Chapter 262 Good Sister
After soaking the fish, wash it clean, cut it into small pieces and drain the water. While waiting for the draining time, Sui Yu picked half a bowl of peppercorns for later use. These were the peppercorns harvested last year. She was thinking about going back to Qianhu Suo in the afternoon to see how the peppercorn harvest was this year.
"Aunt, Grandma Yin asked me to come out and ask if you want to boil the pot?" A Qiang ran out in small steps.
Sui Yu checked the fish and said, "Heat it. I'll be in right away."
Lunch is being prepared in the kitchen. All the pots and stoves are in use. The rice has been steamed, two pots of chicken have been stewed, two large pots of eggs and leeks have been fried, and there are three pots of radish and meatball soup. Eggs and meat are being braised on the stove, and there are steamers on three earthenware pots in the back, and sauerkraut and egg buns are about to be served.
The iron pot was smoking. Sui Yu scooped four tablespoons of lard into the pot, heated the oil, and poured in the peppercorns and garlic cloves. In an instant, the fragrant and pungent smell filled the entire kitchen and rushed out at lightning speed.
"A-choo——" Uncle Niu just stepped into the door and smelled something, he quickly turned around and left.
Ah Shui rushed out of the kitchen, covering her mouth and sneezing continuously.
A passing merchant smelled the food and poked his head in to ask, "What are you cooking?"
"Stir-fried dried fish." Ah Shui said in a muffled voice, "Let me out, I can't stand it anymore."
When he went out and saw the little boy striding towards him with his father, Ah Shui opened his arms to stop him: "Brother, my sister-in-law is frying dried fish, it's very choking, you two should go in later."
"It's okay, I'll go and take a look." Zhao Xiping had just heard good news from the kid. Not to mention the pungent smell, even if he was asked to hold the jar and pour vinegar, he would still try it.
Sui Yu was stir-frying dried fish. She also covered her mouth and turned her head to sneeze. Seeing Zhao Xiping coming in with the kid, she waved her hand, signaling the father and son to get out.
The kid ran away, but Zhao Xiping insisted on walking closer. He asked A Qiang to go out while he sat under the stove and made a fire.
After the dried fish was completely drained of moisture, Sui Yu pinched a piece to taste the saltiness, then poured two bowls of garlic sprouts into it, continued to stir-fry for a few more times, and then poured it into the bowl.
The two dried fish were fried in a large pot. Zhao Xiping took the pot out and Sui Yu put down the wooden shovel and followed him out.
"It's time for dinner, Ah Shui, go call your dad. Little boy, take Ah Ning to see if your aunt and uncle are here, as well as your grandfather and your grandmother." Sui Yu looked around and said, "And your uncle and Master Chen, it's time for dinner, where have they all gone?"
"Coming, coming." Sui Liang strode in. "We're all waiting outside. It's too choking in the yard."
Sister Cui brought out a bowl of chicken and a bowl of carrot and meatball soup, and said, "The Sichuan peppercorns grown at home are so delicious. Your sister even fried half a bowl of them. How could it not be choking?"
"That's exactly what I want," Sui Yu said. "Sister Cui, bring me another vegetable bowl and pour out half of the fish so you can eat later. By the way, have the wheat harvesters returned?"
"I'm back." Xiao Chunhong replied, "Madam, would you like me to bring a can of mulberry wine over?"
"Bring a can over here, to go with today's dishes." Sui Yu rolled up her sleeves and sat down. Seeing Zhao Xiping sitting next to her, she tilted her head and said, "I'm not planning on taking mulberry wine to Guanwai this year, so I only bought four cans, which I'm bringing to you."
Zhao Xiping's lips curled up, he leaned his hands on the table, half turned sideways and asked: "I heard from the kid that after this shipment of goods is sold, you won't go out?"
The person who called for dinner came back, and the servants also came in. A lot of people rushed into the yard. Sui Yu couldn't say anything in a whisper, so he said "Let's talk in the evening" and then asked everyone to sit down and eat.
The merchant leaned over, held up his chopsticks, and asked, "Can I try some dried fish?"
Sui Yu nodded. "If you like it, next year, please tell the caravan heading west to buy me a few more boxes of dried fish. I'll have someone cook it for you. This year, we brought a lot of goods, and the camels were too heavy, so we only bought one box of dried fish to try."
After she said this, other tactful customers stopped picking up fish with their chopsticks.
Four servants brought in two jars one after another. The wine jar was placed on the table, and the honey jar was moved into the warehouse.
Xiao Chunhong brought a stack of bowls, and Liu Yaer took the wine utensils from Meng Ma. She stood beside the wine jar and sold wine.
"Mulberry wine isn't intoxicating, so let's all have a bowl." Sui Yu said to Old Chen and her parents-in-law, "Let them take care of themselves. Let's eat our food and the dishes first."
"Mom, can I drink it?" the kid asked in a low voice.
Sui Yu shook her head, "You can't, drink the carrot and meatball soup."
Xiaoxi passed by and heard it, and immediately leaned over to serve a bowl of soup to the young master.
Sui Yu put two pieces of dried fish into Xiaozai's bowl and said to Xiaomi, "Give Aning two pieces of fish. This fish is big and has big bones. Pick out the meat from the belly to feed him. It won't get stuck in his throat."
"Third sister-in-law, just take care of your own food and don't invite us. We are not outsiders and we won't be polite and make our mouths suffer." Zhao Xiaomi said.
"Spicy!" The kid sucked his tongue, "It's spicy and numbing."
"If you're not used to it, give it to me." Zhao Xiping handed the bowl over. Seeing that he leaned on Sui Yu again, he pulled the child over and whispered, "Tell me what you want to eat. Don't bother your mother by complaining. Let her eat well."
The kid pointed at the bright red wine and glanced at him cunningly.
Zhao Xiping looked up and saw Sui Yu looking down at the situation over here. He held the bowl up and let the kid take a sip.
"Hmm—so spicy!" The kid frowned. He pushed the bowl away and said, "It doesn't taste good."
"Enjoy your meal." Zhao Xiping scooped a spoonful of chicken into his bowl and asked him to take it and eat it.
The dried fish is stir-fried with lard and mixed with the flavors of peppercorns and garlic. The more you eat it, the more delicious it becomes. As Sui Yu said, dried fish goes very well with wine. One piece of dried fish can go with a bowl of wine.
Zhao Xiping still had to be on duty in the afternoon, so he stopped after drinking a bowl of wine and concentrated on eating.
Sui Yu had nothing to do in the afternoon, so she held the fish pieces in her mouth and chewed the fish strips carefully, taking a sip of wine from time to time.
When the wine bowl was empty, Zhao Xiping took the initiative to refill it for her.
"He's not drunk, is he?" Sui Yu muttered.
"It's okay to get drunk. Just go to your room and take a nap." Zhao Xiping said, "Just don't get too drunk. If you get too drunk, it will be uncomfortable."
The servants' table had dispersed, and the fried dried fish was not yet finished, so they each took a few pieces and ate them on the way to work.
Huang Lianzheng was also full. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and said, "Third brother, third sister-in-law, I still have work to do in the fields. I'll be leaving now. Dad, Mom, come to my house with my third brother and sister-in-law for dinner tomorrow."
Mother Zhao waved her hand. "You're busy at home, don't think about treating me to a meal. Your father and I will be living together for several months, so I can't miss your meal. We'll go over when your family is free."
"No matter how busy we are, our family still needs to eat, it's just a matter of adding a few more dishes. And this year there's a new member in the family, and with my brother and sister-in-law helping Xiaomi, cooking isn't a hassle," said Huang Lianzheng.
"Oh? Your second brother got married?" Sui Yu asked.
"They're getting married in June," Zhao Xiaomi said. "The second son's wife is Cui Hongxia, a capable person. With her help, we can cook without any delays. Third sister-in-law, you guys go over there tomorrow at noon, and I'll catch some hens tonight."
"Okay." Sui Yu agreed. She had originally planned to let Zhao Xiaomi take two jars of honey away, but seeing this, she didn't mention it and planned to carry it over tomorrow.
Zhao Xiaomi and Huang Lianzheng left together. Zhao's mother helped Yin Po and the others clean up the dishes. Only Sui Yu and Zhao's father were left at the table, still eating fish and tasting wine.
"I'm leaving too." Zhao Xiping put his hand on Sui Yu's shoulder and said, "If you're drunk, stop drinking. Then go back to your room and have a good sleep. I'll tell the kid not to disturb you."
"Okay." Sui Yu nodded.
The father-in-law and daughter-in-law shared the fish pieces in the basin and ate them up. Sui Yu drank a bellyful of mulberry wine and got drunk. She even raised her bowl to invite her father-in-law to have a toast.
"You can't drink much." It was a rare occasion for Father Zhao to drink to his heart's content, and he was in a very happy mood.
"My alcohol tolerance is not bad. I drank five bowls." Sui Yutou felt dizzy, but her mind was still clear. She drank the last sip of wine, walked away from the table steadily, but fell on the bed and lost consciousness.
When she woke up, it was almost dusk and the room was dim. Sui Yu lay on the bed with weak hands and feet, too lazy to move. Through the door, she heard a group of children outside shouting to pick up eggs.
"Is the third daughter-in-law still asleep?" Mother Zhao went into the yard with her basket. Hearing no movement from the house, she closed the door and left. Sui Liang had told her that there were over 400 free-range chickens at the guesthouse, and that they could collect over 300 eggs every day. It sounded so exciting, and she decided to join in the fun.
Sui Yu dozed off for a while, and when she woke up, the room was completely dark. She got dressed and got out of bed. Opening the door, she could smell the delicious food wafting from next door. She stretched herself and thought, "Oh, this sleep was so comfortable, as if it had made up for the sleep she'd missed on the way. She felt so energetic that she could run around the guesthouse a few times."
The cub came to check again, "Mom, you finally woke up."
"Is your father back?" Sui Yu walked out with light steps.
"I'm back. My father is talking to Master Chen."
Sui Yu took his hand, swung the child's hand, and trotted out.
Zhao Xiping heard the noise. He said a few more words to Mr. Chen, then strode over and said, "You've slept for a long time. Are you not sleepy anymore?"
"Not sleepy anymore."
"Daddy, hold my hand too." The cub stretched out his other hand and said, "Swing me too, swing my hand high up."
"I'm going to talk to Mr. Chen." Sui Yu said, "Little guy, come with me and be quiet."
When Mr. Chen saw the three of them coming over, he asked, "What do you want to say?"
"Yes, what do you think of the children in my guesthouse? Would you mind teaching the little girl to read?" Sui Yu asked. "My child, my brother, my nephew, Ah Shui, Ah Qiang, Hua Niu, Da Zhuang, and the two children of the Song family, that's nine of us. I'll spread the word later and let you choose a dozen students you like. Is that okay?"
Old Chen nodded. "I believe in teaching everyone. If you're willing, servants can sit with their masters and learn to read. I don't mind. But they must be serious and conscientious. If anyone is careless or disrespectful, I won't tolerate it and will expel them from the school."
"Sure." Sui Yu agreed. "You can take a few days off and stroll around the city. After the autumn harvest is over, can you start teaching again?"
Elder Chen was satisfied with this and even made a request, "I will only teach you for one hour a day. Your brother can arrange the rest of the time. If there is anything he doesn't understand, he can come to me and ask for advice."
Sui Yu immediately relayed these words to Sui Liang. She said seriously, "Brother Liang, I don't require you to practice martial arts and join the army, or to make money with me in business. Even if you can help me manage the guesthouse business for ten years like you do now, I won't think you're just wasting your time. I don't expect you to start a family or build a career. But I've provided the conditions for martial arts and literacy, so you must study diligently. I don't expect you to master them, but you must know them. If you need them in the future, I don't want you to fall into danger because you don't know martial arts, or miss opportunities because you don't know how to write."
Sui Liang felt that learning everything was more demanding than mastering only one aspect, but he didn't want to disappoint his sister, so after thinking about it, he nodded and agreed.
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