Chapter 381 People Coming and Going

In the evening, Song Chunxue shredded the buckwheat and put the white starch water into a basin.

The next morning, she got up early, stirred the starch water into a pot, lit the fire, and stirred it continuously.

It's best to use low heat, otherwise it will easily stick to the pan, and once there's a flame, you have to stir it constantly.

Otherwise, the cooked jelly will be uneven, with some parts burnt and others blackened.

Actually, white flour jelly is softer. Like making liangpi (cold skin noodles), you need to wash the flour. The only difference is that the jelly is cooked together, while the liangpi is cooked piece by piece on a hot plate.

But buckwheat noodles taste better, and besides, wheat flour is more expensive than buckwheat noodles, so people are reluctant to use wheat flour to make jelly.

When Sanwa arrived at the kitchen, Song Chunxue was serving bowls of cooked jelly, placing them in a cool, shady place to cool before eating.

He took a plate off the cabinet. "Mom, I want to eat a bowl of stir-fried mung bean jelly."

Song Chunxue took the plate and filled it to the brim. "Here, fill a bucket with water and put it in."

The well water is very cold. Placing the plate in the freshly drawn well water will make the jelly set quickly.

Just as he placed the plate in the bucket, the fourth brother stood in front of him, yawning and scratching his head.

"Mom is so biased. She only stir-fried mung bean jelly for you. I want to eat it too."

Sanwa chuckled, "Who knew you wanted to eat this? Go scoop a plateful and put it in the water."

The fourth brother sat down, looking aggrieved. "No, I want you to do it for me."

Sanwa sighed helplessly, "Alright, is one plate enough?"

The fourth brother shook the bucket. "That's enough."

When the third child brought the plate and put it in the water, the fourth child sighed.

"What's wrong?"

The fourth brother said weakly, "I regret it now. I've found that studying is the easiest thing to do, and life in school is the most carefree. Even if the school in the village can't compare to the one in the county, the bad guys can't be that bad."

"Yeah, you were one of the bad ones back then, ungrateful and ignorant."

"..."

"You can still go now if you want to. As long as you don't cause trouble, your mother won't abandon you."

The fourth son pouted, "Hmph, I want to rely on myself. I can't keep eating and drinking my mother's food forever."

Knowing he was unhappy and that nothing he said would make a difference, Sanwa prepared to go to the backyard to add hay for the donkey.

"Where are you going?" The fourth brother stood up, looking like he had been bullied.

"Go add hay, where else would you go?"

The third child sighed helplessly, wondering why the fourth child was acting like a little kid.

That makes sense, the fourth brother didn't want to keep making small money by following Zhang's father; he wanted to make big money on his own.

If ambition cannot keep up with ability, setbacks are inevitable.

So when the fourth brother and the two dogs followed behind him, he suppressed a laugh and didn't say anything sarcastic.

Coming out of the backyard, he scooped the jelly noodles out of the bucket; they had turned white, were soft, and very elastic.

Seeing his mother making pancakes, Sanwa decided to make them himself.

He poured the jelly onto the cutting board and cut it into large pieces, otherwise it would easily crumble.

Stir-fried mung bean jelly needs seasoning. Sanwa likes to add chili powder, otherwise it's not as good as the jelly seasoning.

Actually, if you chop it finely, you can mix it with other ingredients like oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil for a delicious and satisfying spicy and sour flavor.

He was just worried about getting diarrhea at school, so he decided to be careful.

While Song Chunxue was cooking noodles over a fire, she inadvertently noticed that whatever Sanwa was doing, Lao Si followed behind him like a stray dog.

It's inexplicably funny.

She couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with the fourth one? The third one said a few words and he's already clinging to him, just like you used to cling to me when you were little. What's wrong? Did you get a new mother?"

The fourth child looked unwell and said with a hint of grievance, "I'm disliked now. I'm all talk and no action and I even got scammed. I'm useless at home. I might as well try to curry favor with the third child sooner. When I get old and my mother is gone, at least the third child can give me a room to live in."

"..." This kid is quite good at playing the victim.

Sanwa raised his hand, "Give me the soy sauce and salt."

The fourth brother slowly handed the things to him.

Sanwa stirs the food while adding seasonings, saying, "Just following along won't help. This isn't how you curry favor. You have to add fuel to the fire."

The fourth brother squatted on the ground, reluctantly adding firewood.

Song Chunxue rubbed her forehead, furious.

"Get out of the way. If you're going to help, then do it properly. This deadpan attitude is just making people angry. Get lost."

If he had acted like this three years ago, Song Chunxue could have called him childish. But now that he's eighteen, seeing him like this makes Song Chunxue want to kick him a couple of times.

The fourth brother touched his nose and obediently sat at the table waiting for breakfast.

After breakfast, Sanwa went to school.

Song Chunxue took off her apron and washed her hands. "Fourth brother, wash the dishes. I'm going out for a bit."

"Hmm." The fourth brother wanted to go and help, but thinking that his mother could kick him away with one kick, he kept quiet.

It's best not to upset your mother these next few days.

Song Chunxue changed into clean clothes, packed two bowls of cold noodles, and planned to send them to Lei Yun to thank him for informing her senior brother.

When they arrived at the clinic, Mei Yang was also there.

"Sister Song is here. What delicious food are you carrying?" Mei Yang asked with a smile. "Sister Song became famous yesterday. From now on, no one will dare to mess with her easily."

Song Chunxue placed the cloth bag on the table. "These are just some cold noodles for Brother Lei and Shouming. They're nothing special."

Lei Yun understood what she meant, smiled and put away the bag, "Then I won't be polite."

“I heard there’s a share for me too, Brother Lei, you can’t take it all,” Wang Shouming stopped fiddling with his abacus. “It’s been hot these past few days, and I’ve been craving it, but unfortunately my wife is too busy to make it.”

Mei Yang said, "I want to eat it too. My wife doesn't know how to make it at all. She burned it twice and then gave up."

"Then you do it. Once you learn the tricks, it's not difficult at all." Song Chunxue took out a piece of paper. "Do you want me to write it down for you?"

"Good," Mei Yang lowered his voice, "the Liu family didn't come looking for trouble, did they?"

"No, the Taoist priest came last night and said he went to find Liang Xiao. He told me not to worry, but I'm not sure myself."

Lei Yun took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Don't worry, the Taoist priest has a firm grasp on those people's weaknesses and vulnerabilities. We still need to find Liu Jian's parents and give them a warning in person, otherwise Liu Jian, being young and impetuous, might do anything."

"As for the case, it's not our concern. Most of them know the inside story. It all depends on whether Hu Wanyu will insist on handling it impartially."

Mei Yang nodded, "The Taoist priest really has a way. I'll head back now; I have things to take care of at home."

“Okay, you’re busy,” Song Chunxue said. “Just let me know if you need me. If you have the energy, you can also ask Lao Si to do it. He’s been focused on making money lately, so don’t hesitate to ask him to do it.”

“I understand. I was even more stubborn than him back then. If he comes looking for me, I won’t be polite.”

Several people came to the clinic seeking medical treatment, and Lei Yun prescribed several prescriptions. Wang Shouming was too busy to handle everything alone, so Song Chunxue helped to fetch the medicine.

She was weighing the medicine on a small scale when she glanced up and saw Yao Man staring at her with great interest.

"You've arrived. Please have a seat. There are two other people with Doctor Lei."

Yao Man smiled and said, "I just came to see you. I heard about what happened yesterday, and I was worried about you. But seeing you today, I realize I was overthinking it. Sister Song has changed so much. I didn't expect you to not only be able to read but also recognize medicinal herbs."

“I heard from Mei Yang that you partnered with him to open a shop,” Yao Man shook her head. “So you didn’t want to associate with me anymore.”

"..." What is she doing, shaking her head and acting all weird?

"Sister Song, would you do me the honor of coming to my tavern for a drink this afternoon? I have some new dishes that I'd like you to try. I can help you with Hu Wanyu's matter."

P.S.: I've been experiencing a bit of writer's block lately, but don't worry!