Chapter 37 The Eggs Sell Well, Night Three
Jiang Ji hadn't even reached his doorstep when he heard voices coming from the yard.
It seems quite lively.
He hurried a few steps to the courtyard gate, and looked inside. Sure enough, not only was Jiang Liu there, but Liang Erxiang and Jiang Yu were also there.
They were squatting or sitting, making preserved eggs.
Jiang Ya was running around and playing in the yard, clutching the large windmill that Bao Beiyuan had bought for her last time.
The little guy suddenly saw him appear at the door, his big eyes lit up instantly, and he ran towards him on his short legs: "Big brother!"
A greeting drew everyone's attention in the courtyard.
Upon seeing that it was him, Ye Li, Liang Erxiang, Jiang Liu, and Jiang Yu all stood up.
In an instant, several voices rang out: "Xiao Ji, are you tired? Sit down and rest."
"Brother Ji, Brother Li made cold-brewed jasmine tea, it's hanging in the well, I'll pull it up for you."
"Brother Ji, please sit down. My two brothers bought some cherries. I'll go wash a few for you."
"You're back."
These voices, accompanied by familiar laughter, made Jiang Ji smile as well, and he responded to each one, "Second Aunt, you all go about your business, I'll wash my hands first."
Before he could even get a good look at Ye Li's face, Jiang Mai ran out of the kitchen, shouting, "Brother! Brother Li has stewed chicken! It'll be ready soon!"
Stewed chicken?
Jiang Ji was surprised, looking at the person he had been longing for: "Where did this chicken come from?"
"My second aunt gave it to me." Ye Li pointed to Liang Erxiang standing to the side.
Upon hearing this, before Jiang Ji could even furrow his brow, Liang Erxiang explained, "First, we must thank Brother Li. The more than three hundred preserved eggs he taught Xiao Liu to make last time sold out in the past two days."
"Not only did I pay back the copper coins I borrowed from your uncle, but I also earned more than two hundred coins."
“Yu Ge’er was envious and wanted to do it too, so he came to Li Ge’er to learn.”
"Back then, Xiao Liu went to the county town to buy a pound of pork for Xie Lige. Now it's Yuge's turn. He's just a kid and doesn't have any money, so he can only use the chickens at home."
"Besides, we're going to harvest wheat tomorrow, and you'll definitely be helping out. The work is heavy, so you need something juicy to eat. That's why I caught a little rooster and brought it over."
Jiang Ji planted corn on the two mu of land he reserved for himself.
We are still far from reaping the rewards.
But Jiang Dahe's family planted a lot of wheat, and in previous years, Jiang Ji would go to the fields to help harvest the wheat at this time.
So Liang Erxiang caught a small rooster and brought it over for Ye Li to stew.
This explanation involves Ye Li.
This chicken was partly to thank Ye Li, which put Jiang Ji in a difficult position to interrupt.
But family members know their own situation; my second uncle's family was also very poor.
He said, "Second Aunt, if something like this happens again, just cut two catties of meat for Ye Li. I can benefit from Ye Li's influence and earn a little extra money."
"We raise roosters just to stew them for food, and we already have a few at home, so stewing one won't hurt," Liang Erxiang said with a smile.
"That's right, Brother Ji, hurry up and wash your hands, try these cherries, they're very sweet."
Jiang Yu had already quickly washed the cherries.
The cherries weren't big, but they were all red.
This is the season for cherries, but these artificially grown fresh fruits are never cheap.
As Jiang Ji washed his hands, he asked curiously, "Why did you two decide to buy cherries?"
Ye Li explained, "The preserved eggs are selling well, and he's making money. The last batch he made, five hundred of them, was sold in town when a small merchant took a liking to them and bought them all at once."
"He has already finished the second batch, and knowing you were coming back today, he specially bought three catties of cherries."
"Such good luck?" Jiang Ji asked in surprise.
"It's not just good luck, it's because the preserved eggs are delicious. Of the five hundred I had before, I sold fifty to Uncle Jiang. The rest, my brother put them out and sold out in three days."
"The ones made by Brother Datong and Xiaoliu are also sold by the eldest brother. He can sell one or two hundred every day."
"This season is perfect for eating preserved eggs."
Ye Li's face showed a hint of pride.
Although preserved eggs are not as famous as century eggs, they are a very common food in his hometown, and are often found in the cold dishes of street restaurants.
It's delicious and refreshing when served cold with cucumber, wood ear mushrooms, and other similar ingredients.
Even modern people who are used to delicious food love it, so there's no reason why people in ancient times who were short of resources wouldn't love it.
He had given a few of the first batch of forty-six to Jiang Fuzheng.
Later, Jiang Fuzheng asked him twice. After he finished making the second batch of five hundred, he sent Jiang Mai to Jiang Fuzheng's house to deliver the news.
Jiang Fu and Jiang Mai came over immediately and bought fifty of them.
Now, he has sealed the jars for three days for the third batch of five hundred.
Sigh, if you count the time, it's been half a month since he and his beloved husband last saw each other.
A lot has happened in the past two weeks.
Ye Li felt a pang of emotion, and Jiang Ji shared the same sentiment.
In recent days, Bao Beiyuan has been busy looking for courtyards to buy utensils and has stopped his tea milk business.
Without Bao Beiyuan relaying messages daily, he would have been unaware of all the things that had happened at home.
But these are all good things.
This is fantastic news.
He took the cherry bowl from Jiang Yu, picked up a cherry, and put it in his mouth.
One bite and you'll find it not only juicy but also sweet.
It was sweet all the way to his heart.
He looked at Ye Li's smug face and a smile appeared in his eyes.
The courtyard was lively, shaded by jujube trees, and everyone's faces were full of smiles.
And then there's the orange sunset on the horizon.
Everything before my eyes was vibrant and intense, and brimming with endless hope.
It's like a scene from a dream.
Ye Li is the dream weaver.
Jiang Liu, who was standing by the well scooping jasmine tea, saw her cousin smiling at his husband, and she couldn't help but smile too.
She carried the earthenware pot into the kitchen, poured out a bowl and handed it to Jiang Ji. Jiang Ji then handed the cherry bowl to Jiang Ya, and then drank the jasmine tea.
He ran all the way back, sweating profusely, and was indeed thirsty.
The tea had been steeping in the well for a long time, and it was incredibly cool. One sip and it instantly took away a lot of the heat.
At this moment, Jiang Liu called to Liang Erxiang and Jiang Yu to hurry up: "Mother, Yu-ge'er, hurry up, Father must have already prepared the meal."
The three of them hurried away so that they could leave time for Jiang Ji and Ye Li, the newlyweds who had barely spent any time together.
"Don't rush, take a bowl back after the chicken stew is done." Ye Li pointed to the kitchen: "It'll be ready soon, the aroma is already wafting out. Xiaomai, go back and start the fire."
Jiang Mai responded and jogged into the kitchen.
“It’s just a little rooster, not much meat. Let Brother Ji eat a few more pieces; he still has to harvest wheat tomorrow.” Jiang Liu shook her head.
“That’s right. When my mother went to the county town to buy eggs today, she also bought two pounds of meat. We’ll cook a bowl of it when we get back,” Jiang Yu said.
He grabbed the egg tray woven from willow branches, rolled the eggs in sawdust, and then put them into a jar.
Not only are they incredibly fast, but they're also incredibly powerful.
It's only a short time, and it's easy and not tiring. If I wait patiently for another half month, I can earn several hundred coins. This job is great!
Liang Erxiang remembered Jiang Dahe at home and immediately quickened her pace.
Jiang Ji finished the tea in his bowl in one gulp, then asked, "What can I do?"
"You can rest," Liang Erxiang said.
Right now, there really isn't any work for Jiang Ji to do.
Ye Li is also free.
"Go and feed the pigs and chickens," Ye Li said after thinking for a moment, assigning the task to Jiang Ji.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji immediately responded with an "Mmm".
After feeding them, I'll coax Jiangmai and Jiangya to sleep.
The rest of the time was for him and Ye Li.
Soon, Ye Lijiang and Liu and the others sealed all the jars with mud, loaded them onto a cart, and then the mother and her two children pushed the cart away.
Night fell completely.
The stewed chicken with winter melon and green beans in the big iron pot is also ready.
Ye Li scooped out a small bowl and placed it in the middle of the dining table.
As for the chicken legs, he removed the bones and cut them in half, so that each of the four people could get half a chicken leg.
Fair and just!
Everyone gets a share!
After distributing the chicken legs, he picked up the earthenware pot and poured a bowl of jasmine green tea for everyone.
The earthenware pot had been taken out of the well for a while, and it had cooled down considerably. Even with the greasy stewed chicken, the two little ones could still drink from it.
Although the Jiang family has been eating meat frequently lately, everyone still ate their dinner to their heart's content.
The young roosters, which are just over a year old, have very tender meat. They grow up eating vegetable leaves and grains, and even if there are few spices added, they don't have a gamey smell.
fragrant!
After Jiang Ya finished gnawing on the chicken feet in her hand, she picked up the jasmine tea with her greasy little hands and gulped down half a bowl.
His tummy immediately felt full.
He even let out a burp.
Ye Li chuckled, "Brother Ya, want some more?"
"Don't drink too much water at night, or you'll wet the bed," Jiang Mai said before Jiang Ya could speak.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ya's face immediately turned bright red, and he whispered, "Okay."
Actually, he stopped wetting the bed a long time ago.
But recently, Ye Li has been preparing sweet tea every day, and with the hot weather, she sweats a lot.
So he couldn't help but drink more at dinner.
He's wet the bed twice in the last few days...
"It's alright, it's just a straw mattress anyway, we can just change the outer cover. I'll wash the cover," Ye Li said.
Jiang Mai's little face immediately scrunched up: "But the kang is all wet, and I'm the one who's uncomfortable."
Jiang Ji chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Then Ya-ge'er should drink less. Don't drink if you're not thirsty."
Jiang Ya stretched out her greasy paws and hugged Jiang Mai's arm, pitifully admitting her mistake: "Second Brother, I didn't mean to."
Jiang Mai said with a stern face, "Then you should drink less water."
"Okay." Jiang Ya immediately nodded his head; he wouldn't drink anymore.
Ye Li couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
As he looked away from the two little ones, he subconsciously glanced at Jiang Ji sitting opposite him.
Jiang Ji was also looking at him.
Their eyes met, and Jiang Ji said softly, "Thank you for your hard work."
"It's okay, washing clothes is easy in the summer, just a quick rub is fine." Ye Li didn't care.
"Then eat quickly, it's getting late," Jiang Ji urged, and then said to Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya, "You two eat quickly too, and go to bed early after you finish eating. Tomorrow you'll help your second aunt pick up wheat ears."
The two little ones quickly agreed.
They can do this job.
They both went to work in the fields during last year's wheat harvest.
However, when the two of them went to the fields, the work of cutting pig feed and gathering firewood fell to Ye Li.
In the past, with the two little ones' diligence, they could have collected more firewood in a day than they needed. They would save a little bit each day, and soon they would have accumulated a huge pile.
But now Ye Li fries things every day, and uses a lot of firewood, so he basically has to collect it every day.
Of course, that's not the point.
Ye Li wasn't afraid of being busy; this job was easy.
But Jiang Ji's work was heavy.
After harvesting wheat all day, would you still have the energy to work on the kang (heated brick bed)?
Ye Li pondered the question with a serious expression. Soon, the two little ones finished eating. They brushed their teeth first, and then went to the shed to take a shower.
Only Jiang Ji and Ye Li remained in the kitchen.
The two little ones quickly put on their clothes and came out. When they got to the kitchen, they saw Jiang Ji and Ye Li still eating. The two of them snuggled up to Jiang Ji and talked for a while. When Ye Li put down her chopsticks, Jiang Ji told them to go back to their room to sleep.
After the two of them left, Jiang Ji said to Ye Li, "Go wash up, I'll clean the kitchen."
Ye Li shook her head: "You go wash up, I'll take care of the cleaning."
He wanted Jiang Ji to save his energy.
"How about we go together?" Jiang Ji tentatively suggested.
Ye Li was a little surprised to hear this. Before he could speak, Jiang Ji said again, "Me, serve you? You don't seem to be in a good mood."
"...No, not really."
Ye Li laughed, thinking that Ye Li had a good eye for things.
"I was just wondering, after a long day tomorrow, will you still have the energy to indulge yourself on the bed?"
Jiang Ji: "..."
He said meaningfully, "Then tonight I'll test your ventriloquism, and tomorrow night you'll test my stamina?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Li's gaze flickered. Cough, he had actually practiced ventriloquism.
Thinking about what was about to happen, he felt a surge of heat rising within him in an instant.
He pointed in the direction of the small shed: "Then I'll wash first, and wait for you after I'm done?"
"I can wash it for you."
Jiang Ji offered him another option.
"No, I can do it myself."
After saying this, Ye Li left.
It's really not that bad.
He wasn't familiar with Jiang Ji!
After leaving the kitchen, he first locked the courtyard gate, then brushed his teeth.
Then he carried a bucket of hot water mixed with cold water into the small shed.
The shed was dark, but there was no need to light an oil lamp for bathing, lest the shed burn down if one wasn't careful.
He put his change of clothes on the stool next to him, grabbed a water ladle, scooped some water onto himself, and the water washed over him, taking away a lot of the stickiness left by sweat.
Then he picked up a bath bean, crushed it, and smeared it all over his body.
These bath beans are new ones he bought; the ones the original owner bought were already used up.
After applying the ointment, just as he was about to rinse it off, he heard footsteps outside. Then, a tall, slender figure appeared at the entrance of the shed, and Jiang Ji called out to him.
"You packed so quickly?" Ye Li asked in surprise.
"With just a few bowls and a basin, how long can it last?"
Jiang Ji placed the wooden bucket in his hand at the entrance of the shed, and then went back inside to get a change of clothes.
When he returned to the shed, Ye Li had already washed up.
Ye Li smiled and waved to him: "Come on, I'll help you wash."
Jiang Ji didn't hesitate at all, and immediately went to untie the belt around his waist: "Okay."
He stood at the entrance of the small shed.
The soft moonlight clearly illuminated his tall and slender figure.
Like the silhouette of a perfect male protagonist in a comic book, with a small head and broad shoulders, but the lines taper in at the waist, drawing a beautiful arc.
Ye Li didn't have time to look down before her throat went dry.
He knew the feel of that silhouette.
Hot, firm, with a thin layer of perfectly proportioned muscles covering the chest and waist.
The last time the two of them had sex, they were face to face, and he openly looked them over for a long time and touched them many times.
The more he thought about it, the drier his throat became. Just as he was about to clear his throat, Jiang Ji strode into the shed.
Immediately afterwards, he was pulled into a burning hot embrace.
Just as he remembered.
The overwhelming masculine scent, mixed with the refreshing minty smell of tooth powder, immediately made his head throb.
He cursed him in his heart for being spineless. Just as he finished cursing, Jiang Ji cupped his cheeks with his large hands, and then his familiar lips landed on his.
He followed his body's instincts, wrapped his arms around Jiang Ji's waist, and opened his mouth to receive this long-awaited kiss.
The moment their lips and tongues touched, they both let out a satisfied sigh.
Ye Li hugged Jiang Ji tightly, wanting to deepen the kiss, but Jiang Ji's tongue wreaked havoc in his mouth, teasing his upper jaw. He couldn't resist and soon leaned completely into Jiang Ji's arms, passively enduring the kiss.
But soon, Jiang Ji withdrew from his mouth.
It lingered in his heart for a moment.
Soon, Jiang Ji arrived at his actual destination.
He squatted down, his tall frame slender.
He was already hot, but now he was even hotter, no, scalding hot.
My whole body was burning up.
He wanted Jiang Ji to get up.
But pleasure raged through his mind like a hurricane, making him dizzy. His meager experience was no match for such stimulation.
Indulging in pleasure!
He couldn't bear to let Jiang Ji get up.
He could barely stand. When he came out, Jiang Ji held him tightly around the waist to steady him.
He was like a fish out of water, mouth agape, breathing heavily.
At this moment, Jiang Ji stood up, put one arm around him, and gently stroked his back with the other, trying to help him prolong the intense pleasure.
This combo made him feel both pleased and a little embarrassed.
Wasn't Jiang Ji going to check his ventriloquism skills?
and!
How come her husband is so skilled?
He poked Jiang Ji's shoulder with his index finger: "...You, did you secretly practice?"
In the darkness, a familiar soft laugh rang out, followed by Jiang Ji asking, "Are you satisfied?"
"I'm so satisfied, I suspect you've been secretly practicing extra!"
After saying that, Ye Li stood on tiptoe to kiss him.
But to everyone's surprise, Jiang Ji tilted his head and said, "You stand still, I'm going to rinse my mouth."
"...It's my own stuff, I don't mind! Come here."
Ye Li simply hugged him and jumped onto him.
Jiang Ji was startled and quickly bent down slightly, stretching out his arms to support him.
Ye Li was satisfied now. She wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and lowered her head to find his familiar lips.
Jiang Ji hesitated for a moment, but didn't dodge. He obediently opened his mouth, and the two shared a short, shallow kiss.
It certainly didn't taste good.
But now that things have come to this point, no one cares about anyone else.
After the kiss ended, thinking of the time when Jiang Ji left home at the end of last month and Ye Li pinned him to the door, Ye Li whispered in Jiang Ji's ear: "Good husband, hurry up."
Jiang Ji naturally recalled that scene as well.
He could no longer tolerate it.
The small shed was stuffy and cramped, and soon the two of them were covered in sweat again. Fortunately, it was summer, so taking a shower was convenient.
Afterwards, the two quickly washed themselves and went back to the house in straw sandals.
Although it was summer, the old house was not hot.
Moreover, Ye Li also laid out a cool bamboo mat and changed the bedding to thin sheets.
Jiang Ji spread the bed sheet on the bamboo mat.
This time, the urge to shove myself inside Ye Li was gone, and the time dragged on much longer.
With ease, the two tried several different moves.
By the end, Ye Li's fair knees were covered with very obvious red marks.
This is from Ye Li's knees being pressed against the bamboo mat for too long.
Jiang Ji grabbed his knee and rubbed it a few times.
Seeing Jiang Ji staring at his knees, Ye Li found it somewhat amusing.
After laughing, fatigue washed over me.
Although I had a great time tonight, the intense enjoyment was also extremely exhausting.
He yawned and urged Jiang Ji to go to sleep.
I have to get up early tomorrow.
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