"I didn't buy it. It was given to me by the restaurant owner."
Yan Funing sorted the star anise and other ingredients onto the small side table, poured the chicken feet into a basin, and called out, "Bei Mo, wash Uncle Liu's basket in the river. We have to return it next time we go back to town."
"Here I come."
Fu Beimo trotted into the kitchen, picked up the basket and ran to the river.
Fu Nanyao put the wine pot back on the stove: "The owner of this restaurant is quite nice. Brother, you have wine to drink."
"Wine is for cooking, not for your brother to drink."
Yan Funing picked up the wine jug and placed it on the small side table.
Fu Nanyao said, "It's such a waste to use wine to cook."
"Wine is used to cook food, and the food tastes better. You don't want to eat it, so you want to give it to your brother?"
As she spoke, Yan Funing began to process the pheasant.
"That's not the case. It can be used for cooking and drinking." Fu Nanyao changed the subject, "Does sister-in-law drink?"
It’s best to drink, and then the alcohol tolerance is not good, so that the brother and sister-in-law can become real husband and wife.
Then she can always have delicious food!
"I never drink." Yan Funing said, "I see you're quite free right now, so go ahead and pluck your hair."
Since Fu Nanyao couldn't carry heavy objects, she helped her carry the basin containing the pheasant to the kitchen door, and also considerately gave her a small stool.
"..." Fu Nanyao frowned, "Then I want to eat chicken legs later."
Yan Funing smiled faintly: "Okay, I'll give you the chicken leg."
Fu Nanyao came out of the kitchen, rolled up her sleeves and started plucking the feathers.
How could she have done such a job before?
With her eyebrows furrowed and her fingers raised, she plucked the chicken feathers slowly, one by one.
Yan Funing didn't rush her. Pheasants are quite tough and would take quite a while to cook. They wouldn't be available for lunch, so she could take as long as she wanted.
He took out the jar of pickled fish, tied a knot through the fish head, hung it on the bamboo rack in the yard, and began to dry the fish.
After washing the jars containing pickled fish and her hands, Yan Funing began to wash the clothes, shoes and socks that had been wet yesterday.
Fu Nanyao at the kitchen door was still plucking hair with her index finger raised.
At this time, Fu Beimo came back, followed by Ali.
Fu Nanyao called out to them, "Come and help me, I can't finish pulling them out by myself."
Ali immediately stepped forward, rolled up his sleeves, squatted down, and started plucking the hair.
Fu Beimo hung the small basket on the hook at the kitchen door, took two small stools, gave one to Ali, and started to help.
Wet clothes, shoes and socks are actually not that dirty and can be washed quickly.
Soon, Yan Funing took the wooden basin to the river to rinse.
When she came back and hung out the clothes, shoes and socks to dry, the three of them had already completely processed the pheasant.
Thinking that there was not enough time to cook the main dishes at noon, Yan Funing went to the east wing to discuss with her mother-in-law.
"Mom, let's have a simple lunch and then something nice to eat at night, okay?"
"Okay." Wan Niang asked, "Do you want some noodles? I'll make them."
"If I send it to my husband, the noodles will clump together. Can I make some egg pancakes?"
Wan Niang smiled and said, "Okay, let's eat egg pancakes."
--
Just as Yan Funing was making omelets in the kitchen, Fu Beimo's excited voice was heard.
"Sister-in-law, my brother is back and brought back a lot of meat!"
Yan Funing came out of the kitchen upon hearing the sound.
Fu Ciyi's hands were full of meat, all pork belly.
Some are fresh, and some are already made into bacon.
Fu Beimo and Ali hurriedly helped Fu Ciyi carry it, and the two half-grown boys couldn't stop laughing.
Two women passed by the open space diagonally across the Fu family's yard.
It was Hu Ajing and Meixiang.
They all had a wooden basin on their waists, obviously they had just returned from washing clothes in the river.
Seeing Fu Ciyi bringing back a lot of meat, the two of them swallowed their saliva and their pace slowed down unconsciously.
Fu Ciyi brought back so much meat, it’s so enviable!
Meixiang said, "Ajing, he's your cousin. If you two have a good relationship, he should definitely give one of these pieces of meat to your family."
Hu Ajing snorted: "It's not like our family can't afford meat, so who cares?"
Having said that, she knew that even those who were not short of money in the village could not eat meat every day, and eating it once or twice a month was considered good.
Meixiang added, "Some people in the village are saying that Wanniang and her daughter-in-law don't know how to live. They go to town every few days to buy meat. I think she is very lucky now. With so much meat, how long will it take to eat it all?"
Hu Ajing said sourly: "The meat we brought back today will eventually be eaten. If you don't know how to live, you will just have to wait for the northwest wind to starve."
The two of them walked further and further apart.
In the Fu family courtyard, Fu Nanyao was overjoyed: "Brother, is this Shu Xiu?"
Fu Ciyi nodded, "Yes." Then he looked at Yan Funing, "Where should we put the meat?"
Yan Funing thought for a moment and said, "Hang the bacon on the hook in the kitchen, and put the fresh meat in the basin first."
Fu Ciyi then took the two half-grown boys into the kitchen.
There were several hooks hanging from the beams, with four or five strips of bacon hung on each hook, and there were about ten fresh strips left, all piled in the basin.
After putting the meat away, the two young men went to the main room and told Wan Niang that Fu Ciyi had brought back a lot of meat.
Wan Niang was delighted to hear the excited voice.
In the kitchen, looking at such a large amount of meat, Yan Funing murmured, "Next time we go to town, we won't have to buy meat. But they didn't pay their tuition fees when school started in late January, so why did they pay it all today?"
Fu Ciyi scooped up some water to wash his hands and said calmly, "According to the students' parents, that period was to test my teaching standards."
Yan Funing said happily, "That's good. It means you are now recognized as a good teacher by them!" Then she continued to make omelets. "I didn't have time to cook for lunch, so omelets will do. Fu Ciyi, if you're hungry, have one first."
Fu Nanyao just came over, and before he even stepped into the kitchen, he heard his sister-in-law calling his brother's name.
Don’t sisters-in-law always call brothers “husband”?
Calling her by her full name made her wonder, could it be that her brother and sister-in-law were acting sometimes?
And the audience is them?
On second thought, my sister-in-law gave a piece to my brother first. Does that mean she still has my brother in her heart?
However, I couldn't help but feel puzzled.
In order to verify, Fu Nanyao called out crisply: "Brother, sister-in-law said that she would give me chicken legs today."
Yan Funing turned around and said with a smile, "Yes, I agree." She picked up a piece of egg pancake with her chopsticks and handed it to Fu Ciyi, "Husband, eat it."
Fu Ciyi took it calmly and ate it with satisfaction.
Fu Nanyao's heart skipped a beat. As expected, her sister-in-law called him "husband" in front of others, but called her brother by his full name behind others.
It was true that the two had a two-year agreement, but every time she heard her sister-in-law call her brother "husband", she always felt that there was a great hope that they would become husband and wife.
But the result of the verification at this moment was a little hard for her to accept.
Just then, Fu Ciyi finished eating an egg pancake and left the kitchen.
Fu Nanyao hurriedly followed.
"Sister-in-law got a pot of wine at the market." She leaned close to her brother and whispered, "Brother, you got so much meat today, we should celebrate and have a few drinks. Sister-in-law works hard every day to cook delicious food, so she deserves a few drinks too."
It’s great for couples to drink together!
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