Making dumplings
"Okay, someone brought some meat to exchange for oil today, so I'll just chop it up and make dumplings."
The meat was from pigs raised at home, and the texture was firmer and more fragrant than later generations. The meat they exchanged for was pork belly with alternating fat and lean meat and a few pieces of pork ribs.
Ye Nuan took a small portion of the pork belly and cut it into small pieces. Then, with a firm, firm movement of both hands, she minced the meat into a paste. Her movements were so light and swift that they left almost an afterimage. Even Mrs. Su, who had seen her pull noodles, was stunned. She thought her daughter should learn kung fu for her skills.
Ye Nuan added the prepared ginger paste, soy sauce, cooking oil, and chives, stirring, and finally added salt and MSG to taste. She suddenly remembered that there were mushrooms in the space, so while her mother wasn't paying attention, she chopped them up and mixed them into the minced meat.
After the fillings were prepared, they began to roll out the dumpling wrappers. The freshly ground flour was delicate and textured. Ye Nuan kneaded and rolled it repeatedly in her hands, and soon rolled it into thin and transparent dumpling wrappers one after another.
The three of them sat around a table. Ye Nuan was making dumplings while teaching her mother how to make them. Ye Xiaohu was also fiddling with a piece of dumpling wrapper. He was just making them for fun to make up the numbers.
Ye Nuan always loved food that looked good, and she was very particular about making dumplings. They were shaped like a crescent moon, with evenly spaced folds curving to one side, exactly twelve. The dumplings were neatly arranged in a row, with tender green chives peeking through the thin wrappers. It was a truly beautiful sight. Su Shi, a newbie, was making them crooked, but she finally just pinched them together with her hands.
She held her dumplings and smiled, "It's a little ugly, but it's edible."
Ye Xiaohu laughed and pointed at the dumplings she made and shouted, "Mom, they're not as pretty as my sister's."
Su Shi ignored the oil on her hands and scratched his nose, saying, "How dare you say that to me? Look at your own. Whoever makes it gets to eat it."
Ye Xiaohu's face dropped to his crotch instantly.
Su then joked, "Your sister has amazing hands. She shouldn't have learned embroidery, calligraphy, or painting. She should have been farming!"
Ye Nuan laughed out loud, and the family quickly finished wrapping the dumplings while jokingly doing so.
After adding the hot water to the pot, the dumplings slowly floated up within minutes, their plump, translucent skins glistening and revealing the meat and chives inside. She sprinkled some chopped green onions in the bowl and rinsed the dumplings with the water. The aroma of the green onions, mixed with the aroma of the meat, emanated from the bowl, making it particularly tempting.
Su brought bowls of dumplings to the main hall. Ye Xiaohu ran after her with a spoon. After Ye Nuan wiped her hands and followed, the family was ready to eat.
The cooked dumpling skin was too slippery, and Ye Xiaohu couldn't pick it up after trying several times, and the clear soup almost splashed on his face.
"Eat slowly, keeping your mouth close to the edge of the bowl." Ye Nuan demonstrated this to her brother, holding her chopsticks. The dumplings were plump and translucent, and the chopsticks sank into a piece. A bite of the dumplings instantly released the hot gravy. The wrapper was thin and not sticky at all, but springy and chewy. The minced meat was thick and rich, with a rich aroma that blended with the delicate fragrance of chives and the shiitake mushrooms, filling the mouth with a lingering, fresh aroma.
Little Tiger was impatient and bit off most of the dumpling in one bite. The scalding hot dumpling made him scream, but he couldn't bear to spit it out. He opened his mouth and fanned it continuously, making a loud noise, and only started chewing slowly when it was no longer hot.
The meat filling is evenly balanced with some grains, and the more you chew it, the more delicious it becomes. The oil drips into the refreshing scallion soup. It's so delicious to eat a dumpling and then drink a sip of the hot soup.
As the food was no longer hot, Ye Xiaohu started eating one by one. After a while, he finished the whole bowl and shouted, "Mom, I want more."
Su stood up and served him another bowl, "Just eat this bowl, if you eat any more you'll feel full at night." This child's appetite was bigger than either of them.
"Mom, have you noticed that Xiaohu has grown taller?"
Su looked carefully and said, "It seems that he has grown taller." She didn't notice it every day, but when her daughter reminded her, she realized that it was true.
"Come on, Xiaohu, eat more!" Su pushed the bowl to her son with a smile, and Ye Nuan smiled helplessly.
The result of eating too much was that all three of them were bloated and uncomfortable, and could only walk around the yard in circles. After a while, her face began to feel hot and itchy again. She had specially added upgraded spiritual spring water to the water for cooking dumplings. The dumplings were so delicious that the spiritual spring water also had a certain bonus.
Xiaohu and her mother might have simply felt relaxed and at ease, but she felt as if every pore of her body was expelling waste. After taking a few steps, she suddenly felt her face peeling. Terrified, she reached out to touch her face, finding the scars completely flat and smooth.
Her heart pounded. Could it be that the scar on her face was gone? It was hard to see clearly at night, and she didn't tell Su. The three of them continued walking in the darkness, one after the other. Outside the courtyard wall, tiny flickering yellowish lights appeared, slowly moving toward the yard, resting on the grape trellises and watermelon vines, and occasionally resting on the top of Ye Xiaohu's arm.
"Fireflies, sister, fireflies."
Ye Xiaohu shouted excitedly, and gently covered his hand with his other hand, and the glowing fireflies were caged in his palm. He opened and closed it, closed it and opened it again, and moved it in front of Ye Nuan to show her.
The tiny fireflies emit yellow-green fluorescence, which looks very beautiful when they flash.
The fireflies in the vegetable garden gathered and moved like moving stars, flitting and stopping before finally converging on Ye Nuan. Su turned to look at her. Her face was illuminated by the flickering glow, and her scarred right cheek became as smooth as snow.
"Ah Nuan!" Su came closer in surprise and reached out to touch her face. The fireflies were startled and flew away, and the light source dimmed. At that moment, Su thought she was dazzled and said uncertainly, "Ah Nuan, just now I seemed to see that the scar on your face is gone."
Her hand moved upwards little by little, trembling with anxiety. Ye Nuan didn't move, allowing her to explore carefully. Her warm fingertips, with a slight tickling sensation, touched the base of her ear. Su's voice suddenly choked: "Ah Nuan..."
"Really... it's gone..."
"How could it be...A Nuan?" She cried and then laughed, reaching out to hold Ye Nuan in her arms.
Ye Nuan hugged her back, her smile as bright as the willows in March and the moon in the mountains.
Ye Xiaohu covered the firefly with his hand, his face filled with questions: "Why is Mom crying so happily? My sister seems happy too." He scratched his head and started chasing fireflies around the yard.
Xiao Hu was having so much fun that he didn't want to go to sleep. Finally, Ye Nuan filled a broken pot with fireflies, sealed the edges with thin paper, made a firefly lamp, and placed it on his bedside. Only then did he go to sleep.
Su was even more excited than her son. She couldn't sleep even when she was lying in bed. She dragged Ye Nuan to talk to her for most of the night. Ye Nuan didn't know when she fell asleep. When she woke up the next day, she saw her mother squatting at the head of the bed, staring at her face. She was almost scared to death.
"Mom, what's wrong?" She stepped back, hugging the quilt and leaning her back against the wall.
Her mother sighed and said regretfully, "Although the raised scar is gone, there are still some marks on her face."
Damn, she's studying this so early in the morning?
Ye Nuan said as she put on her clothes, "Mom, there's nothing to be afraid of now that the scar is gone. It will fade away sooner or later."
"That's right!" After Ye Nuan said this, Su suddenly felt relieved again.
Ye Nuan tidied her clothes, folded the quilt, and asked hesitantly: "Mom, why don't you ask me why my face is healed?" Logically speaking, even if Hua Tuo were alive, it would be impossible to heal such a big scar, but her mother didn't doubt it.
Su was very happy. "What's there to ask? My daughter is a lucky star, blessed by the gods. I hope you live a long life."
"Hey, tell me, have we been sucked away by those two bitches Ye Ling and Xu Jiao for so many years? As soon as we left them, all the good things happened to us mother and daughter." She then denied, "No, no, my daughter must be a fairy who has descended to earth. After going through hardships, good fortune has come to her. Good times will come after bad times."
Her mother must be so happy that she's going crazy.
Ye Nuan asked with amusement, "Then guess which deity your daughter is?"
"It's hard to say. I need to research it."
Seeing her serious expression, Ye Nuan smiled even more happily. She picked up the clay pot that was placed by her brother's bed and went out. She released the fireflies in the pot, then washed her face and mouth with water. After her hair was tied up, she tied her headscarf back on.
Su took Ye Xiaohu out of the house and saw her movements. She asked in confusion, "Ah Nuan, you don't have any scars on your face anymore, why are you still wearing this?"
Ye Nuan continued her words, "Didn't you say I was a fairy? Naturally, I have to be wary of the sensation caused by my beauty."
Su was amused by her words: "That's right, my A Nuan is so beautiful that I should keep her." When A Nuan had a scar before, these people in the village came to propose marriage because of the yard full of vegetables. If they knew that A Nuan had recovered her appearance, they would have snatched her away directly!
Smoke curled up from the kitchen, and warm porridge gurgled in the pot. Ye Nuan sat in front of the stove, watching the fire. Suddenly, she heard Su's screams outside the yard, followed by the sound of a large group of people clamoring for an explanation.
She rushed out and saw her mother fall to the ground. Xiaohu threw a large man out with all his strength. A crowd of villagers gathered in her yard. Almost the entire village had come, led by Village Chief Jin, followed by Li Gan.
The yard was packed with people, and the man who was thrown out screamed and slid down the wall.
Ye Nuan ran over and pulled Su up, then pulled Xiao Hu behind her. With a cold face, she said to the angry villagers, "What do you mean by this? Why are you coming to my house so early in the morning to cause trouble?"
Before Village Chief Jin could say anything, the surrounding villagers became even more enraged by her words. Someone in the crowd began to question, "Ye family, my man came to your house to work yesterday, eating and drinking at your house. He had diarrhea and vomiting last night, and he died this morning. You need to give me an explanation, or I will not let you go."
"Yes, my son is also having diarrhea and vomiting. I asked him what he ate, and he said he ate your watermelon. He lost so much weight overnight that he's no longer human. I need an explanation."
"My wife was like that too. She came here to help grind the flour. She came back vomiting and having diarrhea, and even fainted several times. That's what happened after she ate at your house and came back."
The others chimed in, demanding an explanation from Ye Nuan. Their aggressive expressions seemed as if they were ready to skin the mother and child alive.
This group of people used to be very friendly when they received benefits from her family, but when something went wrong, they didn't even give her the most basic trust and started to demand an explanation.
Village Chief Jin, who had been silent the entire time, waved his pipe and pressed it down, signaling everyone to be quiet. The noisy crowd soon quieted down. Village Chief Jin said in a calm and impartial tone, "Don't wrongly accuse the Ye family yet. Listen to what they have to say first."
Someone complained: "Village Chief Jin, your family's Jin Bao is not serious, so you say that."
"Yeah, that girl Jin Qiu is trying to stop us from coming. She's just trying to protect the Ye family."
Village Chief Jin was displeased when he heard this. His face darkened and he angrily said, "How could I be defending the Ye family? Didn't you all see me locking Ah Qiu up to prevent her from causing trouble? I'm also very sad that such a thing happened in the village. Didn't I bring everyone here to ask for an explanation?"
"Ye girl, tell me what happened? The people who came to help yesterday all had diarrhea and vomiting after eating at your house, and some were even unconscious."
This time the symptoms are more serious than Jinbao's last time.
Ye Nuan looked at Village Chief Jin and asked casually, "Is Jin Bao unconscious?"
Village Chief Jin, who had been calm at first, was furious: "Ye family, what do you mean? Are you cursing my son?"
"That's not what I meant. I'm just curious that everyone else is unconscious, but Jinbao is fine."
Village Chief Jin said, "Maybe it's because they planted poison last time, so this time it's not as serious."
Ye Nuan sneered: "Really? I don't know why your family members are in a coma, but I can be sure that there is absolutely nothing wrong with my things. Believe it or not."
The crowd began to commotion. Village Chief Jin's words reminded them that Jin Bao was poisoned last time after eating the red fruit from Ye Nuan's house.
Feng Dazhu in the crowd said, "Didn't you say last time that Jinbao wasn't poisoned, but just had a cold and indigestion?"
Li Gan sneered, "The Ye family said all that. Who knows if she's poisoned? Doctor Wang has been practicing medicine for over a decade. Maybe she's been fooled by some kind of magic. The Ye family is all very surprised. You saw it just now. This little kid is as strong as an ox, but he wasn't very strong at all when he was inside the pass. This Ye Nuan used to be weak and timid, with a look of dejection on her face. But when she arrived in the wilderness, her personality changed. She seemed possessed by a ghost. Even wolves and snakes are afraid of her. The things in her yard aren't growing at the rate of normal crops. There must be some magic. And her mother was sick and almost died before, but she suddenly got better."
"Don't you think it's strange? In Beichen's hundreds of years, have you ever heard of such an amazing thing? I don't believe that her family is normal. Ye Nuan even broke my head before. Her eyes were like those of an evil spirit. I still remember them to this day. That's why I always dislike her. I'm afraid she'll hurt innocent people!"
The more he spoke, the more outrageous it became, and he almost called Ye Nuan a monster.
After hearing his words, the villagers who originally only envied the Ye family began to recall every detail of the Ye family's entry into the village. The abilities possessed by the Ye family were indeed too unreasonable and beyond their comprehension.
The more the villagers thought about it, the more puzzled they found it, and the way they looked at the Ye family became stranger and stranger.
Village Chief Jin, who had been acting so reasonable just now, suddenly changed his tone and said to Ye Nuan, "I've always found it strange too. When the earthquake happened while collecting rocks, everyone saw you buried, yet how did you reappear intact? Also, you can save a sheep from giving birth and a dying chicken. The vegetables in your yard are growing so well, are they because they've absorbed the good fortune of everyone in the village?"
"Is it true that you have something to do with these people being unconscious last night?"
Li Gan said it was nothing, but the village chief also said so, so the villagers became more and more convinced that the Ye family was doing something strange.
Hu Ya in the crowd shouted, "Yeah, she's obviously ugly, but she's flirting with people everywhere. If she's not a monster, what is she?"
Seeing these people's talk getting more and more outrageous, Su said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about? How has my daughter ever wronged you? I helped you dig wells, taught you how to grow vegetables, and shared flour and oil with you. Village Chief Jin, it was my daughter who rescued your ewe and raised the Sun family's chickens. It was my daughter who gave rice and flour to Old Wang, your daughter, who was almost starving to death. And the Hu family, didn't I give your leeks to your family later?"
"Each one by one, who didn't get any advantage? Is this something a monster would do?"
The voice of being called disappeared instantly, and Bie Kai, feeling a little uncomfortable, didn't dare to look Ye Nuan in the eye.
Li Gan's eyes rolled as he shouted again, "You think you can bribe everyone with a few small favors? Who knows what tricks you have up your sleeve? Maybe you want to make us let our guard down first so you can catch us all in one fell swoop!"
"Or else, tell me, why are wolves and snakes afraid of you? And why do your vegetables grow so fast?"
Ye Nuan was not panicked at all. She looked up at Li Gan and asked, "I beat you up when you tried to steal something from us on the road, didn't I?"
Li Gan nodded. He had said the same thing just now.
"Then, when we encountered bandits, you pushed me and went to pick up rocks. You followed me and stole my rocks. Then, you even came to my house in the middle of the night while I was away and stole things. You've been holding a grudge and waiting for revenge, haven't you?"
This time Li Gan didn't dare to nod, but what Ye Nuan said was true and many people saw it.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Ye Nuan sneered, "Am I talking nonsense? Yesterday, when I took out the watermelon, you rushed to help cut it. Everyone was poisoned. Besides me, you are also a suspect. As soon as you entered the yard, you deliberately led the suspicion to me. Are you really thinking about everyone else, or did you poison me on purpose to get revenge?"
Her words were clear and logical, and the villagers, who had originally felt a little guilty, began to waver. Li Gan did have a bad reputation in the village. He was lazy and often stole things with his gang.
Ye Nuan continued, "Everyone ate watermelon. If I remember correctly, you should have eaten it too. Then why are you still standing here?"
Li Gan's face suddenly turned pale, and he stammered, "I was also vomiting and having diarrhea last night, but I have a strong constitution. I drank some hot water this morning and barely recovered. Didn't you see that my face is still pale?"
"Really?" Ye Nuan looked him up and down and laughed again.
Li Gan shouted, "What are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing at how loud your voice is right after you've recovered. You're so full of energy that you can run ten miles in one breath."
Li Gan's panicked look became more and more suspicious, and the villagers began to question him, "Li Gan, is what Miss Ye said right? Is it you?"
Seeing more and more people starting to waver, Village Chief Jin suddenly stepped forward and said, "Do you still want your families to recover? They've only had one symptom since returning home last night. It's undoubtedly the poison planted by the Ye family. One time might be a coincidence, but two times is not. Ye Nuan, your speculation just now is completely unfounded. You must give an explanation today so that everyone can be at ease."
"Otherwise, if it happens a third or fourth time, I'll definitely be treated as a monster."
Ye Nuan glanced at the villagers gathered in the yard, and their eyes became scrutinizing again. Village Chief Jin had been in charge of Dahuang Village for more than 20 years, and most of the villagers still believed in his words.
"Yes, both poisonings were caused by the Ye family."
"Why is it that the person who worked at her house yesterday was poisoned?"
"There must be something peculiar about her."
Seeing that Village Chief Jin was speaking up for him, Li Gan instantly became arrogant and shouted, "She was just trying to mislead everyone. Yesterday's watermelon was hers, and the knife was also hers. I just cut it, and she can still blame it on me. Don't be fooled by her, she is a demon. Don't listen to her excuses, just let her tell everyone why wolves and snakes don't bite her, and why her vegetables grow overnight!"
"If she can't explain it, then there's something wrong with her." Li Gan just kept dwelling on these two questions.
Indeed, Ye Nuan found it difficult to explain this question, and she couldn't explain it. Once everyone knew that she had the spiritual spring, it would definitely cause a fight.
She remained silent for a long time, and Su was secretly anxious.
Village Chief Jin squinted his eyes and smoked his pipe silently. Li Gan said smugly, "Look, she can't explain why everyone is poisoned. She must be using some kind of magic to absorb everyone's luck to feed her food. Don't let her go. Tie her up and burn her to death."
Some people had obviously believed it and were eager to come over to pull people away, but because Ye Xiaohu was clenching his fists, he didn't dare to get close for a while.
"Burn them, they are monsters."
"She's a monster that's bringing disaster to Dahuang Village. As long as she's around, everyone in Dahuang Village will become fertilizer in her vegetable garden sooner or later."
"Burn them."
More and more people echoed the voices, and angry screams could be heard from outside the courtyard. Jin Qiu forced his way into the crowd, squeezed in front of Ye Nuan, and shoved the people in front of her back, cursing, "How shameless are you? Before Sister Nuan came, you had to go to Crescent Moon Lake to fetch water and collect rocks all the time. Have you forgotten how many people died every year? In the past two months, Sister Nuan has done you so much good, and how much protection she has given you. You can have water to drink while lying at home, and you can eat your fill through your own labor without taking any risks. Have you forgotten whose credit it is?"
"You believe everything others say. Have you ever thought about the precarious lives you once lived? You ungrateful villains, have you lost your conscience?"
The little girl was angry and sad, glaring at the group of people fiercely.
Hu Ya complained, "Aqiu, how can you not tell right from wrong? Your elder brother is still lying at home."
"My elder brother is fine. It was Sister Nuan who saved him last time. Now you want to burn Sister Nuan to death. Aren't you afraid that no one will save your family?"
Village Chief Jin didn't expect Jin Qiu to actually pry open the door and come out. He frowned and pulled Jin Qiu over and said angrily, "What do you know, kid? Don't wipe your hands of adult matters. Go back."
Jin Qiu forcefully shook his hand off and stood in front of Ye Nuan, crying as she spoke: "I won't. How can a child not understand? I know Sister Nuan is a good person. She digs wells, grows vegetables and runs a farm. Which of these things isn't good for everyone? Ever since she came to Dahuang Village, the village has been getting better and better. Not only her family is doing well, but everyone's family is doing well. Is there any family whose vegetables aren't greener?"
"You adults can't tell right from wrong. You adults are ungrateful."
Many children from the village also came over, pulling their parents and muttering, "Yes, Mom, Sister An Nuan is a good person. She even gave us popcorn."
"Dad, Sister Nuan gave us cucumbers to eat, we are all fine."
"Sister A Nuan is a good person, she is not a monster."
The villagers began to waver again, like a swaying balance, their doubts returning, and their faces growing more and more filled with shame. Li Gan hurriedly asked, "Don't you want an explanation?"
Someone from the village stood up and said to Ye Nuan, "Ye girl, you have indeed helped us a lot, and we don't want to embarrass you. As long as you explain yourself clearly, we will not do anything. Even if you are a monster, you are a good monster, and we will not burn you to death."
Someone else said, "Yes, the child is right. We are the ones who cannot distinguish between good and evil. If you cure all the poisoned people, no one will doubt you anymore."
Some villagers were still hesitant, and everyone looked at Ye Nuan.
Ye Nuan thought a lot. Her spiritual spring was too magical. It would be impossible to hide it as long as she lived in this wasteland. Instead of hiding it, she might as well find a legitimate reason.
She raised her head and met everyone's gaze. "Do you really want to know why wolves and snakes aren't afraid of me? And why did my vegetables grow so fast overnight?"
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