fresh and tender.

Feng Guan looked at the mint leaves and smelled the aroma. He didn't like the smell and frowned for a long time.

Looking at him, Mrs. He laughed and said, "What are you doing? Buying it just to smell it?"

Feng Guandao said, "I heard someone say today that mutton without mint is soulless! I'm wondering if you can put that stuff in mutton? Wouldn't it just overpower the mutton's flavor?"

Hearing this, Mrs. He chuckled: "We bought the meat and the mint too, why don't you try it and see?"

"I'm afraid I'll waste my mutton, what a pity."

Mrs. He laughed and said, "Why don't you just put in less? Besides, why don't you ask the person how they did it?"

Feng Guan remained silent; he was too embarrassed to ask.

Madam He ladled out some mutton soup and cut half a pound of mutton. She washed the mint leaves and waited for the mutton soup to boil before throwing the mint leaves in to cook together. In just a moment, the mint leaves changed color and their flavor infused into the mutton soup. Madam He ladled out a spoonful of soup to taste it, and then coldly hissed as she called Feng Guan over.

"You should try it!"

Feng Guan took the bowl from his wife, tasted the soup, and wondered why he couldn't taste the mint leaves. Was this supposed to remove the gamey smell?

Seeing his delighted expression, Mrs. He smiled and said, "Wait for me to get some dipping sauce so I can taste the mint leaves."

She prepared it quickly. She had chili powder and pepper powder at home, so she quickly chopped some scallions and cilantro, added some salt and boiling water, blanched them, and that was it for dipping.

He held out the dipping sauce, and Feng Guan was the first to pick up a mint leaf, dip it in the sauce, and taste it.

Mint leaves are tender, and their texture is not much different from other vegetables, but the taste is different. Not only is it not bad, but it can also be quite addictive.

He picked up another piece of mutton and wrapped it with a mint leaf to eat, and found that it was actually quite delicious.

He hissed coldly. These two things can be eaten together and still taste good? Lin Chuntao is truly a remarkable person.

No wonder she was able to figure out how to make pork noodles and sell them, and her business is booming.

After tasting it, Mrs. He exclaimed, "I discovered that putting mint leaves in mutton can cut through the greasiness. Who told you to eat it this way?"

Feng Guan felt a little uncomfortable and said calmly, "The person didn't tell me; they just said something casually that I overheard."

Mrs. He raised her eyebrows and smiled, "That's nothing. I think you could add some mint leaves to the mutton rice noodles. How about we try it tomorrow?"

Feng Guan glanced at his wife, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "That's what the noodle shop owner said. If we were selling mint-flavored mutton, wouldn't we be..."

Ms. He and her husband were not on the same wavelength. She asked Feng Guan with a smile, "Is Manager Lin here to buy mutton?"

Feng Guan nodded, and Madam He said, "I think Manager Lin has a very good temper. Don't always have such a gloomy face. You admit that her soup noodles are delicious, right? Let's improve ours too. I believe Madam Lin isn't the kind of person who would mind if we copied her way of eating."

"I didn't get angry either."

Feng Guanqiang tried to explain, but He Guizhu smiled and didn't expose him further. She simply said, "Give it a try. If it works, we'll put up a sign and start advertising tomorrow."

Feng Guan would certainly have no objection; introducing a new flavor could attract some of his old customers.

He sells mutton and rice noodles together, but most of the time the rice noodles bring in more revenue. Not many people buy mutton on weekdays, and other restaurants don't get their raw mutton from him, so he doesn't make much money.

We still need to revive the noodle business.

The village was filled with joy today, and many families slaughtered a chicken for the festival. Lin Chuntao and her friends returned late, and the chickens from the families who slaughtered them were almost cooked.

Although Lin Jialang and Lin Jiacai didn't get to kill a chicken, they still bought half a pound of meat today. Three or four of them stir-fried it, and the aroma of meat filled the yard, enough to make them forget their troubles and only leave them with happiness.

After lunch, they played at the gate of the courtyard. When they saw Lin Chuntao and her group return, their smiles faltered slightly. When they saw the earthenware pot that Lin Chuntao was carrying, they immediately smelled the aroma of mutton.

They didn't get to eat mutton on June 6th this year, and now the smell of it has instantly whetted their appetites.

After Lin Chuntao and the others walked over, Lin Jia rushed into the house: "Sister, Lin Duo'er and the others are having mutton today!"

Lin Miaomiao thought of Lin Chunxing cooking noodles at the stall and Lin Chuntao collecting money. She didn't want to hear anything about Lin Chuntao and her sisters. The Lin family's loud and boisterous words also made her very unhappy.

"Have I mistreated you? Didn't I let you have meat for lunch?"

Lin Jiacai pouted after being scolded, while Niu Hongxi, who was sitting by the courtyard wall basking in the sun, pretended to be a good person upon hearing this.

"Jia Cai was just asking, he didn't say anything, why are you yelling at him?"

"Besides, the mutton really smells good. I smelled it when they passed by the door just now."

After Niu Hongxi finished speaking, Lin Miaomiao fell silent. She would scold her younger brother, but not Niu Hongxi. Niu Hongxi continued, "You are very close cousins. Now that the adults are gone, you need to visit each other more often. It's not good to always be so hostile."

Lin Jiacai's eyes darted around as he listened to this. He looked at Lin Miaomiao, who had a sullen face and neither responded nor refuted.

After thinking for a while, Lin Jiacai said to Niu Hongxi, "It's not that we're unwilling, it's that they're ignoring us."

Niu Hongxi said, "Then I haven't seen you come to our door either."

Lin Jiacai pouted. He wanted to go, but he was afraid he would end up like Lin Jialang, unable to even get in the door.

"Speaking of which, I haven't been to the place yet. Let's rest for a bit and then go together."

Lin Miaomiao had been holding back for a long time, but when she heard that Niu Hongxi was going to Lin Chuntao's place to get acquainted with the family, her anger flared up instantly.

"Getting to know the place? Why didn't you want to go before? Why are you going to get to know the place today?"

Niu Hongxi's face darkened after Lin Miaomiao's sarcastic remark. She said irritably, "What's wrong with going out today? We all live our lives. You should learn from your older and younger cousins."

Lin Miaomiao glanced coldly at Niu Hongxi and cursed, "We're all just trying to make a living, you should be learning from that Pei guy!"

Hearing Lin Miaomiao's words, Niu Hongxi ignored Lin Jiacai and the others and shamelessly said, "Learn what? I've served you like that, aren't you satisfied?"

Lin Miaomiao's face turned bright red as she glared at him and yelled, "You shameless bastard! Who needs you to serve them?"

Despite being separated by only one courtyard, their voices were quite loud, and Fan Liniang and Meng Yun, listening to their conversation from next door, frowned deeply.

Niu Hongxi was a carefree and irresponsible person. They didn't usually associate with him and had no idea what kind of monster he was.

Thankfully, the wall has been built; out of sight, out of mind.

When Lin Chuntao and the others returned home, all the chickens had run out of the holes in the bamboo fence, and the yard was relatively clean.

Lin Chuntao asked Pei Ying to put the rooster in the coop, put down her things to rest for a while, and then prepared to make lunch.

The mutton is already cooked; all you need to do is steam the rice, wash the vegetables you'll be cooking later, and then it's lunchtime.

Lin Chunxing went to light the fire and steam the rice. Lin Chuntao asked Pei Ying to bring over a few stones. It was inconvenient to cook the rice in a pot on the stove, so they could cook it directly in the yard and everyone could eat together.

Lin Chuntao cut out the konjac tofu and rinsed it in hot water. She also washed and drained the mint and other vegetables that needed to be blanched, and cut a few potatoes into strips for later use.

With both fires burning together, the mutton soup on one side boiled, and steam also rose from the steamer on the stove.

Lin Chuntao and the others quickly brought over bowls and chopsticks to serve rice and start eating. Although the mutton was a bit more expensive than the one they bought in the village last time, Feng Guan and the others had been making mutton for many years and had done a good job of processing it. The muttony smell was much milder than what they had made themselves before, and the konjac tofu also tasted very good. Lin Chuntao made a dipping sauce with dried chili peppers, which gave the mutton a unique flavor.

After finishing her meal and cleaning up, Lin Chuntao planned to sit for a while before taking a nap.

I had just finished resting when guests arrived at my home.

It was Xu Sheng, my maternal uncle's cousin, and his cousin Xu Huan. The two of them were carrying jujubes, peaches, and some bitter herbs on their backs. The sun was blazing, and the two of them were covered in sweat from walking.

"Why did you come at this hour? It's so hot right now," Lin Chuntao said, inviting them into the house. She took down her basket and hurriedly went to get some water for them to soak.

"Our parents said they were afraid we would arrive too early and you wouldn't be back yet, so we left a little late."

Lin Chuntao asked, "Have you had lunch yet? We just ate."

"have eaten."

But by this time, even if they had eaten, it would have been quite a while. Since they had just finished eating the mutton, Lin Chuntao had no choice but to quickly chop up some meat and cook two bowls of soup noodles for them.

The brother and sister kept saying no, but Lin Chuntao didn't give in to them. She cooked it and brought it over. Whether you're hungry or not, you can eat half a bowl of noodle soup.

The brother and sister were about the same age as Lin Chunxing. Lin Chuntao wasn't much older than them, but now she was cooking noodles for them and chatting with them as if she were an adult. Plus, Pei Ying was also in the house, so they felt a bit awkward and uncomfortable looking at the two steaming bowls of noodles in front of them. They smelled so good, but they also felt a little embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Lin Chuntao said, "Don't be shy, make yourself at home. I didn't know you were coming, otherwise I would have waited for you to have dinner together."

Xu Sheng said, "We picked the red berries this morning, and Mom said she would bring some over for you."

"We've been quite busy setting up that stall these past two days, and we were planning to go there the day after tomorrow."

As Lin Chuntao spoke, the brother and sister listened with smiles. After she finished speaking, the cousin said, "All the peaches at home have been picked. Dad said this morning that if you didn't go soon, we would have eaten them all."

Lin Chuntao smiled upon hearing this: "My uncle picked a lot for us last time, and we just finished eating them a couple of days ago."

As they chatted, the rice noodles slowly cooled down, but Lin Chuntao didn't disturb them, letting them eat in peace.

Lin Chuntao brought them some noodles last time, along with meat and sauce. Lin Chuntao just made a soup base with the meat and sauce, and I didn't expect it to be so delicious. Last time, they ate all the sauce with potatoes, and I suddenly felt it was such a waste.

They had already eaten lunch and were quite full. They originally thought they wouldn't be able to finish this bowl of soup noodles, but it was so delicious that they ate every last drop of soup.

The brother and sister were a little embarrassed, but Lin Chunxing and the others were all smiling and very happy, so the two of them naturally relaxed a bit.

Because they were going to kill a chicken to eat that night, Lin Chuntao asked them to stay for dinner before going back.

The brother and sister refused to stay, saying that their parents had agreed to return home as soon as possible.

Unable to keep them, Lin Chuntao could only pack some of the fresh flower mooncakes she had made the day before, along with a jar of sauce, and let them take them back.

Lin Chuntao walked them out of the village for a while before returning.

On their way back, they happened to run into Sun and Chen Dongniang, who were carrying clean potatoes home.

"Grandma, Aunt, why are you washing so many potatoes?"

Sun said, "Wash them and slice them. Since the sun is shining and we're not working in the fields today, let's quickly slice them and put them out to dry."

"I got so busy that I forgot about it."

Lin Chuntao also sun-dries potato slices. Firstly, she can fry potato slices as a snack in winter, and secondly, she can extract a lot of starch, which can be used to make dishes and pancakes.

Sun said, "There's no rush. We can dry them in a couple of days. I've noticed you've been coming back a little later these past two days, but business seems to be doing well."

Lin Chuntao nodded, "It's alright. I'll keep busy these two days during the holiday, and I guess I won't be so busy the day after tomorrow."

Mrs. Sun smiled and said, "It's good to be busy." The busier you are, the more money you can earn.

Seeing the two sisters return together, Chen Dongniang asked, "What have you been doing?"

Lin Chuntao said, "My cousins ​​came to give us flowers and hawthorns. They were about to leave after they finished, and we couldn't persuade them to stay for dinner. We saw them out."

Sun invited them to her home to play, and Lin Chuntao, who hadn't been there for several days, agreed.

Chen Dongniang and her sisters-in-law were slicing potatoes. Sun Shi took her to see the potatoes that had just been dug up, which filled most of the room. Sun Shi said, "I've been lazy these past few days and haven't finished picking them yet."

Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "Let's dig them up and pick them up slowly. I don't think we'll be able to find many different kinds of potatoes this year, will we?"

Sun was happy that there were fewer small potatoes.

"That's alright. Leave some of the half-grown ones; you can just cut off the buds and plant them later."

Lin Chuntao nodded, and Sun Shi started talking about the corn she had planted, "Some of them have already started to bud, and there may be a bumper harvest."

"I haven't checked on them these past two days. When I checked a few days ago, there weren't many with buds."

Sun said, "That day your aunt said that if you have a good harvest, she would buy some corn seeds from you so we can plant them next year."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "That's no problem. If the harvest is good, I'll save more seeds."

As the two chatted, Mrs. Sun brought them two small stools, and they sat in the corner to chat away from the sun.

Chen Dongniang and the others were slicing potatoes by hand. Lin Chuntao felt that this was too slow; it would take a whole day to slice a bowl of potatoes.

However, with a large number of people, it's still manageable for one person to cut the pieces, but it's still too slow, and it takes a lot of time when things get busy.

I can go to the blacksmith's shop in a few days and see if they can make a shaving knife. If they can, I'll get one and it will be more convenient to use.

They got up early last night and were tired this morning, so Lin Chuntao and the others didn't stay long before heading back.

They agreed to pick potatoes the day after tomorrow. Mrs. Sun smiled and agreed, then confirmed that she could pick 300 jin for her. Lin Chuntao nodded and said to the old lady, "Any amount is fine. I met Qingqing and the others the other day, and that second aunt said she could sell me some. I can pick them up then."

Sun nodded and said repeatedly, "That's good. Your second uncle's family dug quite a lot this year too."

After Lin Chuntao and the others left, Sun Shi sat for a while and then went back to the house to pick potatoes. Chen Dongniang and her sisters-in-law talked about how Lin Chuntao and the other sisters looked much better.

Thinking back to when they first separated from the family, they had nothing. The sisters were so poor that they didn't even know what they would eat for their next meal. Now, the fifth branch of the Lin family is gone, but Lin Chuntao and the others have slowly made their lives better.

When they got home, Niu Hongxi and Lin Jiacai were at the gate of the courtyard. Lin Chunhe probably wouldn't let them in, so Niu Hongxi said shamelessly, "Third sister, don't be angry. It's been a while and I still haven't gotten to know the place, so I had Jiacai bring me here. You should call me brother-in-law too. Why are we brothers and sisters so distant?"

Lin Chunhe's face was dark. She loathed the man Lin Miaomiao had found. He had a pointed mouth, monkey cheeks, and shifty eyes. He looked exactly like a hooligan.

They didn't say a word to Lin Miaomiao and her siblings. This person even said he wanted to come in and play because he knew where he was from. He certainly knew how to pick his time. Pei Ying went to fetch water, and the eldest and second eldest sisters also went out.

She said she wouldn't allow it anymore and was closing the door, but this person was still standing there pushing the door and muttering to himself.

This infuriated Lin Chunhe.

Upon hearing Niu Hongxi's words, Lin Chuntao's eyes instantly turned cold, and she sternly rebuked, "What are you doing?"

"Eldest sister, second sister, you're back."

Lin Chunhe breathed a sigh of relief when she peeked out and saw Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing.

She said, "This person insisted on coming to recognize the house. I told him that you and my brother-in-law weren't home, but he kept pushing the door and wouldn't let me close it!"

Niu Hongxi and Lin Jiacai looked at Lin Chuntao who had returned with cold and indifferent eyes, as if they had no human feelings at all.

When his parents and grandparents were still alive, the Lin family was very arrogant, but now he can't be arrogant anymore. He looked at Lin Chuntao with a little guilty expression, but when he thought of Niu Hongxi standing next to him, he felt more confident.

He raised his head and said, "My brother-in-law said that we are cousins ​​after all, so he should come and acknowledge us."

Lin Chuntao frowned slightly. "Who said we're cousins? A pile of dog shit has the nerve to come here and call me 'sister' or 'brother'?"

"Get out! Don't dirty my doorstep."