Chapter 102 You Brat "Mom, aren't you embarrassed enough?"...

The next morning.

The Chen family and the Lin family were still asleep.

He Maimiao, half-wearing cloth shoes and with red, swollen eyes, opened the door and sat on the threshold in a daze.

Thinking about all the foolish things I've done over the years, my lips trembled, and I felt like howling again.

Lin Junhui, who had followed her out, quickly covered his wife's mouth and coaxed her in a low voice.

"You can't keep howling, honey. If you keep howling, Mom will beat me too."

He Maimiao sobbed, "But I feel so sad..."

"I'm so sorry to you, I'm so sorry to Mom, and I'm so sorry to Qiaofang, sob sob sob..."

Lin Junhui dragged her back into his room and forcibly pressed her onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

“Wife, I’ve never blamed you. Mom knows you’re pitiful, but she’s never blamed you either. She might scold you a few times, but when has she ever really hit you?”

“I know you are all good people, and I’m the only one who’s stupid and bad.” He Maimiao threw herself into her husband’s arms, and she was about to cry even more.

“If you and Mom don’t blame me, how can Qiaofang not blame me? She doesn’t even want to see me, her mother.”

He Maimiao's family was notoriously poor in the surrounding area, and she had many siblings. As a child, she often went hungry.

To fill her stomach, she had no choice but to go into the mountains to find mushrooms and wild vegetables to eat.

After finding them, we didn't dare bring them home, because if we did, they wouldn't be able to get into her stomach.

It was because of this that she met Lin Junhui and began to live a good life with plenty of food and clothing.

Over the years, her husband has spoiled her, and her children have indulged her. Life has been too good for her, and she's become arrogant.

Lin Junhui said helplessly, "What nonsense are you talking about? Qiaofang is your child, how could she possibly blame you?"

He Maimiao choked up as she said, "She ran off to Xinjiang alone and never came back."

Lin Junhui also had a headache when he thought about his daughter, but the most important thing was to appease his wife first.

"Don't overthink it. Go to sleep. You've been crying all night." He took off He Maimiao's shoes, tucked them back into the blankets, and lay down again himself.

"Please, ancestors, get some sleep, I'm so sleepy."

At noon, Yan Yuhua and Lin Huijun cooked a table full of dishes.

The tender and flavorful shredded lamb is sprinkled with cilantro and minced garlic, then drizzled with hot oil, creating an irresistible aroma.

The meat was freshly slaughtered at the village entrance that morning. Lin Shanhu brought a sack of walnuts in exchange for a large leg of lamb.

Most of the sheep in Northwest China are free-range black goats, and the flocks are led to graze on the mountains every day.

Sheep raised this way have firm meat that is fragrant and not gamey.

After a simple cleaning of the freshly slaughtered lamb leg, it can be chopped into large pieces and blanched in boiling water.

After blanching, pour the mutton into a large pot, add only a few scallion segments and ginger slices, and bring to a boil.

Then simmer over medium-low heat for one or two hours. When it's almost done, you can sprinkle some pepper and salt on top.

After the mutton has been thoroughly cooled, tear it apart by hand, then add the seasonings and mix well.

The key to delicious hand-shredded mutton is the garlic paste that evenly coats the mutton. As the saying goes, "If you don't eat garlic with meat, you'll miss out on half the flavor."

It must be garlic that has been peeled and crushed in a mortar and pestle to make garlic paste; garlic minced with a knife doesn't have the same flavor.

The remaining mutton soup wasn't wasted either; a handful of radish chunks were tossed in, and a delicious soup was ready.

Knowing that Chen Mian likes sweets, Yan Yuhua specially steamed a basket of glutinous rice cakes with ingredients such as glutinous rice, red dates, and red kidney beans.

Soft, sticky, and sweet with a rich jujube aroma, it's a delicious dessert whether eaten hot or cold.

When eaten hot, the steamed rice cake is at a moderate temperature, has a rich aroma, and can warm the stomach.

After cooling down, it tastes even more refreshing and has a chewy, springy texture.

Of course, at Chen Mian's strong recommendation, Yan Yuhua also made biangbiang noodles.

This noodle dish has a complicated name, but it's actually very easy to make.

Roll out the pre-made dough with a rolling pin, cut it into long strips, spread a layer of oil on it, and then flatten the strips with your hands.

The rolling pin is pushed out again from the middle to form a rectangle, and the stretched noodles are wide and long like a belt.

When the water boils, sprinkle a handful of green vegetables into the pot, and after it's done, add an appropriate amount of Sichuan peppercorns and minced garlic.

The moment hot oil is poured over the ingredients, the aroma of chili and minced garlic is fully released. When combined with vinegar, sesame oil, and other seasonings, it creates a sour, spicy, and savory flavor.

At the dinner table, Yan Yuhua cleared her throat and announced some important news: "Your father and I are going to stay in Xinjiang for a while. Junhui and Maimiao will take care of things at home."

The piece of mutton that Lin Junhui was holding slipped off his chopsticks and fell onto the table. He Maimiao, who was sitting next to him, was also stunned.

“Mom, Xinjiang is thousands of kilometers away from here, and it takes several days by train.” Lin Junhui’s eyes revealed a hint of worry. “Can your body handle it?”

Yan Yuhua glanced at her son from head to toe and said dismissively, "You should worry about yourself. You're out of breath even when you're working in the fields."

When his own mother spoke to him like that in front of his niece, Lin Junhui blushed and stammered, swallowing the rest of his words.

A few minutes later, he quietly picked up the mutton he had dropped on the table and ate it.

Lin Junhui remained silent, and He Maimiao, unusually, also remained silent today, and the matter was settled.

After finishing their meal, Lin Shanhu, carrying his bow and arrows, took Ji Yu to the back mountain to hunt. The autumn forest was full of treasures.

The father and son were both skilled martial arts practitioners; the father was an experienced hunter who frequented the mountains. The son had served as a special forces soldier for several years, for whom surviving in the jungle was commonplace.

In Yan Yuhua's words, it's like "a turtle looking at a mung bean," they just happen to be together.

Chen Mianmian planned to go home with her mother to sort out the unused bedding, clothes, and other belongings. She would take what she could and get rid of what she couldn't.

This time I'm leaving my hometown, and I really don't know when I'll be able to come back again.

The two found a pile of old clothes and bedding that they no longer wore at home.

Chen Mian wanted to throw it all away.

Lin Huijun neatly folded them again and sighed softly, "You know, it's only because we're doing well now. Before, we wouldn't have been willing to throw them away. We could have just cut them up and used them to make shoe soles."

After saying that, she thought for a moment and said, "Take these to Granny Li's house at the west end of the village. They're all clean."

“Her son is heartless. He spends all his time eating and drinking outside and doesn’t care about his old mother’s life.”

"OK."

Lin Huijun sighed, "We're all from the same village, and life isn't easy for anyone. Let's help each other out if we can."

There were quite a few clothes and bedding, so Chen Mianmian and her mother delivered them together.

Before leaving, Lin Huijun left all the cash she had with Granny Li.

On my way home, I happened to pass by Li Hongmei's yard.

The wooden gate to the courtyard was wide open, but there was no sound coming from inside.

Lin Huijun recalled with emotion: "In the past, when I passed by Hongmei's house, she would always run out to greet me with a bouncy gait. Every morning she would come to my house early to wait for me to go to school together."

"Now you've all grown up so quickly. By the time the New Year is over, her child will be a year old."

"Minmin is so adorable." Chen Mian couldn't stop smiling when she thought of her goddaughter's cute little face.

On her wedding day, Li Hongmei even brought her child, but she was busy entertaining other guests, and the two of them didn't have time to exchange more than a few words.

Lin Huijun also said with a smile, "It's all thanks to Hongmei's good care. She and Wu Wei are both good-looking, so naturally the child is also good-looking."

"Kids change every day. By the time we get back, they'll probably be crawling already."

The mother and daughter walked hand in hand, chatting and laughing. When they reached the door, Chen Mian noticed that there seemed to be a woman sitting at the door.

"You're finally back, Sister-in-law Chen." Li Huandi quickly got up from the ground and patted the dirt off her bottom.

Her smile was still bright, but there were a few strands of white hair in her long, tied-up hair, and her overall condition was clearly not as good as before.

"Aunt Li is here! Would you like to come in and sit for a while?" Chen Mian greeted her politely, but stood firmly in place, showing no intention of opening the door.

Li Huandi smiled awkwardly, "I won't go in, I just wanted to ask..."

Do you have any news about my Cuiping?

Seeing the two of them looking troubled, she quickly added, "I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to know if she's doing well now."

"She's been gone for two years. She came back for Chinese New Year the year before last, but last year she just disappeared without a trace. I don't know where she died."

Li Huandi even asked someone to look for her daughter in Xinjiang, but there are so many people in Xinjiang, and countless people from other places go there.

It's not something she can just find whenever she wants.

Seeing Li Huandi's expression, Chen Mian felt a pang of sympathy for Hongmei and replied, "She's doing quite well now, so you don't need to worry."

Upon hearing Chen Mian's words, Li Huandi's eyes lit up instantly, and her tone became urgent, "Mian, do you know where Cuiping is? Tell me quickly."

"Why are you asking this?" Chen Mian felt that Li Huandi's condition seemed a bit off, and became wary, so she began to subtly try to get information out of her.

Li Huandi's eyes darted around, and she changed the subject, saying, "It's nothing, I just miss my daughter and want to see her."

"I heard you're married. Why haven't I seen your husband with you?" Seeing that Chen Mianmian remained silent, Li Huandi had no choice but to reveal her true intentions.

“I was just thinking that Cuiping is the same age as you, and you’re already married, so it’s time for her to find a man to marry as well. Otherwise, she won’t be able to get married when she gets older.”

Chen Mian sneered and said sarcastically, "So that's what you mean. What, are you in a hurry to find a wife for your family's Yaozu?"

Li Huandi's thoughts were exposed to her by a junior, and her face turned as red and red as if a palette of paint had been spilled.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit tense, Lin Huijun smiled and tried to smooth things over, "I remember Yaozu is still quite young, he's not at the age where he needs to worry about getting married yet."

Besides, Cuiping has already given birth, so you don't need to worry too much. Her husband's family runs a business, and the young couple is doing quite well.

Lin Huijun was afraid that Li Huandi would pester her, so she deliberately kept quiet and didn't mention that Li Cuiping had changed her name.

Li Huandi never expected that Cuiping, that brat, would run away and actually dare to get married secretly. Her face turned even uglier in an instant.

Chen Mian: "Aunt Li, you can rest assured. Cuiping is living the high life now, and the gold bracelet on her wrist is so big it's dazzling."

Li Huandi spat, "You're living such a good life, why doesn't she ever come back to check on me? Are you trying to fool me?"

"What good would it do me to lie to you?" Chen Mian said, opening the courtyard gate and turning around to see the guest out. "Believe it or not, it's up to you."

Li Huandi was still unwilling to give up and wanted to grab Chen Mian to ask her something more when Li Yaozu arrived.

"Mom, aren't you ashamed enough?" Li Yaozu said with a dark face, pulling his mother's arm and walking back.

Li Huandi struggled: "What have I done to embarrass me? I did it all for you..."