Chapter 14 Shepherd's Purse...
In an instant, feelings of shame, shock, and self-blame surged in my chest.
It took Miya a while to recover before she slowly walked towards the dining table and drank the warm corn porridge.
The corn porridge was sweet and thick; based on the previous serving size, she could drink it all day.
However, as she spent more time with Ren Qingsong, she realized that eating less wouldn't work in front of him.
If she didn't finish her breakfast this morning, she'll probably have to eat it along with lunch.
Miya swallowed a bowl of corn porridge, feeling a mix of pain and indescribable joy.
Then, carrying the bowl, he walked out the door to the water pit to wash the bowl and fetch water.
The flashlight had such a strong impact on Miya last night that she didn't even notice the changes in the puddle.
Today, I saw that the small puddle had been transformed into a large pool, with large stones lining the bottom, so there was no need to worry about the water becoming murky if stirred.
Miya's face beamed with an undisguised smile as she gently splashed water with both hands, quickly washing the bowl clean.
There seemed to be nothing for her to do at home or outside, so she cooked some food for her third brother to nourish his body, doing what a wife should do.
She tried to ignore the fluttering in her chest, tiptoed lightly, and her body rose and fell with the rhythm of her heartbeat. Anyone who saw her could tell that she was in a good mood.
"Miya?"
A sudden shout interrupted Miya's excited thoughts. She turned around and saw, "Da Ni! What brings you here?"
Da Ni raised the wicker basket in her hand, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said softly, "I came to ask you to pick wild vegetables in the mountains. There's hardly any food left at home."
"It's the same at home. I'll put the bowls down and come right away."
Da Ni's invitation coincided with what Mi Ya had just been thinking, so she immediately walked quickly towards her home, went up and down the stairs in a few steps, took out the bags from her home, and quickly appeared in front of Da Ni.
Miya turned around and closed the door, smiled at Dani, and together they walked in the direction they had gone to pick fruit last time.
On the way, Miya asked curiously, "Da Ni, why didn't Er Ni and Da Wa come this time?"
"Erni helps her mother with chores at home. As for Dawa, I don't know which boy he got along with while we weren't home yesterday. He went out early this morning to play with someone, and we couldn't find a trace of him."
“Boys are all like that,” Miya remarked unconsciously.
Da Ni nodded in deep agreement.
The two continued walking. The area where they had picked the vegetables last time had not yet recovered. In addition, they had also given the information to the people in the family compound. After walking forty or fifty meters, the two finally found some wild vegetables that suited their taste.
Da Ni excitedly dug out the freshest shepherd's purse from the ground with a stick and showed it to Mi Ya with great enthusiasm.
"Miya, look, the shepherd's purse here is so fresh and delicious. It would be really tasty to make dumplings with it."
After saying that, Da Ni subconsciously swallowed.
Miya saw this scene clearly, and the thought of rewarding her man once again took over her mind, so she immediately moved towards Da Ni's position.
The image of shepherd's purse was immediately etched into his mind, and he asked, "How do you make shepherd's purse dumplings?"
Da Ni didn't think it was something to hide; in her hometown, every household did it.
"It's very simple. Just wash the shepherd's purse you've picked, blanch it in boiling water, chop it into small pieces, add some lard and mix well, then use it as filling to wrap dumplings. The shepherd's purse is tender, and paired with the wheat flavor of the dumpling wrapper, you'll want to swallow your tongue."
"However, it tastes even better if you chop up eggs or minced meat at home and wrap them in."
The subsequent method only exists in her mother's oral account, and Da Ni has never eaten dumplings with shepherd's purse and pork filling.
When Miya heard the beginning, her eyes lit up, but when she heard the end, she couldn't help but wonder: What dish doesn't taste good with eggs and meat?
But recalling Da Ni's description, she gritted her teeth and said, as if making a vow:
"I'll make shepherd's purse dumplings for lunch today."
After saying that, Miya met Dani's envious gaze and encouraged her, "Let's try together and see if we can find wild eggs. If we do, we can make a meal of shepherd's purse dumplings."
"good!"
Dani was completely captivated by the scene described by Miya and quickly nodded in agreement.
Then, the two began to purposefully pick the freshest shepherd's purse from the ground while observing the surrounding activity.
Before they knew it, all the shepherd's purse in their containers had overflowed, to the point that it would fall off with the slightest movement.
Da Ni covered the opening of the wicker basket with one hand; her initial excitement had subsided over time.
She glanced down at the shepherd's purse, then looked up at the sun. "Miya, why don't we go back today? Shepherd's purse is delicious whether it's stir-fried or made into a cold dish, or not even made into dumplings."
"All right."
Miya emerged from the bushes dejectedly; she hadn't seen a single wild chicken feather, let alone wild eggs.
However, with so many wild vegetables, the harvest wasn't small.
As soon as she turned around, she stood on tiptoe to look at the way home and suggested, somewhat unwillingly, "Why don't we take another route back?"
“Okay.” Da Ni had no objection.
Whether it was changing the road or not, the two hadn't walked ten meters when they heard a familiar voice.
Miya put her index finger to her lips, staring wide-eyed at Da Ni, reminding her to keep her voice down, "Don't scare the pheasants."
Upon hearing this, Da Ni covered her mouth tightly, not daring to make a sound.
After confirming that Dani was in control of herself, Miya raised her right hand and lowered it, signaling Dani to squat down and hide her body.
She peered through the gaps in the grass and carefully observed the pheasant that was sitting on the haystack and calling out incessantly.
Upon confirming that the pheasant was laying eggs, which was its weakest moment, a method for catching the pheasant immediately came to mind.
"Da Ni, can I borrow your wicker basket?"
Da Ni peeked out in confusion, already handing the wicker basket to Mi Ya.
Miya gently poured out all the shepherd's purse, slowly straightened up, raised the wicker basket high in her hands, and stared intently at the pheasant's eggs that were about to fall off its tail.
Just as the egg was about to fall, the wicker basket in his hand swept through the air and landed precisely on the pheasant's head.
"Giggle!"
The pheasant's mournful cries echoed among the mountains.
At the same time, the joyful voices of Dani and Miya echoed through the mountains.
"Wow! Mia, you really caught it."
"Miya, you're amazing!"
Dani excitedly grabbed Miya's sleeve and jumped around like a little child.
Miya's smile grew even brighter; she hadn't expected that her efforts would actually be able to catch the pheasant.
Before the excitement had even subsided, the pheasant struggled violently in the wicker basket, nearly knocking it apart and breaking it.
The two instinctively lunged at the wicker basket and firmly held the pheasant inside.
Miya casually pulled a vine from the side and tied the pheasant's wings and feet tightly, giving it no chance to escape.
When she came to her senses, she realized how badly she had messed up Da Ni's wicker basket.
He immediately pulled five eggs from the grass nest and handed them to Da Ni:
"Da Ni, your wicker basket is torn, take a couple more. As for the pheasant, we'll split it in half after we kill it."
“No way.” Dani raised her hands to block Miya’s push. “You’re the one who found the pheasant. Without you, I wouldn’t even get the wild eggs. Giving me half an egg is already very kind of you.”
“How can that be?” Miya looked at Dani disapprovingly. “Catching the pheasant is a big achievement for the wicker basket, and it’s been damaged anyway, so I’ll compensate you for the extra one.”
"No, no, no! Just give me four eggs."
"No, we'll each have half."
"Then I don't want it."
As she spoke, Da Ni picked up the wicker basket from the ground and pretended to be angry as she walked out.
Miya was surprised that Da Ni, who was usually so kind, was so stubborn, so she could only temporarily agree to her distribution plan: half of the wild eggs for each person.
As for the pheasant, she'll take it back, process it, and then give it to Sister Liu to try.
A seemingly satisfactory distribution plan was thus reached.
On the way back, both of them had joyful smiles on their faces, very satisfied with their harvest.
They washed the shepherd's purse together by the pool, agreed to work together in the afternoon, and then went home separately.
Miya remembered Da Ni's description of how to make shepherd's purse dumplings, and immediately got busy as soon as she got home.
First, I mixed the little flour and cornmeal I had at home together to make dough, and set it aside for later use.
Next, blanch the shepherd's purse, chop it, and scramble the wild eggs in oil.
Before it was even cooked, the freshness of shepherd's purse and the aroma of eggs filled the room. Even though she had eaten quite a lot that morning, Miya suddenly felt a little hungry.
She shook her head rapidly, held her breath, and drank water to suppress the hunger pangs in her stomach.
Meanwhile, the speed at which the hands made dumpling wrappers increased, and plump, round shepherd's purse dumplings appeared on the table.
Miya could only judge the time by the sunlight outside. Worried about cooking it too early, she decided to wait for her third brother to come back before putting it in the pot.
While she was at it, she put the whole plucked pheasant into a clay pot and simmered it over a low flame.
As time passed, the air inside the house gradually filled with the fresh aroma of pheasant, and every breath was filled with the fragrance of pheasant meat.
Miya swallowed hard again, her eyes red as she stared at the bubbling chicken soup in the earthenware pot.
When Ren Qingsong returned home, he smelled a special savory aroma outside the door. When he went inside, he found that there was chicken soup being simmered at home.
He put down the grain in his hand and asked curiously, "Miya, where did you buy the chicken?"
The sudden sound startled Miya from her dazed state. She instinctively wiped her mouth and asked in a flustered manner, "Third Brother, when did you get back?"
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly remembered Ren Qingsong's question, and his reply was filled with uncontrollable joy.
"The stew in the earthenware pot is pheasant. I found it by chance when Da Ni and I were picking shepherd's purse!"
"Besides pheasants, there are also wild eggs, which we've mixed with shepherd's purse to make dumplings. We'll cook them as soon as you get back, Third Brother."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
