Chapter 11 My Cheap Husband is Back, Gnawing on Big Bones
Jiang Ya's hair was washed quickly.
Ye Li wiped him with a cloth until he stopped dripping, then brought over a stool for Jiang Mai to lie down on.
Jiang Maiyi lay down on the stool bed as instructed.
Seeing Ye Li carrying a wooden bucket to the kitchen to fetch hot water, he blinked, inexplicably feeling like a pig lying on the table waiting to be slaughtered during the New Year...
He shook his head, trying to banish the inexplicable thought.
No, that's not true!
That idiot has really changed; he was so gentle when he washed Ya Ge'er's hair just now.
Feeling awkward, yet also looking forward to it.
Ye Li came over carrying a wooden bucket.
"Brother Ya, pour it slowly, don't pour it on your second brother's face."
Ye Li handed the water ladle to Jiang Ya.
"Okay." Jiang Ya nodded her little head seriously.
He held the water ladle in his small hands, scooped up half a ladle of water, and then held the ladle with both hands, letting the silky hot water slowly flow onto Jiang Mai's hair.
He looked down at her hairline, which was completely wet, but Jiang Mai's face was completely dry.
"That was really steady! Ya-ge'er is amazing."
Ye Li couldn't help but praise him.
Jiang Ya immediately felt a little smug, her little mouth pursed, her face full of smiles.
He's very capable!
"Since you're so amazing, Ya-ge, I'll give you an extra egg as a reward at noon."
"Wow!" Jiang Ya's eyes lit up immediately.
He loves to eat eggs!
He nodded his little head eagerly, "Okay, okay."
Jiang Mai couldn't help but speak up: "We need to save the eggs to exchange for money."
Of course, that was in the past.
Ever since that simpleton married into the family, we've never been able to store eggs.
I finally managed to save up a few eggs these past few days, are we going to eat them now?
“Now the three of us can all make money, so we don’t need to worry about the cost of eggs.”
"Wheat, you poured it very well just now, you didn't get any water in Ya Ge's eyes, so I'll give you an extra egg as a reward at noon. Don't you want to eat an egg?"
Ye Li asked as she applied soap to his hair.
Jiang Mai: "..."
Of course he wanted to!
"Second brother, eat up. We both get paid every day."
Jiang Ya advised.
"That's right. Eggs are nothing. After selling tofu puffs for two more days, I'll go to the county town to buy meat, and we'll stew it together."
The leaf opens.
He's been eating nothing but soybean dregs and tofu every day for the past few days, and his mouth is getting so bland it's practically tasteless.
How can a modern person stand this?
He wants to eat and drink!
Moreover, eating too much tofu is not good.
It can easily lead to kidney stones.
It's time to improve our meals.
He works himself to the bone every day until dawn, grinding grain until he's exhausted. If he's not allowed to eat or drink anything, he might as well be dead.
Jiang Ya's eyes lit up even more when meat was mentioned.
When Ye Li praised him just now, he pursed his lips and smiled very reservedly and shyly.
But at this moment, he could no longer maintain his previous reserve, and a big smile appeared on his face: "Brother Li, is it really stewed meat?"
"Of course, I want to eat meat too. Your second brother definitely wants to eat meat too."
"Once we buy the meat, the three of us will have a good time gnawing on big bones."
"It's settled then. I'll go buy the meat in a couple of days."
Ye Li then instructed Jiang Ya, "Ya-ge'er, keep pouring water, it's time to rinse."
"Great!" Encouraged by the big bone, Jiang Ya responded loudly.
Jiang Mai then realized that his hair was almost washed.
He was somewhat dazed.
Cao Bao really washed his and Ya Ge'er's hair and even wanted to stew meat...
"Alright, you and Ya-ge go stand in the sun to dry your hair, I need to make lunch."
Ye Li wrapped Jiang Mai's head with a dry cloth and helped him get up from the stool.
Ignoring Jiang Mai's puzzled and surprised gaze, he carried the wooden bucket into the kitchen to prepare lunch.
The Jiang family raised five hens. In the spring, the hens laid eggs quite frequently, yielding five eggs a day.
He has collected thirty eggs in the six days since he arrived.
He had almost finished pulling up all the garlic sprouts in the vegetable garden, but garlic sprouts and eggs go best together, so he picked a few garlic sprouts and stir-fried them with eggs.
The rich aroma not only filled the entire kitchen but also drew Jiang Ya inside.
Ye Li picked up a piece of tender scrambled egg for him, and he grinned from ear to ear.
Today I had to steam corn cakes again, and Ye Li put two eggs on the steamer rack while she was at it.
This is a reward for the two little ones.
Lunch had just been prepared when someone came to buy tofu.
When Ye Liang arrived, ten catties of tofu had already been sold.
Ye Liang was delighted; perfect timing, he'd fry the rest into tofu puffs and large skewers.
But judging from today's situation, even if they were all destroyed, it still wouldn't be enough to sell.
He chuckled and said to Ye Li, "Brother Li, make more tofu tomorrow. I think even if we only make twenty jin, we can sell it all."
"...I'll do my best."
Ye Li dared not make any guarantees.
Pushing the millstone is so tiring!
But such a good opportunity to make money shouldn't be wasted.
He gave Ye Liang a suggestion: "Brother, besides tofu puffs and skewers, you can also boil eggs and firm tofu. Buy a piece of tofu when you pass through the county town on your way home."
Upon hearing this, Ye Liang immediately nodded.
Old tofu is acceptable.
But the risk of selling eggs is a bit high. Let's try five tomorrow. If we can't sell them, then each of us in the family can have one.
After Ye Liang left with the tofu puffs and skewers, Ye Li started soaking soybeans.
He poured an extra five pounds of soybeans into the wooden basin.
One pound of soybeans can produce one and a half pounds of tofu puffs. If you have five more pounds of soybeans, you'll have seven and a half pounds more tofu puffs.
But that's still not enough to sell.
Following Ye Li's instructions, Ye Liang prepared some firm tofu and eggs.
These two items actually sell quite well.
But most people come here for the tofu puffs and large skewers.
You can find delicious tofu and eggs elsewhere, but tofu puffs and large skewers are only available at Liu's pancake stall!
However, eighteen catties of tofu puffs and large skewers a day is Ye Li's limit.
He was a young man, not as strong as a real man. Every day at three in the morning, he would push the stone mill for half an hour. After finishing, he would be covered in sweat and his arms would be shaking.
He can't increase the dosage any further.
Even if Ye Liang offered a discount of one coin per catty, he still couldn't negotiate it down.
Ye Liang was very disappointed.
He's certainly good at pushing the millstone.
After grinding the soybeans, he still had to make tofu, and after the tofu was made, he had to fry it. Only after frying could he deliver the tofu puffs and large skewers to Darong Village.
In terms of time, he simply cannot complete this process within a day.
Just as Ye Liang was feeling troubled, after breakfast that day, Ye Li put two hundred coins in his pocket and went to the county town excitedly.
Today is the ninth day of his time travel, and he's finally going out for some fresh air!
Wild Jujube Slope is only three miles from the county town, and he arrived at the town gate quickly.
The city gate was very tall, more than ten meters high.
Two yamen runners stood at the gate; to enter the city, one had to explain why one was there.
The inspection wasn't strict. Ye Li answered that he was buying something, and the constable let him into the city.
He went straight to the butcher shop.
He arrived a little late; the best cuts of pork, such as pork belly and pork fat, were already sold out.
He then picked out four bone marrows.
Pork bones are suitable for stewing soup; the meat is firm but not dry, and has a very good texture.
It's also cheaper than pork ribs.
Twelve coins per pound.
But there was little meat on the pork bones, so he bought two more pounds of pork leg meat.
He asked the shopkeeper to chop the pork bone in half. He put the pork bone and hind leg meat into his basket, and then reluctantly counted out more than eighty copper coins and handed them to the shopkeeper.
The meat is delicious, but it's expensive!
A day's income gone.
The pain in his heart only lasted a moment before he slung his basket over his shoulder and went to buy some Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and black pepper.
Since there was no ginger available at this time of year, he bought a small jar of rice wine, intending to use it to remove the fishy smell.
This cost another forty-odd coins.
He didn't linger any longer and hurried home.
When he got home, since there was only one iron pot, he first stir-fried the pork leg with garlic sprouts.
Only after stir-frying are you starting to blanch the pork bones.
After the water boiled, Ye Li was skimming off the foam from the surface with a ladle when Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya returned.
As soon as Jiang Ya entered the courtyard, he threw the basket full of grass on the ground and ran happily towards the kitchen: "Brother Li, Brother Li, did you buy meat?"
Seeing this, Jiang Mai also put down his basket.
He followed slowly.
Just then, Ye Li's smiling voice came from the kitchen: "I bought it."
Upon hearing these two words, Jiang Ya cheered and ran even faster.
Once inside the kitchen, he hurried to the stove with his short legs, then stood on tiptoe to look into the iron pot.
Upon seeing the bones in the pot, he was somewhat surprised: "You bought so many?"
“When your older brother comes back tomorrow, I bought four pork bones. The butcher chopped them into eight small pieces, so each of us can have two small pieces.”
Ye Li explained with a smile.
Two per person?
Jiang Ya's eyes widened instantly. He looked away from the iron pot and tilted his head up to look at Ye Li: "Can I have two too?"
"Of course, you're part of this family too."
Upon receiving this answer, Jiang Ya's face instantly lit up with a smile.
He was so happy he was almost at a loss for words. He scratched his head and said shyly, "Brother Li, shall I start the fire for you?"
"Okay, you start the fire."
Ye Li nodded.
At this moment, Jiang Mai finally appeared at the kitchen door.
Jiang Ya immediately waved her little hand at him: "Second brother, there are eight big bones in the pot, two for each of us!"
In fact, Jiang Mai had already heard what Ye Li said.
He was happy inside, but he didn't show it on his face. He just said calmly, "Then you keep the fire going, and I'll go chop the pig feed."
"Go ahead, go ahead." Jiang Ya nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
He loves starting fires!
Ye Li, however, was somewhat amused.
Jiang Mai, that little guy, was actually willing to let Jiang Ya be alone with him.
Indeed, his efforts were worthwhile.
However, he stopped Jiang Mai and asked her to bring Jiang Dahe a bowl of stir-fried pork leg with garlic sprouts.
Jiang Dahe was his creditor and also the adoptive father of the two little ones. Now that his family was eating meat, Jiang Dahe couldn't be left out.
The large bones need to be stewed for a long time. When the villagers came to buy tofu, Ye Li, Jiang Mai, and Jiang Ya had not yet eaten lunch.
The villagers were quite moved to see the Jiang family eating meat even during holidays.
The Jiang family's life has truly improved.
When Ye Liang arrived, the bone broth was ready.
Ye Li served him a large bowl of bone broth and gave him one of her own bones.
Ye Liang refused to accept it, fearing that Ye Li would force it on him, so he simply took the bone broth and hid out of the kitchen.
But Ye Li felt that he had worked really hard these past few days, walking nearly fifty miles every day, so he needed to eat some meat to replenish his energy.
Ye Li grabbed half a bone and tried to force it into his bowl, so he had to keep dodging. The two brothers ended up circling around in the yard.
Jiangmai and Jiangya, the two little ones, stood at the kitchen door, gnawing on bones while watching the commotion.
Just then, a thin figure appeared at the entrance of the courtyard.
The figure was quite tall and had a very strong presence; all four of them looked towards the courtyard gate at the same time.
Upon seeing who it was, Ye Liang exclaimed, "Xiao Ji? Why are you back at this hour?"
Ye Li blinked and slowly lowered the hand that was holding the bone.
Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya were overjoyed and shouted in unison, "Big Brother!"
The two girls forgot all about gnawing on the bones and, clutching them in their little hands, headed straight for the figure at the door.
Jiang Ji stood silently at the door, his gaze slowly sweeping over the courtyard gate.
Yes, it really is his house.
The Spring Festival couplets he wrote by hand are still on both sides.
The two little guys running towards him were indeed his younger brothers.
But what happened just now?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
