"tasty!"
"The shrimp meat is very springy and sweet, you should all try it."
"Sister-in-law A-Niu's cooking skills are truly remarkable; we should eat a few more of them."
Sister-in-law A Niu was very happy to hear Yun Ling's words. Firstly, her wish had come true, and secondly, someone could appreciate her cooking skills, which meant she had gained a confidante.
She quickly took two garlic cloves from the shelf, broke them open one by one, slapped them down hard with the knife, picked out the garlic skins and put them in a bowl to feed the chickens, and then quickly cut the garlic cloves with the knife.
Sister-in-law A Niu's knife skills are amazing. In the time it takes to eat a shrimp, the originally flat garlic cloves on the cutting board are chopped into minced garlic. With a scrape of the knife, all of it is put into a small bowl for later use.
The flower crabs were ready. As soon as the pot lid was lifted, the salty aroma of the crabs, the spiciness of the ginger slices, and the aroma of the steaming wine wafted out, making everyone present drool.
Yunling looked at the pile of shrimp shells in front of her and felt a little embarrassed. She had bought them to please Datou, but she had ended up eating quite a few. So she quickly said:
"Brother, I think this stuff won't taste good if it gets cold. Why don't we just make it and eat it as we go?"
Gangzi echoed:
"Yes, this stuff is so delicious right out of the pot, just stuff it in your mouth. I'm going to go get all that mutton soup, pork tripe and lungs, beef tripe and honeycomb tripe and eat it."
The cooked food was secondary; Gangzi wanted to bring over a stool so Yunling could sit and eat slowly, instead of having to stand and suffer.
Big Head had no objection. He popped the peeled shrimp into his mouth, his left hand clenched tightly, and his right hand scraping the shrimp shells off the stove. He chuckled:
"Young master, you're quite the dashing one. I'll go set up a long table and benches, and call those two simpletons over. Hey, young master, would you like some wine? How about some Shaoxing wine to go with the dishes?"
"No, no, no, it's still daytime. All the wild and joyful things have to be done at night."
Big Head blinked, and having roughly made up his mind, he hurriedly went back to the workshop to get someone to prepare the things.
When Sister-in-law A-Niu heard that the dining table was set up on her side, she worked with renewed energy. She added some water to the pot, then stuffed firewood into the stove, and fanned the fire vigorously, doing her best to maximize the heat.
Tang Ling wasn't idle either. She searched the shelf for bowls and chopsticks, because Sister-in-law A Niu usually only cooked for the three of them, so three sets of bowls and chopsticks were enough.
If they were only eating shrimp and crab, they wouldn't need a bowl. But with mutton soup, they couldn't do without a bowl. Although they were being friendly, they weren't close enough to share a drink.
Tang Ling walked back to the workshop, thinking of finding bowls and chopsticks, but there were only three sets. This was because Da Tou and the others usually just used food boxes to pack their bowls and chopsticks to get food from small restaurants. They ate cheap and delicious food, so if they had too few, they wouldn't be able to eat, and if they had too many, they wouldn't need them. Three sets were just right.
Tang Ling had no choice but to go to the street and buy three sets of bowls and chopsticks. She first washed them two or three times with clean water, and then, after the water boiled, she scooped out some and put them into the three bowls to soak.
Da Tou and his two companions soon arrived carrying tables and benches, with Gangzi following closely behind with cooked food. Yun Ling finally found something to do: she brought the shrimp and crabs to the table, and that was her job done.
By the time the fish was cooked, everyone had taken their seats. Since Sister-in-law A-Niu's family were also merchants, someone always needed to stay and watch the shop. So she served Brother A-Niu a bowl of mutton soup first, and then packed him some other good food.
Their son, Gou Dan, liked to cling to Yun Ling, pulling on her sleeve with one hand and pointing at the flower crabs on the table with the other, asking Yun Ling to peel them for him.
Normally, Yunling would have ignored him, but today she had peeled shrimp and her hands were covered in the smell, so she took pity on him.
Big Head laughed upon seeing this:
"Young master, you're not married yet, are you?"
Yunling waved her hand and said:
"I haven't had enough fun yet, why would I want to get married?"
Sister-in-law A-Niu put freshly cooked sea bass and yellow croaker belly into another bowl, then put some beef tripe in, asking curiously:
"What kind of girl does the young master like? I know quite a few young ladies who are beautiful, obedient, and have very good temperaments. If you like any of them, I can introduce you to some."
As she spoke, she placed the tripe on the surface of the bowl, pressed it down with her chopsticks, and then added two more slices of pig lung, filling the entire bowl. She carefully carried it outside.
He quickly ran back, put two shrimp in his bowl, and asked while peeling them:
"So, young master, do you like gentle and virtuous women?"
Yunling smiled but remained silent, while Tang Ling spoke up:
“Our young master has a childhood sweetheart, but the two of them have been having a falling out lately.”
"Oh, so you have someone you like. Hey, have you checked their birth dates and times? Marriage is no small matter. You have to make sure the birth dates and times are right, otherwise there will be endless troubles and awkwardness after the wedding."
Seeing that Sister-in-law A-Niu was going too far, Da-Tou quickly said:
"Hey, hey, hey, if you keep talking, you'll be the one deciding what other people's kids will be named in the future."
This made everyone laugh. Yunling peeled another shrimp for Gou Dan, dipped it in garlic sauce, and the little guy ate it very happily.
"Young man, don't take it to heart. That's just how we are. When we're free, we start to chatter. We're not very knowledgeable, so we can't talk big. We can only talk about trivial matters."
"It's alright. My grandmother at home often says these kinds of trivial things. Hearing Sister-in-law Ah Niu say them today makes me feel especially warm."
Sister-in-law A-Niu's eyes lit up again and again. Seeing that Yunling didn't mind, she thought about sharing her own experiences, but unfortunately, she couldn't outrun Da-Tou's mouth.
“Young master, you’re down-to-earth and have a genuine personality. I just saw that the stone has already been ground open. It can be ground open this afternoon to see what it is. However, if it’s good jade, then you’ll have to come early tomorrow if you need to polish it.”
Yunling was naturally delighted, put down the crab shell, and said:
"Of course, we're going to be quite busy tonight."
Although Yunling didn't say it directly, Da Tou understood what she meant. Great! He could get a full meal and a warm bed for free. How wonderful!
**
After eating the fragrant candies, everyone went back to their own tasks.
Yunling felt sleepy, so she lay down on two long benches and fell asleep. But Datou criticized her, saying that she couldn't stretch her legs out, her feet couldn't point towards the door, and she couldn't cover herself with anything, lest she look like a dead person, which was unlucky.
Yunling had no choice but to lie on her side with her legs bent, but when she lay on her side, the two long benches that had been put together seemed to fall apart as if they were separated from each other, and Yunling couldn't sleep well.
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