The old lady gave a bitter smile. "Let's not go too far back. Just five years ago, our family was so poor that we didn't have enough to eat for half the year. Now we've suddenly been rewarded and transformed from poor people into nobles. How can I possibly change this right away?"
Madam Cui understood this principle and, after thinking for a moment, said, "Auntie is right. We really need to take it slow. After the festival, the Liu family will be holding a banquet. I'll accompany you then so you can get used to it."
Grandma Li quickly nodded, "Okay, I'll see what wealthy people are like then, and I'll try my best to look fierce in the future!"
Everyone laughed upon hearing this...
There aren't many people in my family, so I made a simple lunch, but simple doesn't mean it's not tasty.
Madam Cui brought two racks of pork ribs, and Old Lady Li chopped off half of one rack, intending to stew it with cabbage.
Jiayin couldn't bear to see such good ribs go to waste, so she quickly picked most of a basket of green beans and seven or eight white-fleshed sweet potatoes from the space.
Actually, she would have preferred to take out some potatoes and tender corn, but unfortunately, these things were too conspicuous, so she had to settle for second best.
Grandma Li was pulled by her granddaughter to look at the green beans and sweet potatoes, so she pinched her nose and whispered, "Just this once, but you still have to be more careful in the future."
Jiayin nodded immediately, and added with a smile, "Cover yourself, cover yourself! Grandma, Fu Niu wants to eat green beans and pork ribs and cover herself with a blanket!"
Grandma Li readily agreed, saying that her granddaughter's hand was injured and that eating more of her favorite foods would help the wound heal faster.
The dish of green beans and pork ribs covered with a blanket is actually a dish from the northern regions.
Blanch the pork ribs, then fry them in oil with scallions, ginger, and soy sauce. Add green beans and sweet potato chunks and stir-fry until just cooked. Add water to cover the green beans and add a little salt.
Finally, knead the risen dough briefly, roll it into a thick sheet, and cover the green beans completely, like covering them with a thick quilt.
In this way, when the dish is finished cooking, the green beans and pork ribs will be cooked through, and the flatbread will also be steamed.
Some of it was even soaked in the broth, the aroma of noodles and meat blending together, one bite and it was indescribably delicious.
Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!
If you pair it with a bowl of golden millet porridge and a few pickled vegetables, it's simply the taste that all people from the northern frontier yearn for.
Shuiyun wanted to help, but the old lady refused, fearing that she wouldn't be able to make the flavor her granddaughter wanted.
When Jia'an, Jiaxi, and Maoge'er returned from playing outside, they saw their younger sister holding her special blue-and-white porcelain bowl and squatting on the threshold of the kitchen. They knew that there would be something delicious to eat today.
So the three brothers all leaned against the door frame, grinning as they peered inside.
As Grandma Li was lifting the lid of the pot, she saw her grandsons acting like this and laughed and scolded, "Your little sister is still young and begging for food is one thing, but you are all grown up and you are still doing this. Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"
"Let me tell you, your aunt has arrived. She went back next door to change her clothes and will be back for dinner in a little while."
Jia'an, Jiaxi, and Maoge'er all blushed and tried to find excuses for themselves.
"We're not begging for food, we just want to help Grandma serve the dishes!"
"Yes, we wanted to help Grandma serve the dishes!"
"Yes, yes, yes, the brothers are right."
Old Mrs. Li glared at them and then ignored them.
But when serving the ribs to his granddaughter, he still gave her a few extra pieces.
Sure enough, as she turned to look for the earthenware pot, Jiayin quickly grabbed some ribs and stuffed one into each of her brothers' mouths.
Jia'an, Jiaxi, and Maoge'er, who were scalded, gasped for breath. They waved to their younger sister and ran to the main room to set up the tables and chairs.
Grandma Li suppressed a laugh, and her subordinates worked even more efficiently.
Send one portion to Hui Niang's room, one portion to the backyard, and make sure Liu Saozi's place is not lacking either.
After everything was arranged, the Li family finally started their meal.
At this moment, Granny He and Sister-in-law Qiong also returned.
The old lady invited them to eat together, and the two bowed and thanked her before sitting at the end of the table.
After the meal, the children dispersed, and Madam Cui asked, "What did the Sun family say?"
Granny He replied, "When we took Sister Li over, Mr. Sun was also at home. After hearing our explanation of the whole story, Mr. Sun and Mrs. Sun looked unwell, clearly indicating that they knew nothing about it."
"Mr. Sun wanted to prepare gifts and personally visit us to apologize, but we refused, saying that the grudges should be settled and we should have no further contact."
“Yes, that’s how it should be.” Madam Cui snorted. “This Mr. and Mrs. Sun are quite reasonable. I hope they can keep an eye on that unruly maid in the future.”
Grandma Li nodded, "Nannan's mother has been ill for a long time. Perhaps because Sister-in-law Li has made all the decisions for her, she has forgotten her place over time."
Madam Cui waved her hand and advised, "Let's not think about it too much. Whether it's good or bad is their business. Let's think about how to celebrate the festival!"
She pointed to her neighbor's yard, "Auntie, I'll light up my oven, let's bake mooncakes. I brought the fillings and molds. We just ate Auntie's green bean cakes, so Auntie, please try my cooking!"
Before the old lady could respond, Jiayin jumped up and shouted, "Great! Great! Let's eat mooncakes!"
Grandma Li angrily tapped her granddaughter's forehead, "Anyone can eat it, but you can't! Have you forgotten who ate too much snacks last night and was groaning in pain from a stomachache!"
Jiayin held up the zongzi in her hand, pitifully begging Grandma for permission, but she could only eat half a piece!
As dusk fell, Li Zhensheng, Li Laosi, Tao Hongying, and a few others returned from the city and could smell a sweet aroma coming from the direction of their home.
When they arrived at the door, they discovered that it was the Cui family baking mooncakes.
Every single child in the village was waiting in front of the Cui family's house.
Sister-in-law Qiong brought out a large plate of mooncakes and gave one to each of the children.
The children bowed and ran off laughing.
To avoid suspicion, Li Zhensheng and Li Laosi returned to their own homes.
Tao Hongying stepped into the Cui family's courtyard and immediately saw her daughter sitting on a chair, kicking her little legs and happily munching on a mooncake.
She went up to her daughter and hugged her tightly.
Jiayin was startled. With nowhere to hide the mooncake in her hand, she could only grin foolishly, her mouth full of crumbs. "Hehe, Mom, eat mooncakes! Auntie baked them, they're so delicious!"
As she spoke, she tried to stuff the mooncake, which was covered in teeth marks, into her mother's mouth.
Tao Hongying was both amused and exasperated, and pinched her daughter's bottom.
Grandma Li quickly stepped forward to rescue her granddaughter, defending her, "Don't scold our Fu Niu'er, this girl has been very well-behaved today, she only ate this one mooncake, she really didn't eat much more!"
Tao Hongying glanced at the baked mooncakes; each one was the size of a palm and weighed two or three ounces. She was speechless!
This mooncake costs more than ten yuan as much as a regular pastry!
With flour on her hands, Madam Cui still managed to distract Tao Hongying and rescue Xiao Fu Niu, "Hongying, how's things at the restaurant? Have you finalized the menu? Are you opening tomorrow?"
When the restaurant was mentioned, Tao Hongying's face lit up, and she quickly replied, "We sampled more than a dozen dishes today and added six to the menu. With all the seafood, that should be enough to last for a while."
"It's just a dish with chili peppers added. I don't know if the diners here will like it... I think it would be a huge hit in the northern frontier!"
Jiayin quickly stuffed the last bit of mooncake into her mouth, watching her mother talk about the big and small things at the restaurant, her face beaming with excitement.
She suddenly realized that she might have been neglecting her mother too much!
My mother is busy with chores at home every day. It's such a waste of her talents to make set meals in the valley!
If this were her past life, my mother would definitely be a career-driven, strong woman!
Ignoring the laughter and chatter of the crowd, Jiayin, resting her chubby little face on her hand, began to ponder...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com