Liu Xu took the dried sweet potatoes and her eyes instantly turned red.

Those families in the brigade who are willing to dry sweet potatoes are those with surplus grain.

In her family, during the Chinese New Year, the mother-in-law would steam and dry three to five pounds of it to entertain guests.

The boys in the family could eat a handful, but her daughter could only eat a few. She hadn't tasted dried sweet potatoes for many years.

Chen Suosuo lowered her head and ate one. It was sweet and soft and chewy, much more delicious than the one her grandma made.

She came to Qin Qiuniang and bowed deeply, "Thank you, Grandma, the dried sweet potatoes you made are so delicious."

"Haha, you're welcome, little girl. Don't eat too much. If you fill your stomach, you won't be able to eat the peanut candy!"

Qin Qiuniang hugged her and leaned over to kiss her forehead.

"What a sweet little girl, as beautiful and kind as your mother."

Liu Xu, who was praised by her, lowered her head shyly and tasted a few dried sweet potatoes. They were really delicious.

Chen Tan also grabbed a few and put them in her mouth. These were made from sweet potatoes grown with spiritual spring water, and they were indeed more delicious than those made from ordinary sweet potatoes.

Wu Xia also grabbed a handful and said, "Oh, they're so sweet! Auntie, you're such a good cook! You're even better at making dried sweet potatoes than us."

Qin Qiuniang smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it. I made a lot this year. When you go back, you can bring some back for your family."

In recent years, Qin Li has distributed a lot of sweet potatoes in order to raise pigs. The strange thing is that in previous years, there were not many sweet potatoes left after the pigs were handed over.

There were so many left this year that she simply steamed a few more pots of sweet potatoes and dried them in the sun.

"No, no, my mother-in-law steamed and dried several pots this year and we can't finish them all."

Liu Xu waved her hands repeatedly, saying that she could not come to her younger sister's house to eat, and she took it away before leaving.

Then, she looked at Chen Tan again, "Little sister, it's getting late, let's start kneading the dough."

"No hurry, drink some water first."

Chen Tan brought each of them a bowl of spiritual spring water from the kitchen, "A bowl of water every morning, it clears your stomach and detoxifies."

"Haha, every time you say that, I end up having diarrhea for a long time when I get home." Wu Xia picked up the bowl and drank it all in one breath.

Hearing her words, Liu Xu also thought of how every time she came to see her younger sister, she would ask her to drink a bowl of water, and as a result, she would have diarrhea when she returned home.

However, after having diarrhea, the dull pain in her body seemed to disappear.

Qin Qiuniang had fallen in love with drinking water. She took the bowl and savored it slowly.

Shen Suosuo drank with a satisfied look on her face, "The water from my aunt's house is so sweet!"

"That's because my aunt put sugar in it!" Chen Tan pinched her nose.

She was afraid that they would get stomach upset or that the spiritual spring water would be accidentally spilled and cause strange phenomena, so every time she gave the spiritual spring water to others, she would add half boiling water and a little sugar.

Unless the injury was as serious as Qin Li's, she would use pure spiritual spring water to help him heal quickly.

After drinking the spiritual spring water happily, they all went into the kitchen.

The iron pot on the stove is not big. It is fine for cooking or making crispy cakes and steamed buns, but it is too small for frying.

Chen Tan replaced the coal in the coal stove with new coal, moved it to the middle of the yard, and fried the oil products in a large ceramic pot directly in the yard.

Wu Xia and Liu Xu helped move all the dough tables, basins, and other items in the kitchen to the middle of the yard.

Qin Qiuniang was frying sesame seeds, soybeans and peanuts in the kitchen, and Xiao Suonier was lighting the fire for her.

The sun was shining brightly today, and there was no wind. The yard was warm. The three of them were busy for more than an hour, and beads of sweat were oozing from their heads.

The first pot of hemp leaves is fried.

The shape is like a butterfly with spread wings, golden and crispy, with a fragrant aroma.

Qin Qiuniang took the lead and tasted a piece, then looked at Chen Tan and nodded with satisfaction.

"You've made progress, and you've also mastered the heat. When the color of the hemp leaves in each pot is the same, then you've mastered the art of frying hemp leaves."

Wu Xia first grabbed a handful of catkins before eating a piece herself. "Oh, this is much more delicious than the one I fried last time. The old saying that a good teacher produces a good student is indeed true."

I've just tasted the agarwood, it's okay.

She filled a small bowl with half a bowl of hemp leaves for Chen Suosuo and asked her to eat it aside while she continued to fry.

After frying the hemp leaves, the next were fried dough twists, fried dough sticks, sugar cakes, fried dough sticks, glutinous rice sesame balls, sweet potato balls, fried soybeans and peanuts, and finally a large bamboo basket of radish balls.

The few of them worked while eating, and before noon, their stomachs were already full.

After frying these oily foods, Qin Qiuniang personally made sesame cakes and peanut candies, and Chen Tan made shaqi ma in a five-sided plate.

Looking at the fried fruits filling the yard, Liu Xu's eyes were filled with tears of joy.

When she first arrived at the Shen family, Chen Tan was only three years old. Not only was she skinny, but she also had sores on her body that were infected from somewhere. She looked extremely pitiful.

But Shen Changwang's family still made her work. She felt sorry for her, so she got some folk remedies from her mother's family to help her treat the sores.

It took more than a year to cure all the sores on her body.

During those years, she had been childless, and she felt a bit of maternal love for this poor little girl.

Gradually, she began to pay attention to her and protect her at all times.

Over time, in her heart, Chen Tan is her little sister and also her daughter, and she hopes that she can live a good life.

Have food to eat, clothes to wear, and no beatings.

Now, Chen Tan finally lives the life she expected, which is great.

While she was happy, she thought of Shen Changwang's family.

In the past, they couldn’t even afford sweet potato soup, but now they have white rice every day, wear new clothes, and big leather shoes, and they never wear the same ones twice.

It's just very strange.

"Little sister, do you know your cousins ​​from your grandma's side?"

She heard from her sisters-in-law that those things were given to her by Hu Cuifen's niece.

How rich must he be? Not only did he give money and tickets, but he also gave clothes and shoes. Even Chen Hehua's family of four got a share.

Chen Tan, who was mixing the dumpling stuffing, looked up and said, "I know him, but not very well."

Hu Cuifen's parents' home was in another brigade, and she often took the original owner and Shen Hehua to work for her parents' home.

The original owner had met those cousins.

"Then have any of your cousins ​​married into wealthy families in the county?" Liu Xu asked again.

They originally thought it was just a casual chat, but when she asked this question, Qin Qiuniang and Wu Xia stopped what they were doing and looked at her inquiringly, not understanding what she meant.

Chen Tan frowned in confusion, "Did Shen Changwang and the others cause any trouble?"

Liu Xu was conflicted for a moment, thinking that there was nothing to hide.

"Ever since you severed ties with their family, their food has gotten better and better. A few days ago, after their family went to the county town, they brought back several large buns, new clothes, and shoes."

"It's not new. Uncle Jinbao said it's old, something someone else didn't want and gave as a reward to poor beggars. He doesn't care to wear it," Shen Suosuo said quickly, then became a little frustrated. "He doesn't care to wear it, but he's reluctant to give it to others."

She really likes Uncle Jinbao’s schoolbag. If she had one too, she could go to school.