Chapter 150 Growing Vegetables

As soon as Huo Zheng entered the family compound, he smelled the aroma of zongzi leaves wafting out, and his pace quickened unconsciously.

When Lu Mingyue left home this morning, she said she was going to make zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) with her sisters-in-law. I guess they should be cooking them by now.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, as expected, Wang's wife, Zheng Xiuhua, was busy around the stove. Lu Mingyue was sitting on a small stool next to her, peeling candied dates in her hand, while Yao Yao was lying next to her legs, her eyes fixed on the stove.

"You're back? Come lend a hand."

As soon as Zheng Xiuhua saw Huo Zheng enter, she immediately greeted him, "These two big basins of zongzi need to be cooked in a big pot to be flavorful. You're strong, so help boil the water."

Huo Zheng washed his hands and went to the stove.

He filled the large iron pot with well water, then brought over some dry firewood and stuffed it into the stove. Soon the fire was lit.

Lu Mingyue looked at the beads of sweat on his forehead and handed him a handkerchief: "Take it slow, don't let the fever rise too quickly."

"Don't worry, I have experience cooking zongzi. Just put the zongzi in after the water boils, and keep the heat steady so they cook through."

As Huo Zheng spoke, he added firewood to the stove, but his eyes kept glancing at Lu Mingyue's lower abdomen, worried that she might get tired from sitting for too long.

Soon the water boiled, and the women busily put the zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) into the pot. The water was instantly filled, and the bamboo leaves gently tumbled in the water, making the aroma even stronger.

"It needs to cook for an hour, we can't rush it." Sister Wang put the lid on the pot and added some firewood to the stove.

"We don't really need to watch the fire, just stuff it with firewood. Let's go home and cook the dishes first, then we'll gather here to eat zongzi tonight."

Just then, Leilei's voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Mom, I'm back."

As soon as he finished speaking, Leilei rushed in with his schoolbag on his back, went straight to the stove, and sniffed the pot lid: "It smells so good, Mom, when can we eat zongzi? I'm so hungry."

Yao Yao also shouted, "I want to eat jujubes, and I want it with osmanthus sugar."

Lu Mingyue smiled and pulled Leilei over: "It just went into the pot, so we'll have to wait a bit. Go wash your hands first, Mom saved some freshly peeled dates for you."

Huo Zheng poked his head out from the stove and teased him, "What's the rush? Once it's cooked, give one to your mother first. She's pregnant and needs to nourish herself."

Leilei nodded immediately: "I know, I want to give the biggest jujube rice dumpling to my mom."

As the last piece of firewood in the stove burned out, the steam rising from the edge of the pot lid carried a rich aroma of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), making Yao Yao tiptoe closer to the stove.

Huo Zheng lifted the pot lid, and a burst of steam carrying a fragrant aroma wafted out. The rice dumplings in the pot had sunk to the bottom of the water, and the bamboo leaves had turned dark from being boiled, making them even softer and more glutinous.

"They're cooked." He used long chopsticks to pick out the rice dumplings one by one and placed them in a large basket lined with reed leaves.

Sister Wang came over, picked up a rice dumpling tied with a red string, and squeezed it through the bamboo leaves: "This jujube rice dumpling is cooked thoroughly, the rice must be sticky."

As he spoke, he helped Lu Mingyue distribute the zongzi. The sweet zongzi with red strings went to the children of each family, the salty meat zongzi with green strings were given to the men who liked to drink, and he even specially saved a few red date zongzi for Lu Mingyue.

Zheng Xiuhua carried her own enamel basin, filled it with twenty zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and said with a smile, "My husband must be getting impatient. These are perfect for him to have with his drinks when I get back. Mingyue, I'll bring the basin back to you tomorrow."

Lu Mingyue waved her hand: "No rush, you can use it first."

They wrapped quite a lot of rice dumplings this time. Although the ingredients were provided by their respective families, the firewood they used was from Lu Mingyue's family. Therefore, when they were dividing them, the two of them left more rice dumplings for Lu Mingyue.

The women carried basins and baskets filled with zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), chatting and laughing as they walked home.

As Sister Wang walked to the door, she turned back and called out, "Come to my house tomorrow morning for corn porridge! It'll be delicious with some zongzi (sticky rice dumplings)."

Lu Mingyue smiled and agreed, watching their figures disappear outside the courtyard gate.

Huo Zheng handed the reserved red date rice dumpling to Lu Mingyue, and then peeled a jujube rice dumpling for Leilei and Yaoyao respectively.

Sweet and sticky glutinous rice wrapped around a juicy date with a runny center. Yao Yao ate it until there was rice stuck to the corners of her mouth, and said indistinctly, "Mommy, it's so sweet, I want to eat it again tomorrow."

Leilei ran to Huo Zheng's side with the zongzi in his hand and handed him the one that had been bitten halfway through: "Dad, you eat this one, it has lots of jujubes."

The two children didn't forget to share with their mother. Lu Mingyue took a bite of the rice dumpling that Leilei had given her, and her heart felt as sweet as a jujube.

The summer breeze still carried a hint of coolness, and most of the women in the family compound were still wearing long-sleeved shirts, but Lu Mingyue had already changed into short sleeves.

After becoming pregnant, I always felt hot and sweaty, and even the slightest movement would make me sweat. Wearing long sleeves felt like being covered in cotton wool, which was really uncomfortable.

That morning, she sat on a bamboo chair in the corner of the yard picking vegetables. Her short sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, but she still felt hot, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Yao Yao was playing with her dolls next to her mother's legs when she looked up and asked, "Mommy, why are you wearing short sleeves? Aunt Wang is wearing long sleeves."

Lu Mingyue smiled and patted her head: "Mommy has a little baby in her tummy, and she's even more afraid of the heat than Yao Yao."

As she was speaking, her stomach suddenly churned, and she quickly covered her mouth, her brows furrowing.

I haven't had a good appetite lately. Nothing tastes good, and my mouth feels bitter. I keep craving sour things.

Huo Zheng bought some sour apricots a few days ago. She can eat several a day, but she's afraid of hurting her stomach if she eats too many apricots, so she has to endure it.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?" Huo Zheng came back from training and saw that her face was pale, so he quickly came over to help her catch her breath.

Lu Mingyue shook her head: "It's nothing, my mouth just tastes bitter and I want to eat something sour."

Huo Zheng slapped his thigh: "I almost forgot, Sister Wang brought over a basket of cucumbers a few days ago and put them in the cellar. Let's pickle some cucumbers to eat, it'll help cut through the greasiness."

As he spoke, he went to the cellar and brought out a basket of cucumbers, which were green and still damp.

Lu Mingyue perked up and got up to help wash the cucumbers.

Cut into finger-length pieces, sprinkle with salt and marinate for half an hour to draw out the moisture. Then pour in cooled boiled water, add some vinegar and a little rock sugar, seal in a glass jar, and let it soak in a cool place for a day before eating.

Huo Zheng was afraid she would get tired, so he didn't let her do anything and instead busied himself in the kitchen.

Lu Mingyue leaned against the door frame and watched him clumsily sprinkle salt, tasting it every now and then to check the saltiness. She couldn't help but laugh: "Don't put in too much salt. Pickled cucumbers taste better when they're a little sweet and sour."

Huo Zheng nodded and added another spoonful of rock sugar to the jar: "I'll listen to you, I guarantee it will be pickled to your liking."

The next morning, Huo Zheng couldn't wait to open the glass jar, and a sour aroma wafted out.

He picked up a cucumber and held it to Lu Mingyue's lips: "Try it, is it done?"

Lu Mingyue took a bite; it was crisp and sweet with a hint of sourness. The bitterness in her mouth disappeared instantly, and her appetite returned.

"Delicious, so delicious!" Her eyes lit up, and she took another bite.

Seeing her eating happily, Huo Zheng felt relieved. He had been worried that she didn't have a good appetite, but now that he had these pickled cucumbers, he could finally relax.

Lu Mingyue held the pickled cucumber and ate it in small bites.

She knew that this jar of pickled cucumbers was nothing special, but it contained Huo Zheng's thoughtfulness.